Effect of fireworks on pets worthy of a neighborly discussion

Many dog owners do not look forward to the Fourth of July in the same way others do. It is not that we are less patriotic, or averse to celebrating the anniversary of our declaration of independence from England. It’s the illegal fireworks, which torture our beloved pets, that make the holiday less enjoyable for us.

In Florida, the law is pretty simple. If it launches or explodes, it is illegal. The law has human safety in mind, but it has the potential to make the Fourth of July less stressful for our four-legged friends. It is not clear why so many ignore the law, and enforcement seems virtually absent. I have been told by frustrated neighbors who have attempted in past years to take the law into their own hands that the launchers believe it is their “right” to do whatever they want on their property.

“Go back in your house.” “Get off my property.” “I can do whatever I want on my property. It is my right.” These are among the responses to polite neighbor-to-neighbor requests to bring four hours of mortar launches to an end at 11 p.m. – four hours of misery for the fearful dogs in earshot.

Simone Weil (1909-43) — a woman Albert Camus described as “the only great spirit of our time” — wrote brilliantly about the human condition, including the notion of self-ascribed rights. Like the Founding Fathers, she understood, and explained thoughtfully, that rights and obligations are the essential yin and yang of thriving communities.

In fact, the very foundation of the democracy we celebrate on July 4 is our shared obligation to each other, and the freedom to form a nation based on what we believe collectively is right for all, not just for one. The founding wisdom of our great country came in opposing to the English monarchy that had been dictating to the Colonies what was right for England but not right for us.

So, for neighbors everywhere, and our beloved fearful furry friends, let’s celebrate our obligations to our communities this Fourth of July, for that it is the best evidence of a well-made democracy.

Survey your neighbors, or hold a group discussion and decide as a neighborhood what is best for everyone, and the fragile beloved pets that live there, too.

TIM HULLIHAN, NORTH PALM BEACH Editor’s note: Tim Hullihan is an architect and president of the Kevin Clark Hullihan Foundation.