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How To Keep Your Pet Safe On The Fourth Of July

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Americans will come together this week to celebrate the Fourth of July with lots of food, friends and fireworks.

While it's fun for us, that's not always the case for our pets.

Whether you're hosting a backyard party or traveling with your four-legged friend this holiday, there's lots of ways to keep them safe.

Dana Humphrey, also known as "the Pet Lady," has some tips.

Calm Energy: Although the parades, picnics, parties and fireworks are exciting to us, many dogs would rather be left home alone then deal with the crowds and scary sounds. For the firework show itself, make sure your dog is inside the house and in a nice quiet, safe place. A bedroom with a yummy bone and the TV turned up to help block out the firework sounds works great.

Outdoor Safety: Sadly, statistics show that July 4 is the biggest day of the year where dogs run away because they are spooked by fireworks. In order to ensure your dog makes it back home safely, make sure your dog is wearing a collar with ID tags that have your current information. If you are going out of town and your dog is being taken care of by someone else, make sure he has that person's information on his collar too.

Companion: Make sure to walk your pup before the party starts. Your dog should get tons of exercise earlier in the day so that he is nice and tired by the time evening comes. Remember that a tired dog is a happy and relaxed dog.

Clean Space: It's important to make sure that you take your pup out to potty before the fireworks starts, but let's face it: accidents happen. In addition, if you plan to leave your pet for an extended period of time in their "safe space," then you may want to consider taking some preventative measures in case an accident does occur.

For more from Humphrey, visit thepetlady.net.

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