Everyone knows that the largest firework displays take place two times a year, New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July. Shelters are the busiest during those two days of the year, many shelters in large metropolitan areas will also face an overflow of cats and dogs. But it doesn't end there, leading up to these holidays, after, and random times throughout the year, people continue to light off fireworks throughout neighborhoods, legal or not.
The most common thing the general public doesn't worry about when lighting off fireworks is the reaction our animals may have. Many dogs will be terrified enough to jump their fences and trigger a reaction that tells them that they need to run to survive, this leads to many running out into traffic and eventually getting hit by a vehicle. Other dogs panic and will hide. They don't understand that it's a holiday or that everyone is celebrating, to them the sky becomes a danger to them.
All dogs react differently. Two of mine will jump into our laps or hide behind our couch and will not come out even when offered incentives. One, however, get's so terrified that if he's outside, he will scratch at the back door until his paws are bleeding or he breaks a nail.
No pet owner wants to come home to their dog missing, or to blood on their backdoor because neighbors randomly light fireworks throughout the year.
They're fun for us, but they are rarely fun for our animals.
Fireworks can be tolerated by pet owners on New Years or the Fourth, however, lighting off fireworks in residential areas, at random times of the year, are detrimental to all of the animals in the surrounding areas. Dogs are not the only ones affected, cats can be just as terrified as dogs when it comes to fireworks. Cats are more prone, however, to just hide until they are over, so they are less of a worry than dogs left alone.
In many areas, fireworks are illegal anyway, we all know they can easily cause brush fires, catch trees on fire, and can be harmful to anyone. These laws that should be preventing firework use in residential areas are not enforced, so of course, people will continue to do this. I used to love fireworks more than anything until I got animals who grew fearful of the fireworks. If the loud sound scares you when they come out of nowhere, why wouldn't the same go for your pets?
If more people think about the pets, their reactions, and care enough to stop, we'll not only be helping out our neighbors, but also the nearby animal shelters that get flooded with lost and scared dogs and cats on the holidays.
