This is how I found Tisen, Twiggy and Pat once firecrackers started going off

For about a week before the 4th of July this year, I saw admonishments to keep dogs indoors during fireworks from at least a half-dozen places.  The pet supply store where we buy Tisen’s food had signs up and posted regularly on Facebook.  McKamey Animal Shelter, the place from whence Tisen came also posted regularly on Facebook.  And beyond that, at least 3 or 4 friends were posting articles about the importance of keeping dogs inside and the increase of dogs who run away on the 4th because the fireworks are so terrifying to dogs.

I can only imagine what fireworks must be like for a dog.  Some estimate a dog’s hearing to be 4x that of a human’s plus dogs hear a much broader range of sound than human’s can.  According to one website, the reason dogs bark at vacuum cleaners is because of the very annoying high-pitched noises they make that humans cannot hear.

Tisen was pretty calm on the bottom of the puppy pile

One of the many dogs we took in over the years came to us following the 4th of July fireworks.  We actually found her about a week after the fireworks were over.  She was wandering alone in the wooded ravine we lived in, an adorable Boxer lost and extremely happy to meet new friends.  Especially new friends with food.

She came home with us with an exuberance few breeds can duplicate–boxers have endless enthusiasm.  She had a tag that indicated she was microchipped, but when we called the number, they were closed for the weekend.  When my husband was able to reach them on Monday, they could only provide the name and number for the vet where the tag was issued.  It was a vet in Pennsylvania.  When my husband reached the vet’s office, it turned out it was one of the vet’s dogs who was living in Columbus with his son who was attending the Ohio State University.

We were able to reunite the energetic boxer (who we had taken to calling Roxy, although that didn’t turn out to be her name) with her family about a week and a half after she had escaped from a fenced yard during the fireworks.  Her owners were so happy they brought us a plate of cookies.

I’m pretty sure that kid never left a dog outside alone during fireworks again.

First attempt to capture fog rising from Lookout Mountain with iPhone

Since Twiggy’s parents were attending a BBQ early in the evening on the 4th and we were going to a party later that evening, we did a dog sitting trade.  Twiggy hung out with us for a couple of hours while her mom and dad were socializing and Tisen hung out with Twiggy’s family for quite a few more hours while we did the same.  The dogs piled on Pat when the first firecrackers went off.

As a general rule, I don’t share photos from private parties, but I did attempt to capture the fog rolling off Lookout Mountain in the background.  Unfortunately, it was a bit too dark for the iPhone.

Second attempt–the ridge in front of the fog kept getting clipped

Related articles

• Keep your fur-friends safe this Fourth of July (journalstar.com)