#grendel's lullaby

[apollo-elias]

Hi all! My final project for college was this labor of love I spent about a year on. It's inspired by The Ninth Hour (https://www.ninthhourmusical.com/) which is criminally underrated.

Basically, it's a four minute long animated storyboard following Grendel post his final fight with Beowulf. I put a lot of work into it, and so please enjoy!

(Vocal performance by Shayfer James, lyrics by Shayfer James and Kate Douglas)

[latetothepartyandconfused]

I'm so normal about this

[audio description: Part of Lullaby from the Ninth hour musical, Where dying Grendel is singing to his mother. the song goes as: "Mother all my life you taught me people can't be trusted and we have to fight to stay alive we'll always be the enemy oh eye for eye and limb for limb the blood that I've been swimming in mother I've grown tired of this mother I've grown tired of this There's beauty and there's empathy some people might have cared for me I hid my heart and stayed inside instead of moving with the tide mother I've grown tired of this mother I've grown tired of this mother I've grown tired of this ...tired sorry" Grendel's voice is is hoarse and wet. His words are slurring a bit and it sounds like he has to push them out. As he nears the end, his voice becomes softer and quieter and he slurs more. His last words are barely more then a whisper. \end ID]

[sesamestreep]

i know it's just a number, but you're the eighth wonder (chapter 2)

Raphael had reached the bottom of his glass, and made some faint overture about heading out, leaving Merrick to enjoy his evening, but it had only made Merrick laugh.  “It’s like that song,” Merrick had said, through a lopsided smile. “You know. I really can’t stay.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he’d replied, and it was the truth but still, he was enjoying himself immensely. Merrick obviously wasn’t much of a singer, but there was something soft and pleasing about his voice. It wouldn’t do on a stage, but in a pub at the end of a night of celebrating or over a crib, it would do quite well. He’d been certain, at that moment, that Merrick’s big dog (Grendel? Godzilla?) had been the recipient of a charming made-up lullaby or theme song at some point. Merrick had tsk’d in frustration. “Yes, you do! Maybe just a half a drink more,” he sings, gently, before switching to a lower register. “Put some records on while I pour." Raphael couldn’t help it, and had to burst out laughing. “This is a song?” “Yes!” “A real one?” “Yes, it’s famous. Are you serious? It’s everywhere this time of year! It’s—” he paused to hum the tune to himself for a few notes. “Never such a blizzard before … ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside!’” “Oh,” Raphael had said. “The creepy song?” “It’s not creepy! He’s trying to stop her from going out in a blizzard!” “He’s definitely just trying to get lucky.” Merrick had looked chagrined for a moment before he said, “It can’t be both?”

read the rest on AO3

start from the beginning

[ironflowerbluebird]

I do not want to sleep

Twilight plunged the city into a dark cage. Every living and inanimate being at that moment was in captivity of thick darkness. Her freedom was forced to be limited. The trees could not enjoy the sunlight, the beauty of the newly planted bushes could not please the eye. The road home became uncomfortable and frightening in front of what is hiding in the darkness of the night. Her grinning mouth is waiting for the way home of a tired passerby sleeping on the go. Turning onto an illuminated section of the road, flooded with the bright light of lanterns, you still come out to a bristling maw with invisible fangs.  https://medium.com/@com548510/i-do-not-want-to-sleep-9774ee945f72

I want to be at home as soon as possible in the safety of a cozy lamp by my favorite armchair. In the pleasant silence of the native four walls, and not in the oppressive silence of the black streets. The fortress of the house and comfort immerse a person in a pleasant peace, standing as an indestructible wall in front of various problems. Then calmly go to sleep, in complete silence, undisturbed by any noise from the street. Although even the sound of a working garbage truck or the steps of a night passerby sound like a pleasant lullaby before going to sleep.

But sometimes it doesn't. Instead of sleep, a painful writhing in his own sweat and a heap of surging thoughts. Almost feverish delirium. An empty gaze is directed into the darkness. Wild pain pierces the head. Sleep - no.

The heads pierced by uncontrollable fun, oozing with the pus of permissiveness, decide to turn the night into their crazy orgy. They didn’t care about sleep, they certainly weren’t afraid of darkness. They do not understand that it is a simple truth not to interfere with other people's sleep - an unequivocal statement without a broad interpretation. Like the demons of Dostoevsky, they look at the pigs bathing in the mud and laugh at them, not understanding their deep relationship with each other.

