More Dogs Are Lost July 4th Than Any Other Day of the Year

Fourth of July is a day when we all gather together with friends
and family for some barbecue, drinks, and general fun in the sun.

And in the evening, most places top off the day of celebration
with fireworks.

The brightly-colored lights in the sky might be entertaining for
us humans to watch, but unfortunately for our dogs, they don’t see the fun in
fireworks.

In fact, for them it’s a case of fireworks being too much noise.
 

Dogs are actually more susceptible to noise than cats. Dogs are
more likely to get nervous and try to bolt, unlike cats, who tend to hide
beneath furniture until they feel safe again.

Not surprisingly, this causes a record-breaking number of pets
go missing during July 4th.

During the 4th of July, keep an eye on your pets for any obvious
signs of behavioral changes. For example, if you notice your healthy dog
suddenly trembling, salivating, yawning, or attempting to hide when there are
loud sounds, then there’s a possibility they’re experiencing stress.

Should you leave them alone during the fireworks, then there’s a
high probability you’ll come home to a destroyed house or a missing dog.

If for whatever reason you absolutely have to leave them on
their own, here are a couple tricks you can try to help them reduce their
stress levels.

You can leave them at home with a stuffed, frozen treat during
the fireworks. Make sure that the treat is one that will take them a while to
get through.

You can also train your pet to withstand loud noise and
confusion. It may take a lot of invested time to train them to adapt to noise.
You can gradually do it over time, bringing them to louder areas when going on
walks, eventually walking them past construction sites or concerts once they
are showing comfort with loud sounds.

Another thing you can try, is leaving them with something
pleasant to listen to. As we know, dogs are already particularly sensitive to
sounds. You can turn that into a positive, by playing soothing, relaxing music
loud enough to cover the sounds of the fireworks.

You can also try taking them on a long walk during the day to
tire them out. Letting them run out their excess energy at their favorite park
or beach can help relax them for later on in the evening when the madness
begins.

If you want to buy your pet something, you can take a look at
ThunderShirts. They wrap around your pet and apply gentle pressure to make them
feel more secure and help calm them down.

There’s also supplements or pheromones that work similarly to
calm your pet. Some of the popular ones out there are Zylkene or Adaptil, and
they can calm down a dog that isn’t responding to other efforts.

Unfortunately, we don’t want to think worst-case scenario, but
as pet owners we have to. Ahead of the start of the fireworks take a quick,
clear picture of your beloved dog. That way, incase they do go missing you have
an up-to-date photo ready to go.

You can also consider using GPS on your pet if they’re a flight
risk. Even the best precautions can fail, particularly when your dog is a bit
of an escape artist. That is why it’s good to prepare for the worst, so maybe
consider purchasing a collar with a with a GPS locator in it so they’re easy to
find if they get out.

While license tags and microchips are both important to have for
your dog, they do require that someone first notice the missing dog and get
them to a vet or shelter in order for the information to be collected. With a
GPS, you can skip the hassle and just go track down your dog straight away.

And there’s a bonus – many GPS trackers for dogs also double as
fitness trackers, meaning you’ll also be able to monitor how much exercise
they’re getting.

Whatever your plans are this Fourth of July, make sure you
factor in the safety and wellbeing of your dog so that the two of you might
enjoy the day. Happy 4th everybody!