Taylor and Liana … sweetness personified!

An article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal called "Their First 'Baby' Was a Dog; How Will It Handle the Real Deal?" caught my eye. It described a growing trend toward conscious efforts to make sure that newborn babies are welcomed into the family by the family dog. Expectant parents are taking their dogs to behaviorists and trainers to learn how to make sure that Fido behaves himself around the new baby and doesn't show any signs of resentfulness or aggression. I think this is a wonderful idea that will probably prevent many dogs from being booted out of their "loving" homes after baby's arrival.

My lovely, soulful dog Rowdy suffered through this betrayal at the age of 7. His "parents" had raised him from the time he was a puppy, and from my vantage point as a neighbor, he had a pretty nice life. His folks used to have gatherings with friends in the front yard, and Rowdy was always right there with them. But then they started having babies, and suddenly they had no more time for Rowdy. Apparently, Rowdy also committed the unpardonable sin of peeing on a baby's blanket (which, in canine lingo, could actually be a sign of protection!), and for this, he was unceremoniously kicked out. His former "parents" won't even come to visit him, though they live only 20 minutes away and I have asked them to come see him. Rowdy was depressed for months, and three years later people still say he has a sad look about him.

So when I read in this Wall Street Journal article about one dog who was simply given away after the new baby's arrival, it really bothered me. There were other aspects of the article that rubbed me the wrong way as well. One trainer was quoted as telling parents, "When the baby comes, you are going to look at your dog for the first time as an animal. You will feel different about Fluffy." Huh? Why? Some of the trainers in the article advocate an approach that seems to me doomed to failure: ignoring the dog more, banning the dog from the bed, relegating the dog to his "doggie den." One client's attitude was summed up this way: "One difference between her two 'babies,' she says, is that the dog 'can be legally locked in a crate.'"

No wonder so many of these new parents fail to cultivate a loving relationship between their newborns and their dogs. Who wouldn't be resentful to suddenly be treated like a second-class citizen? It seems pretty clear to me that dogs just want one thing: to be given the same level of affection and attention that they had prior to the baby's arrival. And any couple who is not ready to step up to the plate to provide that to their loyal canine family member probably should never have gotten a dog to begin with.

Dixie loved to help Ian clean his plate―and his toes!

However, never having had any children of my own, I thought I had better consult with some of my coworkers who had dogs when they became moms just to see if my theory is correct. I asked them what they did to prepare their dogs for the arrival of their babies, whether or not there were any problems, and, if so, what they did about them. I'll let them describe their experiences in their own words.

Chrissy: "I had Dixie (she was a beagle) when I gave birth to Brianna. I made sure to bring home clothing from the hospital so that Dixie could smell her before she came and I did not allow Brianna to pull Dixie's tail or ears. We didn't dress Dixie up or do stuff like that with her before we had Bri, so we maintained the same level of interaction and affection. When I took Dixie for a walk, I put Brianna in her stroller and took them both. It was good for both of them, too. In other words, we didn't have any adjustment issues. … I think it's so sad when people throw their animal to the side …. I think it's a matter of giving your animals space (and a place to escape to) and letting your toddlers know that the animals deserve respect and personal space. Just because you have a cute little kid that wants to pet the [doggy] doesn't mean that he or she should be allowed to."

Kathy: "I let the dogs have a good sniff of everything as we brought it in―cribs, clothes, etc., so they knew something was up. I never had any problem at all―and I introduced three babies to many different dogs and cats. When we first brought each baby home, we let the dogs sniff them as we held them. The dogs were very curious but immediately took to all the babies. Very gentle always and sweet too. And by the time baby begins flinging food from the high chair, it’s a full-fledged love affair! I think a lot of it has to do with the attitude of the parents. It was all very low-key, and we completely expected acceptance from the dogs—which we then got. They never showed signs of jealousy or territoriality in any way. "

