Photo: A rare moment when my children aren’t chasing one another
If you have a pet, then you know how scary fireworks can be for them. I remember the first year I had Mercutio (cat, top right), we couldn’t find him all night. It wasn’t until we looked under the couch in the farrrrr corner that we saw him huddled up in a little ball, eyes wide, scared witless of the explosions outside.
My dog Teddy, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. We’ve already agreed being a guard dog is not in his future.
That said, with all of the fireworks displays going on – and more specifically, the amateur ballistics “experts” applying their craft in your area – you may find your pets a bit jittery or downright scared. And this fear/discomfort can make them a flight risk, even if you know they would never run away under normal circumstances.
PETA.org offers the following advice on how you can prepare your pets leading up to July’s fireworks shows.
Distract your cats and dogs by giving them lots of love and attention.
Play some soothing background music or turn on the TV.
Close the curtains or blinds.
Make sure that all your animals are wearing collars with current identification tags and that they’re microchipped.
The most important thing for scared animals is to have their guardians close by.