Keeping your dog safe on St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is something that is widely celebrated in Ireland, and as of recent years, very much in other countries like the USA and UK too. Often in the UK, St. Patrick’s day is more of an excuse to drink a lot of Guinness and spend the day in the pub than it is a day for meaningful celebration, but with this being the case, it is worth paying a little mind to how St. Patrick’s Day festivities may affect your day to day life with your dog on the day itself, and if you like to enjoy the day too, how to ensure that your dog stays safe.

In this article, we will look at some of the potential risks and challenges that St. Patrick’s Day can pose for dogs and their owners, and how to nip any potential problems in the bud. Read on to learn more.

No Guinness for dogs!

First of all, it is important to remember that alcohol is actually a form of poison, and that you should never, ever give it to your dog for any reason! This means that on St. Patrick’s Day it is still not ok to give your dog a sip of the black stuff, and do not be convinced otherwise by barroom sages who tell tales of their uncle’s dog that drank half a Guinness every day for life and lived to 25!

Giving your dog alcohol of any form and in any quantity will likely make them feel strange and potentially lash out as a result, and will also make them feel sick-and of course, being given enough alcohol could even prove fatal.

Don’t take your dog to the pub

If you intend to pop to your local to join in the festivities or celebrate the day, leave your dog at home-even if the pub welcomes dogs and you usually take him. Pubs are likely to be much busier than usual with St. Patrick’s Day events and promotions, and so your dog is apt to end up under foot or in the way, and not all dogs will feel very comfortable either. On top of this, well-meaning strangers who have had a few too many might try to feed your dog something inappropriate, or scare your dog while celebrating.

Be careful of what your dog is chewing on

One thing is very common on St. Patrick’s Day is that a lot of promotional and novelty items will usually be prolific all over the place-from Guinness hats to “kiss me I’m Irish” t-shirts to everything being dyed green!

The proliferation of novelty items and decorations on the day itself mean that it is wise to keep an extra close eye on what your dog is gnawing on or trying to eat, in order to ensure that they don’t end up getting into hot water with something that isn’t safe for them!

Keep your dog close around strangers

If you walk your dog in or near to a busy town, pub or other hub where people tend to gather, the chances are that there will be a lot of good cheer and celebration going on, and a lot of people wandering around by the evening a little bit the worse for wear!

Keep your dog close to you and on a lead during the evening if you’re going to be somewhere busy, to make sure that your dog does not jump up at or scare someone who is too busy celebrating to notice, and also, so that no one scares your dog, or tries to feed them something that they shouldn’t be having!

Fireworks

While fireworks are by no means a traditional part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, today, it seems like people don’t need much of an excuse to set off a few bangers! This means that it is a good idea to plan ahead for the possibility that fireworks will be going off in the evening, and that your dog may not react well to this.

Try to schedule your dog’s walk for before it gets dark, and expect the unexpected-remember that if fireworks are going off, your dog will take their lead from you, so stay calm and don’t pander to your dog’s distress, as this can make them worse. Putting on the radio or TV and closing the curtains to mask the flashes and bangs can all help too.

Not too may treats!

Finally, if you are cooking some tasty St. Patrick’s treats or snacks for yourself or some friends, make sure that your dog does not take advantage of things by gorging on snacks! Traditional Irish food like corned beef and boiled bacon are ok for your dog to have a small piece of as long as they are not garnished or flavoured, but make sure it is only a little treat, and not apt to make your dog sick!