Amanda: "Taylor has been around to welcome both of my kids. … Taylor had been 'the baby' for four years before Liana was born and I wondered if he would have any issues once she arrived. Since she was my first child, I read all the pregnancy books and almost all of them had information about bringing a baby home to a house where there was a dog. But most talked of allergies and cleanliness and only touched on the topic of how to prepare your dog for the change. One book said to try to get your dog familiar with the scent of the baby before actually bringing the baby into the house. After Liana was born, the hospital put a little hat on her head that she wore for most of the day. That night, my husband went home to pick some things up and took the hat with him. When he got home, he greeted Taylor with the same love and excitement as usual and offered the hat to him to smell. He also left it in Taylor's bed when he returned to the hospital. Other than that, we did not do much preparing. When we brought Liana home, we slowly introduced her to Taylor and he was fine. We just continued to make sure that he got as much love from us as he always had so there would be no resentment. There really were no issues."

It looks like the key is just to continue to value and respect Bowser for the special being that he is and to make sure that he has no reason to feel neglected or jealous.

As Kathy put it, "My son was more jealous than the dogs were when I brought Molly home, but I didn’t consider getting rid of him."

Hugo in February 2006—still a glimmer of hope for the future.

Pit bull Hugo lived in Lewiston, North Carolina, chained up in a trailer park amid hundreds of neighbors. At one point, he was lucky enough to receive a handmade PETA doghouse, which helped shield him from the elements. But his owner didn't appreciate him enough even to feed him, and on New Year's Day 2008, two PETA staffers who were delivering straw found him starved to death in his doghouse.

I wonder if he was named after Victor Hugo, the famous 19th century French poet, author, and human rights advocate who wrote Les Misérables (The Miserable Ones) in 1862. It would've been fitting because dying of starvation involves weeks of misery, especially in bitter cold weather. Hugo didn’t even have any bedding to snuggle down into. But he had a broken rib, heartworms, and intestinal parasites, and a necropsy revealed that his stomach was full of grass and orange peels.

Yesterday, Hugo's owner was sentenced to 120 days in jail (10 days active) and five years' probation, during which time he may not be anywhere near any animal. Although this sentence is a triumph, given the low standards of animal protection in this particular part of the country, still it also seems like a slap on the wrist in light of the abject misery that the defendant inflicted on his own dog for no reason whatsoever.

Hugo on New Year's Day 2008—all hope gone forever.

Whenever I encounter this type of completely preventable outrageous cruelty to animals (which, unfortunately, in my line of work is often), strains of Natalie Merchant's haunting song "What's the Matter Here?" about child abuse occurring next door always run through my head: "I'm tired of the excuses everybody uses—he's your kid, do as you see fit ….
[I]nstead of love and the feel of warmth, you've given him these cuts and sores that don't heal with time or with age. I want to say, 'What's the matter here?' But I don't dare say."

People need to speak up in defense of the helpless! The tragedy is that somebody could have stopped this. Hugo didn't have to suffer and die. There were oodles of people living nearby, and any one of them could have intervened by either caring for Hugo themselves or calling authorities or PETA, which is known in the area. There’s no excuse for such apathy.

So I wonder, do you have any potential Hugos in your neighborhood? Maybe it's time to shed that "Do as you see fit" mentality and start poking your nose into the affairs of your neighbors who have dogs and might not be treating them right. If you don't speak up, who will? Probably no one.

Puzzlemaster Louie in action!

The following is a guest post from my extremely imaginative colleague Amanda.

My little dog, Lou, loves puzzle toys. She figures out how to extract cookies and squeakies from Kongs and soft toys like the one pictured pretty quickly, and she actually deliberately delays the reward to keep the game going longer. (Sound like anyone you've dated?) We and our dogs are physiologically designed to work for things—that which comes freely or very easily doesn't seem to mean as much. It is human nature—and canine as well.

Did you know that dogs in packs all have different jobs? Dogs have evolved with skills that are useful and easily adapted to a wide array of situations, and they have a built-in need to feel that they are contributing to their pack. It's heartbreaking to think about, but in the dog world, the animals who don't actively contribute to the pack's well-being aren't allowed to hang around for long. It's no wonder so many dogs need Prozac these days!

