It’s Sunday and in the U.S. it’s a holiday!

Let’s face it we all love a holiday as this means time off work and a time to celebrate. But let’s take a look at how we celebrate. We spend time with family & friends, enjoy a meal together, maybe go to the lake or a park, play some games, have a few drinks, and when night falls light off fireworks. But did you know the incredible about of harm fireworks cause? I didn’t.

Growing up I always really enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July and one of the most exciting parts of the celebration was the fireworks. We would sit on the garage roof and have a perfect view of our neighborhood display. As we got older we would go to parks to watch them. They are definitely beautiful to watch and as they would go off my dad would always let out a big vocal “Ooooohh!!!” “Ahhhhhh!!!” Then we would all start doing it just to be silly.

It wasn’t until I researched it that I found out all of the harm fireworks actually cause. “Firework reports from the years 2014-2018 state that fireworks caused 59% of all wildfires” (taken from One Protest) and many people, including children, wind up in the hospital due to injuries caused by them. If that isn’t enough let’s talk about what it does to veterans and animals. The noise from fireworks can cause so much distress for veterans and animals and in the case of animals, may even cause death. Here is a link to some facts about fireworks by One Protest: Fireworks Facts.

Wildlife can become so disoriented they never find their way back to their home or their babies.

Other countries have banned fireworks all together or are using “silent fireworks.” .

The following was taken from BBC News: “The authorities in the Galapagos islands have banned the sale and use of fireworks in the archipelago to protect its unique fauna.

Fireworks that produce light but no sound have been excluded from the ban.

Conservationists say that animals suffered from elevated heart rates, trembling and anxiety after pyrotechnic events.”

A town in Italy is using “silent fireworks”: Switches to Silent Fireworks to Reduce Anxiety in Animals.

So this isn’t just about us. This is about others. We can celebrate the holiday and still have a great time with family & friends without causing all of the distress and harm to other people and animals. Our children will be just fine without them. The fact that they learn a lesson about considering others over themselves is far better than allowing the one night of fun that causes chaos for others.

Until we get to that point where fireworks are banned, or only “silent” ones are allowed, let’s be sure to be there for our pets.