For many, Halloween is a fun time for candy, costumes and fireworks. For animals, however, it’s one of the most frightful nights of the year — and not because of any ghosts or goblins.
Exploding fireworks can be terrifying for pets, farm animals and wildlife. For instance, nearly half of dogs are fearful of loud noises such as fireworks, thunderstorms and gunshots, while almost 80 per cent of horses show anxious behaviour during fireworks displays. Fireworks are creating serious issues for animals in our communities.
“I don’t think people realize the trauma surrounding fireworks for animals,” says Aleigh Ateyo, night emergency officer at the BC SPCA in Vancouver. “On nights when there are fireworks, the call load is always worse. The animals are frantic and once an animal is frightened and running, they are almost impossible to catch.”
Ateyo works for the BC SPCA’s Night Emergency Patrol (NEP), a program designed by the organization to facilitate assistance to animals after-hours.
She estimates that she receives upwards of 30 to 50 calls on Halloween night, most of which are related to the effects of fireworks.
“On Halloween, people are on high alert and very emotional when they call in. Calls come in rapidly,” she says. “Most of the calls involve a high number of animals who are hit by cars.”
Ateyo says she receives a lot of calls from people who are out on a walk with their dogs on Halloween night, only to have them bolt due to the sound of fireworks.
One story in particular on Halloween has stayed with Ateyo throughout the years.
“I answered a call in the city of Burnaby about a dog who was hit by a car on a busy road,” she recalls. “It felt like I was in war zone. It was black, raining and I was outside of a park where there were fireworks going off like crazy and it was so chaotic and intense. The dog was just lying there, her back was broken, and I could see the terror in her eyes. She was in pain and she couldn’t move and there were explosions from the fireworks everywhere. It was terrifying for both her and me.”
Other calls that Ateyo receives on Halloween include lost dogs and cats who ran off or broke through a fence or window because they were spooked by fireworks or wildlife behaving in unusual ways, including instances where raccoons, skunks and birds were trying to get inside a house or underneath a deck to hide from fireworks.
Ateyo’s experience with wildlife falls in line with recent research that has shown that evenings of fireworks can have a negative impact on bird behaviour. Birds and other wild animals can be scared out of dens and roosting sites, leading them to fly into buildings or run into busy streets to be injured or killed.
In order to keep your pets safe on Halloween, it’s important to remember the following when you know that fireworks are occurring within your neighbourhood:
- Ensure your pet has at least two forms of identification in case they go missing. Pets should have a collar with tags and an ear tattoo or a microchip registered with the BC Pet Registry.
- Be mindful when you are opening a door to hand out candy since a lot of calls that come in have to do with a dog or cat bursting through an opened door, trying to escape.
- If you must take your dog outside to relieve himself, make sure he’s appropriately leashed or, better yet, harnessed. Hold tight to the leash, even in your backyard.
It’s so important to be there for your furry friends and keep them safe. “Stay with your pets on Halloween,” says Ateyo. “Support them, comfort them. They are scared.”
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