You may be planning to go watch fireworks during the 4th of July weekend. If you do, you might want to leave your dog or cat at home, or keep them inside. Daniel Young, the CEO and co-founder of Happy Paws 4 Life, which makes products for pet health, says people enjoy fireworks, but pets don’t.
“It’s scary for them. They don’t understand what’s going on. Did you know that a dog’s hearing is actually amplified by 100 times? So everything that we hear, they hear… It’s just way more sensitive for them.”
Young says the noise and flashing lights of a fireworks display can drive a pet to a point that they will run away. He has suggestions to help get your pet back if that happens.
“Have ID tags on their collars. Make sure they have an ID tag on their collar. If they’re not microchipped right now, it’s always good to double check that your pet is microchipped. Make sure that if they are microchipped, that the contact information is updated, if needed.”
The best advice, according to Young, is to keep your dog or cat inside during a fireworks display in a cool spot with plenty of water, and close the blinds so the bright light of fireworks won’t get in.
