Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/help-shelter-pets-instead-of-buying-fireworks/

People across the country are preparing to celebrate the 4th of July with family, friends, and those blasted fireworks. Many pet owners and veterans dread the upcoming celebrations because the loud fireworks cause stress instead of joy.

A simple “thought” of ditching fireworks to help shelter animals was proposed by Best Friends Animal Society and it is going viral.

The animal welfare organization posted, “A thought – Buy 2 bags of pet food for a shelter instead of fireworks. Make a difference instead of a noise.”

While the suggestion doesn’t equal the amount people typically spend on personal fireworks, it will make a huge impact at local shelters who struggle to afford food for all the homeless pets.

One person pointed out another benefit, “Bag of pet food also won’t start a fire.”

Another said, “Yes instead of shooting them at your house go to a show with them. That way fireworks aren’t going off in neighborhoods.”

Thousands wholeheartedly agree with the post and ask people to be considerate of their neighbors and pets.

July 5th is the busiest day of the year for animal shelters due to frightened dogs and cats running away from fireworks on the 4th. Dogs will do anything to get away from the booming noise – including jumping out of a window or digging a hole under a fence.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), “1 in 5 pets goes missing after being scared by loud noises.” They went on to share tips on how to keep your pets safe during the celebrations.

There are many reasons to celebrate the 4th of July and several ways to do so without causing stress to animals. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) states that wildlife and farm animals also suffer due to fireworks. They shared several animal-friendly ways to celebrate like encouraging local officials to use silent fireworks for public displays or replace fireworks with drone and laser displays.

“In addition to preparing our own companion animals for the noises that can last much of the summer, we should take proactive steps to prevent harm to wild animals by encouraging animal-friendly celebrations in our towns or even in our own backyards,” wrote HSUS.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog