Lingering Fear

After the recent rattlesnake scare, our friend Debbie Jacobs from FearfulDogs.com pointed out that I said I was still upset, shaken, feeling the effects of the fear hours later. The truth is this VERY BIG scare hung remained active in my body for days. And, as Debbie reminded us, that’s an important lesson when dealing with a fearful dog.

In other words, even when they seem to “get over it” in the moment, our dogs feel lasting physiological results from things they find scary. Those stress hormones, it seems, can hang around in the body not just hours, but DAYS.

Perhaps that explains why I posted a couple of rants last week as well. My tolerance for pretty much any baloney was at an all-time low.

Night Terrors

Plus, and this is kind of funny, I literally woke up and screamed one night that week when Tom came to bed.

I hate horror movies. Hate them. I cannot fathom why anyone would want to feel fear on purpose. BUT, we put Zombieland on our Netflix list because it was really more of a comedy than a horror movie.

Still, it made my tummy feel a little ooky, and it must have just added to my stress hormones.

Tom walked in and threw back the covers right as I (half-asleep) opened my eyes. And, I totally screamed, which scared the heck out of him because he thought I was sound asleep.

So, there you go. Don’t watch movies that make you antsy if you and your dog have had a tough week.

The Dogs’ Response

Lilly indeed remained worried and subdued that day, but she seemed to bounce back after that.

Ginko, on the other hand, remained beside himself. Granted … much of that could have been the pain that required us to get his once-postponed knee surgery on the schedule.

BUT, we think the smell of the snake lingered for Ginko. Lilly remained sniffy that day, but Ginko’s nose seemed to be in overdrive much of the week.

Yes, the knee pain made him antsy, but we wonder if the smell kept him on edge too. Poor buddy.

Good Reminder

So, many thanks to Debbie for this reminder. Next time Lilly flips out, I’ll give her extra consideration not just in the moment but for several days.