Tuesday, May 2, 2017

A Stormy Conversation

   Bentley is not a fan of thunderstorms. We have tried countless remedies to help and have found a couple that truly work. That doesn’t mean that he is has come to enjoy thunder. He hasn’t. We know that if storms are forecast to hit overnight, we will not be sleeping. This was the case Saturday when Bentley and I had the following conversation.
Bentley Basset Hound looking adorable
 
 It begins as it always does with the distant roll of thunder. The next thing I hear is a “scratch, scratch, scratch” on the edge of my mattress. He will continue scratching and kissing me until I get out of the bed. If you ever wondered where the term “hounding” someone came from, try to ignore a Basset Hound. They invented persistence. Once I’m up, he wants his dad up too. We all need to be awake for the impending doom.
Me: “Bentley, it is just thunder. We are okay.”
Bentley: “One can never be too safe. Should we go into the hall?”
Me: “Seriously, it is just a little thunder and rain. There are no severe weather or tornado warnings. Let’s turn the music on and go back to sleep.”
Bentley: “Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how many dogs are killed from thunderstorms each year? I’m not sure of the number but it is probably a lot! We could all die!”
Pierre Westie snoozing on his bed
Me: “Do you see Pierre over on his bed snoozing? He isn’t afraid of thunder. Be more like him.”
Bentley: “PIERRE! Wake up; we are all about to be swept off to the Land of Oz! Emergency! Emergency!”
*Pierre continues to sleep like a puppy
Me: “Let me give you some belly rubs and a treat. You will be fine and we are right here with you. I’ve given you Dr. Harvey’s Relax so lay down and enjoy the sounds of Sirius Spa music. Seriously, I am so tired.”
Bentley Basset Hound modeling his PrideBites raincoat
*We haven’t heard any thunder in a few minutes so we take advantage of the lull and go back to bed.
*Scratch *scratch *scratch
Bentley: “Mom! I hear more thunder coming. Let me in the bed with y’all.”
Me: “Baby, we have been through this a million times. You can’t get on our bed because it is too high. You could hurt your back if you decide to jump off. What if I keep my arm over the side and give you head rubs? I promise that you are safe.”
Bentley: “It’s not that I don’t believe you but I am pretty sure that a tree is going to crash through our house, a tornado is coming down the street and there is a very real possibility of a biblical type flood. How can you stay so calm when we are obviously all about to die?”
Me: “Look at the weather radar. The storms are almost gone and there are no signs of floods, tornadoes or high winds. PUH-LEEZE get in your bed. I am exhausted! It is 3:30 a.m.”
Bentley: “Time is irrelevant, Mom. If I let you and Dad sleep and the thunder kills us, I’d never forgive myself. Let’s get up and sit on the couch together. We can watch the late, late, late show.”
Me: “Why don’t I take you out to pee and you’ll see that everything is okay. The thunderstorm is far away from us.”
Bentley: “Do you see how close to the ground I am? You won’t find me out there in this typhoon. Is Daddy up? DAD! Major storms are here. Do you know where our emergency kit is in the event we have to evacuate? OMD! Where is Dad? Has he been sucked up in the funnel cloud?”
Me: “Bentley, the storm is over. It is not even sprinkling outside. Calm down and listen for a minute. Daddy is fine and so are you. Now, go get you some rest. If you hear anything, wake me up.”
Bentley Basset Hound and I kissing on his Trusty Pup bed
Bentley: “Don’t worry, I will. Otherwise, I’ll see you at 7:30 for breakfast. I love you but I hate thunderstorms.”
   *Thankfully, we all survived the latest round of thunderstorms. Bentley woke me up again at 7:30 for breakfast and then we all slept until noon! 
   *We use Dr. Harvey’s Relax anytime a storm is predicted. I also put Bentley in his Smart Pet Love Safe & Sound Harness™ about a half hour before a storm hits. The combination has proved to be extremely beneficial during thunder. He is not entirely calm but the pacing and heavy panting go away.
  Do you have a dog that is frightened of thunderstorms? Let me know what you have done to help them.
“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” 


18 comments :

  1. I'm with you bentley... thunderstorms are scary... they can blow our whole crib away... like the crib of dorothy..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bailie is not fond of thunderstorms or fireworks, I sleep right through them and so far, Madison doesn't care either. Bailie sleeps in the bathroom like Katies used to do for safety.

    ReplyDelete
  3. None of my little dogs have been afraid of thunder, but all of my bigger dogs (20+ lbs.) have been

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh Bentley, Bruin is right there with you. Any time a storm is brewing we head for the basement and put some music on. Luckily, we don't have many storms during the night. On the other hand, Maggie and Miley aren't bothered by them at all. Hopefully for Bentley and Bruin's sake the storms won't be too bad this season.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thankfully, none of mine have this fear. It has to be difficult for him.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sorry you had a rough night. I hope those storms settle down now. We had some stormy weather yesterday too. But I'm not afraid of thunder. I just bark at it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Our golden Moses was very afraid of storms, he sounds exactly like Bentley. We never came up with too much that helped, other than going into the finished basement and cranking up the music (tough to do in the middle of the night).
    That was at our old house. Things are quieter here at our new house, especially in the bedroom. In fact, last night I heard a thunderstorm and neither of the dogs even moved (they aren't fond of storms either, but they're not quite as dramatic about it). Moses would have been happier here I think!
    This was so cute...I think you hit on exactly what they must be thinking!
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bentley we saw'd you at the pet expo. Tell mom to blast the TV when it thunders
    Lily & Edward

    ReplyDelete
  9. Aww, poor Bentley. Having owned a a dog who was terrified of thunderstorms, I empathize 150%. Here's hoping everyone gets some much needed rest. ❤︎

    ReplyDelete
  10. I totally understand, Bentley. I don't like thunderstorms either or fireworks for that matter! They should BOTH be outlawed!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Bentley that is the same conversation I have with mom except she is more afraid than I am.
    Usually I just like to sit in the same room with the peeps. Mom gets all paranoid...gathers up my documents and in very severe circumstances has been known to shove me into my PTU lock the door and sit by me on the floor just in case a random tree falls on the house we can make a quick getaway.
    Maybe you and my mom need to live together.
    Hugs madi yoru bfff

    ReplyDelete
  12. Poor Bentley ! We don't like storms either, but we're not terrified as you do. Angel Loupi didn't care at all about storms : he was in the garden, or under the balcony, looking at the bolts of lightening, turning barely an ear at the thunder noise, and just a little bit annoyed because it was raining and windy. We so wish he could share some of his magic with you ! Purrs

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bentley, we don't like thunder much either. But we try not to let it ruin a good nap.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Storms don't bother any of us - which are good since we get a lot of em.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bailey used to hate Thunder and fireworks too. He would bark and bark and pace the house. Now at 14 yrs old he doesn't care anymore or he doesn't hear them anymore
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh Bentley, I'm sorry those nasty thunder storms kept you awake! (and your peeps, butts that's not what matters, since you WERE tryin' to save THEIR lives!!!!!!!) We don't gets too many of those here, butts when we do, I do bark at em' and sometimes they go away. ☺
    I love that harness though, that is a pawsome idea! Ma wishes that that Relax stuffs would work on me, butts not even the rx stuffs really works on me...hehehehe
    You are one brave Hound!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

    ReplyDelete
  17. oh yeah, we've really had our share of them in the past several days! Glad you made it thru the last round, Mister B!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Awe that was cute. Poor bubba sorry you don't like storms.

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear from you! Bark back!