The crackle, pops and booms of New Year’s fireworks and rockets are a terrible ordeal for many animals. Even though the Finnish authorities limit the times people can fire off fireworks and rockets to between 6 pm on New Year’s Eve and 2 am on New Year’s Day, many can’t resist the temptation to start in early.
This is when the first animals begin to run away, says Lena Lundell, chair of the volunteer Search and Rescue Dogs Association.
“The first rockets are lit shortly after the sales of fireworks begin, a few days before New Year’s. Legislation was tightened a few years ago to limit the hours people could use fireworks and it has helped a bit. But even so, the noise begins as soon as the rockets are on sale and animals everywhere are scared out of their wits. New Year’s Eve and Day are of course the worst, but every year it starts in already ahead of time,” says Lundell.
The volunteer search dog association has active groups in the southern regions of Uusimaa and Kymenlaakso, Southwest Finland and neighbouring Satakunta. Helpful advice is available by phone throughout the country.
The association has 16 active search and rescue dogs. A second similar group in the Pirkanmaa region including Tampere has a few more search dogs to its name.
News from the first day of 2013 said that at least 150 dogs ran away the previous evening during the cacophony of New Year’s Eve celebrations. The next few days may bring similar news, as the weather is expected to warm up enough to encourage people to head outside.
The search and rescue dog association is called out over four hundred times a year to find lost dogs, and ten percent of their yearly calls come in around New Year’s Eve. Lundell says that not all news of runaways reach their association, however, and advises people to consult the online karkurit.fi service for more information on lost dogs. Last year a few hundred dogs were listed on the site.
Taking the necessary precautions
Lundell recommends people with dogs prepare for New Year’s Eve noise in advance. She mentions three rules in particular.
First, don’t let your dog run free on New Year’s, keep it inside or on a leash. Even the most obedient dog will panic and run away if the loud noises frighten it enough. Second, if you know that your dog is frightened of firecrackers and rockets, several medications are available to help you calm them for the evening. Third, save something with the scent of your dog in a safe place so it can be used to search for the dog should your pet run away.
But what to do if your dog does run away? Lundell gives just one piece of valuable advice.
“Although it is difficult, it is best to try and stay calm. The dog will be even more frightened if you cry out after it or run to catch it or drive after it. The important thing is to get the situation under control. Often dogs that run off on New Year run until they find a quiet place and wait there for things to calm down.”
Lundell appeals to everyone to please limit the hours they shoot rockets and fireworks to those recommended by the authorities.
“Even better would be to limit the fun to just around midnight, so the time the animals are at risk of a fright is as short as possible. Seeing as how there is no chance of getting rid of the rockets for good, this would at least be an improvement,” she says.
The risk that a dog may run away doesn’t end on New Year’s, either. Some dogs are also spooked by the smell of gunpowder, so Lundell says dog owners should exercise caution.
Think of Uuna
Jesse is a 12-year-old Jack Russell terrier who frequents one of Helsinki’s many dog parks. His owner says she can’t leave Jesse home alone on New Year’s.
“If we are invited somewhere, I go alone and my husband stays home with the dog. We can’t leave him home alone,” she says.
Unna, a 3-month old husky pup is at the same dog park. Her owner Minna is confident that Uuna will be fine through her first New Year.
“We’ll just take it easy; I will stay at home so Uuna doesn’t have to be alone. We may travel a little farther from the city if it seems necessary. I will get some good snacks to distract her so I can turn her focus to something other than the noise,” she says.
