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??!!!

Oh yes I am well aware they are not illegal although they should be.

People have them for all sorts of pathetic reasons and sod pets, wildlife, horses, elderly people, people with ptsd etc etc.

Plenty of them go off after 11pm (which I think it too late any way). Quite a few go off mid afternoon when it is light so morons with money to burn.

There IS NO NEED WHATSOEVER for people to have fireworks on the 3rd, 6th or 7th November. The weekend before I can understand even if I think it is pathetic and the Saturday after makes slight sense but yesterday!!!! Why the hell would you have fireworks on the 9th??? Not just one household who may have such a busy schedule that they could not possibly have them on the right night or at least close to the right night but quite a few moronic selfish households.

Also just why fireworks for halloween? Thought it was meant to be about trick or treating not bloody fireworks

Our local pub did their fireworks display yesterday. I'm assuming it was the best day that worked for them.

If we went to organised firework displays only, it would be whenever it suited whoever is doing them so it would still be some the weekend before the 5th, some on the 5th and some the weekend after the 5th.

😂😂 the rage.

You can’t control other people, or their choices. It really is as simple as that. You can however control your own reaction to those choices. Ranting and raving on a public forum is one reaction but it’s unlikely to help you.

This level of anger about something you can’t control, is a waste of energy.

No it's not about fireworks for Halloween, it's about people not necessarily always wanting or being able to do two big events so close together. Whereas if Halloween is midweek and Bonfire Night on the Monday, that's a bigger gap between the two, so doing it the weekend before rather than after the 5th will become more attractive to some people. Although saying that, others might prefer to do it all together. But the main lesson to take is that fireworks on both the weekends before and after Bonfire Night are a thing that is going to happen.

As for need, there's no need for you have a dog either. But you still do, because your selfish desire is more important to you than the downsides that others may experience from it. This is just the same.

I get sick of it too, I grew up in 7Os and 80s and swear everyone entered into the spirit of bonfire night and did what they could to protect any anxious pets.
Ive had pets throughout my life, we kept the cats in and they weren't that bothered.
Currently have cats, dogs, chickens, rabbits and guineas and none of them seen very bothered by it, just all kept in.
Bonfire night is an important part of English history and culture.
If you have an exceptionally anxious pet then I think you can get medication from the vets.

Ah, so you are aware that legally there's no 'correct day' then. Rant away then, but perhaps do it to the government as well, since on here won't change anything 🤔. I don't agree people who.uae fireworks at weddings, birthdays, for bonfire celebrations, and religious celebrations are 'morons' though as you suggested, just following what's allowed.

I grew up in the 70s and 80s as well, and it was nothing like it is now in terms of level of noise and sheer numbers being let off.

For one thing, you could only buy them over the two week period anyway. For another thing, the fireworks available for the public to buy were pretty limited. I remember our back garden 'displays' coming in a small box with mostly ground level fizzers of the Roman Candle variety, a Catherine wheel and one big rocket at the end.

Nothing like the home boxes you can get now. Come to that, the organised displays are bigger now.

It IS louder, it IS greater in quantity, now. More people do bigger displays in their back garden.

I don't mind it much myself, but it's not like the 70's and 80's.

You're really comparing a living creature to some pretty lights in the sky? Really? Maybe go live on a dessert island with your fireworks to keep you company-then we'd all be happy! I don't even have a dog.

No, I'm comparing the act of pet ownership to fireworks in that both are selfish, undertaken for the pleasure of the owner who prioritises their wants over any downsides others might experience. It's an extremely simple distinction.

I don't currently have a firework either, while we're sharing things that aren't in our houses today.

You can get medication from the vet and at least 2 of my friends have to use it for their dogs BUT why the hell should they have to literally knock them out night after night after night after night after night? If people had fireworks on 5th November they would know to use the medication. As it is they have no idea what days or nights people might decide it's a good idea to have fireworks. Even if they think they need to use the medication why would they think it would be needed early afternoon when it is still light and not even 5th November?

Where one of my friends live there are fireworks at least weekly from the end of October until the new years. As she doesn't have a crystal ball she has no idea which nights they are likely to happen and once they start it is more or less too late to adminster the medication. Maybe she should just knock them out every day for 2 months?

What down side are there to me having a dog? Fireworks cause distress to animals and people. They cause injury to animals and people. Yobs use them as weapons. They are put through peoples' letterboxes and cause fires.

My dog is not doing any of those things. Yes some people are scared of dogs but they can quite often avoid them. I can't avoid the noise of fireworks. People scared of birds can't really avoid them can they?

Dogs are bloody everywhere. It is incredibly difficult to avoid them now.

My son who is terrified of dogs absolutely can't avoid them. Our lives would be so much easier if he could, believe me.

As well as pets, local wildlife will be panicked as well. If you don’t cate about our pets, then maybe think about the foxes, birds and other wildlife that fireworks terrify.

You mean the same local wildlife who are panicked when pets terrorise them or even in some cases, kill them?

Love the way you acknowledge the most obvious downside in your post, other people's phobia, and decide it doesn't matter. You're not beating those hypocrite allegations!

As usual, the downsides you list about fireworks mostly apply to dogs too. They can cause distress to people and animals, are used as weapons, attack emergency services.

And as has been pointed out loads of times, dogs are a year round problem (ironically Bonfire Night is about the only respite for those who need to avoid them). Your dog is less exposed to fireworks than people who have dog related PTSD are to dogs in general society.

The very same! Pet owners pretending to give a fuck about wildlife is a genuine highlight of the Bonfire Night season at this point. The lack of self awareness is almost beautiful.

There were some fireworks on the weekends, they were fine. I wasn't bothered and it didn't upset me

What ?

Dogs attack and frighten people, wild animals and livestock. They shit and piss all over the place. Their owners hang plastic bags of shit in bushes. They do not benefit anyone except their owner. They’re more antisocial than fireworks because they’re year-round and ubiquitous - there’s no escape from them.

Fireworks are fun. I did some for Diwali..I'll do some for new years.

Don’t forget the allergies that nobody respects but are extremely real. You bringing your dog everywhere has real health implications for others. Dog poo is literally toxic to wildlife. You are over consuming resources to feed the dog. The barking your neighbours probably have to endure. And on and on - there are loads of downsides to you having a dog

This thread is like fireworks never-ending.

Yes, it's quite a novelty to have members of the delulu doggy brigade pretending to care about wildlife this late in the month. Normally it's gone back to radio silence by now. I wonder if it'll restart at New Year?

Good point re allergies @NewHome2026.

There used to be fireworks locally about twice a year. Now we get them the weekend before and after Guy Fawkes (so often 5 days instead of 1), New Year and several random other days. Probably 8 times a year. We’re in a rural area. I imagine somewhere more suburban it could be much worse.

How for you suggest I prepare my cats for fireworks OP. Especially if there is no warning.
I have a friend whose dog died from fright from sudden loud fireworks.
I can't keep my cats sedated for a whole week.
Fireworks at private homes should be banned, all fireworks displays should be controlled and done away from homes but even that doesn't help wildlife.
Again small or old animals can die if frightened enough.
One of my cats is very old and deaf so she's ok. But the other one ended up terrified, trembling and foaming at the mouth. I had to get in the understairs cupboard with her in a blanket fort every night for a week.
It isnt fair on the animals.