Katie Hates This Holiday

This is Katie, our Corgi, and she absolutely hates things that go boom in the night. She goes totally beserk. Out here on the cliffs of Granbury, people are big on fireworks. They've been launching rockets and cherry bombs every night this week with increasing patriotic fervor, their salvos lasting longer and longer into the night. Last night the rocket's red glare didn't cease until about 11:00 pm. Well, when she hears the boom, pop, fizzle of fireworks, Katie acts like a Vietnam vet in a DaNanag flash-back.

If she's in her crate, she spins and tries to destroy anything she can get in her mouth. She cries and barks. So, I decided to let her out of her crate to see if we could calm her. She goes to the back door and I let her out. That low-slung hound starts running around the perimeter, chasing whatever ghosts haunt what's between her enormous ears -- around and around the yard, non-stop, barking like a banshee.

Across the lake the Winstons launch some boomers that cause Katie to stop dead in her tracks and look up to see the red and green explosion. It takes a second for her to unfreeze before she bolts for the back door wanting away from the onslaught. It would be funny if she weren't so panic-stricken.

I don't know if it's because Corgis have sensitive hearing or if she has some history from her days before we adopted her at the pet shelter. I can't imagine the chaos that will be let loose on us tonight when the city launches its pyrotechnic display just down river. Julie suggested we put her in the safe room because it's six inch concrete reinforced walls are pretty soundproof. We have guests coming tonight who aren't dog people. So, I can just imagine their reaction to Katie's
patriotic display.