How to prepare anxious dogs for fireworks

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - While you may be excited about the Fourth of July, your dog might not be. WTAP got some tips from the Parkersburg Humane Society on how to handle a fireworks-anxious dog over the holidays.

As many owners know, for some dogs, fireworks are their kryptonite. There are ways, however, to make the holidays a little less hectic for your pooch.

Shelter Manager Samantha Tannous suggests first letting your dog out to go to the bathroom before the fireworks even start. Next, find a place with no windows where your dog feels safe to put them. This could be a bathroom, a basement, or even a crate.

If your dog is especially high anxiety with storms, Tannous says you might want to talk to your vet about medication.

“Just being prepared for the worst is the best idea so making sure your pet has an identification tag or is microchipped is always good,” Tannous suggests.

ID’s and tags make it so a shelter can easily contact you if your dog ends up escaping. Tannous says the Fourth of July tends to be a busy time of the year for the shelter because of scared dogs running away when fireworks go off.

Tannous says if your dog’s never been around fireworks, a good indicator that they’ll be afraid of them is if they don’t handle storms well or are generally anxious.

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