Tonight 5th November, is Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes in the UK, with fireworks and bonfires in cities, towns and villages across the weekend. This is a stressful time for many of our pets… dogs, cats, the tinier pets, horses and livestock.
If you have pets that get anxious during fireworks, or around loud noises, we have a a few resources to help you keep all pets safe, stress free and as comfortable as they can be during this time.
The Blue Cross Charity has some really great advice for all types of animals…
and Annie Hearfield wrote a blog for TrustedHousesitters …
Please feel free to share any experiences, techniques and advice that you’ve found helpful.
The story behind Guy Fawkes! This is very British history and so for anyone who wants to read more about how this came about, here’s the story on History.com…
Contrary to what some think, it’s not actually a holiday in the sense of a day off, but something that is celebrated in the evening on the 5th, or over the weekend.
Yes I think you are right… we’ve been to a few 4th July celebrations in the US and they always involved fireworks! What about Thanksgiving… are they commonly used then?
It seems now that just about any celebration involves fireworks… or fire-crackers … Mexico and China being our worst experiences - weddings and “quinceañera” parties in Mexico, and New Year celebrations when living in China It was like a war zone in Shenzhen for a week!
Traditionally, Thanksgiving is quiet but the world is changing rapidly so who knows what we shall see in the future as more people begin to “come out”.
Last 4th of July, where I was living in Florida, Our community hosted a huge lakeside fireworks show and many people objected, some because of the noise and the animals and others just felt it was inappropriate due to the pandemic.
The full rhyme associated with Guy Fawkes / Bonfire Night is
Remember Remember
The 5th of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes is a former pupil of St Peter’s School in York, The school has never had a “Guy” on their bonfire. Burning effigies of former pupils is not the done thing!
Thank you Debbie… it’s easy to forget the origins of some of our cultural “celebrations”! You made me think then about “Penny for the guy” … I wonder do kids still wander the streets with a “guy” in a wheelbarrow I remember that very much as a common feature growing up in London! Showing my age now!!
@Vanessa_A I do remember making a “Guy” as a child, but I can’t remember what we did with him! Maybe it was a competition or maybe we put him outside the house with a “Penny for the Guy” sign? I’m really not sure! I haven’t seen a “Guy” for ages, so maybe that’s a tradition that has almost died out…
It was like a war zone in Shenzhen for a week!
I remember that very much as a common feature growing up in London! Showing my age now!!