The problem with smart dogs.

Poor Sienna.  She's just too smart.

Sienna knows that when I pull out my sleeping bag and big backpack, she is likely to join me on a camping trip.  A couple of weeks ago I pulled out my old tent and set it up in the backyard to clean it, and Sienna immediately grew very excited and jumped directly into the tent.  She also knows that when I pull out my duffel bag, it likely means that I'm going to be leaving her for a few days.  Unfortunately, she has become very accustomed to this latter event over the last six months, and as a result has become increasingly anxious and clingy when I am home.  It makes me feel awful.



Meanwhile, Callie is blissfully unaware of her surroundings and goings-on and is rarely bothered by much of anything.

We've been packing up the house for a few weeks now-- moving furniture, getting rid of things, and filling boxes.  Sienna is, to put it simply, freaking out.  I'm not sure if she remembers our two previous moves, but she definitely knows that something big is going on right now, and she definitely doesn't like it.  She has been ridden with anxiety and is made nervous and antsy by the tiniest things.  She follows me around attached to my heels and generally gets in my way at every opportunity.  I think it's stressing her out that she can't interpret what's going on.

The other day, Sienna knocked over a can of paint onto the hardwood floor and then promptly ran through the paint, leaving pawprints all over the floor, the rugs, and Josh and I.  Then she spent an hour or two breathing heavily, panting, and hiding in the corner because we had both screamed at her and chased her around the house after said paint-spilling.  She still has paint all over her paws and belly.  I guess even the smartest dogs in the world should be allowed to have anxiety attacks every now and then.

Who knows-- maybe UNpacking boxes will have a calming effect?  At least I'm not the only one whose dogs have a hard time with moving.  (Please, please read this blog.  It is quite possibly one of my favorite things ever.)  I'll post more about the actual move soon.