I think I am still shaking over this past weekends ordeal! My husband, Schatzie and i went away to Hot Springs AR to see the horse races, we do this yearly. Well, this was Schatzie's first time over night in a hotel and I was so excited that the place we always stay at welcome's pets too!
Come to find out shortley after arriving and heading downstairs for dinner, we left Schatzie in her kennel in the room. Oh my gosh, instantly we could hear her screaming in the hallway. She loves her kennel at home, she never minds being left alone at home when my husband and I have to leave. However, no way did she want to be left alone in that hotel room.
We stayed in the hall for over 15 min's just outside our room door listening to her to see if she would settle down. NOPE! So, we ordered room service. That night, brought her into the lounge with us for a few drinks (I needed them at this point)
The next day was the big horse racing day. She screamed as we left and was still screaming when we returned a few hours later. So, again room service in the hotel room that night. For the rest of the weekend (we arrived on Thursday afternoon) I stayed in the hotel room with her.
I left the room for 15 - 20 min's at a time and came back with treats just to see if she would settle down, never did she. Infact she seemed to have made herself ill with runny watery stools so we bathed her 3 times over the weekend.
It didn't matter if I stepped outside that room for a minute or minutes on end, each time she seemed to feel that i was never going to return and I just feel horrible for her.
She is so wiped out she has been sleeping at home all day on the couch and is out of it.
I never would of thought that this would happen? Anybody else ever go through this?
She has experienced seperation anxiety at it's worst and now I have to work on this. It just seemed odd that she's been alone before and been fine, but oh so much did not want to be in that hotel room alone. We even had the tv on, tried to cover the kennel, made it dark and secure, etc....She was only happy when I was in the room with her. We even thought of leaving her out of the kennel. But when we closed the door behind us her screams were followed by legs and paws poking out underneith the hotel room door.
I guess I will have to find a place to board her for like a half day at a time so she gets accustomed to being alone, I just don't know what to do. ??
I feel miserable thinking maybe I have like traumatized her for life???
