It’s been many years since our own kids passed their
driver’s tests, and the grandboys live four hours away, but we still may need
to reacquaint ourselves with those parental-guidance warnings on TV shows.
Last night
the three of us were settled in our favorite spots, lap blankets cozily in
place, mid-way through a show on the tube. The heroes were gathered in a room
of screens and computers, trying to outwit some evil-doer by tracking his
movements electronically. At the first computer beep Mamie’s head periscoped
up from her chair. At the second beep she had vaulted over to the couch. And at
the third she had tunneled her way between me and the couch arm and huddled there,
shaking.
Our dog has a
epic fear of smoke alarms – and apparently anything else that sounds remotely
like a smoke alarm.
I turned down
the volume, but then decided the humans in the room deserved to hear the
dialogue. And fortunately the heroes were now away from the computers and
galloping through a building, guns drawn.
Mamie’s
trembling ratcheted down to intermittent until someone in the show pressed an
elevator button – ding! – and we were off again.
The first
time we realized the dangers of television for our dog was during a movie with
Matthew McConaughey. It was Reign of Fire, one of those movies so awful that
you can’t look away – sort of a Mad Max, but with dragons.
I had thought
Mamie was asleep as usual in her blanket nest, but when the first dragon swept
across the big screen four feet away she was practically air-borne to my lap.
And she is not ordinarily a lap dog. She circled my lap, panting, and then,
just like last night, burrowed next to the couch arm, panting and shaking, her
eyes locked on the TV.
 |
| Mamie recovering from a tough night of TV |
After too
many minutes of this, as
an experiment I held a couch pillow in front of her
face. A shudder, and the trembling stopped.
Our options
are now to avoid all shows with dragons or an electronic storyline, or buy some
teensy ear muffs and turn her chair to face the wall.
Actually, facing the wall or the back of the sofa seem good options.
ReplyDeleteThe wall (and perhaps the ear muffs) sounds good to me. Poor Marnie.
ReplyDeleteAwww that is a very sensitive pet. Tough for all of you.
ReplyDeletei laughed out loud at the image of the teensy ear muffs for the sensitive pup. Oh my! You told the story well, and I felt as if I were there. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat's quite sad for Mamie. I suppose you could try turning her chair to the wall, but if it's the sound that bothers her I don't know what to suggest. Would she wear a pair of ear muffs?
ReplyDeleteWow. She is a tender one. Never realized that TV could be so dangerous for pets.
ReplyDeletefireworks and gunshots however muffled turn Minnie into a neurotic trembling panting mess looking for somewhere to hide. I finally bought her an extra bed and put it in my closet and leave the sliding door open enough for her to be able to get in. Lately the cat has been sleeping in it.
ReplyDelete