No politics here. I need help with my dog.
This is him: Buzz. He came with that name when my ex-wife and I adopted him in spring of 2001. All we knew about him was that he was about a year and half old and that he had been rescued from incredible cruelty. We know that his mother had been shot. We learned quickly that he was terrified of anything that sounded like gunshots - firecrackers, balloon popping, anything like that would put him into a panic. Fourth of July has not been fun since we adopted him.
But for the most part he has been a great dog. He wants me to be pleased with him, I get a distinct impression that he eagerly looks for ways to make me happy. He is a loving dog but always been nervous and neurotic.
But things have gone more than a little crazy lately and I would appreciate any advice or suggestions.
This all started about three months ago when my job increased my travel schedule dramatically. Suddenly I was on the road a whole lot more. When I leave town Buzz goes and stays with my ex-wife. It works well that way, he is at the old house we used to live at and knows my ex and my daughter and appears to enjoy visiting. But when I return Buzz can't wait to get back to "his" house.
He started getting out of my yard and my ex's yard. Not going very far, just patrolling the area around the house and returning. In fact, both of us were not even sure this was happening because we'd think we heard him bark in the front yard but when you go and check he would have returned to the backyard where he belongs. It took a while to figure out he was escaping. Then came the hunt for the points of escape and the inevitable plugging the holes, fixing the fence, etc.
It was almost a game, can I figure out where he was getting out and fix it before Buzz got out again.
But about a month ago I started getting calls (my cell is on his tag): your dog is in my yard. I started having to leave work to rescue him from neighbors. Or call my ex wife from three states away and ask her to go to her neighbors to get him.
Then, one night when I was packing for yet another trip in the morning, Buzz staggered in with a gash on his left leg. I had to rush him to the emergency vet. They did labwork - a complete blood panel, urine and stool sample and found that he had a urinary tract infection but otherwise was fine. I missed my flight but hey, Buzz was okay even if it was an expensive trip to the vet.
As soon as I got home from town he escaped again, this time digging a hole under the fence. I put heavy rocks into the hole to prevent him digging out.
He got out again. This time I got a verbal warning at work. I can't just leave work for him again.
Feeling guilty and bordering on cruel, I shut the doggy door and locked him up while I went to work. When I got home the mini-blinds over the bedroom window were in shreds and shards. Buzz has never, never destroyed any property. I can only imagine that he actually tried to get out the window.
Now I'm frantically looking into doggie day care options.
Then comes this past monday when I rushed home during lunch, let the dogs out to go to the bathroom and then had to lock them up again. Buzz pooped on the living room rug. Again, never ever done that before but I figure the whole locking him up thing did it. But I don't feel I have a choice! I don't want to find him dead in the road - that is my nightmare.
Tuesday I come home and he has managed to somehow close himself in the bathroom. Buzz clearly panicked and destroyed the bathroom. He tore holes in the door, smashed the toilet leaving sharp shards of ceramic and water all over the bathroom. He tore up towels, ripped apart my daughter's bath toys... It looked like a bomb went off in there.
I made an appointment for the vet on wednesday, yesterday. I take a chance and leave the doggie door open so he can go to the bathroom. I get home and he has had diarrhea on my bed. Off to the vet appointment.
A second full panel of bloodwork reveals a perfectly healthy dog with nothing unusual going on. In the words of the vet, "I wish younger dogs had labwork like this!"
So we start him on prozac and I get a recommendation for a doggie day care. Fine.
Today I get a call, he has escaped again and is at a a house about a mile from my own. I go to Petsmart and buy a crate (Buzz has always been terrified of crates, that is why I have not used them up until now). I pick him up from the neighbors and crate him and go to get my daughter from day care.
The same neighbors call. He's back.
He broke the fucking crate.
I am at my wits end. I'm scared he will get hit by a car or die of heat exhaustion (it has been about 110F here for past week). I can't miss work. I can't figure out how to get him to doggie day care, my daughter to day care and myself to work on time. I don't know what to do when I travel.
Because he was abused he does not tolerate other men very well at all so I don't think he is adoptable. Besides he is between 11 and 14 years old.
Any ideas or thoughts? I really am at my wits end here.