Joe Harker
It's the weekend of Bonfire Night and the sky is going to be filled with dazzling lights and booming explosions.
As much as we love a good display of fireworks, the same can't be said for our animal companions who often have quite a distressing time of it.
There are precautions that pet owners can take to look after their dear animals, but with firework displays expected this weekend, there's precious little time to prepare.
Advert
Plenty of households have pets and animal lovers are advised to find some other more soothing noises to play to keep them calm, while the booms of the local firework display play themselves out in the night's sky.
However, it's not just the most common pets, like dogs and cats, which need comfort and care around Bonfire Night.
A warning has been sent out to those who care for horses after one died when it became scared by fireworks last month.
According to Sky News, a therapy horse that helped an 18-year-old Liberty with anxiety had to be put to sleep after getting spooked by a firework.
Advert
Jade was scared by a firework that was let off near her field and started running, hurting her back legs in the process.
The therapy horse was not able to stand up again and the decision to put the animal down was made.
Liberty told Sky News: "My heart is ripped apart. She was my best friend and soulmate.
"I will always remember the lowest of my days when she wouldn't leave my side... I have no words but heartache and tears."
She added that, if the firework hadn't been there, then Jade would have 'been here today', adding: "I will never see her again."
Advert
Many animals will find this weekend an incredibly distressing time, with it being a busy period of the year for vets asked to provide sedatives to pet owners.
Every Bonfire Night, the RSPCA gets around 400 calls from people who are in dire need of some help calming down their pets.
Their 'Bang Out Of Order' campaign, launched in 2019, is aiming for changes to the laws around fireworks, including a narrowing of the dates when people can buy fireworks down to between 29 October and 5 November.
At present, people can buy fireworks from 15 October to 10 November and and from Boxing Day to New Year's Eve.
Advert
Three day periods before Diwali and Chinese New Year are also huge for buying fireworks.
And, in addition to shortening the time people can buy fireworks, the campaign is also aiming to make them less noisy, calling for their maximum noise level to come down from 120 decibels to 90.
On top of that, the RSPCA also want 'firework control zones' to protect areas near animal habitats, farms and zoos.