GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – It is a common reminder this time of year, but an animal rights group is bringing the fireworks and pets message to area buses.
More and more pets end up at the shelter each year, because, scared of the fireworks, they run away. The Humane Society of West Michigan is full right now.
“I think with the 4th of July, a lot of people end up losing their dogs unexpectedly, because when the fireworks go off, they take off,” Director of Animal Care Namiko Ota-Novesky said.
PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has placed ads on ten Rapid buses reminding people to protect animals by celebrating the 4th of July without fireworks. The ads say “4THheir Sakes, 4get the Firecrackers! Fireworks Terrify Animals.”
From PETA
“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 in a press release. “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.”
PETA hopes their ads serve as a reminder for those who can’t speak for themselves.
“To us, the forth of July is just a holiday. For animals, this is a life or death situation. They don’t understand it’s the holiday, or that it’s fake. To them, something really tragic and loud and scary is happening,” Kearney Whelan Robinson PETA Spokesperson said.
The group says that during fireworks, dogs are known to have jumped fences, torn through screens and even jumped through glass doors to get away from fireworks.
