I finally had occasion to see for myself that this simple little stretch garment can help a dog who has to be peeled off the ceiling at the sound of thunder.
So many of you have written me and called into my shows about your dogs who are so terrified of thunderstorms that you now live in dread of stormy weather — your dogs have created storm phobia in you! When I researched and wrote THE DOG BIBLE I knew there were a lot of dogs who got shaky during storms and I had learned about the Anxiety Wrap as the most effective tool to manage the problem. In my own canine pack the only thunder phobic members was Yogi Bear, my 110 lb Rottweiler, who was otherwise the most happy-go-lucky guy but when there was thunder he trembled and panted drips of saliva everywhere. But with him, I didn’t need any special management tools. I could encourage him to go lie down underneath the hanging clothes in a walk-in closet that did not have any exterior walls, and that contained his fear enough that it never became panic.
But once I spent time on the radio I discovered how many people have dogs who come completely unglued in a storm — people whose dogs will jump through screen doors or plate glass windows if they are alone when a storm hits. Other people have dogs who will try to chew their way through a door from the terror of thunder. And for all these people, it is distressing and makes them feel powerless to help their dogs when they are with the dog in a storm to experience the fierce trembling, panting, whining and misery of a dog who has become unglued by the effects of a thunder storm. When they call or write me for advice I recommend the Bach flower remedy made by Spirit Essences called “Stress Stopper” but I know that it doesn’t work in all dogs and for a dog going bonkers, it may take the edge off at best. I would mention Anxiety Wrap to people — saying that my research showed that this tightly fitting but breathable “body glove” that compressed a dog’s torso like a glove had been proven to calm and settle those dogs to varying degrees. Mothers in every culture know how swaddling a baby tightly helps with a fussy little one, who quiets down because of the security and comfort being tightly wrapped.
I have always felt terrible for these people whose homes are under siege and their dog is in jeopardy whenever the storm season arrives.
And I have always felt grateful and a little proud that none of my dogs has ever made a big deal of thunder. I thought it might be because I was such a calm and reassuring leader. I had to think again. And go hunting in my doggy closet for the Anxiety Wrap I had received as a sample and had kept in case someone needed it in the future. Well that day was here — and the recipient was me, which was the last thing I’d expected!
One not-so-fine day one of my very own dogs, Scooby Doo, woke up and was suddenly thunderstorm phobic — as though someone had waved a nasty wand over his head. When the thunderstorm rolled in, Scooby came over to me trembling and panting (all the classic symptoms) and then he tried to squeeze underneath my desk. He’s over 100 lbs. so there is not room for him and my legs under there! I quickly put a dropper full of Stress Stopper from Spirit Essences in his mouth — and I slipped him into the Anxiety Wrap. [I saw later that the directions said to try it on your dog once before a thunderstorm so he doesn't make an association between the "Wrap" and the storm and deduce that the Anxiety Wrap was responsible for the storm -- but I had no time] The Anxiety Wrap had not been on his body 5 minutes when Scooby Doo was a changed man — and I was a true believer!
The Anxiety Wrap
Synchronicity occurred because the two women who developed the Anxiety Wrap reached out to me and asked if they could become website sponsors. And yes it is a two-woman company: two people who put an idea into action and have been perfecting it ever since. For example, they stayed on the lookout for a new and improved 4-way stretch fabric that is light, can breathe, and has just the right cling to squeeze a dog’s body just enough so he can pull himself back together.
Happy ending: Scooby Doo slides into his Anxiety Wrap at the least sign of noisy storm and is a much braver boy. And I invited the Anxiety Wrap ladies, Susan and Kimberly, to join my team so I can get the word out to other storm-phobic dogs. Susan is coming on DOG TALK® and CAT CHAT® too, to explain that her expertise as a dog trainer is available free for a lifetime to any dog who is lucky enough to get Anxiety Wrap to really chill him out in stressful time.
Tracie
The Dog Bible
