Bruce the Border Collie died when a severe panic attack stopped his heart. Trev the Boxer mix was hit and killed by a train while he was fleeing in fear; his family didn't find his body for days. Dexter the Labrador mix was sent into fits of shaking and cowering before he tragically dropped dead. Ollie the Lhasa Apso puppy, just months old, suffered a heart attack that killed him. Bam the Japanese Akita was found barely alive, 10 miles from where he had plunged into the sea in terror. What do all these poor pets have in common? They were all scared by explosive fireworks!
This Fourth of July will see thousands of pets lost, traumatized, or killed in this same way. Sign the petition to demand states tighten restrictions on fireworks sales!
Fireworks can be fun, beautiful, energizing displays of celebration – when one is prepared for the deafening explosions and the blinding lights. Pets can't possibly prepare for such a spectacle – they don't understand what's going on! If you didn't know what fireworks were, and no one was able to comfort you with the explanation that they can't hurt you, wouldn't you panic too? Every year, agencies and authorities get thousands of calls about pets that have disappeared after taking off into the night as fireworks exploded nearby. That doesn't include the pets that are so terrified, their little hearts give out in their own homes.
While professionally executed, planned fireworks displays can still be scary to our furry friends, they at least give families enough time to prepare – they can purchase special equipment like compressive shirts and ear covers, set up calming, isolating, insulated spaces for their pets, and so on. But in 40 states and Washington D.C. -- literally everywhere but Massachusetts -- consumer sale of fireworks is totally legal, meaning at any given time, neighbors could be setting off explosions in their backyards. Fireworks don't adhere to property lines or boundaries -- for miles, these blasts can traumatize and kill pets and wildlife.
So, before you set off those sparkling displays this Fourth, think of the countless animals around you and reconsider. We can certainly do our part, but what we really need is a long term solution – the official banning of consumer fireworks sales in every state! Let's leave these displays to the professionals, and treat our neighbors' pets and the wild animals with which we share this earth with kindness.
If you want to see animals protected for every future Fourth of July, sign the petition demanding all states and Washington D.C. make it illegal to sell fireworks to consumers!