Like any orgy, it cannot, it takes place in silence, this one takes place with a notice to the whole district, the most terrible music in the world, worthy of awakening Grendel in his swamp, sending him to a terrible slaughter for peace and quiet. Only becoming Grendel is not a swamp creature. And who the creature is then is not so obvious. The nuances change the whole picture. A tragedy ceases to be a tragedy when you get to know its victims better.

***

Smirnov painfully awaited this night. Phantom pain grew in the body as this terrible moment approached. It wasn't the head or the leg that hurt, the whole body was shaking with a dull pain. Or maybe it's not the body that hurts, but the soul? What he had to do did not fit into the resume of a person applying for a place in Heavenly Jerusalem after the Last Judgment. Rather, it could be the most ironic ticket to any circle of hell. He didn't know for sure. That book of Dante did not catch his eye. He was simply not interested in such works of literature.

He pre-dressed in a leather jacket, comfortable sweatpants and even immediately put on sneakers. At hand was a package with everything he needed for his case. He himself sat down in an armchair next to the open window so as not to miss the moment. This expectation was even more depressing. This is probably how a soldier feels in a trench before the shelling begins, and then he has to, he leaves the trenches and goes on the attack at full height. Also a panicky expectation, but not death - a mixed fear that included possible options for the consequences of the deed.

Perhaps today, it will cost, they will not come. It is even necessary, with permission, to tell individuals to go to sleep. Not forever, however, instincts will drive them forward to satisfy their indefatigable desire for entertainment.

Smirnov's idiotic complacency was met by an inner voice. What will change on this day? Didn't they come back again? Fear comes back again and again until you give it a powerful kick, after which it does not return. You pour sand in his eyes, you will only give him more confidence in his impunity. You have to close your eyes again. Again pretend to be asleep while he laughs at your helplessness. How much endurance is enough before turning angelic patience into bestial retribution?

The cannonade began unexpectedly. At first, it could be mistaken for a psychological attack with the broadcast of depressing sounds. But it was, as it were, a prelude to a new portion of blows and ragged sounds that were called club music. The roar of these youths - having taken the right potion before the wild dance - ended in a series of chirping blows that caused trembling on the glass. The beginning of the concert named after the Roof of the demolishing Breda.

Smirnov sighed heavily, squeezing the backs of his chair. Uncertainty lay like a leaden cloak on his shoulders. Unnecessary doubts began to come to mind. Can leave this venture. Think about the consequences, they are not worth it to ruin your life, go and try to sleep better. Don't react to them - you've done it many times. Others don't care. They have been sleeping for a long time, while you are going to play the people's avenger here. Leave the stupid idea behind.

But resounding through the screaming pseudo music, a cry full of impudence:

- “We'll hang out all night! We'll have fun in the morning. Spin on ... e all around. Let's all go to ... ”- decided the fate of the youths and Smirnov.

A veil of anger, along with all the memories of all the terrible sleepless nights, became a fog before Smirnov's eyes. An invisible projector broadcast this story of shame. Other than that, there is no word for it. It’s just hard to say whose shame: these young puppies, insatiable with permissiveness, spitting on the peace of other people, Smirnov, who is afraid of somehow influencing them, other people in the area, who would rather endure than try to stand up for themselves.

Smirnov turned out to be so excited that he did not notice how quickly he jumped out of his chair, grabbed the package, forgetting about the danger of the contents, left the apartment and ended up on the landing, between his fourth and third floors. Only on the second floor did he stop to collect his thoughts. There was not a single doubt in them. Doubts dispersed, quietly aside, sullenly sitting in the corner of the subconscious, realizing that they are now superfluous. Determination again drove him confidently forward. The head was now brighter than ever.

The street greeted him with bright beams from the lanterns, which did not play in favor of his plan. What was strangest was the peaceful silence. Smirnov swore to himself, believing that he did not have time to catch them. However, a new burst of music brought his attention back.

Gently, almost crouching, he approached the nearest car. Looking around the corner, he tried to see where the car was standing, and, consequently, the perpetrators of the disturbance. Their car is not to be confused with any other. Her salon sparkled, as if hung with a New Year's garland.

They put it exactly where it suits him. Before a good position, to use military terminology.

