Dogs and New Year's fireworks – what to do? We are in the 21st century, the age of technology and science, a historical period in which humanity is racing towards development and, soon, even towards the conquest of Mars – yet many of us still cannot give up the ancient pagan tradition of New Year's fireworks, at the expense of dogs and other pets. Let us offer some advice on how to calm a dog that is afraid of New Year's fireworks.

The tradition of New Year's fireworks

It is a custom that many people, as one can read online, want to preserve because it is a tradition they feel they cannot do without. In a sense, they are right: one simply cannot give up, in the 21st century, the practice of driving away evil spirits with New Year's fireworks. Because that is the anthropological tradition: to chase away evil, demons, malevolent spirits and bad luck. The custom has pagan origins and is tied to New Year's, that is, 1 January, the day chosen as the first of the year following the introduction of the Julian calendar by Julius Caesar in 43 BC. Previously, the first day of the year was 1 March.

The celebration is therefore linked to the pagan rite of Janus, from whom the name January is derived. It is not, then, a religious feast; in fact, in the 7th century Saint Giles rebuked the people of Flanders for celebrating it. Precisely to strip New Year's of its pagan character, in many places it is observed as a religious feast (the Solemnity of Mary for the Catholic Church, the Circumcision of Jesus for the Ambrosian rite, and so on).

How to tell if your dog is afraid of fireworks

New Year's fireworks can cause dogs a range of emotional states, including fear, anxiety and distress, and in the most severe cases, genuine panic. These emotional states can have various effects:

  • The dog tends to hide in safe, often confined spaces. These are places that replicate the den – somewhere secure and sheltered;
  • If the dog does not have a safe place to hide, it will tend to run away (for example, if it is kept in a garden with no kennel or shelter);
  • A dog that is frightened of New Year's fireworks can die of a heart attack – and this applies not only to dogs with heart conditions, but also to elderly dogs and those that are sensitive to loud noises.

Dogs and New Year's fireworks – what to do

If you will be spending New Year's with your dog, be sure to remove all objects with which it could injure itself, and do not keep it tied up for any reason. Also remember to:

  • Settle it in an enclosed space with its blanket and its favourite dog toys;
  • If your garden does not have a spot your dog considers safe, keep it indoors;
  • During the peak of the New Year's fireworks, when it sounds like the third world war has broken out, stay with your dog, distract it and play with it, without making a big deal of what is happening – the aim is to take the drama out of the situation;
  • Turn on the TV and radio and raise the volume so as to partially mask the sound of the New Year's fireworks;
  • Lower all the blinds and close the windows to further muffle the noise;
  • Try to position the indoor dog bed in the most sheltered room possible;
  • If your dog has a favourite spot of its own – one it has chosen, not you – leave the doors open so it can retreat there whenever it wants;
  • Block off any hiding places that are too tight, where the dog might struggle to get back out;
  • Once your dog has found a hiding place, do not try to coax it away from the spot it has chosen. It will come out on its own when the "bombardment" is over;
  • If your dog is excessively afraid of New Year's fireworks, consult your vet so that they can recommend a suitable calming remedy or tranquilliser for your specific situation.

How to keep your dog safe at New Year's

Having looked at how to spend New Year's with your dog safely, let us examine in detail what you should absolutely avoid doing during New Year's fireworks:

  • Never leave your dog alone in the garden without shelter;
  • Avoid leaving your dog on the balcony: it could jump off in fright (this has happened in a great many cases);
  • Do not leave your dog tied up (if you do so in this situation, you are truly behaving in a way that warrants a report to the authorities), as a terrified dog will do everything it can to break free, risking serious or fatal injury;
  • Make sure your dog is wearing its ID tag and has a microchip – escape is always a possibility (and be sure to close all the windows).

Do not forget that there are many people out there who lack both common sense and compassion. As a result, someone might throw a firecracker or a banger from a balcony, and it could land in your garden and harm your dog. As if that were not enough, let us also remember that there are people who take pleasure in tormenting animals – so if your dog escapes because of the New Year's fireworks, it could end up in the hands of someone with disturbed intentions who misuses firecrackers. Unfortunately, not all of our fellow human beings have been blessed with a degree of intelligence and sensitivity; fate has seen fit to make them more closely resemble those very demons and evil spirits that New Year's Eve is supposed to drive away.