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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

... to be irritated by pet owners going on about fireworks given the impact that people having pets has on society and the environment?

353 replies

Kallyderon · 19/10/2019 21:02

It's just about time for the annual whingefest about people setting off fireworks to start and it's boring. If you own a domestic animal then your animal impacts on people around you all year round in terms of waste, meat production, safety, sanitation and noise. It also impacts on wildlife.

Given that, and given that no one is obliged to own another living creature, it's a bit much to expect all the other humans around you to refrain from doing something they enjoy because it might make your dog unhappy.

Tbh there are sound environmental reasons for opposition to fireworks but they don't do even half as much damage to wild creatures and their habitats as the average cat or dog, so that's a moot point anyway and obviously not of great concern to you otherwise you wouldn't own a dog.

So AIBU to say give it a rest?

OP posts:
FeckOffGraham · 19/10/2019 22:03

@JoxerGoesToStuttgart sorry!

UrsulaPandress · 19/10/2019 22:03

Yes @PeterRouseTheFleshofMankind

I judge a human by the way they treat animals.

CMOTDibbler · 19/10/2019 22:04

My dog is scared of fireworks, but thats fine - he has a special collar for this time of year which releases a calming chemical and I can comfort him.

But I am opposed to fireworks being allowed on more than just November 5th as my mum who has dementia is totally terrified by them and is really at risk for seriously injuring herself every time they go off. She can't be sedated for the two weeks, and there's nothing that can be done to comfort her.

FeckOffGraham · 19/10/2019 22:06

I judge a human by the way they treat animals.

So true!

See my earlier point re wildlife though. Pets are part of our impact on the planet, just like driving a car or eating meat. Not something to ban outright I don't think, but something to consider.

Bloodybridget · 19/10/2019 22:07

Seems a bit unfair to say it doesn't matter if pets suffer from fireworks, because of the animals' impact on the environment. They didn't ask to be domesticated and kept as pets.

FeckOffGraham · 19/10/2019 22:08

But I am opposed to fireworks being allowed on more than just November 5th as my mum who has dementia is totally terrified by them and is really at risk for seriously injuring herself every time they go off. She can't be sedated for the two weeks, and there's nothing that can be done to comfort her.

Exactly. Well said.

Sorry to read about your mum.

FeckOffGraham · 19/10/2019 22:08

They didn't ask to be domesticated and kept as pets.

YY!

Original poster
Kallyderon · 19/10/2019 22:09

The idea that pet ownership equates to love of animals is debatable. Surely if you love animals you wouldn't own something that kills wildlife and destroys wild habitats.

OP posts:
GingersAreLush · 19/10/2019 22:10

YABU. Massively. Not only do fireworks upset pets and harm wildlife, it seems mental to sell dangerous explosives to any random members of the public who fancies buying them with no real idea of what they’re going to do with them.

I like firework displays I really do, but I never saw the attraction of having them in the back garden. My ex loved to do his own displays (if you can call them that) and I’d dutifully bring the kids outside to watch daddy piss about with sodding rockets and stuff for a very lacklustre end result while the eldest whined and the baby cried. Great fun Hmm

IceCreamConewithaflake · 19/10/2019 22:10

YANBU

LouiseLouisa87 · 19/10/2019 22:11

God I hate all the complaining about bonfire night and people wanting silent fireworks or no fireworks at all because their dogs get frightened! Sorry but this is a centuries old tradition and we’re not going to stop just because your dog doesn’t like it!

SlightlyStaleCocoPops · 19/10/2019 22:12

Classic MN.

FeckOffGraham · 19/10/2019 22:13

They didn't ask to be domesticated and kept as pets.

Agreed and I think many vegans are very against pet ownership as they believe it to be cruel... I'm sure PETA advise against owning pets.

RhinoskinhaveI · 19/10/2019 22:13

I would just like to have quiet fireworks

JoxerGoesToStuttgart · 19/10/2019 22:13

I LOVE your name! Christy Moore fan??

Yep! Grin

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 19/10/2019 22:13

Also if you’d ever worked in a burns unit around the 5 November you’d wonder why the hell the general public are allowed to purchase things designed to explode and burst into fire :)

FeckOffGraham · 19/10/2019 22:13

The idea that pet ownership equates to love of animals is debatable.

Sorry, I was actually responding to this^^. Wrong quote.

Sparklingbrook · 19/10/2019 22:13

It's a shame that it isn't confined to Bonfire Night because then at least you can plan to avoid it.

hungrywalrus · 19/10/2019 22:14

Agree about environmental concerns re both. I also don’t think joe public should be buying fireworks. I also don’t think that it should be possible to buy weed killer in the supermarket but unfortunately I don’t make the rules.

missbattenburg · 19/10/2019 22:14

Funny how many people are focussing just dogs and cats and saying they don't think they should change their behaviour just because it upsets pets.

Convenient they forget to comment on all the other groups disturbed by fireworks. It's a bit harder to say "sorry not sorry" to PTSD sufferers, dementia suffers etc. Eh? Best just not mention them.

Mummimum · 19/10/2019 22:15

Fireworks are full of heavy metals. They are really bad for the environment. They should be banned.

FeckOffGraham · 19/10/2019 22:15

@JoxerGoesToStuttgart Grin

T'was in the year of 88 in the lovely month of june...

Bloody love it.

aurynne · 19/10/2019 22:16

It is always hilarious to read women in a parenting forum complaining about the negative environmental effects of owning pets... right after proudly announcing their pregnancy with baby number 5.

ClientListQueen · 19/10/2019 22:16

I don't give a shit about them around my cat because he isn't bothered
I object MASSIVELY to the fact kids and teenagers can get hold of them. And that I had to pay out of my OWN money to replace an entire open plan room carpet, wallpaper and some paintwork because of that
And that I now shake and am terrified when they go off. And that they are throwing lit ones in shops, at nursing homes, on buses, at children, at animals and in peoples faces

And it's not even bonfire night yet. Which I will be spending with my house in darkness and windows closed in the hope I won't be targeted

AlternativePerspective · 19/10/2019 22:17

Thing is it’s not bonfire night though is it? It’s bonfire two months where fireworks are being let off from mid October to sometimes mid January depending on when Chinese New Year falls.

Also, the irony of someone complaining that pets are bad for the environment when they want to set off non environmentally friendly explosives and have non environmental bonfires is not lost.

I grew up in a country where fireworks weren’t on sale to the general public.

They’re dangerous and very few people are able to use them responsibly.