Puzzle toys are a fantastic but unfortunately overlooked way to give your little angels opportunities to do something that requires focus and feels useful, especially if you cheer them on while they play and then thank them for a job well done when they succeed. The companies that manufacture dog toys are slowly starting to get wise, and toys like this are more readily available than they were a few years ago, especially online.

You can also get creative. I understand that the very idea can be intimidating, and I can only recommend looking to your dog for guidance. After a few weeks of trying to get me to understand and demonstrating the patience of a saint (poor thing—she assumes that because she is smart enough to understand what I say to her, I am of comparable intelligence, but she is sadly mistaken), Louie was able to successfully communicate to me that I should use her favorite veggie chewies, her bed, and her blankie to create a problem that she would have fun solving. She was right—she does have a grand time "working" to find her chewie as evidenced by the accompanying video, and she always has a triumphant look about her when she finally wins, no matter how long she has procrastinated in order to prolong the silliness of the game.

Enrichment isn't just something that we should demand for those poor souls doomed to life in a zoo or a laboratory; we must hold ourselves to a higher standard than that of those who exploit animals. We must remember that even though they rarely complain about it, to a dog, suburbia is what a bowl is to a goldfish or a zoo enclosure to a tiger. I know that good ideas are difficult to come by, so please leave a comment and share with the rest of us those silly, unique activities that make Fido and Fluffy feel like they've accomplished something—I bet there are a lot of great ideas out there!

All dogs in the household must be nice to one another.

Whenever my sister describes the antics of my two nephews, I often exclaim, "Oh, my God—my dogs act exactly the same way!" Luckily, she doesn't get offended. The similarities between doggie sibling rivalries and young boy sibling rivalries can really be striking. I guess it stands to reason because we all, humans and dogs alike, want the same things—attention, praise, affection, tasty food … and we all get a little out of sorts when we don't get those things or when someone else is getting more than their fair share.

I used to think that it was OK to let dogs "sort things out" among themselves with regard to their hierarchy. Perhaps it's OK when the dogs are pretty mellow anyway or there isn't a very strong rivalry among them, but things can get out of hand with high-strung, competitive dogs who never quite got the hang of bite inhibition. I remember receiving a message and some photos from an acquaintance who said that her two dogs had had a "playing accident." It turned out that one of her dogs had attacked the other, leaving a long deep gash, and she still thought that it hadn't really been intentional and that they were going to work out their differences eventually. I told her they might die trying. Did she want that? And if not, it might be wise to engage a dog trainer or behaviorist right away.

When I was writing a column for PETA's in-house newspaper, I received this question:

[My female dog] stalks and hunts [my male dog] in the back yard and has for years, but it was done in a more 'playful' manner, though Rufus (not his real name) never appreciated it. Greta (not her real name) also has always demanded everyone's attention over Rufus', and if left alone in the house, she will not allow him to have any toys or chew bones. … Just recently, Greta has been attacking Rufus and will not allow him on the back porch at all.

I answered her like this:

I think that what’s happening with Greta and Rufus is a very natural progression. Pushy dogs tend to keep on pushing until they attain leadership, and Greta is doing just that, but she’s gone too far. You need to take matters into your own hands and not allow her to treat Rufus this way. If you see her threatening him when he wants to go onto the porch or play with a toy, step in, looking as tall and imposing as you can, and [make a sound that will catch her attention] while staring her down to register your strong disapproval ("No" just doesn’t cut it with dogs―speak to them in their own language). Make her back down. Make her realize that you are the one who decides who gets to play with toys and who gets to go on the porch, not she. You'll have to do this consistently, but she'll get the message, and she won’t be offended. I'm sure she’s a quick study, as most dogs are. You will find that Rufus becomes a much happier camper. I actually saw this same scenario played out by my own dogs, Sunny and Dexter. Sunny used to enjoy stalking Dexter and knocking him down. Then one day at the beach, a woman who was jogging past me and saw Sunny doing this shouted, "Don't let her do that! Stop it!" and a lightbulb went off in my head. "Hey! I don't HAVE TO let her do that to him!" And ever since then, I've stopped her from doing it, and Dexter is much more carefree now. So is Sunny, truth be told. She no longer has to keep Dexter in line because someone else (yours truly) is doing it for her, although not by knocking him down.

