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.
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.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Interesting. I wonder why they're still outraged?
DeleteI despise fireworks. They don't need to bang. And yes, they do bother horses and wild life.
ReplyDeleteSandra: True, why do they have to bang? Isn't the visual display enough?
DeleteTo the tune of Hark the Herald Angels (a fourth of July carol:
ReplyDeleteBoom, 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!
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).
DeleteThere is now a product called a Thunder Shirt for animals which help calm them during things like fireworks and thunder storms. Apparently, they hug the animal in a way that soothes them.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the really scary people are the ones who celebrate by shooting guns into the air. Don't they realize those bullets are going to come back down?
Linda
Linda: That's an interesting innovation. A survey conducted by the manufacturer showed that over 80% of dogs show significant improvement in symptoms when using Thundershirt (or so they claim).
DeleteI'd never thought about the bullets from shooting guns into the air.
I have friends who use Thundershirts and they are very happy with them.
DeleteLinda
I always stay home with Falcor if I know there's going to be fireworks. He doesn't like them and won't go outside if they are still going off but he's fine inside as long as someone is with him.
ReplyDeleteMary: That's the key, I guess. Someone to stay with the pet to reassure them and calm them.
DeleteLike yourself, we no longer have any pets, but it's not only animals who can be frightened by fireworks, I know of some humans as well!
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: Indeed. They can be quite startling if you're not expecting them.
Delete