A holiday for everyone: how to help pets avoid stress during the New Year holidays?

Every year after the New Year holidays, hundreds of ads appear on the Internet and search for missing pets. Dogs (and mostly they run away) in a panic break off the leash and run away without taking apart the road. Why is this happening and how to avoid it?

The noise, the roar of shots, colorful flashes in the sky ... Fireworks have long been attributes of New Year's (and not only New Year's) holidays for us. But is everyone having fun when explosions are heard nearby and flashes of bright light suddenly appear? Animals do not know that fireworks and firecrackers are created for entertainment, and loud, sharp sounds cause them fear, often turning into panic.

Not only pets, but also wild animals suffer from festive explosions. Birds rush away in panic, bumping into buildings and crashing into wires and trees. If fireworks are launched in nature, animals living nearby, frightened, leave their nests and burrows with helpless cubs, and then lose their orientation and cannot return back. They can jump out onto the road right in front of a driving car. We think there is no need to explain how this ends.

There is only one way we can help these animals: by giving up fireworks and replacing this entertainment with something less noisy. But when it comes to pets, we can easily relieve their stress if we think about their comfort in advance. The holiday should be a holiday for everyone, so we offer you some tips that will help your animals survive the New Year's fireworks with minimal discomfort.

• If you are the owner of a dog, try not to take her out of the house once again on New Year's Eve. Take a walk with her longer during the day, while it's light and it doesn't make sense to launch firecrackers and rockets, and take a short hygienic walk in the evening.

• Before going outside, put a collar with an address tag on the animal. Important: it must be separate from the rest of the ammunition. If you attach a leash to it, there is a risk that the frightened dog will wriggle out of the collar, which means it will remain without an address.

• During the walk, do not let your pet off the leash and, if possible, bypass the companies standing in place: it is quite possible that they are preparing to launch fireworks or detonate a firecracker.

• If a salute has started to be launched nearby, do not run after the dog towards the house: so you will fix her signal to panic and escape. Try to walk calmly if possible, you can move in zigzags to extinguish the excessive activity of the dog pulling the leash. If the dog has calmed down a little on the way to the house, make a small circle to return on a more positive note.

• If you decide in advance to accustom your pet to loud sounds, you need to do this not in the last days before the holidays, but at least 2-3 months in advance, otherwise the effect will be reversed: the animal will be stressed and alert. The volume also needs to be increased gradually, if you immediately start shooting at the pet over the ear, you will only develop a phobia in him, which, perhaps, would not have been without it.

• Prepare a safe haven for a cat, dog and even a bird: a dark corner in a windowless room (for example, in the hallway or pantry), put his litter and favorite toys there. You can turn on music that will partially muffle the explosions. Make sure he has enough water.

• Do not scold the animal for being afraid. Don't stop him from hiding or running around the room – everyone experiences stress in their own way. Don't hug him forcibly if he doesn't want to. Hugs will only work if the pet itself snuggles up to the owner in search of protection.

• If you know for sure that your cat or dog panics at the sound of explosions, go to the veterinarian in advance and ask to prescribe a sedative for your pet. Follow the recommended dosages exactly, so as not to harm.

And most importantly: love your four-legged friend. When an animal feels love and support from the person closest to him, all the dangers do not seem so terrible!