Nick Relaxes to Haydn

Well... it seems as if Nicki might have a musical ear... and a sensitive one.

This afternoon we took a two mile walk along the inter-urban trail to Fairhaven.  Despite the fact that it was only threatening to rain, there weren't that many joggers on the trail which became Nicki's private romping path, as he followed scents up and down the bushy embankment between the trail and the train tracks below.

On our way back, i heard the deep and sonorous horn of an oncoming coal train.  Three engines and about 110 empty cars, steadily drew past.  As i stood marvelling at the sheer horse power of this mechanical leviathan, Nicki began to act more excited than usual, running back and forth and circles around a passer-by.  Nicki previously had been well behaved with the joggers and walkers and it seemed to me that maybe the horn -- much more ear splitting to him than to me -- had set him off.

Back home, in the evening i dimmed the lights and sat down to listen to a symphony by Haydn. Unlike before he was not taken aback by a new sound from a new place.  Instead, as the gentle music played, he just came and sat down by me within close earshot of the speakers.  He was calm and relaxed.  He then moved around, put his paw on a bone and again closed his eyes, consciously soothed by the music -- or so it seemed to me. 

We shall see...