ELYRIA, Ohio (WJW) – Each year during the Fourth of July holiday, many dog owners notice that their pets are filled with anxiety.
Experts estimate that dogs have a hearing range that is four times farther away than what humans can hear.
Greg Willey, who is the executive director of the Friendship Animal Protective League in Lorain County, said a dog’s keen sense of hearing is why the sound of fireworks can be so terrifying.
“You’ll see your dog shaking, it can be salivating, it can be panicked and if it happens to be outdoors and someone just unexpectedly fires off a firework right next door and your dog is outside, suddenly the dog is trying to clamor up the fence, breaking chains, their outdoor tethers to get loose and so suddenly they’re off and running and the noise just drives them further and further on,” said Willey.
While dogs can also detect the smell of gunpowder from a considerable distance, their incredibly sensitive ears make the reaction to fireworks so overwhelming.
“Big bad wolf wasn’t a joke. You know, ‘the better to hear you with these big ears,’ and they can catch a lot of sound. They’re meant to be a sensory animal so that they can hear those things from a great distance away. It’s so terrifying to an animal that doesn’t know what that noise is or can’t identify it,” said Willey.
The Fourth of July holiday is considered the busiest and most difficult time of year for animal welfare organizations and shelters, with many kennels at or above capacity, due in part to frightened runaway dogs.
With his vast experience of studying and understanding the mind and behavior of dogs, Willey said animal lovers can take simple steps to reassure their frightened pets, which includes taking them outside before peak hours for fireworks and finding a quiet space in the home for the night.
“If you have a dog that’s very sensitive, try to keep them crated during this time. Try to do anything you can to sound-proof the room, using a room that doesn’t have a lot of access to outside light, so basements are really good for just this time of year,” said Willey.
