Dogs Trust issues warning as fireworks season begins early
The charity says they’re seeing more fireworks let off than they’d expect at this point in October.
Each year as the nights close in at the end of October people begin to set off fireworks to mark Diwali, Halloween and Bonfire Night.
But this year fireworks have started a little earlier than expected, and the charity Dogs Trust has said that they’re hearing more fireworks near their centres than they’d normally expect at this time of year.
The rehoming and dog rescue charity want people to think about canine wellbeing when they light a firework - as dogs can become very stressed by the bangs and flashes of the season.
Richard Moore, who manages a Dogs Trust centre rehoming dogs to Surrey outlined some key things which can help calm pets down:
“Keeping them distracted, playing games with them, having music playing in the background so they have sound which dampens out the noise are important.”
He explains that having a constant sound of music from the radio or TV can reduce the spikes of noise coming from fireworks.
He says it’s the unpredictability of firework noise which can be a big issue for dogs, and so he and the Dogs Trust also advise owners to provide spaces where their dog can feel safe.
“A quiet area behind the back of the sofa, or having a table with a blanket over it - it’s a little secure area that they can go into, they would feel safer there.”
“It’s that safe space that’s really important to a lot of dogs at this time of the year.”
For those who don’t own dogs, Richard says being considerate of neighbours who do have pets is equally important.
‘Be a considerate neighbour, inform the people next door or down the road that you’re having the display so that they can prepare for that, and try to keep the display to a shorter period of time - certainly not later at night”
“I think most of us expect fireworks to go off from about 7 in the evening to ten o’clock at night, but one thing you may not consider is that a lot of people will walk their dogs to try and avoid the fireworks”
He explains that this should be an important consideration when arranging displays.
“With that in mind try and stop them by about ten o’clock so that there’s that quiet space for people to take their dogs out and have a little escape from it."