Welcome home

Last night I had to run to the grocery store; I must have been gone all of 20 min.  On my return I got a huge greeting from my little one Jessie.  Being that she is nearly blind and deaf; it is the slamming door that tips her off to my arrival.  She runs to the top of the stairs; has a look around and when she sees me, comes running down the stairs crying.  She continues to cry while she is frantically looking for a toy to kill.  She runs into the living room; nothing, into the kitchen, nothing.  Then she finally finds a toy in the family room; she's happy now.  She shakes the living daylights out of it and charges around the house like..................well a Jack Russell.

While this was going on; Luke was sleeping on the couch, only 10 feet away.  He wasn't in the mood to get up; too much work.  It is a rare event when he doesn't come to the door; but he has his moments and this was one that he thought did not need homecoming celebration.  Luke's typical greetings are big; we get the circle tail (when the tail actually goes in a large circle,) we get huffing (an open mouth, lips pulled over the teeth huffing thing,) and head pushing.  He loves to rubs his head; on the side of your legs, between your legs, wherever.  It's a big event; an affectionate extravaganza, but not last night.  After all I'd only been out a few minutes and he did have a prime piece of real estate.

As for Tilley she had been enjoying the sun out in the yard.  I could see her looking in the back window "Mom's home?"  She stood there for a long while; wondering if I was really home.  Was it worth going inside to see?  Finally she made it through the dog door and staggered up the stairs to the door.  She was excited now; her tail vibrates and she throws her head around resembling a stallion.  Then she comes and sits ever so demurely in front of me awaiting her turn.

This was a lingering greeting; often I come in and walk right past the dogs.  It's not good to have a big formal greeting every time.  Making a big deal out of your exit and entrance each time can cause separation issues.  Slipping out and slipping in a good percentage of the time is good practice.   If I do come home and do the business as usual routine; everyone settles much more quickly.  Of course big greeting don't always cause anxiety but it can simply by creating too much anticipation around your arrival.  If you come in and act like no big deal; there is no preoccupation with your coming home, which is good to implement.

But every once in a while it is amazing to come home to such a welcoming committee.  After all is there anyone else that is ever that happy to see you?