Carefully move along the cars - it will not work. There is a risk of hitting one of them to turn on the alarm. And although it is problematic to hear it in such noise, it is better to avoid it. He had to cross to the other side of the street. Passing through the garages, turned left to the heat pipe. It was great cover.

Disgusting music nearby literally beat in the face, despite the fact that the car and Smirnov were separated by a pipe. It is interesting to know what they are like up close. How do they even get to enjoy this torture for the ears?

The answer lay within themselves. Seeing them up close does not need to ask at all

any question. This is just an inexplicable fall of a person. The desire to become a consuming animal, unique in its essence, consuming everything for fun and only for fun. Nothing to do. Always live one day with a pause to recuperate before new fun.

If he had been told where to find a person in them. Where is a man hidden in incomprehensible dances in piles of beer bottles and cans with the movements of the patients of the Brodmark hospital? Is it possible to hear human speech in guttural cries coming from mouths filled with foam? Is it possible to consider an incomprehensible creature with a red face close to people when he is ready to copulate with one of his “friends” right on the street under the roar of a nightmarish concert and the hooting of his fellow tribesmen in a flock? Unanswered questions - an erudite from the program “Own Game” would find it difficult to answer. I wouldn't even bother myself.

We need to get ready. After pulling out the contents of the package, doubts ran out from all corners of consciousness. Smirnov tried to suppress them, but they stuck to the mind like an annoying fly. However, now it is still too late to turn back, no matter what the circumstances are.

As if fate itself decided to add to his determination when a woman with a child appeared next to them. A contented, fragile young mother, apparently about twenty-five years old, covering the child with her back, began to say something to the raging teenagers. They did not respond in any way. Suddenly, one of them, a healthy forehead with a red muzzle, threw an empty bottle at his mother. By some miracle, Mommy dodged them and went as far as possible to the side, taking the crying child with her. Teenagers now threw after them obscene words with a huge number of threats, not hidden by the noise of the music.

Questions are now settled. Doubts are no longer needed in principle. All he had to do was do what he wanted. Don't care what happens after that. In the end, it's not the people who disappear, but their bits. Pathetic creatures of Dr. Moreau if he were in reality and created creatures even more terrible - animals that think they are people eating manure in the mud. It's time to end this. And there let them judge, as Martynov said in one film, also to non-humans.

Two lit Molotov cocktails were thrown at the teenagers...

FPM - Felix Ostankovich.

[brazenscalawagpoetry]

Girl Grendel was put in a coma

Laid in a pretty glass bed

She had no place in motherhood

Too angry to be nurturing

Too wrathful to sing lullabies

Too vexed to show patience

So I put her to sleep

On feathered pillows and silk sheets

Appreciating her for how she carried us through fire

Girl Grendel was awoken

Twin flame abandoned her

Twin flame ignited love then threw a hurricane our way

Girl Grendel got woken up

[requiemsrepertoire]

So I just listened to Aggie’s voice claim (S.ally K.ellerman) singing I P.ut A S.pell On Y.ou, and hnnnnnng tHAT RASP. This is what she sounds like on the rare ocassion that she actually fronted for a band, but also....imagine this singing lullabies to a tiny Grendel.

[baeowulfisbae]

A review of Jesse Raccio’s Beowulf

This week, we discussed modern interpretations and adaptations of Beowulf. I read the dragon chapter of Grendel, which was really perfect--and I watched Jesse Raccio’s and Buffy Sharpe’s operatic adaptation of the poem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo02DllRRFo). The opera was exactly what I expected: young singers deconstructing voice pathos over minimalistic, repetitive triads. It was disappointing, initially, but I warmed up to it and I think this team did a lot of things very well with their adaption.

In his studies on fairy tales, Jack Zipes distinguishes between duplication ("produc[ing] a lookalike") and revision ("creat[ing] something new that incorporates critical and creative thinking of the producer and corresponds to changed demands and tastes of audiences") (9). Zipes says that, "a result of transformed values, [revisions] alter the reader's views of traditional patterns, images, and codes" though such alterations are not necessarily "improvements" or "progressive" (9). As far as adaptations go, Sharpe's reading of the Beowulf story is progressive in its deconstruction of harmonic form and voice pathos, but slightly regressive, in its characterization of some figures in the story.

