piloerection

Riley has always been a little different. I am pretty certain she’s the only female dog in the neighborhood that lifts her leg to pee. And then there’s that whole coprophagia thing which surfaces every winter. Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised when she started exhibiting another new behavior, incessant raising of her hackles while on a walk.

Piloerection, or the hair standing on end at the shoulders or from the shoulders down the back is a sign of arousal or excitement associated most often with fear. It is a function of the nervous system and is an involuntary reaction to a stimulus such as fear or cold.

An afternoon walk lasts about twenty minutes. I took my camera today and snapped a picture of everything that made her hackles stand on end. When I initially noticed this behavior, I would stop, sit her down and pet her. That was completely ineffective and since it doesn’t seem to bother her I just let it go now. It’s just another addition to the list of things that make Riley special.

White fence at the house where a dog lived about four years ago
Petie's House

The street

Trashcans from a distance

About to see her nemesis the mailman


Hole in a fence where she saw a dog one time

Rabbit

House with a tiny dog in the window

Kids on bicycles

Just saw a squirrel

This house gets her every time and I am not sure why

Wooden fence