When I would leave Laika alone in the house, I would always leave low music playing for a little bit of white noise. It was usually classical music or some type of Indian or Asian CDs that I eternally had in my stereo. She didn't seem to love or hate them; she also wasn't offended when I played guitar or listened to punk/rock music. It wasn't until I got a cool traditional Indian music that her aversion surfaced!
A few years ago, I got really into harmonium music and Indian chanting. I found a cool shruti box for cheap online and was excited about playing it. It pretty much just plays a drone via bellows, like an accordion without keys. I loved it and even figured-out how to fix the buzz it was making. Laika, on the other hand, was not into it much. She didn't outwardly show any hate for it, but she would stare at it while I was playing or sometimes would investigate it while it was on the shelf. Hence, I mostly started keeping it on a higher shelf in its zippered bag.
I hadn't had a lot of time to play it one month, so it sat on a lower shelf where I had left it, in the bag. One day, I came home to a happy Laika waiting for me downstairs like usual. As I went upstairs, she did not want to follow me for some reason. As I entered my room, I realized why. She nervously peered around the corner at me as I discovered the partially destroyed shuti box, pulled from the bag and left on the floor among splinters of the previously nicely finished wood!
I was not angry, it was still operational. The bellows were functional, as were the protected sound holes. Aesthetically, it was a mess, but whatever. Laika was shaking with nervousness, so I petted her after picking up the pieces. I was just glad she hadn't eaten the wood, as a younger Laika might have. She got over it quickly and was soon relaxed, as if nothing had happened. Why would she do such a thing?
As far as I can tell it was a combination of factors. First, her general dislike for the sounds emanating from the box. However, this hidden hate, which was probably growing for some time, must have been pushed toward action by something external. As I arrived home that day, I heard many loud and high-pitched construction noises coming from outside as there was roadwork and building happening on our block. With the windows open a bit, this must've driven Laika mad. So, I understand why she chose that day to exact revenge against the shruti box.
Very rarely did adult Laika go on a path of destruction, so after realizing the motivations I knew she responded in such a way due to stress. At least this time didn't require a peroxide cocktail...
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