To be sick of people moaning about their pets and fireworks?

[Sophiehoney]

There's currently a debate on my local Facebook page as the people in the street behind me let off a long, spectacular firework display in their back garden which was very loud.
It was absolutely brilliant and my kids loved it.

Someone has moaned that her four cats are terrified and others are joining in and saying their cats/dogs are also distressed.

They are all saying they should have had a warning?? Even though it's the weekend before bonfire night??

But what really annoys me is that if you click on this woman's name and see all her past posts, she's moaned about the same bloody thing at the same time of year for the past SIX years!!!

Why has she done nothing to prepare for this even though she knows full well it happens around the same time??!!!

Ban fireworks in private gardens.
Ban dogs from restaurants and shops.
Let us all live in harmony.

Fewer and fewer places are dog free. My child also has to go to school etc and not just sit at home 24/7, not to mention the fact that you can't sit at home peacefully if neighbours are allowing their dogs to bark or a dog barks as it walks past the house.

I just said that the poster should campaign for dogs to be licenced...

So, no, that poster didn't do anything at all.

If it was a random day in May then it would be fair to expect notice. Around fireworks night most sensible people assume there'll be fireworks and make necessary arrangements. That's just being a responsible pet owner.

I hate fireworks.
Knives are taboo, but fireworks are not? Where is the logic in that?
They're bad for the environment. Terrify wildlife... Expensive explosives.

It’s a good point - you could argue that fireworks is an opportunity for payback for having to listen to incessant pointless barking all the time

Because they used to be a luxury and a rarity! And people had some sense about what was safe where. Only bonfire night, in the 70s. Then New Year. Now random birthdays, weddings, and apparently Halloween.

Ridiculously big ones are sold and used in tiny back gardens in over populated areas. It’s ridiculous.

One of the reasons I’m glad I live where I do. Bonfire night is not a thing, and fireworks are only for organised displays, not on sale to the general public.

Every year it’s the same, with fireworks going off for ages around this time of year. Where I am, some lovely people have been setting them off between 11-2 am in the morning. I’m sick of it. And exasperated that dogs and other animals have to endure this.

Well no, you said rather more than that. The criticisms you level about fireworks could, like it or not, be equally well levelled at your decision to get a dog. Giving people unasked for advice on campaigning has no impact on that.

Right, do you not give a fuck about the poor wildlife and the environment? Knives are taboo and bad yet explosives which kill and are terrifying to pets and wildlife are not?

I think it’s got worse though!! If it were just one night then I think we could all hunker down with ear defenders and things to help pets.

but it’s for weeks!! It’s too much and I agree with other posters that they should be banned and only silent ones at organised displays.

I find them quite boring. Just my opinion of course. But once you’ve seen a couple, they’re all the same.

A heads up to neighbours is pretty simple, it’s not just pets that suffer. Wild animals, livestock, vulnerable humans all are impacted.

fireworks are awful, they’ve been going off every night for weeks where I live and if it’s like the last few years it’ll carry on past new year. 3 months with hours of it every night! Luckily my pets aren’t bothered, but it’s affecting me badly, my dc can’t sleep and so many are also doing stupid things like setting fire to play grounds then aiming fireworks at emergency services when they arrive.

fireworks have their place, but should be controlled and at organised, licensed displays only. ‘Oh but my kids looooveee them’ or ‘but, but I don’t like dogs!’ aren’t arguments and certainly aren’t excuses to wilfully encourage the suffering and deaths of people and animals.

Agreed

I dont understand how dog and cat owners can prepare without warning. Even if you happen to have sedatives already the oral ones take time to kick in. You can't keep them drugged for the whole fortnight around FWN.

How does that work with wildlife? It’s not just domestic animals that suffer.

Ive told my cat. He literally didn’t listen.

Maybe if people celebrated rated bonfire night on the 5th we’d all be on the same page.

Op, it takes a second to empathise with another person. Why is it so important that people scare the shit out of wild animals, domestic animals and children and babies? Can’t you find it in your heart to think “ah, that’s actually really sad.”

I hate the organised stuff.
They never start on time. And it’s rubbish. But they make £30 a family so don’t give a shit.

We do a few sparklers and soup and hotdogs. It’s lush. My cat still doesn’t like it but that’s him.

There’s very few dog free places now though. Even shops allow them in!! i don’t understand it.

Totally unreasonable OP. It’s not just pets, it’s humans and consideration.

i think nobody should be allowed to set off a firework without notice, and without a licence, and without it being within maximum three days of the celebration.

so November 5 move to closest weekend, give notice, get licence, fine.

we had a huge issue this week with a Diwali celebration on Wednesday 29 October. Nothing on village or community groups, very upset local and elderly people and dogs.

just give notice. Let people know.

same goes for bonfire night, weddings, new year, whatever.

I cannot imagine not letting my very rural neighbours know if I was going to do something with fireworks, which we have done in the past.

but, yeah. Many only care about themselves

Don't live in a town if you can't compromise.

It’s not just dogs.

She’ll have done “nothing to prepare for it” because every year there’s a window of around a fortnight when fireworks will be getting set off. And these fireworks will range from a handful of isolated, mild whistlers to hourlong barrages of ear splitting air bombs.

Of my 3 dogs, 2 are entirely unbothered which is great, but does nothing to compensate for the 1 who is left shaking, panting, salivating and cowering in a corner for days and weeks on end. Yes, we use dog ear muffs/a snood, yes we play soothing music, yes we’ve tried calming plug ins and desensitising in the weeks/months leading up to Bonfire night….sadly none of these things really help. We even looked into meds from the vet but these can only be taken for 2-3 consecutive days - entirely insufficient when fireworks can be let off any time after mid October through to mid November depending upon when November 5th falls in the calendar.

I don’t object to people enjoying fireworks and I appreciate that with a midweek date, some will have theirs going off this weekend, some midweek and some next weekend. I do however struggle to understand why the fireworks need to be so loud and why the typical fireworks display in a back garden by a family needs to go on for hours and be obnoxiously loud. When I was a kid, a couple of sparklers and possibly a Catherine wheel stuck on the garden shed was more than enough. I’m not sure what’s changed?

Yep.

Though I wouldn't be against display only fireworks as I realise it isn't only just pets who are negatively impacted, I don't think councils have much interest in funding them though so it's unlikely to happen.

But since my child is terrified 365 days of the year thanks to dogs which are allowed almost everywhere now, admittedly I don't have as much sympathy as I probably should when it comes to scared dogs for a few weeks.

I do miss the days when Guy Fawkes Night was something to look forward to. It was an evening of magic seeing the pretty colours again the night sky. It was ONE evening a year!

Fuck everyone and everything else, as long as your kids enjoyed the fireworks 🙄

I detest fireworks for multiple reasons. They should be banned from public sale.