With 2024 coming to an end, Dallas has no shortage of ways to ring in the New Year: from comedy shows to fancy dinners to traditional fireworks. You drink some champagne, you blow a noise-maker, maybe kiss your beloved as the clock strikes 12, ba-da-bing ba-da-boom.

The creative folks at the city of Dallas' animal shelter have a different idea. It's an event called "Calming the Canines," and it's the perfect way to transform what is often a mindlessly raucous night into a night of doing something kind for animals. If that sounds too do-gooder, there's also the opportunity to meet some cool folks.

The event will take place on Tuesday, December 31, at Dallas Animal Services (DAS), and is designed to help reduce the stress for shelter pets during the fireworks celebrations.

The deal with fireworks
You don't have to Google very far to discover the impact that fireworks have on dogs, cats, and wildlife in general. As author Kendra Coulter notes, animal caretakers, wildlife rehabilitators, and fire departments can all testify to the damaging effects whenever fireworks are deployed.

Cats, dogs, birds, and wildlife have better hearing than dull-witted humans, and are therefore more affected by fireworks, which come off as a threat.

Every New Year's Eve, animal shelters witness a spike in lost pets who've run away to escape the noise. New Year's Eve is one of the two worst nights for animal shelters, along with July 4th.

There has been an intermittent movement among more enlightened cities to transition away from fireworks, especially since fireworks also have an impact on veterans and on those with sensory issues — a movement helped by the advent of drones which create a festive display without the noise. Locally, the Sound at Cypress Waters has been on the forefront, with an annual "Sensory Sensitive Fourth of July Celebration" which provides a quiet alternative to people and pets who deal with noise sensitivity. Thank you, Lucy Billingsley. The city of Grapevine has also gotten into replacing noise with drones.

But traditions are hard to uproot.

Back to the shelter
The public can make a significant difference in the well-being of those animals at DAS.

The booming sounds of fireworks can be stressful and frightening for animals, which is why DAS warmly invites the public to come read, sing, or play an instrument to calm the shelter pets from 10:30 pm-12:30 am on New Year’s Eve.

All are welcome, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own books, folding chairs, or yoga mats to sit and read to the animals. A brief safety orientation will be held at the start of the event. DAS will provide treats to pass out to the animals, but donations are also welcome.

It'll be a cool thing to do for animals and the attendees it draws will likely be cool, too.

Calming the Canines will take place on December 31 from 10:30 pm-12:30 am at Dallas Animal Services, 1818 N. Westmoreland Rd.