Stress from Fireworks - Dozens of Pets Escape in Hesse - Fireworks Send Pets Fleeing as New Year’s Eve Sparks Panic in Hesse
New Year’s Eve fireworks are causing a sharp rise in missing pets across Hesse. Even animals that have never reacted badly before can suddenly panic and flee. Owners often fail to recognise the danger until it’s too late.
In 2022, Hesse recorded 2,043 missing dogs and 2,676 missing cats—an average of 5.6 dogs and 21 cats per day. But during the New Year’s period, the number of runaway dogs jumped to 18 a day, nearly three times higher than usual. Over New Year’s Eve and Day alone, 36 dogs and cats bolted from their homes.
Fireworks trigger extreme stress in pets, pushing them to escape. While most dogs are quickly found, cats often take much longer to return. Some may hide for days or weeks, making recovery harder. Tasso, an animal welfare group, helps reunite lost pets with owners through microchip or tattoo registrations. Their emergency hotline assists in tracking down missing animals. The organisation is now calling for a fireworks-free New Year’s Eve to prevent more runaways. Interestingly, the usual daily average of 21 missing cats dropped slightly to 18 over the holiday. This could mean owners kept cats indoors more often—or that frightened cats stayed hidden outside instead of returning home.
The spike in missing pets highlights the risks of fireworks for animals. Tasso’s registration system helps recover lost dogs and cats, but the group stresses that prevention is key. Without changes, the problem is likely to repeat each New Year’s Eve.
