07/04/2025
🐾 🎇 Happy 4th of July from Snoot ‘n’ Paws Plus! 🐾🎇
Bellatrix is all dressed up in her stars and stripes - but behind the cute costume is an important reminder:
⚠️ Fireworks are scary for our furry friends! ⚠️
📢 Dogs hear 4x better than humans.
🐶 They can detect sounds up to 65,000 Hz compared to our 20,000 Hz.
🐶 And they hear things four times louder than we do.
😱🎆 That means fireworks, which might just sound “loud” to us, feel like booming, unpredictable explosions to them — out of nowhere.
📚 A 2013 study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science found that 49% of dogs show signs of fear during fireworks, and many display behavior similar to trauma.
(Blackwell et al.)
💔 And sadly… this fear often turns into something worse.
Hence why there’s a 30% increase in shelter intakes around the 4th of July, according to the ASPCA. It’s the #1 day of the year for lost dogs. Even the calmest, most obedient pets can panic and run when fireworks hit.
But… there are ways to stop our fur babies from being part of that percentage:
🐾 Bellatrix’s Fireworks Safety Tips:
1. Keep pets indoors with doors and windows secured.
2. Use background noise (like a fan, TV, or soft music) to soften the booms.
3. Walk your pup early - before the fireworks begin.
4. Update their ID tags and microchip info today, just in case.
5. Create a cozy den or safe spot where they can hide if scared.
6. Act calm and reassuring - your energy helps more than you think.
Remember -
They don’t know it’s the 4th of July.
They don’t expect the noise.
They just want to feel safe.
Let’s make tonight less scary for the ones who rely on us most. 💙
With love,
Bellatrix & Snoot ‘n’ Paws Plus
