Pet owners would understand the effect that loud noises from fireworks have on small animals like dogs and cats.
It began as an experiment but will become an annual affair soon in Phoenix, Arizona's Maricopa County. And everyone, especially shelter animals are better for it. Last fourth of July, residents of the county went to the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control to comfort dogs and cats at the animal shelter instead of going out to see the fireworks.
The shelter invited the residents in an experimental program called "Calming Companions" and the response was phenomenal. For animals, the noise of fireworks can be terrifying and especially when they are in tiny cramped conditions of a shelter. They had said that children ages 12 and up are welcome with a parent and no experience is necessary since they would be providing a short orientation, according to KTAR News.
People turned up with their chairs, blankets, books to read to the dogs and even music. The staff of the shelter provided more things for the people to have fun with the animals like treats, toys, and games to distract them, according to One Green Planet.
The number of people who turned up at the shelter will restore your faith in humanity. Almost 200 people showed up to take care of the furry creatures.
“Ever thought about bringing your dog to crowded places? Even worse, crowded places with fireworks? I promise you dogs don’t like it. Tonight was the first year Maricopa County Animal Shelter presented “Comfort the Canines” … approximately 200 people came to help the pooches. Some people sang to them, some people read to them, some people just sat there and gave treats! it was so so awesome because the dogs absolutely love the attention and were focused on the people and not the fireworks going on outside," volunteer Amy Engel said.
Before the people were allowed to go inside, they were given a safety orientation, according to Pet Rescue Report. The people were not allowed to take the animals out of their cages and were given safety rules.
The Fourth of July celebrations is a busy time for the shelter because dogs who get scared by the fireworks run away and end up at the shelters. Their owners also fear for their safety.
One Green Planet quoted Public Information Officer for the Control, Jose Santiago, as saying, “We expect it to be a busy day, unfortunately, a lot of people do leave their dogs outside and those loud noises and explosions cause them to dig under fences, sometimes jump over fences, we’ve heard of cases of dogs jumping through windows, all out of fear from those loud explosions.”
Now more people are interested in the experiment and have been contacting the shelter about it. "What started out as an experiment really like kind of exploded for us, and we're getting emails and phone calls," he said, according to Fox10.
Pet owners would understand how the noise from the fireworks can terrify their small animals and probably take extra precautions to stop them from having a fearful night. Similarly, it is great to see an entire community come out to rally behind creatures who are strays, runaways or abandoned. Gestures like these show the positive effect of communities when they come together to help others, in this case, smaller creatures. One way to stop dogs from running away is to use calming medicine for them.
References:
https://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/people-comforted-scared-shelter-animals-fireworks/
