Eight months in and Luna finally stopped destroying things when I leave - here's what actually worked

I want to share this because when I was in the thick of it i was reading posts like this desperately looking for hope, so here's mine. Luna is a 3 year old rescue mix we adopted last spring. The first two months she ate a door frame, destroyed 4 pairs of shoes, and neighbors reported she howled for the entire time I was at work. I was genuinely considering whether I could keep her.

What finally helped after trying a lot of things: a combo of a frozen kong every time I left (made the night before, keeps her busy 20-30 min), leaving a worn shirt with my smell near her bed, and most importantly working with a trainer who specialized in separation anxiety. She had me do these tiny departures - like literally just stepping outside for 30 seconds then coming back in - and building up super slowly over weeks. It felt stupid at first but it retraining Luna's panic response to my leaving.

I also put her on a daily schedule so she knows when to expect me back. Sounds dumb but i think the predictability helped her feel safer. She still has rough days but we've gone from full destruction mode to maybe chewing one sock every few weeks. if anyone is struggling with this right now i promise it can get better, it just takes forever and a very understanding landlord.