What this opera does well: Voice pathos gesture to the binaries within the text. We have spoken of pairs of binary oppositions, in class, and Tolkien addresses this, to some degree, in his Monsters and Critics essay, noting that the poem is “essentially balance, an opposition of endings and beginnings. In simple terms, it is a contrasted description of two moments in a great life, rising and setting; an elaboration of the ancient and intensely moving contrast between youth and old age, first achievement and final death" (5).

When I speak of voice pathos, I am referring to the roles and melodies composers write for particular voice types. I am a dramatic soprano, for example, and the last two roles I played were Delilah and Salome. My voice has weight to it and women with weighted voices never play love interests. I will always be cutting off someone's head, because weighted voices are powerful voices and powerful women, prior to the 20th century, were always disruptive figures. As far as general rules for pre-20th C voice parts go, the heroes are always tenors, the love interests are always lyric sopranos, the servants are generally basses (or mezzo-sopranos, for teenage boy servants), the wise, older male figures are baritones, the grandmothers are contraltos, the strong female figures are dramatic sopranos or coloratura sopranos. Raccio's voices her opera as such:1. Aeschere: counter tenor 2. Grendel's mother: dramatic soprano 3. Hrothgar: baritone4. Beowulf: tenor  5. Wealtheow: Lyric soprano

The voicing was the first component of the opera that impressed me, since Aeschere is--at the first listen--seemingly misvoiced. In the Beowulf story, of course, Aeschere doesn't speak at all, but Sharpe writes him into Grendel's mother's entrance and Raccio uses a counter tenor (or a tenor trying to sing a counter tenor's range). It's disconcerting, hearing a dramatic soprano paired with a counter tenor; there's too much power on stage and the melodic lines are jagged, the melody never going where my ear tells me it should go. It's unpleasant and symbolic: a lot of power on stage, but misplaced power, out of range and out of key, like Grendel's mother bursting into the safety of the Hall.

By contrast, Hrothgar has very simple, musically-logical melodic lines that move within a more traditional, Western harmonic structure (C-F-G-C sorts of progressions, overall). Beowulf tends to get the soaring heroic tenor melodies and there is really no better way, musically, to signify boasting than to write a heroic tenor melody. The wonderfully creative revision that Raccio makes, with the boasting, is that--while Beowulf's melody is less jagged and sounds properly-voiced, the text, "Fear not," (as in--Fear not. I will go after Grendelkin) is sung on a minor second. In music theory, the minor second is always used to denote tension (the two repeated notes from the Jaws theme constitute a minor second, for example), so that while Beowulf is voiced from a place of musical stability, there is an element of tension, to the scene, also. Raccio is not the first composer to play with a story that has some of its basis in Norse mythology and it is really nice to see her playing with the kinds of conventions Wagner does. Wagner's well-known leitmotifs--symbolic chords--are structured on a premise of nothing resolving the way that it is meant to, in the way of chord progressions. I sense that Raccio's playfulness with musical tensions may be a nod to Wagner, especially when she moves from epic or heroic chords to...improperly resolved chords. (Stephen Fry discusses Wagnerian leitmotifs and musical tension, in this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWLp7lBomW8)

What the opera does not do well:

The librettist, Sharpe, writes Grendel's mother in a way that devastated me, to some degree, as a dramatic soprano. Grendel's mother is a siren--which gestures back to some of the critical writings we've discussed on epics--but she does not need to be a siren. In the Grendel opera, adapted from John Gardner's book, the mother is strictly physically powerful. She's threatening because she's physically threatening. I know that there are many good feminist essays on this subject--and on the subject of Beowulf's sword melting in Grendel's mother's body--but it seems lazy to me to automatically eroticize her power. I'm not opposed to erotic power outright, but there are so few moments, in literature, in which women have an outright physical advantage and Raccio and Sharpe have written that out of the text just so that this singer has a more legato aria. Putting this this woman's powerful voice to good use is understandable, but, reasonably, they could have also written her a reflective/solitary aria(or lullaby) of grief, and then broken the melody into a more recitative-style (with conversation-like snippets of sound), as she enters the hall to avenge her son's death. Composers don't like to put weighted voices into faster melodies, but it can be really effective when they do (case-in-point: Norman, 30 seconds into this aria--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H9LTixHHug). Hearing Aeschere say, "She's a siren. She's a minx. She is not as she appears to me," then, is a bit irritating, especially given Aeschere’s age. On the other hand, though, the slow seduction leaves affective space for a slow exit from the Hall. In that moment, she cradles Grendel's arm in hers and it is actually quite moving. 

