Summertime and fireworks go hand-in-hand. But fireworks and your dog don’t.
Resist the urge to bring your dog along to watch the fireworks. The POP and BOOM of fireworks can be downright painful to him. A dog’s hearing range is between 67 HZ and 45,000 HZ compared to a human’s range of 64 HZ and 23,000 HZ. This means your dog will hear and feel noise way before we do. Even if fireworks celebrations several miles away sound distant to you, it may not be to him.
Fireworks can damage your dog’s hearing – sometimes permanently. Dogs have been known to run through glass windows and doors or jump over or dig under fences in an effort to escape loud fireworks.
Every year humane societies are flooded with lost dogs the day after fireworks celebrations. These are the lucky ones. The unlucky ones are those that run into traffic or are separated from their owners forever.
Checklist to keep your dog safe during fireworks.
Resist the urge to bring him to a fireworks display. It’s not
entertaining for him. It’s frightful.
- Allow your dog to use the restroom well before the start of the
fireworks.
- Keep him indoors at home. If he is used to a crate, crate him.
- Give him a favorite soothing toy such as a Kong filled with cheese.
- Turn on your radio or TV for normal background noise.
- Don’t assume your dog is fine. Even dogs that haven’t previously acted
out during fireworks can all of a sudden do so.
- Make sure his ID tags are on and current. Good advice anytime.
- If setting off fireworks at home, keep him away from matches or debris.
Dogs learn by sniffing and are known to eat all sorts of trash. Also pet hair can easily catch fire.
Signs of stress in your dog include vomiting and diarrhea, howling, barking, trembling, refusal to eat, excessive drooling and trying to escape or get into the house, fence or other type of structure. Monitor your dog for any of these signs.
