Got old fireworks footage? You might have exactly what’s needed to help thousands of anxious pets get through Bonfire Night. Nearly two-thirds of the UK's dogs are affected by firework anxiety, and Guide Dogs wants your old forgotten fireworks videos to help train them.
Fireworks are costing the nation’s dog owners an estimated £1.4 billion a year, new research reveals. Owners of anxious dogs spend an average of £145.90 helping their pets cope, with additional support costing an average of £59.10 on calming products, £134.60 on vet appointments and £99.30 on medication.
The toll isn’t just financial, but emotional and social too. For 9 in 10 owners, fireworks season means weeks of disrupted plans and 45% avoid leaving their dog alone.
In fact, a third of owners said they cannot enjoy events such as Bonfire Night or New Year's Eve because they need to stay home with their dog and 40% agree that worrying about their dog during fireworks season negatively affects their mental wellbeing.
However, there is a way owners can help their dogs prepare for fireworks night: starting desensitisation training early. Guide Dogs is urging owners to begin training from 5 August, giving their dog a good amount of time in the lead-up to Bonfire Night.
To help support dog owners starting this training, Guide Dogs has launched The National Fireworks Archive - the UK’s first crowd-sourced canine desensitisation tool - alongside a national call-out for the public to donate forgotten firework footage from their camera rolls to expand the archive.
Created using real footage filmed in streets, gardens and public displays across the country, the video gives owners a practical starting point for gradually introducing their dogs to the sounds of fireworks, supported by expert Guide Dogs advice.
It comes as 35% of owners admit they didn't know dogs could be desensitised to fireworks. Instead, 43% admit to doing nothing to prepare their pet, instead simply ‘hoping for the best’.
Guide Dogs decided to create the tool after research revealed that the average UK adult has 7 minutes of fireworks footage saved on their phone.
Haley Andrews, a Guide Dogs expert, said:
Fireworks night doesn't sound like a clean audio track - it's messy and unpredictable, which is why we're asking the public to donate a wide variety of footage to help us build a more realistic training resource.
With desensitisation taking up to three months, Guide Dogs is urging owners to begin training using the first National Fireworks Archive video from 5 August with firework clips organised by sound intensity, allowing owners to introduce their dog to realistic fireworks sounds at a level they can cope with before slowly increasing the challenge over time.
To donate your forgotten fireworks footage to The National Fireworks Archive, including clips of Catherine wheels, screechers, rockets and public displays, email your videos to press@guidedogs.org.uk.
To watch the first National Fireworks Archive training video and begin training your dog using free, expert advice from the Guide Dogs training team, visit the Guide Dogs fireworks tips and advice page.
