Fourth of July Warning: ‘4get the Firecrackers’ to Save Animals

PETA Runs Bus Ads to Warn That Explosions Can Terrify Dogs, Cats, and Others

For Immediate Release:
July 2, 2018

Contact:
Brooke Rossi 202-483-7382

Just in time for Independence Day, new PETA ads on 10 Grand Rapids buses are urging locals to protect animals by celebrating the holiday without firecrackers. The ads, available here, warn, “4THeir Sakes, 4get the Firecrackers! Fireworks Terrify Animals.”

“Fireworks sound exactly like ‘bombs bursting in air’ to animals who end up fleeing in terror—some never to be found again,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is urging everyone to protect animals and other vulnerable members of the community by never setting off firecrackers, not on July Fourth or any other day of the year.”

During fireworks displays, dogs have jumped fences, broken chains, torn through screens, and even leaped through glass doors in panicked attempts to escape the blasts. Animal shelters become flooded with lost animals, some of whom never make it back to their guardians. Fireworks can also be deeply disturbing to the elderly and people living with post-traumatic stress disorder and can aggravate the symptoms of those suffering from respiratory problems.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—encourages families to protect their animal companions by keeping them indoors (and, if possible, staying with them), never leaving them tethered outside, closing the blinds, and turning on a loud fan or the television to help drown out the frightening noises. Guardians should also ensure that animal companions are wearing collars with current identification tags and that they’re microchipped.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.