N.S. woman calls for private fireworks regulation after her dog dies 'scared and alone'
Canada Day weekend fireworks have sparked more calls to either regulate or ban backyard fireworks displays in Nova Scotia.
“I think they should be regulated. I think there should be a set time before people are allowed to blow them off and they should have to let people know,” said Kassidy Augustine.
Augustine’s dog, Jupiter, bolted from her backyard on Canada Day in response to a fireworks display going off near her home around 8:30 p.m.
The backyard was fenced in but Jupiter found a hole underneath it.
Augustine and her boyfriend ran after her dog and people in the neighbourhood scrambled to try to help. Augustine said, at one point, someone managed to pick her dog up but Jupiter bit the person and they let go.
Eventually, Augustine and her boyfriend found Jupiter dead beside nearby train tracks. She believes her dog was hit by a train.
“I felt so guilty. She died scared and alone and it was really hard to find her there,” Augustine said.
The dog owner expected fireworks that night. She had planned to stay inside with her dog for a community fireworks event at 10 p.m.
What she didn’t expect was for neighbours to light fireworks when it was still light out.
“I don't think they were malicious and I'm not angry with them,” she said. “I just want people to know and I want people to realize their effects when they set off fireworks. It may be a pretty lightshow but it affects other people around them, it affects the wildlife.”
Thousands of others are calling for a ban on the sale and use of consumer fireworks in Nova Scotia. More than 15,000 people have signed a petition arguing fireworks cause terror, pain or death to animals, and also negatively impact people living with PTSD or autism.
Hugh Chisolm, a retired veterinarian who is also the spokesperson for the group #Fireworkshurt, said the group has received reports that at least nine dogs ran away Canada Day weekend and at least one died. While some of the dogs have returned home safely, others are still missing.
“We're not opposed to the official events like the Canada Day fireworks in Halifax or Sydney,” said Chisolm. “It's the private stuff that just seems to be getting worse and worse. And as I say, it’s out of control.”
The owner of Fireworks FX believes people should warn neighbours before lighting fireworks but said bans won't work. He also thinks displays bring joy.
“Fireworks is one way that you and I, our families and friends celebrate and are made happy and we can forget about our troubles and the world for just a few brief moments,” said Fred Wade.
The province of Nova Scotia maintains it’s not currently considering banning consumer fireworks.
A provincial spokesperson said municipalities may have by-laws in place for when consumer fireworks can be used.
Augustine wanted to thank the people who tried to help her dog.
“I just want to thank the people who tried to help her and tried to save her,” she said. “That means a lot to me.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.