With the threats of bad weather that have cropped up lately, I began counting my blessings when my new dog, Dexter, didn’t seem frightened by storms.

That hasn’t always been the case with my dogs.

My first storm-phobic dog was Honey, who destroyed a door frame trying to get into the house when a storm hit and the family was away. Another time she and I took shelter in an interior hallway when a tornado warning sounded. She panted and paced, then suddenly relaxed and returned to her normal calm demeanor. Moments later, the TV meteorologist gave the all clear.

Then there was Docket, a Dachshund/Corgi blend with whom I spent many an hour in a makeshift tent, which helped her feel safe. Anything I could do to keep her from hearing or seeing the storm seemed to help.

A family friend, who was herself afraid of storms, used to sit in the bathtub with her dog during bad weather, a practice her dog began following even when her owner was not at home. The sainted Buster wasn’t afraid of storms until he rode one out with his brother Mackinac, who was nervous in bad weather. Apparently, such fear is contagious because from that visit until his passing, Buster was concerned if not panicked by thunder and lightning.

So what can you do if your dog is frightened by storms or fireworks? First, you can try to distract him. If he loves rawhides, this could be the perfect time to present him with one. Or, play tug of war or toss his favorite soft toy to get his mind off the storm. For nighttime storms, where the ultimate goal is a good night’s sleep, draw the drapes and turn the fan or air purifier on high to insulate the room from the flashes of lightning and the claps of thunder.

I know people who swear by ThunderShirts as a calming influence on dogs who fear storms. This garment provides a steady pressure on your dog’s torso, much as swaddling does for a human infant. For some animals, as for some babies, this is comforting and relieves their fear. ThunderShirts are said to also work for dogs experiencing separation anxiety.

If distraction, camouflage or a ThunderShirt doesn’t work, talk to your veterinarian about medications that can help your pet through the worst anxiety, which may then lessen on its own with each storm he encounters.

Be patient with your anxious pets. We are all afraid of something, rational or otherwise, and we all appreciate being treated with kindness and compassion.

Pets and the People Who Love Them is brought to you by your friends at the Athens-Limestone Animal Shelter. To adopt your best friend (cat or dog) visit us at 1701 U.S. 72 East (behind Limestone Veterinary Clinic), visit our Facebook page or call us at 256-771-7889.

Email your questions to me at PetsAndPeople@charter.net and I’ll check with the experts (veterinarians, animal behaviorists, etc.) and get back to you in a future column.