Snapped

It's widely accepted that one of the more stressful events for people is moving. It's an event that can be fraught with drama, even peril. Some handle it better than others, and as the case with so much in life, the more you do it, it does seem to get easier. But no matter how often you move, and even if it's done through the luxury (I use that term loosely) of a paid corporate relocation, in the back of your mind, you're waiting for someone that's moving to snap.

We've moved several times now and I've always prepared, albeit quietly, for someone in the family to snap. I was never too proud to include myself as one of the potential snapees either. To date, through six moves, I've never had to invoke any of those plans. Until now. And none of my plans included the snap we are enduing now.  Why?

Because the snapee is a nearly twelve year old, eleven pound Shih Tzu. Beijing, our family dog, who has been with us since she was an eight-week old puppy has officially, in my book at least, snapped.  Apparently this move has proven to be her undoing. A couple of points of evidence:

• She refuses to go up or down the stairs. Instead she prefers to bark incessantly from either the bottom or top of the stairs until someone carriers Her Highness up or down. Our Illinois and California houses had stairs. She never did this in either of those houses.
• As soon as we sit down at the table to eat, she begins to bark incessantly to the point of dog hysterics. She does not stop until she is let outside, where nine times out of ten, she does absolutely nothing. Nothing, I tell you. She has never done this. 

These are new and incredibly annoying behaviors that did not manifest themselves until we moved into our new house. I don't know if she got entirely too used to being coddled when we were hostage to her while living in the Residence Inn for a few months or what, but I'm telling you, this dog has snapped. It's not a good look for her, let me tell you.

I'm a firm believer that the Dog Psychic lady is a peddler of garbage, but I'm getting just desperate enough to give her a call. Maybe she'll know what to do with a dog who's snapped...or can someone hook us up with the Dog Whisperer? Anyone...