“Do you ever feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in…”
Yup, I know a few of my canine friends that suffer greatly from this phenomena! Summer storms and long weekends are the bane of a lot of dogs existence. It’s cruel really, one night your human opens up the back door to let you out for your evening pee break and then there is a crack, a flash of light and all hell breaks loose. Armageddon has arrived! When it comes to flight or fight, there is only one recourse, run for the door and pray someone is there to rescue you. Once inside you get under the bed, if you fit, if not you jump on the lap of your housemate and hope that they have super powers that will save you! Panting, drooling, your furry friend is in a state of panic, hoping it will end and wondering why you haven’t stopped it.
‘You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the fourth of July’
I understand the need to light off some fireworks! They make us “oh and ah”. They transform the night sky into a dazzling spectacle! Katy Perry wrote the song “Firework” to empower and encourage people to embrace who they are! To be bold and unique. It is interesting that something that is symbol of liberation and happiness for us human beings is circumstance that can incapacitate our pets! My dog has suffered from this phenomena for years, he was ruined by Canada Day celebrations which have debilitated him from going out at night to relieve himself in the summer. Somehow he has figured out that these events do not occur when it snows! One of his buddies Harley, was his stabilizing force, when he would visit our house Lucas felt there was strength in numbers and he would go uncharacteristically venture out into the dark! But this summer Harley has also fallen victim to an aversion to Fireworks, which now has manifested into a fear of storms! At night when I open up the back door to encourage them to empty their bladders they both skulk away, tails between their legs, they no longer trust the dark and the buddy system is no longer in place!
”Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on show ’em what your worth
Make ’em go “oh, oh, oh!”
As you shoot across the sky-y-y…’
The one thing I think we humans should consider before we decide to paint the sky with a dazzling display of colours and light, is the concept that not everyone shares an appreciation fora device containing gunpowder and other combustible chemicals that cause a spectacular explosion when ignited, ! Perhaps posting a notice on your neighbourhood mailbox or hydro poll letting your neighbours know your intentions of to use Fireworks would be a good course of action! That way , those who have pets can perhaps use some rescue remedy, close the windows and put on some loud music…we can make a plan to help our four legged friend ride out the night without being totally terrorized. It’s awesome to celebrate, Fireworks are amazingly beautiful…it’s sad though when your completely confident pooch is transformed into a slobbering, terrified mess, having accidents in the house which hasn’t happened since they were a pup, because they are traumatized by crackling light in the sky that is illuminating their back yard which they once thought of as a safe haven! Have fun and be considerate this summer!
No Time To Paws 