The WSPCA has issued tips and advice to pet owners ahead of the fireworks & Halloween, to help keep pet(s) safe during what can be a stressful time for animals.
Many pets go missing at this time of year, when they get scared by the noise of illegal fireworks and they try to escape, affecting cats and dogs, horses, ponies and donkeys, livestock and wildlife too.
Barbara Bent from the WSPCA shared her advice for pet owners,”The most important thing about fireworks is safety. Safety for everyone concerned, safety for children and the people using them.
But there is also a fallout onto animals, and especially dogs and cats, because there’s so much part of our lives and they’re in the areas where these things happen. So we urge people to stop and think before the fireworks, where are they safe? Are they secure? Have they been pushed in some place familiar to them where all this noise, at least whatever impact it has, they feel safe in that area. So please everybody, before the fireworks, stop and think, get your dog and cash, put them safely away as your house, out of the environment, do not leave them outside. Because what happens, their natural reaction is to run and they end up getting hit on the road, they end up getting lost. And we spend a huge amount of time trying to get these animals back to their owners. And
again, we have to enforce the fact that it is now a legal necessity to have your animals microchip. If they do get out. At least we can identify them and get them back to you. So keep them safe,
lock them in. Familiar surroundings are very important when all this stress and noise is going on and also to have your animals microchip and that would make a huge difference.”