Fourth of July...Ugh

For most, the Fourth of July is filled with picnics, family gatherings, fire works and a spirit of celebration.

For dog rescuers...it is a different sort of day.

We started our Fourth by getting up extra early to let the dogs out for their run. We knew that within a few hours, the friends and family of our next door neighbor would descend for their annual Independence Day celebration. This meant children running around screaming and playing, a cookout, outdoor games...frequent arrivals and departures by visitors...basically, total chaos when it comes to a house filled with rescued dogs.

We knew, once the guests and helpers started to arrive, our ability to let the dogs outside would be very limited. We spent most of the day inside the house, trying to keep the dogs from barking...which occurs everytime there is any activity at the end of our driveway.

David and I spent the day watching the weather report, praying for rain. One station predicted hail, which thrilled us to death! In the end - the nice weather held out - and the planned events moved forward.

The worst part of the day was knowing that once the neighbor's celebration concluded, somewhere around 8:00 p.m. - It signalled the beginning of a new problem...FIREWORKS. We live right down the road from Martin's Point - a popular viewing spot for Fireworks.

Rescue dogs are often terrified of anything loud sounds...Thunderstorms send even our Bully Australian Shepherd under the couch. Fireworks bring a reaction 10 times worse than a thunderstorm...6 dogs barking, whining, attempting to squeeze on our laps, under the futon, run into the basement.

Oddly enough, the only dog who did not seem to be bothered was Louie...Our rescue that is scared of everything!

Otis, our fat Black Lab/Shepherd mix somehow managed to get under the Futon, but of course, could not find his way out. We had to lift the Futon up and coax him out when all was quiet.

When the Fireworks were over, the local amateurs started their homemade shows which lasted way past Midnight.

At that point, the dogs were so frazzled that they refused to go out. I don't know how they held their bladders for so long - We all breathed a big sigh of relief when 5:00 a.m July 5th rolled around - and life in our quiet, suburban neighborhood went back to normal again.

Erin's One-Woman Chain Off

As you may of read in the previous post, Erin Blais of Lewiston, Maine, in contingency with Dogs Deserve Better's Annual "Chain Off" Chained herself to a tree in her yard for 24 hours. This effort was to bring attention to the dreary, isolated life that dogs living chained 24/7 suffer. Erin caught the attention of two local new stations (Channel 6 and Channel 8) and was featured in a local newspaper's blog "Its a Dog's Life." Through sponsorships, Erin raised $200 for Dogs Deserve Better. Nice Work Erin!