The day I brought Levi home, I should have known I may someday have issues with separation anxiety. Unlike most puppies, Levi didn't seem to have any issues separating from his litter mates or his mother. He attached himself to me immediately, climbing over into my lap and going to sleep as soon as I had him in the car. I went by Petsmart and bought him a bunch of toys and food and dishes, a collar, a leash, and a crate for sleeping. When I finally got home, elated with the warmth I was already feeling having this puppy bond with me so quickly, I realized I needed to shower.
I set up the crate with some blankets and a shirt of mine to make the puppy comfortable, and went to shower. As soon as I was out of view, the puppy started to whine, annoying my roommates. I opened the bedroom door back up and the whining stopped, so I figured the dog just wanted to know where I was in this strange environment. I grabbed him and brought him into the bathroom with me and set him on the ground, and got in the shower. Again, as soon as I closed the shower door (even though it was rain glass to I could still be seen, just distorted) the puppy started to whine. Just wanting to get through the shower without any more distractions, I opened back up the sliding door so the puppy could see me, and he sat back on his haunches, contentedly watching me.
About halfway though the shower the puppy's attention started to wander off of me onto other stimuli in the bathroom. The toilet paper roll looked fun, the waste basket I'm sure smelled interesting to his powerful little nose, and the shag carpet looked like a good thing to chew on. The water coming out of the shower head must have set off some kind of instinct in his little brain though, because he suddenly seemed captivated again by something in my direction, walked right up to the edge of the tub, and jumped right in. His little body wasn't quite ready to make that big of a leap though, so he landed half in, half out, and had to wriggle until he dropped into the shower with me. Once inside, he started biting at the shower stream and jumping around in the water like it was the most fun thing ever. I let this go on until he tired out, at which point he ambled over to me, and curled up at my feet in the running water. I sat watching this for a minute, before shutting off the water and reaching for the towel. As soon a I moved my feet, the puppy lifted its head and looked at me, letting out a little yowl. I laughed, and picked it up, lulling it back to sleep as I dried it and myself off with the towel. Staring at this little bundle of fur in my arms, it didn't even occur to me that this might be the beginnings of separation anxiety. All I could focus on was what to name my new little buddy.
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