June 2018

“I love fireworks” said no dog ever.

I consider it a cruel irony that the things I love most about fireworks – the sudden flashes, bright colours and echoing blasts – are the same things that make my best friend want to run and hide. While fun for humans, the loud, unexpected sounds of fireworks cause stress and anxiety for most dogs. As Canada Day approaches, here are some facts on why fireworks make dogs anxious and tips to help you keep the experience calm. 

Fireworks are scary for dogs for a number of reasons. The bright lights and booming sounds would be scary by themselves, but these lights and sounds appear out of nowhere and disappear again not to be seen for another 12 months. Unlike humans, dogs don’t know that Canada Day is coming. They aren’t expecting fireworks so the experience is quite startling. Though many dogs are afraid of thunder, thunderstorms actually come with way more warning than a fireworks show. Things like changes in barometric pressure and high winds help dogs, so many dogs are better able to anticipate them. Since fireworks are sudden and occur less frequently than thunderstorms, dogs can be even more stressed by them. Even dogs that are usually calm in noisy, crowded situations can react to a firework display. 

Pride festivals are all about good vibes of love, inclusion and family so it’s only natural that many people celebrating Pride this summer want to bring their dog along for the fun. While the idea of having your adorable pooch show off his new rainbow collar may seem fantastic – the truth is that large, crowded festivals with lots of intoxicated people (many in costumes) have the potential to cause great amounts of stress to a dog. There’s a lot to consider when deciding whether or not you should take your dog to Pride.

Family and strangers alike will tell you to shave down your double coated dog each and every summer but should you?

Last summer, I went walking with my neighbour and her Alaskan Malamute. Craving some attention? Then I would recommend walking a 95 lb Malamute through downtown Toronto!  Apart from being told that Harper is the “biggest husky” dozens of people had ever seen and being the subject of 50 Instagram photos (#AlaskanMalamute – she made sure they got it right with the hashtag), I was surprised by how many strangers told her that she needed to “shave him down for the summer.”