What are your honest thoughts on Fireworks?

[Thorilicious]

Last night, we had fireworks going off all night. Last year, ddog was a puppy, and was fine inside. Last night, he was cowering and shaking with fear. He spent the majority of the evening on my lap (not easy as he thinks he's a lap dog, despite his size 😊)
I'm all for organised fireworks events, but allowing people to set them off into the early hours is wrong in my opinion. I think they should be banned for personal use.

Dislike the way they appear to be mostly utilised by anti social youth in the run up. I think they should only be made available to organised firework displays.

@mydogisthebest It's awful isn't it? Sister has managed to get her dog used to a crate over the last few months and he does take himself off to it as a safe spot but still shaking and crying.

They should be organised display only, not available for the public to buy and set off in their tiny gardens.

Organised displays on set dates i.e. new year, bonfire night, diwali.

I don't have a dog or any pets but fireworks are antisocial, unsafe and an environmental issue especially when used by drunk revelers at midnight in the garden of a terraced house.

I think it's a shame people can't be trusted to use them safely and with consideration for others. Therefore, I think anyone letting them off should require a licence, contingent on the licence holder adhering to the rules around when they can be used. This could actually create a business opportunity - people could be hired to provide them at parties, for example.

I think they should be restricted to professional displays.

We used to go to local displays when I was little but they seemed to stop and everyone started doing them at home. DF used to set some off but DM and I were always too nervous to enjoy them!

As a kid of the 90s I remember all the warning ads with people in shell suits going up in flames and hibernating animals getting caught in bonfires. Plus school visits from the fire brigade to educate us on the dangers. I was petrified to hold a sparkler!

Now as an adult with a small child and dog they are very annoying. Local kids set them off in the street. Last year one hit a car, a few years before one was set off in my neighbour’s garden and it hit their kids bedroom window.

They’ve become a nuisance unfortunately. I’d be happy to see proper displays brought back where it’s safe, a limited time and everyone who chooses to can enjoy them.

Yes it is awful to see. My dog can be comforted by sitting next to me on the sofa but my friend's dog can't be comforted at all.

It also means that for at least a couple nights around halloween and 3 weeks around firework night me and DH just cannot go out in case there are any fireworks.

Last year was really awful for some reason and fireworks seemed to be going off night after night for about a month. My poor friend was in floods of tears worried about her dog.

She has tried so many things - playing videos of fireworks to get the dog used to the noise. Playing classical music to drown out the noise, playing loud rock music to drown them out. Problem is nothing drowns out those awful really loud ones that make the house shake

I love them. But my dear old dog was terrified of them until the day he died.

There really is no need to sell them for public use. Professional displays are safer and generally held at more sociable times.

I love Bonfire Night and always have. If we can’t get to an organised display, I’ll do sparklers and small fireworks in the garden.
There’s not a chance in hell I’d stop doing fireworks for my children because someone’s dog didn’t like them.

Nice attitude there @Page394

Love them, and the kids do too. Some dogs are scared of people, that doesn't mean we hide away from them

They should be on November the 5th and available to licensed organised displays only. Not on any other day or sold to the general public.
Not heard any yet this year which makes me hopeful that the message is finally getting through.

Out of interest, would you stop doing fireworks for your children because someone else's children didn't like them?

Just to add I think it's only idiots that buy their own fireworks.

Some dogs are scared of people, that doesn't mean we hide away from them

Bit different to fireworks, no? I'm worried you can't see the difference and think it's a good valid example and comparison

It always amuses me how this debate gets reduced to it just being dogs that are impacted. Despite lots of posters pointing out the variety of impact they have: environmental, wildlife, vulnerable and PTSD suffering people.

I love fireworks yself but to just bring it back to 'someone's pet dog doesn't like them' when it's clear the impact is further ranging than that, seems to be an attempt to belittle the other side of the debate.

I absolutely love fireworks, I think they're great and I don't like dogs.... I'm not an animal lover at all. But I'm also not a dick and I agree that they should be banned for personal use and only used at organised displays. It's not just that they scare animals, the amount of injuries my DSis has seen as an A&E nurse including children being burned because idiots have been setting off fireworks in their gardens and not taking proper care is frightening.

So although I love them, I'd be happy limiting them to organised displays a few times a year (bonfire night, Diwali and NYE for example.)

Some dogs are scared of people, that doesn't mean we hide away from them

Utterly shit comparison. You can shield your dog from the types of people they might be scared of. But you can't very well shield them from very loud bangs going off all night for weeks and weeks of the year. I'd also say that there are many more dogs who are scared of fireworks than of people. Am guessing you don't like dogs.

Love them, but sadly as there are so many idiots about, probably best confined to 'official' displays and not for home use (except sparklers).

I absolutely love them at Disneyland or organised displays for bonfire night, but there is absolutely no need for them to be available (or even legal) for public purchasing.

When I was a kid with had a conservatory with a corrogated plastic roof. One bonfire night a firework smacked through the roof and missed me by a foot. I've hated them ever since. DS and DH will go to an organised display and I will stay home and try and keep the dog calm.

I love fireworks and the whole period of Halloween and bonfire night. I love a garden display and prefer that to the organised ones tbh. I think they bring a little bit of joy to many in a world where joy seems to be in short supply.

My cat is terrified of the hoover, thunder and lightening storms, her cat box, having flea treatment administered, strange people coming into the house, the cat belonging to next door but one's, and sometimes us if we are wearing hats! Not sure we can or should ban all of that!

I don't think the world can revolve around your dog.

I do like them, but they should only be set off during a public organisation for bonfire night. Thankfully DCat couldn't really give two hoots about them and will happily sit and watch them from the window. The downside here is people let them off constantly as soon as they land in the shops. Half the time it isn't even dark when they go off and then there's the idiots who think it's funny firing them off near cars. Twice I've nearly crashed my car. Sadly last bonfire night one of the gypsy horses in one of the fields got so stressed because of the fireworks he'd charged at the fence and had a heart attack. His owners hadn't bothered to make sure he was somewhere sheltered and safe, just left him in the open field.

Hate them

I love a good firework display and think they do add something to an evening event on a dark winter night (NYE, bonfire night, Diwali, weddings etc). They obviously need to be handled with care and rely on a sensible adult ensuring everyone at the event stays at a safe distance.

I accept that random fireworks being set off in residential areas on a regular basis can become a nuisance so I would not be against increased regulatation which makes it harder for people to buy fireworks if it is not for an organised event.

I probably hear fireworks a handful of times a year and they generally don't go on for any longer than about 30 minutes so for those that don't like them it's not like you are being subjected to them 365 days a year

I love fireworks! We always go to the display in our village.
But I live in an area where they are only set off 5th November and new year's eve.

And I don't own any pets.