Oh, Your Dog is afraid of Fireworks? That sucks!

Many dog owners find summer to be less enjoyable than it could be, and for some, it's even terrible due to fireworks. This blog has two goals:

1. Provide tips for owners of sound-phobic dogs to help them and their pets get through the summer, especially 4th of July.
2. Educate people about what it’s like to live with a sound-phobic dog.

Every time I mention that fireworks are impactful, I am met with people who dismiss my concerns by saying things like, "Oh, your dog is afraid of fireworks? That sucks." But it's not just about my dog—it's about showing compassion for all pets. It feels like an unwinnable battle, but I am hoping that by working together with collective action, we might actually begin to move the needle towards more compassion for each other.   By putting a face to "firework fear" people might begin to understand how their "fun" impacts others. Surely, if they knew how hard it is on so many dogs and their owners, they might consider not lighting them off. Or at least, only doing so on the holiday. 

Let me tell you about my friend, Julie, she has a debilitating sound phobia. It breaks my heart to see her struggle. Her fear is so debilitating that she won’t go outside to potty alone for at least a month after the holiday, and it takes two months for her to resume normal walks in the neighborhood.  Her guardian has tried every over-the-counter treatment, has worked with a trainer and tried all the medications her vet has prescribed.  This is her life in the summer.  “I start the pheromone diffuser on the first of July. On the 2nd of July, I start her medication, and I gradually increase it  until the 4th. On the 4th of July, I put a thunder shirt on her. Then we go to the basement at 8:00 PM and turn on the fan and the TV really loud. I build a little seclusion area for her to get into.  She normally loves her crate, but she will not get into her crate during this time. She paces and pants for hours and hours. I wean her off the medication after the 4th of July but we continue to hide in the basement with her thundershirt and safe space until August.  I stop using the Thunder shirt and take down her hiding place in August, when they are mostly done.  She does not want me to be touched when they start. So I sit on the floor and let her come to me. Sometimes, she gets into my walk-in shower to find safety. The only thing I stop is her digging at the walls or the floor.”

Please stop for a moment and read that again.  Imagine how would you feel if that was your dog?  You are unable to help them, you are unable to explain to them what’s happening and you can’t console them.  It’s gut wrenching.  And it also impacts your life because when your dog is in this emotional state you must monitor them so that means you can’t go out with friends, you can’t do yardwork after work.  You are stuck in the basement every night in the summer because you’re just trying to get through the day. 

As a professional dog trainer, I work with many clients with sound-phobic dogs like Julie and have shared my life with a few. My beautiful dog, Stanley, was one of those dogs. He’s at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for me now, but I remember the dread, frustration, anger, and sadness that fireworks brought to our life. While my dear friend is free of this nightmare, so many dogs still endure this yearly ordeal.   My experience with Stanley, has driven my mission to educate others.  You heard Julie’s story, now let me share with you what it was like with Stanley. 

When Stanley was a young puppy, life was great, and summer was a time of fun. Longer walks, more time playing ball in the backyard, just laying outside in the shade and listening to the birds. That all changed when he got older. He became sound-phobic around the age of seven, specifically with fireworks. One firework—nothing loud, just a single pop from a bottle rocket—would send him inside for the rest of the night.  If that bottle rocket went off in the morning, I might get him back out again in the afternoon, only to be chased back in by another "pop." If it was after 4 pm, he was done for the day—he wouldn’t even eat dinner.

And that was just a normal summer day. When "hell week" started (the week before the 4th of July), I had to medicate him with anxiety medication from the vet. It was the only way he could cope with the non-stop fireworks that go off EVERY DAMN NIGHT from mid-June until well after the 4th of July.

On the 4th, we had to give him a full dose of his medication. A full dose made him wobbly on his feet and clearly altered, which was better than pacing in the basement.  With his medication on board, he would lie down in the basement, crawl into the bathtub if he had access or with us on the couch if the TV was really loud. His medication took an hour to kick in and lasted about four hours, so finding the "right" time to give it to him was tricky. Too early, and it wouldn’t last and we had to try to add a second dose without over-dosing. Too late, and he was already afraid.    In my old neighborhood, it was not uncommon for fireworks to go off until 1 am or later, and if the holiday fell on a weekend, they would go off long into the night.  We finally had to give up and go camping the last two years so we were able to skip the worst of it but we still had to deal with it daily because people couldn't contain it to the holiday.

Now, before you say, “My dog isn’t afraid because I socialized them to the sound as a puppy,” implying that I failed to socialize my dog properly, we DID expose him to fireworks as a puppy.  For many years he was fine—until he wasn’t. Early exposure is helpful, but it isn’t a guarantee that your dog will always be comfortable with the sound or that fear won’t develop later in life.  And this theory completely discounts people who adopt an older dog.  While there are many ways to help these dogs—I've discussed several strategies as a guest on two podcasts—there's also a lot that can be done by those who enjoy fireworks.

I’m not asking you to stop having fun; I’m simply asking that you limit fireworks to July 3rd and July 4th. If people could contain their celebrations to these two nights, life would be much easier for many dogs and their owners. We could maintain a normal routine up until the holiday and then plan accordingly. However, when fireworks are set off every night, it severely impacts my dog’s ability to live a fear-free life in his own home.

As a professional dog trainer, I was fortunate to have the knowledge and resources to help Stanley through his fear, dedicating countless hours over the years. To honor his legacy, I’ve compiled a list of 8 tips to assist dogs with mild sound phobias. If your dog has a severe sound phobia, these tips can be helpful, but please consult your vet for additional medical intervention.

