Kimberley’s Dog Walking & Pet Care

08/11/2025

07/11/2025

Ban the sale of fireworks to the general public to minimise the harm caused to vulnerable people and animals. Defenceless animals can die from the distress caused by fireworks. I believe that permitting unregulated use of fireworks is an act of wide-scale cruelty to animals.

05/11/2025

05/11/2025

🎆 For many animals, and people, fireworks aren’t a celebration. They can cause anxiety, fear, injury, and even death.

As someone who lives in a rural county and as an animal owner myself, I know just how much distress fireworks can cause to pets, livestock, and wildlife.

That’s why I’m supporting the campaign calling for stronger fireworks laws to better protect animals.

Awareness is rising, but the law is lagging behind — and change is overdue.
Add your voice to the RSPCA petition and help make fireworks safer for everyone: https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/fireworks

03/11/2025

Autumn 🍂

31/10/2025

FLASHING COLLARS: A WARNING. Every year, as the evenings get longer and darker for those of us in the northern hemisphere, we warn people using illuminated dog collars never to put them on FLASHING mode. This is because, on a sensory level, the flashing light can not only be incredibly stressful and unpleasant for many collies, but may even trigger epilepsy in more susceptible dogs. So always put them on STILL mode instead, when you take them out for those darker walks. Or use other means to make both yourself and your dog more visible.

31/10/2025

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it illegal to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal, this includes through the misuse of fireworks.

Recommendations for firework users:
- Do not set off fireworks near livestock, nor horses in fields. Nor near buildings housing livestock.
- Give advance warning to neighbours: so they can take steps to protect their animals.
- Be aware of the unpredictable nature of fireworks & their potential to cause distress to animals.

Individuals found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering can face up to 5 years in prison.

18/10/2025

How you can help us change the fireworks law

With fireworks season upon us, Redwings Horse Sanctuary has launched a petition calling on the Government to reduce the maximum permitted noise level of fireworks from 120 to 90 decibels.

Please sign and share to show how important this issue is for so many people and animals.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/738192

Because we’ve seen the devastating impact fireworks can have. Despite every effort to keep them safe, beloved Redwings residents Cinders, Sprite and Percy all tragically lost their lives after fireworks were set off near the sanctuary 💔.

And they are not alone – horses, pets, livestock, wildlife, and even people with PTSD or sensory sensitivities are at risk.

At 10,000 signatures, the Government must respond.

At 100,000 signatures the issue will be considered for debate in Parliament.

Please help us achieve this important goal within the six months the petition will run for by signing and sharing as widely as you can!

Thank you so much !

13/10/2025

The FEI’s Yellow Card system is essentially the FEI saying: “We noticed, that was not okay.”

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬 “𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞”?

According to FEI Article 142, abuse is any action or failure to act that causes pain, fear, or unnecessary stress to a horse.

Some examples:

Excessive whipping or spur use not “nudging” or correcting, but pushing the horse past comfort.

Jabbing the horse in the mouth with a bit, or forcing it to move when it’s tired or injured.

Riding a horse that is lame, sick, or simply exhausted and expecting peak performance.

Misusing equipment, like poorly fitted boots, harsh nosebands, or makeshift gadgets that create discomfort.

Neglect: leaving a horse without food, water, or proper care.

If it hurts, or stresses the horse unnecessarily, it counts. No excuses.

It is public, logged on the FEI website and aimed at the “Person Responsible” usually the rider, trainer, or owner.

Consequences:

•Two cards within a 12 month period can lead to suspensions, fines, or disqualification.
•Even a single card stays on record, visible to sponsors, selectors, and the public.

Top riders have received them, proving that no one is immune.

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀

Horse welfare is not just a concern for international stars. Local riders, weekend competitors, and riding schools are just as responsible.

•Many grassroots riders have never had formal education sessions on what counts as abuse or what is acceptable correction.

•Without guidance, small mistakes like over‑nudging a tired horse or leaving a horse in a small pen too long could end up being recorded as abuse.

Education sessions should be standard, showing real examples, reviewing Yellow Card cases, and explaining how to spot discomfort before it becomes abuse.

The FEI’s system only works if everyone understands it, not just those at the top.

𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲

Even if you’ve never ridden a horse:
Horses can’t speak for themselves. FEI rules like Article 142 protect them.

Yellow Cards are public accountability. They show that mistreatment is noticed and recorded, even at high level competitions.

Understanding what abuse looks like helps spectators, parents and casual riders recognize good practice and call out problems.

Horses give their all for sport. They trust us to keep them safe.

The Warning Cards developed by the FEI are listed below. Each card is available in an interactive pdf format allowing you to fill it online (please save it first on your computer, tablet, etc) or by hand.