Fourth of July festivities are fun for most Americans, but they can be terrifying, and sometimes deadly, for animals. While most people are aware that the loud booms from fireworks are stressful to dogs, they may not be aware of the danger that firework remnants pose to animals.
One man’s heartbreaking story about the death of his dog, Zoe, went viral on social media in 2019 and it is a story worth repeating if it means saving even one dog’s life. Zoe’s owner, James Copp, lost his beloved pug after she ingested ash from sparklers and he shared what happened in a post on Facebook.
Copp explained that toxic chemicals in the sparkler ash wreaked havoc on Zoe’s body and stole her young life.
Copp wrote:
They told us there’s a chemical that was causing it And they tried to pump her stomach but the poison was to much and she died at 2:50 today. Word to the warning. Don’t let you animals ingest burnt or unburnt fire works. It’s really poisons to animals and there are absolutely no warnings on the box about it. The vets even looked it up to see if there was warning on the box. she was only a year and a half old. We will never forget you and we miss you R.i.P Zoe.
Addressing the people who accused him of being “careless or reckless,”
Copp kindly shared the devastating impact the firework chemicals can have on a dog’s body:
Fireworks contain hazardous chemicals such as potassium nitrate, which is an oxidizing agent. They can also contain charcoal or sulfur and coloring agents, which are potentially dangerous heavy metals. When ingested, pets can develop gastrointestinal issues like vomiting, a painful abdomen, and bloody diarrhea. The severity of pet health issues resulting from ingestion will depend on the type of fireworks and the amount that was ingested. Pets ingesting large amounts can suffer tremors or seizures, along with acute kidney failure, bone marrow changes, shallow breathing and jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin.
On this holiday weekend, please be mindful of the stress and anxiety that your pets may be experiencing and take care to keep them secure and safe. Ensure that your pets are wearing ID tags in case they happen to somehow escape from home, and do your best to create white noise (fans, soothing music, television) to help block out the terrifying sounds that accompany our nation’s independence celebrations. If your pet is microchipped, ensure that contact information is up-to-date.
And last, but not least, if fireworks have been let off around your home, please clean up the remnants to the best of your ability to help keep pets (and other animals) safe.
People have to be more careful animals are like kids they given everything and they don’t know what’s good and bad for them please be more responsible and keep things away from animals and kids we all know things have a lot of poison and chemicals in them the kids and dogs chew on. If it’s something you wouldn’t put in your mouth and don’t let the dog be a responsible owner.
I’m sorry for your loss , I’m slightly confused as to what type of sparklers produce ash ? The metallic ones essentially stay on the stick unless someone breaks the material off … was it the rainbow colored paper, morning glory style ?
Actually, the metal ones do shed ash. The sparks that fly off of them die out and fall into the grass as ash. What I was not aware of before reading this article was that the bits of Ash can be deadly to dogs, cats and wildlife. My heartfelt sympathies to the Copp family for their loss, and my thanks for James Copp’s courage, compassion, decency and concern for sharing this devastating experience to spare others a similar loss.
HUMANS ARE THE MOST CRUELEST OF ALL GODS CREATURES. THEY DONT USE TGE BRAINS GOD GAVE THEM. YESR AFTER YESR WE GO THROUGH THE SAME THING PETS DYING OR BEING INJURED FROM THESE DAMN FIREWORKS!!!!! KEEP YOUR PETS INDOORS MORONS & MAKE ALL TYPES OF FIREWORKS ILLEGAL!!!!!
I so agree I feel testing should also be on criminals not animals as they are testing for people use!!!! Fireworks are stupid should only be in disneyworld or land….
Awww I totally understand your frustration but getting so angry and calling names doesn’t do a thing except upset people…
I never would have thought of that in a million years…my dog is terrified, but for me getting mad only makes me sick… wish we could snap our fingers and things would be all love grace and mercy but it’s not the reality we are in.
Now that you know how toxic these people-pleasers are, please don’t put in the grass exposing insects, birds, grass & rainwater, etc. to poisons. Use in some kind of container & take ash to the county’s toxic waste facility. If the sparklers are ‘made in China,’ no, nobody’s going to go out of their way to warn of their toxicity. Poor little dog, poisoned to death..
Just imagine how deadly these are when fireworks are lite in parks, beaches, and in harbors for animals and wildlife. It’s all for the sake of human entertainment.
So sorry for your loss. I didn’t know about this either. You may have saved another animal from this poison.
Ummmmmm DUH!!!!!!
there shouldn’t have to be a WARNING!!!!!.. isn’t obvious that no animal or person SHOULDN’T ingest that crap?????…. sorry for the dog, but her owners were phucking idiots….. this is exactly why there’s warnings on usually EVERY PRODUCT out there, EVEN IF U CAN SAY DUH…. because there’s too many stupid phucking ppl out there.. poor dog
What a lot of cruel comments as if everyone here is perfect. We all make mistakes and Mr. Coop may not have even known the ash was there. Dogs lick/eat grass and if he did not see her right away he would not have known. I am sorry for what happened to Zoe and the loss to Mr. Coop as well as the lack of compassion by so many here. Next time you do or do not do something that you regret to late for the harm it has caused think of Mr. Coop and if you are lucky you will not get the reprimands and unfeeling lack of sympathy he is getting. Poor Zoe. Fireworks should be banned for the noise and pollution they cause. They are fun and beautiful but not worth what they do to animals, our environment, and people who they affect.
