Salisbury dogs charity in new research over fireworks
The Dogs Trust at Newton Tony have partnered with the University of Salford
A leading dogs charity has teamed up with the University of Salford to carry out research into how fireworks and loud noises affect dogs. Dogs Trust, which has a centre at Newton Tony, is looking for volunteers to take party in the research this New Years Eve.
The ground-breaking research will aim to provide an in-depth understanding of the relationship between dog behaviour and features of fireworks, as well as the methods that dog owners use to try to mask the sound of fireworks.
The results will give Dogs Trust’s canine behaviour experts valuable insight for guidance to dog owners, and inform its policy recommendations around fireworks use.
Dr Sara Owczarczak-Garstecka, Canine Behaviour Research Studies Manager at Dogs Trust is leading on the study. She says:
“Research is a vital part of Dogs Trust’s work. It helps us make sure that the work we do and the advice we offer is based on evidence and can benefit and improve the welfare of dogs.
“Nearly half of dogs in the UK are estimated to be negatively affected by fireworks. To build on our expert advice to support owners on how to help their dogs cope with the noise of fireworks, we need to develop an in-depth understanding of different dog behaviours in response to hearing fireworks."
As part of the research, dog owners who sign up will be asked to take a short survey starting from the 31st December.
Some owners will also get asked to record the sound of fireworks. The researchers will then extract the acoustic features of the sound from the recordings to determine how sound characteristics affect dog responses, recorded by dog owners in the survey.
If you want to take part in the project then you can visit the Dogs Trust website here