Yes, it’s that time of the year again when America celebrates its birth. Independence Day. The Fourth of July. It’s a time for picnics, family, fun, and fireworks.
Most people love to go to their local fireworks displays. Since the 4th falls on a Tuesday this year, that means that localities will have their big fireworks shows on one of five nights. Some may have had them last night, since it was a Friday night. Others will have them either tonight, Sunday night, Monday night, or some will even have the patience to wait until the actual day to light up the night sky.
But while humans are oooohing and aaaahing at these beautiful, magnificent, stunning displays that celebrate the birth of our nation, our beloved canine family members are not going to be very happy.
No dog that I know of, and certainly not our family’s dog, loves fireworks. Over the next four nights, we will either have to take our dog out for its last walk of the day before it gets dark and the explosions commence, or very late after the last firework has been launched.
Because during the fireworks, while humans are oooohing and aaaahing, our terrified dog will be shaking like a leaf, sitting in the bath tub, in a windowless bathroom while we are playing loud music to drown out the sound of the exploding chaos going on all around us until quiet and calm have returned.
This post is in response to today’s Stream of Consciousness Prompt: ooooh, aaaah.
This, That, and the Other 
Thank you for writing about this. When one of my dogs got older, I took him for a short walk before the fire works thinking he would be tired and rest during the big noises. He ended up having a seizure. We’ve had two dogs who would shake visible with any loud booms. It was awful for them. Even though the dogs we have now are not as terrified, we stay home during fireworks to comfort them.
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Terrified is a good word to describe how our dog reacts to the sound of fireworks…or thunder, for that matter. She won’t stop shaking until way after the fireworks have ended. We try to comfort her, but it’s so sad to see her that way. Thanks for reading and for your comment.
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They have dog sedatives and those “thunder vests” but not sure how well they work. Best wishes.
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Thanks for the suggestions. We’ve actually tried both and neither did much to reduce our dog’s stress. Oh well. I guess we’ll just have to comfort as best we can.
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So glad my Cody isn’t afraid of anything.
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You’re lucky. We also have a cat and he is totally oblivious to fireworks…and to just about everything else except his need to eat.
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My cat hates noise period. But she comes and goes as she pleases.
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“But she comes and goes as she pleases.” Yes, as cats are wont to do!
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I live with six dogs. Two are mine, the rest belong to our niece, but none of them are very fond of loud noises. Thunderstorms have them all trying to find a lap to snuggle into for comfort. The fireworks around us started last night, although very mild and mostly distant, but I can imagine that as the holiday draws closer, it’ll get louder and more frequent. We’ll be spending the holiday at home making sure the furbabies are looked after and not over-stressed.
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Yes, once nightfall hits, we will also be spending the the time trying to comfort our dog, who is terrified by both thunder and fireworks. What a fun way to celebrate the birth of our nation — NOT! 😳 At least we only have one to deal with, though. I can’t image having six.
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My little guy hide in the closet for hours.
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Our not-so-little guy spent hours in the bathtub!
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