I must say this week I am enjoying my sleep. We have had 3 nights in a row of no thunderstorms, a rarity in the summer. Am I afraid of storms you ask? Me...no. My 70lbs anxiety prone pit bull mix?...Yes! Among Gilly's many fears thunderstorms rank very close to the top. They even surpass oh no!... the vacuum!
There is nothing quite like waking up in the middle of the night to a dog who has stealthily climbed into your bed (his stealth must be on reserve for these occasions since he is usually a bull in a china shop) and is standing over top of you staring down at your face. Once your brain has processed that it is, in fact, your dog and not some hell beast from your nightmare or a burglar, it also picks up the sound of the rain and wind outside. Your brain also realizes that your restful night of sleep is now over.
Now if it was up to me I would just let Gilly stay in bed. Yes he will hog the bed, pant, and drool. And if he ever does fall asleep, I will end up with dog feet wedged in into my back. But, unbelievable as it sounds it is better then the alternative which consists of yelling "Off!" and pushing him off the bed. You are probably thinking...hey...that doesn't sound too bad. Well that alternative must be repeated every 5 minutes until the storm passes and Gilly calms down, which could be hours. So, uncomfortable sleep but at least it's sleep, or being startled awake every 5 minutes while your husband yells and wrestles the dog off the bed. See...option one isn't looking so bad anymore is it? :-)
At least Gilly's fear of thunderstorms is a common fear in dogs (and I can pretend that makes him somewhat normal). There are lots of tips on the Internet on how to calm a fearful dog...things like putting the tv or radio on to block out the noise of the storm or creating a safe haven in a closet or crate. But I have to say I have stumbled across one of the weirder options..."Thunderwear".
On mnsbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32375721) there was an article about dogs afraid of storms and how to help them cope. Apparently Thunderwear, which is a snug fitting unitard, swaddles the dog and makes it feel safe as well as cuts down on the amount of static electricity that builds up in their coats during storms.
When I read the article and saw the pictures I laughed and dismissed it as a crazy idea...but maybe after a few more sleepless nights...
Don't you dare put him in thunderwear! Just tell Dan to go to the couch to sleep and let Gilly sleep with you. HaHa. :-)
ReplyDeleteI remember those days. Lucy use to be scared of thunderstorms as well. She would wander anxiously around, claw at the couches/bed, try and crawl into your lap. But than she wouldn't stay in your lap. She just couldn't sit still. We discovered that putting her bed in the bathroom with the fan and light on would eventually calm her down.
ReplyDeleteShe is an old lady now and doesn't hear the storms as well as she us too!