Babs and Lightning

Sunday night brought the dreaded thunder/lightning storm to Wichita. Although we have had worse, this particular storm had many strikes of lightning and wonderfully loud, growling thunder. Wonderfully, I say, if you are a rational adult who loves the many sounds and sights that nature brings to us. But terrifying if your name is Babs and you are a 13-year-old cock-a-poo.

Lightning does not seem to phase Sepia, Babs' brother. But Babs makes up for it. She pants and paces, scratches and licks, pants more, walks in circles, and shakes. She shakes and shivers, and then she pants some more. She is traumatized by the lightning more than the thunder, and it is impossible to calm her down.

Sometimes she can sleep between our pillows. But that doesn't always work - such as right now. When we aren't home she goes to the basement. So I brought her downstairs. After 5 minutes of scratching, panting, and nesting, she finally found a place on the floor where she is settling in. I am hoping she will calm down for the night. Unfortunately, I was too late with her medicine - which happens to be Xanax. Apparently animal behaviorists have determined that the former treatment - valium - didn't really take the terror away; it just masked it. Xanax takes the anxiety away, or at least that's the theory. But . . . you have to catch it early for it to be effective at the dosage level I want to give to her. So I am now paying for not getting her medicine to her on time.

Oh well, we desperately need the rain (though it is flooding west of here), so I will put up with Babs and her anxiety. I am just hoping that the lightning ends soon!