[Sister Havana]

Does Buffy only leave presents when he's home alone? Is he generally good about letting you or your mom know when he wants out when you are home?

I'm no vet, nor do I play one on TV, but it does sound like a very severe case of separation anxiety. I have a rescue dog too (adopted him from a shelter a year and a half ago) and he had severe separation anxiety. I could walk him for an hour and think he pretty much emptied himself out, but then I'd leave him alone for ten minutes and find surprises. Meanwhile, when we were home he was very good about letting us know when he needed out, and he can hold it for several hours overnight. I tried everything I could think of...finally my vet suggested putting him on Clomicalm, which is a drug that's specifically made to treat separation anxiety. (He'd actually suggested it before but I was wary of putting him on a drug like that, since I wasn't sure how it would alter his personality.) It took a few weeks to kick in, but ever since then it's worked like a dream. He's only gone in the house a couple times since then (December was when the pills kicked in) and that was when he wasn't walked before we left. As long as he's walked beforehand, he's fine. He's supposed to be on the pills for six months, then he will be weaned off them. Might be worth asking about.