Strange and mysterious happenings!

Hi all. Not sure this is in the true spirit of this discussion, but it is something strange that is happening right now which I could use some advice on.

 

To set the scene, we own a 14 year old dog who, after TPLO surgery in both rear knees when younger, now has mobility issues and went completely blind about a year ago. As such he doesn’t go out too much and tends to keep himself to lounge/kitchen/garden.

 

On Sunday night I was awakened at 1:30am by a noise upstairs. Went out the bedroom to find the dog next door in the bathroom ‘staring’ (for want of a better word) at the toilet. This is strange as he hasn’t been upstairs at all since he went blind. And can barely muster the energy to jump up on the couch these days. Anyway I had to carefully guide him back downstairs as didn’t want him to fall down. Thought no more of it.

 

Monday night comes and I am woken again by banging and crashing. The dog is upstairs again in the bathroom. This time he’s managed to shut the door on himself and is obviously distressed. So again I guide him back downstairs and, this time, put the laundry basket across the bottom of the stairs so he can’t get back up.

 

Now last night… 2:15am and guess what? Yes… the dog is in the bathroom AGAIN! I can’t believe this. The laundry basket is still in place at the bottom of the stairs, covering approx. 80% of the area and only leaving a thin space on either side which he could have snuck thru. The dog is a staffie so not very lithe and, as mentioned, both totally blind and really weak in the back end. So the first question is ‘how?’ but what kept me awake the rest of the night is ‘why?’.

 

I am acutely aware that, if I was in a film, these would be ‘signs’. However, the house is new. We are the first in. So, unless my other half is a secret acid bath murderer, I’m fairly sure no-one has died there. It is not on an Indian burial site but rather the site of an old bus depot not far from Barnsley town centre. So basically I’m ruling out legacy haunting here. If it was a sci-fi movie it could be aliens I guess. Are aliens experimenting on my dog?

 

But moving to more rational explanations… it’s definitely not as tho the bathroom, upstairs with its wooden floor, is cooler than the kitchen with the tiles. I could possibly believe the warm weather is wafting something up from the drains which, while undetectable to us, is not to him. But we have a downstairs toilet so surely that would be his first point of investigation? Which only leaves the depressing… is he not well and coming up looking for us? In which case why the bathroom? Or is there something deeper? I know cats wander off to die somewhere away from the family. Given the fact the bathroom is once place he’s never really been ion the house… is he staking out his final resting spot?

 

Before I go out and buy a baby gate only to not need it a couple of days later, any (considered) thoughts would be appreciated.

I think he's looking for you. He's old and blind, maybe he's a bit lost and wants company and security. Try putting a bed down for him next to yours, put him in it, and see how he goes on.

I am not amused !!

You are with out doubt the biggest fool on this forum.

yes a right old fool. (with a sense of humour)

I am not amused !!

You are with out doubt the biggest fool on this forum.

I'll take this as a compliment, thank you very much.

Anyway, just telling you what I saw, just the same kinda reportage stylie as your 'sighting'. I'm certainly not calling you a fool … no siree.

---------- Post added 21-06-2017 at 23:27 ----------

hmmm.

very interesting alco. a few days ago someone on another thread posted that he"d seen flashing red lights over parson cross, (looking from grenoside) could be a connection, personally, I use the said asda quite often and not seen anything unusual. apart from the odd klingon lookalike.

Could well be. You need a massive array of brake lights on something like NCC 1701 to cope with warp 10 to 0 in half a second.

---------- Post added 21-06-2017 at 23:28 ----------

yes a right old fool. (with a sense of humour)

Less of the 'old', thank you kindly.

I think he's looking for you. He's old and blind, maybe he's a bit lost and wants company and security. Try putting a bed down for him next to yours, put him in it, and see how he goes on.

Thanks Anna. I could understand that if he did it a year ago after he went blind, but not all of a sudden a year later and 3 nights in a row. Maybe he's going a bit senile too? Does that happen to dogs?

I have taken your advice back to my OH tho. The comment was that the only thing more disturbing than waking up in the middle of the night and finding your old blind dog staring at the loo, is waking up in the middle of the night and finding your old blind dog staring at you!

Thanks Anna. I could understand that if he did it a year ago after he went blind, but not all of a sudden a year later and 3 nights in a row. Maybe he's going a bit senile too? Does that happen to dogs?

 

I have taken your advice back to my OH tho. The comment was that the only thing more disturbing than waking up in the middle of the night and finding your old blind dog staring at the loo, is waking up in the middle of the night and finding your old blind dog staring at you!

Yes old dogs can go senile sadly, maybe he needs a check over x

Thanks Anna. I could understand that if he did it a year ago after he went blind, but not all of a sudden a year later and 3 nights in a row. Maybe he's going a bit senile too? Does that happen to dogs?

 

I have taken your advice back to my OH tho. The comment was that the only thing more disturbing than waking up in the middle of the night and finding your old blind dog staring at the loo, is waking up in the middle of the night and finding your old blind dog staring at you!

Yes, can be a bit unnerving.

Dogs can go a bit senile I believe. Maybe he would find the sound of your breathing (snoring?) soothing. Just a thought. Or maybe he's cleverer than you think and staring at the toilet is his way of telling you he needs to go for a pee...