Chalk it up to owning two Labrador Retrievers for the last 4 years. Or maybe it is the fact that I have owned dogs my entire 35 years of life. No, it has to be the fact that my home was once known as the local zoo; having within its walls a dogs, cats, birds, snakes, newts, salamanders, hamsters, and anything else I could get my hands on. Whatever the culprit, I am a die-hard animal lover through and through.
That is why it irks me so much when I see irresponsible pet owners. Just this past 4th of July (Independence Day), I was witness to countless families bringing their dogs to the local fireworks show. Sure, there is no problem in making it a full family event but it was the neglected handling of these beloved canines at the festivities that bugged me so much that it was difficult to keep my eyes off the families and on the fireworks.
Dogs were trying to run scared and people were practically wrestling them to the ground to get them to sit. Other dogs were just standing around, not paying mind to the fireworks, while children kept poking them and scaring them while the event was taking place.
It is no shock that people love their dogs and want to bring the whole family to the event. However, there are proper methods to introducing dogs to such an exciting and sometimes frightening environment. The passive approach and slowly building up to such a climatic event is what is called for – not throwing an unstable or unsure pup into an unstable and unsure environment. It kind of reminds me of teaching a child to swim by throwing them into the lake kicking and screaming. Usually you end up with a drowning child that fears the water so much that they won’t even stick their big toe in a bathtub.
So where were my own Labrador Retrievers while we enjoyed the festivities at the local park? They were home, safe and sound.
I am sure that the Lab Brats would have loved all the people and excitement and we would have loved to share the event with them. However, they don’t have any fears to loud sounds such as fireworks and thunder so why risk their docile nature for an hour of celebration? Instead it was more important to keep them comfortable and in the secure environment of our own home – the responsible and loving way.
