If you were letting off fireworks last night what was it for?

[Jovih]

I’m assuming Halloween? But are fireworks a Halloween thing? I’m pregnant with my first baby so it’s been a while since I went to a kid’s Halloween party

Genuinely curious

Licensed public displays are scary for young children (lots of crowds, lots of waiting around in the cold, too dark to see what's where) compared to a display of pretties in the back garden. But back gardens aren't large enough now. The only rational response to all the animal and wildlife concerns is to ban them completely.

Err, no. I celebrate Christmas at Christmas. Not a week prior to the event.

In India there are concerns about the environmental impact of diwali celebrations and control zones in place. We shouldn't be encouraging noisy festivals of any kind to go on for weeks. It's not reasonable.

Love fireworks! We actually went to a display last night in a local village. Gorgeous display (although the music was a bit much, but that's another story). I think most displays are spread out around the 5th Nov so as not to clash with each other, and it's quite common to have a combined fireworks/halloween do, so not surprised they are happening already? It's not like it's mid-September or something.

Why does nobody celebrate festivals at the right time any more?

Halloween is on the 31st- it's not 'halloween month', bonfire night is the 5th- so if midweek then I guess it's acceptable to celebrate the weekend before or after but anything else outside of that window is ridiculous.

Divali is next weekend- why celebrate it the Friday before? And as for putting up Christmas decorations in November, well that's pretty stupid but it's not especially anti-social like fireworks!

Are you in Sussex? Bonfire is a huge thing in Sussex, especially East Sussex.

Almost every town has its own "bonfire society", as do many tiny villages. They all have their own "bonfire night" at some point between early September and late November, and all through that period they will travel to other societies' bonfire celebrations. There's fireworks somewhere almost every Saturday for 2-3 months, plus "informal" letting off of fireworks as they all come back from whichever event they've been to. They let off fireworks the night before each event, because they're all geed up, and the day after as well, as they'll have some left over from the night before.

It also means that there's an unusually high number of people who are licensed to buy and use big, professional standard fireworks, so people have them at significant birthdays, weddings and even funerals.

It's practically year round. My last two dogs grew up with it, so were used to it and just barked, but the dog I had when I moved here never got used to it. For the 3 days of the local bonfire weekend, I used to put him in kennels in a very remote place.

It's no place to live for firework haters, that's for sure.

I live in an inner city area of a large Northern city, we have fireworks going off on a daily basis throughout the year, even during the day sometimes (completely pointless!)
No idea what they are all for, weddings?

Absolutely.
Ban for private sale and use- At least ''proper'' displays you can plan for.
We live opposite a field that has house shaking displays-

My first two dogs weren't afraid, and would watch, but new girl when she saw the lights and heard bangs {I had curtains open as wasn't expecting her to be afraid} was terrified- and ran back and forth wide eyed.

I never ''soothe'' or make a big fuss, just act very calmly as if there is nothing to worry about- and carry on as normal- but she refused to use the garden as it smelled strange {of fireworks}.

Last year a friend told me about ''Classic FM'' especially for dogs and cats- I had it on, with all the curtains tightly closed {Dog is afraid of the ''sky being on fire'' as well as the sound}

Classic FM really did help.

It's on again this year, too.

{But only for Bonfire night}

www.classicfm.com/radio/shows-presenters/pet-classics/

That sounds horrible.

In the late 1980's a City we were in was pretty bad- it was fireworks most nights , from October to January and it sounded like a war zone {according to a Veteran} -
It was very wearying, hearing the pops and bangs, like a barrage.

Veterans {many more were alive back then of course from WW1 and WW2 and other conflicts} also got stressed by Fireworks.

Those were the days when teenagers could buy loud fireworks from small independent shops.

I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Frequency whose Big Dog enjoys watching the Fireworks. Which is why I addressed my comment to her.

Earlier I didn't say it was training, I said if you had them from a puppy it was acclimatising them as puppies. Some people don't bother or don't realise they should.

Some places outsource their firework displays. The one near us was last night as the company goes round different parts of the county and I guess it’s pot luck which weekend you get.

The reason our local council gives funding is to encourage organised displays rather than people setting them off randomly.

Someone was letting off fireworks this morning at 1.30am!!!
I thought I was hearing things, until someone posted on our village FB page about it.

