Veterinarians and animal shelters across the United States are urging pet owners to take precautions ahead of the July 4, 2026, Independence Day celebrations.
The large-scale fireworks displays planned for America's semiquincentennial routinely cause severe anxiety in domestic animals and trigger a nationwide spike in missing pets.
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Why Fireworks Terrify Pets
Dr. Michael Bailey, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, explained that animals experience fireworks far more intensely than humans.
"Animals — dogs and cats — can hear and feel the fireworks four times further than a human can," he said.
Dr. Lucretia Greear with Woodhaven Animal Hospital in Michigan echoed this.
"Their hearing is definitely more keen than ours and the sounds and the noises and what they feel is just so much more intense than what we experience when we hear fireworks," she said.
The American Humane Society noted that July 5 is the busiest day of the year at many animal shelters because so many pets go missing after the holiday night.
Preparing Your Home and Pet
Dr. Bailey recommended increasing physical exertion earlier in the day to help pets sleep through the noise.
"Get them tired, so that when the fireworks are starting, they want to sleep," he said.
He also suggested using calming apparel like a ThunderShirt and playing background music or NPR to buffer the sounds.
Dr. Greear added that tight-fitting garments can create a sense of security. "It creates this sort of calming, coddling sensation wrapping them in the arms.
