Classic FM’s Dan Walker and Charlotte Hawkins on keeping pets calm this fireworks season

As millions of pet owners will know, fireworks season can be a stressful time for our furry companions – but the solution for calming them down could be as simple as turning on your radio.

This is exactly what Classic FM’s Pet Classics – which aims to provide an ‘audio sanctuary’ for anxious animals and their owners – is all about, and presenter Charlotte Hawkins has witnessed first-hand the impact the programme’s soothing music can have.

“It’s such a special programme and one that I absolutely love doing, because we know that it makes a real difference,” says Hawkins, 49, who has hosted the programme since 2021.

“A lot of pets get very worried at fireworks season with all the bangs and the whooshes, and some pets can really feel it. But playing relaxing music is a really good way to help calm your pets down – and we know from all the people that get in touch.

“We get bombarded with thousands of people getting in touch, and that’s just what I love about it, that it’s making a real difference to the nation’s pets, calming them down during fireworks season.”

Listener interaction is a big part of why Pet Classics has become so popular, and some listeners’ stories will be read out on the show.

Hawkins, also known for TV presenting roles including regular appearances on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, recalls one listener sending in a video of their Greyhound, “shaking with fear at the sound of fireworks”.

“They also sent me a picture of their pet while they were listening to Pet Classics, and their Greyhound was curled up fast asleep. So it was just beautiful to see the difference it made.”

Animal welfare charity, the RSPCA also helps with putting together Pet Classics, which first launched in 2018 and has gone on to become one of Classic FM’s most popular programmes.

“We play some beautiful pieces of music and we’ve got expert help from the RSPCA, they give us some top tips for pet owners, to be able to make sure people can look after their animals and keep them relaxed during the fireworks,” notes Hawkins.

It’s not just about official bonfire night events either, as many people now buy fireworks for their own private displays.

In fact, a survey by the RSPCA last year found 67% of respondents reported that private back garden displays were the cause of their animals’ fear response – and playing relaxing music was the most common way pet owners helped soothe or prepare their pets.

With this in mind, there’ll be two Pet Classics programmes this year – one on Saturday, November 2 (5pm-9pm) presented by Hawkins, while Dan Walker will host a second programme on bonfire night, Tuesday, November 5 (5pm-9pm) – and the programmes will also be available on Global Player so people can play them at other times too.

Walker, who joined Classic FM back in January hosting its Breakfast show, admits part of the reason he’s been roped into Pet Classics is because he’s a pet owner himself.

“I’ve got a lovely dog called Winnie, who’s a cockapoo,” says Walker, 47, whose TV broadcasting credits have included Match Of The Day, Football Focus and BBC Breakfast.

“She’s not like terrified of fireworks, but I think we’re just aware that it’s a very different environment for her, and I know lots of friends who’ve got dogs, and other pets as well, who it’s really not a nice time of year for them. So, I think it’s lovely that Classic FM do this and Charlotte’s been telling me about how so many people get in touch every year.”

And it’s not just dog and cat owners who get in touch.

“We hear so many stories about not just dogs and cats being calmed down by the music, but people take their radios out to the stables and they’re playing it to the horses, to the donkeys, to the cows,” says Hawkins.

“People send in pictures of their rabbits, we’ve had spiders, we’ve had homing pigeons, we’ve had stick insects! It’s really quite extraordinary how it just takes over. I love the fact we’ve got a whole menagerie of animals listening and hopefully enjoying the music at the same time.”

And since joining Classic FM, Walker has heard from countless listeners, sharing how a particular piece of music has transported them back to past memories or shifted their mood.

The soothing and calming effects of listening to classical music have been well documented by researchers too, and this can also apply to animals – as both experts and pet owners attest. “Music is such a powerful thing for us as humans, but it also has a lovely impact on our pets as well,” says Walker.

While people have asked if he’ll be bringing Winnie into the studio, the presenter says the 10-year-old pooch will be listening from home in Sheffield, with Walker’s wife Sarah and their children, Susanna, Jessica and Joe (although Hawkins and Walker got to spend time with some rescue dogs the RSCPA brought in to launch the programme).

And Pet Classics isn’t the only time Walker taps into the nation’s love of pets on Classic FM…

“I talk about my dog all the time, and we do a little feature on Classic FM Breakfast called ‘Dan Walker’s Dog Walker – not my idea but it works well! And we give a little shout-out to a human and their hound every day, and we get pictures sent in,” he says. “So, we’ve already got a nice pet connection with Classic FM Breakfast, and it made sense to extend that into Pet Classics.”

Classic FM’s Pet Classics is broadcast from 5-m-9pm on Saturday, 2 November and Tuesday, November 5. Classic FM is available across the UK on Global Player, or 100-102 FM, DAB+ digital radio and TV and ClassicFM.com.