From Genius to Madness

Music appears to affect behavior because sound is made of waves. When sound waves travel through the hearing nerve to the cerebral cortex, they influence brain waves. Stopping a phobia before it starts So is it possible to prevent noise phobias from developing in the first place? Early exposure before 14 weeks of age to loud or unexpected sounds can help inoculate a puppy against noise fears, says veterinary behaviorist Lore I. Haug, who practices in Sugar Land, Texas. So can teaching a dog early on that storms are fun. This uses the technique of classical conditioning so the dog learns, ideally at a very young age, that storms mean something great.

Kim Campbell Thornton is an award-winning author who has written many articles and more than a dozen books about dogs and cats. She shares her home in California with three Cavalier King Charles spaniels and one African ringneck parakeet. The sound of fear: Noise phobias torment dogs Up to 20 percent of pooches are sensitive enough to need professional help Below: The Storm Defender Cape is designed to reduce a dog's sensitivity to changes before a thunderstorm. Most active discussions votes comments. Search Most popular on msnbc.

It is too terrible. What is the dognapper doing with all those dogs? I have to get some things and maybe people there will have more news.

The sound of fear: Noise phobias torment dogs - Health - Pet health - Creature Comforts | NBC News

It was always a good idea to go to the pet store! At the store, while Geri was discussing the mysterious dog disappearances with other pet owners and the staff, Pepe was interested in a middle-aged woman in a Snoopy sweatshirt who was buying two giant bags of dog food and three small bags of liver treats. Pepe loved liver treats and he went closer to the woman to get a closer whiff. The liver aroma tickled his nose, but there was another scent that caught his attention, too. Her car looked familiar somehow.

It was a red Ford Fiesta! It is the car from the dog park. I think this is the human that took Poppy! By the time Geri started her car, the Ford Fiesta was already leaving the parking lot. She was doing a great job until they came to a yellow light — the little red car sped through the intersection, while Geri slammed on the brakes as the light turned red. We will never find the little red car now!

We need to find it. There was no traffic, and Geri was ready to give up. But then Millie spotted the little red car peeking out from a covered carport next to one of the houses. If the SPCA comes and the dogs are not there, we might never find them.

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Maybe she is hiding them somewhere else. Geri took out her clipboard and pen, walked up the front steps, and knocked loudly on the door. The woman in the Snoopy sweatshirt opened the door. Is this your dog and do you have a license for it? They are in the basement! Geri tried to run in after them, but the woman grabbed her arm. Get out of my house! I am calling the police! They are in here! After a brief struggle, Geri broke free, raced to the door Pepe was barking in front of, and opened it.

A ball of white fur bolted out of the door, followed by a motley crew of small dogs. The dogs were panicked and scared, but Pepe and Millie quickly herded them out of the house. Geri sighed with relief, then turned around to confront the dognapper, who was standing frozen in shock. Imagine, leaving them all alone in backyards, or giving them to dog walkers, who let the dogs run loose where there are coyotes. I was saving them! Now that the dogs were out of her house, the woman seemed deflated. She sat on the steps, rocking back and forth and clasping Panda to her chest.

Geri called the police and the SPCA. Although it seemed to take forever for them to arrive, it was only 20 minutes. The police took the woman into custody, and the SPCA officers began to gather up all the small dogs. When Geri arrived home, Colleen was already waiting on her front steps. Geri invited the family in for some tea. Poppy was having a great time, rolling and jumping around in the living room with the children while Colleen thanked Geri over tea and cookies.

They only emerged once Colleen finally finished thanking Geri and left with her children and their cherished pet. The next day, the headline in the community newspaper read: Geri read the article aloud to Pepe and Millie. She pulled out a bag of liver treats, and Pepe and Millie happily wagged their tails. Linda McNab is a retired social worker and avid reader. Now that her three daughters have grown up and left home, she is slowly filling her house with more and more books.

She volunteers at the Vancouver Writers Fest, leads a mystery book club, and has recently discovered that attending Left Coast Crime mystery fan conventions can be addictive so much so that she is one of the organizers for the Left Coast Crime conference in Vancouver, B.

