Alan the dog dies after being spooked by fireworks

Alan the dachshund was hit by a car after escaping an enclosed garden in a panic

A dog owner whose pet died after bolting when he was panicked by a firework has called for tighter legal restrictions on the explosives.

Hannah Carass had let dachshund Alan in the garden before bed when a person in an adjoining plot threw a firework at the shared fence.

The three-year-old sausage dog bolted from the property on Trinity Fields in Knaresborough and was found dead the next morning after being struck by a vehicle on the A59.

Ms Carass said she wanted to make sure children were unable to get hold of the pyrotechnics as the situation had been "absolutely devastating for us, but could have been a much, much bigger tragedy".

She described how she watched as the firework be lit in a teenager's hand and thrown towards the fence on 31 October.

"There were multiple explosions, it fired off in all different directions and showered over our garden," the 31-year-old said.

"They chucked quite a few in quick succession across the garden and at the house where the party was, [there was] a mass of explosions of fireworks in all directions."

She said Alan had been "terrified" and managed to escape from the garden.

"My last memory is just running down the street after him crying and begging for him to stop running," Ms Carass added.

She and her partner did not blame the driver who had hit Alan, she said, as they may not have even seen such a small dog on a 60mph road.

Ms Carass said he was "an absolute character, just so funny, and really naughty"

Ms Carass said she believed firework sales should be restricted to legitimate, organised displays.

"I think that's the only way it's going to prevent them from getting into the hands of children that then go on to make silly choices, potentially putting themselves and other people and animals at risk," she said.

"They're explosives, but it gets to this time of year, and they're sold in supermarkets," she said.

For Ms Carass, her partner, their one-year-old and other dachshund, the loss had left a "hole in our hearts that will never be filled".

She described Alan as an "absolute character, just so funny, and really naughty at the same time".

She said she had spoken out to raise awareness about the danger fireworks could pose.

"If I can help even one person to make the right decision when it comes to the use of fireworks, then I feel like that's a job well done."

"People might think it's just a dog, but he was our family. Our lives are never going to be the same again," Ms Carass added.

'Tragic consequences'

According to the RSPCA, which is calling for a change in legislation, two thirds of pet owners they surveyed said backyard fireworks were a "major concern".

"We know that fireworks can sometimes have tragic consequences for animals and we are so sorry to hear about what happened to Alan and send our sympathies to Hannah and her family," a spokesperson for the charity said.

"Despite campaigning and sharing advice every year, pets and owners are still facing the effects of fireworks."

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said the force was investigating an incident of criminal damage in relation to the incident.

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