Nothing can ruin a 4th of July like a noise-phobic dog. You can’t leave your house to enjoy the fireworks because you’ll likely return to a distraught dog and a destroyed couch, and even if you stay home, there’s not much you can do to comfort your pooch from the barrage of bottle rocket shooting neighbors and the window shaking blasts of a big display nearby.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July.  We managed survived, barely. I really hate living in the city during the fourth.  Fireworks galore for a good solid week.  Every neighbor has a cache of fireworks that would be the envy of every pyromaniac around.  They set them off all hours of the day and night.  Sunday morning at 10am for example. Our community also has a giant display on the 4th about a half mile from my house.  Can you say window shaking BOOOOOOOOOM!

The labs aren’t bothered by the noise but the Saint Bernards… OMG you would think the sky is falling, and to them, it is.  They bark, growl and lunge at the windows, trying to attack the source of the noise.  If that’s not bad enough, the drooling, panting and frenzied pacing completes the perfect horrorday holiday package for me.  Friday night we were out at the lake and came home to the boys in such distress I thought Rufus was going to bloat.

I stayed home with them Saturday (the actual 4th) and turned up the TV full blast.  My being there helped tremendously.  Rufus was still a wreck, but he calmed down quickly after it was over and actually lay at my feet to go to sleep with in 10 minutes of it being over.  So, I guess I am bound to the house with them from here on out.  Did I happen to mention that I hate the 4th!

ON A LIGHTER NOTE….

Its Zeus’s Birthday!!!!!! Happy Birthday Big boy.  He’s a little whiter in the muzzle these days, but still spunky as ever! Nothing special tonight, his birthday surprise is Saturday… I’ll let you in on the secret tomorrow . Its super duper awesome!

My son had a special birthday boy collar commissioned by the Sew Crazy Dog Lady.  He loves to play billiards and when he was dragged forced went to Joann Fabrics with me, he picked out a cool billiards ball fabric just for Zeus.  Isnt he handsome!  Thanks Sew Crazy Dog Lady!  Zeus looks great and its another fine quality piece to add to our ever growing addiction BLING wardrobe…

For those of you that missed it last year, I made a photo compilation for Zeus’s birthday.  I thought I’d give it one more go round… Happy Birthday Zoobie Doo!  Mommy loves you!

Nothing can ruin a 4th of July like a noise-phobic dog. You can't leave your house to enjoy the fireworks because you'll likely return to a distraught dog and a destroyed couch, and even if you stay home, there's not much you can do to comfort your pooch from the barrage of bottle rocket shooting neighbors and the window shaking blasts of a big display nearby.

Most every grocery or vitamin store carries it for cheap, so pick up some when you run out for last minute barbecue items for your 4th of July celebration.

And no, I don't own stock in a Melatonin company, and I'm hardly a pill pusher. I've just seen Melatonin work a miracle first hand.

Growing up, I lived less than a mile from a country club that hosted a fireworks display every year that is known for low-shot mortars that burst right overhead, and knock the wind out of you with every burst. The rich know how to party.

The best viewing for this yearly show for those of us who mow our own lawns is the elementary school parking lot half-way between home and the club. If the wind is right, the spent shells of the mortars will actually land in the lot, bringing a cloud of sulfur with them.

The tangible proximity and explosive percussion make for great entertainment, but whether we went to the show or not, the dogs never enjoyed the evening. What started as mild discomfort and hiding--that was easy to overlook or consider problematic--grew each year reaching full blown paranoia and panic.

We didn't appreciate it how bad the situation had gotten until we returned home to find that Black Jack, whom we had locked safely in the downstairs laundry room, had become so distraught at the noise that he chewed halfway through the hollow core door trying to escape.

Black Jack's noise phobia was contagious and Bonnie Belle soon began leaving the room when people sneezed or hiding under the table when someone banged the pots pulling them out to cook dinner. These were adult dogs who hadn't displayed the level of fear they had grown into during their early years.

We found Melatonin and never had an incident again. The first summer both dogs were aware of storms and fireworks, but quickly dropped their fear response, and during the next 4th of July we all watched the fireworks from our back yard without so much as a wimper.

With the current pack of dogs, I've used it selectively and prophylactically to cut possible noise phobia before it started, and it even helped me desensitize them to the new doorbell sound.

I reccomend it highly, so ask your veterinarian about it. The all mighty google suggests that an appropriate dose for a small dog is 1/2 to 1 mg and 3 to 9 mg for larger dogs (25lbs+). Published studies showed no ill effects with amounds between 10-80 mg per kg of dog weight, MANY times the levels that appear effective for easing phobias.

Fast, effective, and safe. Do your dog a favor and give it a try. Save your laundry room doors from wanton predation!