Missing in August

The MargeBlog posts have been so infrequent this month, and believe me, it isn't because I'm lazy or unwilling to update.

We have a whole load of NOTHING going on.

Our summer has been positively craptastic, following a rough Fourth of July week and a subsequent two months of scary sights and sounds.  I can literally count the canine highlights of this summer on my hands.

Marge has pretty much spent the last week, except for our visit to Petsmart, doing absolutely nothing.  Agility was cancelled this week, and it has been in the high 80s and even 90s with tons of humidity to bog us down even further.  If she walks for a half hour every day, that's a lot.  Between heat, humidity, thunderstorms, fear, the summer.. it's just impossible to stay outside for longer than that.

Tomorrow, I have a similar predicament.  My dog club is having its annual NADAC trial, which I helped to set up today, in fact.  I would like to go tomorrow for a while to see some people and dogs that I know who will be competing.

The question though, is: to Marge, or not to Marge?

I'm really split as to whether I should bring her or not.  That was the plan all along, but I'm just so scared of going 5 steps backward.  I can see the picture in my head clearly.. having her slink around, visibly unhappy to be there, wanting to wander off and soak away her troubles in the nearby pond, where there is not a soul in sight.  I know I shouldn't be thinking so negatively before I even get there, but that's easier said than done when you have a dog who can be potentially scared if the wind blows the wrong way or a sound is too loud or a man comes too close.  

At the same time, though, if we are ever to compete, she will need to be at such trials.  We will likely only hang around the perimeter of the set-up, staying away from the vendors, tents and the population of people that comes with them.  I should at least know how she'll react to being there, and it could quite possibly not be as bad as I think.

To throw yet another curveball in, the chance of precipitation for tomorrow is 80%, with thunderstorms in the forecast.  If the thunderstorms tomorrow are anything like the ones today, Marge will undoubtedly be happiest in my kitchen, with the radio on, getting kibble thrown at her, rather than in the middle of a huge field.

Guess we'll just see what happens.

Oh, and as a final note, I spoke with my vet's office today to check in with them about these fears.  The melatonin was being used to hopefully help her feel better outside.. well, I don't think it does.  I DO think it helps for things like thunder, but, melatonin or no melatonin, we still cannot walk around the block.

The plan now is to wait another two to three weeks, for the final vestiges of summer to disappear, and re-evaluate her.  If there's no improvement in terms of walking in regular areas, we're going to have to explore other options.