A much-loved rescue dog had to be put to sleep after suffering two fits and internal bleeding on Bonfire Night. His devastated owners Sarah and Mark Frost say their 12-year-old collie was literally scared to death by fireworks.
As reported by Leicestershire Live, Derry fell ill during a private firework display near their home in Desford on Saturday, November 5. Sarah, 54, said the village sounded like a "warzone".
Mark heard a loud noise coming from upstairs and found Derry "thrashing" around on the floor. Their pet then lost control of his body, urinated and defecated and was left unable to walk or move.
He was carried downstairs, where he lay still only able to move his eyes. Sarah then arrived home and her heart dropped.
"We rushed him to the vet and I sat in the back of the car with him, but he had another fit on the way," she said. "When we got there, the vet said he had a heart rate of 190 and a high temperature.
"He had internal bleeding as a result of the fit and his gums were completely white. They said he was too far gone to be able to help and the kindest thing would be to let him go.
"We were devastated. We went to the vet with a dog that night and we came home with a collar."
The couple have since started a petition to ban the sale of fireworks to the public in the hope no other owner has to go what they went through. Sarah said: "Its not just domestic pets; it's wild animals, livestock and horses too. If I can stop even one family going through what we did over the weekend, Derry will not have died in vain."
Derry was adopted by the couple in January 2018 at the age of seven. Sarah, a Bupa care assistant, said: "He had several homes in his life and had quite a lot of trauma.
"But he had problems that rescue dogs do and we loved him anyway. He overcame all of his issues and for the last three and a half years he was such a fantastic, loving dog.
"He always seemed to be grateful he had a steady home. He knew he belonged. I just wish we could have given him a home for longer."
The couple were advised that Derry may have had an underlying condition, which the vets were unable to confirm without carrying out further tests. However, it was concluded: "Essentially he was so scared by the noise it drove him over the edge".
Sarah said: "I'm 54 and that might be ancient for some people. But when I was a kid fireworks in your garden were noises that went "zing" - these days they sound like bombs.
"I'm not trying to be a killjoy but for Derry to have lost his life from it - was needless. I know we're not the only family who have gone through this."
The RSPCA is calling on the UK Government to introduce tighter controls and regulations around the sale and use of fireworks to predict animals and people with fireworks phobias while urging local authorities to introduce localised restrictions too. A spokeswoman said: "To support the charity's #BangOutOfOrder campaign, visit the RSPCA website and send a letter to your local council to put forward changes."
The petition, which currently stands at 33,665 signatures, will be considered for a parliamentary debate if it hits 100,000. To sign and support the couple's cause, click here.