Important dog safety heads-up/reminder to fellow owners & walkers

naturegirlbk · January 2015

As some of us have unfortunately experienced or witnessed, many dogs (especially rescue-pups, it seems) have an extremely high "startle & run" response to sudden loud noises, like thunderclaps and fireworks. Apparently they go into a blind panic, and the “flight” instinct kicks in and a dog runs in a blind panic at sudden loud noises around them (ie, thunder, fireworks, gunfire). These frightened dogs are the most difficult to catch since the owner is often walking relaxed when the dog is suddenly startled, and the dog will literally bolt so hard and fast that the force causes them to break right off their leashes, or come right out of their collar. And they will run unbelievably fast and super far to get away from whatever has frightened them.

I have personally seen this scenario happen 3 times just this past year in our neighborhood during sudden spring & summer storms, and I'm aware of 2 very recent incidents of dogs bolting from the sound of fireworks. In all cases that I witnessed, the dogs were terrified suddenly by a loud clap of thunder, bolted away at top speed in a blind panic, ran through speeding traffic, and it either ended tragically, or best case, the pups were lost for many weeks, outside in the severe heat or cold during severe storms, hungry, and in obvious danger running around unprotected and on their own.

So, as I've just heard that the blizzard forecast now apparently includes an expectation for quite a bit of thunder over the next couple of days, I just wanted to send out this safety heads-up to all fellow dog-owners & walkers, and to make the suggestion to perhaps keep your walks super short during periods when a thunder storm is likely (applies to any season, of course), and to avoid walks completely, for as long as possible, if thunder or fireworks are nearby, expected, or approaching.

None if us ever want our loving furry friends to be frightened, lost, cold and alone outside in a blizzard like this or in any situation , if we could prevent it by having this hopefully helpful bit of instinctual pup "flight-response" info in mind. (And, perhaps the moderator wouldn't mind posting this tidbit across the various neighborhood boards for the benefit of reminding all our fellow dog-lovers/owners of this issue....Much appreciated.)

Stay safe, warm, and dry, people and pups!!

tsarina · January 2015

May I add he importance of micro chips to this topic. God forbid your should get lost, but the only pretty sure way of getting them back is if you have them microchipped. Every vet and shelter has a scanner and its the quickest way to getting reunited with your dog. A tag is not enough as these can fall off.

naturegirlbk · January 2015

Yes! Absolutely right!!! Microchipping your dogs is absolutely the best hope of getting your pup back should they ever unexpectedly get away from their owner or walker. I believe most local vets charge around $50 for this, and I know that North Shore Animal League charges $35, but this is a very small price to pay to increase your chances of getting your pups returned back as soon as possible to the safety and love of your home.

anotherperson · January 2015

Along with the chip, though, please always keep a collar on your dog with your number on it. Some people might not know to check for a chip or it can take hours or overnight to get a dog scanned, while a phone number can be called immediately. I'm always surprised at how many people take off the entire collar to let their dogs run around at off-leash or at home--my dog is like velcro to me, but he is always wearing a collar with my number on it. You can get little engraved tags at pet stores or even buy a collar with the number printed or sewn on.

Important dog safety heads-up/reminder to fellow owners & walkers

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories