. . . To be dreading "bonfire night"

[AllesAusLiebe]

Hi everyone,

So, I'll start by saying that I'm not originally from the UK and I don't want to criticise the customs and traditions here.

I've got a 2 year old and a cat and every single year, I dread this holiday.

The worst thing about it for me is that it isn't just one night. My cat has been completely losing his shit since last weekend because of people setting off fireworks. I've tried creating a little corner of the living room for him and have a Feliway plug in, but the poor little guy is terrified.

Then, there's my son. I thought that due to coronavirus, this year would be a more scaled back affair, but I'm dreading next Thursday as I know that the lack of outdoor displays will mean that more people will be setting fireworks off in their gardens. He sleeps well, but lightly. I have visions of him being woken up multiple times during the next week. He's generally scared of loud noise, and he's too young for me to explain to him what's going on.

So, if you've got small kids and/or pets, what do you do? Does anyone else absolutely hate this, or do I need to stop being such a spoilsport and embrace it?

I adored our back garden displays as a child, but they were smaller, largely non-noisy fireworks. As were most people’s back garden ones then. I do think the sale of the mega-bang ones should be strictly limited, and banned would be even better. The likes of Roman candles that we used to have didn’t bother anybody.

Personally, although dds loved trick or treating, and I always put a pumpkin in the window and dish out sweets, I think it’s a shame that the massive plastic tat-fest that Halloween has become, has overtaken our traditional Bonfire Night.

When we had a dog I used to find that having some soothing music on fairly loud, e.g. Classic FM, would help to some extent - some of the very large houses not far from here let off a lot of big fireworks on and off around the 5th, and at other times of the year, too.

I love bonfire night. I'm trying to come up with ways to celebrate this year that doesn't involve fireworks - I'm not comfortable with having them in our garden due safely concerns. But then my three are rock solid sleepers. The cleaner once hoovered DS's bedroom while he was napping in it as a baby. I also had a house viewing and let them see his room while he was sleeping in it. 😂 So fireworks are no bother.

YANBU. Fireworks are totally anti-social. How we think it's OK to sell explosives to the general public I have no idea. I don't have an issue with organised displays but letting rat boys buy them and set them off randomly is beyond belief. And they're expensive - I thought everyone was skint at the moment.

Fireworks are a pain in the arse. When I was wee they were illegal where I live, I remember watching Blue Peter like this when they did their annual item on firework safety. Then for a while you could buy them and it was torture for the whole month of October. Nowadays you need a licence for fireworks and it seems to work quite well, we don't hear all that many fireworks these days. We live near a hotel and usually when we hear fireworks it's because they are part of a party at a wedding. And obviously that's not happening this year.

@DDiva - are you honestly suggesting that fireworks don't harm wildlife? You obviously have access to the internet. There's a thing called Google which lets you search for information on all manner of things. If that's a bit of a stretch for you, here's one of many, many articles on the damage that loud fireworks have on non-humans. I don't know if you're being deliberately obtuse or you are really just that naïve.

www.animal-ethics.org/how-fireworks-harm-nonhuman-animals/

I love Bonfire Night. But from a miss spent youth working in the theatre & a training in pyrotechnics, & now as an adult in an industry with lots of ex firefighters, fireworks are one of the few things I’d consider banning sales of to the public.

Anything is safe until you put it in the hands of an untrained idiot. As this year has proved (with the utter selfishness of many a bellend this year) there will be lots of people who will have garden displays because they won’t want to miss out on a public display. And a probable correlation a rise in accidents, injuries, fires & related public order offences. And that’s before multi-family/household displays that break the rule of 6 by people who think the law doesn’t apply to them & a bump in COVID transmission in the fortnight after.

I’m not even going to start on the effect on animals (my hounds are desensitised through training, not everyone can do that. I never go out that night as my cats go scatty).

Since this Bonfire Night marks my birthday when I shall be very, very old, I’m tempted to say sod it & just advocate if people want to set fire to, explode or infect each other, then fill your boots.

And that’s a birthday without my grown up children, family or friends, party or pub crawl because I’m not a selfish bellend.

I totally agree OP. The amount of animal welfare issues arise from this ‘celebration’ is disgraceful. It was fine when it was one night but now it goes on for about a week and thugs use it as an excuse to highlight their shitty behaviour.
I wish that it could be curtailed but of course the ‘I’m entitled’ brigade would flip out so we can’t ensure that normal lovely people can enjoy mid winter.

I have no skin in this game really. No small children and my cat's hard and couldn't give a bollock. Still get fed up with idiots setting them off all month long. I guess I dont get the attraction though. Fireworks are boring. Oooh a shower of lights. And another shower of lights in a different colour. Yawn!
Are all the injuries and upset that happen really worth it?
Find something better to do.

YABU but it is.popular on here to want to ban things.

I personally think fireworks should be limited to displays only and not for general sale/use. There isn't a reason people should be having them in their back gardens to let off at all hours. (we had them by us at midnight last week.) Our dogs aren't bothered by them but some peoples animals are reduced to quivering wrecks and it just isn't fair.

YANBU. One day a government with a brain will ban the sale of fireworks to any Tom, Dick or Harry, then in years to come we will look back on the casual use of loud garden explosives, absolutely astounded that it was ever legal.

