The Big Bang Theory

Stands to reason that at least one of the Collie Army would be afraid of the sound of fireworks because the Virginia Tech College of Veterinary Medicine has found that one in three dogs suffer from noise anxiety.  But I seemed to have gotten lucky in that respect.  If I had any doubt at all that my army defied the odds, this weekend was a good science experiment.  The "celebration" of the 4th of July holiday that likely will take place all week and into next weekend began in earnest Friday night.  As I sat out in my twilight draped yard gazing at the wonder of fireflies in mating season, the dogs and I were regaled by a soundtrack of firecrackers.  Then, because good science is all about repetition, the dogs passed the test again last night on the evening walk, which was pretty late in the day trying to wait out the heat, but as we rounded the corner in the road on our regular route, we saw a wall of smoke ahead of us.  We considered that either a large barbecue was going on (unlikely because who in their right mind cooks out in this heat) or a house was on fire.  No, actually, it was a family setting bottle rockets off toward the woods behind their house.  Right as we walked by, they set a volley of them off.  The report was distinctly loud and the acrid smell of gunpowder filled my nose, but the dogs were completely unfazed.  A few minutes later, they were much more interested in the doe that darted out from the tree line in a panic.  I felt for her - how scared and confused she must have been.

But maybe it's because collies are a bit loud themselves, or because these particular collies grew up 9 miles from a city center that loves its fireworks and have just known the sound all their lives, but Wednesday night will not be overly anxiety ridden for them, and for that I am grateful.  Because I know it's not that way for thousands, maybe millions, of animals all across the country.   In my former life with my brood of eight, we definitely had dogs who hated fireworks to the point where they would huddle under a bed upstairs to try and get away from the sound, which was hard because a group in our neighborhood came together every year to put on a long, elaborate display - probably costing collectively into the thousands, so the display would go on for literally hours.  And every year in the aftermath of all that explosive fun, I would see lost dog signs pop up everywhere.  Shelters would fill up.  Probably some dogs just were lost forever.  My heart hurts to think of it.

Yet there's no use really wishing people would take pets and wildlife into consideration on these holidays - which, again, in Pittsburgh is not limited to Independence Day - this city, home to the famous Zambelli Fireworks, celebrates most anything with a big display of fireworks.  And, don't get me wrong, I love fireworks.  I'll be down at Heinz Field on Wednesday to watch.  Come say hi.  But we've been a race that has delighted at things that go boom since 200 BC when the Chinese discovered that burning bamboo caused it to explode.  So there's no appealing to people's love for animals to overcome their lust for things that go boom with bright colored lights, so dog owners have to be the ones to be accountable for the fact that this night is going to happen and take the right steps to ensure it's not a total terror for your dogs.

I'm no different than everyone else - I love a good fireworks display

Here's my suggestion for a dog safe 4th of July:

• For the love of God, do not bring your dog down to Point State Park on Wednesday night.  I've gone most of the years I've lived here, and there's always a handful of couples with their dogs.  The fireworks are shot off from barges right past the point - it's loud for me, and I'm hard of hearing.  A lot of things in Pittsburgh are dog friendly, but this is one time to leave the four legged family member home.
  
• If your basement is cool and dark, that's a great place to let the dogs hole up.  Set up mats and lots of water and let them ride it out away from the noise - sort of like a bomb shelter.  If that's not a possibility, draw your blinds and keep the house cool and dark. 
  
• I've seen the suggestion multiple times to walk your dogs earlier in the day.  The weather's looking to be brutal through Wednesday here, so I don't know about that one unless you move an evening walk all the way up to an early morning walk.  But here I have to say balance the need to make sure they get their exercise with the worry over heat exhaustion and plan exercise time wisely.
  
• I saw a great idea of giving the dogs fun things to do if you're, like me, going downtown for the big show and a beer (or two).  The suggestion I saw specifically was a frozen Kong with a treat in the middle.  Thanks to Bark Box, I got the fun toy thing covered.
  
• Make sure your dogs are tagged if they're not already microchipped.  If they do break loose somehow, you'll want to make sure there's a way to get them back to you.

If you've got extremely sensitive dogs there are other things you can do, some of which take some advance planning, such as desensitizing them to the sounds in advance, and of course there are calming scents and vests to use.  But for the majority of dogs, it's just one of those days every year to grit one's teeth and get through, like humans and tax day.  But, fellow dog owners, help them with that task by making sure you're being sensitive to their needs as well as your fun.

Happy 4th of July one and all from the Collie Army!