The Kona/Mosquito Dilemma

 

    Despite all her loud aggressive-sounding barking, Kona is a really sensitive dog.  Like most dogs, she becomes terrified when she hears thunder or a gun shot.  When this happens, she often trembles and cannot be calmed.  If the loud noise happens when we are in bed, she drapes herself across my chest and head, and refuses to move.  While it might be a comforting position for her, when she anchors her sharp elbows into my chest, it is not very comforting for me.

    There is another situation when Kona gets all scared; it is when I swat a mosquito with my hand.  It is even more terrifying for Kona if I use one of those Mosquito rackets to electrically “ZAP” a mosquito.  Kona’s fear of my aggression toward mosquitoes becomes very problematic when it is bedtime.

    Last night we were both in bed.  Kona was comfortably sleeping beside me, when a mosquito started buzzing around my head.  I certainly didn’t want to be kept up all night by the irritating buzz of a mosquito, so I kept an eye on the mosquito waiting for it to get within an advantageous striking position, and then I struck. 

    I missed of course, but Kona was suddenly awake and terrified.  She poured her body across my chest and refused to leave, even when I firmly told her to go back to sleep.  Eventually with a bit of pushing by me, she finally relented and returned to her side of the bed, although she just lay there, suspecting that I was going to be swatting another mosquito.  This happened several times last night, before I was finally able to smash the pest that was invading my personal space.

    This fear in Kona, of my slapping at mosquitoes at bedtime, is very problematic for me.  I want to get rid of the mosquitoes before I go to sleep, but at the same time, doing so traumatizes Kona and really upsets her.   As a result, I spend a lot of time just laying there trying to decide what to do.  Do I try to kill the mosquito and wake up and upset Kona, or do I just quietly lay there and become a blood sacrifice for the irritating insect.  It’s a dilemma.

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