Frightening Fireworks Displays Can Mean Runaways, Injuries
To dogs, cats and other animals, Guy Fawkes Night can seem more like World War III than a joyous celebration. Noisy fireworks are frightening to animals, who don’t realise that the explosions are entertainment, not signs of danger.
After fireworks displays, animal shelters nationwide report an increase in the number of lost companion animals. When they hear the cracks and booms in the sky, many animals panic and jump over fences or break chains, and some even jump through glass windows in order to get away from the terrifying sounds. Some animals are reunited with their families, but others are never found. Many dogs and other animals are taken to animal shelters with bloody paws from running, torn skin from breaking through wooden fences or other serious injuries. Some animals are hit by cars or killed in other ways as they flee.
Here are a few precautions that you can take to ensure the comfort and safety of animal companions during the displays this weekend and on 5 November:
- Keep cats and dogs inside during fireworks displays and, if possible, stay with them.
- Leave your animals at home during the celebrations – never take them with you to watch fireworks displays!
- Never leave animals tethered or chained outside, as they can hang themselves if they leap over a fence while trying to run from the noise.
- Close your windows and curtains. Turn on a radio that’s tuned to a classical-music station or turn on the TV to help drown out the sound of the fireworks.
- Make sure that your animal companion is wearing a collar or a harness with an up-to-date identification tag – just in case.