This evening there was a thunderstorm during dinner. Thunderstorms always bring out Ginger's "A" game.
Ginger usually hangs out upstairs on her bed during dinner. Tonight, we were sitting around the table eating when she bounded down the stairs and nervously circled the table. You could tell a storm was coming by looking out the windows but it wasn't here yet. Next thing we knew, Ginger had hopped up onto the chair in the corner. While she's generally not allowed on the furniture, we've given in and let her have the chair as one of her "safe zones" during a thunderstorm.
At the first crack of thunder, Ginger jumped off the chair and ran to Hannah. She leapt up into Hannah's lap and sat there shaking, panting, and looking completely miserable. That lasted for about 2 minutes. Then, it was off of Hannah's lap and over to my chair. When Ginger skips over Kim and looks to anyone else for comfort, you know things are really bad. Ginger hopped up onto my lap. I put my arms around her. She was shaking like crazy and starting to drool. After soaking my left sleeve, she switched positions and started drooling on my right sleeve. Then, to really show her appreciation, she started crazily licking my hands. I was not happy.
As all this went on, we started to wonder aloud about how Ginger ever convinced us that we should take her home when we first saw her. I still vividly remember meeting her for the first time in the little waiting room at the Caroline County pound. I remember how she came right up to me, sniffed at me, and started to lick my hands. "How friendly she is," I thought. "She's not the least bit afraid." Now I realize that it wasn't love -- the licking is just one of her many OCD symptoms.
The storm's now over and Ginger's back upstairs on her bed. I've washed my hands and forgiven her for drooling all over me. I know she won't let me pet her or hold her again until the next time she's frightened to death (which, knowing her, won't be long). That's OK. She's Ginger and I wouldn't have her any other way.