wow! i am so glad things are starting to work out for you and sophie. :D:thumbup:

so the office window is where sophie can detect your neighbor walking by and that is why she is barking? it does seem like if you can close that door or any other areas where sophie will notice other people moving around, she will not bark while you are away.

i will keep my fingers crossed that sophie will be a good little girl and not bark while you are away with the new set up.

good luck with the surgery tmw. you can sleep with her blanket tonight and bring it with her to the vet tmw, so she can smell you on the blanket when she is at the vet. i usually do this with my dogs, i think maybe this helps them feel better while they are at the vet because i think they are probably a little scared to be there without their mommy.

Both of mine are barkers... Oliver mostly inside the house, and Mya out. Mya's favorite thing to do is bark at the neighbors, and their dogs. It's a territorial bark, she has that "I own the world, and I didn't tell you you could be in it!" frame of mind. Fun. I can tell the neighbors on the one side are annoyed. She gets brought in the minute she starts barking (and I can catch her, lol) and often times if I know they are outside I will just take her out on a leash to avoid the hassle altogether. She is sloooooowly learning that barking means she goes inside - she loves it outside - so she's starting to get the hint.

I share this story because - I can relate. I can imagine being faced with such a decision. I'd like to say I'd never debark, but if it was a decision between letting one or both of them go and debarking, well I just don't know what I'd do. Oliver especially is so attached and has already been through so much (puppy mill rescue) that I don't know if he'd live through being separated from me and yet another rehome.

I haven't read the whole thread, but I did watch the video posted, and it broke my heart - gagging while eating or drinking or exercising for life? Yikes. I know it doesn't always happen and it's just one of those "surgical risks", but it's still something to keep in mind while making a decision.

I truly hope you're able to get a house you can rent so you both can rest a little easier. I have a lot of student debt and my living situation is not what I want it to be and I have no power to change it until some of my debt is paid down, so I can relate in that sometimes moving isn't always an option. Hopefully something opens up and it becomes one for you :)

I saw the video too, and we don't know if the dogs originally had the debarking done by a professional vet. There are still many states that allow a breeder to do-it-yourself and it's being done by jamming a metal pipe down a dog's throat, and other barbaric methods. I just read a law recently trying to get it banned in some state, and only vets would be allowed to do it. Even then I don't think you'd want just any vet. The dog in the video with the surgical incision was the dog who had his throat repaired, and it's always more difficult to repair bad surgery then do the surgery right in the first place.

I'm really hopeful training can help, I really love the fact that Joey can alert me should someone try to break in.

Wow! I'm so glad that things seem to be turning around for you and Sophie! Knock on Wood and all.

Sounds like you have got some great things going on with the radio; the dog walker; the right room . . .

I'm impressed!

Prayers for a safe spay surgery tomorrow and speedy recovery for sweet little Sophie. (And big hugs and puppy kisses from Rocco! :hug: )

I will pray for little Sophoe's spay tomorrow. I am glad things have gotten a little quieter around there while you are gone and Sophie has a new playmate. :)