Dogs do not like fireworks. The sound of fireworks is terrifying for many. So New Year’s Eve is a nightmare experience for owners and dogs, many of whom spend the evening hiding in the bathroom trying to comfort their panicking pets.

Finnish creative agency, Erma&Reinikainen, and Nordic pet care specialist, Musti Group, are helping pets and pet owners this year by reminding people to celebrate responsibly – with a 7-metre virtual dog that reacts to loud noises caused by fireworks in real time.

The virtual dog, Musti, is being set up at Helsinki’s official New Year’s party. It has been created and animated with 3D technology, and the giant screen on which it Musti appears is connected to a decibel meter, which acts as the ears of the dog. Musti will hear and react to the sounds of fireworks like any real pet would.

The Be aware of the dogs campaign is also visible in outdoor advertising around all the biggest cities of Finland. The advertisements ask people to shoot off their fireworks as far away from residential buildings as possible.  

“There are hundreds of thousands of dogs in Finland alone, but people who don’t have any pets don’t see what animals go through during New Year’s Eve,” stated Eveliina Rantahalvari, marketing manager of Musti Group. “Real pets go into hiding during the night, but with the virtual dog we can bring this important message out to the streets, where people are celebrating the new year with fireworks.

 “Panic attacks, tremors and hiding are some of the common reactions. The symptoms often get worse as the dog gets older, and past traumas can haunt the dog so that it gets startled by even the faintest sounds.”

Musti Group also hopes that pet owners will share their own experiences of the downsides of fireworks. People spending their evening with their pet can share their photos with the hashtag #beawareofthedogs.

“We don’t want to be judgemental or spoil anyone’s evening, but we hope that people would be aware of this issue when choosing the place where they shoot off their fireworks. The further away from residential buildings the better. This way the New Year’s Eve could be a fun experience for pets as well,” Rantahalvari added.

Erma&Reinikainen founders, Aleksi Erma and Erno Reinikainen, are also behind some of the most notable campaigns that have come out of Finland. Their work includes Burger King’s Pride campaign, Love Conquers All:

and Land of Free Press, a campaign targeted towards Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin by the Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat.

The virtual dog was created by the Finnish production company, Cocoa.