Q: We have a 4-year-old female Maltese that is a great family pet. If we go away overnight or for several nights, we leave her with family members who love her. They say she seems happy while we are away, and we believe she is. The issue is that when we return to her, she goes wild, running back and forth to each of us and crying like a baby for a few minutes. Do some dogs become depressed while their petkeepers are away?
A: Each animal is totally different in how it reacts in these situations. Biologically it is to an animal's advantage to accept these situations, and as long as the temporary home is a nice one, it usually just takes the loss of the old home on the chin and moves forward.
It is to no advantage to mope or wish that things are different when you are an animal. It's a waste of time that is better spent eating, sleeping or playing.
It sounds as if your dog basically assumes that you are gone forever and when you come back she is very happy to see that her assumption was wrong. However, I have seen animals that did pine away in similar situations and some that took the matter into their own hands _ or paws _ and chose to leave the new home to trek out and find their way back to their original home.
