A pet owner claims her puppy has ‘died of fright’ caused by the loud noise of fireworks.
Molly suffered a heart attack triggered from ‘loud bangs going off’ over the weekend, her owner claimed.
The tiny terrier died just days before Bonfire Night, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Eighteen-week-old terrier Molly’s death comes as a debate rages over whether fireworks sales either side of the Guy Fawke’s celebrations should be limited – or even banned.
Many pet owners have been pleading for a crackdown on personal fireworks sales, saying the noise terrifies their pets and can even cause them to injure themselves.
Susan Paterson shared photos of the pup with her alarming message to the public Facebook group – Wombwell wise – which covers the area in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
The post has since been shared 63,000 times.
In her devastating message, Susan calls for people to support the FAB (Firework Abatement Campaign) and to sign the petition against random fireworks.
On Sunday night, she said: “Due to the enormous amount of fireworks with loud bangs going off around Wombwell and lower Darfield last night, we lost a young terrier with a heart attack.
“Please think of the animals. Molly was only 18 weeks old and died of FRIGHT caused by fireworks.
“Please support FAB Anti Random Fireworks page and sign their petition”.
The post has since accumulated a huge response, prompting Susan to post: “Thanks for all your comments. We are still trying to make sense of what happened. Dreading the fireworks again tonight.”
The Change.org petition has so far 496,099 signatures – and counting.
Julian Doorne, who started the petition, said: “Fireworks can cause serious distress to animals. They don’t only suffer psychologically, but also physically as many attempt to run away from, or hide from, the bangs.
“With extreme noise levels and people being able to let off fireworks any time of year, it’s difficult for those who care for animals to be able to put measures in place to protect their animals.
“I’m calling for an urgent review of firework regulations to further restrict their use, as a step to preventing needless animal suffering.”
Last month Sainsbury’s chose to ban the sale of fireworks entirely, while other supermarkets this year are selling ‘low-noise’ fireworks .
RSPCA advice on keeping pets secure during fireworks:
- Give your cat or dog somewhere to hide which they can access at all times – maybe under furniture or in a quiet corner.
- Walk dogs during daylight hours and keep dogs and cats indoors when fireworks are likely to be set off.
- At nightfall, close windows and curtains – put on calming music such as Classic FM to mask the sound of fireworks.
- Make sure your pet can’t escape if there’s a sudden noise, and remember to make sure your pets are microchipped and keep your microchip details up to date.
- Never punish your pets when they are scared as this will only make things worse in the long run.
- It’s fine to comfort your pet if it helps them relax, or leave them alone unless you think they will harm themselves.