Overall then, this opera has its strength in Raccio's experimentation with sound and harmonic form, in the moments in which Heorot has been compromised. The libretto, though, has far too much seduction and romance and we don't get the engagement with the community, that we see in the original text and I don’t like reading this story without it. 

Tolkien, J.R.R. “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” Beowulf: A Verse Translation. Ed. Daniel Donoghue. New York: Norton, 2002. 

Zipes, Jack. Fairytale as Myth/Myth as Fairytale. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1994. 

[comicreliefmorlock]

Wuffie & Angel’s Essential Reading List

So, @tlbodine​ and I, having done many of those “Which of these books have you read?” lists, decided that all of them didn’t touch the truly eclectic nature of our own reading habits. 

Last night, we wrote our own. 

The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

Rotters - Daniel Krauss

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Biting the Sun - Tanith Lee

The Bumblebee Flies Anyway - Robert Cormier

Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut

The White Bone - Barbara Gowdy

The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley 

American Gods - Neil Gaiman

I Am Legend - Richard Matheson

War for the Oaks - Emma Bull

Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

Dangerous Angels - Francesca Lia Block

Silk - Caitlin R. Kiernan

Misery - Stephen King

Carrie - Stephen King 

Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card

They Walked Like Men - Clifford D. Simak

Neuromancer - William Gibson

The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis

Dr. Bloodmoney - Philip K. Dick

Poisonwood Bible - Barbara King Solver

Us Maltbys - Florence Crannell Means

One Child - Torey Hayden

Red Dragon - Thomas Harris

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeline L’Engel

Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin

Hop-Frog - Edgar Allen Poe

The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell *

When Rabbit Howls - The Troops for Trudi Chase *

Lullaby - Chuck Palahniuk 

To Dance With Kings - Rosalind Laker

Whoever Fights Monsters - Robert K. Reseller *

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden - Hannah Green

Dreamland Lake - Richard Peck

The Talisman - Stephen King & Peter Straub

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Birth of Fire - Jerry Pournelle

A Patch of Blue - Elizabeth Kata

Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind

The Humanoids - Jack Williamson

Day by Night - Tanith Lee

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

The Princess Bride - William Goldman

Leaves of Grass - Walt Whitman

Dreams in the Witch House - H.P. Lovecraft

The Cold Equations - Tom Godwin

Self-Reliance - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Notes from the Underground - Friedrich Nietzsche

The Pearl - John Steinbeck

Roots - Alex Haley

And Then There Were None - Agatha Cristie

Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O’Dell

Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Julie of the Wolves - Jean Craighead George

The Hatchet - Gary Paulsen

The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle

Grendel - John Gardner

The Wasteland - T.S. Eliot

The Dracula Tapes - Fred Saberhagen

Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf

Dogsbody - Diana Wynn Jones

The Fairy Reel - Terri Windling & Ellen Datlow

My Family & Other Animals - Gerald Durrell

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - Alvin Schwartz

Superstitions - Peter Lorie *

Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Othello - William Shakespeare 

No Exit - Jean-Paul Sartre

Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You - Sue William Silverman

The Last Werewolf - Glen Duncan

Starving for Attention - Cherry Boone O’Neill

All Animals Great & Small - James Harriott

The Essential Calvin & Hobbes - Bill Watterson

Level 7 - Mordecai Roshwald

The History of Hell - Alice K. Turner *

A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

Freakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner *

Heart of Conrad & the Velociraptor Women - Joseph Darkness

All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque

Dark Matter - Blake Crouch

Letters from the Inside - John Marsden

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets - David Simon *

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark

Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

The Little Match Girl - Hans Christian Andersen

Grimm’s Grimmest - Brothers Grimm

Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurty

Alanna: the First Adventure - Tamora Pierce

The Beast - R.L. Stein

The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury

Bunnicula - James Howe

Wolf at the Door - Barbara Corcoran 

The Hot Zone - Richard Preston *

The Rats of NIHM - Robert C. O’Brian 

The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Tails of Wonder and Imagination - Ellen Datlow

Tales from the Flat Earth - Tanith Lee

{* -non-fiction/non-memoir}

[kacydeneen]

Helping Pets Cope With Fourth of July Fireworks

Animal shelters across the country cite higher lost pet intakes on July 5th than on any other day of the year. For too many dogs and cats, fireworks displays cause them to bolt from their homes in a blind panic.

