A petition that has collected over 2,000 signatures to ask for fireworks to be banned throughout the year: not only on New Year's Eve but also those organized by committees and organizations for patronal festivals. This is the initiative promoted by Alessandra Dessì, a citizen of Gonnesa who, a few days ago, had to deal with the painful loss of her beloved dog, Cialda, which occurred the night there was a fireworks display in town.
The escape
"Obviously we have no evidence and we don't want to accuse anyone," explains Alessandra, "but after searching for her all night, we found Cialda's body on the side of a road, far from town, with no signs of blows or bruises. We hypothesized that she ran away and then died after feeling unwell due to the great fear she had during the fireworks." On the evening of her disappearance, they had organized for the patronal feast of Sant'Andrea. "As soon as I heard the bangs from where I was working, I rushed home, but Cialda, who usually stayed in the garden, had already run away: probably out of fear she managed to go beyond the boundaries of our garden. This personal pain pushed me to propose to my fellow citizens, and not only them, to stop the fireworks displays, in favor of the well-being of our animal friends." So she launched a Change.org petition that in a few days was signed by two thousand fellow villagers.
The community
The dog's story has deeply touched the entire community of Gonnesa, also because of the difficult past she had lived. "We adopted her through an association - says Alessandra - that had saved her at just three months old, after having suffered numerous abuses. Because of her traumas, she trusted very few people, but with those she managed to gain her affection she was very sweet, especially with our son. She had become very protective of him". Cialda's story has aroused strong solidarity, demonstrated by the numerous shares of the petition and the growing number of signatures collected.
«Even if it doesn't achieve the desired goal – comments one of the signatories of the petition – it is still a first step to understand how many of us share this cause and, perhaps, raise awareness among people about the dangers that firecrackers and fireworks represent for animals, not only on New Year's Eve.