Thinking of Taking Fido to the Fireworks? (by Tess Callahan)

Because life is not hectic enough with two kids, three birds, four fish tanks, a teaching job and writing deadlines, I cajoled my poor husband one year ago into adopting a second dog. It started out innocently enough. Since adopting a golden retriever mix four years ago, we occasionally helped out the rescue group by “fostering” dogs that needed temporary homes. We managed to foster nine dogs before encountering one we (or rather, I) could not part with. A big, hairy collie with a healthy bark, he is not the easiest dog I could have chosen, but sweet, sweet, sweet.

Has this pooch put me over the edge? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Nah. I rationalized my excess by bringing him to basic and then high level obedience training, (he’s in graduate school now), and having both dogs tested and certified as therapy dogs. Originally, I thought this would be a great way to have my kids do volunteer work in our community, but it turns out they are still too young, so I am the one bringing the dogs to nursing homes, hospitals and schools for therapy visits. (Here is our collie at “Read to a Dog” night at the library).  Do I have time for this? My bulging laundry basket says no. Yet, these simple visits that bring such delight to patients, kids and old folks, have become a fulfilling part of my month.

All this is a longwinded way to say that through my association with the shelter and training school, a fabulous place in Madison, NJ, called Saint Hubert’s (http://www.sthuberts.org/) I have learned that the day after the 4th of July is one of their highest intake days for strays. It is also a time when many dogs are struck by cars.

It may seem like a fun idea to bring our furry pals to the fireworks show, or even let them stroll around the yard during a barbeque, but many dogs are terrified by fireworks and take the opportunity to bolt. Cats, too, can be stealthy escape artists. Pets have been known to jump through screens or out car windows. Many shelters and rescue groups have the same basic advice:

 ·        KEEP YOUR PET INSIDE: Try a safe, enclosed room, such as the padded cell you use when you're feeling on edge. If you don’t have one of those, simply turn on the lights and close the windows and blinds. Make sure your pal has chew toys and plenty of water because nervous dogs pant and gnaw, just like we do.

·        TURN ON THE RADIO: This will help tune out the patriotic, machine gun-like sounds outside. Some suggest classical music, but my pups like talk radio. Terry Gross is their favorite, especially the recent Michael Schaffer interview about America going to the dogs.

·        KEEP THE ID TAGS ON: Just in case Houdini succeeds…

Aside from pets getting lost, there are other weird mishaps that veterinarians report on or around the 4^th of July. These include dogs getting sick or dying from alcohol intake, (ever placed a beer under your seat during a barbeque?) lighter fluid, insect repellent, glow jewelry, and of course, firecrackers. Make sure Fluffy can’t reach the chicken bones and corn cobs you’ve tossed into the trash. Last year a friend of mine paid $5,000 for emergency surgery to remove a corn cob from her Bernese Mountain Dog’s intestines, with no guarantee he would survive. He did.

In conclusion, take good care of your dog on Independence Day, lest he feel about you the way this one feels about his owner:

 

The Revenant by Billy Collins

I am the dog you put to sleep,
as you like to call the needle of oblivion,
come back to tell you this simple thing:
I never liked you--not one bit.

When I licked your face,
I thought of biting off your nose.
When I watched you toweling yourself dry,
I wanted to leap and unman you with a snap.

I resented the way you moved,
your lack of animal grace,
the way you would sit in a chair and eat,
a napkin on your lap, knife in your hand.

I would have run away,
but I was too weak, a trick you taught me
while I was learning to sit and heel,
and--greatest of insults--shake hands without a hand.

I admit the sight of the leash
would excite me
but only because it meant I was about
to smell things you had never touched.

You do not want to believe this,
but I have no reason to lie.
I hated the car, the rubber toys,
disliked your friends and, worse, your relatives.

The jingling of my tags drove me mad.
You always scratched me in the wrong place.
All I ever wanted from you
was food and fresh water in my metal bowls.

While you slept, I watched you breathe
as the moon rose in the sky.
It took all my strength
not to raise my head and howl.

Now I am free of the collar,
the yellow raincoat, monogrammed sweater,
the absurdity of your lawn,
and that is all you need to know about this place

except what you already supposed
and are glad it did not happen sooner--
that everyone here can read and write,
the dogs in poetry, the cats and the others in prose.

 

Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to blog for Best American Poetry.
`See you at the dog park.

Tess

Comments

[Stacey]

Thank you for a fantastic week of posts Tess. I hope you will be back. Please say yes.
Stacey

[Lori]

"that everyone here can read and write,
the dogs in poetry, the cats and the others in prose."

OMG...I wonder what story my cat is composing about her impressions of life in our family.

Sorry, Misty. We did it all out of misguided love.

[Debra Wierenga]

Oh, of course the dogs are poets! Thanks for your posts -- I've enjoyed every one.

[Laura Orem]

Thanks for your great posts this week, Tess!

[Sally Ashton]

I've enjoyed your posts. Thanks-

[Paul]

Tess, you always have the most entertaining posts! Thanks!