HAMILTON COUNTY — New Year's Eve fireworks and parties can be exciting for people, but they often create significant stress for household pets and animals.
"A lot of animals can get very stressed in these situations. You want to make sure that they're calm," Hamilton County Humane Society's Emma Nobbe told WRTV. "You want to make sure that they have a good environment where they are able to just be themselves."
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Whether it's firework booms, loud music at get-togethers or loud cheers and confetti poppers, the noise can be overwhelming for pets.
Nobbe said it's important for pet parents to do whatever they can to keep their animals calm and secure. Most importantly, Nobbe said pets should never be left outdoors during the midnight firework display.
"If you're at an outdoor party or really anywhere in a crowd, make sure that your dog is leashed, make sure that especially if they suffer when there are loud noises, you know they get scared, make sure that they just kind of stay inside," Nobbe said.
With temperatures dropping, outdoor pets also face overnight health scares.
"We've actually seen a significant rise in the past few years of hypothermia cases," Nobbe said. "That is because if you are cold, your dog or your cat is especially cold. We always recommend bringing them inside because it is the safest place for them."
For those unable to bring their pets inside, Nobbe said there are still safety measures pet parents can take.
"What we highly recommend and [it] is actually by law in Hamilton County, is to make sure that if your dog is outside, that they have a shelter that blocks away all wind and is temperature controlled," Nobbe suggested. "Make sure that your dog has plenty of water and make sure that that water isn't freezing over outside if it gets below 30 degrees."
