Next time, we’ll leave the July 4 war zone behind

This past Tuesday, July 4, I convinced my husband that we should stay home in Fresno with our dogs instead of leaving town for the mountains.

“We’ll be fine,” I said. “The dogs will be fine.”

I thought we were prepared in sedating our animals and turning up the volume on the TV and radio to distract from the usual pops, cracks and whistles of Fourth of July. Did I miss the bulletin that said our neighborhood would be designated a war zone for 24 hours?

After spending several hours trying to console my highly stressed dogs, I ventured into our front yard. I thought we were under siege! It sounded like bombs exploding in our back yard, not to mention the sound of gunshots all around. These were not just a few “bombs” – the explosive noises continued well past midnight and into the next evening.

I guess the days of sparklers and Piccolo Petes are over. I’m not sure what can be done about illegal fireworks, but I will never spend another Fourth of July like that again. I’ll pack up my dogs, head for the hills and leave the war zone behind.

This story was originally published July 9, 2017 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Next time, we’ll leave the July 4 war zone behind."