There are lots of places that have the busiest night of the year, like the mall on the day after Thanksgiving, or the local Irish Pub on Saint Patrick's Day. For animal shelters, it is July 4th. This is the day that your average, well-adjusted, family companion goes crazy with fear because of the celebrations starring fireworks courtesy of your neighbors. We get lots of calls for stray animals that night.
Dogs that before could barely jump onto a couch suddenly become able to leap over high fencing in an effort to escape the bombs bursting in air. I have a close friend who had a dog jump out of a second story screen window due to the extreme terror it felt from the fireworks on the street below. Fortunately the dog survived, but had two broken legs and needed to be sedated each subsequent Fourth of July for fear of a repeat performance.
This Fourth of July, there are precautions you can take to make sure your four-legged friends are safe and comfortable:
-- Keep your animals indoors in a secure area during peak fireworks times, and make sure you've
removed any items that might be harmful if chewed.
-- Having a television or radio playing at low volume can help calm an animal.
-- Check with your vet in advance if you know your animal gets distressed on the 4th as they may
be able to offer some medications to keep your companion's anxiety to a minimum (this is a last
resort!).
-- Don't leave your animal outside unattended, even if your yard is fenced! Debris from falling fireworks
can be fatal if ingested, and your animals can be burned by out of control rockets, or worse,
become a target for someone who might think it was funny to aim a bottle rocket at a living
creature.
-- Make sure your animal is wearing identification tags.
-- Leave your dog home if you're going to a fireworks display.
It is best to take the necessary steps now, rather than have a animal injured, or even killed on the road if they escape your control and run into the street.
This is another example of how important it is to expose your puppy or dog to as many things as possible so that they do not develop fears of everyday things, and even unusual things. There is a saying that each puppy should be exposed to 100 different people before it is 6 months old. You should also make sure that you bring adult dogs out for as much socialization that is possible, depending on their personality.
The best advice a vet friend gave me was to make sure your dog got a lot of exercise during the day on Fourth of July so that they can try to sleep through the festivities and fireworks show. I think that is what I will be doing myself!
