Severe thunderstorm anxiety, help!

[wolf_Q]

If anyone cares......my sister no longer has Skylee. She took her back to the rescue the day after I posted this. I'm glad she didn't put her to sleep at least, now she has a chance. I hope she finds a good home who is willing to work with her, she's such a sweetheart.

[Karen]

Awww, poor Skylee! I hope she finds a good forever home.

[zoey]

I'm praying for Skylee. I wish she could get relocated to a place where it doesn't rain often. Poor girl. This is heartbreaking. Euthanasia is too extreme, a measure. I hope she gets adopted to a forever home soon.

[K9soul]

I'm sorry to hear this Amy. I know how upsetting it is for you because I know how you feel about things like this. I hope and pray sweet Skylee finds a wonderful home who can help her with her phobia.

[Cinder & Smoke]

If anyone cares......

my sister no longer has Skylee.
She took her back to the rescue the day after I posted this.

AMY!!

"If anyone cares ..." ~
That's not a very up-beat way to open a post ... A LOT of us "care"!

8 Years old is a tough age to be tossed into a shelter and told to Find a New Home.

Over the years, most of my Dawgs have been "strays" - with no know previous homes.
They all seem to "develop" a fear of Thunder Storms ...
I've asked each of them: Just WHAT didi you do (before you got here)
when it *THUNDERED* and you were OutSide??
Where did you *hide* and who gave you comfort back then?"

Never seem to get an answer to that question!

I try not to make the situation worse ... *I* "try" to stay calm & relaxed;
and mostly ignore the FurKids other than a friendly *pat* if they wander by,
They seem to develop their own method of coping ...
* Cinder & Smoke alternate between hiding under the BigBed and the Puter Desk
* Bowser wakes up with a look of *PANIC*, turns around, and goes back to sleep
*da Kat ALWAYS gets up, dashes to the opposite end of the house;
then curls up and goes back to sleep - with his eyes *popping open* with
each major clap of thunder.
* Then if *I* go inna baffroom ...
ALL FOUR make a mad dash to barge in and "help" me!

Wishing GOOD Luck to Skylee!

/s/ Phred

[KYS]

Poor skylee, I hope the shelter lets the next perspective owner know about
her fear. and she finds a good loving home.

I have owned 2 dogs that had a sever problem when
it came to thunder storms and fire-crackers. Another
one which was a family dog when I was young.

Fireworks I always make a point to stay home.
Thunder storms is more of a problem and I try
to leave the dogs in the house.
A few years ago, an unexpected thunder storm came in the afternoon while I was at work.
Poor Sheba clawed and chewed through our new back door.
Luckily we do not have a lot of thunder storms.

[RobiLee]

Amy, I'm so sorry about Skylee. I hope she finds a very loving home real soon.

[labmomma]

I also read somewhere that the only relief for a dog that is "lightning shy" is to be around a dog that isn't. I don't know what the answer would be in this case.

[CountryWolf07]

Ahhh Amy, I can't stand your sister! She shouldn't own ANY TYPE of pets if she can't deal with them..

[butrrfly23]

I know your sister no longer has the dog, but I've had success with using desensitization and figured I'd post in case anyone else might benefit.

Get a recording (cassette tape or CD) of thunderstorm sounds (or any other sound that the dog is afraid of) and start by playing it at a very low volume. Low enough that the dog is not frightened by it. Give lots of treats and do the "jolly routine" (laughing and smiling) or play the dog's favorite game while the sounds are playing.

Continue doing these sessions and increase the volume slightly with each session. Each time the dog will become more and more accustomed to the sounds and will actually begin to relate the sounds with something positive.

It takes a bit of time and effort, but it's no different than any other positive reinforcement training technique.

As far as being around another dog that is not lightening shy, I think that has some merit. Dogs in packs definitely pick up on each other's energy (as well as their human's!) and if every other member of the pack shows no sign of fear over something, I think it can help the fearful dog to realize there is nothing to be afraid of. I was able to help one of my dogs get over quite a few fears by ignoring the fear completely, and also by not coddling her. I found that when I ignored the fear and acted like nothing was wrong, over time the fears started to go away. We haven't conquered all of the fears yet (she still hates to be around stainless steel dog dishes!) but there have been lots of successes.

I sure hope Skylee can find a good home!