Fireworks cause severe acute fear in a large proportion of companion animals, with welfare impacts that persist long after the event and are widely underestimated by owners.
Fireworks terror is one of the most acute, predictable, and preventable welfare harms companion animals face. Every New Year and national holiday, millions of dogs and cats experience genuine fear responses — trembling, hiding, vocalizing, attempting to flee — while their owners may not fully appreciate the distress involved. The welfare solutions are known: advance desensitization, prescription anxiolytics where appropriate, sound-masking, safe dens, and owner presence. Silent fireworks technology exists. Normalizing silent public celebrations is a meaningful welfare reform that affects millions of animals annually.