Happy Birthday, USA!

Woooo! Today is Independence Day - America's Birthday - and on the Fourth of July we enjoy so many traditions, such as parades, barbeques, picnics, yard games, swimming, and watching brilliant fireworks' displays. Today symbolizes an unofficial official start to summer time and fun time!

Along with the holiday, comes some cautions for our pets. Topping the list is fireworks. While we may enjoy them, a lot of pets do not. They can cause fright, anxiety, and stress for many animals. Then, of course, there is lots of delicious human food around, but not everything we eat is safe for our pets to eat. Here's Wolf with a few friendly tips to help everyone in our families - pets and humans - have a safe, happy, and fun Fourth of July:

Another good thing to keep handy is your emergency vet hospital telephone number, or if you are away, the number of the nearest emergency clinic. And don't forget to leave it posted at home for your pup sitter's information.

It's also a really good idea to keep the Pet Poison Helpline and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center telephone numbers in your phone contact list, and printed alongside your house phone for easy access for yourself or your dog sitter just in case your dog ingests something he/she should not have. And for safety on the go, check out the Pet Poison Helpline's iPhone app.

With a some planning and a little care and pre-event house and yard check, we can all have a safe and very Happy July 4th!

For a few little giggles, here's our alpha queen Harley having a little patriotic fun!

And what's July 4th without a parade? Here's one of my favorite video slideshows of so many of our beautiful furpals, and furangels, who joined us a few years back for our Patriotic Pets on Parade! Enjoy!