Her non-book activities include spoiling her grandchildren, playing Scrabble, swimming, and learning languages Greek and Spanish. Linda lives in Richmond, B. She began her career in the Canadian book publishing industry, working at publishing houses in Vancouver and then Toronto. She now works in internal communications and lives in Toronto with her husband, son, and two cats. Her non-book hobbies include swing dancing and learning new languages current project: We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did. Sorting through the delivery, he sniffed out a particular envelope with a canine odor.

But I wanted to expand our business any way I could, so I took out a national newspaper ad. As you know, dogs spend a lot of time on the paper. They are bound to see our ad. This is very bad. Dogs have been disappearing from the beach. A fellow Chihuahua needs my help.

His name is Rex, and his sister Sassy is one of the missing dogs.

We go to the beach. I will go and meet with Rex. We might even be related. Geri took the letter from Pepe and looked it over. After landing at Newark Liberty International Airport, Geri rented a mid-size sedan, loaded Pepe into the passenger seat, placed a suitcase in the trunk, and headed down the New Jersey Turnpike looking for the Garden State Parkway.

Forty minutes later, Pepe commented on the change of landscape. Why do people make fun of this state? Look at the colorful trees. The fall foliage is beautiful. Some people think Chihuahuas are yappy little dogs. Pepe sat silently for a while, thinking about the missing dogs. A beach should be a happy place. He and Geri went to their own beach on occasion where he flirted with the lady dogs and played ball and Frisbee.

Pepe had had many jobs before coming to live with Geri and never ceased to amaze her with tales from his brightly colored past.


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I was part of the hotel team. That is why on one terribly hot summer day, I was lounging by the pool supervising the hotel guests. I must have dozed off because when I awoke, all the adults had left the pool and now stood around an outdoor barbecue pit. I could not let that little girl drown, so I ran to the end of the pool, grabbed a floatie and dove in. My barking caught the attention of her father and he helped me pull her out.

They thought the girl had followed me to the pool and jumped in after me. I lost my home that day. Pepe dried his eyes on a hoodie that Geri had draped on the seat. I know the truth. And we will also find the truth where the missing dogs are concerned. I will not let Rex down. The three-story structure was clad in shake-shingles painted white, with grand columns for an entrance and a gray slate roof sporting several chimney stacks. Pepe shivered in agreement. I am not used to October in New Jersey. We have a small bed for Pepe in your room.

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And some special treats. Eileen assigned them a room on the second floor, and Matthew carried their suitcase up the stairs. Geri noticed a courtesy newspaper on a wicker table. A small headline read, Dogs Stolen from Beach. Matthew noticed her concerned look. A few dogs have gone missing recently. She lives two blocks over, third house from the ocean.

Poor Catherine is just devastated. Pepe and Geri climbed the brick steps and stepped onto the mahogany porch of a Victorian-style home. Geri pressed the buzzer and a Westminster chime echoed within. Seconds later, a tiny woman with shoulder-length white hair peered out through the glass storm door. My name is Geri Sullivan and this is my Chihuahua, Pepe.

I understand your dog Rudy is one of the dogs taken from Manasquan Beach. May I speak with you for a moment? Do you have any news? She ushered them into a cozy living room where a fire blazed in a brick hearth. Once Geri situated herself on the couch, Pepe jumped into her lap. He, like Geri, was eager to hear first-hand about the dognappings. Also, a Yorkshire Terrier, a Maltese, and a Chihuahua. My Poodle is a toy, and it seems whoever is doing this is targeting small dogs. Catherine pulled a tissue from her cardigan pocket and wiped at her eyes.

Or maybe he was microchipped? I think only the Yorkie was microchipped. But none of us has heard a word. Pepe wondered if perhaps the dognappers were planning to sell the pedigreed dogs. If so, they could be half way across the country. It would be difficult to sell them locally without getting caught.

It was sad seeing Catherine cry over her beloved pet. Framed pictures of Rudy, some with Catherine, decorated the walls and table. Pepe wondered if Rudy was her only fur-child. Some people preferred fur-children to the human kind. As they walked back to the bed-and-breakfast, Pepe said. If I have to, I will act as a decoy and see if we can lure the dognapper out of hiding.

