When fireworks light up the sky during festive holiday celebrations, it’s not unusual for our pets to be terrified of the bright lights and loud explosions. But now, thanks to Ford Motor Company, a fix could be on the way.

Imagine it is New Year’s Eve, and the clock's struck midnight. As the fireworks pop in the air, you watch your poor pup shrink into the nearest corner and yelp. It’s an awful feeling as a pet owner, but it’s a common problem. Forty-five percent of dogs in the UK show signs of anxiety when they hear the sound of fireworks exploding in the sky. But nobody wants to see their dog whimpering and scared.

Ford Motor Company, though, has a solution. It's unveiled a concept for a noise-canceling dog kennel. The idea is inspired by noise-canceling technology Ford developed and introduced in its Edge SUV to give passengers a quieter ride. It worked so well it led to Ford wondering how it could be applied to other facets of everyday life. In this case, it's applying the tech to dogs and their fear of fireworks.

Mics placed inside this kennel can detect the sound of fireworks. Once they do, an audio system deploys opposing frequencies to either cancel out or severely reduce the sounds of fireworks. We’re hoping it can also be used with other noises our dogs can’t stand, like vacuuming.  While the kennel is just a prototype for now, it sounds like a great answer for dog owners who have pets with a lot of anxiety.

It’s also the first prototype from a new initiative Ford has started, called Interventions. The aim is to try to find common problems people face regularly, and apply Ford's own automotive brand of thinking to find a solution with technology it is currently deploying in vehicles. We’ll be sure to update as soon as we hear anything new about the availability of this noise-canceling kennel.