OOHH!!  AAAHH!!

Just down the road from my house are two fireworks stands.  I personally know the people hosting these stands and know that they are dog lovers,  and certainly I wish for them a bumper year in fireworks sales.  However much we humans enjoy the glory and beauty of the holiday, our four legged family members do not always agree that it is a treat.

Hannah, my Jack Russell Terrier, thinks that those fireworks that jump around on the ground are the coolest neon colored critters in the world, and her vermin killing instincts kick in and she races to catch the noisy little bugs and kill them dead!  So needless to say, when we fire off the works, she is either tied up or kenneled up in the house so that she cannot quickly chase down and scoop up a burning firecracker in her mouth.

Meade, our service dog puppy in training, last year only watched the colors through the sky with passive interest, ignoring all the bangs and pops.  It will be interesting to see what she thinks this year.  

We had a Rat Terrier, Cookie, that didn't like the noise and would hide under our lawn chairs, shivering and really preferred being safe and quiet in his kennel in the house.

My point is that not all pets think that the Fourth of July is a wonderful time to be a part of your family fun.  Every year I get phone calls and visits from parents of these pets for sedatives so their pets won't be trying to dig a hole in the floor to hide from the noise.  So I encourage those of you that have these fretful  critters to provide your pet with a quiet place to chill out while you enjoy the celebration.  Play some Mozart on the stereo (music can be calming)and turn it up loud, spend some time playing and exercising with your dog before the nightly event (tires them out and relaxes them...they may be ready for a nap),  and if your dog is kennel/crate trained, confine them in their special bedroom.