I remember being a small child, my younger brother just an infant, and going to some large rolling field with our blanket to watch the fireworks. Every year I'd cry but this year, I was going to be brave. We'd sit down and get comfortable and my parents would coo a little bit, reminding me that it'd be loud and asking if I was sure I'd be ok. I thought I was.
And then the fireworks would start.
I felt like maybe it'd never end and I'd hear the fireworks forever. They seemed so loud, so piercing, so inescapable. I would cry. I'd feel horrible about it, my parents would try to console me but I also knew I was letting them down. I really wanted to be brave.
I don't really believe in karma, though I think that genetics tends to give you back in children, what you gave your parents. I thought I bucked the system by opting never to have kids, but Panda gave me what my mother faced every 4th of July, for much of my younger childhood. She's absolutely inconsolable around fireworks. We hoped that a full day of running on the beach would quell the fear a bit, and the cool ocean air would calm her fragile nerves but the close proximity of those boisterous noisemakers were more than she could manage.
Still, the day was wonderful and the bad parts were brief. We headed out just before the show really started, giving our campsite up to an incredibly thankful wedding after-party, and drove home during the best (or worst, as the case may be) portion of the show.
1. Fireworks, 2. Setting up the tent, 3. Spinning on the beach, 4. Panda goes for a roll, 5. Can we come in?, 6. Miss Bear looking sweet, 7. Thea zonks out, 8. Silly dog hug, 9. Panda finds a safe spot to hide from the firecrackers, 10. Making a fire while the sun sets, 11. Carrying a bad little dog, 12. Leo in front of sunset, 13. A very sleepy Thea on my lapCreated with fd's Flickr Toys.
Panda is no worse for the wear having had a largely great day at a beautiful beach in weather much cooler than the 90+ degrees back home. All in all, a great day.
See all the pictures from our trip here.
And a little video from right before we left.
Our neighbors across the street shot of loud fireworks for two solid hours, during which both of our cats freaked out, panicked and hid under the bed. Then we got up this morning to discover someone's spent bottle rocket in our back yard. Luckily, we had played with sparklers and had wet the lawn down well or it's likely we would have had a lawn fire last night (it's pretty dry back there!) Ugh.
Poor Panda!! It took me ages to work out why my two houndies are completely unfazed by fireworks, but I suddenly realised: my other half plays lots of video games. With the sound turned Right Up. Big bangs are part of the general soundscape around here, even if it's not quite the same as actual fireworks.
Awwh Panda I know just how you feel. Everyone was shooting them over our house despite the fine if they were caught and it sounded like a war zone.
The beach trip looks like so much fun! :)
awww poor panda. my old dog was terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks, too. but i can't get enough of them!
I never realized how lucky we were to have a dog unfazed by loud noises until we went camping with friends whose dog is _terrified_ of thunder, during a weekend with near-constant thunderstorms. Ours is a lab mix, and a born duck-hunting dog. Our biggest concern during fireworks is that he'll try to track whatever's coming down after the boom -- but at night he's not as interested as he would be during the day. I hope Panda is recovered from her ordeal!
Oh, poor Panda! Thank goodness the goaties don't mind the fireworks (!) We, too, spent the 4th on the beach - on the WA coast. I love the "spinning on the beach" photo!!
My cats totally freaked too. Hugs to the pups.
Hi Marnie - My dog Tawny is ditto on the freak factor with fireworks. 6 years of behavior mod (ooh - loud noise? how bout a treat!?? a tuggie?!!! weeee) and really NO progress.
But this year, ditto marathon session at the dog park, a 10 mile run, total exhaustion AND a call to the vet, a Xanax prescription called in to my human pharmacy, and 1 pill on Friday night, 2 on Saturday night, and Tawny-dog was okey dokey just fine thank you! And I got a couple of hilarious druggy doggy smiles out of it! Otherwise, Canada's always an option!