If you were letting off fireworks last night what was it for?

That sounds horrible.

In the late 1980's a City we were in was pretty bad- it was fireworks most nights , from October to January and it sounded like a war zone {according to a Veteran} -
It was very wearying, hearing the pops and bangs, like a barrage.

Veterans {many more were alive back then of course from WW1 and WW2 and other conflicts} also got stressed by Fireworks.

Those were the days when teenagers could buy loud fireworks from small independent shops.

Absolutely.
Ban for private sale and use- At least ''proper'' displays you can plan for.
We live opposite a field that has house shaking displays-

My first two dogs weren't afraid, and would watch, but new girl when she saw the lights and heard bangs {I had curtains open as wasn't expecting her to be afraid} was terrified- and ran back and forth wide eyed.

I never ''soothe'' or make a big fuss, just act very calmly as if there is nothing to worry about- and carry on as normal- but she refused to use the garden as it smelled strange {of fireworks}.

Last year a friend told me about ''Classic FM'' especially for dogs and cats- I had it on, with all the curtains tightly closed {Dog is afraid of the ''sky being on fire'' as well as the sound}

Classic FM really did help.

It's on again this year, too.

{But only for Bonfire night}

www.classicfm.com/radio/shows-presenters/pet-classics/

I live in an inner city area of a large Northern city, we have fireworks going off on a daily basis throughout the year, even during the day sometimes (completely pointless!)
No idea what they are all for, weddings?

Are you in Sussex? Bonfire is a huge thing in Sussex, especially East Sussex.

Almost every town has its own "bonfire society", as do many tiny villages. They all have their own "bonfire night" at some point between early September and late November, and all through that period they will travel to other societies' bonfire celebrations. There's fireworks somewhere almost every Saturday for 2-3 months, plus "informal" letting off of fireworks as they all come back from whichever event they've been to. They let off fireworks the night before each event, because they're all geed up, and the day after as well, as they'll have some left over from the night before.

It also means that there's an unusually high number of people who are licensed to buy and use big, professional standard fireworks, so people have them at significant birthdays, weddings and even funerals.

It's practically year round. My last two dogs grew up with it, so were used to it and just barked, but the dog I had when I moved here never got used to it. For the 3 days of the local bonfire weekend, I used to put him in kennels in a very remote place.

It's no place to live for firework haters, that's for sure.

Why does nobody celebrate festivals at the right time any more?

Halloween is on the 31st- it's not 'halloween month', bonfire night is the 5th- so if midweek then I guess it's acceptable to celebrate the weekend before or after but anything else outside of that window is ridiculous.

Divali is next weekend- why celebrate it the Friday before? And as for putting up Christmas decorations in November, well that's pretty stupid but it's not especially anti-social like fireworks!

Love fireworks! We actually went to a display last night in a local village. Gorgeous display (although the music was a bit much, but that's another story). I think most displays are spread out around the 5th Nov so as not to clash with each other, and it's quite common to have a combined fireworks/halloween do, so not surprised they are happening already? It's not like it's mid-September or something.

Err, no. I celebrate Christmas at Christmas. Not a week prior to the event.

In India there are concerns about the environmental impact of diwali celebrations and control zones in place. We shouldn't be encouraging noisy festivals of any kind to go on for weeks. It's not reasonable.

Licensed public displays are scary for young children (lots of crowds, lots of waiting around in the cold, too dark to see what's where) compared to a display of pretties in the back garden. But back gardens aren't large enough now. The only rational response to all the animal and wildlife concerns is to ban them completely.

Same
I never used to mind them until I was drying my hair one year and got warm, opened the window and someone put a firework through it
I grabbed the cat and ran when I saw it landed next to me and hadn't gone off yet

So the silent fireworks aren’t actually silent?

At least, if fireworks were limited to licenced public displays people could still enjoy them for Diwali, Bonfire Night & New Year, there would be fewer injuries & animals & birds wouldn’t be so traumatised. Acclimatising is all very well but you can’t even try to acclimatise wildlife.

Some dogs don't care. Our last two were never bothered, but current one is afraid.
It's incredibly smug to think that just because one dog isn't terrified that others cannot be, even when owned by the same person.

It's not ''training'' it's their innate character.

I worry about the silent fireworks- at least with the noise you can judge where they are and stay away. The lack of noise makes me think that I could get too close or not know when one is being thrown my way.

They've stopped now but he has still managed to squeeze his massive backside onto my tiny windowsill with his nose pressed against the glass in anticipation 🤔

I have no clue why he likes them. I actually had not done any work with him around fireworks when he first saw them because we were taken by surprise. It was September, DD was walking him off-leash on a nearby field when one of the adjoining gardens started letting them off. She panicked because she assumed he'd bolt in fear but he was transfixed. It took her an hour to convince him to start walking home. She had to text me to tell me she was stuck on the common in case I started worrying about how long they'd been gone.

He's an idiot in general. He is part rottweiler, loves fireworks but is terrified of crows and chihuahuas 😂

Acclimatised to loud explosions? How does one do that, pray tell?

Was every dog not once a puppy? or every cat a kitten?

Some animals are much more sound sensitive than others.

Recordings of fireworks don't work. It's the smell of the wretched things as well.

It's horrible for many animals, and fireworks should be banned for public to buy.

@Frequency

Oh Big Dog must be confused and disappointed there aren't any pretties!!

https://www.aflr.co.uk/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGJpnVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHeHZHToE5-XfHv4ubPt2g0T-23QTRZNASKPd9L0wBNwrE1s6fsN22816zQ_aem_7KWd4ZbSNBRYzvHlbR1IQQ

Absolutely. The sound, the lights, even the smell. It's the full experience.
Soundless fireworks are a bit of a damp squib.

@Jifmicroliquid

no having a farm/livery is no fun at times like this. Having spent time living on a farm
I don't need telling.

I think people who let off random fireworks are absolute dickheads, so many animals and people are petrified because “we like the bangs”

there is no such thing as silent fireworks. https://fireworkcampaign.com/the-truth-about-silent-fireworks/

Someone is letting them off now.

Fucking why? It is 11:30 am!

Fortunately, they are ones that crackle and fizzle not bang. Big dog is pacing the garden staring at the sky.

@kittyfayne

no, it's not a very nice thing to 'hope'! But I can't say I haven't wished similar. The little fucks that aim them at animals I'd happily string up and do the bonfire under them!

In Ireland there are usually fireworks in the run up to Halloween. They're illegal, but easy to get on the black market in October.

I forgot about Diwali. Of course, it should be acceptable to let them off on Diwali. however, I do think we should start using silent ones and I would prefer them to be banned completely for everyone. They are terrible for the environment and wildlife. But that will never happen so I will settle for them only being allowed for certain nights, including religious festivals.

Why is bonfire night ok, but not other things such as Diwali?