I do believe that we should intervene in any doggie exchange that is likely to cause even minor injury or anxiety to one of the parties. Even when it seems funny or cute to us, such as when a small dog wants to terrorize a larger dog. I've had to deal with this issue with my foster Chihuahuas—they had a bit of a Napoleon complex, and my big dogs were starting to feel pretty uncomfortable. So I stepped in and made it clear that the little girls were out of line.

Cesar Millan of the Dog Whisperer TV show tells people that the hierarchy in a household with dogs should consist of only two levels: the leaders (the humans) and the followers (the dogs). That means that all dogs in the household are equal—even visiting dogs and foster dogs. Although I don't agree with him on everything, I do agree with him on this point for the most part. I think that it's an excellent way to keep the peace. No one should be allowed to get away with being pushy or snappy. All dogs in the household must be nice to or at least tolerant and respectful of one another. And if one of the dogs has a serious aggression problem, then it's time to call in the professionals.

When I walk my three foster Chihuahuas around my neighborhood, people actually stop their cars to ask me the above question—all the time. It always shocks me when faced with the evidence that someone else's thoughts are so radically different from mine. I see a woman walking three Chihuahuas, and I think, "That's so great that they're getting exercise and not being carried around in her purse like a toy!" but someone else sees a woman walking three Chihuahuas and thinks, "She must be a breeder! Oh, I want one of those cute little dogs!"

Ugh. No thought for the 4 million dogs and cats who are euthanized in this country every year simply because there aren't enough good homes for them. Nope, it's just, "That's a cute dog―I want one!" (Not a whole lot different from purchasing shoes.) This is the mentality that breeders and puppy mills capitalize on. It's ignorant and it's selfish, and it's the animals purchased on a whim and eventually abandoned who really pay the price for it.

Last week, PETA took a giant step forward to help roll back that mentality. We launched our new mobile ABC (Animal Birth Control) Clinic as a companion to our tried-and-true mobile SNIP (Spay and Neuter Immediately, Please!) clinic, which has already spayed or neutered almost 45,000 dogs and cats, many for free or at rock-bottom cost. The new clinic is a step up, going beyond sterilizing animals―it also offers vaccinations, fecal tests, flea treatments, heartworm tests, parvo tests, and much more. Its primary beat will be northeastern North Carolina, where so many dogs and cats live in impoverished neighborhoods.

Singing isn't the only thing that Simon Cowell has an opinion on …

And it's bound to attract attention as it rolls along, with American Idol's Simon Cowell on one side and supermodel and president of the Phat Fashions clothing company Kimora Lee Simmons on the other, both of whom enthusiastically lent their images to the effort. Another supportive "celebrity" is the mayor of Norfolk, Virginia (where PETA's headquarters is located), the Honorable Paul Fraim, who was on hand last Wednesday to inaugurate the van by cutting the ribbon wrapped around it with an enormous pair of scissors. In his speech, he called PETA's approach to the companion animal overpopulation crisis "intelligent and humane."

There's only one way to put an end to the overpopulation (and resultant suffering) of dogs and cats: Spaying and neutering like crazy. So far, in just seven days of operation (and not even running at full capacity), the new ABC clinic has performed 85 surgeries, preventing all those dogs and cats from ever giving birth. Without those surgeries, in just one year, those animals would have given birth to a minimum of roughly 1,020 offspring, who now will no longer be born into a world in which they end up chained to a tree in someone's back yard or abandoned on the street, forced to try to find shelter in the dead of winter. "Intelligent and humane"? You can say that again, Mr. Mayor!

PETA welcomed dogs to hang out in the workplace long before the official start of "Take Your Dog to Work" Day in 1999. When I first started working at PETA in 1986, there were at least six dogs (and two cats!) in our office of only 28 employees. That number has now expanded to more than 30 dogs and numerous cats. The only stipulation is that the dogs have to be housetrained, be able to "play well with others," and not be disruptive. One of the many perks of working at PETA headquarters is that we have a gorgeous dog park, where dogs can romp and even swim during breaks and after work. The dogs love it, and so do the humans!

