KevMo over at the Uptown Almanac posted a photo that got me all riled up. It was taken last night at a Noise Pop Happy Hour event taking place over at Bender's in the Mission. Why you'd think it a good idea to bring a dog to a show, I'm not sure; why it's a terrible idea, I do know.

Dogs ears are incredibly sensitive. The range of a dog's hearing is 40 – 60,000 kHz, depending on the age and breed of the dog (humans can hear sounds in the range of 20-20,000 kHz). My post last Friday on My Pet Speaker talks about how just listening to recorded music on speakers at home can be harmful to dogs and other pets, imagine how hard it would be on a dog at a live show. If it sounds loud to you, it's going to sound a helluva a lot louder to a dog. Dogs can not only develop stress, anxiety, and aggression from being exposed to sounds that are harsh to their ears, but pain and permanent ear damage. As in humans, long exposure to loud noises can cause deafness.

If you really insist on taking your dog to see live music or anywhere else where there's loud sounds that can damage your dog's ears, consider getting them Mutt Muffs (see above for what they look like). These over-the-head noise-reducing ear muffs were created specifically for dogs. Originally made for dogs who fly a lot in airplanes and helicopters, Mutt Muffs have with the same inner sound-deadening foam that's used in pilots' high-end headsets. They can also be used on 4th of July and during thunderstorms, if your dog is especially sensitive to fireworks and thunder. And they can even be used on some cats (some being the key word).

But if you want to save yourself $52-$65, you might as well just leave your dog at home for a few hours while you enjoy your live music.

Image: Mutt Muffs