The South African Fireworks Calendar: A Pet Owner’s Survival Checklist

Know the dates, plan backwards

South African pets face a predictable fireworks season: Diwali (October or November), Guy Fawkes on 5 November, and the long New Year’s Eve stretch. Because the dates are known, preparation can start weeks early instead of at 8pm when the first bang lands.

If your pet needed sedation last year, phone the vet in October. Prescription calming medication works far better given before the fear starts, and practices run out of appointments in fireworks week.

The week before

Check the microchip details are current and the collar tag is on — more pets go missing on fireworks nights than any other time of year. Walk dogs early on the day itself, feed before dark, and top up water; anxious dogs pant and drink heavily.

Build the den now: an inner room away from windows, curtains drawn, radio or TV playing, their bed and something of yours inside. Let them find it and use it before the night it matters.

On the night

Keep everyone indoors from late afternoon — including cats, and including the dog who has ‘never minded before’. Stay calm and ordinary yourself; comforting a frightened pet does not reward fear, so hold them if it helps them.

Never take a dog to a fireworks display, and never leave a fearful dog alone in a yard: panicked dogs go through fences, over walls and through glass. If your pet’s fear is extreme every year, ask your vet about a proper desensitisation plan — it genuinely works, but it takes months, so the best time to start is the day after this year’s season ends.