For years, our habit had been to give Ami a bone in the evening to gnaw on outside while we watch the news and movies.

Welp. Last night and tonight, does not want to go outside, instead goes over to his blanket and looks fearful. Last night, her was hesitant so I threw the bone out into the yard ( a game he likes.) He ran to it, brought it back to the grass between the 4 runner and the rhododendrons along the house. Then he stood there, peering off into the dark. Very wary. So i called him him, he snatched his bone and came inside to his blanket. A bit later i noticed the radar was showing a thunderstorm cell off to our east south east, the direction he was staring. I figured that was it but tonight, no storms at all and he still won't go out, looks spooked. Then i remember a few days ago, he came frantically to the back door, ringing the bell multiple times and exploded into the house when I opened the door. I have no clue. Could be storms. Could be fireworks. Could be bear or coyote. Maybe his right is failing?

Don't know but I'm going to respect his reticence. I figure he knows something that is do not.

Mine do that every once and awhile when big cats are around. I know you dont have lynx but any chance of a really big bobcat or a lion? I know they coydogwolves run around ny and most of the east coast. Mine chase the bears.

If your worried about his sight watch his tracking and see if it changes as the light changes. With shadow we noticed he started missing the ball when we would play catch followed by bumping into things at night or dimmly lit rooms. Interesting was with shadow and the pra that the barometric pressure had an effect on his vision which actually kind of makes sense of it was brought on by storms.

In the past, Ami has chased a bear - that was when they were logging the property behind us. About 1800' up the road. That is all woods for a mile or two, I'm thinking the living pushed the bear out of it's normal range. Though my be hives might have something to do with it. Haven't seen anything since i out up electric fence around the hives. But for several years before the logging, the hives weren't touched. And Ami and Archer went crazy over the bear - fortunately they stayed within the invisible fence boundary and the two dogs going crazy pacing the boundary line kept the bear on the other side of the boundary line, each trying to figure out how to get to their goal. Neither made it - bear could get to the hives because of dogs and dogs couldn't get to beat because of their fence collars.

As for vision - after reading your post, i realized Ami had no trouble going directly to where I toss his bone. I'm thinking now, it's a reaction to both fireworks season and lots of small thunderstorms. People in my local fb weather group were talking about small localized storms last night. They seemed far away on radar but i suppose dogs have better hearing and sight than I so who knows. Probably not coyotes since loads of deer very comfortable in the field across the road. I've not seen a bobcat or lynx except once in 36 years here and that was long, long ago. No big cats. Guess I'll just provide s towel for him to eat his bone on an throw it in the wash. Until he decides it's safe to go out again. Won't be tonight. More thunderstorms.

Avalanche is "scared to death" of thunder so when he crawls under my stool I just assume there's "fireworks" in the air somewhere. I'll see the lightening reflected off the clouds but it obvious he hears the thunder (when he's under my stool there's no chance he can see the lightening) which is often in the range of 40-50 miles away.

If I were a betting man, I'd be putting my money on that combination of fireworks and thunderstorms.

The only thing that has ever spooked Kye is a mountain lion. He is cautious of bears but mountain lions he will pump the brakes for.

As kenzi has aged and the diabetes has set in her eye sight has diminished considerably. She doesn't go out as often at night or stay out as long. She used to go out on cooler nights and would be out all night, now she will go out if she desperately needs to pee and then she comes back in shortly after. It could be a combination of things, eye sight is going so he is less brave of things that once didn't bother him when it gets darker. He may still see well enough in the dark and would be willing to chase large game in the full light, but he may not have the confidence in the dark to not get snuck up on.

Welp. Today he alerted me to an intruder in the back yard. He never alerts to anything, only once years ago on a trip when i was walking him late at night and a rather threatening individually started walking towards us. Oh. And that time at an ice cream stand with the half sized statue of a horse. So today? I hear the bark that i never hear, go running out.

There's high profile floats in the pool that i put out for the first time yesterday and forgot to remove

Hahaha... spider has been giving the intruder alert quite frequently lately. Her and splinter are determined to get the pack rat that has a tunnel entrance at the edge of the concrete in the fenced area. They are way too impatient to be good hunters. Ironically usually its shadow that catches them and eats them. His arthritis slows him down way more then being blind does.

Well, at the least the pool floats aren't likely to eat him even if he might think they will. lol

Welp. As suddenly as he stopped going out at night, he is now staying outside most of the time. Comes inside at night only because I insist. Goes out after breakfast and sleeps under the rhodos. Comes in for dinner - his AND ours 'cause Dad likes to share. Once he gets his bone at night, he's out til I call him in. We'll see what happens as we get closer to hunting season and people start target shooting.

He is afraid of guns? Hunting season is on here. Mine could care less about guns or fireworks or any explosions. For whatever reason squirt has started being reactive to low flying helicopters when they are in groups. They seem to hate some niose i cant hear that happens when they change the rotor position in the vertical takeoff things. I wont call it a chopper or a plane because its kind of both.

I have been having to force mine in at night. They really want to hunt ground squirrels in the wood pile. I just find it odd that i have seen a lynx, not sure if its more then 1 or the same one on the side of our house 5 of the last 7 nights. More worried about splinter getting eaten. I dont know if spider can take a lynx but i dont want to find out. People go years without seeing one which makes me wonder what is going on with the wildlife superhighway that cuts through my yard.

Maybe he heard wolves and thought new friends. I just read about how they are being seen in upstate ny.