Alright.. who is preemptively

[Texasgal]

drugging your pets in anticipation for fourth of july fireworks?

I have a whole package of benedryl ready.



I wish my neighbors wouldn't shoot them off close by, my bostons go freaking nuts! The fireworks scare them in this normally quiet neighborhood. Plus, it's illegal to shoot them off in the city limits...anyway.

[hobbit709]

1. My one dog is deaf and the other one isn't bothered.

Now I used to have one that panicked at ANY noise-even the squeak of the rocking chair would make her want to climb under my shirt while I was sitting in y chair.

[TorchTheWitch]

2. Yoshi is oblivious

They're making me stark raving crazy though. Neighbors have been blasting them off all night long every night for the past week. At least whoever is doing it is some distance away, so it isn't deafening. But it goes on ALLLLL night.

One of my neighbor's dogs is having a terrible time though. Poor Maggie is scared out of her mind. Her owners even got some heavy duty tranq's from the vet in anticipation of this but they're not even making a dent. Poor girl gets little relief during the day either because they're busting up the street perpendicular to ours and all the booming noises and jackhammer noises of whatever it is they've been doing all day for the past week is even worse than the fireworks at night. All this constant noise, noise, noise has everyone on edge.

I swear, I'm really beginning to hate this holiday because of the noisy fireworks. Not long ago it was illegal in PA to have them, sell them or shoot them off, and I wish that it was still illegal. There was always a few people that got them in NJ or DE and tempted fate blowing them off, but it was only a few... now that they're legal it's constant noise, noise, noise all damn night for two or three weeks in every neighborhood. Just what the hell is so enthralling about a cherry bomb or bottle rocket anyway???

Yoshi doesn't care a wit, but he thinks it's thunder so he runs outside thinking it's going to be pouring rain and he can roll around in the mud, and every time he does it he's confused that nothing is wet. ANd he keeps looking at me as though it's my fault somehow that there is no wet and no mud, and I need to get busy arranging that to happen. I confess a couple of times I got out the garden hose and made a mud hole for him to wallow in like a wildebeast. I think he does it so he can get hosed down afterward and run all over the house rubbing himself all over the carpet with glee.... "Yeah! I'm wet! I'm wet!" Woohoo. What a thrill. I'm envious that he gets so much pleasure out of something so ordinary. Next time I take a shower I'm going to try running around the house and rolling around on the carpet kicking my arms and legs in the air and see how much fun it is... I feel like I must be missing something.

[livetohike]

3. Here in rural PA.....idiots with fireworks at 1:30 a.m.

Plus we had a major thunderstorm for a couple of hours before that. Then, at 7:00 a.m., some fool taking target practice.

I hate this holiday up here. Everyone from the cities (Cleveland and Pgh.) come with all of their toys and ruin our peace.

My dogs will suffer, but there is no place to hide today....

Wish we could all be like Yoshi .

[Curmudgeoness]

4. I am also in W PA, by the OH border,

and in both states, it is illegal to set off fireworks. Go figure. We have idiots in town shooting them off all night long too. I feel like I am such a minority for hating them!!!!

[Texasgal]

9. I wish beaulah and Quincy

could be like Yoshi. :/ Except for the mud.

Quincy goes nuts with fire works, this is Beaulah's first fourth of July with us...she emulates everything her brother does though so i assume that she will react the same way. We'll see.

Happy fourth to all! I hope we are all able to get through this night somewhat peacefully.

[Broderick]

5. My dogs go nuts.

Especially when the fireworks are happening in my own backyard. I was thinking of cooking turkey, but I hear it is bad for them.

[Irishonly]

6. We don't have to anymore

Neither one of our are bothered too much with the noise. We keep the TV on and keep them inside. When Sam was alive I hated the 4th (and it is my wedding anniversary). By the time the noise level went down I was breathing fire.

[uppityperson]

7. Starting later this afternoon it is benadryl for the puppy. She is very alert and aware of noises

which was good when she was smaller than a coyote. Tonight? Not so great.

[phylny]

8. Abby is hard of hearing and is unphased, but Jack will

wear his Thundershirt and may have a dose of Rescue Remedy, otherwise he'll be scared.

When we lived in Northwest Indiana, the idiots who lived across the street from us (one was an orthopedic surgeon, the other a dentist - guess their insurance covered it if they lost their hands, eh?) were shooting fireworks off and our puppy at the time was terrified. I begged them to stop just long enough for her to pee, but they didn't, and the asshole wife of the dentist was laughing.

Man, I was so glad when we moved away from there.

[kdmorris]

10. Next year... I think I will have to get Valium

for my older dog (she's 11 now). It's painful to watch how scared she is. Nothing helps.

[mopinko]

11. people should see the 4th as an opportunity.

you know it is coming, you know your dog has problems with it. unless you are enjoying the fireworks elsewhere, this is a good time to do a little training.
even if you only spend 10-20 minutes working, with an extra special reward for them, you go a long way to letting them know they are SAFE. this is the time you really need to be a calm assertive pack leader. they don't need sympathy, they need leadership.