
Anyone who regularly reads this space knows about Gatsby, our stunning rescue dog we adopted. He immediately filled our hearts with furry, snuggly, puppy love. Gatsby, he is a special being. While we rescued him, he certainly recaptured our ‘dog-loving’ hearts right back. He is our little boychik (sweet boy) who has brought us all such nachas (pride and gratification, usually through one’s kinder (children)) and expanded our family in a very healthy way.
He is the most amazing dog for us all… and, pretty early on, we realized our zeiseh punim (sweet faced) man suffered from terrible bouts of anxiety and tsuris (grief, heartache). He is a neurotic ‘Vincent van Gogh – Woody Allen – Adele’ wrapped inside (in our case) women’s best friend. His early months on the planet had left him traumatized – and with no canine fidget spinners in sight, we experienced some tough behaviors together. Horrible separation anxiety, excessive chewing, leash reactiveness at the sight of any dog or cat, over-zealous obsession (OCD) with squirrels, birds, noises, and lights in the parking lot… you name it, and he felt it! He was farshluggineh (shaken, mixed up) and a bit, well, meshuggeneh (crazy).

We tried training, and this boy, our four legged smarty pants, could sit, give a paw, high five and lie down (My Mrs., she homeschooled him)! We added in rescue remedy, a tight fitting ThunderShirt, DAP (dog appeasing pheromones), calming canine music, exhaustive walks – and bubkes (nothing), no change in our meshuggeneh (crazy) mutt.
Our therapy dog, he needs therapy. You all already know I’m a mess, ergo, I blog for catharsis! Now my boy, we need to help him! He is proof that stress and anxiety knows no discrimination: rich, poor, man, woman, old, young, sick, healthy, feline or canine!
I was beginning to think our little man of the house needed a little chemistry to help him along. All he wants to do is please us, yet he is plagued with such shpilkes (anxiety). Oy vey!
My Mrs., she took him to the vet to talk about this new wrinkle in his care. At first, they were a bit skeptical. Then they witnessed him going batshit bonkers over a painting of a dog on the wall. Next, it became difficult to take blood – his fur was flying at the thought of being at the vet’s office. He was shrekn (terrorized with fear) and the doc, she saw what we knew. She put a muzzle on my poor boychik’s face and carried on with the exam. We left with some Trazadone to calm him and a prescription for Prozac.
The Trazadone worked wonders. He would calm, without being at all lethargic. We needed this while the Prozac built up in his system. About a month in, he is doing much better. He still prefers we stay together (as do we) and never leave him behind. He still barks outside, but he is not inconsolable. We can deflect behaviors. Riding in the car is greatly improved.

I share this with you all because, much like 2-legged people, sometimes our 4-legged friends need a little help. I did some research and found that about 30% of dogs exhibit some form of canine anxiety. Like any of my other kinder, we will do whatever it takes to take care of him. Our CVS fills the prescription with a pseudo-affordable generic. When his Rx is ready, they call out, “Gatsby!” Medication is not always the answer, but in our case, we are grateful for such a solution.
Not everyone the dogs bark at is a thief. Nit yederer oif vemen hunt bilen iz a ganev.
also:
Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure. Vas finds a gatray fraynd, finds a autsr.
We have found a treasure indeed!
So happy things are improving that is one super cute dog brilliant read Thanks for linking to the #THAT FRIDAY LINKY come back next week please
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Thanks, Nige! Things are on the upswing for our little man! And he is worth it! #ThatFridayLinky
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oh buddy! My mom just took her little guy to a six week “reprogramming” bootcamp that cost an arm and a leg. Pretty sure it didnt work a lick! maybe we should look at doggie Prozac…
#fabfriday
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Try it! Talk to your vet! He is his same very precious self, with less anxiety (less, not none). Easier to break out of the hard behaviors like barking on a leash, etc. He is just so worth it! He has me wrapped around his little paw… Can you tell! #FabFridayPost
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poor thing! Mine is currently staring sadly staring out the window. I think he’s disappointed I’m the only one home. He misses the girls #fridayfrolics
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Gatsby does a head count before bed – literally taking attendance! He is doing so much better now! Thank you, Jeremy! #FridayFrolics xo
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What a beautiful boy! He looks very similar to my girl Maggie (she’s a cross mastiff Lab) She too is very nervous and anxious but I tend to turn a blind eye… one looney female in the house is just about enough for my husband to take! Great post! #Blogcrush
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Thank you so much! I just want people to know, especially with rescue dogs, some extra measures can help. Poor guy had a few homes before us… Must have been so hard for him. We got him at 4 months and he is just so precious. Thanks for reading and commenting too! #BlogCrush xoxo
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Am glad you could help him 🙂
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He is just the very sweetest thing in the world! I would do anything to help him! And the vet agrees. Thank you, Bee, for stopping by!
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Thank you Lisa for sharing your story about your gorgeous Therapy Dog with us at #BloggersPitStop. Have a lovely day.
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Thank you, Sue! You have a lovely day too! ❤ #BloggersPitStop
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Lola gets very anxious when I leave, even if she’s staying with the Daddybeast! #BlogCrush
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Gatsby, brilliant boy that he is, will hide in the girls closet, like ET, amidst all the toys. Genius! Hugs to Lola! xoxo
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That is smart of him, he blends in there and no one will bother him while he naps!
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Ah, bless him. Well done for keeping at it. We’ve got a rescue cat and it’s taken months for him to settle. We tried Felaway and that worked a treat. He’s still grumpy, but he seems happier in himself
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He still will hide or shake before we go out, but he is handling things much better! Pets are good people, eh? TY for your comments about my boy! ❤
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I am happy to hear that you managed to find the solution and he is doing better! Hopefully with time, he will be able to stay without the prescription.