Most days, dogs had to be leashed, but instructions were posted that, for a few hours each week, they could have the run of the fenced-off area. Small dogs under twenty-five pounds were allowed specified times on Tuesday and Thursday. Dogs over that size were granted Wednesday and Friday. Geri grabbed her handbag and opened the door, and Pepe bounded from the car and hurried towards the sand.

Now I will go speak with that pretty Shih Tzu over there, while you interrogate the owners. Someone has been stealing dogs from this beach. My name is Geri Sullivan. I spoke with Catherine Delmonica this morning. My little Sassy is one of the missing dogs.

I still have her brother, Rex. Geri kept her eyes glued to Pepe who frolicked with the Shih Tzu just out of reach of the surely chilly waves. Chelle shook her head. Then one day my friend and I stopped here to let our dogs run. Then the next thing we knew, Sassy was gone. It had been a particularly busy afternoon. She was here the day Sassy went missing. She remembers the smell of liverwurst. In fact, she was following the scent along with Sassy, but Sassy was the one who was grabbed.

Chelle led them to her SUV where Rex sat in an elevated dog seat keeping an eye on the beach. Pepe greeted him nose to nose. Then he quickly related that he and Geri were the private investigators he had contacted through the advertisement. Geri continued to speak with Chelle, while Rex told Pepe about Sassy and what he thought might have happened on the day she went missing.

As visiting hours at the dog park came to a close, owners and their little dogs headed for their vehicles. She reached into her bag and handed Geri a business card. She handed Chelle her own business card. Over a continental breakfast the following morning, Pepe and Geri discussed what they had learned since arriving in New Jersey. I think we should go back to the beach today.

The trail is hot, and we do not want any more dogs to go missing. Geri slipped into her hoodie and dressed Pepe in his favorite blue sweatshirt. Eileen and Matthew bid them a good day as they left the inn and headed south again. To their disappointment, the beach was empty except for a few seagulls sunning themselves.

Stuck against an area of fencing was a brown paper bag. Geri retrieved it and peered inside to find a supermarket receipt and a plastic bag. Inside the car, Geri opened her handbag and removed a pair of gloves, then grabbed the plastic bag by its edges. The label is marked liverwurst. We must take this evidence to the police. Geri put the plastic bag inside the larger brown bag for safe keeping. Jimmy G answered on the third ring. Do you have a connection in New Jersey where we could run some fingerprints?

Geri had put her phone on speaker so she and Pepe could listen simultaneously. After what sounded like a stack of boxes hitting the floor and several file doors slamming, he was back on the line. A man simply known as Bucky met with Geri and Pepe in a small office in a newly renovated area of Asbury Park. Two men and a woman meandered about the office, taking calls and typing on laptops. And if you get any, give them a run through the data base and see what comes up.

Rocco, a sprightly thin man of about thirty-five, left his keyboard and took the bag from Geri. Waiting around for information was like watching paint dry.

What Are Dogs Saying When They Bark? [Excerpt]

Geri and Pepe took a walk around the streets of Avon-by-the-Sea and visited a few quaint shops to pass the time. He admired himself in a full-length mirror. Geri agreed and, after a bit more browsing, handed the jacket along with a sweatshirt for herself to the clerk at the register. Geri had just run her credit card through the payment processor when her phone rang. The number was unfamiliar, but it was a New Jersey area code. She told Pepe about the break in their case as they hurried to their rental car. Chelle lived a few blocks away in the southern part of Avon-by-the-Sea.

She greeted them at the door with a huge smile, holding Sassy in her arms. Chelle invited Geri into the kitchen and offered her a seat at the table while she brewed some coffee pods. In the meantime, Sassy went to mingle with Rex and Pepe. I called the other owners to let them know, and to ask if maybe their dogs had also returned. They are on the other side of the railroad tracks in Belmar.

The lady who took her has an accomplice and they were talking about setting up puppy mills for designer dogs. That is why they wanted small dogs. It did not matter if they were the same breed. We were in a few dog shows. What are you thinking? Designer dogs sell for a lot of money these days. Puggles, for example, are a combination of Pugs and Beagles. If only she could tell her how brave and smart Sassy had been, outwitting her dognappers! To her surprise, he answered on the first ring. Sullivan, I was just about to phone you.