A Shady Character!

Ray’s program of coming off his anxiety meds is in its final stage. On May 30, he was reduced to 10mg/day which means his next reduction will be to come off them completely. Each reduction stage lasted around 6-8 weeks, so now is the time when we can contemplate whether to stop the meds completely.

Our decision is to keep him on 10mg/day for a little while longer.

He has done extremely well, but he has over-reacted, and been very vocal, in a few situations recently. He has barked, and lunged, at people who he had previously accepted, and is very vocal when people come onto our property. Is he being unnaturally protective because of his greater awareness?

Of course there could be any number of other factors , such as excessive heat and humidity; getting close to meal time etc. which impacted him but, preferring to err on the side of caution, we are going to maintain the status quo for a while longer before making any decisions.

I was flipping through the pages of “Who Said I was up for Adoption?” yesterday, and am still really impressed with how far he has come. What we are dealing with now is quite different from the Ray of 5 years ago!

Perhaps he simply needs to spend a little more time “in the shade” before living meds free?

33 thoughts on “A Shady Character!”

  4. I’ve never had a dog who wasn’t very vocal when people came onto our property, either with joyful backs or warning barks, or just letting us know barks. It’s easy to tell the difference. Aggressive lunging is another thing altogether, You are wise to continue to take this very slow. Again, great job, Colin and Carol. Oh, and you too, Ray!

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  6. Benjamin loves the photo because it looks like Ray is playing his favorite game of Hide and Seek! He said that “Ray wins, so he gets extra treats and a kiss on his nose too!” We have our fingers and toes crossed that Ray continues to do well. Thank-you for the update!

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    • Thank you Paul. It was all factored into the decision to give him a second chance at life and, as you know only too well, making the sacrifices as necessary to enable a dog to adjust to its new life can have priceless consequences. As much as we have given Ray, he has paid us back in so many ways. How could we not love him? 🙂

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  10. He definitely has come very far, and all 3 of you have every right to be proud! If he needs kept on the lower dose, than that is fine.
    Great picture and sometimes we all just need “some time in the shade!” 🙂

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  12. Oh my, that picture is precious! As for the meds, you’ll know what’s best for him in the long run. Even if he needs to stay on the low dose, he’s come so far!! Again, I say, Bravo! to Ray, and to you also! He wouldn’t be where he is without the love and patience of two very special people 😊

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