Animal down: A dog injured from festive firecrackers that was treated by Dr Randolf.
KOTA KINABALU: Animal lovers are busy searching and asking for help to look for missing dogs during this Chinese New Year season, all because of fireworks.
Social media platforms of animal lovers’ groups and NGOs have been flooded with appeals for help to search for missing dogs and owners seeking information about their missing pets.
There are also posts from members of the public who have come across these pets, that had either wandered into their houses or were seen loitering by the roadsides and in drains, some collared, some not, some injured, and others looking scared and confused.
Shelter of Hope Penampang operator Adrienne Godfrey Johniu said cases of missing pets always increase during the festive season, especially during Chinese New Year as fireworks are customarily set off.
She said these are fun and almost harmless for humans when done in a safe environment, but for dogs, the loud bang from fireworks makes them go berserk.
Some are so scared that they break free of their chains and run away from their homes.
“Many animals and pets will find fireworks frightening and distressing,” said Johniu.
She said dogs hear nearly twice as many frequencies as humans and can also pick up sounds four times further away than humans.
“As a result of this, our animals may show fear and stress-related signs like excessive barking, restlessly pacing and panting, cowering and hiding, digging up their bedding and floors or carpets, trying to escape, running away, or going to the toilet inside the house,” she said.
Johniu said cats might try to escape and run away, hide behind furniture, meow excessively, excessively scratch at furniture, groom themselves, or go to the toilet in the home.
She advised owners to be mindful of their pets when playing with fireworks and to ensure that their pets are temporarily caged to prevent them from escaping.
She also advised those who wish to play with fireworks to be considerate and not set them off at odd hours of the day or night.
Johniu has been sheltering dogs that stray into her premises while waiting for their owners to claim their missing pets.
Meanwhile, veterinarian and known animal rescuer Dr Randolf Paza has continued to rescue stray cats and dogs this season.
He said he has not closed his clinic for the holidays, because of incidents such as those related to fireworks.
For missing cats and dogs, he helps keep a lookout while spreading information and asking the public to keep an eye out for them.
The Animal Lovers Independent Rescuer volunteers too are busy rescuing injured stray cats and dogs, while constantly keeping updated with news of missing pets, alerting the public of these matters, and sharing such information on their social media platforms.
