FOUR PAWS gives tips for an animal-friendly carnival season
Hamburg. Weiberfastnacht is celebrated on February 12th, heralding the highlight of the carnival season: until Ash Wednesday it will be colorful and loud in many cities in Germany. For many pets, however, this crazy time is anything but fun: noise, crowds and costumes can frighten and stress animals. The global animal welfare foundation FOUR PAWS gives tips for an animal-friendly carnival season.
Please do not dress up animals!
For many children and adults, dressing up is great fun. But you should definitely not put dogs or cats in costumes. “Capes and disguises of any kind can restrict dogs and cats' freedom of movement. Dogs communicate through body language: they convey their feelings and emotional movements through the position of their ears, the position of their tail, their posture and their eyes. If these means of communication are covered by the costume, the four-legged friend is deprived of any opportunity to communicate in a species-appropriate manner. Waving bows, false giant ears or additional limbs made of plush have an additionally disturbing effect on the animals. Cats generally react even more sensitively to being touched Body language and movement are also severely restricted. “Just because the animal looks cute in a costume, you shouldn’t subject it to unnecessary stress,” says Dr. Sabrina Karl, pet expert at FOUR PAWS.
In fact, disguises can also be harmful to dogs' health. “Dog costumes can cause skin problems if the materials rub against the skin. They are often made of uncomfortable, cheap plastics that can trigger allergic reactions,” said the expert.
Carnival parades are a strain on dogs' ears
The vast majority of animals do not feel comfortable in densely packed crowds and cannot move freely or retreat. “You shouldn't put any animal through the stress of a holiday parade. Even the loud background noise is a strain on dogs' highly sensitive hearing. Dogs perceive sounds that we can't even hear. If even some people find it difficult to endure the noise at Carnival, you can roughly imagine what that means for a dog,” explains the FOUR PAWS expert.
Shards and candies can be dangerous for dogs
In the crowd, four-legged friends are also quickly pushed aside and sometimes accidentally kicked. The animals cannot escape this stressful situation and it can even happen that they snap out of panic or pain,” says Dr. Sabrina Karl. When in a partying mood, one or two bottles are broken: dogs could step on the shards and injure themselves. “A lot of sweets or chocolate also end up on the floor during the parade, and some dogs cannot resist this temptation. Depending on the ingredients and quantity, these sweets can cause dangerous poisoning,” says the pet expert.
For the well-being of the animals, FOUR PAWS advises all fools: carnival parties and carnival parades are fun for humans, but torture for four-legged friends. If you're planning to celebrate wildly, you should leave your four-legged friend safely looked after and relaxed at home.