It’s me, Minna here! One of my favorite holidays is coming up in a few days – the Fourth of July, otherwise known as Independence Day. I called off school for the week so that all of us canines can celebrate with the humans! The only thing I don’t like about this holiday are these bright and loud lights that fill the sky at night. My human seems to enjoy them, but I panic and think the world is ending. I thought I would share how I stay busy to try to ignore whatever those booms are. Here are my tips to a fun and food filled holiday weekend (without the fireworks).

• Get festive. This is definitely number one. As a teacher, I have to get my students excited to learn. So, I dress up. Wear the red, white, and blue proudly!

-Remember history. My human watches this historical show called Turn: George Washington’s Spies. I learned what a spy was and WOW! What a scary job. I think I could probably be a good spy, since I’m pretty good at spying on my human so I can sneak up and lick any crumbs she spilled. This year, I studied a lot about the Statue of Liberty and how Lady Liberty is a sign of freedom.

• Be on the lookout for food. Independence Day means FOOD! And no amount of loud, scary booms in the sky can distract me from food. Stay close to the humans and keep an eye out on the food they take. Usually some of it will end up on the ground for you. If there is a fire, there might be some sticky white stuff that the humans put in the fire. I don’t get it, but one time I got a piece o this stuff and it was stuck in my gums for 3 days. It was delicious, though!
• Enjoy your local parade. This is a good one! I love a good parade. It’s fun to see other dogs, and all the people pet me and give me lots of attention! During the parade, be sure to stand and clap for the veterans. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to celebrate this holiday.

-Go up north. This is mostly a Michigan thing, and I am a Michigan dog. Going up north basically means just getting away from the city and jumping in the lake! I get to go up to my human’s grandparent’s cottage. I get to eat some bacon, go on long walks in the woods, kayak on the lake, and take peaceful boat rides.

-Play games. My favorite is badminton because I can chase the flying white thing and get my humans to then chase after me!

-Hide when the booms come! This is very important, canines. When it starts to get dark and you hear the loud booms and the sky lights up, that is your sign to hide! My new favorite hiding spot is in the extra bedroom in the basement. There is a secret closet and I slide inside. It’s the perfect spot in case the booms send the house crashing down!

How do you celebrate the holiday?!

-Minna