Independence Day (the 4th of July) is next week (can you believe it?), and may towns are opting to have their fireworks displays this weekend. If you’ve been through this holiday with your pup before, you probably have a good idea as to how he will react. Some dogs are surprisingly fine with the flash and bang of fireworks, but a good number tend to get scared and agitated, and may even try to run away to escape the show. Runaway dogs many not find their way home and end up in shelters (if they are not microchipped or wearing proper identification), or they may get injured (or worse) trying to cross streets or highways or traveling through areas with large predators like bears, mountain lions, or coyotes. Our best suggestion is to keep your dog inside for the festivities. If you DO decide to have him outside with you, make sure he has proper ID on him and is either securely leashed, properly fenced in (like a DogWatch Hidden Fence system) or on a sturdy dog run.

For more about keeping Fido safe on the Fourth, check out our previous post: Fireworks and Fido: Why it Might be Better to Leave Your Dog Inside on the 4th.

Photo Credit: “Untitled” by Jeff Kubina is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. (Image is cropped.)