Dog-gone Depressed

Meet Ellie, Pound Puppy turned Doggy Depressive. This picture was obviously taken during happier times:

Ellie lived a glamorous life of an only child that involved bird-chasing, swimming, and nap-taking for many years. She was the reigning receiver of affection, and felt secure in the knowledge that she was the center of her familial universe.

Until The Baby arrived.

At first, Ellie appeared confident that The Baby was solely a tiny visitor, something to be ignored until whoever had dumped it off at the house came back to take it away. But after weeks of patiently waiting for someone, anyone, to come and remove this squalling bundle of curious smells, Ellie began to realize that she was having to share her parents' affection with The Baby.

Another problem was that The Baby continued to get bigger, and louder, and actually started moving around a bit. And whenever Ellie would cautiously move in for a quick sniff of this interloper, her parents would bark at her to "go lay down!" and "stay away from The Baby!" The Baby even had the nerve to try to crawl through Ellie's doggie door and play with Ellie's chew toys, even though when Ellie attempted reciprocal behavior such as lying on The Baby's blanket or taking one of it's toys she was sharply reprimanded. Obviously, Ellie was no longer Top Dog.

Ellie then descended into a deep depression, characterized by profound fatigue and very long naps, over-eating, crying in her sleep, anxious trembling whenever The Baby came near, and sitting outside in the corner of the yard to isolate herself from her family. She could have been the poster-child for a Puppy Prozac commercial.

Ellie now seems to have reconciled herself to The Baby's unpredictable toddling and sudden loud outbursts, but she does long for the day when The Baby gets packed up and sent off to college. Until that time, she has strategically placed herself under The Baby's highchair, hoping to work out an agreement over how much food is to be sent flying to the floor.