New Year revelers urged to spare pets from ‘stress’

Animal welfare advocates gather at Malate church to appeal against the use of firecrackers on Sunday. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

“Be kind to us! No firecrackers!”

This was the message of dogs, or rather, the placards hanging around their necks, as they were roped in by environmental advocacy and animal welfare groups that urged people to shun firecrackers for the New Year revelries later this week.

Some 10 dogs, from puppies to adult mongrels, were walked around the Our Lady of Remedies Parish Church in Malate, Manila, on Sunday morning, as EcoWaste Coalition, the Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF), Compassion and Responsibility for Animals Philippines, the Philippine Pug Lovers’ Club and the Care for the Earth Ministry of the Our Lady of Remedies Parish called for a firecrackers-free celebration of the New Year.

While the dogs bear the placards urging people to be compassionate to animals, children carried and blew large “torotot,” or paper trumpets, which the groups said were safer noisemaking alternatives to firecrackers.

Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition, said firecrackers and other loud, sudden noises could easily stress out animals.

“If humans can withstand the acoustic inconvenience that the annual New Year festivities have become, such cannot be said for domesticated pets and stray animals, whose highly receptive ears render them helpless throughout the traumatic ordeal,” Lucero said.

Heidi Caguioa of the AKF said the stress could show up as specific symptoms on animals and the noise could lead to damage to their sensitive ears.

“Sudden firecracker explosions not only frighten small animals, such as birds, cats and dogs, but also cause severe stress, such as stomach upset, loss of appetite and decreased sense of direction that may result in animals getting lost or injured,” she said.

Father John Leydon of the Our Lady of Remedies Parish Church, who blessed the dogs participating at the event, supported the call to shun firecrackers.

“What we are doing here is a disinvestment movement for firecrackers,” he said.

Leydon compared it with responsible investors disinvesting in firms that have significant contributions to climate change and with multinational firms pulling out investments in South Africa during the apartheid years.

“If we don’t use firecrackers, we will have no injuries to worry about every end of the year and every start of the year,” he said.

While urging the public to stay away from fireworks, the groups gave suggestions on how to protect pets from the noisy New Year revelries.

These include giving pets a relaxing environment or a safe place to take refuge during the celebrations, providing them ample drinking water and allowing them to pee or defecate freely.

The groups also suggested that the pets be given physical outlets for pent-up energy due to arousal and stress.