KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE THIS
4th OF JULY!

By Dr. Marty Becker
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service

This Fourth of July, perhaps more than ever, Americans will be celebrating our freedom and heritage by filling the skies with the sights and sounds of spectacular fireworks. While we love pyrotechnics and this is a holiday all patriotic citizens look forward to, we need to remember that this is an extremely upsetting time for many pets.

While the human family is oohing and aahing in the back yard, the family pets may be frightened out of their wits and spend this weekend under the bed, in the bathtub or the basement, cowering, shaking, drooling and seeking safety and comfort. Some will injure themselves, or even get themselves into life threatening situations in their panic.

While cats are rarely affected, dogs often experience panic at loud noises such as thunder, gunfire and firecrackers.

"It makes a lot of sense for animals to be afraid of loud, sudden noises. In the wilds, noise of this magnitude would be correlated with some real danger, like a landslide or tornado," says Janice Willard, DVM. "We may be able to understand that a fireworks display is just entertainment, but for our pets, the fear is very real and related to basic survival instincts."

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SEIZURE DOGS

Jason Bellows

There are about fifty-million people worldwide who have epilepsy. Sometimes the condition is severe, but many lead mostly normal lives, suffering only occasional seizures. Nevertheless, most people with epilepsy are forbidden from driving automobiles or flying aircraft due to fear that a seizure–no matter how rare–can cause an accident, and the liability lawyers will be set loose. Despite the number of people who suffer epilepsy, however, it seems the public at large cannot be taught how to effectively help a person who has a seizure.

As is too common, when humans are unable or unwilling to care for fellow humans, we find that our canine friends are up to the task. Dogs trained to aid people with epilepsy are rare because they have to be absolutely perfect in their responses and reliability. Not only can these Seizure Response Dogs–or more commonly just called “Seizure Dogs”–help and protect a person during and after a seizure, but sometimes are able to detect when a seizure is about to happen and offer warning.

Dogs have been trained to help people through seizures since the 1970s, but some dogs have done so spontaneously for much longer. On their own, some dogs have been known to lie down beside a person undergoing seizure, or to lick a person’s face until they regain cognition. (Some dogs have been known to panic through their owner’s seizure–even die of the stress.) Trainers began to take advantage of a dog’s tendency to help by training dogs to specific responses. Some dogs are trained to alert people around in the event of a seizure; this is particularly useful in the care of children where the dog can alert other family members of the situation. Dogs can guide a person who has brief episodes of spasms and loss of cognition—known as "absence seizures”—and prevent them from running into things. There are even instances of dogs trained to call 911 on a specialized phone when needed.

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July 2008 K9 of the Month
Name: Sadie
Breed:  German Shorthaired Pointer

Visit the Kennel and learn more about Sadie

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	DID YOU KNOW?

Send us your E-Mail Address.  FORDOG keeps their mailings to a minimum, but it's a great way to let our Dog Park users know quickly if we need assistance such as donated bags, tennis balls, or if we need volunteers for a K9 event. FORDOG never gives out anyone's address.  We consider that private information.

Please send your E-Mail address to FORDOG@Comcast.Net or E-Mail us if you have any questions about the Dog Park.

Thanking you in advance for your support.

STATEMENT OF APPRECIATION TO THE FORDOG MEMBERSHIP

The Phoenix Dog Park has been a very successful community project since its inception in 2002. We are establishing an excellant reputation in the neighborhood as a well-run facility that is an asset to the community.

The Dog Park was originally created as a "Test Case" with the Park District in 2001 and has proven so successful that the Park District included a new dog park in their 5-year Phoenix Park improvement plans. This new park was officially opened for business on October 22, 2006.

The FORDOG Steering Committee would like to thank all of the responsible dog owners (our "membership") who have helped keep our Dog Park safe and clean. We would also like to thank the many of you who have generously contributed to the support of Phoenix Dog Park in so many ways.

THANK YOU!

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