PETA Offers Tips To Keep Cats And Dogs Safe On Guy Fawkes Night

Urgent Animal Advisory


From:   Karen Chisholm 020 7357 9229; ext 229


To dogs, cats, and other animals, Guy Fawkes Night may seem more like War of the Worlds than a historic celebration. Noisy fireworks are frightening to animals, who don’t realize that the explosions are entertainment, not danger.


After fireworks displays, animal shelters report an increased number of lost animal companions. Many of these animals panicked and ran away, and others even may have jumped through windows to get away from the terrifying sounds. Lucky animals are reunited with their families, but others are never found, and some suffer serious injuries or even death from their attempts to escape from the noise. Many dogs and other animals are taken to vets with bloody paws from running or with torn skin from tearing through wooden fences or from dashing into the road and being hit by a car.


PETA encourages everyone to take the following precautions to ensure the comfort and safety of their animal companions:


• Keep cats and dogs inside during fireworks displays, and if possible, stay with them.
• Leave your animals at home during the celebrations; never take them with you to watch fireworks displays!
• Never leave animals tethered or chained outside, they can hang themselves if they leap over a fence while trying to run from the noise.
• Close your windows and curtains and turn on a radio that’s tuned to a classical music station or turn on the TV to help drown out the sound of the fireworks.
• Make sure that your animal companion is wearing a collar or harness with an up-to-date identification tag, just in case.


Will you please include these brief, potentially life-saving tips for your readers prior to Guy Fawkes events?