Happy 4th! In the spirit of the festive nature of today’s holiday, it may be extremely tempting to take Fido with you to your neighbor’s backyard BBQ. We don’t recommend it. While we associate the lights, whizzes and explosions with the excitement that is celebrating the birth of our nations, these things can often terrify and/or traumatize your dog.
Instead, we recommend leaving your pet at home while you go celebrate. Close your windows, leave the A/C on, and allow your pet to enjoy the comforts of home with some extra toys and the TV or radio on to keep him company. It is sometimes recommended to leave your dog in one room on this particular holiday, rather than letting him roam the house as dogs have been known to break through windows in fear trying to find their owners.
The humane society reports the day after July 4th to sometimes be their busiest day of the year due to pets that have escaped their owners’ backyards, broken free from their leashes or homes in desperate need to find their owners because they are so scared. To help curb your dog’s anxiety, we suggest taking him for a long walk prior to leaving for your celebration to tire him out so he is more calm while he hears the noises outside.
If you must bring him with you, remember not to feed him your celebratory food. Human food and changes to his diet can cause diarrhea and other unwanted stomach problems and things like alcohol, onions, grapes, avocados, chocolate and raisins are toxic for your dog.
Microchips are extremely useful during these times in case your pet gets lost, but to avoid the situation of him getting scared and lost entirely, we suggest allowing your dog to enjoy the comforts of his favorite place today – home. Happy Independence Day!
