Call it canine intuition.
The noisiest weekend of the year is almost here and our sweet golden retriever is getting preemptively anxious. It’s his 14th July 4th and he knows the drill, lousy hearing and poor eyesight aside. He’ll spend much of the upcoming holiday safely locked in the house with the doors and windows closed.
It’s not only dogs that are bothered by fireworks, bottle rockets and firecrackers. More than a century ago, in 1908 to be precise, the Safe and Sane Fourth of July movement was born in Cleveland after a series of accidents left residents killed and maimed. I’m certain the explosions had an impact on farm animals and dogs, but that wasn’t the founders’ focus back then.
Here’s how the mayhem was described in this excerpt from the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History from Case Western Reserve University:
“In 1903, an explosion at the Thor Mfg. Co., a maker of fireworks located on Orange Ave., had demolished 12 buildings and killed three people. A more devastating threat to life was the yearly accidents; however, no action was taken until a counter of fireworks exploded in a local Kresge store as a result of a spark from a sparkler, which ignited a display flag. In the rush to escape from the store, scores were burned, while five clerks, a woman shopper, and the boy who was playing with the defective sparkler were trampled to death.”
Local women’s groups lobbied Cleveland City Council to ban fireworks, making it the country’s first Safe and Sane Fourth of July city in the nation, according to the story.
Fast forward to now and a lot has and has not changed.
A new Ohio fireworks law went into effect this year, allowing residents to set off consumer-grade fireworks from July 1-5, along with on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day weekend, Juneteenth, Cinco de Mayo and Labor Day weekend. But don’t head to the fireworks store just yet. Most Northeast Ohio cities have banned backyard fireworks, including Cleveland, Hudson, Twinsburg, Brunswick and Strongsville.
We live with our aging golden retriever in Portage County, where it’s a fireworks free-for-all. We’ll keep the windows closed and hope for the best.
Have a great holiday.
Dr. Anna M. van Heeckeren
As a veterinarian, I know how scary fireworks can be for dogs. I love that you are looking after your dog’s best interest during events when people like to set off fireworks. I encourage pet owners to keep their pets at home if they want to see a fireworks display.
As a public health professional, firework noises must also remind people, like veterans who served in warzones or victims of gun violence, of awful memories and negatively impact their mental health. While I don’t suffer from that kind of PTSD trauma, I do know what it feels like to experience PTSD. So if you know someone who has had bad experiences with loud noises, be kind and let them enjoy a quiet evening instead of inviting them to attend a fireworks show.