Close Call With Thunder

Toward the end of our behavior consult last Saturday, a storm with plenty of lightening and thunder rolled across the mountains. I’ve never had to help Lilly cope with a storm away from home. I guess I should have planned better, but here is how we got through it.

I got her settled into her crate in the car with a big pile of chicken to keep her occupied, while I ran back inside to say my thank yous, etc.

I’d actually hoped for a little socializing after our appointment, but the storm nixed that idea.

Once we hit the road, my only idea was to cover the thunder noise. Lilly does pretty well with just regular rumbling, but the big claps shake her up. I would NOT say she is officially thunder phobic, in the way so many dogs are. I think to her, it’ s just one more scary noise in her sound-sensitive world.

So, I turned up the radio and sang all the way home. I figured my silliness was better than fear.

Despite how big the storm seemed, we only had to deal with 4 big thunder booms. Two before we left, and two on the way home. Otherwise, it was just a little rumbling and the sound of hard rain pounding the car.

I’m happy to report that Lilly was fine when we got home. She had a challenging day overall, but she seemed no real worse for wear.

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At home, I typically fill food toys with peanut butter. The dogs hang out with us, if it’s just rumbling. For really big, crashing thunder, they take the toys into their crates.

Lilly was actually sleeping with her toy like a doll, after a storm passed, but every time I tried to take a photo, she opened her eyes. It’s been a super rainy spring/summer so far, with storms nearly every day, so we’re going through a LOT of peanut butter around here.