Happy 4th of July everyone!!
I’m not sure how it is where you live, but beginning last Saturday, people have been setting off fireworks in celebration of this Nation’s birth.
Sadly, for a demographic of people and animals, these couple of weeks of celebration can be pure hell.
The 5th of July is the busiest day for Animal Control officers, because more pets go missing on 4th of July than any other day of the year.
Last Fourth of July, my cousin David’s dog, Heidi, went missing.
Heidi is a Black Labrador Retriever, rescued from Hurricane Katrina. Heidi is afraid of thunderstorms and fireworks.
My cousin lives in Maine, on a little five acre plot. Heidi has free rein of the property, and usually heads right for the door when the first rattle of thunder rolls in.
Last year, in the early evening while it was still fairly light out, Heidi was out in the yard, when a neighbor decided to set off a firework. Being totally unprepared for this sudden noise, Heidi took off.
She was gone for almost a week, before someone finally contacted David to let him know that Heidi had appeared on the woman’s deck about seven miles from home.
Seven miles.
A frightened dog can run extremely far. When my sister’s Jack Rat Terrier got spooked by gunshots a few years ago, he traveled over ten miles!
It’s not just dogs either. Plenty of cats get spooked, and I have know idea how wild animals deal with it.
Of course, there’s the human factor too. Many Veterans, especially those that have served in a combat zone suffer from PTSD. The loud noises from fireworks can flash them back to combat.
My nephew served a year in Afghanistan. After he came home, we were at my grandson’s birthday, and the staff moved a table and it made a very loud noise. My nephew almost hit the deck.
When you consider the statistics…
According to Veterans PTSD Statistics, of the 2.7 million veterans of the Iraq/Afghanastan wars
- 20% have PTSD. That’s over half a million people, yo.
- 50% of veterans with PTSD don’t seek treatment
- 19% have Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI’s)
- 7% have PTSD AND a TBI
- Sadly every day 22 veterans take their own lives. Every. Single. Day.
In my opinion, that’s 22 per day too many.
If you’re one of those people who like to shoot off fireworks, I get it, but I think it’s nice to give some thought to others who share space with you in this world.
I happen to be one of those people who think you can always find a compromise. My suggestion is, if you are one of those folks who likes to light off fireworks, have a quick chat with your neighbors to let the know what you have planned. I’d suggest letting them know the approximate times you’ll be lighting fireworks off, and how long it will last.
This gives them the opportunity to get out of the neighborhood if they so choose, or to make a safe area in their home.
Some quick tips:
- Keep your cats inside
- Take your dogs out early, and give them lots of exercise, so they’ll be tired
- If you have to take your dogs out during the fireworks, take them out on a leash
- Make a safe area in your home where your veterans and pets can hunker down.
- Make sure you have fans, TV, and air conditioners to help mask the noise.
- There are also supplements that aid in calming/stress, both for humans and animals. For humans you can try some L-Theanine, or Valerian Root. For pets we use Valerian Root and a calming chew made by Vetriscience called Composure.
Above all, have a safe and Happy 4th!
I sleep right through all the ruckus, but Bailie is scared to death of fireworks and Mom hates them too. They started Friday night here and have been every night from about 8pm to 1am. It is ridiculous. Mom about falls out of bed as they are so loud the house almost shakes and the noise is not constant, but random. We wish they would make them illegal. A few hours on the fourth is understandable, but for days and hours, not good. Lots of people have to work and no one can sleep with the noise going on into the early morning hours. Just another reason we dislike summer!
Fireworks have been going on in my neighborhood for two weeks and I know from experience it will continue through this next weekend. I’ve grown to hate this holiday. Your tips are great, Jodi!
If people want to set off fireworks, they should do it at 9 p.m. when everyone else on the East Coast is doing it. At least it gives folks a chance to prepare. And to not suffer through the entire weekend.
July 4th is my least favorite howliday for all the reasons you noted. Locally our baseball team has had 3 straight nights of fireworks. Sure it’s great for the fans but being just 3 miles away is been hell (tonight’s show will last 26 minutes). This on top of inconsiderate knuckle-dragging cretins throughout the neighborhood terrorizing animals with illegal fireworks (only sparklers are technically allowed in the city limits). Sigh…I simply don’t understand why they have to be as loud as they are (see https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/science/july-4-fireworks-quiet.html?mcubz=1 for more info). And then there’s Collecchio, Italy which has a law that fireworks in their town must be silent. I wish we’d go the quiet (or quieter) route for our pets and our veterans.
Excellent, informative post, Jodi! Have shared on both FB and Twitter.
Have a safe and happy 4th!!
thank you for this! Sadly, the assholes who NEED to see this, won’t. I shared! Have a safe, happy and QUIET 4th. We have a ton of assholes here setting them off too.
There aren’t enough amens or thumbs up in the world for this. Thank you.
What you suggest is perfectly logical. At our old house, we had neighbors who were fireworks nuts. We’d think the evening was going to be quiet, go to bed as usual, and then be rudely awakened by the noise. I would be startled which set my heart racing, and then Cricket would start shaking.
If our neighbors had just given us a heads up as to when they’d be doing it, we would have just stayed downstairs watching TV and drowning out the noise until the later hour when it was over.
Unfortunately, simple courtesy is not practiced by many people these days.
Thank goodness the neighbors at our new house seem to be peace lovers, and the only booms we’ve heard have been off in the distance. Luke heard them and went to his safe place, and Cricket slept right through them.