Q: I have a 13-year old, spayed female dog. She is in good health except she has been totally deaf for the past 1 1/2 years. Her behavior has always been good too, but she has developed this habit of barking at things that aren't there. She'll go and look out the window and bark at nothing. She looks around the house and acts as if she sees things and barks at it. She follows me around the house everywhere I go. For the past 2 days she has been by me constantly and the barking is getting worse. It is now 5:00 a.m., and she is sitting at my feet trembling. She woke me up a half hour ago by jumping on the bed shaking. She acts like she is "spooked." Do you have any idea what could be going on? Nothing at home has changed to account for this behavior. Thanks.

A: I would take her to the veterinarian. It's likely she has something going wrong medically and this is causing her to be fearful. Dogs who don't feel well will often cling to their owners, especially old dogs who have long thought of you as their security.

It is also possible she has some senility starting, but the veterinarian will need to rule out medical reasons before trying medication for senility.

Old dogs are the best. I hope you have lots more happy time with her. God bless.