To believe that fireworks shouldn’t be available to the general public?

[FatNoMorePat]

Fireworks at this time of night!!!

I’m partial to a sparkler don’t get me wrong, but I just don’t agree with fireworks being readily available for joe public. Particularly when people let them off after 11pm!

I’m not saying get rid of them all together but make it stricter so they’re only let off in safe environments by people who’ve had adequate training who then clean everything up and it’s all done and dusted before 11pm.

Am I getting old??

Well as soon as someone invents silent dogs we can all get behind silent fireworks.

I have a silent dog. I've Had her 6 years and she's never uttered a sound except a yelp when she had an ear infection.

YABU. Our kids love the annual get together with friends in the garden and fireworks. But we only have them once, as close to the 5th as we can get, and just after it gets dark, with a bonfire and guy. But we're not very nearby to the neighbours so it doesn't bother them. But some people let them off in streets and at all times of the year which I think is unreasonable, and it is not very nice if you are really close by to your neighbour. Definitely not in a terrace for example, unless they were also in on the event.

Agreed, NO general public should be sold fireworks. Organised displays only arranged by licence holders should be permitted on Nov. 5th, held well away from residential areas with entrance charges to cover costs, and all children under a certain age to be accompanied by an adult IMHO.
Incentives such as "ground" fireworks (not visible from a distance,) hot jacket potatoes, burgers, chip vans etc. would encourage people to pay the entrance fee instead of just watching from outside of the grounds.

It's very bad where I live, there's an employee who lives a couple of roads away from us who works in a firework shop so he gets them cheap. To make it worse, the bloody shop is open all year round, but he tends to get them mainly at this time of year and New Year's eve.
We have people living around here who keep outdoor pets, the poor animals and birds must be terrified.

Many petitions have been sent to the government in past years requesting the banning of fireworks, but nothing gets done.
I don't know for sure, but wouldn't mind betting that the government makes £££'s in tax from the sale of them.

I don't think anything that needs a distance of more than 5m should be available for public sale.

There was someone setting fireworks of near me last night. No way were they suitable for the garden they were being set off in.

There is a dog on my FB who died last night. The dog was a rescue and was terrified of them.

The owner stayed in with him and had the television on loud, it went well.

Just after midnight the owner thought the fireworks were over and let the dog out for a wee. Another load went off, the low boom ones and the dog died of a heart attack.

Someone commenting linked that in Palma, they have banned fireworks that make noise. So they have silent firework displays.

It was also bought in in Italy in 2015.

dogtime.com/trending/33475-town-italy-switches-silent-fireworks-reduce-anxiety-animals

I hope the people letting off home displays last night are doing litter picks to clear all the rubbish and offering to remove it from their neighbours gardens.

I doubt it. But it would be nice.

If we put the dogs to one side, what about horses? Do they deserve to be terrified because some may have irresponsible owners also? On my FB newsfeed over the past week -

• Horse Ran itself to death 10 days after bonfire night in a field because the owner thought the danger was over and neighbours had a 2 hour display (Last year)

• Horse PTS after bad fracture of upper leg trying to escape from stable while display next door. This horse was already sedated. Yard owners not notified. Despite it being an offence to do this, police not interested.

• owner this morning picking spent fireworks out of the horses field with horses in it, luckily none injured however colic may ensue from the trauma.

• (on here last year) two(?) Mares lost foals and were highly distressed by fireworks that owners not informed about (iirc before bonfire night) and refused to stop even though the animals were in panic and vets in attendance.

-Fireworks fired at police horses in Liverpool.

-Video of a horse sweating and trembling, weaving and on the verge of panic whilst fireworks go off overhead.

I don't think these animals deserve that, and it's against the law to knowingly set fireworks off near horses or livestock already - but it's happened.

We’ve had a bus driver injured in my area with fireworks being thrown at him.
And the emergency services have been under attack (same as last year.)
Dogs have died.
Pet cats have been killed maliciously.

And hey, it’s not even the 5th yet. But as long as selfish fuckers retain the right to set off explosives in their back gardens all is fine and well in the world.

