donna723
Well-Known Member
Forgive me for another "dog story" but I have to share this one. I'm not sure if this is funny or sad! Can dogs suffer from Post Traumatic Stress?
As most of you know, I live in an extremely small southern town. My little pre-Civil War era house is only a short half block from Main Street and the old fashioned court house square. So yesterday the Armies of Tennessee re-enactors were here again to recreate the assault on the town and the burning of the original court house by Yankee troops. This is a little different than most re-enactments in that it doesn't take place on a battlefield, all the action goes on right in the middle of town, on Main Street which is a busy State highway! They block off the street during the actual "attack" but you should have seen the looks on the faces of people just driving through town beforehand when they saw Civil War soldiers in full regalia on horseback and ladies in hoop skirts walking down the sidewalks! Hysterical! They must have thought they were in the Twilight Zone! It's so cool because some of the families of the "soldiers" dress up as townpeople and take part, even dress their children up! This years presentation was much more elaborate than last years, twice as many re-enacters, a lot more going on. And this year the Yankee troops set up an authentic camp the day before on a vacant lot about a block the other way from my house.
So I went down to the court house well before it started, and from where I was standing I couldn't see my house or down my street. They had two huge cannons in the streets on either side of the court house, one aimed directly down MY street, and when they fired these things off, the ground shook (knocked my living room clock right off the wall)! And they were firing off some kind of exploding rocket things high up in the air - REALLY loud! And I kept thinking of my four little dogs at home and how scared they must be hearing all this, so close! I knew I would probably be peeling them off the ceiling when I got home!
So this year, instead of just coming out from behind the buildings on Main Street like last year, the Yankees advanced from their camp RIGHT DOWN MY STREET! And while they were advancing, they were engaged by Confederate soldiers popping up everywhere, lot of gunfire, lots of yelling! From where I was standing I could hear it but I couldn't see it. My house is on the corner with a HUGE unfenced yard. So after it was all over and I turned around to go home, I saw a girl I knew and we were chatting. She got there later than I did and had seen the whole thing going on down my street! She said they were all over my yard, shooting and yelling and chasing each other (which probably DID happen since this house was already here then)! Yankees were hiding behind the house, running through the side yards, Confederates concealed in the bushes, jumping out and firing off shots right under my living room windows! OMG! Can you even imagine what my dogs (who are even afraid of distant thunder!) must have been thinking? It's almost funny! I had left Ragan out of her crate and I know she had to be looking out the window, eyes bugging out, watching the whole thing! When I got home (after I put the clock back on the wall) poor Ragan was traumatized so I had to calm her down, which wasn't easy. Katy, who loves excitement, wasn't bothered at all. But poor little Trace was so scared he practically velcroed himself to me the whole rest of the day and he wasn't moving! He kept snuggling closer and closer and looking up at me like, "Where WERE you? You won't believe what just happened!" Poor baby may need therapy now.
So all in all, not a normal Saturday here ...
As most of you know, I live in an extremely small southern town. My little pre-Civil War era house is only a short half block from Main Street and the old fashioned court house square. So yesterday the Armies of Tennessee re-enactors were here again to recreate the assault on the town and the burning of the original court house by Yankee troops. This is a little different than most re-enactments in that it doesn't take place on a battlefield, all the action goes on right in the middle of town, on Main Street which is a busy State highway! They block off the street during the actual "attack" but you should have seen the looks on the faces of people just driving through town beforehand when they saw Civil War soldiers in full regalia on horseback and ladies in hoop skirts walking down the sidewalks! Hysterical! They must have thought they were in the Twilight Zone! It's so cool because some of the families of the "soldiers" dress up as townpeople and take part, even dress their children up! This years presentation was much more elaborate than last years, twice as many re-enacters, a lot more going on. And this year the Yankee troops set up an authentic camp the day before on a vacant lot about a block the other way from my house.
So I went down to the court house well before it started, and from where I was standing I couldn't see my house or down my street. They had two huge cannons in the streets on either side of the court house, one aimed directly down MY street, and when they fired these things off, the ground shook (knocked my living room clock right off the wall)! And they were firing off some kind of exploding rocket things high up in the air - REALLY loud! And I kept thinking of my four little dogs at home and how scared they must be hearing all this, so close! I knew I would probably be peeling them off the ceiling when I got home!
So this year, instead of just coming out from behind the buildings on Main Street like last year, the Yankees advanced from their camp RIGHT DOWN MY STREET! And while they were advancing, they were engaged by Confederate soldiers popping up everywhere, lot of gunfire, lots of yelling! From where I was standing I could hear it but I couldn't see it. My house is on the corner with a HUGE unfenced yard. So after it was all over and I turned around to go home, I saw a girl I knew and we were chatting. She got there later than I did and had seen the whole thing going on down my street! She said they were all over my yard, shooting and yelling and chasing each other (which probably DID happen since this house was already here then)! Yankees were hiding behind the house, running through the side yards, Confederates concealed in the bushes, jumping out and firing off shots right under my living room windows! OMG! Can you even imagine what my dogs (who are even afraid of distant thunder!) must have been thinking? It's almost funny! I had left Ragan out of her crate and I know she had to be looking out the window, eyes bugging out, watching the whole thing! When I got home (after I put the clock back on the wall) poor Ragan was traumatized so I had to calm her down, which wasn't easy. Katy, who loves excitement, wasn't bothered at all. But poor little Trace was so scared he practically velcroed himself to me the whole rest of the day and he wasn't moving! He kept snuggling closer and closer and looking up at me like, "Where WERE you? You won't believe what just happened!" Poor baby may need therapy now.
So all in all, not a normal Saturday here ...