Fourth of July Fireworks Terrifying to Animals
Take a Few Simple Steps to Protect Them
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Fireworks create panick in animals. A few simple precautions will keep yours safe this holiday weekend. |
Every year, around the Fourth of July, my neighborhood near Wyoming Blvd. and San Antonio NE in Albuquerque literally goes hazy with the smoke of fireworks, many illegal within city limits. Some of the fireworks in my neighborhood scream loud enough to bruise an eardrum and they mock the city’s height restriction of 10 feet. I think of Civil War battlefields.
Whether due to extreme patriotism or pyromania, I know to count on these residential pyrotechnics every year. So, I always stay home with my dogs for several nights in a row during fireworks season, which is not strictly limited to the Fourth of July.
Dogs are terrified by fireworks, and every year many dogs escape from their homes because they’re trying to get away from the loud noises, not realizing the noise is everywhere except Canada and Mexico on July 4. Many dogs get lost, some permanently, and the local shelters are overrun with lost animals.
Protect your animals every Fourth of July:
* Stay indoors with your animals, if possible
* Keep animals indoors in any case
* Close doors and windows, and close the curtains or blinds
* Play a movie or the stereo at a higher volume than usual
* Ensure your animal is wearing a collar with home contact information on the tags
* Microchip your animal in case the collar is lost
Taking a few precautions to protect your animals when they are in a panicked state may save you the anxiety of searching for a lost, frightened member of your family. By Monica Garcia, Communications Manager |
