Christmas and New Year's Eve Holidays: Keep our pets safe and secure

Christmas and New Year’s Day celebrations had passed. I was just glad that these holidays are over because these occasions are so stressful for my pets. The unstoppable loud noises brought about by blasting firecrackers scared my furry bestfriends to the bones. I even took a shivering neighbor’s dog to shelter inside our house. The poor canine was so scared, I thought he lost his instinct on where to hide.

At the start of the new year, I got a chance to take new pictures of King and Puffy. Check them out.

King

Puffy

But wait, I guess, there’s one more holiday feast that will definitely bang loud firecrackers – the Chinese New Year this February 14th. So before that day comes, let’s have a time to read these tips from PAWS to help our pets cope with the stress and harm that come with the noise of fireworks.

1. Appeal to family members and neighbors not to burst firecrackers and be considerate to animals who are unable to protect themselves from toxic harm.
2. Create a safe and comfortable place where your pet can hide from fumes and noises.
3. Observe where your pet goes when she is frightened and give her access to that place such as under the sofa or bed. Let your pet come and go freely to her “comfort zone."
4. Encourage your pet to engage in an activity that diverts her attention away from startling noises and from behaving fearfully.
5. Refrain from soothing or giving treats to your pet when she is behaving frightfully as she may interpret this as a reward for her anxious behavior.
6. Don’t punish your pet for being terrified of firecrackers as this will only make her more scared.
7. Don’t try to force your dog to experience or be close to her source of fear as this can make her aggressive in her desire to escape from the situation.
8. Keep your gate closed and your perimeter secure to prevent your pet from wandering off due to panic.

Also:

1. Keep hazardous materials out of reach of your pet, including plastic bags and wrappings, tobacco products, cleaning solutions, and phosphorous-containing items such as pyrotechnic devices, incense, matches and mosquito coils.
2. Keep common holiday food treats such as chocolate, grapes, macadamia nuts, popcorn, fruit cake, raisin bread and alcoholic beverages, away from your pet as these may cause stomach, kidney and liver ailments as well as choking hazard.