Food instead of firecrackers: saving 1x firecracker provides for one dog for 5 months

“Food instead of firecrackers” – this is not a romantic idea, but a simple calculation. In Switzerland, over 100 million francs literally go up in smoke on New Year’s Eve. For a few minutes of light and bangs. If you donate this money to an animal shelter instead, you provide for a dog there for several months. The calculation is simple – and it hits home.

What New Year’s fireworks do to animals – and not just pets

Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs: for most pets, New Year’s Eve is simply pure stress. Not a bit uncomfortable – but real survival panic. Many animals try to escape, others hide trembling and do not calm down for days. The noise triggers an instinct that cannot simply be switched off.

Less visible, but no less real: wild animals. Birds and wildlife are startled from their established habitats by the noise – for species already endangered, this is additional pressure they do not need.

Then there is the air. Fireworks release toxic gases and fine dust that burden the air we breathe and can cause long-term health damage. What remains after burning ends up in the environment – plastic, chemicals, ash.

The alternative: food instead of firecrackers

The “Food instead of Firecrackers” initiative asks a clear question: where should the money flow? Into rockets and firecrackers – or into animal welfare? Animals in animal shelters are not waiting for a spectacle. They are waiting for a home. And until then, for food, care, attention.

Refraining from fireworks is no great sacrifice. But it can make the difference for an animal – concrete, measurable, direct.

Food instead of firecrackers – The comparison calculation

In Switzerland, people spend an average of around 282 francs on fireworks for New Year’s Eve (Source: Various estimates and market analyses as well as reports from associations, including the Swiss Fireworks Association).

In Germany, the fireworks industry described the 2023/2024 New Year as a «historic sales peak» (Source: Statista, survey on the turnover of the German pyrotechnics industry).

What does it cost to keep a dog in an animal shelter? Depending on the region and facility, the Swiss Society for the Protection of Animals estimates monthly food costs at between 50 and 150 francs.

And now for the calculation: With 282 francs, a dog waiting for its new home can be provided for between just under two and almost six months.

• Average expenditure on fireworks: 282 francs
• Average monthly food costs for a dog in an animal shelter: 50 to 150 francs
• With 282 francs, a dog in an animal shelter can be provided for between 1.9 and 5.6 months.

Rather than on loud bangs, this money could fund a safe, quiet roof over a dog’s head in an animal shelter – until it finds a permanent home.

Animal welfare not just at New Year’s

We at rundum.dog have also made our decision: no fireworks. Not because it is forbidden – but because we know what it means for our animals. «Food instead of fireworks» is not a campaign we are joining. It is an attitude.

Further projects and content on animal welfare:

• A Switzerland without fireworks: The Fireworks Initiative and What happened to the Fireworks Initiative?
• Animal welfare starts at home – Knowledge transfer as the key to the well-being of four-legged friends
• 1 August celebrations & fireworks: Showing consideration for animals
• Dog afraid of fireworks? Brown noise