Thunder and Lightning

Our dog before our dog Molly was Belle. She was a  Bull Mastiff and the smartest dog we've ever had. If God had "unlocked her jaw" I believe her conversation would have been quite intelligent.

However; she was absolutely, stark raving terrified of thunder storms. She would run to the bathroom and get in the bathtub and hyperventilate.  Of all the places to run, the bathtub, as you know, ain't the smartest place to be. I tried  to tell her she was likely to get struck by lightning in there, but she wouldn't listen. ( And you try moving a 127 pound dog from where she wants to be.)

I thought logically as to why in the heck she'd choose the bathtub, and realized it was because it was a contained space.

So the minute she started getting antsy, we ran and closed the bathroom doors, and  I opened the pantry door. She was fine with this. It was a small, contained space with no windows. I left the door cracked a little bit and there she stayed until all was clear.

I read a lot about this, trying to figure out  how to help her. The theory is, that for most dogs, it's not the thunder and lightning that scares them, it has something to do with the barometric pressure changing.

I decided to see if this was true in Belle's case, so I purchased a CD that was a recording of a severe thunderstorm.

It was a great CD. You could hear the thunder in the distance as it built up strength, moving closer and closer until the storm was right on top of you, the rain heavy and pounding.

I put it on full volume in the presence of Belle, and she never batted an eye. Didn't bother her one bit.

I fell in love with this CD and played it once in a while, just for my own enjoyment.  There's something really sweet about a thunderstorm, a good book, an old quilt, and a corner in which to cozy up and read.

Husband hated that CD. Daughter hated that CD. They said it confused them. They'd think there was a storm, and outside it was bright and sunny.

Oh, for Heaven's sake.

But one day I couldn't find that CD. Husband and Daughter looked at me with their four big old blue eyes and claimed they had no idea where it was.

Someone stole my thunder!

I also have  bird CD's. They hate them too. They say they keep thinking there are birds in the house. Daughter says she keeps ducking, afraid she'll get pooped on from above.

This is a nervous condition caused by a visit to a hen house. We won't go into that today.

I've toyed with the idea of purchasing yet another Thunder CD and playing it in one part of the house, while playing the bird CD in another part of the house, both turned up to full volume.

Cause, you know, I'm just that kinda girl.