Shiverin’ in the Rain

The first sign of rain, and I make a mad dash for a. the basement b. my crate c. a bed where I shiver and shake and wait for you to comfort me. You might wrap me in a towel and give me Dr. Bach’s remedy. You also turn on calming, classical music. It helps me.

You want to know why? I am not a flower or a blade of grass that needs rain to grow. I am a dog that understands that rain might mean thunder or lightning. I am very scared of loud noises.

Because I am a sheepdog and not a retriever, I don’t like loud noises of any kind. I’ve already told you I don’t like rollerblades or skateboards. I don’t like guns. When you raise your voice and sound angry, I am frightened too. I come to you or to my daddy and sit by your feet and look up into your eyes. I can’t do that with rain. Sheepdogs want their people and their environment to be under control so they can listen properly in case there’s work to do.

Advice from Oliver: Last time when I wrote about friends, I forgot to give advice, so this will be a twofer…two pieces of advice for the price of one. My advice from last time is: Friends come in all sizes, shapes and colors. If they don’t jump up on me or bite my tail, I don’t care what they look like. You can make all kinds of friends too. Just try it.

For today, my advice is: Help each other feel safe. Not all creatures are afraid of the same things.