Moving - Day 1...

Today was finally the day I had planned on moving out. It all started off fine. Got up at 7.30 am, took the dog for a walk and had breakfast. Right after that I started going through the big shipping boxes to divide them into easier to handle packages and then I started moving stuff into my Sis's car. Daisy was right next to me while I divided the big shipping boxes. The entire commotion was driving her kind crazy. With all the stuff going on I decided to keep her inside...thought that might be easier on her. Looking at it from the retrospect it might have just had the opposite effect.
A little before noon I was done and Daisy and I headed out. Wanted to let her see and get used to the new place. Again, looking at it from the retrospect it might have easier been on her if I had brought her to the new once the whole carrying of things back and forth was already over.
When we got near my new place Daisy got quite nervous...lots of whimpering, whining and just being antsy. She hasn't done that to me while riding the car in a long time. So I should have known that something was not quite right. I knew it in my guts...but chose to ignore it.

I carried the first load of stuff up to my new place with Daisy being right next to me. So far so good. I let Daisy check out the new place for some time, but oddly enough she didn't seem to be that interested. That was kinda weird, because usually she checks places out in each and every detail. With Daisy being 15 years old, I thought it might be easier on her if she stays in the apartment instead of having to run back and forth with me all the time. It didn't even dawn on me that this could be a problem, since it isn't an issue while I'm at work. She knows I'm leaving for work and she knows I will come back. It never was a problem. For some reason I waited halfway down the first flight if stairs and I could hear her pacing restlessly back and forth, whimpering and whining...she hasn't done anything of that magnitude since 2005. That what she was having was a full blown panic attack.
So I took her with me for the next 2 trips. That certainly didn't make things easier, and it didn't help with the moving speed either. Thank god I found a regular parking spot very close to my new place. After the second trip I tried to leave her at the apartment again. but spent about 20 minutes reassuring her that it is OK that she is in the apartment while I'm being outside. Well as soon as I left the entire disaster started all over again, but with a little less of am magnitude. At that point I decided that it's easier on everyone if I let her walk back and forth with me. It was also clear, that I wouldn't be bringing  a second car load to my apartment as I had planned. With all that happening it was quite clear that this is going to become a 2 weekend move.
After every second trip I gave Daisy a 20 minute break, since all the walking up and down stairs was quite tiresome for her. On the positive side she felt comfy enough to sleep all stretched out with me around. Up till this time I wasn't sure if I was going to use the one other the other room as bedroom, but this decision was made for me. After 2/3's of the trips Daisy finally found her "safe spot" it's exactly between the closet and the bed.

By 5 pm we were finally done. Having Daisy have to go through such a bad panic attack is heartbreaking for me. I so hate to see her that way. But with her finding her "safe spot" and actually sleeping there during the breaks...it's a step into the right direction. I hope that a 3 day weekend period is going to help her settle into the new place.
When I thought it over later during the evening it occurred to me that trying to leave her at the new place might have been a great gesture in human terms, but for her it was terrible. It suddenly hit me that with all the moves - from Sherman Oaks to Reseda and from Reseda to Agua Dulce - she always was running back and forth with us. She never stayed by herself at the new place. She only stayed by herself at the new place after having been there for several hours and having slept there for at least 1 night. That might have been the reason why that wasn't a problem with previous moves or when I went on vacation last fall...and I really hated myself for not taking that into consideration.
Of course I thought about other alternatives as well. No, it never crossed my mind taking her to a rescue group. Basically there are 2 viable alternatives: Meds and a Dog Sitter. Meds, that's the easy fix...but I so hate having a Zombie dog. The second alternative would be paying a dog sitter to spend time with her at my place until she picks up the pattern I come and leave and until Daisy has been reassured that I will always be coming back. Alternative number 2 would be the better one but is of course way more expensive.
Right now I'm still hoping for the next weekend, when I will be staying with Daisy from Friday to Sunday at my apartment and hope she will settle in well enough, so that I can train with here the coming and leaving late Saturday or early Sunday. I will keep you guys posted on the progress of the entire Move.