An unfortunate story about a runaway Morkie in Marion County, Florida. Seems the family’s Morkie, “Tuttles” was frightened by July 4th fireworks. He somehow slipped out the front door and ran away. Now, more than two weeks later, Tuttles is still missing and let’s face it, the chances of finding him are very slim. YOUR Morkie’s fear of fireworks could be fatal unless you take these steps to safety.
Fireworks are bad news for dogs
Fireworks are especially scary for small dogs. The ASPCA says that the days after July 4th each year, are the biggest for reporting runaway dogs. Seen from a dog’s point of view, you can understand it. Deafening, banging sounds, lights flashing in the sky, a moment’s peace, and then it starts again.
Protect your Morkie’s safety during fireworks
Here are seven ways you can make fireworks less threatening – and safer – for your Morkie.
Take your dog to another location. If the fireworks are planned for right in your neighborhood, why not drop your Morkie off at a friend’s or relative’s where the frightening sounds and lights won’t bother her.
Provide a haven for your Morkie at home. Put him in a room as far from the sounds of the fireworks as possible, and close the door. Move his bed here, along with some food and water and leave a radio on at a reasonably high volume.
Try a Thundershirt. They are specially designed to apply gentle, constant pressure to calm anxiety, fear, and over-excitement in your dog. It calms during fireworks, thunder, separation, travel, vet visits, and much more with no training and no medication so your dog stays drug-free. Thundershirt comes with a money-back guarantee, so if it doesn’t work with your Morkie, you can get a refund. Check it out here.
Give your Morkie a low dose of children’s Liquid Benadryl. For small dogs like Morkies, Yorkies, and Maltese, the dosage is quite low. Start with the children’s version of Benadryl, in liquid form, since tablets contain too much medication. DO NOT USE “Benadryl Elixir,” a liquid product for adults – it contains alcohol, hazardous for dogs. Instead, use the children’s liquid – NOT SUGAR-FREE. Use this handy downloadable sheet for correct dosage, and always check with your Vet before giving your dog any medications.
Click to download a handy Benadryl dosage sheet.
HERE’S A HANDY CHART YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND PRINT as a guide, and review with your Vet: CLICK
Keep all exits to/from your home secure. By secure, I mean, take extra, extra precautions that your Morkie cannot access the door when you’re going in or out. You’d be surprised at just how quickly your dog can dart out the door if he’s been frightened by something like fireworks. When you’re opening your door, put your Morkie in another room, with the door closed, or have someone hold him.
And finally, don’t baby your dog when he’s afraid, but don’t punish him either. One extreme or the other will only lead to more frightening behavior; instead, act normally as you give your Morkie a little bit of soothing.