The sky is scarey Mom!!!!!!
She rang her bell to go outside, so I let her out. I'd just shut the glass door when I heard the deepest, scariest bark from her I've ever heard. She went nuts, lots of deep barking and running back and forward looking up. 
Rastus immediately jumped up and raced outside as I opened the door to see what was wrong. He was doing his big "go away, bogeyman" bark too. They were both looking up at the top of the fence (I thought) and barking so deep I started to get worried someone was climbing my side fence and DH away for work. 
I looked up, nothing on the fence. Phew that's a relief.  
They're still both looking up and going nuts. Looked up....................................................................... two hot air balloons right overhead. Flying really low. A big red and a big yellow one. I could see the people's faces watching us. I guess Tiggy was entertaining them too. Rastus has seen them before so he came in first. It took two calls of "come in for your cookie" to get Tiggy in. She started to come the first time then ran back to tell the balloon to go away. 
Now she's sitting on my foot 6 feet back from the glass doors looking worriedly up into the sky. She keeps doing the cute head tilt from left to right. Then she's looks at me to see if I'm worried. Nope? "Ok Mom well I'll just keep an eye out in case they come back and I'll let you know". My big, brave girl is scared of a balloon.  |
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| LOL...we haven't seen one near here for many years. Poor Tiggy! |
| Update after 15 minutes sitting on my foot now she's moved over to stand at the door and stare up.
I think I'll rename her chicken little. The sky is falling today. |
| Aaawwwww, poor Tiggy! |
| Poor Tiggy. She needs to live with a coonhound (raccoons climb trees, so Maggie is very aware of all things "up")
Maggie has taught all of our dogs to look up and notice (ie:bark) at things in the air, as well as everything on the ground...geez 
I can imagine her response to a hot air balloon!
We used to have them fly over where I grew up. We never see them here - I miss them. |
| We are right in the middle of Balloon Fiesta....10 days of dog hell. Fortuntely we live far south of the area and maybe one day a few will come this far. No, the dogs do not like balloons.....the burner sound and the slowly growing in size sky monsters.
So far the weather has kept the balloons grounded or close to the field.....phew! I love that deep growly bark....but I know they mean business when I hear it. |
| Must be a good morning with the still sky for hot air balloons, we had 5 go over here this morning. No doggies barking just looking skyward with the expression "Heck what the ?????".
Tiggy is a city girl for sure, but then again she can spot of balloon in the sky at your house but on a walk in the bush she is too busy snoofing to see, Kangaroos, bunnies, geese and even a kookaburra laughing at her. 
Tiggy the Woozie girl, wonder if she thought it was a UFO ready to land and take her away  |
| When we lived in Albuquerque, we were on the flightpath for the "Albuquerque Box" - by changing how high they were flying, the balloonists were able to fly in a rectangular pattern. So every morning, the balloonists would wave as I walked the kids to the bus.
We moved here from Albuquerque, only to find that the park across the street held a Ballon Festival right before the one in Albuquerque. We loved being able to come and go. One afternoon, we were walking over to the park when I saw a Sheepie & a Golden Retriever headed our way. Just as I started to say "Look, someone else has a Sheepie and .... OMG! Mandy! Reuben!" Their heads jerked up and they came running. They had managed to squeeze out of the cat hole in the fence (6" wide and maybe 6") and visit the festival. It was also the last time they spent anytime alone in the backyard (rental house). My crew isn't phased by them at all. |
| Imagine if you lived up around Balloon Fiesta park your dogs had either get used to the sight and sound or spend the week in a boarding kennel. We are down by Isleta Rez so chances of balloons are pretty weak as they have more up river wind in the a.m. plus have to cross two flight paths at the airport....which they do on occassion. I'd like to have one come down this a.m. so I could judge the dogs' reactions......I think Glacier is losing her hearing so would not be the first to hear & spot the incoming invasion.
I've always wondered just how small a hole the dogs could squeeze through..........6x6 I gotta feed them more food! |
| Last week a helicopter flew pretty low over the pasture and I watched Junior (Bob's best friend) staring at the sky with a puzzled look on his face like he was trying to figure out what the heck that was. Fortunately my chicken little horse was too busy eating to notice what was up in the air. |
| Funny.... Lennon is a chicken so I be he would have hid in his house after everything passed. Sofa would have barked until she could bark no more.
I wish balloons flew over my house, they are so cool... |
They're starting to get less cool. 
They came back this morning. I thought that Tiggy must have been getting used to them as she wasnt barking at them. I looked down to discover she was shaking like a leaf all over. Her coat was actually shimmying, she was shaking so much.
