My last dog developed a panic disorder from 4th of July fireworks-she'd go into a panic for weeks afterwards, had to carry her down the steps to get her outside (and I lived in a 3rd floor walkup apartment at the time; she was a fairly large shepherd mix). It wasn't fun. She was actually not the best dog ever; was jealous of my new baby girl when she was a toddler, always worried she'd be the victim of a bite. Ozzie, on the other hand, is the sweetest, gentlest dog I've ever had (and pretty smart, aside from his space issues; my daughter regularly teaches him pretty complicated tricks), and I've had a number myself or when I grew up.