You may have
gotten a feel for my dog Murphy’s personality in my previous blog. 4th
of July fireworks is a VERY hot topic in our home! I am curious how many other
dog owners have the same issue as I do on the holiday. Just because your
dog looks big and tough doesn’t mean that they are! This is very true in
Murph’s case, he is incredibly terrified of fireworks and I mean TERRIFIED. You
would think that my brothers and father would not torture him by lighting them
off in our backyard, but.. we won’t go there . Thunderstorms are also bad but
the second Murphy hears one firework his entire body is shaking and all 100 +
pounds of him lands on top of me! After about 5 minutes of pawing my face he
runs in the bathroom and hides. It is awful, I feel terrible for him and
I have not figured out a way to calm him down. With every year bringing more
and more fireworks from every direction, the entire evening is traumatic for
him. Does anyone else have this issue?! If so, has anyone found something
that works? I have tried the thundershirt. This was not successful for Murph,
but I know it has worked for others. I really don’t want to put my dog on
Xanax! If you know anything that will allow me to be with my family and not
torment my dog, please share your thoughts!
Here are some of
the tricks you can try if your pooch gets nervous when he hears fireworks
- Thundershirt- available at thundershirt.com , target, amazon etc and will run you about 35-40$
- Place some toys, food and water in the small room, even if they can hear the noise, they he can keep track of what’s happening in his immediate surroundings and so is less confused/concerned.
- If your dog has terrible anxiety and fear, the pet store and vet can suggest sleepytime medicine or anxiety chews (which I have also tried with Murphy)
- Your vet can prescribe you valium or Xanax, but make sure that your vet agrees and gives a small and appropriate dosage
- Some pups like to hide under the bed, that is normal , do not pull them out if they feel safe there
For dogs with
super high anxiety, who tend to chew when nervous, you may want to consider
speaking to your vet about sedation or anxiety medication (especially if your
dog will be home alone) It seems drastic and excessive but, unfortunately, they
can do harm to themselves when they are feeling unsafe
For those whose
pooches love the 4th even with the Fireworks, here are some things
around Baltimore you may like to do !
July 3
- Baltimore Country Club, Suburban Golf Club, Woodholme Country Club
July 4
- Federal Hill
- Canton, Fells Point, relax along the water
- Inner Harbor
- Middle River(if you’re on a boat make sure your pooch wears a life jacket!)
- Catonsville High School
- Grange Elementary School
- Loch Raven Academy
- Oregon Ridge
- My father’s backyard
Have fun! Be Safe
and Good Luck!!!
Keegan Biondino
Waggity Tails
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