[AZLAB]

It took me 20 minutes to get Cinnamon into the house at 9:15 this morning. If I get a barking dog complaint I can sure understand it. She was having a fit along with most of the other dogs around here.

I went outside to try and get her in and see what she was barking at. Then I heard the burner kick in and the swoooooooooooooosh. Looked up and the Sara Lee hot air balloon was floating over my house. (Thank goodness I had on a long night shirt as no one can see into our yard I have been known to wander out in undies and a long t-shirt.) It terrified Cinnamon. I have never seen her tuck her tail between her legs so tight it was up against her belly (she has the long tail of a field lab).

Nothing I did could get her in and her recall is usually quite good. I even tried bribing her with a dog treat and a piece of jerky...nope barking at that red thing in the sky was too important. Finally got her inside and she bark for another 30 minutes. Mom even got up and came out and she normally sleeps to 11am as she is a night owl. Cinnamon even left her dog treat and jerky on her bed for an hour before she ate them and that jerky is a high value treat.

I guess I know not to take her to the balloon races next weekend. I can take her to the fireworks shows and thunder and lightening don't bother her but hot air balloons are another story apparently.

 

[justine]

Wow. That must have really freaked her out. Is she scared of normal balloons?

 

[AZLAB]

No regular type balloons don't bother her but this thing in the sky making loud noises freaked her out. It is now 4 hours later and she scans the sky every time she goes out looking for that red thing.

Years ago the balloon races were held about 4 miles from us and we had hundreds of balloons over us. This is the 2nd biggest hot air balloon race in the US. Now it is about 25 miles away and I am glad it is as it sure freaked her out.

 

[georgie]

Maybe it was the noise it was making rather than the balloon itself. It is always hard to tell what will set these labs off.

 

[Henery&Ollie's mom]

I'll bet it's the whooshing noise. We get hot air balloons overhead all the time in the summer, neither of my boys care but our neighbour's husky gets so freaked out that he has to keep him inside between 7 and 9.

 

[BauersMom]

Bauer doesn't like them either. We have a couple that take off and land very close to our house. When they are low and loud, he barks like crazy at them too. They don't bother him as much when they are higher and quieter.

 

[Malcarjaz]

Poor baby girl, the noise was most likely the culprit. Hope she feels at ease soon.

 

[Clanceycanuck]

Clancey doesn't like them invading his airspace either.