Guide dogs could be unable to work due to the trauma of garden firework displays, a specialist has said.
Sian Menai Jones said training dogs could associate the scare with working as firework use was becoming more “unpredictable”.
It comes as RSPCA Cymru said it fears for “terrified” pets amid more home firework displays as official displays are cancelled again due to Covid. They have urged local authorities to raise awareness of animal distress.
A recent poll by the RSPCA found 44% of adults were planning to do their own firework displays compared to 25% who said they planned to attend an official fireworks event.
The RSPCA said it feared a surge of unofficial displays close to homes with pets were less likely to have safety measures in place or to have notified the local area.
Over the past five years, the RSPCA received 1,621 calls about fireworks across England and Wales, and it fears this year could be worse if many more people go ahead with displays in their gardens, as expected.
“With unplanned or more spontaneous events in the pipeline this year owners with nervous animals may be worried about the coming weeks. We know many pets are simply terrified of fireworks,” said RSPCA Cymru campaigns manager Carrie Stones. “We’re urging anyone having a fireworks display in Wales to communicate with residents in their local community to help pet owners prepare. Before the cheer, consider their fear - and help keep animals safe this time of year.”
The charity has written to councils and other public bodies across the country to help them raise awareness of animal welfare during this time of year. It includes posters for people with anxious animals to put in their windows and colouring sheets for children.
It also urged local authorities to help reduce the risks fireworks pose to animals, and to ensure all public displays are advertised in advance to give pet owners vital time to plan and prepare.
IMO, all fireworks should be banned - but that’ll never happen …
My wife and I went to spend the 4th of July with her parents. My MIL’s sister lived with them and she had a Yorkshire Terrier. This night the sister was running around the house in a big pink fluffy bathrobe over her PJs. She picked up her dog and went outside. The fireworks started and she came running back in the house screaming, with no dog. I’m asking her what’s wrong, and she keeps pointing to her shoulder. So I pull the robe down at the shoulder, and her Yorkshire Terrier had run up her sleeve and was huddled on her shoulder nails dug in, shaking like a leaf.
On subject fireworks should be left to the professionals. IMHO
The holidays that involve fireworks usually involve drinking. I can’t think of any thing more stupid than putting explosives into the hands of a drunk. again IMHO
I agree…fireworks (if they must have them at all) should be at organised displays only, far away from any buildings or people. Most start around here days before the 5th, and carry on sporadically until the new year, whereby another mass “bombing” session goes on. Its not only pets who get terrified, what about the babies or old people?
I sat in the bathroom last night with my dog until about 1am. She was in the empty bath, with a cover over it and the lights off, door shut, and she still scrabbled with her claws trying to get away from it all. Dogs in particular have immensely sensitive hearing so they hear things we can’t. I can’t think what tonight will be like…battening down the hatches as we speak I live in a built up area with a central space where all the households gather in the summer, so I imagine there’ll be something going on there
The best display I took the kids to, was one of music and a light show. It was in a tree lined park, and it was fantastic. Not a firework or banger in sight. Plenty of sparklers and little events that the kids could join in with, and it was a real family thing…nobody was jumping out of their skin.
The fireworks thes days make me jump they bangs are so loud some like a bomb going off.
They don’t bother Chloe who I think is either going deaf or non cognisant .
The best display V and I saw was from the Windows On The World restaurant in New York on July 4th 1999. We were actually looking DOWN on Macy’s firework display.
The next best was a Son Et Luminaire at Aix en Provence one Bastille Day (July 14th), a fantastic mix of fireworks, music and light show.
Last Sunday we had a professional firework display around half a mile away. The bangs were so loud & across such a protracted period, my Dachshund, who normally has no issues with fireworks was running around the house barking & even after the fireworks stopped, he was reluctant to go outside.
The problem with professional firework displays is they are far more intense, than someone letting a few fireworks off & the bangs they can make are legally allowed to be bigger.
Personally I would like to see firework sales restricted to established shops only. With no sales from temporary shops & anyone buying fireworks, should have to give their details & take legal responsibility for their responsible use. And let’s reduce the loudness of fireworks, both professional & amateur.
I do wish they’d ban them or certainly restrict the noise factor. It’s ridiculous how loud they are and the distress they cause to any animal. I’m sure there are many folk too who fear this time of year both for the noise factor and the fear of yobs lobbing fireworks at them.
I remember when it was ‘Clap for the NHS’ every Thursday. In our little Close just the sound of everyone clapping and cheering caused the birds in the trees to fly off in fright.
Well its started round here…loud bangs like bombs going off. My dog is panting with stress and scrabbling at the floor trying to escape. I’m (trying) to stay calm and nonchalant, and the telly is up loud, radio is on loud, and all windows and blinds shut. She patrols the entire house barking occasionally before scurrying into the bathroom den, scrabbling at the floor. The police (are there any left?) won’t do anything tonight because “its permitted to have fireworks on the 5th”
I’m just upset that I can’t do anything for her really…and its so random, it really is like a warzone with them going off in all directions I’ve put the pet calmer plugin on…I’ll hunker down in the bathroom until it all goes away.
WW111 here & likely to carry on til the end of the weekend sadly. I so wish they’d ban fireworks for sale to the public now. It isn’t needed with so many organised parties going on.
So do I.
When I was a kid we’d have fireworks, no organised ones in those days so the neighbours would club together & we’d have them in one garden. Kids with sparklers, Dads in charge of lighting them, Mums on food duty, it was fun. Gran stayed in our house with the dog, but she wasn’t bothered by fireworks, she wanted to be out with us. She wasn’t allowed though.
Then we did the same with our kids, party for all the neighbours, in those days there were lots of families at our end of the road. That was fun too, but the prices of fireworks shot up. Our local rugby club started their fireworks party, well organised lot of pretty fireworks & nominal charge to go & watch them & well away from houses in those days, (it’s surrounded by them now), food & drinks to buy on the rugby ground too. They still run them.
As my kids are grown I just sit in the lounge & grumble about all the houses around me with people here letting them off. They are so much noisier now than they ever where.
We had some great firework parties/BBQ, a couple were when we had a Dog…. Fireworks going off didn’t bother him, more interested in the burgers, I can remember taking him for walks when fireworks were exploding in the distance.
Now…. Our present Dog/girl gets stressed with the bangs from fireworks, she panics can’t relax, it’s horrible as there is nothing we can do to help…. Apart from TV’s on loud and cuddles.
I know I would be a hypocrite, but seeing our Girl I would like to see domestic fireworks banned, but I remember our parties and the fun our kids and friends had.
No, he came to us through our eldest having been with a now divorced couple who didn’t want him, he’s about 11 so was with them originally for some time.
I live in a built up area with a central space where all the households gather in the summer, so I imagine there’ll be something going on there 
… 
I’ve put the pet calmer plugin on…I’ll hunker down in the bathroom until it all goes away.