"Take Your Dog to Work" Day is coming up tomorrow, June 20, and it’s the perfect chance to remind your boss that having canine "coworkers" in the office benefits everyone. We all know that dogs can have a therapeutic effect on humans, lowering stress levels and blood pressure. And studies show that dog-friendly offices are thought to be progressive and workers with dogs more industrious. It makes total sense—employees are more likely to put in extra hours if they aren't worried about rushing home to let Rover out. And commuting in bumper-to-bumper traffic is less aggravating when Fluffy's belly is within scratching distance.

But best of all is that for dogs, a day at the office by their guardians' sides beats sitting home alone all day, bored, lonely, and crossing their legs because they have to "hold it" until their humans get home. They (like us) could use a brisk walk at lunchtime and a lot more affection throughout the day.

I thought I would profile just a small sampling of PETA's canine "regulars" for you:

Maggie's Jones: "Jones gets here and makes his rounds to the guys in IT to say hello and see if he has any mail (treats)—usually he does. Once he's made his rounds, Jones settles in for a nice nap on the stand next to my window where he can keep an eye on me and the staff around me as well as the birds and traffic outside. Here's a pic of Jones at work on Halloween—he really gets into the spirit of things (the costume lasted about as long as the treats did)."	Candace's Gordon: "Gordon is always the highlight of my day! It's just amazing having part of my family next to me all day while I'm working—I feel so fortunate. Coworkers who have met him have called him such things as 'wonderful' and 'perfection'—of course, I don't need to be convinced!"
Peggy's Bella: "Bella appreciates her life and everyone in it like nobody I've ever known, because to her, humans are saviors from a life on the streets, living off acorns, crickets, and bottlecaps."	Amanda's Louie: "Every morning Louie races in, wagging and squeaking, in anticipation of reuniting with her favorite staffers, who are all just as excited to see her. Her daring 'pounce, spin around three times, then pounce again' approach of playing with her toys and chewies can brighten even the bleakest of days."
Heather's Izzy: "Izzy loves to sit on her perch at the office windows enjoying the view outside, occasionally rolling over to ask coworkers to rub her belly. She plays with her brother, Killian, and enjoys dog park breaks throughout the day to sunbathe and roll around on her back in patches of grass that smell especially good."	Patti's Maguire: "Maguire LOVES coming to work with me―even if his idea of work is to sleep most of the day and visit his human coworkers whom he has trained to give him treats! This once incredibly shy dog, who used to shake in fear and hide behind furniture when I first adopted him, has now blossomed because of the many wonderful friends he has met at work who have offered a gentle scratch and a kind word."

Zuzu: "Retractable leashes can put your eye out―don't risk it!"

When I heard the horrifying, tragic story about the little Boston terrier named Ginger who got sucked off her leash and into a city street-sweeping machine and killed in New York about 10 days ago, my first thought, after an initial wave of horror and sympathy for the survivors, was, "I bet she was on a retractable leash." I have no way of confirming this, but it's the kind of accident that you would expect to happen to a dog on a retractable leash, because once Fluffy runs out to the end of her 30-foot leash, her guardian has very little control over her and her safety.

Retractable leashes are SO dangerous. A friend of mine witnessed a dog's untimely death as the animal ran out into the street and got hit by a car before his guardian could reel him back in. And that's the biggest problem with these leashes: You can't reel dogs back in once they've run out to the end of the cord, which can put them at all kinds of risk. If you try to reel them in by grabbing the thin cord, you risk amputation of a finger (it says so right on the label!). And while Fluffy is romping around at the end of the leash, she could get her cord wrapped around another dog's leg and break it, she could "clothesline" an elderly passerby (i.e., trip the person), or she could strangle another dog. Simply put, with these contraptions, it's very hard to safeguard your dog and others.

Also, the huge plastic handle takes up your entire hand, so you don't have any room left in your hand (or hands—I’ve seen plenty of people with a retractable leash in each hand) to grab anything else that needs to be grabbed in an emergency. Also, if the handle accidentally gets dropped onto the street or the sidewalk, it will make a racket that can terrify Fido and send him fleeing. Then the handle will drag behind him as if in hot pursuit, causing him to run even further!

