The Fourth of July is fast approaching, and there’s a lot of excitement in the air.
This patriotic holiday is associated with parades, camaraderie, and, of course, the mouthwatering scent of seven different kinds of hot dogs cooking on the grill.
For most people, this fun-filled day is a highlight of summer, and a chance to celebrate this great nation along with friends and family.
But along with all of the fireworks and cookouts come a handful of important warnings.
Local police know firsthand that this holiday can occasionally lead to overindulgence and dangerous behavior. As a result, they want their communities all over the country to have fun, but to know which risks to avoid around the celebration.
This year, you might be shocked by one of the top items on every police department’s agenda: the ordinary tennis ball.
These innocuous fuzzy spheres could pose a huge danger to your dog this summer, thanks to a hazardous growing craze for homemade firecrackers.
Read on below to learn what to watch for, and how to avoid harm.
If you have a pup in your life, you are probably well acquainted with fetch, tug-of-war, and other dog games involving a toy.
And, most likely, your dog views a plain old tennis ball as the ultimate plaything.
Lots of owners choose not to buy tennis balls for their dogs, but might be more lax about allowing their pooch to play with a stray ball at the dog park or in a friend’s yard.
Normally, these bouncy toys aren’t particularly dangerous, though some dog owners might worry about the green fuzz getting into their dog’s system.
Unfortunately, there’s a dangerous trend involving tennis balls that tends to reach its peak in the summer.
In alignment with fireworks season, some teens and young adults turn tennis balls into jury-rigged firecrackers, as pictured above.
That’s right, instead of hitting them back and forth on the court or using them for fetch, some folks have found a much more hazardous use for the sports equipment.
People will purchase fireworks, then set about designing their own improvised fireworks to set off during the holiday.
Usually, the goal is just to create a loud bang and potentially some kind of visual effect, using a tennis or ping-pong ball.
While the intent is not usually to cause harm, this is the kind of behavior that kids sometimes engage in, with potentially dire consequences.
These homemade firecrackers are generally set off for the spectacle of the explosion.
If the firecracker doesn’t explode as intended, the makers often just shrug it off and assume that it was a dud, according to CBS News.
More often than not, these improvised firecrackers will just be left where they dropped, instead of being properly disposed of.
The consequences of this carelessness can be tragic.
Often, the tennis ball may not have gone off as intended, but is still not stable.
Left out in the grass, it is in a prime position to be discovered by a playful dog or a curious toddler.
At worst, these bomb-like devices could spark a wildfire, cause an injury, or even lead to death.
You can recognize so-called “tennis ball bombs” by checking for a wick or fuse.
According to the Kent Police Department in Washington State: “A tennis ball bomb is very easy to identify. It is a real tennis ball that has some sort of fuse sticking out of it… The tennis ball could also be completely wrapped in duct tape with a fuse sticking out.” An example is pictured above.
Be sure to watch the video below to learn more about this holiday danger.
With this in mind, keep your kids and pets away from any unfamiliar tennis balls this summer!
If you do find an object matching this description, get far away and call the police.
Please, make sure to SHARE this important information with dog owners and parents ahead of Monday’s celebration!
