Livid crèches shut door on pets during Kali Puja

KOLKATA: Aditi Mukherjee is faced with a peculiar problem. The pet crèche she would check-in her Alsatian every year during the Kali Puja and Diwali period to shield from firecrackers has discontinued the service. The owner told Aditi that such is the assault of fireworks that despite having sound-proof windows, it was impossible for them to protect the innocent creatures.
It is not a one-off case. The crèches in the city that take in pets during this period to protect them from the firecracker assault have discontinued the service because of their bitter experience over the past few years.
“My two-and-a-half-year-old pet tends to withdraw into a shell due to all the noise and refuses to eat. For the past two years, I was keeping her in a crèche in Golf Green but this year they said they have discontinued the service because they are unable to protect them from the noise. I am left with no other option but to keep my dog at home,” said Aditi, a resident of Rajdanga in Kasba.
“We are not keeping the pets in our crèches because it is of no use as the animals end up getting scared due to the noise. Even sound-proof window panes and light music would not help keep the noise out,” said Kashika Arora of Pampered Paws.
Many said the noise is much above the 90 decibel during Diwali and even soundproof windows are of no help. “The pets get scared. It is a traumatic experience for them. This is the reason we have decided to discontinue with the practice of providing residential service for pets during this time,” said Antara Pet Crèche in Golf Green.
Ninety decibel has been fixed as the permissible limit for firecrackers but according to veterinary consultants, even sound at the 90-decibel level is adequate to scare dogs and other pets. According to Arnab Panda, a vet with CSPCA, the firecracker assault can have two kinds of effects on animals: acute and chronic. “If the animal is already suffering from a disease, the stress during this period may actually aggravate its condition. Many animals with lower lung capacity may face respiratory issues because their lung capacity is lower,” he warns.