So I think that the 4th of July is a great time for so many and a wonderful time for celebration and cookouts with family and friends. However, being in a home with pets, it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming or stressful. We as a family stay in and away from the noise and explosions that are fireworks. While they are amazing to look at and so beautiful, the noises are super stressful to Java, who is almost 14 and to Michael.
So in our area, and I’m sure many others, festivities typically start earlier than the fourth. We live in the city near main roads and have a baseball stadium about 2 miles away that sets off fireworks throughout the baseball season. During those times we stay away from our downtown area because, let’s be honest, we don’t like the big crowds that are drawn in or the fireworks. We can hear them perfectly even inside our brick home. That means on weekends during baseball season we spend a lot of cuddle time at home to keep Java relaxed.
Here’s a little about how our 4th of July week went.
We have neighbors extremely close to us, we can see their full back yard while sitting outside relaxing with the dogs. They decided festivities should start on the third of the month. The neighbors have a few kids and have a habit of starting bonfires in the yard and leaving the kids alone while it’s burning outside, irresponsible in my opinion but not the point here so I digress. This time however, they also left the kids alone outside with the bonfire going and firecrackers. The night started off innocently enough as the younger kids were running around with sparklers and having the time of their lives. We had a blast watching them run around smiling and laughing. As the night continued though, things got a little out of hand.
As I stated before, the kids were left outside alone with a bonfire and firecrackers. We came outside to let the girls burn some energy and do their business when all of the sudden we started hearing them set off firecrackers. Java was absolutely terrified and decided the safest place for her to be would be in my lap, so that’s what we did and cuddled with her in my chair til it was time to go back inside. Later when we went out again, after making sure that Java was tucked in well and relaxing inside we went back out. Frankie was fine and didn’t react at all to the firecrackers and seemed to actually enjoy seeing the fireworks in the distance, however we were in for more than we bargained for.
We looked over to see the kids next door not only setting off the firecrackers but also just throwing them into the bonfire to set them off. A few times the flames reached the tree above the fire, scaring the birds that nest there but also almost catching the tree on fire.They continued this until almost 1am, mind you that the third was on a Wednesday and many neighbors still had to be up early the following day, including us because our dogs do not know how to sleep in. This resulted in a few neighbors calling the cops for noise disturbances and the irresponsibility of the kids throwing them directly into a fire.
On the fourth, it was a typical 4th of July with firecrackers and fireworks going off continuously through the day and night. We were supposed to grill out our 4th of July dinner but in the south it was hot, humid and unbearable to stand over a grill to cook. I decided instead to cook indoors with our airfryer and relax in the AC, the best decision I made the entire week to be honest. But in the end we were able to have a relaxing night in watching tv, eating dinner and the girls snoozing on the couch. We kept the tv turned up to cancel out some of the booms and had our own amazing family 4th of July holiday that is honestly my favorite way to enjoy every holiday.
Our local stadium had fireworks scheduled from the 4th to the 7th as well, so there were no walks downtown to let the girls burn off energy as there were crowds and booms each and every night. We played games inside with the girls to get as much energy out as we could and let them spend as much time as possible outside earlier in the day, but mind you the whole week was hot with random storms, that again Java is not a fan of. For a little bit of background with Java, her owners before us lived in a house that was struck by lightning with Java inside so since then she has been petrified of storms or loud booms, understandably so.
What is astounding to me is the fact that people all over the city set these things off at all times of the day. We heard fireworks from noon until after midnight from July 3rd until early morning on the 8th. Java was constantly being cuddled, covered with her security blanket and getting constant reassurance that everything was ok and that she was safe. We kept weird hours and went to bed super late to ensure that she had a chance to go outside before bed without all the booms that we had to hear constantly going off. It was stressful to Java but Frankie had the time of her life being able to see the fireworks everywhere around us.
All in all, we had a great time as a family enjoying our show, some home cooked meals and lots of cuddles safe and sound in our house. The girls got a lot of play fighting time and treats. I as the spare human got lots of cuddles and got to be our old girl’s emotional support human as usual. I wouldn’t trade the girls that we have or the bond that we all share and the family that we’ve built for ourselves.
What was your 4th of July like? What are some of your traditions? How do your animals react to fireworks and how do you help them when they don’t like them? Send us a message of how your animals handle the holiday or how you celebrate the holiday in your house with pets.
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