Dog is mourning the children leaving post Christmas

[Enko]

Dh and I have 4 children in their 20s. 2 have fully moved out one is in uni and one has started her masters this September having been at home the previous 18 months.

DDog adores the children and the day he had all 4 of them home was his best day. 3 where here for 4 days and 2 for 14 with youngest having been home for 22 days..

Dd2 left Saturday and dd3 returned to uni this morning.. just dh and I left. DDog is bereft. Following dh around the entire day (I was at work) even tried to go to the toilet with him. Keeps checking the girls bedroom and then Sighs heavily when he rediscover they really are gone.. snuggled into dd2s bed so we likely cant change her bedding for a while.

Obviously dh and I find the house so quiet but we equally get the kids are out there living their lives as they need to do. Just today with all the decorations down and the house quiet. Dinner for two and DDog now cuddled as close in against me as he can manage. I want to turn back time for a little while.

Anyone else ever wish they could time travel to relive good times. Not to change anything but just to enjoy the moment with those you love?

Btw yes I know some people loathe DDog but I love it🙂

Aw poor little sausage. We don't deserve dogs, they're such special little souls.

Can you get another dog, OP?

(To keep him company I mean, not instead of him 😆)

Oh yes, I feel like this too! I am happy, and glad my children are living their lives. I would travel back to the day we brought our first Ddog home, when they were so happy and said they were the luckiest children in the world.

😂😂😂
No no he is a basset hound one is quite enough

Thiugh I suspect dh would like that..

Poor fella.

I love Basset hounds, they're so dramatic.

@EdgeOfThirtySeven That really made me laugh! 😂

Could he facetime them? 😆

Aint that the truth

Mine’s mourning his advent calendar!

Somebody once told me that dogs don't miss you at all if they are not exposed to your smell/belongings. They have really short memories so are likely to forget very quickly. They do however remember you when you return and this is linked to emotion, so will be a huge welcome. Right, sorry op, I'll get my coat.

😂 likes the daily treat?

And the rest! 😂

Cute, aren’t they?

My in laws foster Bassett hounds, just a thought.....

Awww, bless his heart ♥️. Our dog is just the same when our DDs go back to Uni. DD2 is leaving tomorrow morning and I already know that he will be so sad. We’ve played a board game tonight with him between us on the sofa - he was soooo happy.

Anyone else ever wish they could time travel to relive good times
And yes to this! I have some specific days that I often wish I could go back in time to, they were so magical. 🥰

DF takes the dog out so it sees me leaving, otherwise it waits outside my room for two days 😭

I bought a cheap piece of clothing and left it with the dog covered in my scent. Poor thing.

Aww bless him! No, we don't deserve dogs ❤️

We are the same and only one adult child living at home. Ours also gets depressed when the others leave especially dd. I had to open her bedroom door to get some linen that is stored there and he looked hopefully at me like she might still be in there ! It must be very hard for them to understand why their loved ones come and go. However he was glad to see the back of my eldest son's two pesky sausage dogs !

Aww yes, my dog is missing the hustle & bustle of everyone being here, she’s curled up really close to me on the sofa. Dd x 2 have gone home incl partners and granddaughter + my parents so a very quiet house of just me & dh.

Oh I remember the dog sulking and laying with his back to me when I got the cases out to pack to go back to university.

Poor thing. I have two spaniels and they roam the house looking for my two, especially now one is at uni. Sits outside their rooms until we open up and let them have a sniff and a search. My DDogs were also very very happy once the pack was all together again.

We wish we could turn back time to when the DC were aged 4-9 and our 2 adult cats arrived. The special relationship they had with us all was just amazing and they are dearly missed.

DDog misses the DC but likes we are back to routine and she knows what is going on.

My friends cat ignored her person returning from uni for the first time for 4 days solid, she needed to be punished! Fortunately the future sulking was restricted to only a day.

DDog is going to be so sad when DS1 goes back to uni as he gives him extra walks. I wish time wasn’t so linear. It seems very unfair that when you have toddlers you’re so touched out and desperate for a bit of space and when they’re grown up you’re longing for the chubby little arms around your neck just one more time.

I think it's lovely how attached they get to the family. My two 'children' are in there 30s and one lives nearly 5 hours away and hasn't lived with us since our dog who is now 13, was a puppy. Our dog sees them only about 2 or 3 times a year now but knows they are family. On Christmas morning our poor elderly arthritic dog was so excited to see them with their presents that I think he had forgotten they had come to stay the night before. He literally ran across the living room to greet them all again. He really struggles normally with his arthritis. He does normally miss them when they go again too although this time he slept it off after all the excitement!

Oh poor soppy little fella 🥹
Ive been intrigued by basset hounds after coming across a fb page and apparently its best Bassett Hounds are in pairs, im not sure how true this is but it would make alot of sense about being easily lonely!

Ah I feel for DDog. My son has been away for Xmas and one of the cats is bereft. I keep telling her how mah more days to go before he’s back (and H keeps telling me she doesn’t understand - but she does).