GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Fireworks are a staple of any Fourth of July celebration. While they may be a beautiful sight to see, the loud booms that come from them may have a negative impact on your pets.
Experts from the Pitt County Animal Shelter say it may do more harm then just causing our furry friends to run around in circles. “What a lot of people don’t realize is that a lot of dogs don’t understand what fireworks are. All they hear is a loud noise and they get freaked out and their first instinct is to run,” shelter attendant Ashley Campbell said. “Unfortunately, if they’re outside and not on the leash, they can run and get away from you. And we get a lot of cases where we’ll have lost dogs, people are finding stray dogs or people are reporting their dogs lost.”
Cambell does say there are some steps owners can take to help calm the dogs. “I would definitely keep your dog at home if they’re not used to fireworks,” Campbell said. “Could turn on a YouTube video of calming dog music and, turn it up just to try to drown out the sound of the fireworks. You could even go to your local pet store and get calming chews, calming treats.”
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