Storms and the wandering dogs!

This morning on my way to my first job I saw a golden retriever out on the footpath following a gardener slowly as he was using the edge trimmer.
I pulled over and walked back to find the dog had disappeared.
I chatted to the gardener and found it was his dog. He said usually he sits on the front porch there and waits til I’m done but today he keeps creeping after me.
I mentioned there are storms forecast and he said omg that’s what it is he hates storms!
“He is either right next to me or sitting on me” he said!
Mystery solved and I went on my way.
Then this afternoon as I pulled up at another job I found two off lead dogs wandering!
I grabbed my treats and heard someone calling her dog.
I asked if they were hers but only one was.. the other was a mystery!!
So I spent some time giving chicken and doing some basic handling to be able to read the tag!
As I was calling a neighbour came out and knew who the dog was and off it went home.
The owner later called me to thank me and explained she was home at the time her dog escaped and this is the second time in the last week it had happened.
Possibly the storms had all been too much for this poor little munchkin but she assured me she was fixing fences as we spoke!

This is two dogs in one day I personally saw on the street but I know this is when shelters and council pounds fill up with lost scared dogs who find it all too much and either flee in the hopes of finding their owners or just to get away from the noise.
Dogs feel the change in the atmosphere and know a storm is coming hours before we do.
I’ve seen dogs in shelter start pacing and barking or stress panting and drooling or shedding excessively.

Some very storm phobic dogs can harm themselves trying to escape where they are.
I’ve seen dogs in shelter hurt their claws or break teeth clawing at wire.
I recently had a client call me after her dog tried to escape their house trying to push through a security screen door.
These of course are the extremes but even mild storm phobia where your dog hides under the bed until it passes is still a sign your dog is in distress.

The dogs you find in the street may be too panicked to approach you or they may be running to find people and run straight too you.

What can you do if you find a dog during storm season?
You may find a distressed dog runs straight to you and is seeking that comfort.
Definitely comfort the dog by offering pats and move it to a secure area.
Avoid crowding it and keep it separate from your own animals if you have any.
Check for tags and some collars even have names and numbers embroidered on them too.
Failing that pop a secure lead on and take to a vets so they can scan for a microchip.

What about the dog that won’t come to you?
Don’t chase a scared dog.
You can try to give treats and coral it into a secure area like a yard(check there are no dogs first) or an empty dog park.
Try to get photos and post on your local community pages with location and time of sighting.
My local community page is very active and many dogs are reunited very quickly.
You can also call RSPCA (1300 ANIMAL) and report the sighting and provide a photo, location and time of sighting.
They log this and also check their data base for missing dogs.
I have had my escapee bird twice reunited with the Rspca lost and found service!

How can you help your dog if it is worried about storms?
Definitely comfort your dog!
There has been a lot of misinformation in this area with people being told not to comfort their dog as this may lead to them learning to act scared for pats...
This couldn’t be further from the truth!
If your dogs are scared of storms this is an involuntary reaction to a change in the atmosphere usually involving noise wind and rain.
You can’t teach your dogs to act scared.
You can’t reinforce fear.
Please DO comfort your dogs.
If I was scared I wouldn’t want someone telling me to get over it- I would want a hug or some reassuring words until the danger had passed.
Your dog may not want pats but may want to be right next to you and that’s ok.
Your dog may need to sit and have cuddles or pats.
T-Touch may help in this case too.
Your dog may den themselves by hiding under the bed or in your cupboard.
A crate may also be a great option too.
Some people report having success doing simple training exercises during storms to distract their dog.
Your dog may be too stressed to respond to training and some simple enrichment may be effective.
If you dog is responding to enrichment keep it simple like long lasting chews or licking mats.
You can pop on some calm music for them and talk calmly to them.
Thunder shirts are a snug fitting elasticised shirt that may work well for your dog.
If you don’t have one a kids singlet of T-shirt may help.
These help bring awareness to the other parts of your dogs body and can act as a type of hug for the dog.
These work with some dogs but not others but it’s worth trying.
Spraying Adaptil on your dogs bedding, in their crate or on a bandana can have a subtle calming affect.
Zylkene is a supplement which is very useful for stressful events like storms.
If your dog is harming itself during storms trying to escape, then I would definitely advise speaking to your vet for more options.

And most importantly make sure your dog’s microchip details are up to date.
Get a tag or embroidered collar with your current phone number on it.
Check your fence lines regularly to ensure your yard is secure.
If your dog jumps fences in storms secure them inside or build relationships with your neighbours so if you are not home someone can secure them inside for you.
It takes a village!

And if you see a roaming dog..
Do stop.. don’t think someone else will do it..
You may find others stop to help you too.
You may not know what to do but together you can work it out.
Our dogs are depending on you!!

Storm season is hard on some of our dogs but hopefully this info can help get some dogs home safely and ease the stress of others!