Day of celebration for humans is day of torture for some pets

Jul. 3—When it comes to canines dealing with the horrors of fireworks, Sai the husky has a somewhat unique approach.

"He prefers to stay in the bathroom shower stall Fourth of July week," says owner Shandy Weimert. "He's very anxious about fireworks. We give him Benadryl. He trembles and salivates and pants and wants us to assure him he will be OK."

Such is life for a dog. Noise phobias affect up to 40% of all dogs, according to the dog-walking site Rover.com. But pet welfare concerns seemed to be set aside when it comes to celebrating the country's independence.

With fireworks widely available from stores to parking lots, getting people to stop shooting them off seems like an impossible task.

Why are dogs afraid of fireworks, anyway?

Fireworks are an assault on dogs' keen sense of hearing. They're also unpredictable to an animal that thrives on routine. Some dogs may also see the noise as a threat, which can trigger their fight or flight response.

And lest you think fear of fireworks is the provenance of dogs, you should talk to Anna Kittelson of Mankato. Her cats are no fans of July Fourth fun.

"They'll cower on the floor. One of them had to stay within eyesight of me but didn't want to be touched. They'll hide," says Kittelson, owner of several cats. "I've had to resort to calming essential oils that are animal approved. We've also used Thunder Shirts," she says, referring to the super-tight shirt that is supposed to have a calming effect.

But if you ask around for people who have had experience with fireworks-averse pooches — as we did — you'll find more peeved pet owners than you can shake a bottle rocket at.

Christina Hinz has a 3-year-old dog named Winnie. They've stopped going to their lake home because the fireworks frenzy is too much for Winnie to handle.

"While typically a fun-loving dog, Winnie is petrified of fireworks — and by petrified, I don't mean a little nervous; I mean straight out traumatized," she says.

Hinz says they've done their research and employ a series of methods to help Winnie get through the trauma: brisk walks to tire her out, anti-anxiety meds, Thunder Shirt, relaxing music or sound machines.

"Does it help? Maybe," she says. "It's worth the effort as you hate to see your pet terrified of something that is so fun for many of us as we celebrate special holidays."

Sheila Skilling says her pet's noise phobia began with a rude neighbor.

"It is at least partly due to a mean woman in the neighborhood who threw firecrackers towards her when she was just a pup. But honestly, our dog is also now affected by thunderstorms, airplanes, people yelling and other loud noises."

It got worse during COVID.

"The worst was one year, during the pandemic, when Mankato decided not to have fireworks, and everybody in town was setting off their own fireworks. It went on for several hours, three straight nights. At least the city fireworks have a predictable start and end."

Cheryl Endersbe says that, for her dog, not knowing the source of the noise is the worst part.

"Meeko, who is a Corgi mix, gets nervous and barks every time he hears fireworks. He barks at a lot of things but fireworks he can't see from inside or looking out a window so he doesn't know what's happening and will bark for a long time. We have to calm him down by petting, talking softly and snuggling.

"My younger dog, Rusty, is a boxer golden retriever mix. When he hears fireworks, he hides. He wants to be as close to me as possible. If he can, this 100-pound dog will sit on my lap. He hides under desks, tables, in a corner. He will even sit facing a corner while under a table if he can. He also shakes. He can only be consoled by hugs and soft talking but will still be shaking until he can't hear them anymore."

Craig Soupir has a 5-year-old "Morkie" — a Maltese and Yorkshire terrier mix.

"Normally, he sleeps in the living room on his bed, but when fireworks are going off, he gets afraid and lays curled up outside our bedroom door shaking," he says. "Often we let him sleep in our bed around this time of year and keep fans going at night to drown out the sound. He crawls under the sheets and sleeps there."

Mariah Krusemark, of St. James, has a dog named Charlie.

"Poor little guy," she says. "He gets super anxious when he hears any sort of fireworks. There's someone in the neighborhood, bless their heart, who has been shooting off fireworks for a couple of weeks now. Charlie barks and whines and cries and he shakes and pants and rolls. He needs human touch to get through it."

Jenny Jones, of Mankato, says her dog, Noodle, has a similar response to the others.

"He gets scared of the loud noises and he kind of looks around at me like it's the end of the world or something," she says. "I have to give him trazodone. I give it to him in the morning and then at night and then the next day and the next night because people keep shooting off fireworks and it just kind of keeps him somewhat calm."

Jones wonders about a society where a member of the family has to be drugged to get through a celebration.

"You shouldn't have to drug your dog for fireworks," she says. "I think some countries do that silent thing where they don't have the loud booms. It affects the local wildlife and animals, and they're trying to just get away from it. And I think that would be cool if Mankato could do that."