Saturday, 3 January 2026

Scary fireworks

People are becoming more aware that pets can be very frightened by fireworks and loud noises, and they're doing what they can to calm their pets.

A woman whose dachshund Buddy ran away and was found dead after being frightened by fireworks has said tighter rules on their use could prevent other pet owners facing the same loss.

I was amazed to learn that dog disappearances can increase by over 80 per cent during firework seasons, and about 20 per cent of lost pets go missing after being scared by loud noises.

Buddy's owner, Joanne Sloan Allen. from Templepatrick in Northern Ireland, said fireworks also affect her horses.

She would like fireworks to be confined to organised public displays with set times, so she knows when to take measures to calm her dogs and horses.

We don't have any pets, but we can imagine how frightened they must be with fireworks exploding all round them, especially if they have no idea what the fireworks are all about, and especially as dogs and cats have much sharper hearing than we humans.

6 comments:

  1. Our town only does fireworks for July 4th and the Christmas parade, but pet owners are still outraged every year, even knowing the exact day and time.

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    Replies
    1. Bijoux: Interesting. I wonder why they're still outraged?

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  2. I despise fireworks. They don't need to bang. And yes, they do bother horses and wild life.

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    1. Sandra: True, why do they have to bang? Isn't the visual display enough?

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  3. To the tune of Hark the Herald Angels (a fourth of July carol:

    Boom, the cherry bombs explode
    Blowing potholes in the road.
    Little bits of dynamite,
    Sure can give a guy a fright.

    One went off by Irving's mamma.
    Poor thing damn near had a trauma.
    God, what simple-minded jerks,
    We turn loose with fireworks!
    God, what simple-minded jerks,
    We turn loose with fireworks!

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    Replies
    1. Rick: Dogs and cats would no doubt be terrified by a cherry bomb. And yes, there are plenty of simple-minded jerks letting off fireworks simply to scare people (and pets).

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