I can’t tell if my watermelon is unhappy with me…

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

Let’s all remember that Independence Day isn’t a white holiday, it’s an American holiday. True patriots don’t discriminate against people of color or people of a different race from their own.

I see a lot of my professional dog training buddies bragging about how fine their dogs are on July 4th. I’m glad for you, and TBH my dog is too - but that doesn’t mean it’s because you or I are good trainers.Sure, training, thoughtful early exposure and counter conditioning helps. BUT what helps even more is a dog with a solid temperament (you can’t train that), and a hell of a lot of LUCK.


This is the first 4th of July without Charlotte - that dog taught me more personally and professionally than ANY temperamentally solid dog ever has. For weeks around July 4th  she was highly medicated long lasting and fast acting crisis meds and she STILL was beyond being able to be comforted and was a serious  danger to herself. No amount of training was ever going to “fix” that.  I am so relieved there are no fireworks in heaven and she is not in agony today (at 8am i’ve already heard fireworks).


TLDR - dog people your dog’s successes  and challenges don’t define you. Stop shaming people whose dogs are struggling. If you’ve never had a dog that struggles that tells me either you are lying, have culled your pack, or don’t have as much experience as you say you do. Don’t be elitist. Help others to keep their dogs safe while the country blows things up. Keep dogs inside and supervised and encourage/support others to do the same including seeking out medication if their panic is severe.

Huntington Beach, California, 1975.