Betty has been acting strangely. She whines and cries frequently, and she treats her dog food like it is poison (though she gobbles up treats). When she is in my room, she goes under my bed or under my desk and digs at the carpet. In the bathroom, she sits in a corner staring at the wall and whimpering. She went behind the recliner in Carol’s office the other night and made what looked like a nest with a blanket. She took this little space alien rubber toy and gently laid it in the nest. She carries the toy around the house and gets very indignant if one of us touches or moves it.
I deduced that Betty is nesting and Carol agreed, but we were worried about her not eating, so I took her to the vet. No problem since Betty loves going to see the vet.
Employees are the only humans permitted inside the vet’s building, so Betty and I waited in the car until a technician came to take her inside. Betty watched the building door impatiently and went crazy with joy every time someone came out.
Betty was not happy that it took so long for a technician to come to our car, but she forgot all about it when the technician finally arrived. I’m sure Betty had great fun with all of her vet friends while she was being examined.
When the examination was finished, the vet called Carol (who was at home) despite the explicit instructions he was given to call me. It seems that my role is as a mere chauffeur for Betty.
Anyway, the vet told Carol that Betty is suffering from a false pregnancy. Nesting and not eating are part of the deal. She should be fine in a week or two.
Now, before all of you start thinking “Poor Betty,” or “How cute,” consider this: The vet says it is a false pregnancy, but he didn’t do any sort of pregnancy test. How does he know for certain that this pregnancy is false? Betty just might be sneaking out of the house late at night to go party with the other dogs in the neighborhood. Unlocking and opening the front door appears to be an obstacle given Betty’s short legs, but maybe she just pretends she can’t open it whenever we are awake. Betty is a sly dog after all. Teen dogs like her get bored by old farts like me who sit in front of a computer all the time. The logical conclusion is that Betty is a party animal.
