USA -- keep your pet indoors for July 4th celebration

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LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Liberty is loud and a lot of dogs have problems with those Fourth of July sounds of freedom, Erika Gamez said. She should know ? she takes care of over 150 at work and five at home.

On Thursday, the 150 dogs, 150 cats and all the other creatures at the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Care and Adoption Center will be moved inside the buildings, said Gamez, the Southern California shelter's animal care supervisor. Classical music will be played throughout the center in the early evening to soothe animals that have sensitive hearing and can't tolerate loud noise.

Once the booming starts, it gets noisy inside with a cacophony of barking, whining and crying as some dogs panic about the fireworks and others freak out because of their spooked shelter mates. The cats don't seem to mind fireworks, but get stressed at all the commotion. "It's a trickle-down effect," Gamez said.

Similar scenes will play out in homes, backyards and public parks across the country, leading some anxious hounds to fly the coop, which explains why more lost dogs are turned in to shelters on July 5 than any other day of the year. Dogs that can't escape could hurt themselves in other ways trying to seek shelter from the thundering sounds that could last days as fireworks are launched throughout the weekend.

In Rancho Cucamonga, employees will handle 20 to 30 more dogs than usual that day, Gamez said. She has scheduled extra employees.

Because July 4 is on a Thursday this year, fireworks shows will be spread over three nights. Add fireworks bought from booths in many cities across the country and it promises to be a long, booming weekend.

Dogs have more sensitive ears than humans do and while some dogs don't appear to mind the noise, others will bark, whine, howl, hide, cower or run into furniture and walls, said Dr. Melissa Bain of the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine's Clinical Animal Behavior Service.

Experts say you can prevent a personal doggie drama from becoming a tragedy by taking some simple steps:

?Take a walk and wear your dog out before sundown.

?Plan on staying home with your pet when fireworks shows are scheduled nearby.

?Close the doors and windows, turn on the television, music, fans and any other noisy devices to try and drown out the noise and percussion of the explosions.

?Just sit with the dog. Don't force cuddling because fear can turn some animals aggressive. Have treats available but most dogs won't eat through fireworks.

?Leaving a dog in a crate or cage may not protect it. Dogs can chip their teeth and break their nails on cages.

?If a pet doesn't have a microchip or an ID tag with updated information, get that before the fireworks start.

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Wish I could buy fireworks :(

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^ you are right near China. :laugh: