Coming up this weekend is going to be the Independance day as if I remind any of you. With July 4th comes fireworks and with fireworks, there is noise and the threat of fire and injury. I want to take a second to address fireworks and how best to save your pets and wildlife from being hurt by your celebration. First lets talk about pets, it's mostly dogs that I'm worried about though other animals might also be affected by the noise. I watched today as my brother's German shepherd, Mia, literally jumped half a mile at the sound of someone's firework. Dog do not like the noise that fireworks generate. If you have a dog that is usually an outside dog or if you normally let your dog out by itself to use the bathroom. I am asking that on July 4th, that you put your dog inside and keep it inside until the explosions of the night are over. Our shelters are already busting at the seams with strays. Many shelters see an increase of dogs at their locations. Dogs are scared of the noise and can be easily spooked by them. An animal that would normally never run away might be spooked into running away from the sound. I know of people who have allowed their dog to go out on New Years eve or the 4th of July only to have the animal take off on them. The pet was never seen again. In at least one case, it was News Year Eve and the dog was a pure breed.
I mentioned in the above paragraph that wildlife could also be hurt by your celebration. What I'm talking about is fire caused by a firework. If fireworks are illegal in your area. Follow the law and don't set them off. Every year in Utah it seems like there is at least one wildfire set off by fireworks of course this depends on how dry it is in many places. Fires can destroy our homes, other property, and acres of land used by wildlife. Be smart and don't let fires get a hold. Another thing you can try is having a bucket in place where you can put your kid's spent sparklers and make sure to have water in that bucket.
With that stay safe and enjoy your 4th of July!
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