Happy Birthday, America! Time to celebrate the red, white and blue with family and friends. But why only humans? Get the furry friends involved in some creative and fun do-it-yourself crafts while ensuring their safety and well-being during the festivities, which can often be stressful for animals.
Everyone loves a good holiday to dress up with and create some fun photo ops. Create some pet-friendly accessories, such as bandanas or bows in pawtriotic colors. Party or craft supply stores always have a bunch of decorations, so grab some balloons and streamers to create a picturesque backdrop. Next, try some temporary pet-friendly tattoos that are safe and made of non-toxic materials. These are sure to be a huge hit! Your pets will surely get all the likes and comments on social media that day, so take many pictures. Take it a step further and create personalized pet tags with patriotic designs. These will greatly help if your pets become scared and accidentally escapes. Ensure your pet’s collars are always on and their microchips are updated.
It is vital that you keep pets indoors during fireworks displays and other loud festivities to minimize their exposure to frightening noises. Dogs, especially, are extra sensitive to sounds. Put them in the bedroom and play YouTube for dogs on the TV. If they are a fan of peanut butter, I mean, what dog isn’t? Fill a kong ball or a lick pad so they can be distracted. Chewy and other online pet stores have a plethora of treat puzzles your dog can play with. Puzzles help put their smelling senses to the test, and afterward, they will grow tired and go straight to sleep.
Speaking of toys, make some homemade toys that engage pets while incorporating the holiday theme—a DIY tug-of-war rope with strips of fabric in patriotic colors. This will surely provide some engaging and tiring fun for them. You can get the family involved a few days prior and make some tie-dyed shirts for the holiday and a few extra to cut up and make the rope.
Every party is complete with food and treats. Make pet-friendly recipes that can be shaped like stars, flags or other patriotic symbols using pet-safe ingredients. Ginger will help sensitive tummies not become nauseous once the loud fireworks start. A fun idea would be to make some star-shaped pupcakes topped with blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream. Your pet will drool over their chewcuterie board with pet-safe fruits, cheese, beef strips/jerky, and peanut butter. And always remember the 4th of July favorite–hot dogs. We bet Fido would be able to win the all-time record for the hot dog eating contest!
Finally, once the party turns into nighttime fun, keep the pets inside and safe, whether in a room or a crate and play soothing music. If your dog is super sensitive and anxious around thunder, it will probably be affected by the fireworks as well. NEVER bring a dog to a park for a fireworks display show. Another option is using some calming aids like pheromone sprays or anxiety wraps. Your vet can prescribe some anti-anxiety medication but be sure to get it before the holiday weekend since most vets will be closed. Pet stores also have some Zen treats explicitly made for fireworks, storms, or other stressful situations. Most will be made with soothing herbs such as lavender, valerian, chamomile, lemon balm and sometimes CBD.
Have a carefree time knowing ResidentShield will be there for you in case of any accidents with liability coverage.
We hope you pawty animals have a wonderful and safe howliday!
