Pets Corner

Fireworks

Pets Corner with Leonie St Clair | www.londondogstraining.co.uk

With more lockdowns on the cards it is unlikely there will be many organised fireworks events this season, but back garden celebrations may increase as people look for opportunities to have a bit of fun. Every year warnings about the potential impact of fireworks on pets are sent out and although many heed that advice a significant number do not. The fact is, dogs hear over twice the frequencies and detect sounds four times further away than do us humans. A cat’s hearing is even more acute. As part of normal development animal and human brains have to learn recognise noises that are significant and to tune out from noises that are not. To react to every single noise would quickly lead to brain fatigue. This screening ability is not only essential for survival, it can also be a feature necessary for working animals that need learn to remain calm around loud noises. Police dogs and horses are one example. This ability to learn to ignore non-threatening noises is an essential process for all young animals to adapt and cope with their environment. The process of ‘habituation’ explains why many dogs, to panic and fly blindly into buildings and trees. if exposed to fireworks noises in the right way, will It’s not just animals, even humans can suffer. The learn to cope with the bangs. However, not all pets pain threshold for loud noises in humans is around are so lucky. It seems some animals have greater 120 decibels and in the UK fireworks should not be difficulty screening out noises and become noise any louder than this, but can reach 150 decibels sensitive. The reasons for this are not clear and or more. may be a result of nature, nurture or both. Yet both The last point gets to the heart of the matter. animals and humans can be afflicted. It is instinctive in most animal species to startle Fireworks can create untold misery for noise at loud noises and run for cover. Firework noises sensitive animals and their owners; in some cases are especially startling - for humans that startle the damage is catastrophic and permanent. Dogs response is all part of fireworks fun, a bit like the can become so terrified they develop generalised enjoyment we get watching horror films. But we noise sensitivity and anxiety, requiring lifelong humans have the luxury of foresight, knowledge psychoactive medication. It is not only dogs that and control; we know and understand what are at risk, cats that are badly spooked may run firework noise is and when the bang is coming, in panic and become lost or injured. Zoo animals something an animal can never understand. and wild animals are not immune and there are There is of course a very simple solution. The tales of captive animals being injured as they try advent of low noise fireworks means we humans to flee the unseen threat heralded by deafening, can still get our firework fix in terms of the dazzling intermittent bangs. visual display but animals and pet owners will be In 2011, after New Year’s Eve fireworks spared months of misery and expense. The experts celebrations in Arkansas USA, it was reported tell us that low noise fireworks are actually even 5,000 red-winged blackbirds fell out of the sky and more colourful than the louder variety and better died. It was alleged firework noises caused them for small scale displays. What’s not to like!

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