I hear you, sister:
Madeline vibrates and dogs my every move. Abby jumps straight up in the air, and Olive looks at me to see if maybe I'd opened the cookie jar. All three of my dogs react differently to loud noises like thunder or fireworks. While Abby and Olive get used to the noises, Madeline looks to me for some kind of respite from the ongoing horror. I've grown to hate Fourth of July fireworks.
The new Indiana fireworks law that removed restrictions on shooting off noisy devices like fireworks, cone fountains, bottle rockets and fire crackers will not make it any easier on pets.
Some stories have downplayed the effects of Indiana's new fireworks legalization. Since people were able to buy them anyway if they just lied a little, why would they buy more now? I'll change my opinion if reports of fireworks sales tell a different story, but I think a lot more people are at least shooting off the things. I've heard more booms in my neighborhood in the last three days than I have in the last three years, and they don't stop at 11 p.m., either.
And my cats, normally unflappable, are nervous wrecks. I don't know why fireworks noise would upset them more than thunder, it does. Poor Dutch huddles in a corner, and Maggie jumps up and zooms through the house every 15 minutes. Maybe I should get them iPod headphones and play them soothing nature sounds. Or sue to get the state to pay for their mental-health counseling.
