The Fourth of July is rapidly approaching, and everyone is anxiously awaiting all of the celebrations. There will be food, parties, games, and fireworks. Celebrating the Fourth of July is a big deal, and a whole lot of fun. Everyone is looking forward to it, well, almost everyone anyways.
While people are all very excited about the Fourth of July and how it is celebrated, there is one group out there that doesn’t enjoy the fireworks. Pets all over the United States have varying feelings about fireworks. Some are indifferent towards them, and others are outright terrified. A pet owner needs to consider this before they go out celebrating for the holiday.
Pets Don’t Appreciate Fireworks
Unlike humans, pets aren’t really big fans of fireworks. The problem usually lies in the fact that they don’t understand what the fireworks and explosions are. They don’t see all of the fuss as fun. All they know is that there are a lot of flashing lights and loud explosions that can shake the house. These sounds are already loud for humans, and are much louder for animals who have better hearing, such as cats and dogs.
In order to make sure that a pet feels safe and secure this Fourth of July, a pet owner needs to be there for their animal. Here are a few tips for pet owners to help their pet stay safe this Fourth of July:
- For starters, keep dogs and cats indoors for the night. This can greatly reduce the chances of the animals running away. This also means dogs should be walked in the late afternoon, early evening before any fireworks begin.
- Pets should always have some form of identification on them, whether that is a collar or a microchip. This helps increase the chances of the animal being found again if it does run away.
- Prepare a safe place or den for the animal in their favorite hiding spot. This way if they are scared, they can go someplace that makes them feel safe and comfortable.
- Be calm and don’t yell at the animal. Yelling can stress out the animal even more.
- Don’t force animals to cuddle if they don’t want to. Just allow the animal to do whatever it needs to in order to feel safe.
- Close curtains and blinds to dampen light and noise coming in from fireworks. Also have a radio or TV playing, but not too loud, to help drown out the sounds.
- Avoid leaving pets home alone on Fourth of July, this can cause more stress for them, and lead to them creating a mess in the house.
- Never leave dogs tied up outside on the Fourth of July. That is a sure fire way to stress out the animal, which could lead to it hurting itself or running away.
- Never take a dog to a firework show, even if they do not seem fazed by fireworks. This could still be a frightening experience for the pooch.
Keep Pets in Mind This Fourth of July
The Fourth of July is meant to be a fun holiday celebrating the nation’s independence. Unfortunately, while setting off fireworks is a fun for people, pets don’t appreciate the loud booms and colorful flashes. Fireworks can be absolutely terrifying for them. When a pet is scared, it is up to their owner to take care of them.
Every pet responds to fireworks a little differently, so each pet will need its own unique solutions to help it stay calm. Do you have a pet that is terrified of fireworks? If so, do you have any tips to help keep it calm that aren’t on this list? Share them in the comments below and help other pet owners keep their furry companies safe and happy this Fourth of July.
