September 2021
Whoa! A slightly battered running shoe comes sailing past at eye level. Its mate follows at a little lower trajectory, its shoestring antenna trailing behind. I step back out of the line of fire as a bedroom slipper wings its way into the hall and a boot skids across the floor, too heavy for takeoff. Is that it? No more flying footwear? Okay. I call to my son, “Kelly, would you check that the windows on the van are closed? There’s a thunderstorm on the way.”
Bounce doesn’t like t-storms and at the first premonition one is incoming, she hides herself in the hall closet, digging away at anything that blocks her access to a cozy corner where she takes refuge, hence the shoe shower. Bounce’s predictions on approaching storms have proven to be far more accurate than the national weather bureau’s alerts.
Bounce, one of my early Beardies, lives on only in memory now but over the ensuing years several others have displayed aversions to stormy weather. However, she’s the only one to sling shoes. The breed has long been described as ‘sound sensitive.’ For a herding breed, that might be both good and bad. Good, to be tuned in to the whereabouts of the sheep or to approaching danger. Bad, if the rumbling heavens cause them to abandon their duties and take shelter. That sensitivity comes in varying degrees. Some Beardies just don’t give a darn. Let the thunder roll. Others have strong reactions. Like Travis. We were at a show in Tampa and there were distant growls of thunder. I prayed it wouldn’t strike till after Travis and I had made it through the Beardie judging. It did. Just as we walked into the ring, the sky opened up and attacked the metal roof of the building with a downpour like a rain of bullets to the accompaniment of cloud bursting thunder. Travis freaked. He tried to go four different directions at once. “May we be excused?” The judge nodded. Game over.
Once of the strangest reactions to thunder storms came from Kendra who wanted to get someplace high. Perhaps she was expecting a flood. I woke one night during a storm when she climbed from my bed up onto the bureau, knocking down a pile of books and magazines in the process. She was trying to climb up the side of the mirror when I plucked her off. Another time she ascended the kitchen table to be able to take refuge in an open cabinet. The crowning touch was when I opened the fridge while rain pounded on the roof and she immediately hopped in and curled up on the bottom shelf. A real cool character.
Some Florida t-storms mumble and grumble in the distance, giving warning while advancing on the area. Then there are the sneaky ones. Clear blue skies, bright sunshine and suddenly – Boom! Aline was in the ring at Daytona, working in Grad Novice with her Beardie Lacie in the club’s building. Lacie was doing nicely, trotting happily back to Aline with her dumbbell when out of nowhere came a thunderclap so outrageously loud that the building seemed to shake. Plop. The dumbbell dropped out of her mouth as Lacie stopped and stood there with a What-Was-That? look. Another case of incredibly bad timing. Unlike her dad, the aforementioned Travis, Lacie doesn’t freak out at thunderstorms, though she doesn’t particularly like them. It was just the shock of the sudden deafening thunderbolt which stopped her in her tracks with her mouth open.
There are some Beardies who don’t mind thunderstorms at all. Crispin positively enjoyed them. When a hurricane headed our way, the gang and I rode out cane at a friend’s home. Crispin thought her indoor/outdoor kennels were wonderful. Popping through the dog door, he stretched out in front of the building while rains lashed the area, high winds swept around him and fierce thunder and lightning crashed. He seemed to be enjoying it so thoroughly, I half expected him to break into a chorus of Singing In The Rain. Enough. It finally became necessary to bring him inside and lock the dog door. Oddly enough, when the hurricane had passed by and we returned home, I brought out the vacuum to do a little cleaning. As the vacuum snarled into action, Crispin jumped up and ran into the bedroom to hide under the bed. I guess everybeardie has their own hang-ups.
— alice bixler, Summerfield, Florida, alice@bedlamkennels.com. Bearded Collie Club of America.