I don’t see why people are so resistant to public displays only. The organised displays are usually better anyway, so why the desperate need to keep them for public sale?

I agree with you with a passion.As a child a friend of mine had a firework thrown at him by an older teenager,which exploded in his face and scarred him horribly for life.Then, apart from the fact that in the wrong hands these mini explosives can be lethal,there's the fear/terror that animals-both domesticated and wild-and even humans(my Dad suffered when he developed alzheimer's) have to endure sometimes for weeks on end.It's just not fair.

WE ARE NOT AT WAR! They are only fireworks, we aren't being bombed, you are all quite safe. No; but if you have experienced it, it can take you right back there. No amount of people yelling that it's not true would make it better.

Not said because I expect anyone to care; it's my problem - but just to say that it can make you feel very much as if your life (or others' lives) is in danger. I used to really love fireworks and wouldn't want to stop people having fun - but would like organised displays only so that I can know when and where to expect the bangs and flashes!!

Iliveinazoo, IT BLOODY DOES GO ON FOR 2 OR 3 WEEKS. Have you even read this thread properly?

There have been fireworks where I live EVERY night since 27th October. There will be more tonight and then tomorrow as that is actually bonfire night.

I know there is at least 2 organised displays on Tuesday and 3 on Wednesday near me (God knows why) and I have no doubts at all that neighbours will be letting them off every night this week and probably next weekend too.

If they were ONE night, as they should be, I am pretty sure we could all just about cope with out terrified pets, children, elderly relatives etc but night after night for weeks is just plain out of order.

Often too they can start ridiculously early before it is even dark and go on until after midnight. Is that ok too in your view?

You obviously live somewhere remote. Lots of us don't and I really don't appreciate being called a liar.

Also the loud bang ones can make my windows rattle and I don't even live in an old house. They sound like bombs to me and drown out the tv at it's loudest setting!

bought a mutlishit box

Top typo, Coach!

Clenchqueen, can you tell me what dogs you have heard that bark as loud as those awful fireworks that sound like bombs? You are obviously a dog hater and a liar too.

I don't let my dogs keep barking and neither do any of my neighbours and most of them have dogs. Even if one did bark all evening no way would it drown out the tv like the loud fireworks do nor would it frighten my dogs or other dogs, cats, horses etc.

At least try and come up with a reasonable argument

We don't have any horses near us. All there are is dog owners pissing and moaning even though their furry shit machines spend the rest of the year yapping and barking away and disturbing everyone else around them, day and night.

Probably a bit late for this year, but in the hope that it helps those who have dogs that are very frightened, this is what worked for my first 2 dogs, who were very scared:

kept them hungry (small dinner previous night, no breakfast), then gave them a big meal with lots of carbs (pasta, rice) around 5pm, which seemed to help make them a bit sleepy

gave them very long walks to tire them out during the day

Australian Bush Flower mist, emergency formula, sprayed on to a bandanna, tied (loosely!) round the dog's neck, so the smell is right under their noses

phosphorus 200c from a homeopathic vet

melatonin 100mg, with their meal

That little lot made it tolerable for them on 5th itself. Thundershirts, DAP diffusers and desensitisation CDs made no difference whatsoever.

Of course, it's no use for random local displays that take place without warning, or when a fireworks factory catches fire, which happened a few miles from me about 12 years ago.

Current dog isn't that scared (she is a very bold little dog), but she barks at them, which drives us mad. We now go out to a very rural pub, have a meal, and spend the night in their car park in our motorhome. Although we can hear the big displays (which are 8 miles away), they're not near enough to bother her. Or us, which is good as as they go off intermittently till around 3 am, and sometimes beyond.

I agree too. Although I hate crowds and can't easily face a mass event, if people can't be responsible about fireworks then they shouldn't be generally available. We have had them going off at random times since last weekend, and they will continue until next weekend. Then we'll have them for Diwali, Christmas, New Year, with random parties in between. We try to keep our cats indoors, but when you have no idea when the fireworks are going off, its hard to know when. The problem is that they hear a bang, then find somewhere to hide. If they're near our house, they come in, but if not then they could hide anywhere, including a bonfire.

