10 faux pas to avoid for your New Year's Eve party planning with pets
From fear of fireworks to antisocial dogs, here's how to make a dog-friendly party a success while bringing in the new year
When a family member told me she brought her new puppy with her to a Fourth of July fireworks show, my first thought was, “Are you insane? Who in their right mind would bring a dog to a fireworks show?”
She defended bringing the dog, saying she’d just bought it from another woman with puppies and didn’t want to leave her puppy crated at home alone. I understood the sentiment but still shook my head. As I suspected, the dog was terrified almost immediately and hid under the lawn chair.
I shook my head, recalling the time she tried to sit my own then-puppy in her lap to watch fireworks. I immediately told her not to and eyed my dog, Junee, from the front porch to watch her reaction. As soon as Junee jumped, I quickly opened the front door and let my Hound mix run inside while I continued to watch the fireworks with our small group. Junee, who is notorious for keeping her gaze on me at all times, was nowhere to be found until all of us returned and the fireworks stopped.
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The irony is that porch reaction made me assume Junee would be scared of fireworks forever. Not even slightly the case! When there’s a fireworks show on Juneteenth, on the Fourth of July or New Year’s Eve, there’s a 99% chance that adult Junee is sitting on the top of my couch, with her head shoved through the blinds and staring out the window at the fireworks show.
I’ve tried to speed-walk home before fireworks started and purposely walked her earlier than usual during holidays. Didn’t matter. Junee still will take her sweet time during the final pee break at night, admiring fireworks. On more than a couple of occasions, she’s sat on lawn rocks and refused to move, just admiring all the colors in the sky. I have had to scoop her up and carry her indoors. The other dog? Still terrified of fireworks years later.
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So if you’re planning a dog-friendly New Year’s Eve party to bring in the new year, be prepared to have both types of dogs at this event. To make a puppy-friendly New Year’s Eve event successful, avoid any of these 10 faux paus for New Year’s Eve party planning.
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10 faux paus for New Year’s Eve party planning with puppies
Faux Pas No. 1: Assume all dogs aren’t scared of fireworks.
According to AKC, dogs can hear at a frequency range of 40 to 60,000 hertz (Hz). Human hearing range is approximately 20 and 20,000 Hz. From a plug-in blender to ambulance sirens, dog hearing is so much more advanced than us. However, dogs have very individual personalities — and I’m saying that as someone who has walked 103 dogs, not including family members’ pets or my own three dogs.
I once took care of a dog overnight with a laundry list of tips to keep the dog from trembling and whining the entire Fourth of July night. Tips included running an air conditioner, playing loud instrumentals, going into a quieter room, and — if all else failed — giving the dog prescribed medication or calming chews. The dog did howl a few times, but I was relieved to find the pet’s behavior was nowhere near as scared as I imagined.
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Meanwhile, Junee has never taken a calming chew or any kind of medication for four years. Transforming into a majorette is all she needs to release stress. These two lime green batons and chewing on old clothes in her crate do the trick for her every time.
Faux Pas No. 2: Give all dogs a calming chew regardless of size, breed and brand.
I made the naive assumption that all dogs can enjoy dental sticks. It took me at least a month to use process of elimination and figure out why puppy Junee was throwing up so much. I blamed brands of food and even started reading labels to see what country the ingredients were from. After changing food brands and ditching various meat treats, she was still unable to keep food down. I started wondering if I was going to have a vegetarian dog, which was not something I considered — even as a vegetarian for two decades.
Then, I made it worse by ignoring the weight size on one dental stick. She didn’t even have the energy to let me know she needed to go outside and instead pooped diarrhea feces on my kitchen floor although she was crate trained. Once I got through that terrifying experience, she has never eaten a dental treat again. Two popular brands just don’t agree with her belly. Also, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when it comes to any oral dog product — from flea and tick prevention to calming chews. And don’t assume that because other dogs can digest something easily that your dog can too.
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Faux Pas No. 3: Ignore dogs sniffing around and howling at “fire” or “smoke” smells.
I will never question my dog frantically barking at anything. She saved my life from a baseboard heater already. Even though I think it’s overkill to bark at me for burning a grilled cheese, I’ll take the snobby chef for safety reasons. Dogs possess up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses compared to about 6 million for humans. So don’t be surprised when one of the dogs goes into panic mode because of the smell of fireworks. Moving the dogs to a room with a calming diffuser could be a useful distraction.
However, recent stats (from 2023) confirmed that fireworks are responsible for an estimated 32,302 fires, including 3,760 structure fires; 849 vehicle fires; 27,252 outside fires; and 441 unclassified fires. These fires caused an estimated 15 civilian deaths, 58 civilian injuries and $142 million in direct property damage. That dog barking away may be trying to warn you before you’re next.
Faux Pas No. 4: Expect all dogs to be fed ahead of time or that their pet owners will have their dog food with them.
While pet owners arriving for the New Year’s Eve party should be responsible for their own dogs being fed and walked, it couldn’t hurt to send out a text or email reminder to bring their dog’s food with them. It’s rarely a good idea to feed a dog a food brand with no introduction. This is the reason all dog food instructions specify slowly removing the old brand and introducing the new brand. Help absent-minded pet owners avoid an awkward situation when somebody’s dog leaves hungry and keeps trying to steal other dogs’ food.
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Faux Pas No. 5: Assume all dog owners will arrive with poop bags.