There was nothing near me. There never is for Halloween, or Guy Fawkes, or New Year's Eve either. One of the best thing about living in a rural village/in the sticks/around loads of farms, is that it's frowned upon to let fireworks off.

It scares the lifestock and can make cows, sheep, and pigs miscarry if they're pregnant. You will make an enemy of the farmers AND the locals if you set off fireworks. Fireworks also scare pets too.

It's a very middle class rural area village though, and setting off fireworks that they got from Tesco is not an activity people around here engage in.

Halloween isn’t till late next week so don’t see a reason for fireworks quite yet

Absolutely dreading fucking firework season this year. My oldest dog has had a couple of grand mal seizures recently, am genuinely worried what the noise will do to her. Think I’ll see if the vets can give her something to keep her calm.

Our dog wasn’t bothered by fireworks used to happily sit on the garden watching until Covid years when it seemed to go a bit crazy :( went on for about 2 weeks every night.

Initially she would bark at every bang which wasn’t fair on the neighbours! We managed to stop that but now she will literally pant and stress :( we’ve tried so hard with her. Depending on the work we have put in this year I think we will have to medicate her from the vets :(

If it was just one night or only on Diwali and 5th November rather than the two weeks either side! Just when you think it’s over wizz bang explosion = terrified dog again

Next-door-but-two had loads they set off two weekends ago. My poor cat was still outside and she was missing for hours. We live right on the edge of a woodlands and every time one went off you could hear all the birds flying off. My neighbours are refugees from a war, then have twin babies. I have no idea how scary it must have been for them. This was mid October. If it had been next weekend I would have known to keep my cat in.
And this is before we mention all the litter it creates.

Why anyone thinks that allowing any passing person to buy explosives is ok is beyond me.

He’s got a point about crows and chihuahuas actually. 😆

My big lad couldn’t give a shit about fireworks either way, he snoozes through it. Little girl was a hunting dog in Cyprus in another life and any kind of load bangs terrify her. It’s old girl I really worry for this year, her health hasn’t been great lately.

Still, as long as people get to watch their money literally go up in smoke. 🙄

Fireworks have started around me since the 2nd week of September.. a few here and there usually around 5/6pm and then another couple of bursts around 11pm and around 1am so it's been annoying.. I expect this to continue till about the 3rd week of November...

My cats thankfully don't care and get into the window to try and see and then go back to sleep.

My dog was terrified last night, shaking and panting with fear. She's got meds ready for bonfire night and NYE but I wasn't expecting any last night. I (stupidly probably) assumed that as Diwali falls on Thursday, people would be celebrating that night and the following weekend, but I should have realised some might be starting the weekend before it too. So I hadn't given her any drugs in preparation and it was too late once they'd kicked off. But they've been going off randomly most evenings near me, I assume idiots and not for actual celebrations. No music or ear defenders in the world drowns it out enough for her. The vets are going to start her on longer term anti-anxiety meds that she can take daily rather than the one off doses for specific events. It's horrible seeing her like that. I'm seriously wondering if she'd be happier rehomed out in the country somewhere as she's just a nervous wreck all the time. I really wish people weren't allowed to buy the noisy ones now that silent or low noise ones exist. My kids are scared too but at least I can explain it to them and sometimes they actually get to see the pretty colours in the sky, whereas the poor dog has no concept of it.

St Crispin's Day. Battle of Agincourt?

People around here set them off pretty much every night between October and January - it gets incredibly grating.

My dog is 11 and he didn't bat an eye at fireworks for the first few years of his life but on NYE 2019, some fuckwit set off a load of huge fireworks on the pavement right outside our house. The noise was deafening and my poor boy nearly pulled a cabinet over trying to climb inside it. Ever since that night, he has been terrified of fireworks; I even built him his own little wooden house to hide from them. It's at the bottom of our bed and he retreats to it as soon as he hears the first bang.

P.S. someone just started setting them off as I was typing this 🙄

I wish I lived where you do. I live rurally with lots of people riding. teenagers were driving round last year throwing lit fireworks at the horses.

apaprt from things like sparklers, Home use fireworks are categorised F2. this means a minimum of 8 metres beteen the fireworks and any people or livestock and some need 15 metres. This has to be your own land so you can't shove them next to your neighbours fence and say its fine.