00:00This is my dog George and he's been afraid of fireworks since he was a puppy. Often when
00:06fireworks go off he runs upstairs to my parents bed or seeks comfort from us downstairs. And
00:11while bonfire night is underway and many do enjoy them, often dog owners find concerns
00:20about how their dogs will react during that night.
00:23I spoke with Rob Burns, one of the owners of the Hound Hut in Rochester. His three schnauzers
00:28were unfortunately caught in the crossfire of a firework fight and are now petrified of
00:32any bangs.
00:33I'm not against everybody having fun and having fireworks and everything else like that.
00:39I love them too. I just know that the impact that it actually has on my pets is quite substantial.
00:47Maybe we have to really raise the age of who we sell fireworks to. Maybe 20, 25 isn't enough.
00:57Maybe we have to go even higher than that. These are explosive devices.
01:01This is not one isolated incident. Many dog owners dread firework season knowing the impact
01:06it will have on their dogs.
01:08So they went on for about 10 days. So each night we would go out for a walk and as
01:13soon
01:13as he heard a firework he'd run back inside again. So I think as dog owners if it could
01:18be just one night that would be brilliant because then everyone, all dog owners would then know
01:22to stay in that one night. And the same with New Year's Eve and then any other celebrations
01:27that need fireworks. And I do think that it should be restricted to big open spaces rather
01:32than your neighbours being able to let them off next door because that just, it's so loud.
01:37And that just adds to the anxiety for the dogs who are terrified of them.
01:42On average, a human can hear up to around 120 decibels without pain, while dogs can hear
01:48only up to 90 decibels before they experience pain. This means that what would be equivalent
01:54to a firework for us would be a large rocket taking off for them. 50% of human eardrums
02:00would rupture at this level. Their sensitive hearing, combined with their lack of understanding
02:05of what fireworks are, makes their fear even more reasonable. While pet owners across the
02:10county are worried for their animals, some may argue, is it worth changing a national holiday
02:15just for our canine companions?
02:18Hayley Boleyn for KMTV in Rochester.
