I want to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July. The Fourth is a great time to gather with friends and family to celebrate our freedom. But I feel the need to submit a few thoughts on the celebrations that take place for a solid two weeks before and after the actual holiday. I am all for setting off fireworks on the Fourth, but I want to introduce you to one of my best friends who has a very hard time every year. Her name is Bailey Mae Gray and she is the sweetest black Labrador you’ll ever meet. She is kind, gentle loving and is a pure joy to have around in our home, but Bailey’s Fourth of July and the many days preceding and following the actual holiday are increasingly becoming harder on her. From the first firecracker she hears to the last, Bailey is relegated to a dark room, a timed dosage of organic anti-anxiety pills, three TVs and stereos turned up full blast in our home and countless hours of panting and literally climbing the walls. If I could only bring those who feel the need to set off their blasts for two weeks into my home to witness my poor dog going through her own hell, they would feel differently about setting off fireworks non-stop.
It saddens me, my wife and Bailey’s sisters to where we really don’t know if she will survive the stress. All I am asking is that the next time you feel the need to set off a roll of firecrackers on July 1, 6, 7 or any other day besides July 4, try to remember those friends of ours who are in pain and don’t deserve it. Thank you and anytime you want to meet Bailey Mae, I hope she will be around to greet you with a wag of her tail.
Kelly and Marcia Gray
Lake Stevens
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