Every Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve, Americans celebrate the birth of our nation and the new year. Many people don’t realize the fireworks they light or support by attending events enable a harmful tradition that has no place in a compassionate society.
Here’s the impact and aftermath of fireworks:
1. Increased reports of injuries and deaths to animals fleeing from fireworks (animals hit and killed by cars, birds flying into buildings, and wild animals getting trapped, falling, and suffering from respiratory ailments)
2. Massive increases in stray animals at shelters in the days that follow as dogs and cats left outside often run and get lost
3. Birds losing sight of their nests and never returning, leaving offspring to starve to death
4. Frightened and sick domesticated animals
Animals have much more acute hearing than humans. That’s one of the reasons my dog used to shake uncontrollably, jump in the shower, and start digging when he heard fireworks. This is him still hiding even after fireworks ended because he was so scared.
Animal research indicates animals hear the sound of fireworks at twice the decibel level as us—analogous to standing at the base of an airplane’s engine as it takes off. No form of entertainment can be worth subjecting animals to so much trauma. Take a moral stand. Refuse to attend any events that light off fireworks and ask your town leadership to end this cruel tradition. Animals should never suffer so people can celebrate a holiday.
Kirschner's Korner 
You are right, Andrew. These celebrations of war are another example of mindless behavior that causes pain and death to the innocent.
Hear! Hear! I’ve been saying this for years, but without the explicit consequences you include here. There is a definite lack of awareness in our society of the effect of the noise on animals. Thanks again, Andrew. I’m going to send this to everyone I know.
Thank you Pat!
I agree. Thoughtful people find ways to hold their celebrations without harming others. Thank you for caring about animals.
Thank you for this blog. I saw a small dog years ago in Torquay (England) when a big firework event was on in. He was absolutely terrified. I had never seen an animal so scared.
Never knew that “silent fireworks” were an option — hopefully trend this will spread everywhere around the world! ♡
I’ve always loved fireworks and looked forward to seeing the colorful night-sky magic but … thanks to your informative article I’ll be enjoying the simple beauty of the sunset from my front porch on the 4th instead. I appreciate your raising my consciousness a notch today (with apologies to the animals that we humans are such slow learners!).
Beautiful comment. Thank you.
I think we need to switch to silent ones like the one city in Italy has. Not just pets either that suffer people with PTSD, sensitive ears and such. I know my sister couldn’t stand the loud noise a low crackling effect she could like smaller fountains. She’d watch from inside at my Grandmas out the big picture window when our village did them down by the park.
One of our neighbors down the street set off interminably long strings of loud fireworks. Our rescues were frightened for days on end — and they were all *inside*. Thanks much for this!
Thank you Bill. I hope your rescues are all right.
On Wed, Jul 5, 2017 at 9:13 PM, Kirschner's Korner wrote:
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One of our cats flees immediately to a central stairway when a kitchen plastic bag is opened. I’m thinking that it elicits the sound of a forest fire. Another of our cats automatically runs to a place at the bottom of a stairwell when it thunders — she has a quite well thought out plan.