Cindy and I, along with our little animal farm, recently moved from sunny, dry San Diego up to rain, rain and more rain in Eugene, Oregon. I have to say, in all the years I’ve had pets, one thing I’ve never really had to deal with is rain. Cindy bought little rain jackets for Casper and Pom Pom, and while they both are very cute and well-equipped for the rain, there’s just one little problem.

They hate the rain.

I put on their coats, leash them up, and the minute I open the door, the sound of the rain completely freaks them out. Pom Pom will sometimes venture outside just enough to get out a quick pee, but Casper doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Oregonian rain fest and immediately scrambles for cover. Pom Pom seems to catch Casper’s vibe, and now she doesn’t want to pee either.

On one of the rare occasions it rained in So Cal, Cindy and I would simply wait it out until the rain stopped, and then walk the dogs. Here in Oregon, it’ll rain for hours at a time on some days.

I’ve tried to get them used to the feeling of the rain–I’ll take them out in it when it’s just raining lightly. They seem OK with it, but they seem to be more concerned about getting dry then emptying their bladders.

The next step is teaching the dogs how to use the toilet.