With our hospital work this week, we’ve been a bit light on posts so we’re posting a Saturday PSA. Summer is officially here which means this weekend we will be enjoying a long weekend in the US. Here at the Ranch we want to wish effuryone a safe and Happy 4th of July weekend. 🇺🇸
Did you know that more pets are lost during this weekend than at any other time during the year?
With that in mind, Sam and Elsa offer the following red, white and blue tips for keeping your furry friends safe.
CREATE A SAFE ZONE
It’s best not to take your fur-friend with you to the neighborhood pawty. All those extra strangers, loud noises and inappropriate food coupled with fireworks make for a sure-fire guaranty for misery on your pet’s part. Leave them at home. Dogs and cats aren’t all that keen on the loud noises that come with fireworks AND crowds so creating a room with darkened windows, adding some white noise or leaving the TV turned on with a safe, crated retreat can go a long way toward keeping them at ease. Let them experience this space a few days before the fireworks start-up to get them used to it before it all starts.
MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE
Provide their favorite treats and give them freely prior to the days leading up to the 4th to make them feel a bit more comfortable the next time there is a loud bang.
PLAY WITH SOUND MASKING
Sound masking is a great way to cover up loud noises from fireworks. Music – whichever genre – can help them relax and feel a bit more at ease. It is best to play what they are already familiar with so that association to the new music is not made with loud scary fireworks.
ADD SUPPLEMENTS IF NECESSARY
When you know your pet is extra anxious during fireworks, the use of anti-anxiety helpers like Pet Releaf (a safe and effective CBD oil), use of a ThunderShirt, or LICKS Pill-Free ZEN supplements can help even the most stressed pet relax. Lavender essential oil can work wonders on their bed or collar and go a long way toward inducing relaxation.
It’s especially impawtant for us uprights to take the necessary steps to keep our fur-babies safe. Knowing they will likely react to all the loud noises, whatever can be done to make them feel safe and secure is in their long-term best interests. Don’t forget to make sure they are wearing a current ID tag, especially if they aren’t microchipped. Better to play it safe and make sure they are wearing their collar all the time but especially this weekend.
Enjoy the howliday, but be safe! What clever tricks do you use to keep your babies safe and sound?
Live, love, bark! ❤︎
These are great tips!!! We were lucky we couldn’t hear the fireworks from our apartment so my humom didn’t have to worry about us getting anxious.
You guys are fortunate!
Thanks for the great tips! Have a great day!
Great suggestions!!! We are lucky that, for all her fears, Shyla is not afraid of thunder and we can’t hear fireworks at our house. However, our vet warns us that a dog’s reactions can change with age… so we should stay aware of giving her treats whenever there’s a loud noise to keep her happy about them!
Happy Weekend!
We haven’t had too many of the boomers yet (surprisingly), butts I’m sure they will be goin’ off with abandon soon! They are illegal in our city, butts that never stops anyone. I don’t mind the fireworks, butts lots and lots of pets do, so it always makes Ma cringe when they go off, cause she can just imagine all the stress on the pets. The sound masking is such a great way of reducing the noise, also Ma will sometimes keep the AC on, that also helps with the white noise. Keep safe, and have a FABulous Fourth guys!
Kisses,
Ruby ♥
Sound masking if a great diversion. Have your mum take a bow for her cleverness.
Hopefully, every year the number of lost pets will decrease.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July!
Great tips! We know many of our pals are suffering from anxiety!
Your Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
Awesome post with so much great info! Important to remember that certain holidays are major stressors for our pets.
Thank you. It ain’t easy keeping pets calm these days with mega fireworks show and illegal residents shooting off the noisemakers. With each year Sam becomes more stressed by it and I can’t even fathom how veterans with elements of PTSD deal with it. Oye.
So true…firecrackers being set off by the next door neighbors are every bit as stressful as the big town displays. People can be pretty clueless. 🙁
Clueless seems to hand in hand with the self absorbed. 😬
So true!
Great suggestions about keeping your pup happy and safe when the lights do down and the fireworks begin!
Thanks for those great tips Sam and Elsa. 😉 We especially recommend the thundershirt. It helps Sammy during high wind and thunderstorms. We don’t usually have much fireworks. Bears ok because he’s a hunting dog but the loud ones would scare him.
We’re fairly close to Coors Field and hear them. They’re starting to bother Sam. It’s the neighborhood ones that really bug me more though. Luckily the CBD oil helps, even more than the Thundershirt.
It’s good you have something. Are they having fireworks every night or game?
I think it’s a 3-day home stand. Oh joy. 😬
No fireworks here, just those infernal firecrackers set off by non-professionals.
Great tips. I’m just glad that my neighbor’s aren’t close enough to be a problem. Plus, Tippy is usually really good around loud noises, thankfully.
Sam used to be but as he’s gotten older, they are starting to bother him. The fireworks have continued since last week. Ugh. Luckily I can turn up the volume on the TV to help drown out most of the booms.
Have a terrific 4th at the Ranch! 🎉
And then there’s Choppy, who thinks fireworks are meant to be attacked.
I always knew she was smart.
It wouldn’t be so smart if ever she actually got a firework – she has to go inside during the fireworks for the opposite reason of most dogs!
Oh Choppy. You’re putting all the ruff-tuff boy dogs to shame. Stay safe, sweet girl.
Great tips!! We haven’t heard any fireworks yet, but it’s early in the weekend. Ducky will probably bark at the louder ones and ignore the rest. Shadow? She’ll probably stick to me like Velcro, but we’ll see.
Hope it’s a quiet weekend. For everyone’s sake. I hate fireworks!
Our 17 year old Lily went almost completely deaf a year or so before she passed. That did the trick. However, I don’t recommend this method unless it occurs naturally. 🙂
Same thing happened to Eliot, my male OES. The postman was eternally grateful. 😉
LOL!
love your tips! We try to distract Dakota from the countless fireworks that morons set off in their yards (which I feel should be banned but we won’t go there right now)………we also turn the TV up SUPER, SUPER loud which helps to drown some of it out. Cody isn’t bothered by any of it, Dakota is the one who is.
Sam never used to be phased by them but the past couple of years, he’s clearly been bothered. The other night the neighbors set off a few I swear sounded like bazooka explosions (despite fireworks being illegal in the city limits). The police arrived shortly thereafter and they’ve kept quiet since. I’m with you on this one…moronic idiots!
and when your stupid neighbors are shooting off their own fireworks? Where’s a person plus dog to go? It started here last night with the neighbors. Probably go on for a week. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Some people can’t be loud enough ever.
Fireworks are illegal in our city limits (other than sparklers) so I have no problem calling the police but couch it as a safety issue (fire potential) rather than a noise issue which police kind of view more as a nuisance. Best of luck.
Great tips – we do all of the above! Have a great 4th!
👍🏻