Straight inside for some sits and biscuits. |
| We actually lived in Tanoan, just east of Ventura, so we had a great view of the inflated balloons.
The year that we moved to Albuquerque was the year that the German balloonists got off course and landed at the base. They were met by lots of soldiers pointing lots of guns at them. When we moved here, we discovered that the balloonists used our park for takeoffs everyday. We would be at soccer practice and they would be inflating the balloons in the background. Frequent exposure to the noise and sight of the balloons helped the dogs stay calm with the noise. Mim, could you possibly find out who the balloonists are taking off and arrange to be there as they are inflating the balloons? Several outings, moving closer each time ought to help desensitize the dogs. |
| Good idea.
I'm also going to watch for them every still morning and hand out cookies by the bucket load for sits and drops while they're still far away and getting closer. Then I'll just need to do the same for every neighbourhood dog. You wouldnt believe the amount of barking going on. I could track the flight paths by the trail of barking dogs. I can just imagine them all out in their backyards (it is the norm for pet dogs to stay outside while their owners are at work here), barking madly and looking up.
I wonder if the balloonists have any idea of the pandemonium they leave in their wake. |
| Hope you solve the fear factor. With daily visits and buckets of biscuits, you'll either have a calmer or fatter dog.
I remember the landing on base incident Lately they've taken to falling out of the gondola....at least one a year. Yesterday winds picked up an hour after liftoff and balloons in power lines all over the place. One balloon landed in the middle of the runway at the airport Hard landing too. |
aww poor tiggy..............give her lots of love  and of course  treats |
SheepieBoss wrote: Hope you solve the fear factor. With daily visits and buckets of biscuits, you'll either have a calmer or fatter dog.
I remember the landing on base incident Lately they've taken to falling out of the gondola....at least one a year. Yesterday winds picked up an hour after liftoff and balloons in power lines all over the place. One balloon landed in the middle of the runway at the airport Hard landing too.Yeouch! I've always said I wouldnt go up in one. I can just see me and the balloon stuck in power lines. |
| You and me I always thought I'd like to go up in the Smokey Bear Balloon since DH is a "Smokey" and he knows the pilot.........that was a nice thought until Smokey flew into a radio tower.
Fortunately the TV spot didn't know to mention it if wasn't for a radio exec who saw it happen, called the station's engineer who immediately shut down the power, the 3 guys stood a very good chance of electrocution or an impressive radiation dose. As it was, the station immediately had their "climbers" out who went up and helped the 3 down the ladder. The two hours was also helpful in getting the static charge off the people. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/646056/smokey_bear_air_balloon_crashes_w_people_inside/ |
SheepieBoss wrote: I remember the landing on base incident
Lately they've taken to falling out of the gondola....at least one a year. Yesterday winds picked up an hour after liftoff and balloons in power lines all over the place. One balloon landed in the middle of the runway at the airport Hard landing too.The London Times balloon (shaped like a rolled up newpaper) landed on top of a one story building years ago, just missing a new car delaership. LOL. I love the balloon glows. |
SheepieBoss wrote: You and me
I always thought I'd like to go up in the Smokey Bear Balloon since DH is a "Smokey" and he knows the pilot.........that was a nice thought until Smokey flew into a radio tower. Fortunately the TV spot didn't know to mention it if wasn't for a radio exec who saw it happen, called the station's engineer who immediately shut down the power, the 3 guys stood a very good chance of electrocution or an impressive radiation dose. As it was, the station immediately had their "climbers" out who went up and helped the 3 down the ladder. The two hours was also helpful in getting the static charge off the people. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/646056/smokey_bear_air_balloon_crashes_w_people_inside/ My goodness. Just kids too!!
Definitely think I'll skip any balloon rides. |
| hahaha..poor tiggy!
panda feeks for her! panda says airplanes and helicopters are cool but those balloons and blimps are super duper scary!!!! i wonder if they emitt some low noise or something??!! |
| I think it's the propane burner suddenly coming on, then quiet again. In their youth mine could see them coming from afar and become nervous.....could they hear the burner a mile or so away? Maybe. Mine would see them and start a low growl which increased in volume and the balloon got closer. |
| I dont know about blimps we havent had any go by.
But certainly the sudden blast from the gas burner gives her the heebie jeebies. Heck the sudden noise after silence has given me a start. |
| I know this is an older post, but I love reading through some of these stories....
Quote: Now she's sitting on my foot 6 feet back from the glass doors looking worriedly up into the sky. She keeps doing the cute head tilt from left to right. Then she's looks at me to see if I'm worried. Nope? "Ok Mom well I'll just keep an eye out in case they come back and I'll let you know".
How cute is that?!?!?! I LOVE the head tilt!!  |
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