I'm against fireworks being sold to the general public (for safety not noise reasons).

So, if you've got small kids and/or pets, what do you do?

Lots of people's small kids and pets aren't bothered. Dh and I between us have had 6 cats, 3 dogs and 2 children. None were ever scared by fireworks. Fireworks must be a massive pain if you have a sensitive pet and I sympathise, but you certainly won't find all parents and pet-owners are anti-fireworks.

@Ohtherewearethen cats and dogs are far, far more damaging to wildlife than fireworks.

For the worst night, it helps to just lean into it. It’s a great night for an indoor family camp out. Stay up a bit late and then all cuddle in together to sleep. That way you are there to soothe when the noise wakes a kid up.

I think sales need to be regulated way more. But other cultures so have fireworks for festivals. However its not Diwali till the 14th Nov so not sure you can blame the current ones on that.

I've never had an issue with my cats. Tbh we all know bonfire night is a thing so should be training pets to deal with loud noises.

@garlictwist

Sorry but I do think you are being a bit of a spoilsport .

It's not all the time and I'm afraid the world doesn't stop because of cats and children.

Spoilsport ? Grow up ffs ..

I was going to say white noise for the baby. I can't comment on distressed cats - my cat loves watching fireworks. She jumps up on the windowsill and sits transfixed. If I try to comfort/reassure her, she fixes me with a very cold stare until I stop and then she resumes her watching! Strange animal.

@Terrace58

For the worst night, it helps to just lean into it. It’s a great night for an indoor family camp out. Stay up a bit late and then all cuddle in together to sleep. That way you are there to soothe when the noise wakes a kid up.

So which night exactly would be "the worst night". I presume you mean 5th November, you know the night fireworks (if you are having any) should be let off. Not the 28th, 29, 39 and 31st October. Nor the 1st to the 15th November and yes fireworks where I used to live and where family and friends still live (in the UK) go off for all that time.

They often start before it even gets dark (just shows how moronic a lot of the firework lovers are) and go on and on and on and on often until 1am or later.

Lots of my friends pets are terrified. One friend has to give her dog tranquillisers because she is so scared and shakes like crazy. Do you think it's a good idea to give a dog tranquillisers night after night?

Lots of wildlife get injured. Last year several horses near me got hurt, one was so scared it jumped a hedge and got hit and killed by a car, a pregnant horse miscarried through fear.

Several dogs got injured or killed. One managed to get out of its garden and ran onto the railway line and got hit by a train.

They are thrown at emergency workers, through letterboxes, on buses, at people etc.

Yes they are so lovely

@Porcupineinwaiting - I disagree but respect your opinion. Your comment sounds like you think that just because you believe there is something more damaging than fireworks that fireworks should be allowed to continue to harm wildlife. I strongly disagree.

I hate fireworks, I think they should be banned. I've had far too many terrified dogs over the years to see the fun in them 🤷‍♂️

Tbh we all know bonfire night is a thing so should be training pets to deal with loud noises.

Three stories on my FB this morning about horses that have had fireworks thrown at them/set off over their fields/stables with resulting injuries and in one case, death. Please do tell me how you propose to train a horse, or indeed any animal to not run away from and be scared of a lit, noisy and smoking firework thrown at them or directly above them? And to be quite honest, why would you try and train them to stand still while some arsehole throws fireworks at them? the fact it's actually illegal to set off fireworks near horses and livestock and cause distress of no comfort when it's not policed or enforced.

I did train my dog with fireworks CDs from a pup. She was unsettled but coped with it for a few years. Then someone let one off very close to us, in October, in daylight, on a walk. The pain that she must have felt from the loudness of the bang in her ears and the resulting terror has overridden any training, she is now a complete mess even when I have tried desensitising with the CD again. She's sedated now.

@Doodiesbear I too trained my dog when he was a puppy with a cd of fireworks and he was fine with them for a couple of years. In fact he used to watch them through the patio door.

Then, like you, we had one let off very close to where we were when walking in daylight (about 3pm) and not even close to 5th November. He literally jumped and then tried to run for home. Thankfully I had a tight hold on his lead or else he would just have run from me and, quite possibly, into the road.

He has been scared ever since. Luckily we moved 2 years ago and where we live now we only really hear fireworks on the 5th November and not for months on end so we can just stay in, have the tv or music on and it's not too bad

I hate it. I was raised outside the uk and it was displays only for one night with free food. That was perfect. I've raised DS in the UK and we only went to displays. I hate everyone having their own often for a week. Its noisy and terrifying for animals and small children. We also live far too close to each other to have fireworks. During a pandemic the emergency services do not need the extra work.

@Ohtherewearethen no just speaking from experience. I manage nature reserves for a living and, believe me, the dogs (and on some reserves cats) are far, far more disturbing and damaging to wildlife than fireworks (I'm pretty neutral about fireworks - certainly would support controls on the number of nights on which they could be used and the volume). And cats and dogs are every day, not just on a handful of nights per year.

My dog will be wearing his thunder shirt, listening to his relaxing dog music and possibly having to take his sedative. He has got progressively worse with noise has he has got older and gets beside himself. We've been up with him into the early hours a few nights these last couple of weeks. I wish they weren't on sale to the public. Was really glad when Sainsburys stopped selling them