Happy 4th of July anyway.....

We're not big fans of this particular holiday around here due to the stress caused by the big booms and whistling noises caused by the fireworks our fellow Americans love to set off. The Bentman is terrified of firecrackers, guns, and crazy sounding thunder. Firecrackers are the worst though. Since he reacts negatively to most types of homeopathic calming therapies and Benedryl just makes him more agitated, I will try to get some lavender oil on him that I bought a few weeks ago in the Texas Hill country at the Lavender Run/ Walk we participated in. Problem is- he hates the way it smells. I think he knows what the bottle looks like or else he can read my mind. Actually, I know it is my body language but dear goD help me, I can't help it. He starts pacing after he hears the first loud noise and then it escalates into major pawing at whatever body part he can touch. Then if you are laying down, he will climb on top of your head and paw some more.

One year I made the mistake of staying out in Spring after work one 4th instead of driving all the way home because I had two days of 12 hour grooming shop duty. My friends home was close and it seemed like a good idea to not drive 65 miles home on a major party holiday night.  But no- no- No. Every 2-legged in that area that could set off fireworks from 9pm till 3am that night did. It started when I was driving Bentley and I to the friends house about 9:15pm after work that Saturday night going down the road. He went freako in the car and by the time we got to the house, he was in full phobic mode. I couldn't get the TV turned up load enough nor any amount of ignoring, soothing, Benedryl was going to help. I enclosed he and I in the bedroom with two different TV's going full blast and two pillows on my body, long sleeves and pants for protection from his pawing. He made permanent grooves in the door facing. These are very dear friends and I was able to apologize and repair the damage but still....not a fun night- about 3 hours? maybe of sleep before it was time to go back to the grooming shop for a Sunday day of hell. Not really complaining but that is another story in itself for another day!

Anyway, I am planning for a long night since Mother Nature decided to let up on the Texas flood and give us a rain free 4th of July.

Dammit.

I know a lot of you have very similar issues with the 4th NOISE and how it affects your 4-leggeds so I decided to offer a sacrifice to Mother Nature in the hopes of some more rain tonight. I will give up cheeseburgers for two weeks. Do you think it will work?  I do so hate to rain on anyones parade but I am going to be selfish on this one. I want rain and lots of it for tonight!

Anyway- best wishes to all. I'm going to see if I can chase down the Bentman and make him smell like lavender. The worst that can happen is that the lavender will calm me down. Right?    

Karen Raye
and the Bentman