Protect your Dogs on Bonfire Night
Sunday, October 19th, 2008
Here in the UK on the 5th November people gather to commemorate the capture of Guy Fawkes with bonfires and fireworks. On this particular night throughout Britain the majority of families and friends have a bonfire party, which involves lots of noise, louds bangs etc.
I remember bonfire night when I was a child, the families on our street would all attend the same firework display in one of the neighbours back gardens, there would be hot food, kids with sparklers in their hands etc, all stood watching the pretty fireworks blasting off into the night sky. One person from each family would run back to their house to make sure their dog was still safe and comfortable inside the house away from all the commotion outside. However, these days it does seem completely different. Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy watching the colorful fireworks etc but the fireworks which they sell in the shops these days are not about lovely pretty colours anymore, they are about how loud they can go off.
If the fireworks what they sell frighten the life out of us and make us literally jump out of our skin, what about the poor animals? How do you think they go on? To them it must be terrible, frightening and scary. We all know the rules about ensuring all your pets are inside the house on bonfire night, but there are ways to help them remain a little calmer whilst all the noise is going off outside. Below you will find an extract from the RSPCA’s website which gives some excellent tips on caring for your dog on this particular night of the year:
(source RSPCA)
Dogs
Exercise your dog during the day.
Never walk your dog while fireworks are being let off.
As with cats, keep your dog indoors, close the curtains and play music or turn on the television to drown out the noise.
Let your dog hide if it wants to take refuge under furniture or in a corner.
Make sure your dog is wearing a collar and tag and is microchipped in case it bolts and becomes lost.
If your dog is particularly prone to becoming very distressed, discuss sedatives with your vet.
This year, as in the previous 7 years, we shall be staying in the house with Mitzi the Westie and keeping her out of harms way. Usually a couple of days after 5th November people are still letting off their leftover fireworks so it is wise to follow the same advice which the RSPCA offer. If you love your dog / animals then stay with them on this particular night – inside the house.