Rain

Rain, Rain, Go Away and come back NEVER!!

I can't type this outside because it's raining. So, I'm sitting on the couch and typing it looking out the wet window. I thought it might be interesting for you to know a dog's view of rain. Well, for one thing, it certainly disturbs my day. I normally go outside during most of the day to watch for squirrels and birds. But when it rains, I have to stay inside our motorhome. Sometimes I can still look for squirrels out the window, but often it's too hard to see outside and besides, the squirrels don't like to play in the rain either.

I don't mind getting wet in the river, but not from rain. I think I like it to be on my terms!

Rain is... well, wet. Us dogs don't like to get their fur wet, unless it's doing something like swimming and chasing a stick. Also, Mom and Dad don't like my wet fur because they say it's smelly. (I think it smells good.. ) So when I get caught in the rain outside, Mom and Dad always make me stop at the top of the motorhome stairs while they put a white towel on me to dry me. They pick up each paw and make sure it's clean and dry before they let me go further in the motorhome. They are especially demanding when we are in Utah and the ground there is red. My paws are even redder after a rain there and make nice dark spots on the pavement or carpet But, even after cleaning my paws they call me a "wet dog" (in a rather condescending tone I must say. I had to look up that big word, but it fits.)

The rain makes this invisible rainbow that only Dad and Mom can see in the sky. (so says Dad).

Dad sometimes gets excited when it's raining and runs outside with his camera to take a photo of something he calls a rainbow. I can't see a thing and I really think he's imagining this, but it makes him happy and I'm OK with that. Also, I've learned that when the big light, takes a nap and goes away, and it gets dark outside, it might be wanting to rain. So when we are on a walk and this happens, Mom and Dad say, let's get back to the motorhome before we get wet. I try to tell them I won't melt in the rain, but I am thankful that I don't get soaked (sometimes we don't make it though).

When the big light in the sky goes to sleep and everything gets dark, expect rain and head for the motorhome!

When it rains, Mom and Dad like to play with me more too. I get one of my favorite toys and we play "keep-away". I run up to one of them and they try to take it from me. If they pull hard I'll growl (not meaning to really scare the), and pull back hard. Sometimes I let them have it so they won't feel bad and they throw it and I pick it up again. Something about the rain makes Mom and Dad want to play with me. That parts fun.

Sometimes the rain scares me. That's when it rains real hard and it makes a lot of noise on the roof of the motorhome. I sometimes thinks the roof will fall in on us. Sometimes the rain is so hard it sounds like a hundred woodpeckers on the roof all pecking at once. (Dad says that noise is sometimes made by a very cold and icy rain or hail. Then the ground gets all white for a short time.) When the rain or hail is like that Mom and Dad can't hear their TV and I just bury my head under the pillow. But something that scares me more is the noise that sometimes comes along with the noisy rain. I didn't used to be afraid of the noise until last summer when it was so loud I could feel all my bones rattle. I don't understand how my ears can make my bones shake? I buried my head under Dad's arm and when he got up I ran to the bedroom and hid in the corner. It was very loud, and there was a very bright flash at the same time. Scary, I must say again, but it went away and I haven't heard it since. I suspect that the sound is an angry monster-sized dominant dog that lives in the sky above. What else could it be? And what did I do to deserve his wrath? There was that cute gal that I sniffed the day before at the RV Park. Maybe she belonged to him?

The road was taken away by the creek during the rain at Lytle Creek in 2005. We couldn't leave until humans brought the road back.

A couple of years ago we were staying in the Mountain Lake RV resort in Lytle Creek, California and it rained and rained and rained for 7 days without stopping. That presented a problem for Dad and Mom (and me). Since they like to take me outside to pee and poop, someone was going to get wet, a lot. (If they'd just let me do it in the motorhome I'd be OK. Since they pick it up anyway, what's the diff?) So we went out and just got wet. For 7 days I'd have to get wiped down paw by paw every time we came back to the motorhome. Dad and Mom would be dripping and all their clothes were wet too. Then, at the end of the 7th day it stopped and we walked along the road to find it was gone into the creek. The water in Lytle Creek had become so large that it took some of the road with it. Since that was the only way to go out of the town with our motorhome, we stayed a few extra days until the humans could find the road and bring it back. Oh, we also lost all power for a couple days too. That was nice though. No TV noise to deal with.

When the rains stops everything is fresh and clean.

Once the rain stops we take a walk, and everything smells nice and clean, and most of my p-mail messages are gone, so I start over, making sure I've marked all the old familiar places again. You do have to stay away from the trees for a while, because it is still raining in them. The puddles of water are nice too. I can see myself in them and get to play a game where I jump over them. Dad thinks I'm trying to step in them, but I really want to jump over them.

The squirrels like the freshness after the rain.

The birds and squirrels come out again and they seem to be happier after a rain. Everything is washed bright and clean and the sky is blue and it has fluffy white clouds that make shapes of dogs and cats and squirrels and other things. I like to watch the clouds and see my favorite shapes. I even barked at one that looked like a cow once.

After a rain the clouds form shapes. This one looks like a dog to me. I barked at it and it went away!

It's fun to walk in Silent Valley Club after the rain. Watch out of the trees, they are still raining!

Sometimes the creeks have water that I can drink from and jump in after a good long rain. Of course, if they are too big, you have to stay out of them because it will carry me away with it (to where I don't know, but I don't want to find out.)

One other thing I can say about rain is that it certainly relieves the boredom for a while, unless it keeps raining and then that gets boring too. But, if things get too bad, I just sleep and dream about my favorite gals, and chasing cows and squirrels, and snuggling up next to Mom or Dad.

I just sleep and dream when the rain gets too boring!

Stay dry!

Arf

Reggie