Solo Sophie

  One of our concerns about losing Ben was how hard it would affect Sophie.  They had always been extremely close.  As they aged and Sophie seemed to have some vision and hearing loss, she would take her cues from Ben, looking at him before reacting to something, barking when he did, trotting over to the same spot in the yard and such.  We were facing the very real possibility that Sophie would not be able to live without her brother and we would lose her, too.  I delayed making the decision about Ben because I wasn't ready for that double loss.
  When we came home after the trip to the vet, I found Sophie laying in Ben's crate, with a very sad face.  She came out of the crate when I called her, burying her head into my chest when I knelt down.  Somehow she knew her brother was gone and was clearly grieving.  She didn't touch her supper that night but we enticed her to eat with some treats.
  The next morning, she was listless but showed some interest in breakfast after awhile.  I spent a lot of time with her, brushing her coat and fussing over her.  I also changed her routine, using different yards for exercise instead of the one she shared with Ben.
  By the middle of the week, Sophie started to show some interest in her surroundings and her appetite perked up.  She doesn't dive into her meals like she used to, but she does like to explore the scents in the yard (I think it's a big traffic area for the wildlife).  She trots along the fence line as I walk up the drive to get the paper and has enjoyed some time by the wood stove as I watch t.v.  She even picked up a rawhide and chewed it!
  We've had glorious, spring-like weather the last two days and the dogs have been in the play yard to enjoy it.  I put Sophie in her yard and while she seemed to look around for Ben, she was very interested in the activity next door.  She barked at the dogs while they play tussled and touched noses with a couple through the fence.
  I think her adjustment is going well, actually better than I thought it would.  I do enjoy these days with her!

Taking her morning stroll

Breaking into a little trot!