![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Tips-300x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Fourth of July is only a few weeks away, and pet owners know what that means: people \u201ccelebrating\u201d weeks in advance by tossing popping, smoking and shrieking devices on the streets and in backyards. No matter that fireworks for personal use are illegal in Long Beach and other cities, including the so-called safe-and-sane variety that can cause damage if mishandled<\/a>.\u00a0People will set them off regardless.<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstand that your pets are extremely terrified at this time of year, and fireworks can cause your pet to do things they wouldn\u2019t normally do: flee, run away\u2014their fight-or-flight kicks in,\u201d said Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS)<\/a> Manager Ted Stevens in an emergency-pet-safety-preparation video<\/a>\u00a0put together by the City\u2019s Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications Department. Always, it\u2019s flight, because the enemy can be heard but not seen.<\/p>\n If you want to be informed about the dangers and distress that fireworks and firework noise can cause to pets and to military veterans as well<\/a>, read on. If you\u2019re a loving, caring pet owner or a friend or family of a military veteran and you\u2019re at wits\u2019 end both from the intermittent noise and worry about what to do about your pet, this article is mainly for you. You know that the geniuses running around with bottle rockets and things that go bang in the night, or day, don\u2019t care either way about what\u2019s illegal and what isn\u2019t. Mixed into the ruckus are the legal fireworks displays that traditionally mark the Fourth. You\u2019ll have to either put up with it all or head for Norway, where they\u2019ve already celebrated both their days of independence. Besides, they have great cheese.<\/p>\n Signs like these are available on the Military with PTSD Facebook page<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0 Photo courtesy of Military with PTSD.<\/em><\/p>\n Likely you\u2019ll be staying here, so prepare your pets in every way possible. Stevens said that more animals wind up hit by cars or in the shelter during Fourth of July\u2019s silly season. He stressed that pet owners make sure that their animals are wearing their identification tags, are current on license fees and information, and have embedded microchips, also up to date. If your cat or dog doesn\u2019t have a microchip, get one. Your vet can insert them; Fix Long Beach<\/a> provides them free at their monthly clinics.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a bad idea to bring your dog to enjoy the legal fireworks displays. They patently will not enjoy them, and there\u2019s a good chance that they\u2019ll freak out or disappear. A number of them go missing or are found on the beach here or in parks and on streets, sometimes injured or dead. Even if your pets are housebound or you keep your pets indoors around the Fourth of July (highly recommended), there\u2019s always a chance that they\u2019ll slip out. So be certain that they\u2019re completely covered in the ID category.<\/p>\n \u201cShould they get out, if a neighbor finds them, they can instantly be returned home,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cIf we find them, we can get them back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n If your pet does get lost, Stevens said, check ACS\u2019s Lost and Found page<\/a>\u00a0and the Twitter feed, @LBLostFoundPets, which is updated every 30 to 60 minutes. Facebook lost-and-found-pet pages such as Long Beach\/562 Lost and Found Pets, Lakewood and Long Beach Lost and Found Pets<\/a>\u00a0and Santa Fe Lost and Found Pets<\/a>. LostMyDoggie<\/a>\u00a0and the locally based 9-1-1 Pet Rescue<\/a> have gotten lots of results, and Nextdoor<\/a>, with all its controversial warts, has been very effective.<\/p>\n A safe place to be, such as a room or, if your pet is outside (again, please bring them in around this time), an area where they can\u2019t jump over the fence is a must. Make the room as secluded as possible. Make plenty of treats, food, water and toys available, and turn on the TV or put on a CD of whatever your pet likes (I found this<\/a>\u00a0on Amazon\u2013the selections might bore the average human to tears, but it might be just what Rover ordered).<\/p>\n Boarding your pet is also an option. Look into pet hotels online, or ask your vet, pet sitter or friends for recommendations. Check out the facility for suitability before you book a reservation, but do it quickly.<\/p>\n Stevens also recommended talking to your veterinarian if your pet is extra-sensitive to fireworks and needs a tranquilizer prescription. If you want to go the holistic route, be sure to research any possible side effects.<\/p>\n ThunderShirts are garments that wrap around your dog or cat\u2019s body and apply constant pressure, comparable to swaddling a baby. I\u2019ve never used them, but I have friends with dogs who swear by them. It might be worth it to find out. Most of the pet-supply retailers carry them, so it would probably be a good idea to fit them to your pet in person.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Combat-Veteran-lives-here-470x265.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/PR4_thundershirtdogscats-458x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/K9-celeb.-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/cat-fireworks-470x289.png\")
<\/em><\/p>\n