PSA: for Pet Owners on the 4th of July

[AmberGretchen]

Hi everyone, I was helping out at a puppy obedience class tonight, and the dog trainer reminded all the students about the dangers of July 4 for our furry friends (this applies especially to dogs, but to cats as well). The trainer pointed out that the day after the 4th of July most animal shelters are bursting at the seams with animals, especially dogs. This is because most dogs don''t get accustomed to fireworks during the crucial time before they are 4-5 months old, and are thus extremely scared of them. Dog owners should be VERY CAREFUL and VIGILANT on the 4th to ensure that tragedy does not strike in the form of a runaway pet, or worse.

Please, all of you who have furry family members, take a moment to look over this link on 4th of July animal safety, for your pets'' sake and your own.

Have a safe and happy 4th everyone!!!

 

[Kaleigh]

Great reminder AmberGretchen!!!
I am home this 4th of July because I won''t leave Casper alone. He''s scared of fireworks, has been for the past 3 years. Thunderstorms put him into a tizzy too. So plan on lots of cuddling, and have medicine as my back up if need be. I hope this reminder will help other''s. My husband''s dog growing up used to bolt during fireworks. Best to keep them inside and safe.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Thanks Lisa - I hope its helpful for people - LOTS of dogs are like your Casper, and keeping them inside and safe really is the best option. One other thought for Casper - the trainer I was working with tonight suggested feeding them yummy treats (something really special - cut up Natural Balance logs, hot dogs, cheese, marrow bone, whatever doggie loves), and talking to your dog a lot in a really happy, excited voice (like what you use to praise them when they behave nicely). It sounds like you have an great game plan, and its so wonderful that you''re aware of Casper''s fear and making it as easy on him as possible!

 

[monarch64]

One of our beagles, Milo, was diagnosed with epilepsy early this spring, don''t know if anyone recalls my thread about the first seizure he had...anyway, we''ve tried our absolute best to keep him inside the past few days as people in the neighborhood are shooting off fireworks upon sundown, but to no avail. Tonight about 8 p.m., well before sundown and an hour before pro fireworks began he had multiple seizures, we had to give him a prescribed Valium. He''s fine now, DH and I both took care of him and I kept the new puppy away from him so he wouldn''t get further upset. Thank you for the reminder, AG. I don''t think the average person realizes the trauma fireworks or thunderstorms can cause a dog to have. BTW, our little Milo guy is sleeping peacefully now next to Daddy on the couch in the basement...he''ll most likely be fine by morning and hopefully he can get a good night''s sleep tonight.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Oh monnie - I''m so sorry to hear about Milo. Poor baby

I''m glad he''s peacefully sleeping now, and I hope he is all better tomorrow. I agree with you that people often just don''t appreciate how traumatic these things can be for our furbabies - it can really be terrifying for them, because they don''t have a clue what it is, just that it might be dangerous, and their fight-or-flight response kicks in, and they don''t necessarily act rationally.

 

[Mara]

AG i also read about how 4th of july is when the most pets get loose and the shelters get packed with runaways and freaked out animals. so sad! luckily for us, portia was just an impressionable young pup when we had our first 4th of july with her and so she is pretty cool with them...the first year she was a little unsure, but we just held her and since then year after year she is a total trooper. plus we take her out with us to watch the fireworks on the back lawn so she's with us as well. if she hears them in the house she barks at them. but yeah tomorrow we'll have another dog over..my girlfriend's jack and he hates the fireworks and gets so freaked out. she is going to try rescue remedy on him so we'll see.

hope everyone and their pup has a safe and happy 4th of july.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Thanks for the reminder AG...

I am up late tonight to hold paws...have had to be for 3 weeks now. My little girls are wimps. But golly, I love them so! I couldn''t consider being anywhere else.

There needs to be a heads up on horses as well. They may do their first fence jumping tonight.

