A momentary semi-serious interlude ahead…

Last night, I returned home to find a very unhappy Bella.   We had a thunderstorm while I was at work – a fairly loud one.  Bella’s storm phobia appears to have skyrocketed to a whole new level lately – I found paw prints on the dining room table, the dining room chairs… and other evidence of absolute and overwhelming fear.  My poor girl.

Initially, I was worried that she may have hurt herself, but she seemed okay. While I cleaned up the dining room, she had dinner and seemed relaxed.  So although it had been a rough afternoon, things seemed to be returning to normal.

Unfortunately, more storms were on the way.  So, I loaded Bella into her Storm Defender Cape, and we headed upstairs to hang out with some music on in hopes of keeping fear at bay.  (As an aside, the Storm Defender Cape seems to work sometimes, but I ordered the Thundershirt last night in order to see if it will work better.  I need to try something different in light of her escalating fear.  I’ll keep you posted.)

Anyway, as I sat upstairs, sipping my second glass of wine on an empty stomach (it was one of those days, capped off by the dining room incident), iTunes decided to play “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders.  It seemed like a good song to sing to Bella – I blame the wine for this assessment.  (Although I cannot carry a tune in a paper sack, I love to sing.)

As I serenaded my receptive pup with this song, it struck me just how perfectly some of these lyrics described how I was feeling.  I know it’s technically a love song, but stick with me here for a second.  For example, take the following lyrics:

• “Don’t be ashamed to cry/ Let me see you through/ ‘Cause I’ve seen the dark side too”
• “Nothing you confess, will make me love you less”
• “Take me in, into your darkest hour/ And I’ll never desert you, I’ll stand by you”
• “Won’t let nobody hurt you/ I’ll stand by you”

That’s the kind of unconditional love that our animals deserve.  (Honestly, it’s the kind of unconditional love that some people in our lives deserve too, but that’s a discussion for another day.)

When a dog is fearful or reactive, some people get angry at the dog.  That’s hard for me to take… for all that we treat them like our children, dogs are not just little people in fur suits.  They’re dogs, and it’s our responsibility to try to understand where they are coming from rather than ascribing human reason and emotions to their actions.  It’s natural to be upset when your dog messes something up, but it’s essential to put things into perspective.  How you react to to something like this is within your control – you can choose how to handle it.  Fearful dogs don’t need to be blamed… they need love and a person who will do their best to help them through this difficult time.

Although sometimes she destroys things, messes up the house, or generally makes life difficult, I am fiercely protective of my girl.  I’ll do whatever it takes to help her through the rough times.  I’ve been fortunate in the past to have people do the same for me, and I hope I’ll be that fortunate again should the need arise.

Deep thoughts about dogs inspired by a 1994 power ballad.  That’s just how I roll.