Keep your dog safe in the days before and after the July 4th holiday
Fireworks are no longer limited to the July 4th holiday. Now many cities include fireworks in their summer celebrations. Many dogs are deathly afraid of fireworks and will panic and run away when confronted with the noise and flashes of light.
Please follow these guidelines from the Retrievers Volunteer Lost Dog team to reduce stress and keep your dog safe:
- Don’t take dogs on outings where fireworks will be displayed—even sparklers, firecrackers and bottle rockets.
- Stay home with your dog during fireworks shows and let him hide inside where he feels most secure.
- Keep all windows and doors closed. Be very careful when people are coming and going from the house so your dog doesn’t slip out an open door.
- Draw the curtains to block scary flashes of light, and cover the noise of fireworks with TV or music.
- Distract your dog with a frozen Kong or other safe chew toy.
- Wrap your dog in a Thundershirt and/or give him over-the-counter calming treats at least 30 minutes before the noise begins.
- When outside during summer holiday seasons, keep your dog on a leash, preferably two—one attached to a martingale collar and one attached to a harness.
- Make sure your dog is always wearing ID with your current contact info.
- If you know your dog is fireworks-phobic, talk to your vet in advance about canine noise aversion therapies.
- Even if you don’t own a dog, please give your dog-owning neighbors advance warning if you plan to set off fireworks in your yard.
Wishing you a safe and enjoyable summer!
The Retrievers Volunteer Lost Dog team
It’s a good idea to have a plan in the event your dog runs off for any reason. To learn how RAGOM handles the situation when a RAGOM dog goes missing, review our Lost RAGOM Dogs page.