Fireworks and dogs don’t mix

This caution is repetitive but it is not redundant.

Jerry and I know of bad things that have happened to puppies over the Fourth of July holiday. They have become so scared that they panic, run away and are lost. Some have been hit by a vehicle. Others have chewed out of crates, breaking teeth and scratching until their paws are bloody.

Even if your young dog has been exposed to gunfire, you still need to be careful. Here are two easy precautions.
•    Put a crate in a protected, quiet place and put the puppy in it.
•    Provide background noise such as TV or radio.

If your young dog will be exposed to fireworks, consider these actions.
•    Go about things normally during the fireworks. Act as though nothing special is going on.
•    Don’t comfort the dog or give it any attention. Don’t look at the dog; don’t talk to it; don’t touch it.
•    If your dog wants to be close to you, let it; but again, don’t comfort it. Comfort will most likely reinforce the behavior and make things worse.

In fact, consider older dogs, too. Even though they’ve been shot over countless times, those have usually been in hunting situations. The circumstances of loud noises and fireworks are utterly different.

Perhaps a hunter can relate to this. If you’re at a gun range, blasts, shots and noises of all kinds are expected. But if you’re sitting on your deck reading a book when a gun is fired 20 behind you, the experience is totally different.

That’s how the dog feels.

Let me amend the caution:

Fireworks and dogs don’t mix.

Photo at top by fortbragg.com.

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