But rather than brainstorming a list of excuses as to why you haven't had your Shadow fix since spring, why don't I just get to divvying some out?
The Shadow-meister took quite a big step this month, crossing state lines with the rest of his family and moving into a brand new home that (once fenced) will provide him with the outdoor space he's always deserved.
In typical kid fashion, the moving days were filled with sulking eyes and pulled back ears... but they didn't endure. Not only is Shadow now at peace with his new digs, he's got a new favorite spot... far away from where his "parents" are the majority of the time. (All he needs are some punk rock CDs and opposable thumbs so he can lock the door, we'll have a typical pre-teenager on our hands.)
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| Scaling these stairs was a tall order when Shadow first arrived. |
Our old house had them, and Shadow was fine. He's always been iffy at our in-laws, but those are open stairs. These new guys are completely enclosed. But did this make Shadow feel better? In the words I think he'd say if he could speak human, "Not a chance in hell, man."
We tried everything - physically helping him up one paw at a time, bribing him with toys and treats (even peanut butter!), giving him a running start, putting his food bowl at the top of the stairs - but nothing worked. For weeks, when bedtime rolled around, Shadow would tense up like a brick of ice with his back legs on the first floor and his front paws on the steps, and proceed to bark and whine until my husband ultimately carried him up like a toddler.
We read tons of forum posts and articles about this fear - not extremely rare in dogs. Some writers advised leaving him alone, suggesting he'd eventually just get lonely and come up. Others said to keep helping him past the fear. (The knee-jerk "just give him treats!" theory was dead in the water.)
When we finally decided to give the first theory a try, Shadow spent the entire night curled up at the base of the stairs while his bed waited a short climb away. That morning, I assumed he'd never conquer his fear. Still, we continued to help him - one paw at a time - once or twice a day.
THEN one fateful day while I was unpacking on the second floor, a furry grey figure came strolling in beside me as if he hadn't a care in the world. Used to having Shadow be my constant shadow in our old house, I didn't even realize what he'd done right away.
A couple weeks later, he races up and down the stairs like they're nothing but wrinkles in the floor.
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| Shadow discovers the view is sometimes worth the climb. |