To better understand this common phobia, it helps to look at Fourth of July festivities from your pet’s point of view.  If you’re hosting a party or barbecue, your pet is already dealing with the stress of unfamiliar people in his environment.  Some of those people may be rambunctious children who have not been taught how to politely interact with pets.  Perhaps some have had a few too many “adult beverages” and are behaving rather strangely.  Then just as darkness falls and your pet is settling down for the night, BAM! He gives an alert.  He is told to stop barking. BAM!  There it is again! And again!  Then the odors hit him, awful smells of fire and smoke and burning chemicals.  The humans, however, seem to think it is all some kind of entertainment.  There are explosions everywhere, the sky is falling, the air is burning, and the family dog is being scolded for barking about it.

'Michael Jackson Drug' Still Prompts Curiosity From Patients

Still wondering why your pet is afraid of fireworks?

It’s important to remember that our pets’ senses of hearing and smell are exponentially more sensitive than ours.  What sounds like fireworks to us sounds like a blanket bombing campaign to them.  Those barely discernible scents of smoke wreak havoc on their finely tuned sense of smell.  A more sensible question might very well be “Why wouldn’t a pet be afraid of fireworks?” But rather than grapple with rhetorical questions, let’s look at some ways to make the Fourth of July a little easier for our furry friends.

Infant Formula Sold at Walmart Recalled, Metal Possibly in Product

Get started now.

Every year, folks in our neighborhood try to outdo each other with impressive pyrotechnic displays.  And every year, they start practicing early!  If your neighborhood is anything like mine, you’ll have plenty of time to  get your pet ready for his night of terror.  If your pet has a repertoire of obedience commands and tricks, run him through these drills when the fireworks start.  The sense of mastery he gets from doing what he is asked can help him build confidence. It also allows him to see you in the role of a calm, yet confident leader.  If he doesn’t know any tricks, do whatever he thinks is fun.  Play with squeaky toys, chase tennis balls, swim, play fetch - use fun activities to distract him from the chaos around him.  These techniques worked so well with our older dog, Grendel, that she actually enjoys fireworks!  She insists on going outside with us to see them and will watch for them from the windows long after we have gone inside.

70 Climate Protesters Arrested Outside New York Times

Provide a safe space.

As thrilled as we were with Grendel’s results, our other dog Zohan did not respond to these techniques. Every dog is different, and frankly, Grendel is probably the exception as opposed to the rule.  Zohan is not quite as able to push past fear to focus on things that are interesting and fun.  We had some success with a training CD that played sounds of fireworks.  While he became desensitized to the CD, he could easily tell the difference between the recording and the real deal.  While these CDs are readily available, I would only recommend using them under the guidance of a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. They can easily overwhelm a more sensitive dog and lead to the kind of anxiety that can cause aggression.

The best that can be done for a dog like Zohan is to provide him with a “safe space” where he can feel sheltered and safe from the chaos outdoors.  If your dog is comfortable in a crate, this is a great option.  Cover the crate with heavy blankets and towels to absorb the noise, and provide lots of bedding inside as well.  Your pet may pick his own safe space, such as a bathtub, shower stall, closet, or under a bed.  This behavior is common in both dogs and cats, and both should be encouraged and rewarded. If you are using a crate, place it against a wall or in a corner in order to more thoroughly mute the sounds.

Provide alternative sounds.

If your pet is comforted by the sounds of a TV, radio or fan, include these sources of sound in his safe space.  Zohan’s favorite is a recording Tibetan gongs. Seriously.

Try a Thundershirt.

A Thundershirt (trademarked) is a tight fitting garment that uses gentle pressure to help your pet relax.  It helps Zohan, and has helped many of my other patients as well.  Thundershirts are also available for cats.

Place high-value treats and toys in the safe space.

Catnip toys, food puzzles, Kong toys stuffed with frozen baby food, safe chew toys, bully sticks, you name it.  Give your pet something to focus on other than the possibility of the world coming to a noisy, fiery end.

Don’t force them to “deal with it”.

Some self-proclaimed professionals may recommend forcing your dog to be outdoors during a fireworks display, or even attend a public display. This will not teach coping skills nor encourage your dog to endure. This technique is called flooding and can cause profound psychological damage in an already fearful dog.  If a trainer tells you to leave your fireworks-phobic dog penned or tethered outdoors on the Fourth, run. Never discipline, correct, or yell at your dog when he is exhibiting signs of fear.  Ask your veterinarian to recommend to a Certified Professional Dog Trainer.

