Independence Day: dozens of dogs lose their way when they are frightened by the noise of the fireworks and the din of the celebrations
Independence Day is a big holiday for the citizens of Israel, but to our sorrow it is also a very sad day for many dogs. While we express our joy in noisy celebration accompanied by music, plastic noise hammers, firecrackers and spectacular displays of fireworks, many frightened dogs run away out of fear of the loud noise, and become lost. This response of the dogs stems from their well developed senses of smell and hearing. The reception range of the tones and frequencies that they receive is greater than that of humans by at least five times, and therefore they are very frightened by what our ears pick up as powerful blasts.
Every year on the eve of Independence Day and on the days following it dozens of lost dogs are brought to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel. Some of them accompanied their owners to the festivities on the eve of the holiday and ran away when they heard the noise of the fireworks, and some of them succeeded in running away from their homes. We do our utmost to return the dogs to their owners, but unfortunately some of them do not have the electronic chips that are necessary for finding the owners, and sometimes the owners don’t even come to locate their lost dogs.
What to do?
1. In order to prevent the sorrow and frustration of the lost dog and the owners searching for it, the solution is easy – don’t take the dog out of the house.
2. Try to arrange to walk the dog before the festivities begin and after them. Dogs that stay in the yard should be brought into the house so that they will be exposed to less noise.
3. Furthermore, make sure that all the windows and doors in the house are shut securely.
4. Make sure the dog has an electronic chip, and that all details are updated at The National Chip Data-Base of the Department of Agriculture. Furthermore, it is recommended to attach a tag to the dog’s collar with your up-to-date details and telephone numbers.
5. If the dog is fearful of the noise of fireworks, fight your instinct to pet and calm it – thus reinforcing its fear – and simply ignore it.
6. In order to prevent your pet running away, make sure the door is kept shut and locked and that there are no other avenues of escape that might tempt your pet to go out.