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Community Corner

Keep Your Pets Safe During the Holiday

Here are seven tips to help your pets enjoy the weekend festivities, too.

The summer holidays are upon us. It’s a time to celebrate with friends and family and display our patriot pride.

Along with the recognition of our love of country, the Fourth of July brings with it parades, barbecues, picnics and, of course, fireworks.

Everything from sparklers to the fantastic displays that light up the night sky will be on display this weekend; often neighbors start the celebration early by setting off firecrackers of their own.

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While the bright colors and the loud booms are normally met with smiles and shills of laughter, for some, including pets, it can cause great anxiety and fear.

Susan Linker, President of Connecticut Votes for Animals and CEO of Our Companions Domestic Animal Sanctuary, offers this advice to help keep pets safe and allow them to enjoy in the festivities.

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Linker said that people need to use common sense when it comes to managing their pets during this celebration. Animals can get very frightened, and actually hear these noises and feel the vibrations on a different level than we do. They also don't understand the context of the celebratory noise, Linker said, and can go into panic mode causing them to destroy the inside of a house and jump through screens.

Consider these seven tips to help your animals, and your family, have a safe and happy Independence Day weekend:

1. Don't let your animal off leash when you're taking them out. If you let your dog out in your fenced yard, keep an eye on them, as you never know if a neighbor is going to set off fireworks while he's out there doing his business. Make sure your pets have a collar on with appropriate tags and are, if possible, micro-chipped. This way if they do bolt from the noise, the chances of your pet being returned are a lot greater than without them.

2. There is a product called a Thundershirt which is worn on the dog's mid-section that does calm them down. It's not known how it works, but it does help during thunderstorms, fireworks, etc.

3. If you're going to a fireworks display, do not bring your pets with you.

4. With cats, keep them indoors. A cat's hearing is sensitively acute. If at all possible, isolate them in a quiet room, with dim lights and classical music. Make sure they have their food and box available. Cats can have the same response as dogs when they hear loud noises, they will bolt, hide and become disoriented.

5. Other things that can be used to keep your pet calm are Rescue Remedy, which is placed in the pets water, Feliway and melatonin.  These are all natural products to help elevate stress in your four-legged family member.

6. Get to know your dog or cat and allow them a safe place to hide, whether it is under your bed, in a closet, wherever they feel safe. Put their carrier in a nice quiet, dimly lit corner. That should be considered their "safe place".

7. If you're out, keep shades down during fireworks, as the brightness will scare and stress your pet out.

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