Staying Safe on New Year's Eve

My Service Dog, Mickey, is pretty much "bomb proof" in most situations... except when there are fireworks involved. I'm not much of a fan either. Since the booms and pops make Mickey nervous, I have to plan ahead for holidays when the neighbors or my municipality set off fireworks.

On the day before, the day of, and the day after the holiday, Mickey doesn't have off-leash privileges on our walks. That means no romps in the woods, through the fields, or along the canal. Even though he has a flawless recall, I'm not willing to take the chance that a firework will explode and startle him badly enough that he forgets his training.

We avoid walks during the late afternoon and evening hours. Although we've come across some people so anxious to set off their fireworks that they are doing it at midday, there's a much greater chance that displays will be held after the sun goes down.

I make sure that my contact information is easily visible on Mickey's collar. I love the Boomerang Pet Tags that fit right onto the collar, instead of dangling from a ring. Before I bought his Boomerang tag, he lost countless ID tags, romping through thick underbrush. Of course, Mickey has a HomeAgain microchip. This doesn't seem to be a terribly popular practice in my area yet, so I can't depend on someone finding him and checking for a 'chip to reunite us.

Once the sun goes down, Mickey stays inside except for quick potty breaks. Even though we have a fenced-in backyard, I accompany him when he goes outside and I show no reaction if a firework goes off while we're out, which seems to make him a little less nervous.

On occasions when our municipality schedules a fireworks display, I make sure that Mickey is wearing his Thundershirt and that he has access to my bedroom, which is dark, quiet, and equipped with his super-comfy dog bed.

I also make sure there's enough white noise in the house to block the noise from fireworks. In the summer, I run a fan. In the winter, a humidifier works just as well. I also play music from the Through a Dog's Ear CDs

Keeping Mickey comfortable during fireworks displays isn't nearly as much work as it seems. Making sure he isn't upset or afraid is definitely worth a bit of planning. After all, he takes such good care of me...