Paul Sassone

BAM!
As I’m writing this on the Fourth of July, a nearby loud explosion, probably from an M-80, lifted me out of my chair and sent the cat scuttling under the bed.
By the time you read this, I hope your dog or cat has recovered from from all the Independence Day bangs and booms.
Oh, if only there could be silent fireworks.
Well, there can be and there is.
We all know about the physical injuries fireworks can inflict. Someone always is blowing off fingers or hands somewhere every summer, as you doubtless have been hearing on the news.
But the noise from fireworks can be dangerous, too.
The World Health Organization states the noise pain threshold is 120 decibels. Fireworks often reach 150 to as much as 170 decibels, which can cause permanent hearing damage. This is one reason why the British
have a law banning shops from selling fireworks that produce a noise louder than 120 decibels.
Another strike against loud fireworks is the harm it inflicts on animals.
Dogs are sensitive beings. Forty percent of dogs experience noise anxiety, according to an article entitled “Canine Anxieties and Phobias,” in the publication Veterinary Clinics of North America.
Noise can elicit in dogs heart problems, nausea, tremors, debilitating fears and light-headedness.
Dogs left outside during fireworks often run away in panic, which is why July 5 is usually the busiest day of the year for animal shelters.
Some canines are not so lucky and run into the street to be hit by cars.
Loud fireworks often cause deer and other wildlife to run into traffic.
Livestock and other farm animals also can be affected. Chickens have been known to lay fewer eggs when exposed to the noise of fireworks.
Animals don’t deserve this. They don’t set off fireworks. Something should be done to help them. And something is, though not here.
Quiet fireworks displays are becoming more common in Europe. In some British communities close to wildlife and livestock, quiet fireworks displays are required.
And in 2015, the small town o f Collecchio, Italy — population 14,000 — passed a law to respect animals and reduce their stress by requiring that all fireworks displays be silent.
Quiet fireworks do exist. Fantastic Fireworks in England, for example, has been selling quiet fireworks for 30 years.
And quiet fireworks (no fireworks are completely silent) can be had in the U.S.
But we Americans love noise. Just listen to our music, watch TV and movies. Quiet anything has little chance of success here, I’m afraid.
Too bad we can’t make our pets and other animals understand.

–Time to take the bang out of fireworks–