In honor of National Face Your Fears Day celebrated on the second Tuesday of October.
In honor of National Face Your Fears Day, I wanted to share what I believe are my dogs' fears in life.
In case it's helpful, below are the main points covered in this post:
Rascal's Fears
Lucy's Fears
What's Next?
Rascal's Fears
My small dog, Rascal, has been fearful of most things since the day I adopted him. Rascal is less fearful now that he is older, but there are a few things that continue to scare him over nine years later.
Metal Hitting Metal
Rascal runs when he hears metal hitting metal, even if it is a small clinking sound. For example, he would run off if the metal dog tags hanging from his collar tap a metal water bowl.
This fear started two years ago. The sound of metal hitting metal only triggers Rascal at my Mom's house. It does not scare him anywhere else.
For a while, I either turned his collar around so that the dog tags were on the back of his neck or took his collar off completely. I eventually bought plastic bowls for use at Mom's house.
Rain Showers and Thunderstorms
Many dogs are frightened by thunderstorms, but Rascal's fear of thunderstorms developed during a tornado warning. We were sheltered in the bathroom in the center of my house. I held Rascal as my Dad held my old dog, Shadow.
While I have sheltered because of tornado warnings many times in my past, this experience frightened me. The sounds outside of the house were intense and louder than any tornado warning-related sounds I ever heard.
At one point, it sounded like the roof was peeling off the house. It did not peel off. In fact, we were fortunate not to have any damage to the property. However, it sounded like the worst-case scenario took place while we were sheltered.
I presumed that Rascal sensed my fear and adopted it as his own following that experience. Since then, he hides and trembles when a thunderstorm or rain shower hits us.
Rascal's fear of rain showers and thunderstorms is non-existent when we are in a vehicle. In fact, he runs to the SUV when it starts raining. My Dad guessed that Rascal believes we can escape stormy threats by driving away from them.
When the weather is not great, I soothe Rascal by wrapping him in a blanket and keeping him close to me.
Lucy's Fears
My large dog, Lucy, takes her roles as home security and personal bodyguard seriously. Lucy is a brave dog, but there are a few things that scare her.
Empty Plastic Bags
Lucy runs from most empty plastic bags that move because of a breeze. For example, if an empty plastic bag is stuck on a tree branch at the park and a breeze causes it to move slightly, Lucy tries to run away from its direction.
If it were not for the no-pull headcollar (Gentle Leader) she wears on our walks, I would struggle to gain control of her when she wanted to run away. Even with the head collar, handling Lucy is a challenge when I pick up an empty plastic bag in the wild to dispose of it properly.
The only time an empty plastic bag does not scare Lucy is after I emptied its contents. If, for example, I return home with a couple plastic bags of groceries, an empty bag moving slightly because of the ceiling fan does not scare Lucy. In fact, Lucy will empty the contents herself because she is a thief and wants my groceries for herself.
I believe this fear will disappear one day. I will continue to be patient and reassure Lucy that empty plastic bags do not have it out for her.
Large Inflatable Decorations
Like empty plastic bags in the wild, inflatable decorations move because of the internal blower. Most of them are plastic, too. Therefore, Lucy fears large inflatable decorations.
It is that time of year when many neighbors decorate their lawns with large inflatable decorations. Lucy has no choice but to face her fears as we head past them on our walks. Unlike last year, the smaller inflatables do not scare her as much anymore. I believe this fear will also disappear one day.
What's Next?
Rascal does not have to face his fears on National Face Your Fears Day, but Lucy has no choice on her next walk. Wish her luck!
Comment below to share your dog's fears!
Don't forget to subscribe below to be notified by email when I post something new.
Thanks, and have a great day!
~Simply Jelly Jam
Commentaires