Oh, and it gets worse—in recent years, the media have reported on people who have lost an eye because the clasp at the end of the leash has rapidly retracted after it broke and hit the person in the face! Apparently, this isn't uncommon. There are numerous accounts of this type of incident all over the Internet.

I’ve also had two retractable leashes break on me, which allowed my dog Dexter to run right out into the street both times. This type of leash seems not to hold up very well. Perhaps the manufacturers didn’t have rambunctious dogs in mind when inventing these gadgets. One thing is certain―rambunctious dogs are not going to learn to walk nicely on a retractable leash. Just the opposite, in fact, because the retractable leash basically teaches dogs to pull. Each time they pull, they get rewarded. Not a great lesson, in my view.

According to well-respected dog trainer Pat Miller in the latest issue of The Whole Dog Journal, "It teaches a dog that pulling against the tension of the spring-loaded cord frequently gets reinforced with greater freedom. A handler can eliminate this inadvertent reward by locking the button, preventing the leash from paying out more cord―then he may as well use a regular leash! Retractable leashes also send the dog confusingly mixed messages: Sometimes you have to stay close; sometimes you can go 30 feet away. This plainly encourages dogs to pull frequently to test the distance allowed at any given time. I don't recommend their use."

All in all, the "freedom" afforded a dog on a retractable leash comes with a hefty price. Is it really worth the risk? I say, give your dog unfettered freedom inside secure open-air places, such as your back yard, the dog park, and the beach. Don't risk life and limb near traffic and other busy areas by using a leash that doesn't allow you to have full control of the situation. Dogs may enjoy running way ahead and sniffing, but they're going to get there anyway on a regular leash. What dogs really want is to be accompanied by a guardian who is going to keep them safe at all times. And that's your responsibility, so don't blow it.

Roxie: "Now THIS is what dogs really want!"

Today's post was simply meant to be. The first sign was an e-mail message that I received from my German colleague, Nadja, telling me about a TV show that she had seen on Radio Télévision Luxembourg (RTL) on Monday night contrasting "high society" people who buy extravagant things for their dogs with poor and homeless people who have to go to the food bank to get dog food for their dogs. She wrote, "The rich lady was showing off her pug. He had … hundreds of different outfits, hats, accessories, etc. On the other hand, they showed a homeless girl in Hamburg. She and lots of other people are going to a dog charity every week, where they get free dog food, depending on [the] size and number of dogs. People volunteering there said they can hardly handle it as people just [keep coming] … one week they had to shut the place down cause they didn’t have any food left. The girl talked about her dog, how he had helped her get away from drugs, how they sleep in her sleeping bag together at night."

Then, my colleague Christine sent me an article about doggie daycare becoming ever posher. I have nothing against doggie daycare, but some of the facilities go overboard, in my opinion, offering such silly things as "Poochberry facials" for an extra charge and "products imported from France for all of [their] shampoos, cream rinses, and perfumes."

Finally, the clincher came when my colleague Bob sent me an article about a Japanese company that is about to unveil its new invention: ringtones that only dogs can hear. How exactly dogs are supposed to benefit from this invention was not explained. In fact, dogs will probably hate them because they can't do anything to turn them off and their guardians can't hear them ringing.

But that's the problem with many of the ritzy, glitzy products supposedly sold for dogs these days. They don't really benefit the dog. You can find everything from designer doggie beds and diamond-studded collars to doggie nail polish and canine perfume, but does any of it really benefit Fido and Fluffy? No. It benefits the vain dog guardians who are in reality just using their dogs just to attract attention to themselves.

What do dogs really want? My late Doberman, Shandy, loved nothing better than to tear up cardboard boxes. Dexter enjoys "disemboweling" plush toys purchased at the thrift store. Sarah loves it when I toss her a toilet-paper roll to chew on. And what about dog beds? An old folded-up blanket can be very comfy. These things don't have to be fancy or expensive. And of course, nothing in the world can compete with the gifts of love and attention, which are absolutely free.

