Fireworks will light up Central Georgia skies this week, but the booms trigger pet panic and dangerous escapes. Here’s how you can keep your furry friends safe.
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Fireworks will light up the skies this week as Central Georgia rings in the new year, but for many pets, the booms signal panic and danger.
“I’m not a fan of fireworks,” Dee Allison, director of the Houston County Humane Society said.
Allison knows the aftermath all too well. After every New Year’s, her shelter fields dozens of calls about missing or found animals.
“To see the little bodies on the side of the road that didn’t make it, and you know that if they had been secured, that it would have been a different outcome,” Allison said. “We see a lot, and we always kind of prepare ourselves.”
Allison said she readies both shelter animals and her own pets hours in advance. She urges pet owners to follow suit.
“Put them in a crate, turn the TV on, turn the radio on, get a busy bone, whatever you can do to calm them down,” Allison said.
Veterinarian John Hutchens, owner of Hands of Hope Animal Hospital in Warner Robins, agrees that preparation is key.
“Talking to your veterinarian or a veterinary specialist about those medications, just to make sure that we’re actually giving something that’s appropriate for the pet,” Hutchens said.
He said stress from fireworks can linger for days.
“It causes a lot of fear,” Hutchens said. “It causes a lot of anxiety, and so for our pet patients that we see, I think it can be quite a drag on their quality of life.”
He said to watch for signs like vomiting, not eating and diarrhea.
If a pet escapes or you find one, Hutchens says, take it to a shelter or vet to check for a microchip. Posting on social media can also help spread the word.
