Thunder

Those of you who follow us on Facebook are aware that we discovered that Frankie is not a fan of thunderstorms.  We had a good strong storm come through last week and Frankie, well, freaked.  Shaking, panting, not being able to settle.  Of all of the dogs that have lived here at Chez Herd, Frankie is the first with a real fear of thunderstorms.  Sure, not everyone likes them, but there is a difference between not liking them and NOT LIKING THEM.  So on the advice of many, many readers, we present Super Frankie:

Thundershirt

Go ahead and boom. Me and Thundershirt are ready.

We will let you know how it works out. As Frankie says, hopefully it will be a while before we have a test.

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19 Responses to Thunder
  1. bichonpawz
    March 7, 2012 | 2:40 am

    Our big brother dog…Zippo…was TERRIFIED of thunder storms!! He was a lab/newf mix so he was a very BIG boy. He even tried to dig a hole in the closet. One time, he ran out the front door and tried and tried to paw his way through my neighbor’s screen door! We don’t know why he was like that as he was adopted from our humane society. LadyBug seems to be following in his footsteps though…she is not fond of storms one single bit. Usually one can find her underneath the bed. Hope the shirt works for Frankie!!! xoxo Chloe and LadyBug

  2. Vivian Kuhn
    March 7, 2012 | 6:28 am

    So glad you got him a thunder shirt! Fortunately none of my Siberians are bothered by thunder, but our rescue Lab gets paranoid. Just like Frankie, she shakes, can’t settle, whines, and wants to be on top of you or all the way under a very short table. Don’t know how she made it outside for 8 years before she moved in after being shot by someone. Can’t wait to see if it works.

  3. houndstooth
    March 7, 2012 | 7:11 am

    We’ve had pretty good luck with ours! Bunny sports the pink rugby stripe edition. Her issue isn’t storms, but loud sounds like fireworks and gunshots. I hope it works for Frankie!

  4. Rachel
    March 7, 2012 | 10:10 am

    I have a Lab mix who would whine on a car ride if he had to sit in the back. I bought the thundershirt and he made a 600 mile road trip with hardly any whining. Best of luck to Frankie with his!

  5. Togo the Dog
    March 7, 2012 | 11:45 am

    Good luck to Frankie! We didn’t know such shirts existed. Tagar is massively afraid of fireworks, we might try this.

    Woooo,
    Togo, Tagar & Gamby

  6. Ice 'n Ayla
    March 7, 2012 | 12:54 pm

    Thundershirt? Something I’d never heard of, either, ’til now. Must look into that for Ice, my Dad. Me (Ayla), I LOVE thunderstorms. Whenever we have one here, I love to stand out in the middle of the back yard and look up, to see if I can figure out exactly where the noise is coming from. Ice, well, he claws his way up the glass patio door ’til hu-Mom lets him in. He freaks at gunshots and firecrackers, too. Maybe a thundershirt would help him not be so scared. (But then, I’d want one, too, in bright red, just to wear).

  7. brooke & darwin
    March 7, 2012 | 1:13 pm

    We got Darwin a thundershirt for the fireworks. I can’t say it totally makes her stop barking, but it definitely makes her more calm than without it.

  8. The OP Pack
    March 7, 2012 | 2:45 pm

    We are all OK with the storms once they are here, but Phantom really gets upset in advance of them. He is our weather guy for the bad stuff. Thunder and Lightning said to tell Frankie not to be afraid of them, they would be his good pals.

    Woos – Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning

  9. Wild Dingo
    March 7, 2012 | 2:59 pm

    Frankie, you got 5 siblings and 2 bi-peds who have your back. that tshirt makes you look even more irresistable. Oh Frankie! sigh. juno is swooning. and Loki will crackery away the t-storms for you…

    crossing paws it works. hope you feel better soon. there’s always “herbal” remedies (no not the mary jane), but there’s chineese herbs that loki is “back on” for a longer term issue (separation anxiety at the kennel) but there are also rescue remedy for single day issues like thunderstorms or even valarian root and skull cap which i’m also gonna try for loki when he’s really losin’ it. they say it really works.

    also in a pinch, benydryl… will help him relax and sleep through it. i’ve given it safely to loki and you can ask your vet if for advice on it. but it’s great in a pinch i think. like if you have NOTHING in the house and he really needs to be calm so you can all get some sleep…it works great.

    anyway, hope that shirt works. he looks handsome!

  10. Linda
    March 7, 2012 | 3:47 pm

    I had a dog that was scared to death of storms. He’d rush inside and hide under the bed or behind the stool in the bathroom (his favorite hiding spot). And like, Frankie, nothing we did seemed to help him. We knew well in advance a storm was going to be hitting, so his actions gave us a heads up, but seeing him so scared just broke my heart.

    I’m anxious to see if the Thundershirt performs like the advertisement claims. I admit, I’m skeptical it will work and definitely will be watching to get your review on it. I hope it does pass the test because I know what it’s like for pets that have a hard time handling storms.

  11. Sheila & Bob
    March 7, 2012 | 6:10 pm

    Sure hope this gives some comfort to Frankie during storms. You feel so helpless when you dog has this problem and you feel their is nothing you can do about it.

    Hang in there Frankie.

    Sheila & Bob
    Hamish & Sophie

  12. NCMountainwoman
    March 7, 2012 | 8:26 pm

    We had a Springer who feared the thunder. That was before the jacket was around. Thank goodness our goldens love to watch the lightning and don’t seem to mind the thunder that follows.

  13. Anjellica Evans
    March 7, 2012 | 9:45 pm

    hope that shirt helps Frankie. We have one for our Brittany Spaniel because thunder freaks her out. But then again, So do lawn mowers, leaf blowers, snowblowers, and i forget what else… Just trying to say Frankie ain’t alone…

  14. siku marie
    March 8, 2012 | 12:05 am

    You’re still stylin’, Frankie! YoYoMa is terrified of storms and loud noises and it has a lot to do we think with his blindness. Haven’t tried the Shirt so we will be following your experiences.

  15. Susan
    March 8, 2012 | 12:08 am

    Hudad, I hope this works for Frankie. Please let us know.

    I used to have a Shiba Inu mix who was *very* afraid of thunder and lightning. She crossed the Bridge last May. I thought about getting her a Thundershirt, but I wasn’t sure if it would work. If I ever have another dog who is frightened by storms, I think I’ll try one. My current dog (Beagle/Schnauzer mix)is OK unless the thunder gets really loud.

  16. Sylv
    March 8, 2012 | 12:31 pm

    One of our GSDs does not like thunder and used to stress and try to hide. The Thundershirt has really helped her. With it on she can relax enough to stay on the bed with us and go to sleep (why does it usually thunder at night?)

  17. Elmo & Mouse
    March 8, 2012 | 12:57 pm

    I did some research on the Thundershirt too. Let us know if it works or not. Where did you get yours? I hear Petco sells them.

  18. Hannah Bolinger
    March 13, 2012 | 2:51 pm

    This definitely works on our Italian Greyhound! Our husky just gets in the bathtub….she’s an odd one.

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