Glass Chatroom Board

evening, y'all.
a friend who works for lee county animal control says that july 5th is the busiest they ever are. (she also says that a couple of drops of 'rescue remedy' found at any health food store helps many dogs.) my dogs, buck and slick are horrified of thunder and lightning (they consider themselves to be the only survivors of hurricane charley) but fireworks only marginally and gunfire not at all. i can wipe them down with a dryer sheet to reduce static electricity buildup on their coats, which from my reading causes as much anxiety as the noise and light show and they can go to sleep during the worst thunder and lightning. i read about the deadly toxicity of dryer sheets but i have used them for 30 years and as far as i can tell, they have only made me fat; i am not feeling any further side effects.
and i am a gun toting nra member. that being said, i hate the sale of fireworks. i live in extreme south florida, which is subject to go up in a puff of smoke at any moment. there have been many explosions and deaths during the 4th of july 'celebrations' and i have owned horses, who are often terriified with the noise and light for all of my life. i am down to horse, who is totally fearless but i still hate the possibility of some idiot setting fire to the whole neighborhood tinderbox or just terrifying my neighbors' less fearless horses.

stepping genteelly off soapbox.