Controversial? The Nashville Sign Rejects Fireworks Safety Ad—Because It Came From PETA
For Immediate Release:
June 10, 2025
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
With the Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th fireworks display fast approaching, PETA hoped to place a lifesaving message on The Nashville Sign ahead of the event, reminding everyone that fireworks can be deadly for animals—until sign owner Blackbird Media rejected the non-graphic ad, the only reason for its decision being that the message came from PETA.
As PETA pointed out to Blackbird Media CEO Chenault Sanders in a letter urging him to reconsider the company’s apparent ban on PETA ads, the Fourth of July is one of the worst times of the year for companion animals and wildlife alike—and more animals go missing on this date than on any other. Terrified dogs often climb, break, or dig their way out of wherever they are as they frantically try to escape the chaos. Many dogs arrive at shelters with bloody paws or broken bones, while others are hit by cars or strangled when their collars become caught on fences. Frightened deer have run onto roadways, and birds have abandoned their nests and crashed into homes, windows, and each other. The smoke and dust produced by fireworks are laden with toxic particles that pollute air and water and wreak havoc on respiratory systems.
“Fireworks sound like an all-out war to animals, many of whom flee their homes in terror and end up lost, injured, or dead,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges Blackbird Media to help make this Fourth of July safer for everyone by reversing this potentially deadly decision.”
Veterans, people who have PTSD, and people with sensory processing disorders can also be traumatized or overwhelmed by fireworks. Last year, more than 60,000 shells were shot for the Music City event—more than any other fireworks show in the country—and more than 35,000 pounds of explosives were detonated.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
