I'm sure we all have stories of our dogs being somewhat destructive, no matter what breed they are, but I have to pass on this story about a GSP and his problem with separation anxiety. The owner of this dog has to be one of the most patient dog owners on earth.
I didn't meet the person or dog, but got the information second hand from a good friend of mine, Greg Allen. He was going home from an archery tournament when he stopped at a convenience store in New Meadows when he saw a GSP in the back seat of a quad cab pick up. She was resting her head on the metal remains of a head rest on the back seat. While in the store Greg met the dog owner and asked what happened to the head rest in his truck. The owner acknowledge that his dog had torn it apart and invited Greg out to meet the dog. On the way to the truck the owner mentioned that his dog had some separation anxiety issues and the amount of damage this dog could do was amazing. At the truck, he let the dog out and Greg was shocked to see the inside of the truck had no covering left on any of the seats. There were blankets and a pad for the driver on top of the seat frames. The owner bent over to give his little girl a hug and then confirmed that all the damage inside the truck was done by her. It took her only the time it takes to eat a morning breakfast with the boys before a hunt.
Greg said it was amazing the amount of damage that dog did and how patient this owner was with her. To make it even more astonishing is the fact that this was the second time she had done this. The gentleman told Greg that he had all the upholstery replace at $1800 dollars the first time but decided to just leave it like this until she got over her issues. Obviously he didn't want to leave the dog in a kennel in the back of his truck. With that kind of great treatment, no wonder she got anxiety attacks. I wonder if she road in the seat next to him in first class on long air trips.
I've often had people tell me that they wanted to come back as Larry's dog in their next life. This guy has got to be on the top of the list of people and places a dog would love to live.
