Sunny, seen above with our granddaughter in a 2016 photo, is
the sweetest and gentlest dog you’ll ever meet. She’s a show-winning purebred Blue
Merle Collie who we rescued from the show circuit in 2010. She can be a fierce
protector of our yard, keeping the squirrels and chipmunks and turkeys and
various other wildlife at bay, barking at them and chasing them. But with
humans, Sunny is the kindest dog around.
This week, the week of our Independence Day celebration, is
Sunny’s week in hell.
Sunny is scared to death of fireworks. She hides, scratches
the floor or carpet with her right front paw, hyperventilates, and paces. Her
older sister (actually, half-sister) Shadow, our other Collie, isn’t bothered
by the unpredictable loud booms. But the noise really gets to Sunny.
I understand some people want to indulge their propensity to
make loud and unpleasant noises on the 4th of July, but for the past
several years, some of our exurban neighbors have taken it to the extreme. They
buy professional-grade fireworks like aerial bombs and cherry bomb mortars and
set them off all night.
Not just on Independence Day, but, since it falls on a
Wednesday this year, they’ve assaulted us with their explosive devices starting
the weekend before and will continue every night through the weekend after the
4th.
Our township has noise ordinances and rules about fireworks
that go into the air, but the cops won’t enforce the laws. I understand lax
enforcement on the 4th, but – 10 nights of aerial bombardment from 9
PM to 1 or 2 AM? Please. I’ve called the cops and given them the exact addresses
of the three “launching pads” within a few blocks of our home, but – no joy.
Last year our veterinarian gave us some “doggie Prozac” to
use in calming her down, but the stuff, even at the lowest dose, knocked her
for a loop. One dose made her sleep so soundly I worried about her respiration
and made her loopy the entire next day. She could barely stand 16 hours after
the dose was administered.
We haven’t tried the thundershirt, because reviews from
actual users on Collie discussion boards are split 50-50. Half swear by them,
half say the expensive garment did no good. Maybe buying one and trying it is
our next step.
Channel 15 in Madison did a great TV story with a war
veteran who suffers from PTSD, and how the fireworks affect people like him. I can’t
find it on their website or I’d give you a link.
If you’re one of those people who loves to blow things up
and make loud noises, just please be aware that all of us do not share your joy
in these things.
