ABOVE: Candy Lawrence with her dog. Photo: contributed
Susanna Freymark
Retired teacher Candy Lawrence is worried about how the flood disaster has affected her dogs.
Candy lives with her partner and two dogs Banjo and Jerry in Bungawalbin.
“During the flood we had to get the dogs through fast-flowing knee-deep floodwater to get up our stairs to safety on the first floor,” Candy said.
“Banjo had probably never seen water flowing like that and resisted mightily. I had to drag and then carry him to get him across.”
Even when the floodwaters receded, Banjo was still scared.
“My partner had to carry him across again because he was terrified. Since then, he’s resisted going into the water at all,” Candy said.
Banjo is a two-year-old kelpie cross Rhodesian ridgeback male rescue dog.
“We only got him last October after I’d lost my previous beloved dog during the 2019 bushfires. He was hit by a car outside the evacuation centre at Whiporie,” Candy said.
“Banjo had been chained up and neglected for the first year of his life, then sent to the vet to be put down.
“So, he’s had some behaviour issues including separation anxiety, which we’ve been working hard with him to alleviate.”
Banjo had no experience with water from what Candy could see.
Her other dog Jerry, an eight-year-old bull Arab cross wolfhound female encouraged Banjo into the dam on the property.
“Banjo learned to swim and play there, and also loved playing in our lagoon. Jerry has always been afraid of thunderstorms but loves water,” Candy said.
Then came the floods, rising higher than anyone could have imagined. Bungawalbin was inundated.
“I’m quite sure the dogs both picked up on our human fear, as well as being traumatised by their whole world outdoors going under water,” Candy said.
“Jerry now panics the moment she hears even light rain and tries to bang the door down so we’ll let her inside.
“If she stays outside, she trembles and seems extremely distressed.
“She’s always let us know when thunder was coming just like this, but now it happens even with a light shower.
Candy doesn’t know how to help her dogs overcome the trauma they experienced during the floods.
“It makes me wonder how many other pets out there have had behavioural changes since the floods,” she said.
Here’s a link to a story about anxiety in dogs.
If you know what can help dogs recover from trauma, email indynr.com@gmail.com and we will do an update on this story featuring the relevant advice we receive.
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