Neighbour asked us not to do fireworks?

[lockdownqueen]

I'm in a group chat with girls on our new build estate I've sent out a pre warning as hubby has gone and bought some. Everyone was fine and said they will be in there gardens to watch then one of the girls asked us not too as her dog has severe panic attacks.

don't know what to do? Kids have been looking forward to them.

aibu to go ahead and do them?

Fireworks for home use should be banned, and anyone who sets them off is selfish and cruel. I hate that October through to December random teenagers set fireworks off in dangerous places, in shop doorways, public paths, use them as weapons. That is a huge reason not to sell them to anyone without a licence for public display, the other is that they terrify some people and pets. Personally my kids are not scared of them and my cat isn't and I don't have a dog, but I still have compassion for other people's dogs. I have friends that say they have to sedate their animals for the whole month and they are still terrified. How horrendous for them. I can't believe someone was so ridiculous as to suggest the neighbour take the dog for a fucking walk at 6pm on Bonfire night . There have been loud fireworks going off here for the last hour though, so yours wouldn't make any difference.

@lockdownqueen

I have a chihuahua myself but he doesn't seem fussed by them at all

Wow, so your dog doesn't mind, so you think no other dog shouldn't be affected either?

I don't mind proper fireworks at the park or field, but I hate people doing it at home. It's incredibly noisy and used to scare my dog badly before he passed away.

Only nobbers set off fireworks in the garden.

YABVU

@TeddyIsaHe

You can desensitise a puppy to fireworks by playing them on YouTube or whatever and treating tons. Obviously more difficult with a rescue, but still doable.

You’ve given notice, people with reactive dogs can’t ask everyone to plan their life around their dog. That’s the owner’s responsibility.

When I got my dog as a puppy at 9 weeks I played cd's of different noises including fireworks. I gradually increased the noise level.

He was never scared of fireworks in the slightest until a couple of years ago when I was walking him at 3PM so it was still light and it was the around the 14th November so NOT bonfire night and some dickhead let off a really loud firework as we walked past their garden.

He was terrified and tried to run home. I managed to hold onto his lead but got pulled along as he is quite a big dog. He has been terrified ever since,

In some areas (far too many) fireworks are let off night after night after night from about the end of October often until the end of November and then intermittently until New Year.

I have friends who dogs are terrified, shaking and panting uncontrollably. A couple of friends have to give their dogs tranquillisers as they have tried everything else. How is that good for a dog night after night?

@Skyla2005

Exactly! I can't even get my girl to go out for a wee!

@SchadenfreudePersonified

Why should somebody’s CHOICE to keep an animal, trump somebody else’s choice to partake in a perfectly legal activity which lasts minutes.

Minutes!

Bollox does it!

They've been setting them off for a week here and the enhanced performance tonight has been going on since just after 4.00.

It wasn't even dark!

Exactly. Over 2 weeks here, including 2 hours solid bangs last night and bangs still going on which started before 5pm. They can get to fuck. Can't wait for them to be banned.

As for the idiot that suggested desensitising dogs to fireworks. think it through....

We have had people setting fire to multiple £20 notes to make a bang, effectively, for the last two weeks now. Every. Fecking. Night.

Luckily this year the cats aren't bothered (yayy, another night of Classic FM...) but the year before last our (then very young) boy cat was so frightened he hid under the bed for days. We've had to lock them in at dusk for the last two weeks this year to make sure they didn't get catnapped for Hallowe'en and put in a cauldron (metaphorical or actual), or have fireworks tied to their tails for "fun". (Still, they'll prove their use once Brexit hits. They're good little hunters, if all else fails, so maybe we'll keep them around for a bit.)

I like a nice organised bonfire and firework display as much as the next person, but in this day and age, I really am wishing alternatives could be considered, like son et lumiere or something, like that village in Italy that was all over the news a few months ago.

Yes op you must teach your children that not everything revolves around their wants..it clearly revolves around your neighbours wants instead!!!

Ffs are people on here for real? People need to stop expecting everything to revolve around their likes and dislikes!!

For future puppy owners what we did was play low level firework noises in the background for a month before our dog's first bonfire night. She is four now and not bothered by them.

A good campaign would be for shops to only sell fireworks on the day of the 5th so we don't get them going off for weeks before hand.

@stackemhigh

I don’t have a dog nor have I ever released a firework but I find it funny the people calling OP selfish funny when some dog owners are so entitled and selfish by not picking up their dog shit or letting them off the leash and approach strangers! And it’s not the dogs’ fault, I love dogs, it’s the owners!

If someone posted asking if they were being unreasonable to leave their dogs shit on the ground and let it run up to strangers they’d be told a resounding YABU.

I wouldn't but for safety reasons. Unfortunately every year people get badly burned. Not really worth it.

If you stop doing stuff because someone doesn’t like it you will end up never doing anything!

It’s not your responsibility to ensure her dog is happy, that’s on her, firework night has been coming all year and she should have seeker advice from the vet on how best to keep her dog comfortable....did she do that? Probably not as it’s easier to just blame others.

The owner has all year to make arrangements for bonfire night. They can't control what everybody does on the estate, so there are going to be fireworks. It's a national event. If the dog really can't cope then I think it's up to the owner to sort something out, not try to change everybody else's behaviour.

We never do fireworks, but last year someone sent leaflet's round asking to be warned about any displays so they could make arrangements for their horses. People still had fireworks and she was marching around the village, shouting and cussing - trying to seek out the culprits!

The sheer entitlement!!! I wouldn't let off fireworks in any case and think the public shouldn't be allowed to buy them, but even if I didn't think that way I would not be using them if a neighbour told me they caused her dog to have panic attacks. I had a dog who was terrified of them and it's not nice to witness.

Then as a good dog owner it is on her to train her dog and desensitize it to the sound

My dogs aren't bothered by fireworks because they were desensitised by the breeder we bought them from. You cannot desensitise say a rescue that was not exposed to 'scary' sounds produced by humans some dogs are terrified by the sound of fireworks.

Why should somebody’s CHOICE to keep an animal, trump somebody else’s choice to partake in a perfectly legal activity which lasts minutes

The same way that despite DH and I being happily child free, someone's CHOICE to have children means that we don't have wild parties to 3am in our garden because we have neighbours who have a little girl. Its called CONSIDERATION, you should try it.

It's bonfire night, if op didn't do it the dog would still be traumatised by others, she won't be the only one.

Exactly how are children going to be impacted mentally for life by being denied a few bangers in their gardens? Why is it even necessary to let off fireworks making loud noises?

@Smallsteps88

If someone posted asking if they were being unreasonable to leave their dogs shit on the ground and let it run up to strangers they’d be told a resounding YABU.

Except that fireworks are legal and fouling the streets with dog shit is an offence!

I can't do anything else
Oh please what a load of shit. You have decided it’s more important to you that your kids aren’t mildly disappointed than the health and well-being of your neighbours pet. You could have used this to teach your kids about empathy and respect towards others but instead you have been a selfish twat. Let’s hope you never need a favour in return from that neighbour.

@Thehogfatherstolemycurry

It's bonfire night, if op didn't do it the dog would still be traumatised by others, she won't be the only one.

Just because some people behave antisocially how does that justify others doing it?

Actually, in my country people call for them to be banned every year - not just because of animals - and they are only allowed to be sold on the four days prior to November 5th. It seems the UK doesn't take the danger so seriously.

I am against dogs and fireworks! Fireworks are going off all over at present in gardens round here and have for at least a week - we tend to have 30 days of them around here for various reasons.

I hate fireworks! horrible waste of money and traumatic for animals and humans! - get some sparklers for the kids instead.