Happy Fourth of July!

...To those of you who celebrate it. You probably can't tell what this is...

...It's Butters hiding from the booms. The noise of fireworks.

When he hides like this, he stays there even after the fireworks have stopped. I have to go entice him out.

Thunder too.

I'm going to take a few more days off for the American holiday. See you in a couple of days!

And I'll take good care of Butters, so don't worry.

Wishing you and your friends, relatives, loved ones and companions (fur-covered or not) well,

Mike

Original contents copyright 2024 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Mark Fogt: "Your photo reminds me a bit of a Mark Dion installation."

Mike replies: My whole house looks like a Mark Dion installation.

Bill Kearney: "As a dog lover, I intensely dislike fireworks. If it strikes fear in dogs, it does so in many other animals too."

Mike replies: I'm a noise-hater (disliker? Hate is such a strong word) in general, so the Fourth of July is my least-favorite holiday*. A relative told me a story last night about a friend of hers—after the fireworks started, five fleeing deer became trapped in the woman's fenced-in backyard. When the neighbors began their fireworks, the animals panicked, milling strenuously about, leaping wildly at the fence, and slamming into and tripping over each other. The neighbors, of course, their quotidian natures no doubt somewhat influenced on the occasion by alcohol, belligerently refused to cease and desist. We didn't hear the end of the story. But if the deer did manage to disperse, as they must have eventually, they might have found other backyards no more hospitable.

*I disqualify New Year's Eve. It's a drinker's holiday and I'm a teetotaler, so I simply ignore it, except that I stay off the roads later at night—no sacrifice, as I am not normally abroad at those hours. I should add that I'm no Scrooge! Well, except insofar as I re-read A Chistmas Carol every year as a way of keeping Christmas (it's a story about a spiritual awakening). I like most holidays, and enjoy learning about even the ones that have nothing to do with me, such as Succos, Ridván, Parentalia, and Diwali.

Comments

[Albert Smith]

I feel for your dog.

I have a bad reaction to the 4th of July (and New Years Eve) because after many years of being out of the the military, I still get repressed PTSD coming up to the surface as soon as the neighbors start blasting their fireworks continuously for hours. I immediately get hypervigilant and my heart rate and blood pressure go off the scale. I was in war twice and the sound of real bombs was a frequent occurrence. When the fire works start, I'm back in the zone and it is hard to not dive to the floor.

Every year I wait for the stories of the people that blew their hands off thinking they could drink beer all day and light near professional grade explosives for entertainment. Hope it was worth it.

[Franz Amador]

That is a lovely photo. Thanks for sharing it.

[Ken]

Trazodone, which comes in pill form, helps calm our dog during fireworks. It has to be obtained from the dog's vet, and each pill is effective for about 12 hours.

[Kye Wood]

We (lovely wife and I) noise-immunised our lab by playing loud crazy games with her as a puppy. Our labs hearing is exceptional, even by dog standards.

But - she's so chilled as a result of how we raised her, that she can sleep next to a running vacuum cleaner, not bat an eyelid during 30 minutes of non-stop fireworks (we lived next to the showgrounds in Melbourne, and their fireworks are hella noisey). And even a car backfiring doesn't freak her out.

I tell you, that Cesar Millan knows his stuff.

Granted. Too late for Butters. But you may well have another dog in your future at some point.

[Antony Shepherd]

Poor Butters, it's very frightening for dogs, and anyway these days people are doing amazing things with drone displays.

Here in the Uk we get the same kind of thing for weeks leading up to November the 5th.

[Bob Rosinsky]

I dread the week before and after the 4th due to my dog's fear of fireworks. I wish folks would think of the war veterans, cats and dogs before setting off firecrackers.

[Patrick Dodds]

A bit of Accidental Renaissance going on here. Lovely though a bit sad.

[R. Edelman]

Gabapentin also helps to calm canines from loud noises from fireworks.