HELPING MY DOG SURVIVE THE 4TH OF JULY

By Thursday, July 2, 2015 25 No tags Permalink

If you’ve ever lived with a dog, or know someone with a dog, then you’re probably familiar with the woes about dogs and the 4th of July.

Every year when the sky lights up with dancing flares bursting in dozens of colors and shapes, Harley looks at me as if to ask “why?

Over the course of his life, I’ve had to become creative every year with helping my dog survive the 4th of July.

Harley finds the mere mention of Independence Day celebrations offensive. #dogit…

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For Jax – this will be his first experience with the 4th of July. Since he generally feeds off of Harley’s body language, I wanted to de-stress them both.

SO… HERE’S MY PLAN –

After our last (early evening) walk, I’ll grab a few toys and let them “splish-splash” in a nice tepid tub. #holdthebubbles

This should “kick-start” their fur covered bodies into relaxation mode…

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Afterwards, I think a nice hot cup of tea will melt the rest of their anxieties away…

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Finishing up with a little Dog TV #giftcard and a few treats with your sibling has got to be the best way to end any day…

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Keep your paws crossed that this plan works!

BUT ON A SERIOUS NOTE –

July 5th is historically one of the busiest days of the year for animal shelters across the United States!

WHY? –

Fireworks.

According to the ASPCA 

the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy estimates that fewer than 2% of cats and only 15-20% of dogs entering shelters are ever reunited with their families!

Please be diligent this holiday weekend. Cats and dogs show anxiety and stress in a variety of different ways.  Pay attention and recognize these signs:

  • Panting
  • Drooling
  • Pacing
  • Hiding
  • Decreased appetite
  • Abnormal urinations or poops
  • Dilated pupils
  • Excessive grooming

ALSO –

  • Keep your pets indoors and secure your home and yard
  • Have legible and up-to-date identification

For more information regarding Pet Safety this weekend, visit the ASPCA for more safety tips.

Make the most of your holiday weekend, be safe and be kind to others!

25 Comments
  • Ann Staub
    July 3, 2015

    Aw I love the photos for this post! And your plan sounds awesome to me. I hope it helps with the stress. I am starting to grow less fond of this holiday, even though my pets don’t show much stress with fireworks. Just learned they are closing the street I live on so that they can have a parade. If I don’t leave in time, I’m going to be stuck here all day!! Plus, coming back home is always a pain in the butt…

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 3, 2015

      I can so relate Ann, the 4th of July county parade runs down a main street that I must use coming out of my neighborhood, and tomorrow it will be closed from 7am to 1:00pm. I can get out but it’s always a pain so whatever I need, I will try and make sure I get it today! Hope you, Shiner, my boys Jack and Gus, and cutie Callie have a great holiday weekend – oh yeah, and the kids too LOL

  • Emma
    July 3, 2015

    LOL! You boys are so funny. I don’t mind all the racket and stuff in the sky one bit. I sit out in the middle of the yard and just look at it. My sisters prefer to be inside with Mom, but no one is really scared. Katie was for a few years, but now she doesn’t hear well, so no longer an issue.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 3, 2015

      I’m interested to watch Harley’s reaction actually now that he’s older. Who knows, maybe he’s like Katie and has mellowed out a bit. I’ll see. Enjoy your holiday Emma.

  • The Daily Pip
    July 3, 2015

    They sure get the spa treatment – love the shower cap!

    We are lucky as both of our dogs (past and present) haven’t been bothered too much by the fireworks. Our new neighborhood is pretty quiet, but old neighborhood was super crazy and the alley behind our building would literally be exploding with home grown firecrackers. Pip, our former dog, just slept through the whole thing year after year. I kept thinking maybe I should have his hearing checked, but he heard other things like food opening or the key in lock when we came home from work. Very odd, but glad it didn’t phase him.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 3, 2015

      Pip sounds a lot like our Leo – he could have cared less. I am interested to see if Harley is phased at all now that he’s a little older. Enjoy your holiday weekend.

  • slimdoggy
    July 3, 2015

    Good pointers and a good plan to keep the doggies calm.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 3, 2015

      Thanks Slim –

  • Jan K
    July 3, 2015

    What a great plan! I can’t wait to hear how it works. None of our dogs love fireworks, but Luke will just go downstairs to the basement and stay there until it’s over. Cricket and Sheba will want to stick close to us, but they’ll pace around…Cricket takes it the hardest. We got some all natural anxiety meds to try this year to see if that helps. We’ve tried thundershirts, etc., with no luck. But hopefully we’ll all go downstairs and have the TV and fans on loud to drown it out as much as possible.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 3, 2015

      THK – sent us some soothing teas not too long ago, I’m thinking about getting them out along with some calming cookies (I forgot where they came from) and let them have a little party later. Gotta watch what I give Jax, he’s been dealing with loose stool the past 24 hours. Hope your guys aren’t too affected…

  • Lori Denise
    July 3, 2015

    Thanks for this post, Cathy. My dog and two cats are terrified of fireworks, and we get a lot of them in my neighborhood this time of year. I don’t understand the need people have to light off illegal fireworks either, especially when my hometown offers a pretty spectacular fireworks show that people can go see for free!

    I also just posted a few Independence Day survival tips along the same lines: https://mrbaloneyhead.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/fourth-of-july-celebrations-can-be-a-pets-worst-nightmare/

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 3, 2015

      You’re welcome Lori – I’m right outside the DC area, can’t get any better than the spectacular sight we get from the White House, yet we too are forced to endure those who feel the need to disobey the law. I will go to your site now and read your post. Stay safe, and enjoy your holiday – Jax isn’t feeling too well, so we’ll be in most of the weekend. 🙂

  • Tenacious Little Terrier
    July 3, 2015

    Surprisingly it hasn’t been bad so far this year *knocks on wood. Our neighbors normally like to light fireworks two weeks before and after! We’re already having missing dogs who were spooked by fireworks though…

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 3, 2015

      This has been like a holiday inside of a holiday. The most annoying neighbor ever when it comes to fireworks has gone out of town for the next nine days. Who could ask for anything more 🙂 LOL

  • The Island Cats
    July 3, 2015

    Y’know, us cats don’t like fireworks much either. We’ll be hiding UTB, under the bed, when the noise starts.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 3, 2015

      You know something Island Cats, we don’t get UTB – we just hangout all together and try not to think much about it. Harley is getting better the older he becomes, so PAWhaps this year he will ignore it all together. We’ll see 🙂 Enjoy your holiday just the same!

  • Sand Spring Chesapeakes
    July 3, 2015

    Have a great 4th.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 4, 2015

      You too JoAnne – we’re all wet around here so not sure how much celebrating people will be able to do as originally planned – #bummer I may try to grill a few burgers in-between rain showers 🙁

  • Monika
    July 5, 2015

    Hope the howliday wasn’t too bad for your guys. Sam got a bit concerned at a couple of boomers around the neighborhood; I turned up the TV and fan and sprinkled some lavender essential oil around. Soon enough we both passed out. 😉

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 7, 2015

      You know what Monika – I have lavender oils but I never EVER think to use it #doggoneit 🙁 Happy to hear your evening was uneventful also.

      • Monika & Sam
        July 7, 2015

        I’m with Harley about despising this holiday. People are so stupid and inconsiderate and then lose their ‘stuff’ when their pet freaks out and runs away. Hel-lo? !

        Lavender is a god-send for dogs, kids and cranky bosses. Just saying. 😉

  • Nichole
    July 6, 2015

    We hope you survived… the boomer are legal in our state and the idiots are dangerous with them.
    Mama said your Mom should wag on over and read her open letter to Lola, which we put up on the 4th… it was a hard one to write, but very very special.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 7, 2015

      Hey Nicole, happy to here you all survived. My site went down for the past three days 🙁 finally back up so I’m headed over now to read your letter to Lola.

  • Pamela
    July 6, 2015

    Looks like a pretty spiffy pet spa you have at Chez Doodle. Old Towne better look out for some competition.

    Hope the boom booms weren’t too upsetting. Hopefully the golden DNA in your pups stepped forward to help them remember their gun dog heritage.

    • Cathy Bennett
      July 7, 2015

      That must have been it Pamela – Their inner Retriever must have stepped forward because although they weren’t “feeling” the great outdoors once the light show started, they weren’t fazed indoors with us. It was an uneventful evening #thankthedoodle