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DIWALI - TIME TO RUN

My very first memory of a pet is not one of cuddles and licks and cute adorable eyes, but that of a terrified anguished tail-between-the-legs dash for cover. My birthday always comes around during the Dussera-Diwali period of fireworks. Bobby, my first dog, was a little brown and white furry thing, given to me by my parents on my ninth birthday. She was already an adult, whose previous owners wanted to get rid of, so perhaps her introduction to firecrackers was not as gentle as it should have been. She scooted from our house at the sound of the first big bomb, and it took several hours of searching before we found her, thankfully.

Many other pets and owners aren't so lucky. The streets and shelters are filled with lost dogs during this period. Since the hearing of dogs is several times more powerful than ours, the trauma they experience is much more than just ear-splitting. When they run away in fright, they don't keep track of where or how they have fled, and cannot find their way back home easily. Sometimes, they get run over and injured. Last year, my driver took home a little spitz with a broken leg, similarly lost and hurt after a night filled with explosive sounds and lights.

Not all dogs get scared of crackers, but most do. It is also possible to get a pet used to them from an early age, by gently introducing them to fireworks with less noise - such as letting them watch fountains and sparklers, while restraining them gently. But big loud bombs - why, those are painful even to human ears, much less animal, and should be banned completely. Especially in these troubled times.

If you love animals, at home or about you, be kind to them this festive season. Keep them locked away in rooms as soundproof as you can manage, while you light those crackers. Some dogs will even subject themselves to cotton ear plugs. Also have a care for the street dogs. It is possible to have fun with so many different types of fireworks without having to scare your neighbourhood (the old and the ailing as well) half to death. Give the bombs a break this year, please!