Fireworks freak dogs

A few years ago Porterville resident Gerry Quinn’s dog “Lady” jumped the backyard fence after hearing Independence Day fireworks.
Quinn, 65, found 55 pound “Lady.”

Now it is Independence day again. This year Quinn has other ways to keep “Lady” at home.

Dogs react, some more severely than others, to the crackles and booms of fireworks and the loud noises and bright lights of sirens. Most agree that pet owners should take some sort of measure to help relieve their dogs.

“Like humans, they have fears and phobias about loud noises,” Porterville Veterinarian David Imbach said.

Quinn now turns on the radio to block out some of the outside noise and draws the blinds to keep out the lights.

“I don’t have a lap big enough to hold 75 pounds,” she said.

So she sits next to them and talks to them.

Medications are also an option, but the only real way to keep them safe is to keep them inside, according to Porterville Animal Control Supervisor Rick Cooksey.

Keeping dogs on chains can really hurt them when they struggle to run, which they often do when they hear fireworks, he said.

Quinn knew where her pet was hiding, but for those who don’t, there’s Animal Control.

This is Porterville Animal Control’s first Independence Day on the job. For the past 15 years, services were handled by Lindsay Animal Control.

Now, stray animals are handled as unit of the Porterville Police Department.

Animal control plans to increase its efforts to locate the owners of run-a-ways today. If owners call Animal Control about a missing pet, officers can input the animal’s information into a computer program that will match a description with dogs they pick up.

Dogs can be desensitized to loud noises, but it can not happen on July 3rd, Imbach said.

He recommends introducing them to accelerated noises throughout the year, and then rewarding them for it each time.

“So they can actually look forward to Fourth of July,” he said.

--Contact Jenna Chandler at 784-5000, Ext. 1050 or, jchandler@portervillerecorder.com