Dogs at Risk From Independence Day Celebrations

This letter is to every American dog owner!

As this year’s Independence Day celebration fades into the past I wonder just how many family pets are going to lose their lives as the result of this great holiday? Far too many, that is for sure.

Some dogs will never get used to the sound of crackers being detonated and become totally disoriented the moment they hear the first bang. I had a german shepherd who became a completely different dog the second she heard a loud bang.

Many dogs, left outside, will run as fast as they can showing no sign of recognition as to where or why they are doing so. Many break away from restraints such as chains when they are chained up outside. The outcome is usually not a good one – they are either hit by a passing car or they finish up in a dog shelter. Few make it back home unscathed. Many of the dogs brought to shelters are eventually euthanized because the owner fails to show up to claim them and, being traumatized as they are, they scarcely look like adoptable animals.

Do not leave your family dog out, on fourth of July, with the kids. If the dog panics the kids will be unable to stop it from taking off. One neighbor I had years ago lost her gorgeous bichon frise because her child had taken it outside just as other neighbors were detonating their crackers. The child was more interested in that than in taking care of her pet and telling her mother that it had run off and it was hours before the loss was noted. By then it was too late. A mile from their home he had been hit by a car.

Yes, I realize that there are animals out there which are totally immune to the sounds of crackers or thunder. My labrador is one of them. Nothing bothers this dog. But to watch a pet suffer, as my old dog did every fireworks day, was hard for me. Her eyes would glaze over and she would pace, pant, climb, and look for a hiding place despite the tranquillizers given to me by my veterinarian. The best remedy I found was to place her in my dressing room (no windows), put some classical music on and wait it out. Of one thing I was certain and that was that she should never be alone on that day. Knowing how she reacted made we wonder about all the poor animals left outside without care.

If you do intend to have your dog be outside on any fireworks day please make sure that you have a collar on it with tags showing licensing, vaccinations, micro chipping, address and telephone number. This will save his life if he is lucky enough to not get run over. You should have this information on your pet at all times regardless.

We can minimize the ruin caused by this celebratory day by taking a few precautions and this I ask you – why do we need to have fireworks anyway? With most cities and towns now having public displays we should celebrate by watching those. Not risking our animals or our own hands by having our own!