What is Your Dog Afraid Of?

With all the stormy weather we've had in the past month, I've been hearing a lot about dogs that are fearful of storms. A neighbor dog gets so frightened that no human can console her. Even after a dose of benadryl, this poor old dog cannot be consoled. Another dog who lives in Mora cannot go outside to do her business until the storm has subsided. Lucky for me, my dog is not afraid of storms. But Blunder has her fears. Blunder is afraid of pampas grass. At the end of our block a neighbor has a healthy patch of pampas grass and my dog acts like pampas grass is a ghost. But only when the wind blows hard. If the air is still or if there is only a light breeze, she can bravely march past the pampas grass. But if the pampas flumes undulate from the wind, you would think she was walking past a ghost. She hangs back as we approach the spectral grass. When I urge her to come forward, she walks as far away

from the grass as she can get given her retractable 15 foot leash. She has a panicked look on her little face as she keeps looking back at me. When we get half way past the horrific pampas grass, she runs ahead to get as far away from it as possible. And as we turn the corner, she looks back at the grass to see if it is following us home. I have no sympathy. I say to her, "Oooh, the pampas grass is coming to get you!" Monday she had a similar reaction to a pile of discarded carpeting laying on the curb for the garbage haulers. I asked her, out loud (what must my neighbors think?), "Seriously, you're afraid of carpeting?"