Separation Anxiety

Charles and I took Frodo to the vet yesterday to inquire about his separation anxiety and how to best handle it. I was a little bit disappointed that there was no magical cure. They asked if we wanted to medicate him, and we said we would prefer not to, but will if that is our only option. They gave us a sheet of paper with 3 licensed behaviorsists' names on it. Luckily we went ahead and got his shots done while he was there, so the $100 vet bill actually felt like it had paid for something. One piece of insight they did offer was that dogs usually get MORE anxious as they age, not less. So at least we learned we have an uphill battle ahead of us. I guess Charles will try to call a behaviorist and hopefully it won't be too crazy expensive. The anxiety has been very stressful on all of us, especially Charles. We try to always have at least one of us at home whenever it is possible, which means we haven't been going out much at all. Good for the budget but a little stifling socially.
On the plus side, Frodo got a lot of compliments at the vet's office for being so handsome. One person thought he was a puppy and was surprised when we told her he was 9 years old! That's our boy.

I'm hoping to go see The Avengers this week, but Frodo's behavior will likely determine that. I've giving a speech in Toastmaster's tonight (about Frodo and his problem, actually), and between that, karate, some reading I need to do for my mentorship program, and some other obligations, things are looking rather hectic. If I don't get to post again before that, I want to wish all you mothers a Happy Mother's Day. :)