Sweet Gal and the Squeeks

Our sweet black lab, Abbie, turned 13 last month.  In fact, both of our dogs are 13, sadly.  I love how calm, mellow, almost wise they are in their old age, but it's also sad to see them age because most dogs, especially large ones like Abbie, don't live much beyond 14? 15? 
She is very sheepish when it comes to a few things, namely:  the beeping of a fire alarm (or anything that sounds close,) gates (specifically baby gates,) and a few random things that have come up.  She has been wonderful with Isaac as far as being a gentle giant, however, she does steer clear of him most of the time.
A few weeks ago Abbie started acting very strangely. She started shaking the way she does when she hears a fire alarm or sees a baby gate.  But this time, she didn't see/hear either.  She also didn't stop shaking.  She wanted to only spend time downstairs and nowhere else, and her eyes were just blank - almost catatonic.  She didn't respond to treats or her name, and wasn't comforted by being pet.  It was very odd.  Eventually at the end of the day, this wore off, and she was back to her normal self.  This happened on and off for a couple of days, then she would be fine.  She went outside to go to the bathroom and instead rounded the corner of the house and took off.  She ran away and we could not find her anywhere.  She never leaves our property despite it not being fully fenced.  We looked for her for nearly 2 hours without stop, and finally, while Dave was out and I was at home waiting, she returned to the back porch and once again, she was fine.
I immediately made an appointment take her to see the vet the following day.  I also did some research online to see if dogs can have dementia or alzheimers, as this is certainly what she was acting like.  I discovered that there was a canine version - something similar called CCD, or canine cognitive disorder.  She fit the description fairly well.  I took her into the vet, and after doing  neuro-physical exam on her, and likely ruling out any type of neuro problems, he suggested that it is likely CCD. He also said things that would not have bothered her in the past much can now trigger episodes, and the brain cannot activate itself to shut that off the way it used to, thus causing her extreme panic and anxiety.  So, he prescribed Xanax as a PRN (as needed.)  That's right, my dog is on Xanax.  We have had to give it to her 4 times since the vet visit about 3 weeks ago and it definitely helps calm her back down. 
We have ALSO figured out what is triggering her episodes.  Wait for it...
Dave's squeeky shoes.  You know how athletic shoes sound on a gymnasium floor?  Well, he has some shoes that sound like that on our wood floors at home.  We were in the kitchen and one of us mentioned that it kind of sounded like the fire alarm when it beeps just once.  Sure enough, we looked down and there was Abbie, shaking in her boots.  He forgot to take off those shoes a couple of times and wouldn't you know, Shakey McShakerson was back in town.  So, Dave has been really careful about taking those shoes off the last week and she has not had a single episode.  Now we just have to walk on eggshells with the noises we make in our house.  She has been such a great dog, it's the least we can do to keep her comfortable and happy as long as possible.  I love that girl. :)

Abbie, with her dignified grey beard that she proudly sports.