News Channel 8 Connecticut: Phone app helps anxious pets during Fourth of July fireworks

Conn. (WTNH) — According to the American Kennel Club, the Fourth of July holiday can be a dangerous time for your dogs due to fireworks.

Sarah Murphy lives down the street from Bradley Point Park, where the Savin Rock Fireworks Spectacular has been postponed to Wednesday night. Murphy says her dogs don’t mind the holiday noise, but knows that isn’t the case for other pets.

“That they get scared. They run in the closet, they hide. We don’t have any problems like that,” Murphy said.

Anthony Alvarez owns three dogs. He says one of his dogs gets very anxious when fireworks begin, and they often need administer medication.

“She can’t take it, she’s very nervous, always trying to hide herself and sometimes we just have to give her medication just to calm her down,” Alvarez said.

Derrick Garrett is the Founder and CEO of Zoundz Music for Pets, a company dedicated to calming anxiety in pets through music.

“We are a scientifically backed app, where we create therapeutic sounds for both dogs and cats that can be used in any sort of distressful situations and environments,” Garrett said.

Zoundz sees an uptick in users during the summer months when fireworks and thunderstorms are more common. In addition to using the app, keeping your pet in a safe and familiar room will also help reduce stress. The ‘Scary Channel’ on the Zoundz app incorporates white noise into the soundtrack.

The application can be downloaded from the IOS Store and Google Play.