What Do Our Dogs Think When We Go To College?
Hopefully soon I'll have the answers to all my questions.
No matter how much I love dogs, I would never consider myself a dog person. However, I am totally obsessed with my own dog. Consider me a dog person but only for Tebow, if that makes sense. He's like my truest love and my biggest annoyance all wrapped up into one, so in other words, he is my child. It is crazy to think that just three years ago he was seriously the worst puppy imaginable, but he's now grown into this handsome, sweet, 95-pound unit of a best friend.
We have a pretty solid routine going. You can tell he understands what's happening every day and what it means, dogs are just smart like that. Even when my family and I go on vacation you know he gets it because he always goes to the same dog sitter. But here's the thing, I leave for college soon. That whole routine will vanish and it will have to transform into a whole new, confusing procedure. This one won't have a set time or date, I just leave one day and come back months later, whenever that will be.
So here's my question, will he understand it or will he just think I've abandoned him? A dark thought I know but just bear with me. Dogs understand most things with basic keywords and/or by routine. There's almost no way for a dog to truly comprehend what "college" actually means. How do you make a dog understand that when you disappear for weeks at a time that you will, in fact, come back? Or do they just assume that you will?
I'm hoping I'm not the only one pondering this very important question. I know everyone thinks about how much they're going to miss their pet when they leave for college, but does anyone else wonder what your pet is going to feel? I'm not entirely sure how deep a dog's brain goes so there's a very good chance Tebow won't even think twice about the length of time I'm gone, but what I do know is that no matter where I go or how long I'm gone, he will still be excited to see me. And that's really all that matters.
