I am a very happy puppy…
JJ – Daddy has begun the process of letting me go outside by myself!
Alanis – He was waiting for a new fence to be put in. I hate the new fence – the old fence was so beaten up that I was able to stick my head through it and watch the neighbors! Now, I feel as if I am trapped inside a giant enclosure, with no way out 🙁
JJ – That fence had nails sticking out of it, boards breaking off, and was being held together by ropes, strings, bungee cords, etc!
Alanis – It added character to the house! Now it is just a big fortress!
JJ – I continue to grow. I probably way around 40 pounds now. It is funny because I still have a “puppy” face, as my limbs continue to grow. It is like I am walking on stilts!
Alanis – You are 6 months old now. Mommy and daddy brought me home when I was 8 months.
JJ – Were you given freedom at 8 months?
Alanis – Yes. And I made them pay for that by ripping through the drywall and ripping up couch cushions.
JJ – So, because you were such a destructive diva, that means I am not going to have full access to the house when I am 8 months?
Alanis – Correct. You’re welcome.
JJ – I can’t wait until the day when I can just roam around the house by myself, free to go wherever I want to go. Growing up sucks.
Alanis – It sucks??? Listen, pup – stay young FOREVER! They cater to your every need. They give you all the attention. They worry about you if you leave the room for one second while they are watching TV. Take it while you can. The day will come when you will walk out of the room, and they won’t even care. Take all the attention you can get, and act like a baby forever. That is my big sister advice.
JJ – Noted. Today is the 4th of July, Alanis! What do we typically do on the 4th of July?
Alanis – What do we do on the 3rd of July?
JJ – Eat. Play. Go for walks. Sleep.
Alanis – That is what we do on the 4th of July.
JJ – Oh.
Alanis – The only difference is that the 4th of July comes with big, spooky fireworks displays – but given where we live, we hear those fairly often anyway.
JJ – So far, those displays haven’t startled me.
Alanis – That is a good thing. I just curl into a ball and sleep through it. Your brother Josh would pace. Your brother Jeter would run for the hills. He was scared of fireworks. Poor boy would scratch and claw his way to get under the bed.
JJ – Is that why I keep hearing about making sure dogs are safe on this holiday?
Alanis – Yes. We are at very high risk of running away during fireworks displays. Even a secure backyard like ours wouldn’t hold back a determined dog on an adrenaline rush. Dogs have been known to bust right through fences, over fences, etc. to run away from the scary monsters in the sky.
JJ – I will be in my crate during much of it.
Alanis – That is one of the best places to be – though if you get startled, Mommy and Daddy will make sure you don’t hurt yourself.
JJ – And you will be downstairs with me?
Alanis – I don’t know where I will be, but that is where I was this past weekend during the loud booms.
JJ – Well, as long as I know someone is in the vicinity!
Alanis – When are you getting your adult bark, anyway? Everything else about you is “ADULT!” except for that annoying bark.
JJ – It serves its purpose, does it not?
Alanis – I would say so. Obnoxious, but I guess it does what it is supposed to do. Please try not to bark at the fireworks tonight.
JJ – I will just do my usual random barking for no reason, instead.
Me: Keep your dogs safe on the 4th of July. You have likely read that it is, by far, the day where the most people lose their dogs due to fireworks displays, or people at parties leaving doors or gates open. Just use common sense to keep them safe. If they are petrified by fireworks, there are a few things you can do. The most common advice is the “leave it alone” advice – if you don’t react to it, eventually they may not react to it. That can work, but you can’t be doing that if your dog is petrified. Jeter needed to either run under the bed or be cuddled. Ignoring the booms was not effective to keep him safe and HAPPY. You can also play some music while the displays go off to keep them calm. You can use a Thundershirt, which works for some dogs, but not all dogs. You can take them to a “safe room” – a basement, for example, where the sounds won’t be quite as loud. Get out their favorite toy and play. If they love to play fetch and you don’t mind playing ball in the house with your pup, toss the ball for them.
One thing I like to do is wear them out. JJ went for a long walk today. It was warm out, but not excessively so. After that, he played for a while with Alanis. I just had them outside about an hour ago, and they played some more. Just as we can sometimes sleep through a bad thunderstorm if we are tired enough, dogs may just sleep through the scary festivities if you tire them out a bit.
Play ball with me to wear me out before fireworks!
If you have read this long enough, you know what my biggest piece of advice is: KNOW YOUR DOG! There is no “one way” to get your dog through a night like this. Some won’t care. Some will care, but only a little bit. Some will go CRAZY with barking, whining, “zoomies”, trembling, etc. The stress is awful for them, and it is up to us to make them realize it is just another part of the world around them.
We live in a shore area, where fireworks go off on many different days. Dogs around here may get used to them more easily than dogs who aren’t exposed to them as much. Regardless, just keep your dog SAFE. Taking them outside a few times tonight on a leash sure beats having to jump in a car to look for them since they escaped. If you think the big booms are frightening to them when they are in the comfort of your home, just imagine how it would frighten them if they ESCAPED your home.