DOZENS of dogs in Lockerbie were left petrified on Sunday night after football fans set off fireworks outside a kennel.
Mandy Bleasdale, who runs Happy Houndz on the Langholm Road, was on her way to feed the 29 pooches kept under her care when the deafening bangs started suddenly.
“It was like World War One,” she said, adding that she spent the hours that followed calming down the distressed hounds.
“I even had dogs the following morning that wouldn’t even come out of their kennels, they just wouldn’t come out,” she added.
It later transpired that the fireworks had been set off by local Rangers fans celebrating a league victory.
But Mandy said: “It kills dogs, I had a dog in once and it was bonfire night and it nearly severed its ear off trying to escape, just absolutely petrified. It can give heart attacks, it can be terrible – just think of them.”
She is urging people to “just have a thought for the animals”, adding: “It’s not only dogs, it’s cattle and wildlife too. You can buy silent fireworks nowadays, which would be much better.”
