Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Five Steps to a Pet Safe New Year's Eve

  It is almost New Year of 2015 and I have just gotten used to writing 2014!  We keep New Year’s Eve pretty low-key around here.  When the kids were growing up, we exploded fireworks.  They have never really bothered our dogs.  In fact, we had a miniature Schnauzer that loved to watch fireworks.
  Bentley absolutely HATES fireworks.  He is certain that we are under military attack.  Bathroom breaks must be timed very carefully.  If he is in the middle of some serious business and a firework booms,
it is not good.  His ThunderShirt has helped some, but he is still nervous.  There are two firework stands not far from our home.  They shoot a lot of their products.  Fortunately, it’s been raining/drizzling steadily for several days, so we’ve escaped a lot of the normal holiday noise.  I know that sounds Grinchy, but I’m thinking about Bentley’s peace of mind.  Of course, Pierre thinks fireworks are a challenge to see who can be louder.  It is a constant Boom * Bark * Boom-Boom* Bark-Bark, etc.  Like I said, let it rain!

   Here are some tips that will help to make your New Year’s celebrations happy and safe:

1.   Keep ALL fireworks away from your pets.  Fireworks contain dangerous chemicals like potassium nitrate, charcoal, sulfur, and coloring.  Ingesting fireworks can cause gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting, stomach pains, and bloody diarrhea.  Many pose choking hazards.
2.   Be sure to scout your lawn for any burnt fireworks that may have landed there.  I have found burnt bottle rocket sticks in my back yard.  Actually, I should say Bentley has found them on New Year’s Day.  Those flimsy sticks are extremely dangerous!
3.   If you are having a party, put the pets in a room away from the crowd.  There are too many temptations with food and drinks being set around within snout reach.
4.   NEVER, ever, ever, give your dog alcohol.  It is not funny.  It is stupid, cruel, and dangerous.  Feel free to quote me on that.  
5.   Take your pet outside on a secure leash.  Sudden noises or flashes can startle and cause them to bolt.



  I know these seem like no-brainers.  However, the craziness of holiday festivities can sometimes cause us to get distracted.  It only takes a minute for your dog or cat to nose into an unattended bag of fireworks.  Snitching candy, sandwiches, or cookies can take mere seconds for a skilled treat snatcher.  A glass of wine makes pets instant connoisseurs and they suddenly need to swirl and taste.  Dog tongues can make their way into a glass of wine in a split second.  Just take a few minutes to make sure your furry friends have a safe New Year’s Eve too.




   I want to thank everyone that voted for The Returns and Showstoppers’ book covers.  It is with great pride, and excitement that I announce that both of my books won!  The Returns was awarded the silver medal and Showstoppers took the gold in AUTHORSdb 2014 Book Cover Contest in the humor division.

  I must give a special shout-out to my graphic designer Holly Madison.  She read both books and worked with me to get the exact nuance of my stories.  Congratulations and thanks again on an awesome job Holly!  


14 comments :

  1. Congratulations on the win!
    We don't have any fireworks around our house for the New Year. In fact, it is going to be pretty cold this New Year's Eve and we might just have to stay inside and watch the festivities on the television. Veruca and Ava would probably like that better anyways.

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  2. Bentley, you have plenty of time still to hop in your car and come to my place! Minnesota has no fireworks on New Years because it is way too cold outside. It is -9 this morning, so we will be taking a fast, shorter walk...and doing our business in a rush before it freezes to our furs! You would be safe here with us girls...you can bring Pierre along too if you like. We only have fireworks in the summer around the 4th of July. I'm not scared of them, so I could protect you.

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  3. Congratulations on the win. I want to thank you for the Firework tips. This will be my Pugs first new year and I now it will be bad for them. We already have a few fireworks going off in my rural neighborhood and it sets them to barking. We try to keep them calm and snuggle with them but they want to run to the window and bark at the sounds. I do not have a thunder shirt for them but since neither like clothing that much I am not sure it would help. I hope this year is not too bad.

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  4. Big congrats on both dogs winning, they are winners! Great tips! I'm so glad you and Bentley love the collar and leash, I loved making them for you.

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  5. Hurray! Congrats on the covers!! Give Bentley lots of hugs from me and tell Pierre everything will be fine and barking won't help lol

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  6. WooHoo, well done!!! Both of thems, well of course, they were brilliant!
    I'm not happy with the fireworks, something my peeps are working on wiv me!
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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  7. Those are pawsome New Years tips about fireworks.

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  8. Congrats! And good tips for everybody!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  9. Congratulations on winning for both covers!!!
    These are all good tips to remember. We usually stay home and just have a quiet evening. Our neighbors tend to shoot off fireworks for any occasion they can think of. Maybe it will be too cold this year though....we'll see. Cricket really hates them.
    Lots of wags and woofs from the crew at Wag n Woof Pets



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  10. Great tips and WOW!!! Congrats on the win!!!! Woooo woooooooo!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  11. Congratulations on both winning covers. They are very well designed.

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  12. Many many ARoooooooooo for your wins!!!

    Yep we be staying insdie, we don't have a lot happen around us on New Years, living out in the country it's semi quite!

    The Mad Scots

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  13. We stay inside on New Year's Eve...and there aren't many fireworks in our area. So hopefully, it will be a quiet ringing in of the New Year.

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  14. That is super doodle*tastic! Congratulations! We are usually in church on New Years Eve. This holiday season I plan to spend it with my Mom at the Assisted Living Facility. Harley too! We're gonna PAWty with the residents. It's safe, no fireworks, and probably very quiet! Happy New Year my friend.

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