We've been doing a bunch of "city walks" during the week lately, working on socializing Charlie with my neighbor's dogs to help her with her fear-aggressive tendencies. It's been working great! Charlie's making friends and enjoying her walks.
But.
She's also developed a lot of noise phobia over the past year and sometimes she'll hear something that just sets her off. All of a sudden her ears are pinned to her head, her belly lowers to the ground and she practically digs into the pavement trying to get home and "duck for cover."
This panic causes her to breathe so heavily she sounds like she's almost hyperventilating. I typically give her a dose of Rescue Remedy and walk home as calmly and slowly as I possibly can (so I don't give her the impression that I'm scared too).
Anyway, she's had these "panic attacks" for the past 3 days, so today I opted to drive 20 minutes to the Dells of the Eau Claire Park so we could hike in the peaceful quiet of a wilderness forest and hopefully get some quality hiking on a weeknight!
It worked.
Charlie was SO happy! Her ears were up and alert, her tail was wagging and her body language was completely relaxed.
Charlie is most at home in the wilderness. And so am I.
How fascinating! I guess our pets have preferences, too. I'm generally not comfortable too long in the city, either--unless it's in a garden or a park. But wilderness hikes with friends are fabulous. Happy hiking for you and Charlie!
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