Pathological Fear of Thunderstorms

"Do you know what a pathological fear is? No, sir. It is a fear that goes way beyond normal fears. It's a fear that you can't be talked out of, you can't be reasoned out of. And I think Winn-Dixie has a pathological fear of thunderstorms. We get an awful lot of thunderstorms in the summer. Well, I 'm gonna have to make sure he doesn't get out during a storm. Might run away."

I couldn't keep this scene from the book, "Because of Winn-Dixie", out of my head tonight as I wandered hopelessly through the pouring rain with only the glow of the lightning strikes helping me to see. As I yelled for Molly over and over the event became more and more surreal to me. As you all know, Jennifer and I love our dogs like children. Tonight, someone drove through the back of our fence, allowing Molly to get out. Unfortunately, it happened during a bad thunderstorm, and Molly truly does have a pathological fear of thunderstorms. Jennifer was at work, so I called my parents to help me search for her. As they drove around in the car, I paced and yelled at the back of our property in the pouring rain. After about an hour, my mom and dad found her about a 1/4 of a mile from the house.

I guess you are wondering where Sandi, our other dog, was during this entire event? She didn't leave the yard because she was too busy waiting for her dinner on the back porch. Too funny! As for the person who hit the fence, they didn't bother to stop. Anyway, everyone is safe here, dry, or at least drying, and ready for a good night's rest.

Jason