The dogs hate thunderstorms. No matter how we reassure them that everything is fine, all three of them inevitably react, beginning with a trembling that precedes the actual lightning and thunder. They can feel it coming. They know.
Jake tries to wedge himself behind the toilet. He has done this all his life unless I forgot and left the shower doors open, in which case he always chose to get in the bathtub - just about the worst place to be during a thunderstorm. It makes you wonder ...
Shadow is the worst. She pants and slobbers and paces the house. If there's a particularly loud crack of thunder, she inevitably loses control of her sphincters and .. well .. everyone in this house has cleaned that up at one time or another. Tonka barks, he gets frantic. It's a loud bark. There's no use trying to calm him down, he just looks at you like you've lost your mind, and continutes to bark.
I, on the other hand, LOVE thunderstorms. If I were out in an open field I might not enjoy them so much, but from inside where it's warm and dry, I can let my mind touch the energy field of the storm. My goodness it's dynamic. Primal, too. It feels like the energy of the storm reaches a critical mass, after which it takes shape, becomes more than a sum of its parts. Every storm has a personality, at least this is my impression. Some of them feel like crazy artists creating something out of nothing. Other storms aren't as high minded and just feel like they want to break anything that gets in their way. Even the dangerous storms are interesting to me.
I'm eagerly looking forward to tonight's predicted thunderstorms, even though it means the dogs will be scared out of their wits. Sorry dear ones, there's no doubt I'll enjoy the storm even while feeling compassion for your reactions. And admiration, too. The dogs really "get" the power of thunderstorms.
Me? I'm a romantic. C'mon weather front - bring on springtime with a big bang, yes? Yes. Bravo!
11 comments:
I'm sure it's because dogs hear frequencies we can't hear. Only Dylan could sleep through a thunderstorm. Jake, on the other hand, jumps on us and bites our clothes as he goes into a frenzy. The clap of thunder simply puts him over the edge. This may be a good reason for doggie meds.
We do drug Shadow sometimes, but as she's gotten older, we're afraid she might not wake up.
Looks like there isn't going to be any thunderstorm, though. Dang, man.
The dogs are breathing a sigh of relief.
Mine hear the thunder way before I do. Plus, I swear my dogs see the lightning and they know what comes next. They catch their lips with their teeth, waiting ... waiting ... in anticipation of the big BOOM to follow. They know the minute they see the flash of light.
We had one dog that always headed for the bathtub when he was afraid. I think they just feel safe there for some reason.
My dad used to hold me up to the window at night during thunderstorms so I wouldn't be afraid.
Have you heard the one about "God bowling" ? My parents told me this all the time when I was a child. My only question is this: if God is bowling and he throws a gutter ball, where does it land? Does he play on a mixed league with angels??
:p
I think you would've truly adored the monsoons in Tucson; at least, before the city grew to the point where the sheer thermal mass of the place would SPLIT the front right down the middle...
You could see the wall of destruction approach from the south like a black tidal-wave from the sky. Then, right over South Tucson, a great gash would open up in the clouds, leaving a HOLE in the storm, right over the city.
What a letdown. yish.
But for a few years there, I had the classic Tucson monsoon, starting about July 5th, every day at about 6pm, with lightning like strobe-lights everywhere. Overwhelming. Devastating to the senses. Enough to humble you down to the molecules: ALRIGHT, momma, I'm just a bug upon the Earth! I GET IT!
But beautiful stuff. Here in DC, the storms seem rare. I remember much more thunder here, when I was a kid. Or is that a false memory? The veil of kiddie fantasy?
did the storm arrive? i love thunderstorms too.
had a dog once who would try to climb into the sink - any sink - when a storm came. I was listening to Beethoven's 6th symphony once when I saw her start to shake. On a whim I took the earphones and put them on her. She went into a trance, crawled up on the couch and listened to Beethoven all the way through the thunderstorm.
True story. What can I tell you?
(Enjoy the show!)
My jones for thunder was unrequited. Dang, man. But there will be more thunderstorms later in the season. Can't count on snow, but we can count on thunderstorms.
I think! I hope!!
love the colors here--the scaffolding, mural and shamrock very nice with brick and parking meter.
The pic is of historic Eastern Market, still being fixed after the fire last spring. I was sitting at the counter of Marvelous Market across the street.
My brave dogs love to defend their airspace, and bark at thunder the way they bark at planes and the UPS truck's reverse beep-beeps. Generally they get crated for their troubles, where they visibly relax (being off-duty) and sleep. I love the early spring thunderstorms so much. We so rarely get thunder in Hawaii that it's a real luxury.
Awwww, poor beasties. It must be terrifying to hear thunder and not understand it, not know what it is. My Dad's lab used to hide in the garage, and if she was caught outside and the door was closed, she'd claw THROUGH it to get inside. She would literally tear the house apart until she had shelter.
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