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How to keep pets safe from fireworks during the holidays

From white noise to medicine, experts recommend owners try to keep their dogs calm and distracted during the holiday.

BOISE, Idaho — While many Idahoans are looking forward to all the Fourth of July festivities, people with animals might be a little more nervous, especially if your pet gets spooked by fireworks. 

"Fourth of July and New Year's is just rough," dog owner Sara Wittkopf said.

She said her dog, Dax, spends most of Fourth of July in the bathtub. At 10 years old, Dax gets more spooked every year. 

They also usually give him some sort of calming medicine, Wittkopf said. 

"He's never liked fireworks," she said. "Making sure that we have the bathroom open, if he needs to go hop on the tub to try to relax making sure that we have Benadryl on hand. Things like that have made it a lot easier." 

Dax is not the only dog that does not like the loud fireworks. Laurien Mavey, Idaho Humane Society spokesperson, said that is because they are unexpected and sudden. 

Dogs can also hear a lot of the far away fireworks that people cannot. She said owners should stay at home with their dogs and not try to take them to unfamiliar places. 

Keeping them distracted is also key.

"Having a quiet room that has white noise, maybe you want to have a fan setup, or have a TV show on something that's going to be distracting so maybe they can't hear the fireworks," Mavey said. 

Medicine is also a good option, whether prescribed from a vet or purchased from a drugstore, she said. Some dogs even life weighted blankets. 

Of course, not all animals need help getting through the holiday. Tod Simms said his dog usually reacts during the first couple of booms but then is fine. 

Other dog owners, like Donald Young, are not sure how their dog reacts yet. This is Young's first Fourth of July with his dog. 

"I think he'll do good," he said. "You don't really know until it starts to happen, though." 

Young said he plans on taking his dog outside and playing some fetch to create positive memories.

Mavey said owners should make sure updated contact information is somewhere on their dog because they might get scared and run away. If that happens, she recommended checking the humane society on Wednesday. 

People should also be on the lookout for lost pets, she said.

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