beware the booms

my dog has panic attacks--like mother like son!

Chihuahuas get a bad rap. I can’t tell you how many people, when I tell them I have one, ask if he is “shaky” or “mean.”

Without waxing poetic, my chihuahua is neither of those things.

Except for the summertime, when he does, unfortunately, get real shaky.

Before we got our little chihuahua mix, Ripley, I knew in theory that some dogs don’t like fireworks or thunderstorms. But I’d never experienced a dog freaking out over any of those things.

At the first faint rumble of thunder, or the first whistle-and-boom of fireworks, poor Ripley has the puppy version of a panic attack. And I promise you, this is not hyperbole and not a matter of projection. He becomes so unsettled and he can’t stand still; he pants; he shakes so hard he basically starts vibrating; he becomes incredibly clingy; he hides under the bed or couch. And in the summertime, given the number of thunderstorms and fireworks being set off at random, it’s a constant problem my husband and I scramble to solve.

We’ve tried meds, “relaxing doggy spa music” channels on YouTube, CBD treats, and every distraction under the sun. But he vibrates more than a viral news story lighting up everyone’s iPhones in a disaster movie. Plus, his shaking lasts until long after the sounds dissipate.

It’s as close as a dog can come to a human panic attack, and it kills me every time, because I know how a version of how this feels. But I can’t speak dog, and he can’t speak English, and all I can do is try to hold him and soothe him.

Fireworks in Nagaoka, by Kiyoshi Yamashita