Nebraska Humane Society shares tips on how to prepare pets for Independence Day fireworks

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Tents are set up around the city of Omaha, and everybody’s got a deal. The Fourth of July’s fireworks season is underway.

In Omaha, you can buy fireworks, but you can’t shoot them off until the second of July.

However, you can bet fireworks will bang, sparkle, and boom before the legal start date.

All that noise is just too much for 6-year-old Bella to take.

“We have calming medication that we give her that you can purchase, and hen she likes to hide in my closet, so she’ll sit in my closet whenever the fireworks go off,” pet owner Stephanie Stevens said.

Steven Elonich with the Nebraska Humane Society said fireworks can be quite shocking for our dogs, because they have much better hearing than we do.

“It’s a really amplified sound. We see fireworks and it’s a big boom for us, it’s huge boom for them, so that can be really scary and jarring,” Elonich said.

“That’s why we see many more lost pets in the days that follow the Fourth of July, because they can dart out of fences, they get out of loose gates.”

Elonich said there are tools that dog owners can use to ease the stress and tension of Fourth of July firework celebrations. He said the key is to prepare early, don’t wait for the explosions to beign.

“We have a thunder jacket, a thunder jacket is a kind of warm shirt that you put over the dog, similar to like snuggling up in a blanket that can help them be a little calmer. We recommend getting that on them now, because getting them on them when they’re really stressed out can be tough,” Elonich said.

“We also recommend if you think your pet might need some anxiety medication, talk to your vet now. Don’t wait until the second, third or fourth of July, that’s going to be hard to go in and get that medication.”

Stevens already has Bella’s bed in the closet, and her medication on hand to make sure Bella has a calm and peaceful Fourth of July holiday.

NHS officials told First Alert 6 there are resources online that even play calming music for dogs.

Officials also advise to make sure your pets’ microchips are up to date, and make sure your dog is wearing a collar with their tags, just in case they get away.

Whatever you do, don’t take your dogs to a fireworks show.

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