Not looking forward to fireworks ..... my poor dog .

Toomuchstuff

Toomuchstuff

Member
Location
Wisconsin
This is the Holiday I dread .......only because of the fireworks and my dog ..... she is just scared out of her wits when the booming starts going on. She's a humane society mutt ((( Poppie ))) but she's so fearful of loud noises ,maybe something happened in her past that I don't know about . It just triggers her into instant fear.
Every 4th , we close up - turn on the A/c - turn the TV loud and eat popcorn and give her pieces so she concentrates on us - instead of the noise. My neighbor has an 80 pound Lab. that hides behind the toilet when the fireworks go off. It's so sad that something so "normal" to us people , can be so scary to pets. We're in the middle of all the surrounding area that shoot fireworks .....ugh ...
 

Not much really loud stuff goes on in my neighborhood; mostly in the distance. So my dog isn't affected by it.

Only loud noise is when some Jack Ass races his Harley Hog down the street like an idiot.
 
It is a major problem for my dog as well. I read a few years back that a lot of dogs panic and end up lost because they run off during the fireworks.
 

TooMuchStuff, I feel for your poor dog fearing the fireworks. I avoid getting anywhere near Fireworks and stay in my apartment, because each boom sets my Essential Tremor shaking into high gear. I don't hide behind my toilet though. :)

I admire how you find ways to keep your dog from getting upset/afraid.
 
We live in an unincorporated county and we dread the 4th. It's like a war zone here. So bad, we hang out at the house in case something catches on fire.
 
The fireworks has really bothered most of the dogs I've ever had. My old Emily (RIP), a flat coat retriever/lab cross, used to get in the bathtub at the first boom and not come out till it was over. For some reason, the bathtub seemed to her a safe place. My Harold (RIP), lab/pit cross, would run around the yard and bark frantically. I always worried that some idiot would throw a firecracker in the yard and he would go up to sniff it, so I'd generally close off the dog door on the 4th and only let him out with me, and only briefly, to do whatever he needed to do and then get him back in the house. Mr present dog, Bonnie (Amstaff/pitbull cross) generally stays in the house and barks nervously.

Around here, the booms have already started, and if history is any indication, will continue through the week. I hate it, and I think it's dangerous, and it is very stressful for dogs.
 
I feel for you Toomuchstuff, I had two dogs that were very afraid or stressed by thunder and fireworks, so 4th of July, New Year Eve, any holiday where the neighbors blew off fireworks was bad. My last dog (R.I.P.) used to get stressed, panted heavily and stuck to me like glue during thunder storms or fireworks. When he laid in bed with us at night, it would be like those motels with the 25 cent magic fingers massaging beds. He didn't really hide anywhere away from me.

I did like you, closed the windows to block out the noise. Didn't make the TV any louder, but something was always on. I tried not to tell him 'okay', or make a fuss or baby him....just tried to ignore the whole thing so it wasn't exaggerated in his head. I was always glad when the noise died down. Luckily the pup I have now doesn't seem to be bothered by it, hopefully it'll stay that way. Can't say we've had really loud cracking thunder or extra loud fireworks since we've had him though.
 
Most dogs have hearing that is far superior to that of humans. They can usually detect subtle sounds at a distance far greater than humans can. It would probably be logical, therefore, to assume that what a human might perceive as just a loud bang, might actually be painful to a dog's sensitive ears.
 
My dog stays very close to me when the locals set off their fireworks. I keep the curtains tightly closed and try to have some music playing on the stereo during the peak times, to mute the shock a little bit.
 
dpwspringer said:
It is a major problem for my dog as well. I read a few years back that a lot of dogs panic and end up lost because they run off during the fireworks.
Click to expand...

Lost dogs after fireworks is not uncommon, unfortunately. The lucky ones have a microchip implanted with current information to lead them back to their guardians. What I don't understand is dog guardians who know their dog has an issue with loud noises, but leaves them alone on this night anyway, without them being secured. Besides that, I know my dogs need my physical presence. They are pack animals, and I am their pack leader. They depend on me for their safety, and I will not let them down.
 
Butterfly said:
Around here, the booms have already started, and if history is any indication, will continue through the week. I hate it, and I think it's dangerous, and it is very stressful for dogs.
Click to expand...
Same here and not only is it stressful for dogs and other animals, the Emergency Rooms have an uptick in customers as well. It is amazing to me that it is legal in metro areas with high population densities that have professional fireworks in many nearby places.
 
When our boys were young, our city allowed so called safe and sane fireworks. On the fourth, up and down our block neighbors would be setting them off in their front yards. They were mostly fizzling fountains, with an occasional whistling piccolo Pete. Rarely would we hear a firecracker.

Then, an ordinance was passed to ban them and the fourth became very quiet. But, we could stand out front and see the rockets at the local high school display a couple miles away. The dog we had at the time wasn't bothered by them and sat out with us.

Two years ago the ban was reversed by voters. Still, only safe and sane fireworks are legal, but the restriction is widely ignored. Now, it's like a war zone. I can stand outside and see big rockets very close and in all directions. The police just ignore them. Enforcement is futile. The booms go on for days.

Our dog becomes a nervous wreck. He paces and can't settle down. We've tried the Thunder coat, and a couple different pills with little effect. The last pills made him so dopey he couldn't stand up, and he was still frightened. So, we do what most of you do. Turn up the sound, close the windows, and sit with him. We used to enjoy the fourth, but now we dread it.

Don
 
dpwspringer said:
Same here and not only is it stressful for dogs and other animals, the Emergency Rooms have an uptick in customers as well. It is amazing to me that it is legal in metro areas with high population densities that have professional fireworks in many nearby places.
Click to expand...

Not to mention to risk of fire. Every year here some idiot sets fire to something, and here where it is SO dry it is a real danger. And in the bosque (our word for our version of a forest) it can set off wildfires which can do terrible damage and spread like wildfire (no pun intended).

And every year here, several people blow up their hands or faces handling firecrackers, cherry bombs, etc., many of them illegally brought in from Mexico, despite warnings that the Mexican fireworks are VERY unreliable as to when they will blow up, etc. You get a bunch of drunks handling Mexican fireworks and you have a prescription for disaster.
 
We have already had one local woman blow off her thumb this year. Last year, a little girl lost a thumb and several fingers.

Isn't the human fascination with things that explode and make noise curious? Why do we get pleasure from it?

Don
 
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