Does rain make dogs howl?

It is a question that I was contemplating this evening with more than mild curiosity.

There was rain pouring down this morning when I awoke and the only change over the day was in amount coming down per unit time, not in whether or not there was rain. Moderate soaker might be the average for the day. Steady without streams running down the street carrying that topsoil that most of us try really hard to fasten to our property with plant life.

The problem, of course, with rain is not that it bothers dogs but rather that it changes the behavior of those the dogs expect to be at their beck and call. Rain? OH! How FUN! Is what goes through the minuscule mind of a golden retriever while she is splashing in puddles, rolling in mud and otherwise being disappointed in the people who take her out but won’t let her play. People, it seems, are no fun and would rather just stay in the house. If you are a German Shorthair, the situation is worse. You don’t have a lot of hair. You get cold easily. And, this is the difficult part, you have all the control of a 2 year old which means when your people go out for the evening you get left behind. The golden haughtily looks down her nose before prancing out the door; her behavior obviously signaling to everyone that SHE is the GOOD DOG.

The other dog is sad. She is lonely. She is not happy being restricted to a room so that the two adults remaining in the house don’t have to worry about the safety and security of the house, the kitchen or anything else that might catch her attention. She howls.

It wasn’t that bad for the first hour according to George who informed me that the kids had gone with one dog. The noise wasn’t particularly entertaining so I went upstairs with Shana and we shut ourselves in my studio to run the serger. Coming back downstairs, the dog started up again and kept going for 20 minutes. It wasn’t like she didn’t get an outside comfort break, it is more the fact that she simply will not stay still when lose and gets into everything.

Once it was past three hours and she started back up again I had had it. “What would you like? Me to kill the dog or let her lose outside?”

They came home.

Otherwise, I am still sorting files, backing up photos. Finished the first table cloth and napkin set and the napkins for a second set.  Flannel PJs and placements are next on the list….