opinion
Pro bang
My colleague fights firecrackers so his dachshund has peace. Dogs are the true plague of cities
In theory, master is now collecting the legacy. In practice, the mine stays where it is.
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As always on New Year’s Eve, the fireworks are fought. The banging is harmless fun when compared to other bad habits.
On New Year’s Day, my esteemed colleague Christian Hensen gave a mighty fight against the firecrackers (“New Year’s Eve has proven: a ban on firecrackers is urgently needed”), in principle and in particular. The principle is the well-known. All the firecrackers are expensive, useless, harmful to the environment and so on. Like almost all pleasures, I would like to add. In addition, the cracking is also dangerous and makes a lot of dirt. One cannot contradict that. Then comes the special thing: the firecrackers bother him when he is working the next day and they put a strain on the dog.
dogs suffer
That would probably be the poodle’s core, to speak with Goethe: Christian’s dachshund doesn’t like the firecrackers. And the dachshund friend is not alone in this, before and after the firecracker night, animal lovers take pity on the well-being of their loved ones. Few realize the thin ice they are treading on when they stand up for their four-legged friends and against banging. Because everything bad that can be said about beehives, cannonballs and China crackers also applies to dachshunds, cockers and rottweilers. However, not only limited to about 24 hours a year, dogs are up to mischief 365 days a year.
If, like with firecrackers, you don’t recognize fun, pleasure and togetherness as a “benefit”, the air will also become thin for the four-legged friends. After all, who owns a real working dog anymore? The avalanche rescue and the security industry, all the rest, the dog serves as an emotional companion – without any particular use. And a dog costs quite a lot for that – if you add up taxes, insurance, food, veterinarian and accessories such as baskets, the costs of a dog far exceed those of the firecrackers.
The dog is an environmental pig
And when it comes to the “environment” topic, the dog certainly doesn’t see a stitch. The animal’s problem: it eats, and food production has a huge ecological footprint. A large dog has the same environmental impact as a large SUV. Well, with a dachshund it is not enough for a huge Toyota Land Cruiser, but only for an Opel Mokka – but still. If you look at the criticism leveled at motorists, pet lovers have so far gotten off scot-free.
Now to the subject of danger: There were two deaths on New Year’s Eve. Apparently one of them set off some kind of pipe bomb, anything but a standard firecracker. The other was run over by a totally drunk driver – where the cause is more likely to be found in the 1.8 per mille and not in the fireworks. There were also numerous minor injuries. The two dead, which have little to do with “fireworks”, show how exaggerated the danger discussion is. Every day far more people die in traffic and probably also in accidents in the home, for example because they accidentally fall off a ladder.
Back to dogs and dachshunds: Measured against the one pipe bomb firecracker death, dogs with at least 3.3 fatal attacks are significantly more dangerous than firecrackers. The insurance industry assumes that there are 30,000 to 50,000 bite attacks by pets, which they have to regulate. For the most part, dogs are the culprits. In the case of bites, it almost always affects third parties who have had the misfortune to run into the dog at the wrong time. Firecracker injuries, on the other hand, are often personal contributions.
First the firecrackers – then the pets
Finally, let’s get to the dirt: Yes, New Year’s Eve causes a lot of dirt, just like other major events, except that the whole of Germany is affected. However, most of it is cleared away by the next working day. If only the same could be said of the dogs! Officially, no dog owner is allowed to leave the legacies of his pet lying around. That’s the theory, in reality sidewalks, parks and meadows are full of land mines. Why are children’s playgrounds now fenced in all around like a fortified village? Provided with gates that close themselves? Because Bello unfortunately likes to poop in the sandbox all too much and master stands calmly next to him.
To end the long story: There may be many groups that have a right to campaign against the firecrackers, but dog owners certainly don’t. They have no right to do that. By the way, it’s not smart. Should the banging actually be banned, a new object of displeasure will be added to the list of upcoming bans. Dogs would be predestined for this.
PS: The author owns a dog with a huge appetite.