Dogs and the Fourth

I’m back! I had a wonderful time at the Romance Writers of America National Conference last week. I’ve got some of my thoughts about it posted on another blog--A Slice of Orange at http://occsliceoforange.blogspot.com/. It’s the blog of the Orange County Chapter of RWA, where I post on the 6th of every month--like today. A twofer!

Rather than repeat what I said there, I’ll talk here about how much fun it was to get home and back to my husband and dogs. My husband was glad to have me back, too, since he’d been the only one at the dogs’ bark and call for a few days.

Now, they’re back to taking turns demanding to go outside. Usually, one of us obliges, and then at least one of them usually makes a showing of using the outside as their bathroom facilities. My husband calls it “maximization of treats” since both get a treat if either produces.

On the Fourth of July, we stayed home this year to watch fireworks from our upstairs balcony. We could see at least 15 fireworks displays across the San Fernando Valley, plus the closest, really spectacular ones in Burbank. We left the dogs in the familiar environment of our kitchen but they still barked intermittently at the sound of the firecrackers, especially when the booms and crackles first started.

We talked to a neighbor yesterday who said that her Doberman had spent the evening in the bathtub to feel secure during all the noise.

What do your pets do during the Fourth of July? Do the sounds of fireworks freak them out?