New Year’s Eve Safety Tips
Each year I hear tragic stories of dogs escaping, or biting, or panicking during the scary clamor that happens at midnight. Between fireworks, people screaming, pots clanging together, and those little “popper” toys, it can seem like Armageddon to dogs. Dogs who panic and run off are often some of the most difficult to recapture because they become so fearful and they run and run, often spurred by the continual sound of fireworks and then are too spooked to approach unknown people. It is one of the worst feelings in the world watching your dog run wildly away from your house into the darkness of night–but this awful feeling is totally preventable.
Let’s look at a few simple steps you can take to help prevent the worst things from happening.
No late night walks or potty break
Come 11:30 my dogs are in for the night. I don’t let them out into the fenced in yard, or out on a leash, or out in our unfenced part of the yard. They remain secured inside where they are unable to escape and get loose. I keep them inside starting at 11:30 because round here some people get a little over excited about setting off fireworks and they may set things off a little early and the last thing I want is one of my dogs getting spooked and taking off (though none of my dogs are really bothered by fireworks).
Create a safe space
If you are having friends over and your dog is nervous around the big noises typical of the evening, I’d have a dark quiet room away from the action that has Through A Dog’s Ear music playing, DAP plugged in, and a frozen kong or two situated in the room to keep the pup busy. Depending on whether or not the dog likes being at the party, I’d either put the dog in the safe space before the party (and let them out for potty breaks as needed) or I will put them in their safe space around 11:30–just in time to get invested in a Kong before the crazy happens. If your dog is noise phobic, you may choose to play white noise instead of TADE music to help mask the noises and not just create a calming environment–you can download white noise apps that can do just the trick!
Be mindful of refreshments
There are a lot of food and beverages that are out at parties that can be dangerous for our canine friends. We all know chocolate, poinsettias, and onions are not good for our canine pals. Also toxic to our four-legged friends are macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, and garlic. Dogs who get into holiday trash and ingest cooked bones can be in serious danger. Lastly, keep dogs away from alcoholic beverages (if you are popping the cork wildly and there will be spillage) make sure the dogs cannot ingest alcohol (make sure your guests do not provide your dog alcohol “for fun” or “to see what happens”).
Decorations can be dangerous
Growing up and going to various New Years parties I’ve seen candles, sparklers, “poppers,” glass ornaments, plastic crowns, those plastic noise maker things and more as decoration or party items. It’s important to keep an eye on Fido, your guests, and the decorations to prevent your pup from having a dangerous run-in with candles, party poppers, or any number of items that could injure the dog or make them sick.
Great tips as usual! Happy New Year!