Willa's Fear

Our hounds get a little scared in certain situations.  Miss June is terrified of fireworks, gunshots, and smoke detectors.  Miss Willa, however, only has one thing she is terrified of:  thunderstorms.

June watching a storm roll in.

We have a strong suspicion that Willa was a hunting dog in her early years that spent her life outside in a kennel.  We think her former outdoor life may be the cause of her fear.  Who knows how many thunderstorms she spent huddled in the corner of a metal pen?  Who knows how many nights she spent freezing and sopping wet?  Honestly, I don't want to know.  It breaks my heart just thinking about it.  The important thing is that she will never spend another night outside as long as she lives.  Ever.
Last night we had a storm here that reminded me of Indiana.  It was pouring rain and the thunder was booming.  It was late at night when the storm started, so we were on the way to bed.  It was time for the dogs to go out one more time.  Willa was having none of it.  She ran to her safe spot on her dog bed at the end of the hallway.  I grabbed her Thundershirt and put it on her.  While it helps take the edge off, it doesn't cure her fear.

Here is a photo I took of her last week right before a storm rolled in:

While the Thundershirt helped, she was still a bit nervous:

When Willa gets scared, she goes to her safe spot:

In her safe spot, she is surrounded by walls on three sides for security.  She also has a blanket or bed there at all times with an assortment of toys.  (She is my toy hoarder!)  The Thundershirt seems to help as well as her safe spot.  I only wish there was cure for her fear.  There is nothing sadder than a trembling hound.

During last night's storm, Willa slept between Ben and me in bed.  I took her shirt off because she got hot, but she was nice and calm in bed.  She slept next to me with her head on my pillow all night long.  Although I hated that she was scared, I would be lying if I said I didn't love her cuddled in bed next to us.  She is my sweetheart!

Since the storm had passed, she was back to normal this morning.  Willa went outside like nothing happened and was cool as a cucumber once again. 

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Do your pups get scared when it storms?  What do you to help them through it?  I would love to hear how you help your pups through their fears!

Disclaimer:  I was not paid or asked to write about the Thundershirt.  I simply wrote about it as a customer.