As my good old Nan used to say,

There's something very wrong with people who don't like dogs.

Obviously I understand some people have a fear of them, have had a bad experience with one but if you are threatened by a smaller creature, usually friendly and happy to see you, then perhaps you might need to ask yourself why .

My dogs don't bark, neither do my neighbours, pretty much everyone has dogs or cats in my area. .

On the subject of cats, do you hate then too? Largest killer of garden birds and small wildlife, not to mention they crap in other peoples gardens.

Do I care? a little about the wildlife but that is nature at work. I certainly wouldn't come on to a thread ranting about it when it's got zero do with the subject, but whatever gives you a purpose in life I guess.

This thread is bulging with examples of how this protracted length of firework use is affecting not just dogs, but children, the elderly, horses, livestock, other domestic pets such as cats and rabbits.

But dogs bark so tough titty; yep, that's about your level of kindergarten argument.

Maybe if you weren't clenching so much, you'd relax and enjoy life more.

YANBU there are too many stupid and selfish people out there. They should be for public displays only

Gingerlover I agree with your Nan. Actually, I think there's some truth in the saying that dogs are nicer than many humans I know. That's quite evident on this thread, so many self absorbed posters who couldn't give a shit about anyone else. No one is saying ban them all together, but it's quite astounding that anyone can walk into a shop in this day and age and buy dangerous explosives! And lets be honest, Shop bought fireworks always looks completley shit in comparison to organised displays anyway.... I think for many people they associate it with an annual pissup. Thats why they don't want to see them banned from sale.

Also when we refer to war veterans we also mean people who served in recent conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan. Not just WW2. Think of them ffs. Yesterday they started going off way before sunset, what is the point in that?

@ClenchQueen

We don't have any horses near us. All there are is dog owners pissing and moaning even though their furry shit machines spend the rest of the year yapping and barking away and disturbing everyone else around them, day and night.

Well there's a well thought out and balanced answer 'No horses near us'.
Are there no cats, wildlife, PTSD sufferers, small children, elderly or mentally ill that may be affected either?
You can hate dogs as much as you like, you might even enjoy the thought of them suffering because of a fireworks because some have irresponsible owners. Not sure it's right that the rest suffer because of your dog vendetta to be honest. No one is going to physically suffer through not being able to buy fireworks to let off in their garden.
People and animals are already suffering because people can buy fireworks to let off in the garden, street, at people, in phone boxes for a laugh.......
But yeah let's keep selling them to anyone over 18 and let it continue, because some dogs bark. Sounds like a well balanced and fair argument to me. ............ 🤔🙄

We don't have any horses near us. All there are is dog owners pissing and moaning even though their furry shit machines spend the rest of the year yapping and barking away and disturbing everyone else around them, day and night*

Do you not have any cats? Foxes? Birds?
Hedgehogs? Elderly people? Toddlers? People with learning disablities?

WARNING;

Oakham Veterinary Hospital Equine have put pictures on their facebook page about a horse called Willow.

www.oakhamvethospital.co.uk/

This has just popped up on my facebook, sorry I don't know how to do a proper link.

It's a horse that got spooked by a firework jumped out of their field on to an A road and crashed into a car. There are some appalling pictures of the injuries.

Now tell the horse owner, car driver and witnesses and everyone at the vets fireworks are a good idea.

Clenchqueen, your hatred of dogs is pathetic and not related to this thread at all. I am pretty sure if my dogs were unfortunate enough to meet you they would feel the same way about you as you feel about them.

They were banned in Australia getting on for 30 years ago.

Why? A combined lobby of the NSPCC and the RSPCA, Hospitals and Police.
The horrific cruelty done to small animals by kids having a laugh, the terrified dogs, cats, horses etc, the number of burns, missing fingers, deafness, blindness etc brought into the medical system often to children and adults who have had a few drinks, and the unbelievable amount of extra work it gave the Police, trying to manage idiots with explosives.
It all added up to more trouble than it was worth.

Has anyone noticed? Not really. People go to displays, which are really popular social events. Fireworks still happen, just in a controlled manner.