Tips for calming your pet during fireworks displays
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If your dogs are like ours, loud noises (like, say, fireworks?) are the bane of their existence. So what’s a pet owner to do on New Year’s Eve?
First off, if the dog is crate-trained and feels comfortable in one, use it! Alternately, the Houston Chronicle suggests:
If you don’t have an established safe haven for your pet already, tether him to you with a leash and allow him to stick close. If your pet is not leashed to you or tucked away in a crate, remove items from the room that the dog could destroy or could hurt him if he chewed them. Some dogs become destructive when frightened.
Noise from a radio or TV can help a dog or cat relax, and Dogs.About.com cautions:
If you go out, do NOT make a big production of leaving. This will tell him that something is up and you are worried (and therefore he should be too).
Most of all, make sure your pet’s wearing proper identification should he or she manage to escape.
--Lindsay Barnett