DKS

 

[Lorelei]

Great reminder AG, also as DKS says, those with or in charge of horses may need to take extra precautions.

 

[Dee*Jay]

The Demon is just like Lisa''s dog when it comes to fireworks and thunderstorms. We never leave when we know there will be a fireworks display because he just goes nuts. The new Monster though didn''t seem to be bothered by the fireworks last night--thank god; 60 pounds of frenzied dog I can handle, 100+ pounds might be a little much!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Mara - that''s so great that you and Greg were able to socialize Portia to the fireworks at such a young age. It really does make all the difference. At our shelter, we''ve started playing CDs with fireworks noises on them for the very young puppies we are socializing. Everything I learned says that if they don''t encounter it before 4-5 months of age you can''t know how they will react, but before that you have a lot of control by creating positive associations, so its wonderful that you guys were able to do that. I hope your friend''s Jack is OK - he should definitely be on a very secure lead or tether of some sort, just in case the rescue remedy isn''t effective...

Good point Lorelei and DKS about the horses - I''m not as familiar with them, but imagine the issues would be similar, and definitely something for those who are caring for horses to think about.

DJ - too funny about 100+ lbs of dog

Seriously I am glad to hear that Oscar is better with the fireworks than The Demon. Its really wonderful that you are willing to stay home with him and make sure he''s OK - I''m sure it helps enormously.

 

[risingsun]

Date: 7/4/2007 12:40:55 AM
Author: Kaleigh
Great reminder AmberGretchen!!!
I am home this 4th of July because I won''t leave Casper alone. He''s scared of fireworks, has been for the past 3 years. Thunderstorms put him into a tizzy too. So plan on lots of cuddling, and have medicine as my back up if need be. I hope this reminder will help other''s. My husband''s dog growing up used to bolt during fireworks. Best to keep them inside and safe.

My Charlie Brown is the same as your Casper. He''s terrified of thunder and fireworks. He just trembles and shakes, poor pup. We will watch the Macy fireworks, on TV, with the sound off

 

[ljmorgan]

Just wanted to add that my chihuahua used to be a nutcase about fireworks and thunder. I started correcting her each time that she barked, and now she isn''t bothered by thunder or fireworks at all! We went for a walk yesterday, where my town home community was already doing fireworks over the water, and she didn''t even flinch.

 

[Harriet]

Both our dogs are terrified of thunderstorms. We''ll be able to see the Macy''s fireworks from our apartment for the first time this year. I wonder what''s going to happen.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Oh harriet - I hope it goes OK for your doggies. Make sure to have plenty of their favorite treats at the ready to feed them - that should help calm any anxiety they have

 

[Harriet]

Date: 7/4/2007 11:27:44 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
Oh harriet - I hope it goes OK for your doggies. Make sure to have plenty of their favorite treats at the ready to feed them - that should help calm any anxiety they have

Hi!

They were afraid but we picked them up and cuddled them.

 

[AmberGretchen]

aww...perfect! Dogs learn best by association and consequences, so now hopefully they''ve started to associate that scary firecracker noises = love from mom and dad, and hopefully they won''t be as scary next time because of that! I''m so glad it went OK

 

[diamondfan]

The noises can really make some dogs fearful. We are in Stone Harbor NJ and they do a huge 30 show which ends with a huge finale, and Maya overall was fine. She did pace a bit and seemed to not know what was up, but we were watching from the roof top deck of the house and we left the door open, she could go in at will. But she kept staying out, and really seemed intrigued, not totally scared but definitely unsure.