So real dog lovers provide their dogs with simple, fun toys and accessories, with lots of love and affection (and don't forget boundaries and structure!). And if they have money left over, real dog lovers won't be tempted to purchase silly overpriced, unnecessary items that their dogs won't even appreciate anyway. Instead, real dog lovers will think not only of their own dogs but also of all the other dogs in the world who are less fortunate and donate that money to help them. It's as simple as giving to your local humane society or animal shelter. Or you could send it to help fund PETA's SNIP or ABC low-cost mobile spay-neuter clinics or to PETA's doghouse program , which provides free sturdy doghouses to neglected backyard dogs who otherwise wouldn't have adequate shelter from the elements.

Real dog lovers love all dogs.

Koro taking refuge from a storm under the kitchen sink—she developed thunderstorm anxiety in her twilight years.

View tips for comforting your noise-phobic dog.

As a pacifist, I'm not really into explosive sounds that remind me of gunfire or bombs going off, so fireworks don't do much for me. But this isn't about me. This is about our canine friends. This past Sunday, a nearby neighbor started setting off fireworks (in anticipation of Independence Day, I assume), and little foster Chihuahua Sophia got a stricken look on her face. She's not into loud noises, either, whether from fireworks or thunder. In fact, they terrify her. She was so scared that she followed me from room to room even while I was vacuuming, which is normally another sound that scares her.

I understand that people want to engage in festive activities and that fireworks are exciting and thrilling, but really, they are just a form of entertainment―nothing more. Whereas to wild animals and to our canine friends, they sound like the end of the world. Dogs have been known to run away, breaking through screen doors and even glass windows in the process. Some dogs end up running into the road and getting hit by cars, or they just go missing forever. Animal shelters report an increase in the number of lost animal companions after fireworks events.

I was very pleased to hear California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger discouraging Californians from buying fireworks. PETA sent him a letter praising him and suggesting that he go even further by promoting laser and light shows as a humane but equally impressive alternative to fireworks displays. Of course, his main concerns are public safety and the fire hazard of fireworks. But it would be lovely to see fireworks phased out of American culture altogether. I think the worst ones, from the point of view of dogs, are the ones that neighbors persist in setting off, because they're SO close by. There're only a few feet separating your dogs from that ear-splitting noise pollution. So it goes without saying that you should never, ever attempt to take a dog or any animal to a fireworks display―just the opposite: Try to shield them from the sound as best you can.

A close cousin to fireworks anxiety is thunderstorm phobia, and many of the same safety principles apply: Make sure Fido is wearing a collar or is micro-chipped just in case he should somehow get out and run off, and never leave him outside. Let him go outside to do his business before the start of the fireworks or the storm, if possible, so that he won't have to go out during all the scary racket.

There is a great deal that you can do to comfort your noise-phobic dog.

•Some veterinarians will prescribe heavy-duty medications, such as Valium, Xanax, Buspirone, or Anafranil, but there is a natural supplement (available at any health-food store) called "melatonin" that can be equally effective. Melatonin is a synthetically produced hormone used by humans with insomnia to help them sleep. But in dogs, it can really take the fright out of thunderstorms and calm them right down. The dosage is 6 mg for 100+-lb. dogs; 3 mg for 50-lb. dogs; 1.5 mg for 30-lb. dogs; and 0.5 mg for 10-lb. dogs. A very small percentage of dogs might have the opposite reaction (excitement) when given melatonin, so test it out when there is no sign of a thunderstorm in sight. Another option is the flower essence Rescue Remedy for dogs who have a mild case of anxiety (also available at the health-food store).

•Behaviorally, the most important thing that you can do for Fluffy is to avoid "enabling" her, i.e., don't validate Fluffy's fears. Contrary to the way we primates operate, if you comfort Fluffy in a sympathetic fashion when she's fearful, then she'll feel that she's right to be scared, and her fears will just get worse and worse with each new thunderstorm or fireworks event. Instead, you should go about your business normally and interact with her in an upbeat and confident manner so that she can see that there's nothing to be afraid of. You might even give her a new toy beforehand to distract her with. If you can get her to show the slightest sign of calmness, such as wagging her tail, instantly give her a luscious treat to reinforce that behavior.

