Happy 4th of July…2012 – Dog Barker – Joel Allen

Hello everyone! The 4th of July is just behind us, and by the time this article is printed we will have eaten ourselves into gluttony. We will have fired our fireworks and enjoyed the displays. Some of us will have attended the fireworks show in town. And now for the memories!

I had a dog that was half pit and half dachshund. Her name was “Little Girl” for obvious reasons. Anyway, every year we had to lock up Little Girl because she hated fireworks to the point she would clamp down on them and let them explode in her mouth. Thankfully she was never seriously injured. We were bruised when she would come running full tilt into us because of the firecracker we would light. She was always trying to take them from us, LOL. It was comical to watch her grab one in her mouth, bite down, growling, and then “POW!” She would shake it off, spit it out and be ready for more. It always scared me she would hurt herself, but thankfully, it never happened.

So, let us talk about your recent holiday. Do you have a dog that hated the fireworks? Did they get aggressive, playful, or just want to hide? Well, let’s address these situations one at a time.

Aggression
Your dog tries to eat up anyone who lights any fireworks. The best thing you can do is put them up and keep them away from everyone at least until thirty minutes has gone by since the last firework was expended.

Playful
Your dog tries everything they can to get your goodies by chasing you, trying to knock you down for the ordinance, and sometimes just bark a lot and harass you. This can be fun and cause you to smile because they are totally into you and what you are doing. If you put them in the house to get them out of your way or to protect them, keep in mind, someone will need to protect your curtains.

Hiding
When this happens, have the compassion enough to put them into a quiet room, with maybe a TV, or some music to “soothe the savage beast.” They will be really nervous and sometimes become aggressive toward others or have accidents in the house, so be careful. If they have already run under something, don’t reach into their sanctuary. Instead try to lure them out and take them to their designated quiet area.

Lastly, remember for every dog bite or accident there is a reason why it happened, so do your best to find out why, and take steps to keep it from ever happening again. So, although this is may seem a bit early, “Happy 4th of July!!”

“Remember to love your dogs because they love you. Maybe not the way you want them to, like chewing up your favorite shoes or what not, but that is just love chewing. Be thankful for the time you have with them always.”
Joel and Zues Allen
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