I will throw out something that my trainer really believes. And it makes sense though it might be tough. He said you should NOT comfort a stressed out dog because dogs are not like people and it is shown that they then make an association about being comforted when they are in a tizzy. Meaning, if the dog is upset and you cuddle and pet him, he thinks wow, I got petted and loved for this state of mind I am in, so I should do it again and get more cuddles. I guess it is reinforcing or Pavlovian to the dog, and therefore it helps ingrain the behavior. I am not sure I totally agree but notice when Maya is upset if I sort of am near and a reassuring presence but not paying tons of attention the duration of the episodes is shortened. It may be controversial and tough to implement (I am guilty of this) but the trainer swears it works. He told me a dog is not like a person, they are not rational in their thinking, so if a child were upset you could comfort and explain things and they would know for the next time, or start to learn depending on their learning curve. A dog does not, however, say, oh this noise scares me but mom has comforted me and I now know NOT to be scared, that is all fine and I should know that I have nothing to be scared of. Again, tough to do and I am not sure how many dog experts agree but thought it was interesting and somewhat logical.

The PSA advice is quite good, and you also must know your pet. Some dogs can handle things but some cannot. New Year's eve, if people in the neighborhood shoot guns off (happens in downtown Philly a lot supposedly) is also a bad time too. It pays to be aware and careful.

 

[ljmorgan]

Date: 7/5/2007 10:44:22 PM
Author: diamondfan
The noises can really make some dogs fearful. We are in Stone Harbor NJ and they do a huge 30 show which ends with a huge finale, and Maya overall was fine. She did pace a bit and seemed to not know what was up, but we were watching from the roof top deck of the house and we left the door open, she could go in at will. But she kept staying out, and really seemed intrigued, not totally scared but definitely unsure.


I will throw out something that my trainer really believes. And it makes sense though it might be tough. He said you should NOT comfort a stressed out dog because dogs are not like people and it is shown that they then make an association about being comforted when they are in a tizzy. Meaning, if the dog is upset and you cuddle and pet him, he thinks wow, I got petted and loved for this state of mind I am in, so I should do it again and get more cuddles. I guess it is reinforcing or Pavlovian to the dog, and therefore it helps ingrain the behavior. I am not sure I totally agree but notice when Maya is upset if I sort of am near and a reassuring presence but not paying tons of attention the duration of the episodes is shortened. It may be controversial and tough to implement (I am guilty of this) but the trainer swears it works. He told me a dog is not like a person, they are not rational in their thinking, so if a child were upset you could comfort and explain things and they would know for the next time, or start to learn depending on their learning curve. A dog does not, however, say, oh this noise scares me but mom has comforted me and I now know NOT to be scared, that is all fine and I should know that I have nothing to be scared of. Again, tough to do and I am not sure how many dog experts agree but thought it was interesting and somewhat logical.


The PSA advice is quite good, and you also must know your pet. Some dogs can handle things but some cannot. New Year''s eve, if people in the neighborhood shoot guns off (happens in downtown Philly a lot supposedly) is also a bad time too. It pays to be aware and careful.

It''s so true, and it''s hard not to coddle them when you know that they''re upset. But when you start coddling them, and act worried yourself, it only increases their anxiety, they can sense that something is not right. If you act like the noise is no big deal, and have them shush, they''ll realize no one else is threatened by the noise, and they aren''t either. I really could not believe my ex-hysterical chihuahua was walking around outside with fireworks going on, and she didn''t even act like she noticed it!

 

[AmberGretchen]

DF - your trainer makes a good point. There is a subtle, but crucial difference between coddling your dog and creating positive associations with things your dog previously thought were unpleasant. You should NOT act worried and anxious when your dog is, because that will create the effects your trainer is concerned about. However, talking in a calm, happy voice, and giving your dog positive reinforcement such as treats or attention will usually have more of the effect of creating a positive association for the dog with whatever the trigger of the fearful reaction is. And absolutely, knowing your dog is crucial, because it will vary somewhat from dog to dog in terms of getting the best reaction.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 7/5/2007 10:34:31 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
aww...perfect! Dogs learn best by association and consequences, so now hopefully they''ve started to associate that scary firecracker noises = love from mom and dad, and hopefully they won''t be as scary next time because of that! I''m so glad it went OK

Thanks!