I agree with you Kate Kenner 💯% Mr. Copp said there were no warnings on the box, as there should be regardless that everyone should or shouldn’t know. It’s dark when you use those things and you wouldn’t notice the small amounts of ash in the dark. Dogs will eat just about anything and Zoe probably looked like she was just sniffing around. Shame on all you people to have such a lack of compassion 😡 whether he should have known or not doesn’t matter. He lost his beloved dog and his heart is broken and he has to live with his loss for the rest of his life. Stop saying such horrible things and show a little kindness once in awhile. I’m so sorry for your loss of Zoe, Mr. Copp. Even though it was back in 2019, it still is heartbreaking.
Fireworks cause death and destruction to our beloved pets, wildlife and farm stock…..
How can a few minutes of bangs and flashes justify the losses??
It can’t!!
Time to ban fireworks!
WOW-JUST WOW! Humans are beyond stupid. I have two precious fur babies. I don’t even let them outside during fireworks. Dogs and children don’t stand a chance these days. I have no sympathy for the owner. But my heart breaks for the dog. STUPID OWNER!!!!!!! I HOPE THE SAME THING HAPPENS TO HIM!!!
RUDE! Dogs pick up tiny things and quickly. Mine eats cat poo and scoffs it before I can yell ‘NO!’.
[UK] Most celebrations here are community organised [for human safety…] and often semi-rural. People worry about domestic animals being scared of the noise, no-one gives a bleep about cattle suffering; their knees buckle before they run in terror [witnessed with the sudden arrival of low-flying jets]. We need to organise litter-pickers to clear up the sparklers, rockets etc at daylight the following day. AND BAN THE DAMNED THINGS.
TEACHABLE MOMENT….PLEASE WATCH YOUR PETS!! 🙂 Rest in Peace, dearest Zoe.O
Dogs are like children, curious, can’t help but get in trouble, taste things, and just be naughty. Why we love them and we rely on each other them on us and us on them. Don’t take your pups to see fireworks, they don’t like the noise, it scares them. Be a smart pet owner, pay attention to where they are and what they are doing. Both of my Yorkies were in the hospital last year they ate mushrooms, that I didn’t even see, but they both tried them and they were both paralyzed until meds kicked in. But we almost lost them both.
Blaming the owner is cruel, they already are dealing with the loss and guilt.
NO warnings on the package, that is where the blame should be placed.
People, please show compassion.
Fuck July 4th. WE are not free. we live in a facist country
Fireworks are terrifying to pets I’ve got 4 dachshund’s 3 of them just bark at them. But 1. I have to medicate so it’s so sad that little dog lost her life I’m so sorry to the owner
I despise the fireworks just for this reason other than pets getting terrified and running away,I wish this country would abolish them for good,Just for a moment of self indulgence an innocent dog paid with her life!
Thanks for sharing sorry for your loss
Sorry to learn. You must be devastated. So heartbreaking to read. Poor little dog.. Must have gone through agony! Thank you for your information, of which was news to me, but am now aware of thankfully.
Where I live, you are not allowed to set off fireworks in your yard. They are only allowed in large public areas, such as parks or exhibition grounds, as part of officially approved public events with trained pyrotechnicians hired to manage them. The local SPCA strongly urges people to leave dogs at home.
I really hope those fireworks were
worth it. I’m betting people could easily have a good time on the holiday but being around things that frighten a pet or hurt/kill them. People need to do better.
Pray keep dogs and cats keep inside house safe and Im sorry loss cute dog go ranbow bridge
Stupid people!!!!!!!
These accessories that seem harmless because that are so beautiful, they are not! They are extremely dangerous and must be controlled so that accidents or dangerous incidents don’t happen. Many lives are lost because of this or many severely injured because of negligence.
People need to use common sense!!!!
It’s truly a tragedy that you lost your beloved dog. But let me just say one thing….I’d be willing to bet that every piece of fireworks available to the general public is made in china. Does anyone, ANYONE???? actually believe that the vile, inhuman chinese government would require such a warning? This, a country that executes people for disagreeing with them! Fireworks isn’t worth the time or energy to light it. It causes nothing but misery for animals, both wild and domestic. All for a few moments of brilliant explosions in the sky. Right now there’s a fierce, fast moving wildfire torching acres of dry, parched land here in Northern California. People are being forced from their homes; hundred are without power. We don’t know yet how the fire started, but there’s a good possibility that fireworks is involved. Ask yourself, is fireworks really worth it? You will see your beloved dog again one day. I hope God comforts your soul!
So sorry for this family. Thank you. Had no idea. Just retrieved the spent sparkler sticks from our backyard.
I’m sorry for your loss. It’s so sad, as we have to be more careful with any toxic chemicals.
Ok you never had a sparkler when you were a kid? It’s not like they were setting off high explosives. I am very protective of my dogs and even l would not have even thought about the ash from a sparkler. Fireworks are illegal in NJ but sparklers l would not even think of them as fireworks. Thank you for posting this… hopefully it will save another dogs life. I’m sorry for your loss.
Just another reason people should not be playing with fire.
I hate fireworks with a passion because of my dogs, not only dogs but wildlife, veterans and children with anxiety or other health issues. It’s absolutely horrible what happened to this poor little innocent puppy. Humans are the most uncaring and cruel species on earth!
U should have known. Protect your animal at all cost. If u had kept the dog inside as u are supposed to, the poor pup would be alive today so yes it is the owner’s fault what happened to the dog.
So sorry for your loss!!!🙏😔💔