A few years ago on the Fourth of July, right after I had adopted Sunny and Dexter, I could see that both of them had the potential to become freaked out by noises, so we spent that warm summer evening outside on the deck and I clapped my hands and exclaimed, "Yay!!!" every time we heard an explosion. I am not kidding you. I'm sure my neighbors thought I was insane, but it worked and neither of them has fireworks or thunderstorm phobia to this day.

•As for the dog's immediate environment, muffling the sound of the fireworks or thunder is very helpful. You can close all the windows and either turn on some white noise, such as a fan, or put on some canine-soothing music, such as the specially formulated music discussed in and produced by the authors of Through a Dog's Ear. With regard to the lightning often accompanying a thunderstorm, some dogs do well if you turn all the lights on to mask it, while other dogs prefer to have their eyes covered. There is even a product called the "Calm Night Pet Hood" that is purported to calm dogs down via sensory deprivation. And many dogs seek out small rooms with no windows to hide in.

•And how about this? In response to a question about thunderstorm anxiety, in his June 24, 2008, column, well-known veterinarian Michael Fox suggests, "Wrapping a dog quite tightly in a thin towel or small blanket can do miracles, giving anxious dogs a feeling of security. Cut an old cotton sheet and get your dog used to being wrapped around the torso like a mummy. This action can help many dogs cope with thunderstorms and fireworks."

•Dr. Nicholas Dodman, veterinarian and professor at Tufts University and author of the books Dogs Behaving Badly and The Dog Who Loved Too Much, has postulated that dogs are really freaked out by thunderstorms because of a buildup of static electricity in their coats that gives them periodic shocks. He says that this is why you will find that many dogs take shelter in bathrooms with tile floors during storms. He suggests several anti-static measures, including rubbing dogs down with anti-static laundry strips, making sure dogs stay on tile or linoleum, or just putting them in the car. All of these measures will keep the static electricity from building up and shocking them.

Sometimes you just have to try different approaches and combinations of approaches until you find out what works for your particular dog. I noticed that Sophia does much better if I turn the lights on (when a thunderstorm occurs in the middle of the night) and gets some comfort from soothing music and massage, but melatonin didn't seem to have the desired effect on her. Recently, I was thrilled to receive this message from a friend who has been battling thunderstorm anxiety in her dog for a long time:

[We] have made it through two nights of thunderstorms without a glitch! I can't freaking believe it, but I pieced together this part that worked a little and that part that worked a little, and we've gotten it down :-) I hate to jinx it, but those were the calmest two nights of storms in almost four years. And one of them shook the house. … As soon as [my dog] wakes me up, which is typically before I hear thunder (I can tell what's wrong by her state of panic), I praise her for waking me up (just as if she were waking me to go out or for an intruder), I turn on the overhead light to make it so bright in the bedroom that she can't see the lightning (and sleep with it on), I calmly tell her we're going to get her pill, she walks to the kitchen, I give her 1.5 mg of melatonin, I put her in bed with me (she typically refuses to sleep with me), I cuddle her close on one side and push a pillow up to her close on the other side, I cover her eyes with a dark T-shirt/towel and I pet/massage her and talk to her calmly until the melatonin kicks in. She'll peek out a couple of times, and I let her and just tell her it's OK. Then we both get to go back to sleep and she doesn't move until the storm is over! WOW! Amazing. I was seriously at a loss for giving her any comfort at all.

And some dogs are fine with thunderstorms and fireworks all their lives and don't have a single problem with them until they hit old age, when something changes along with their hearing. This is what happened to my sweet Koro. When she reached the age of 12, she suddenly developed geriatric thunderstorm anxiety and would hide underneath the kitchen sink when they approached.

As mere mortals who want to shield our beloved dogs from terror, there's not a lot we can do to prevent acts of God, such as thunderstorms. Fireworks, on the other hand, are completely human creations and could be stopped tomorrow. What a wonderful thought!