Leaving 1 yo rescue with separation anxiety alone 3 nights for first time…help!

[rylick]

Q: What kind of information/written instructions have you either given or received that were helpful the first time you left (or watched) a dog?

Context: Have to leave my 1 year old rescue pup for 3 nights for a family wedding x country. She is the sweetest girl but experienced unknown trauma before she was homed with me and can be skittish/very sensitive when I am not around (even if she sort of knows a person). She tends to do better with a well known dog friend in our complex + a person, but not sure that’s going to be reasonable for this time period.

Very nervous to leave her alone as she’s prone to bouts of severe stress colitis (she’s on medication for all of these issues and has specialists for them who have no clear recommendations other than to do what I feel is best for her). Is it better to have someone come to my apartment to babysit or to have her go somewhere else so she’s not “looking for me”?

I do have her stay with friends and family for a chunk of a day a few times a week but unfortunately she has not made it yet to test an overnight. I still have about 40 days for practice!!

My plan as of now: leave l written copy of her am/pm routine, food instructions and medication schedule along with emergency contacts (her vets, close friends) etc.

Please add any info that could be helpful!!! Thank you!

 

[christian102]

@rylick I keep a Google doc that I update for each trip. Normally, we pay someone to stay here, but he does go stay with a couple of people at their homes. We have all the instructions for our house (A/C, TV, gas fireplace, mail, etc.). We include info for the dog - routine, feeding, toys, ball time, meds, etc.

Note that for our dogsitters, we ask for their grocery list. We buy food and drinks they want because we figure if they are happy at our house, they will hang and spend time with him. We also leave a "directory" of things that are nearby - restaurants, shops, any events happening that weekend, etc.

We have numbers for different neighbors - the first couple are husbands who would know what to do if something mechanical went wrong in the house. Others are good friends who know our dog.

We're lucky that our dog seems to be "human agnostic" - if someone is here, they will get cuddled whether they ask for it or not.