What is it about thunder...

What is it about thunder that makes Brandy growl and bark? I read somewhere that dogs think it is some sort of threat to them or to their house or to their family (I forget) but come on.....we live in an area where thunder and lightning are common place, so she has been hearing it on and off for all of her 9 years. If its newish to her, I can understand the fear but she should be an old hand at it by now. Also I don't remember any of our other dogs barking at thunder, strangers yes, thunder no. Oh, I remember our old Pekingnese, Shandy, a darling dog who died a month or so before we got Brandy, she used to bark at night at strange new objects in the house. If we bought say an over toaster and left it at night in the dark in the living room in its boxed state, when Shandy was walking from the bedrooms to the living room and saw the dark shape of the box, she would bark until we came out to investigate. I remembered having to show her new big stuff that we left lying around the house and that seemed to work with preventing her from barking at them in the dark.

Back to Brandy and thunder, if I am home, I usually call her to my room and tell her to stop being silly, its only thunder. Its like she knows what I am saying, truly! She proceeds to curl up on her bed and ignores both me and the thunder. BUT sometimes, she comes in and forgets what frightened her a minute or so ago and goes out and barks again when it thunders more.

I love all my dogs and their quirks.