7 Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe This Fourth of July Weekend in Abilene
As America plans to celebrate its independence with fireworks and other loud events, it's important to make sure your pets are well-taken care of during this potentially frightening situation for them.
If you're like my wife and me, we love celebrating the Fourth of July. I mean who doesn't? But, we also realize that it could be a freaky time for our pets. So, while we're making our plans to celebrate, we always keep our pets in mind. After all, you don't want Fido stressing out with the loud fireworks, or worse, jumping the fence and hightailing it out of there.
In Abilene, <a href="/no-aerial-fireworks-ordinance-and-burn-ban-issued-by-the-taylor-county-judge/" target="_blank">the sale of aerial fireworks is banned</a>. So, only planned events by the city will be able to fire them off. However, many people in Abilene will still flock to buy fireworks and blow them up in the neighborhood.
So, check out some of these tips that I go by when preparing our pets for the Fourth of July.
Keep Your Pet Inside
This is the easiest solution to the problem. Keep your pets inside with the doors and windows closed and have a TV or radio on to help muffle the sounds of fireworks. Obviously, you don't want to keep a horse or cow inside so this probably works best with just your dog or cat.
Restrain Them If You Keep Them Outside
If you have no choice and your pet absolutely has to be outside, make sure you use a leash or tether and restrain them. Even if your pet never runs away and is always good, a few fireworks can change their way of thinking quickly. If you don't, you may see Fido turn into Usain Bolt.
Microchip Your Pet
If your pet somehow turns into the David Copperfield and disappears into thin air, your pet can be identified if someone finds them. It's also a good idea to make sure your pet has its I.D. tags on with updated information. Taylor Jones Humane Society offers up microchipping for only $20.
Keep Sparklers and Other Fireworks Away From Pets
This should be a given. If it's not, well you're not being a very good pet parent. Seriously, pets are very curious. And even those sparklers can hurt a pet. Heck, I know they can hurt me. I can't tell you how many times I've burned my hand with a simple sparkler. Maybe I shouldn't go around fireworks either?
Don't Feed Your Pet Table Scraps
If you're throwing a party and have a bunch of food laying around, make sure it's not accessible to your pets. There are a ton of party foods that may be toxic to your pet so be mindful and avoid feeding your pet table scraps. Also, you never know what others might be bringing to the party. Those jello shots that Aunt Kelly made are definitely not good for your furry friend.
Consider Boarding Your Pet
Whether you're traveling out of town or just celebrating at your house, consider boarding your pet for the night. I know, you really don't want to spend the money on putting your boy Blue in a kennel. But, it has its advantages. You won't have to worry about them freaking out at the house, or stealing those chocolate chip cookies that Uncle Larry is bringing to the party.
Check For Debris Around Your Yard
When it's all said and done, do a check around your house and yard to make sure there are no spent fireworks or weird food that your pet can find. You never know, Uncle Larry might have gotten smashed and left his chocolate chip cookies around. Or, little Bobby got a hold of some sweet rockets that he launched into your yard.
These tips will definitely go a long way in helping keep your pet safe this Fourth of July. For more tips and other helpful info, check out American Veterinarian Medical Association.