#FabFridayPost
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Thanks, Su! Us too. We were headed out for vacation and I was terrified to leave him! He did very well with a friend in our apartment all week taking wonderful care of him — he was ecstatic when we returned! #FabFridayPost xoxo
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Ah my lovely Gatsby! I really hope the medication works. I 💙 him #BigPinkLink
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Thank you so much! He is the biggest sweetheart and he is doing better! Thank you for you support! I will tell him how much he is loved online! 💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜 #bigpinklink And at home, of course! 😘
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Aww, poor Gatsby. One of our dogs is terrified of thunder, fireworks, balloons and bubble wrap, she turns into a quivering wreck. Glad you have found something to help him x
#FabFridayPost
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Thanks Alana! He is really doing so much better now. Amazing ! My little boy has shpilkis (anxiety) ! 😘💕 #fabfridaypost
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Aww sweet thing. Glad he can chill out now. #DreamTeam
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He is the very best! Thank you! #dreamteam ❤️
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returning #TriumphantTales
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Thankfully, my boy is very, very laid back about everything but they are very like people and do suffer from some of the same things. I do hope he carries on improving, he is a super gorgeous boy #TriumphantTales x
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Oh he is doing so well! He is calmer and easier to walk now. He is just so darned sweet! He sure keeps me calm and happy! Thanks so much for your kindness. Wish our little pups could have a play date! #triumphanttales 💜
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Aww beautiful Gatsby My parents used to have a Dalmatian. he had therapy for his fear of small dogs. Apparently a lot of dalmatians need therapy for various reasons. Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics
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TY, Claire! Dogs need help just like us 2-leggers! He is worth finding relief for he is such a little bundle of love! #FridayFrolics xoxo
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Ahh. bless Gatsby. I hope that the medication works 🙂 xx #FridayFrolics
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It is! It’s really working and my boy is his happy self, minus a bit of neurosis! ☺️😉 #fridayfrolics
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Aww Gatsby! Poor little man but so glad to hear his meds are working and he’s starting to feel a bit more relaxed. I would absolutely love to rescue a dog one day, I think it’s such a special thing to do, I just wish people wouldn’t mistreat their animals in the first place though xx #blogcrush
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Oh, Wendy, how I am with you! He is a gift, and he needs our help. He is nestled in my lap as I type right now. Worth every minute. Rescue dogs, dogs in general, just fill your heart with unconditional love. TY! #blogcrush xo
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Lisa he is so cute. We now have a puppy we’ve had him for 3 weeks (he’s almost 4 months old) and I am learning so much. Good luck little Gatsby. Sarah #fabfridaypost
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Oooh! 🐶 Puppies! Mazel Tov Sarah! What kind? Send a pic! Gatsby is doing so well! Thank you! #fabfridaypost 💕
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Aww – bless him. I never knew dogs could have anxiety medication – I’ve learnt something! Thanks so much for joining us for #FridayFrolics
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And you can be happy knowing that it’s working! I think it’s Mr t’s fault… but! Yeah for meds. ##FridayFrolics
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Gatsby is ADORABLE!!! I hope the meds work for him!! We have had (somewhere around) ten dogs since we got married 20 years ago. I am one of those crazy dog people that takes in strays & finds them homes, etc. I chased a Beagle down the side of the interstate once, but that’s not what this is about. I just wanted to say that I understand doing whatever it takes for the four legged members of your family! Because they ARE FAMILY!!!
#globalblogging
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They sure are, and the meds are working! My boy is doing so much better! Pets are really good people! The girls refer to him as their brother. #family #globalblogging 💕
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Oh my. What a little sweetheart. Nodoggy likes feeling anxious. Glad you found something that worked. #globalblogging
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Ty, me too! #globalblogging
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Oh my. What a little sweetheart. Nodoggy likes feeling anxious. Glad you found something that worked. #globalblogging
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Thank you so much! We are glad too! He still has some work to do, but hey, don’t we all! ❤ #globalblogging xoxo
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Oh bless him! What a sensitive little soul he is. Poor little thing. Glad things are on the up for you all. Thanks for joining #bigpinklink x
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Thank you, lovely! 💕 #bigpinklink
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Thanks for linking up to #globalblogging Lisa!
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I love this post and I totally get it as our pooch is very similar. We have problems with him being highly reactive, so he is very sensitive to the environment and will go barking mad at even the teeniest of noises. We are doing harmony dog training classes and had a massive break through this week. Hurrah!!! I will keep my fingers crossed for you. #DreamTeam xx
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Annette, do tell me about this harmony training! Ty, lovely! 🐶💕
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The more I read about Gatsby, the more I fall in love. He is just the cutest little thing ever!!! my MIL’s cat is having treatment as she has terrible grief over losing her puppy buddy a few months back. I agree that if we can have medication to help us with issues, then why cant animals?? Here is our furbabies having a happier future!!
Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back tomorrow.
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He has so much blogger-loving support! Thank you, Lianne. Our pets should feel good. Good luck to the cat. Grief is hard on us all. Oy. #triumphantTales 😘
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Popping back from #fortheloveofBLOG, looking through the comments, he really does have so much blogging love! you should do a vlog with lots of footage of him being a little rascal! I know I’d LOVE to see that! or just send him to the UK for my christmas present hahahahaha!
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Oh what fun that would be! The vlog part! 🐶🐶🐶 I may just have to figure that one out! Thank you Lianne! #fortheloveofblog 💜💜💜
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Aww he is a lovely little soul #globalblogging
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He sure is! Thank you! 💜 #globalblogging
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He’s such a cutie, glad that you’ve managed to find a solution. Thanks for linking up to #fortheloveofblog
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Now, we can finally add in some training for my little man! Thank you Kelly! He is such a love! #fortheloveofblog 😘
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