By Kellie Nock
We walk in to the house and are immediately greeted by a flurry of tail wags and wiggles. In front of us is a small black-and-white mutt named Mikey—short for Michael. There’s some pit bull in him, giving him that signature square head, but owners Nate and Kaitie Conrad aren’t really sure all of what makes up the genetics of young Mikey. On his papers he is listed as a "pocket pittie,” a Pit Bull mixed with perhaps a Beagle.
But the thing about Mikey is that he’s got anxiety, the kind of anxiety that makes him nervous about different things, just like a human with anxiety would be.
Nate adopted him when he was three-years-old (they think), a few years before he met Kaitie. They aren’t really sure how old he is, nor do they know the history behind his life. Nate got him as a rescue in Cleveland. The place is called “Mutts in a Rut”, and it’s specifically for, well, mutts. This was about two years ago. Mikey lived with his foster dad for around six months before finally moving in with Nate.
Dog anxiety stems from a number of things, including age, separation and fear, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. Sometimes it can even occur during the prenatal stages, and is very dependent on the early stages of a dog’s life.
“Fear-related anxiety can be caused by loud noises, strange people or animals, visual stimuli like hats or umbrellas, new or strange environments, specific situations like the vet’s office or car rides, or surfaces like grass or wood floors. These fears may seem inconsequential to us, but they create a lot of anxiety for dogs.” Says the American Kennel Club’s website.
Mikey exhibits fear of men, other dogs and tall things.
“He was very shy at first,” Nate said. “But he’s warmed up.”
As a rescue, Mikey’s history wasn’t made clear to Nate when he first adopted him. After a few weeks, he got used to living with Nate, and the house became his territory. While Mikey’s foster father was strict, Nate is more relaxed with Mikey, letting him sit on furniture and not being harsh with rules. Mikey still went through the standard rules of training—things like being put in a crate for the first few weeks to sleep, and being potty-trained. Mikey never had accidents in the house, and was, overall, a well-behaved pooch.
“It was probably around the sixth month I’d say, where he got to his current state,” Nate said. “You know where he started developing bad habits and the anxiety and separation stuff.”
Mikey has always had severe separation anxiety when Nate and Kaitie have to leave the house. Kaitie used to work from home, but now that she’s gotten a new job out of the house, Mikey has an even harder time adjusting to the loneliness. It’s evident that when we arrive at the house, Mikey is not only excited to see his owners, but he is relieved too, that he’s no longer alone. His exuberant panting is only put a stop to by sight of me—a stranger.
Sometime before Nate met Kaitie (they are recently engaged, wedding in September), he had left Mikey home alone. This wasn’t an unusual occurrence, but somehow, this time, Mikey had managed to get himself stuck in the bathroom with the door closed. This caused a great panic and made him frantic to get out. Nate returned home to a torn-up bathroom door, destroyed by gnawing and scratching, to the point that he had to get it replaced.
“His biggest source of anxiety is separation anxiety,” Kaitie said. “When we leave it’s a very big deal. We try not to make it a big deal…but he starts shaking, he gets very upset, his tail’s between his legs. You can’t look at him, if you make eye contact it just breaks your heart.”
Separation anxiety affects 14% of dogs as estimated by the AKC.
They often come home to a puddle on the couch from where Mikey has been licking his paws, a compulsive habit born out of the mixture of anxiousness and loneliness. Mikey will lick himself, or Nate and Kaitie when they are leaving.
“It’s almost like he’s saying ‘Please, don’t leave me,’” Kaitie said.
Another factor of Mikey’s anxiety stems from other people—strangers like me—occupying space in his home, his territory. When we first arrive he is tentative around me, keeping his distance, but still curious like a little moon orbiting a planet. When we sit down on the couch, he sits a few feet away from me, and avoids eye contact. I do too, because if I look in his eyes for too long, he stands up, tense and nervous.
“He gets really attached,” Kaitie said. “If we’re both home he’s on Nate, if I’m home he’s on me like glue. We have a couple friends that come over a lot, and he’s still weird with them. It’s not even mean or anything, it’s just you can tell he gets a guard up.”
I’m well aware of this guard as he continues to stare at me.
“He just goes into protection mode,” Kaitie said. “I think he’s just very attached to us.”
To Mikey, this is his house, and what he’s meant to be protecting. This sort of over-protectiveness may come along with the breed, as, according to DogTime.com, Pit Bulls are very friendly toward their family, so much so that they are also very protective of their family. They are not aloof dogs. Another trait that Mikey displays, which may be breed-related and heightened by anxiety, is his sensitivity.
“He’s particularly anxious when he gets in trouble for something,” Kaitie said. “Like, you cannot yell at this dog. He starts cowering and shaking. And he just turns into a completely different dog. He’s so upset—so visibly upset.”
Kaitie also said that Mikey sinks down low when he’s upset, as if to disappear entirely.
“They were rough playing,” Kaitie recalls a recent instance where Mikey was upset. “And he growled, he got growly, but not in a playful way…and he got so upset that he growled, he thought Nate was gonna freak out. He tinkled because he was so scared, and then he hid behind me.”
Nate said that this was odd, because they never really yell at Mikey anyways. He had no reason to be so fearful of being reprimanded, and yet he did anyways.
There are many things that Mikey isn’t fond of, things like loud noises, singing, being alone. Nate and Kaitie aren’t really sure what to do. They’ve tried giving him a bunch of blankets and pillows to give him some comfort when they’re gone. They open the blinds so that he can look out and have natural light. They leave the TV at a low volume so there’s some noise in the background.
They haven’t spoken to a vet about any of if. Nate says that it’s because he knows there are dogs in worse condition than Mikey, as far as anxiety goes, but Kaitie says that it’s something to consider. Dogs are typically considered anxious when their behaviors are outside of the norm for their breed, particularly if they are raised in a safe, comfortable environment for them. While Pit bulls are a protective and sensitive breed, Mikey is an outlier in his extreme behavior. Though, with time and much patience, he has gotten better.
On my last visit with Kaitie and Nate, Nate is excited about a new car he just got. Mikey, caught up in the excitement, greets me with a hesitant tail wag. It’s not much to anyone else, but it’s new for me—a big deal. Later, when Nate and his friends are outside checking out the car, I’m in the living room with Kaitie, filming Mikey as he walks around in his onesie. He steps over to me in excitement at hearing his owner outside, and licks my hand before walking away.
It's a small thing, but it's something. Mikey wouldn't even approach me on my first few visits. It may seem like a small step for this pup, but to him, and to me, it means the world.