Are Dogs Patriotic?

I don't know, for sure. But they certainly aren't fans of July Fourth celebrations. The problem is the fireworks -- even louder and more incessant than those dreaded summer thunderstorms.

Our three nervous nellies will be hunkered down in the basement during tomorrow night's official town spectacle, and will be whining, barking and jumping late into the night, as local hooligans set off bootleg bottle rockets and firecrackers.

For dogs, the Fourth of July is not a holiday at all.

Zoe gets the short end of the stick - again

Fabulous Zoe, our fearless top dog, is at the emergency vet getting patched up. During our walk with Zoe, Angel, and Trooper through the Passaic River Park this morning, an off-leash dog came charging down the trail. Zoe, who always leads the pack, was the first dog the off-leash bully encountered, so he attacked her. By the time the owner caught up and corraled his dog, the damage was done.

But we didn't realize the extent of the injury to her right rear leg until we got home. She's a hurting pup, for sure. As I write this, she's under anesthesia, getting stitched up on one side of her leg and a drain inserted in the puncture wound on the other side. She'll be recovering for two weeks and will have to wear the dreaded Elizabethan collar. What's even harder is that we will have to keep her quiet (Zoe is a highly reactive dog) and separated from her two dog siblings.

Dave thinks he knows where the attacking dog lives. We need to warn the owner to be more careful with his dog, before another dog pays the price. Speaking of price, it's a good thing we have pet insurance -- this five-second attack will run us $1,000 in medical bills.

Zoe is the white dog in the photo.