Ask Ashley: Great Plains SPCA

My dog is afraid of fireworks and unfortunately for us it is legal to shoot fireworks in my neighborhood, which means it sounds like a war zone for a couple of days during the first week of July. Is there anything I can do to help my dog feel less frightened during the holiday? – Kyle Green

During this time of year, I am constantly reminding people to fight the urge to bring their pets to firework shows and Fourth of July celebrations due to the loud noises and large crowds. Dogs are more sensitive to noise and odor than humans, which means fireworks can be very scary for many of them. I highly recommend keeping pets indoors during this holiday and updating microchip numbers and pet identification tags since it common for pets to go missing during this holiday. Try keeping your pet in a quiet room (basements are great for this) and play some music or have the television on to help soften the noise from the fireworks. Get your walking and exercising done before nightfall so you can avoid the fireworks. If your dog’s anxiety is severe, please consult a veterinarian for medications that may help. If you are home with your pet during the fireworks, play games of fetch and try to redirect their focus away from the noise with play. I hope you and your pet have a better holiday this year. – Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

My husband is a truck driver and is rarely home, which leaves me to oversee walking the dogs and taking care of our two sons who are both under the age of two. I would love to be able to walk the dogs with the stroller, but one of our two dogs is quite fearful of it. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. – Racheal Simpson

Start out by teaching your dog to walk on a loose leash without the stroller. This is important and will keep you safe so that your dog does not pull when you have the baby in a stroller. After the dog has learned how to walk on a loose leash, start working on other commands such as “Wait,” “Easy,” and “Leave It.” Once your dog knows these commands reliably, introduce the dog to the stroller slowly and let him check it out on his own. Put treats near the stroller on the ground to entice him to check it out, but not in the stroller. We do not want to associate food with where the baby will be. Next step is to start loose leash walking next to the stroller without the baby. Once your dog is comfortable with walking with the stroller, you can add your little babe and enjoy your walks. I recommend training the dogs separately to walk with the stroller before you try to walk both dogs with the stroller. Lastly, I do not recommend attaching the leashes to the stroller for safety of the children. Good luck and happy walking! – Ashley Flores, CPDT-KA

Featured Pet – Willie

Willie is a six-month-old terrier mix who has spent his entire life in Foster care. He came to Great Plains SPCA with a congenital heart condition and had to have open-chest surgery at just eight weeks old. Luckily, the veterinary team did an excellent job on his surgery and saved his life. He is finally strong and healthy enough to go up for adoption. Willie is currently living with other dogs, a cat, and even chickens in his current Foster home and loves every minute of it! He is housetrained and learning commands! What are you waiting for? Email adoptions@greatplainsspca.org to come meet this perfect pup!

Email askashley@greatplainsspca.org for a chance to have your pet question answered here in KC Parent magazine.

Great Plains SPCA is an independent 501(c)(3) no-kill shelter serving approximately 6,000 animals annually in the Johnson County community. As Kansas City’s premium family shelter, we continue to support the seven municipalities with which we are contracted including Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Shawnee, Lake Quivira, and Johnson County Parks and Recreation and unincorporated Johnson County.

Great Plains SPCA

5424 Antioch Drive Merriam, KS 66202

(913) 831-7722(SPCA)

https://www.greatplainsspca.org