While leashes have significantly improved over the years and often have a poop bag dispenser on the other hand, I can think of one dog owner who consistently hired me to walk her dog but would hide the poop bags. Only one out of 103 pet owners consistently did this, and I learned to always keep extra poop bags on me for that reason. While I prefer a soft-padded leash and use it often, if I have to use the dog’s leash, that leash may not have a dispenser on the other end. This is why I keep extra poop bags in my dog walking bag.
New Year’s Eve means people are mingling, talking, listening to music, watching movies, eating and walking around. Pet owners may not always be keeping an eye on their own dog, especially on lawn grass if the pups are used to releasing themselves whenever the mood hits them. There’s also the dog who needs turf grass. If the dog doesn’t see it, your carpet or bathroom rug may be a last resort. The easiest way to avoid poop accidents and feces on New Year’s Eve party shoes is to make sure at least two party attendees volunteer to walk the dogs.
Faux Pas No. 6: Overlook buying or putting down extra water dishes.
Some dogs, especially dogs who are used to visiting doggy day care and dog parks, have no problem slurping away from a communal water dish. For other dogs, drinking from an unfamiliar dish is going to be a tough sale. (Read: Junee, who will pass up a communal water dish on even the hottest day and will empty her own dish the millisecond she arrives home.) Hopefully, the pet owner will arrive with a travel water dish for the Junees of the world. While the host is welcome to buy a few cheap foldable water and food containers in bulk, having a couple of large water dishes for dogs to share should be the standard.
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Faux Pas No. 7: Skip asking about whether dogs are socialized or are aggressive around one particular dog.
I was completely confused when my own dog — who had been playing, running and strolling around at least five much-larger dogs at the dog park — was met with a Mean Girl dog when we were ready to leave. This dog had been paying her no attention the entire hour or so that I was at the dog park. Clear out of nowhere, this girl dog decided to try corner my dog. I jumped into action immediately. As a dog walker, I’m used to playing peacemaker when two dogs are going at it.
But I hadn’t even been playing with or petting this dog. However, I’d overheard her name. When the other pet owner wasn’t moving fast enough for my liking, I squatted down, called the dog’s name and waited to see if this dog would stop hovering over Junee. Immediately, the dog looked at me like, “Girl, I don’t know you.” And the expression on my face said, “And you don’t know my damn dog. Make a decision.”
This standoff may have lasted two minutes total with my normally tough-acting dog slightly shaking. I was not budging. My dog started matching my energy, and Junee slowly walked over to me while that dog ran in the other direction. A couple of days later, Junee wanted to go back to that same dog park and was unbothered when that same dog showed up again. I thought she would be terrified to go back. Wrong! She’s been to that park a zillion more times. With that said, if you’re going to have a party with multiple dogs, you absolutely need someone who will not freeze up when dogs don’t get along. And you need someone who will keep an eye on all of the dogs — even if that means the pet-owning guests take turns.
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Faux Pas No. 8: Don’t have any activity to keep kids busy while dogs are around.
I still fall out into a fit of giggles when I think of how my oldest nephew would wear out my first dog Shep. He couldn’t pronounce his name, so he would yell out “Chef! Chef! Chef!” I would see Shep take off running under the steps as soon as he saw that then-elementary-school-age kid running toward the backyard.
Recommended Read: “Prepping your child for a new dog ~ Always watch dogs and children closely, especially around each other”
Kids are a ball of energy, but they also don’t always know how to interact with dogs. They smack them on top of the head but intended to pet the dogs. They stick fingers in the dogs’ mouths, and the dog considers this prey territory. What may be considered cute to a human may be annoying as hell to dogs. Do not allow dogs around kids if they are not used to each other, and definitely keep dogs away if children are playing with Pop Its (also known as Party Snaps).
No matter how innocent the kid or the dog looks, have a New Year’s Eve guest (or babysitter) monitoring both groups at all times. An easy way to do this is always have something fun for children to do so they don’t trail off and start picking on dogs: games, movies, arts-and-crafts projects, etc.
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Faux Pas No. 9: Ignore the loose backyard fence, the neighbors’ DIY fence projects or broken pet fences.
People can make all the resolutions they want, but this week is not the time to start a do-it-yourself fence installation project. Even if dogs stay away during the New Year’s Eve fireworks — as they should because accidents happen — if they’re running around in the backyard, make sure no dog can make a run for it. Dogs who are scared of fireworks are notorious for bolting away to find a safe, quiet destination. If a pet fence is needed for hallways and basements, make sure that opens and closes properly too.
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Faux Pas No. 10: Keep liquor, dog-toxic foods and tempting party favors at knee level.
Dogs are notorious for being quick and curious. (Shep once stole a raw pork chop from a kitchen counter before my father could put it on the BBQ grill.) The problem is they don’t know that some of the food or drinks they snatch are toxic and will result in your New Year’s Eve guests in the vet emergency room. Keep any dog-toxic fruit, dog-toxic vegetables, wine, chocolate, New Year’s Eve cookies and even party favors away from low tables. Leaving these items on coffee tables, low counters and floors is just creating a buffet table for the dogs!
Happy (early) New Year! Here’s hoping 2026 treats you (and your doggies) even better than 2025.
Shamontiel is a dog lover to her core: 674 completed walks with 103 dogs, eight dog house sittings and 10 dog boardings at the time of this publication.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the weekly posts every Wednesday. Thanks for reading!