Arthur and the gas fire

[Howard Glansfield]

We are seeing a very strange reaction from Arthur ,who is now 14 months old,to the gas fire.He came to us in October last year and was used to the fire,or so we thought! When Joan and I turned it on a couple of weeks ago he didn't really notice it but his behaviour has changed and we find it odd but amusing.He approaches the (lit) fire and goes into slow motion.It is like watching a cartoon .He approaches the fire and each leg moves as if he is stalking.Very ,very slowly.He sniffs the fire and slowly moves sinking to the ground in a heap in front of the fire.he lies there enjoying the heat then,when he gets up the process is reversed,He almost slinks away from the fire.When he is away from it he returns to his normal self.It is almost as if he is hypnotised and in a trance.Do you think he is?Have you experienced this ?It is a first for us.

[silvia]

very interesting how they change behaviour while grow up.. I am curious/scared about what will happen to us in a week time: the week on Nov 6th the UK (and London) is on fire because of the celebrations of  Nov 6th... last year Oberon was a puppy and barely noticed all the fireworks: they were part of his exploring and accumulating knowledge about the ouside word, so I think he was never scared, maybe just a bit surprised and looking around with curiousity for the noise, but never with fear..

I though we were lucky to have a pup not scared by the fireworks, but in the reality now I think the issue is not over: I bet it will be  only this year, when he's 1.5years old,  that we'll really discover if he's afraid or not by the fireworks and bonfires, since now he has a much deep perception of the outside.. 

I will keep post on his reactions :) for now, my  first instinct is to try to have him most exposed and pretend that is normal and nothing to be scared about, maybe playing some musics or play with his toys while the fireworks are on.. but the worse scenario is that we'll end up all the three of us under the bed, holding each other the paws and praying that the fireworks are over soon..;)

 

 

[silvia]

:) sounds a very good and funny way to enjoy all together the firework  :)) I hope Oberon will be relaxed as well !

[Sherry Miller]

We have fireworks here on July 4th and New Years and today as my Cardinals just won the Baseball World Series....these tonight were ones neighbors set off and not the nice quiet ones we hear at other times of the year,,,,Molly walked to the window looked out and watched a few of them light up the sky and decided it was time to just curl up on my pillow.  So happy that so far she treats fireworks as just part of life as my last old gentleman Shilo would have had his head under my arm the whole time while I talked to him and petted him...same reactions he had to thunder also,  I have only had the one afraid of storms or fireworks and know how worrying it can be as they just are so miserable.  I also played music or movies on tv to try to blunt the noise and also treated it as just part of life but for my Shilo it made no difference. 

[Howard Glansfield]

Guy Fawkes night is Nov 5th but the fireworks start a couple of weeks earlier(doesn't everything these days?) we are lucky that Fred and Arthur aren't bothered a bit by them,Art will go and bark at them but poor Ellie is terrified by them.She gets comfort from Joan and me and if we have to go out we leave the television on and she seems ok to be with that,snuggling in with the other, calm, two.