Keep your pets contained.

When choosing your safe space, make sure your pet is behind as many closed doors as possible.  Make sure houseguests do not attempt to retrieve your pet.  A terrified animal will run for its life without considering the consequences.  Remember, shelters all over the country report more pick-ups and lost pet reports on July 5th than on any other day of the year. Some report upticks of up to 240% - and that’s not counting the ones who are never reunited with their families.

Consider medications, but don’t expect miracles. 

Years ago, veterinarians prescribed powerful tranquilizers to help pets cope with fireworks. Recent research, however, has shown that while these drugs are great at immobilizing the body, they do nothing to address the pet’s underlying anxiety.  The end results were pets who were not only terrified, but aware of the fact that their bodies were not able to move away from danger.  The more modern approach is to treat these pets with anti-anxiety medications.  Since these drugs take time to take effect, now is the time to talk to your vet about this option.  It is also important to note that all of these medications are labelled to be used in conjunction with behavioral training.  There are no miracle pills or pharmaceutical lullabies.  So give yourself time to - you guessed it - find a Certified Professional Dog Trainer!

Most importantly, be patient.  Fireworks phobia is very common, and may even be somewhat normal.  Early planning and reasonable expectations are the key to providing a happy holiday for everyone!

Dr. Kupkee is the lead practitioner at Sabal Chase Animal Clinic. 

Click here for deals and discounts exclusively for NBC 6 fans. 

Helping Pets Cope With Fourth of July Fireworks published first on Miami News

[bookishthingsmore]

[sunday_post]

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The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

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Life and everything else

So… the week wasn’t really that busy.  Mostly just recovering from the epic weekend we had at Edgefest and Dallas Comic Con.  I got a lot of reading done, but only 600 words for Camp NaNoWriMo. I need to get in gear if I’m going to hit my 10K word goal.

This weekend was hella busy. Went to see my sister cheer, went to a book signing for some pretty amazing local authors. And then… my sister’s birthday party. We will not discuss how many times I fell on my ass while skating. It’s not as easy as I remember it being.

And now some photos from Dallas Comic Con. Nessa and I had so much fun, and we both came home with new tattoos.

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Last week on the blog

Sunday: The Sunday Post, Review: This Lullaby

Monday: Excerpt: Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay, Reveal: Revelry, Blog Tour: Reign of Crowns, Lift 4 Autism Auction

Tuesday: Blitz: Someday Soon, Top Ten Tuesday: Fandoms I’m In, Reveal: How You Get the Girl, Blitz: More to Me

Wednesday: Blogging: Reading/Blogging goals for the rest of the year, Review: The Last Chance Matinee, What We’re Watching Wednesday: Confess

Thursday: Review: Biting Bad, Blitz: Reign of Crowns, Blitz: The Fall, Reveal: Trusting Tanner

Friday: Blitz: Shopping for a Billionaire’s Fiancee, Blog Tour: Write Naked, Reveal: Chaser

Saturday:  Review: Wild Things

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Coming up next week

Monday: Review: Twist

Tuesday: Blitz: Twist, Top Ten Tuesday:

Wednesday: Discussion: Book Storage, Excerpt: Confessions of a Former Puck Bunny

Thursday: Reveal: Swear, Blog Tour: Toward a Secret Sky

Friday: Review: Blood Games

Saturday:  Review: Dorothy Must Die Stories Vol. 2

Sunday: The Sunday Post

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On the interwebs

I got nothing for ya. Been a busy week reading.

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Currently reading and what’s up next

Just finished

Grendel’s Guide to Love and War by A.E. Kaplan

Toward a Secret Sky by Heather Maclean

Dark Debt by Chloe Neill

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Currently reading

Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill

The End of Oz by Danielle Paige

Down & Dirty by Tracy Wolff

Feels Like the First Time by Marina Adair

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Up next

It Happened on Love Street by Lia Riley

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

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Added to my shelves

Review

The Waking Land by Callie Bates

Making It Right by Catherine Bybee

The Revenge by Hannah Jayne

Shacking Up by Helena Hunting

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Physical

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead (thank you to Razorbill)

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The Sunday Post 4/9/17: Still busy The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. Life and everything else…