A traumatised dog owner is begging people to stop using fireworks in parks after her 'petrified' puppy was run over.
Selina Keeton is trying to stop the public from buying fireworks this year and for them only to be allowed to be set off on Bonfire night. This comes after her puppy, Ada, was run over outside her favourite park.
Ada, who is mixed between a German Sheppard and a Corgi, is now not allowed off her lead after fireworks were set off in Walton Hall Park in early October last year. Ada bolted out of the park and was hit by a car while she was trying to run home.
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Selina, 40, thinks it is "horrible" to keep her dog on a lead this time of year but fears she might get hit again if she is allowed to walk freely. Ada, who is a Romanian rescue, was lucky to survive the ordeal and was on medication for months.
Selina from Walton told the ECHO : "It was traumatic. She was taken to the emergency room at the vets. It took her months to get better. Ever since she has been petrified of fireworks. If she is outside and hears a loud bang she tries to run home. This is super scary. She doesn't care if there are main roads on the way she just wants to get home and away from it.
"We were in the park the other week and there are fireworks going off pretty much at least once a day and this stays like this from the middle of September to the middle of November. We have to keep her on the lead for this time but she is a super active dog and needs to run. She can't run because she can't go off the lead while there are fireworks.
"She looks petrified, her tail goes down and she is super panicked. I have to try and get a hold of her or she will run. She starts shaking and the other day she was pelting as fast as she could on the lead to try and get us home."
Selina doesn't want anyone else to go through what she and Ada experienced. She is now using social media to share a petition to ban the sale of fireworks to the public and limit sales to licensed displays only. Selina doesn't want the ban fireworks completely but wants to restrict their use to November, 5.
She said: "It is pretty horrible for dog owners and their owners but there are bigger issues around wildlife and people. I don't mind the one night a year because you can manage it and keep your dog safe. The issue is that it goes on for two months. You cant keep your pet safe and manage their anxiety and keep them from getting run over.
"I know a lady's dog has now got epilepsy from it and I know there are a lot of dog owners having the same problem. People need to be considerate of animals and humans around them. I don't want to ruin anyone's fun but if they could just keep it to one day of the year so everyone can manage it.
"It is just so horrible not being able to let her off and let her run around and play."
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