The BC SPCA is warning pet owners about the dangers of fireworks after a tragic accident that killed a beloved family dog this weekend.
The senior dog, Maggie, was at Trout Lake Park in the off-leash area Saturday afternoon when some kids set off fireworks, spooking the animal.
The scared dog took off running out of the East Vancouver park, and was struck and killed after running onto SkyTrain tracks.
"My dog just bolted. She got so scared," said Adrian Fluevog.
He and his wife scoured the area to find Maggie but there were no signs of her. They had hoped the 10-year-old dog would have wandered back to their home.
Someone on the street told the couple they'd seen a black dog running towards the SkyTrain tracks, and they saw that the SkyTrain line was closed down.
Fluevog says the dog's death is devastating.
"The dog was part of the family. She was our baby before we had kids," Fluevog said.
He's hoping to see stronger fireworks regulations in the city, or perhaps a complete ban on the explosives altogether.
Lorie Chortyk, community relations manager for the BC SPCA, says panicked pets can flee "in an instant."
"It can happen so fast," she said.
Chortyk says even dogs that are normally calm and regularly walk off-leash can become easily spooked by fireworks and run away from their owners.
The result can be tragic: dozens of animals each year escape houses through open windows or doors, often darting into traffic.
The animal welfare organization is urging dog owners to keep their pets leashed and close for the next week.
For Halloween night, Chortyk advises owners to keep their dogs in a room that's as far away as possible from the front door because they can also become scared of people in costumes.
