How's Life with My Dogs During Bad Weather? It Depends on the Storm.

Last year, a tornado touched down near our home.

It was early morning and I woke up to a tornado warning on my phone.

My dogs already knew something was up …and nothing felt right.

Hudson, Erwitt, Prayerie, Fleetwood and Daisy were all on edge😬

Immediately, I was downstairs with the news on.

The Airedales were correct, not only were we under a tornado warning, but we were also in the potential path. 🌪️

By this point, my dogs completely lost their mind. Honestly…I did too. I was trying to calm and corral them while trying to watch updates.

Fast forward, the path shifted and we were all okay but the effects of the storm on my dogs lasted a few hours. It was as if their nervous system was on overload and needed to unwind.

I’ve lived in New York, Rhode Island, Washington DC, Florida and Texas.

My dogs and I have been through blizzards, hurricanes, tropical storms and “normal” serve weather.

(Florida and Texas have their own version of severe weather…like when the air gets thick and still, the sky changes color, the pressure drops and then the wind whips up.)

My Reaction to When Bad Weather 🌩️

When it comes to my reaction to weather, it depends on the storm as well as the dog.

Here ‘s the thing…dogs don’t just experience storms through sound.

They experience them through:

·      Pressure

·      Electricity

·      Vibration

·      And atmospheric changes.

What feels like “weather” to you and me can feel like a full sensory overload to them.

For example, snowstorms usually develop slowly. The pressure changes are gradual, sound is dampened by the snow, and there isn’t much electrical activity in the air.

My Airedales are calm during the storm and can’t wait to play outside.

Plus, they like a good fireplace and running through the snow. ❄️

Well, that’s been my experience at least 😂.

Thunderstorms and tornado conditions are VERY different.

Thunderstorms and tornadoes create:

• Sudden pressure drops

• Intense electrical charge

• Loud, unpredictable noise

Dogs can also hear lower sound frequencies than humans, which means they may sense storms developing long before we do.

These types of atmospheric changes can cause anxiety, and it definitely does in our house, but all dogs react to storms differently. ⛈️

The FAB 5 is No Different (in most cases)

Hudson is cool as a cucumber. A storm needs to be severe to ruffle his feathers.

Erwitt loves a light rain that he can sit outside in and enjoy. Anything heavier, we are putting on his thunder coat.

Prayerie, as you can imagine, does not want to get her salon hair wet.

She’s not into wet weather or wet grass and is my most anxious dog when it comes to heavier storms with thunder and has a thunder coat to match Erwitt’s.

Fleetwood is unphased. Of course, he is too busy helping the weather experts track storms and barometric pressures. Even in a weather crisis, he likes to stay busy.

Daisy is very composed. She will sit outside in the rain and observe her surroundings.

If the rain gets too heavy, she is the type that comes inside, makes a cocktail and gets comfortable. (Just like her human mom 😉)

All my dogs are the same breed, but we have different reactions to different storms with\ different intensities.

How my experience can help you with your dogs during bad weather

From spending most of my time in Florida and Texas, I’m used to hurricanes, thunderstorms and the rare tornado.

It’s when the pressure drops and the weather gets loud that you need to have a plan- because even the most composed dog can become nervous.

We have our own storm management system in our house.

• Everyone has their own crate. A crate makes for a great safe space

• All the dogs have thunder coats – even the cool & collective dogs. I know thunder coats may not work for everyone, but they do for my pack.

• I do have medication to use as needed. That is never my go to, but it has helped get us through a few hurricanes. (seek medical advice from your vet, not me!)

Getting Ready to Kick off the Stormy Season

Bad weather happens and usually not at the best time.

It occurred to me as I started writing this article that we spring forward this weekend.

I love Spring but it does kick off storm season for us.

And we’re prepared, calm and ready to evacuate if need be 😂

-Kim Opdyke

💗