A party with a bang?
It's that time again: December is just around the corner, a period full of holidays, lights, and lots of coziness.
It must all look quite strange to my pets.
Suddenly there is a tree in the middle of the living room full of shiny balls and creaking garlands, on the street men walk around with weird wigs, long cloaks and a huge staff and lights twinkle everywhere while cheerful melodies blaring from speakers.
And then you also have all those peculiar rules: no climbing the tree (let alone peeing on it!), the handed-out candy is off-limits, and it’s not appreciated if you try to squeeze into the nativity scene (let alone plop on top of it!)
Those are all wonderful things, but they're not really scary. (Although Isi thinks some Christmas hits are a bit on the edge…)
No, the real excitement only comes around New Year's, with that loud banging and the constant flashing of fireworks.
Our previous trio was surprisingly relaxed about it : Paco and Sol happily snored through all the chaos, and indoors you could hardly hear the banging over their contented purring.
Cat Maus hated the flashes of light, but invariably crawled against one of the dogs while we kept the curtains closed. That's how we got through the turbulent December days every year without any problems — and I was lucky because I saw often enough how terrified some animals were and how that drove their owners to despair.
When Isi came to live with us, it was already the end of September.
We immediately noticed that he was much more sensitive to unexpected noises than our previous four-legged friends: the television was scary, a knock on the door made him jump, and a rattling trailer could give him a stroke.
Fortunately, the fear caused by these everyday sounds faded into the background quite quickly, but with the New Year approaching, we wanted to do everything we could to avoid having him terrified inside the house.
So I started very cautiously playing online fireworks sounds at the softest possible volume while Isi was snuggled up against me.
At first, he looked up briefly, alert but not panicked.
After a few seconds I turned the sound off again and we went back to our daily routine.
Several times a day I repeated this: a muffled bang here and the sound of a softly whistling firework there.
In the meantime we played or cuddled a bit or he got a treat, all to show him that there really was nothing strange about these sounds.
Slowly but surely I was able to turn up the volume of the playlists without him really being impressed.
In the end, he barely even looked up when full-length fireworks videos were playing on the TV — he just gnawed quietly and then fell asleep contentedly.
As the last week of the year dawned, things naturally remained tense. Even in our normally quiet village, there were a few bangs here and there, and as New Year's Eve approached, the noise intensified.
During the day we went into the woods, where the noise was muffled, and in the evening we did a short walk around the neighborhood — with extra leashes and a trusty anti-escape harness and an old collar from galgo Paco pulled over Isi's flapped-forward ears.
That may have looked strange, but Isi loved it, it must have acted as a kind of silencer!
Isi wasn't completely relaxed, but he dared to pee and sniff, so the tension was manageable.
On New Year's Eve, around a quarter to twelve, he got a good bone, I put on some music and we checked the shutters one last time. Cat Mia lay snugly on my lap, deeply tucked away under a fleece blanket.
At twelve o'clock the fireworks started, Isi barked once, looked at us for a moment and then decided that his bone was definitely more interesting than all that noise outside!
It went so well, in fact, that around one thirty he even went outside for a quick pee, and then spent the rest of the night snoring in his own bed.
Despite this successful New Year's, I remain more alert with Isi than with our previous dogs, simply because he is a bit less confident about himself.
That's why I've been playing fireworks videos here again regularly for about a month so he can slowly get used to that strange banging.
Fortunately, he also seems quite relaxed this year. He even starts to associate the sounds with coziness — and of course, with something tasty too!
Some time ago we watched a movie in which fireworks were set off.
Isi got up, stretched extensively, and sat in front of me… while staring with big, begging eyes at the cupboard with dog chews and placing a large paw on my knee.
And honestly? If his biggest concern around New Year's is his treat, then I’m more than happy to agree to that!
Above all, I hope for a truly fireworks-free New Year's Eve so that it becomes a real celebration for every person and animal!
Lonneke
