Dogs and the 4th

I was invited by the mighty martes to join her on the annual Valencia Fireworks Display Trek, but the appeal of fireworks has lost some of their appeal: I've seen displays great and small-- a LOT of them. Tonight I just didn't feel like fighting the crowds and idiocy. I decided to spend a quiet night at home making a puppet and consoling the dogs. I also had to go water my friend's cat and de-chunk the litterbox. The usual miscreant neighborhood fireworks were evident, though not nearly as much in previous years (thank goodness). The neighbors behind the hill were thankfully absent (they shoot bottle rockets into the dry brush of a red-flag area-- idiots). Rondo and Apache react differently to the pops and bangs: Rondo could care less. He ignores all of them, even the whistlers and close, loud bangs (though he does notice them). Apache just tucked tail and scuttled into the house to hide in the far corner kennel. Fortunately, I've been de-sensitizing them both over the last few weeks: I left some bubble wrap on the floor and the random pops (big and small) initially startled Apache, but over time even she started to ignore them. Fireworks are still a different enough experience that she is still uncomfortable, but at least she doesn't panic. I wonder if dogs can tell how far away a sound is-- and that even though some pops were softer in volume than the bubblewrap, she could sense that they were much larger (though farther away). Back to puppets!

Dogs and the 4th

I was invited by the mighty martes to join her on the annual Valencia Fireworks Display Trek, but the appeal of fireworks has lost some of their appeal: I've seen displays great and small-- a LOT of them. Tonight I just didn't feel like fighting the crowds and idiocy. I decided to spend a quiet night at home making a puppet and consoling the dogs. I also had to go water my friend's cat and de-chunk the litterbox. The usual miscreant neighborhood fireworks were evident, though not nearly as much in previous years (thank goodness). The neighbors behind the hill were thankfully absent (they shoot bottle rockets into the dry brush of a red-flag area-- idiots). Rondo and Apache react differently to the pops and bangs: Rondo could care less. He ignores all of them, even the whistlers and close, loud bangs (though he does notice them). Apache just tucked tail and scuttled into the house to hide in the far corner kennel. Fortunately, I've been de-sensitizing them both over the last few weeks: I left some bubble wrap on the floor and the random pops (big and small) initially startled Apache, but over time even she started to ignore them. Fireworks are still a different enough experience that she is still uncomfortable, but at least she doesn't panic. I wonder if dogs can tell how far away a sound is-- and that even though some pops were softer in volume than the bubblewrap, she could sense that they were much larger (though farther away). Back to puppets!

Dogs and the 4th

I was invited by the mighty martes to join her on the annual Valencia Fireworks Display Trek, but the appeal of fireworks has lost some of their appeal: I've seen displays great and small-- a LOT of them. Tonight I just didn't feel like fighting the crowds and idiocy. I decided to spend a quiet night at home making a puppet and consoling the dogs. I also had to go water my friend's cat and de-chunk the litterbox. The usual miscreant neighborhood fireworks were evident, though not nearly as much in previous years (thank goodness). The neighbors behind the hill were thankfully absent (they shoot bottle rockets into the dry brush of a red-flag area-- idiots). Rondo and Apache react differently to the pops and bangs: Rondo could care less. He ignores all of them, even the whistlers and close, loud bangs (though he does notice them). Apache just tucked tail and scuttled into the house to hide in the far corner kennel. Fortunately, I've been de-sensitizing them both over the last few weeks: I left some bubble wrap on the floor and the random pops (big and small) initially startled Apache, but over time even she started to ignore them. Fireworks are still a different enough experience that she is still uncomfortable, but at least she doesn't panic. I wonder if dogs can tell how far away a sound is-- and that even though some pops were softer in volume than the bubblewrap, she could sense that they were much larger (though farther away). Back to puppets!