Might be in pain
I feel absolutely awful. I couldn’t understand why lately Charley kept backing away from me when I kept trying to put on her harness. I thought it was one of the stubborn games she plays. The other day I told her if she backed up from me she wasn’t going to be able to go. She stood in the foyer just looking at me. I was perplexed, because she usually gets the jest of what I’m saying. So that day I left without her after giving her a few tries. She yelped and cried as I walked away and she could hear the elevator ding. I remained perplexed about it the whole time I was out.
Later on I noticed she was gently licking her paw, and then tried to lick further up by her armpit. That is when I saw a long, friction cut where the hair has been rubbed off. I was horrified, for at first it liked like a gash and my thoughts are still in shock about the last two surgeries I had to have done for her.
She would not let me see it, she even got a bit snippy with me. That’s when I looked up excessive licking in dogs.
If licking the owner, which she was doing as well, could be a sign of showing affection to the Alpha, which I don’t think that was it, or signaling they were in pain. She wouldn’t let me look still.
I told her we were going to go outside and just walk around, no playing because I still wasn’t quite sure what her injury was, and told her I had to look at her paws before we play. I went to put on her harness and she backed away slightly, but looked up at me sad and reluctant, but stayed in one spot. It wasn’t until I went to put on her harness that I realized it lined right up to her wound. I was,” Is that’s why you kept backing away? Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry Charley!”
I absolutely felt and still feel awful. How many times did I put that thing on her when it was giving her pain but she did it anyway? I will never put that harness on her again.
Lesson learned. My Charley is not always a brat. Most of the time it has to do with error on my part.
It’s not the dog’s fault, it’s the owner. Ugh.
CHARLEY WAFFLE 