Hey, NJ Pet Owners: Leave The Dogs At Home For Fireworks

If you're a dog owner, you're probably like me and want to take your fur baby with you everywhere you go. I promise you that I'm all too familiar with the feeling.

If I could, I'd bring my dogs to the studio with me every day. Obviously, that could get a bit complicated. I don't think anybody would be a fan of hearing Mia and Bodie barking in the background all morning long. So, unfortunately, like the rest of the world, I have to leave them at home to come in and talk on the radio.

I say that to say this: your dogs don't need to go everywhere you do 24/7. You're probably like me and wish they could always be with you, but that's just not real life.

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One particular event that makes me feel so sorry for all the pups I see there is the annual 4th of July fireworks display. Every single year without fail, I see at least one or two dogs present. Now, I understand that not every single pup is sensitive to loud noises, but a quick survey from my friends that are dog parents revealed that most of the dogs in my friend group are.

I had to learn that the hard way.

The first year that my boyfriend and I adopted our rescue dog, she was only a year old and hadn't even experienced fireworks yet. We brought her to a backyard barbecue for the 4th of July where the homeowners were launching their own small fireworks. She began to tremble and it was at that moment that I knew we had made a serious error in judgment. Mia should have just stayed home.

I wish I would have known the information that I do now regarding how most dogs react to loud noises and fireworks. According to the UK Kennel Club, 80% of dog owners have witnessed a change in their dog's behavior at the sound of fireworks and almost half of all dog owners confirm that their pups are legitimately afraid of the loud bangs they make.

So, even though it should probably be common sense (it wasn't for me), if you're planning on venturing out to any number of the local fireworks displays this year, leave the dogs at home. They're not missing anything.

Source: thekennelclub.org.uk