Lilly has been off the xanax for a month now. While at first report, she showed no ill effects, drug withdrawal, or behavior problems. Things may have changed … and NOT for the better. Lilly had a rough few days last week.
Last week, I got the chance to tour the KONG headquarters, which just happens to be in my hometown of Golden, Colorado. In fact, it’s simply on the far side of North Table Mountain from where we live. The company also has manufacturing centers in other spots in northern Colorado, but the facility closest to us makes the classic KONG shape we all know and love. BIG NEWS …
Researchers from the Animal Behavior Clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University are hunting for causes and solutions to canine compulsive disorders. The current study targets border collies who chase lights and shadows.
Yesterday, I reported on What Went Well in Lilly’s second herding lesson. Here is a recap of what didn’t go so well.
Last Thursday, Lilly and I hauled ourselves out to Valdemar Farm for our second official herding lesson. This I know … I’m probably the worst goatherd on the planet. Lilly loves bossing goats around.
On the advice of our behaviorist from Colorado State’s veterinary school, Lilly has taken both chlomipramine and xanax/alprazolam twice a day, every day, since summer 2008. We didn’t just drug our canine heroine, though.
Over the last couple of weeks, I had the chance to glean insights about Lilly’s recent herding lesson where (at least in my mind) things didn’t go so well. This slow-motion herding pressure video shows some of what I’ve learned.
First, it was peaches. Then, we had to do a banana intervention. And, now … what kind of fruit and/or vegetable heist do you suppose resulted in Ginko making this “Who me?” face?
A couple of weeks ago, I got a funny voice-mail message from Kim Sporrer, who handles communication stuff for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley (where we adopted Lilly in October 2004). She asked me to call her and, in the meantime, to keep the evening of February 24 open. She was a little cryptic.
Let’s resume our discussion of Lilly’s herding lesson with some reflections on the overall experience. As promised, I’ll also clue you into to a couple of details that may shed light on how things went.
