Six Simple Ways to Reduce Fourth-of-July-Fireworks Anxiety for Your Animal Friends

I’ve been living in the same house for a decade now, and I love it. The back yard slopes down into a pond (okay, an architect friend of mine calls it a water feature but to me it is now and always will be a pond); we are blessed with a plethora of wild critters who live in and ramble through our neighborhood; and the neighbors are nice and quiet. Well, most of the neighbors.

A few years ago, Mr. Firecracker bought the house two doors down and fireworks that were once blessedly far away were now exploding in my own cul-de-sac. And they weren’t restricted to just a few days either. Weeks – yes I said weeks – before and after Independence Day and Memorial Day were filled with the sound of boom! pop! and screech! For humans, the ongoing noise, lights, and smoke was obnoxious (though sadly legal); but, for the animals, it was terrifying.

Thankfully, both my neighbors and neighborhood association have been able to persuade Mr. Firecracker to cut back on his arsenal. Still, I follow these steps to help my animal friends enjoy a kinder, gentler season of boom-pop-screech.

1. Start using those flower essences pronto!
My animal friends and I have enjoyed working with flower essences for years now and I regularly recommend them to clients. They work on all states – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – and, since essences are the life-force energy of the flowering part of the plant they are two thousand percent safe and gentle (no worries about interactions, side-effects, overdose, or long-term use).

I prefer Green Hope Farm’s Animal Emergency Care blend. But, if you don’t have it on hand (and it won’t arrive from New Hampshire in time for the weekend), you can trot out to your local health food store for some Bach Rescue Remedy.

Put a few drops of either blend in your animal friends’ communal water dish each day beginning now and ending about five days after your own Mr. Fireworks has completed his demolition. As an extra step, dip your finger in the water (which already has the flower essences in it) and rub a few drops of the water onto your animal friend’s body, telling her, “This is to help you feel wonderful.”

2. Invoke Archangel Michael
I learned this tip from the books and podcasts of Doreen Virtue, PhD and have been consistently amazed by how well it and her other techniques work. Try it for yourself and notice what happens!


The calming effects of this technique will last for about 12 hours, so I suggest “bubbling up”, as a friend calls it, twice a day.

3. Tell your animal friends what’s going on
Most of our animal friends do not keep a calendar where they will see, “Woohoo! Fourth of July is coming. Can’t wait for some potato salad with the family and then fireworks downtown!”

Fireworks can be really scary for your animal friends, so make sure you not only tell your companion animals what’s going to happen but also how long it will last (hopefully just one night). Finally, reassure your friends that they are very safe at home.

4. Create a safe haven for your animal friends
When he was a youngster, my BobCat (not a bobcat) once told me that every animal needs a hidey-hole. Make sure your animal has one too, especially on this potentially stressful holiday.

My queen cat, Georgie, prefers the linen closet, so we’ll make sure the door is open for her before we head out for some time with my husband’s family. We’ll also leave on a fan to provide white noise.

5. Clean it up
Home isn’t the only place that needs to be safe. We find the remains of exploded fireworks all over our land and in the pond for weeks, darn it. Remember to clear your yard of any Fourth of July parts or pieces so they don’t attract the interest of domestic or wild creatures.

6. Consider leaving Muffie at home
An animal companion at a picnic? What could be more fun? Well, it depends on the animal.

For those of you who are inclined to take your animal friends along for the festivities, consider your animal’s temperament. Fireworks are many times louder for our animal friends than they are for us. Even more so, the combination of loud thunderclaps, sparks, and the smell of smoke generally add up to one thing in an animal’s mind: “Holy cow, I’ve got to get out of here!”

So those are my top six tips. Do you have something that works for you? Please share it below and we can all learn from each other!

In the meantime, here’s to a happy and comfortable summer for you and your animal friends!

Shannon

Shannon Gross * Animal communication and energywork * www.shannongross.com * shannon@shannongross.com