Here are my 8 BEST TIPS to help your dog cope during "firework season."

1. Believe—Don’t dismiss or minimize your dog’s fear. Dogs don’t lie about their feelings; if you see fearful behavior, trust that it’s real.
2. Early –Begin conditioning your dog to sounds early in life and early each year. Waiting until July or adulthood means missing the optimal time for effective conditioning.
3. Stay— Be there for your dog during fireworks. I haven’t attended a fireworks show in years because my best friend needs me. The first week of July sees an increase in missing and injured dogs, so staying home and watching your pet is crucial.
4. Talk – Talk with your vet about medications, but DO NOT use acepromazine. “Ace” is a paralytic, so your dog can’t react to the sounds, but they are still experiencing the sounds, and often the fear is compounded because they can’t escape their fear. For mild discomfort, over-the-counter options like Composure by VetriScience, taken at a triple dose, can be effective and affordable.
5. Trial— If using medication, do a trial run before the holiday to ensure it works. The first year I tried medication, I found out too late that it had to be mail-ordered, which led to a last-minute scramble. A trial run can prevent this stress.
6. Inside—Keep your dog inside the house. Potty them before it gets dark, feed them early, and then hunker down inside. Play some music, watch a movie, or snuggle up on the couch.  When you take your last potty break, consider doing so on a leash just in case they get frightened and try to bolt.
7. Physical exercise—Provide extra physical exercise for your dog. You don’t need to exhaust your dog, but allowing it to burn off stress will help it cope with the incoming armageddon.
8. Secure safe space – Check the security of your windows and fences the week before the holiday.  If your dog is comfortable in a crate move it to an interior space and cover with a blanket.  This will take their safe space and make it feel even cozier and safe for them.  

If you found these tips helpful and want to dive deeper into how you can support your dog during fireworks, I invite you to listen to these two podcasts.  I was a guest speaker on K9 Educators - To Save a Pets Life podcast. In these episodes, I share more detailed strategies and personal anecdotes that can make a big difference:

1. Episode 5:  Dogs and Fireworks - Strategies for Dog Owners!
   
2. Episode 18:  Dogs and Fireworks part 2

What should you do next? First, use the tips to assist your own dog, then take action. How do you take action?

1. Talk – Stop suffering in silence.  Talk about this issue.  With your friends, family, coworkers.  If your story helps just one person realize how damaging their behavior is to those around them and changes their behavior it will make a difference.  It’s like tossing a pebble into a pond to get a ripple effect.  That ripple only starts by someone tossing a pebble.  Toss the Pebble.
2. Post on Social Media – Spread awareness by sharing your dog’s fear on social media. Encourage your neighbors to limit their fireworks to the actual holiday. Use hashtags like #fireworkfearisreal, #fireworkssuck, and #nofearsummer. Not sure what to say?  Here is a simple post that I make every year.  I find a silly or goofy picture of my dog and post it with this caption.  "This is who your illegal fireworks hurt. His name is Stanley.  And if you must break the law please contain it to the 4th of July so that he doesn't live in fear all summer long.  #fireworksfear is real. #fearfreesummer "
3. Ally – You can create a coalition of allies by posting on social media and talking to your friends about how impactful fireworks are for your dog and for yourself.  We need collective action to make a change.  Again, I am not proposing that there be NO fireworks but rather that they contain them to the actual holiday.  Your allies can then support the dogs in their neighborhoods by talking to neighbors and reporting as necessary.
4. Talk to your neighbors – If you see someone shooting off fireworks, please ask them if they know a dog that is afraid, and then ask them not to do it. Show them your dog and tell them their name. If you don’t have a fearful dog, you can use mine—his name was Stanley. Often the advice given is "call the police." That is ineffective because by the time they arrive, the fireworks are done or the kids have scurried back inside. Plus, we need to start talking to our neighbors and friends instead of relying on "others" to handle the situation. Please, if you know someone who shoots off fireworks, even just one, please, please ask them to stop and to save them for the actual holiday.
5. Talk to parents – If you see kids shooting off fireworks, please talk to their parents.  Often parents aren’t aware that their kids are behaving this way.  Again, ask them to contain it to the holiday.
6. Report – If you have tried talking to your neighbor and they continue to break the law (if it’s unlawful where you live), report them. This problem continues to thrive because most people prefer to avoid confrontation and think “it’s not that big of a deal,” so they suffer in silence.  If it’s an ongoing problem with the same people record them as proof and then call the police.  Ask your allies to report as well.  By working together with collective action to a common goal – containing fireworks to the holiday – we can make the world a little bit better for everyone.

Our dogs give us unconditional love, unwavering loyalty, and endless joy. They are our companions through thick and thin.  We owe it to them to do everything in our power to give them a summer free from fear and anxiety.  That might mean working doubly hard to counter condition to fireworks, that might mean exploring calming aids or medication and it might even mean having uncomfortable conversations with our neighbors.

By being vulnerable and sharing your experience, you might change someone’s behavior.  Will you encounter jerks who be belligerent and rude?  Yes.  But, you will also find people who are struggling just like you and people with empathy who will become your allies.  

"If you find it difficult to speak up, but you want to share the message, you can also consider buying this T-shirt that I made, which is a fun way to get your point across when you’re out and about running errands.

“When you know better you do better,” I truly believe that some people really don’t know how impactful their firework behavior is and if educated they will change their behavior and contain it to the holiday. So, let’s work together to give our best friends a no fear summer. Toss the pebble. Start the ripple in your community."

#fireworkfearisreal #fireworkssuck #nofearsummer

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