www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36311475
People really do need to get over themselves a little. Animals, both wild and domesticated, have been around as long as fireworks, in fact longer. Fireworks are fun and are used by people to celebrate things. I can't disagree that they can be a little irritating very late at night but really, is this the best thing that the killjoys can find to worry about?
I'd have preferred to see the headline "Firework lovers urge pet restrictions" :-)
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I am not an animal lover. Having said that I would not like to see any animal mistreated in any way. There are a multitude of extremists, animal lovers can be one of them. The RSPCA have realised that an extreme policy can be counter productive.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 17 May 16 at 17:54
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"Killjoy" or not, many animals are absolutely terrified by fireworks. And while fireworks may have qualified as "fun" when there wasn't much else to look at, well...y'know, things have moved on a bit.
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>> while fireworks may have qualified as "fun" when there wasn't much else to look at, well...y'know, things have moved on a bit.
Can't agree Humph... a proper firework display costing thousands of pounds a minute is a real sight to behold, if you're in the mood.
I remember from Ceylon very long strings of handmade firecrackers, powder and very fast fuse in a cylinder made of multiple layers of newspaper. A long string could fizzle and bang for five minutes. Fireworks were cheap and we children did our best to blow our fingers off etc. and improvise firearms with tubes and fruit.
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The firework displays in South America around New Years Eve and typically Independence Day are awesome. Quite put into shadow anything I have ever seen in Europe.
They are impressive, although about 5 minutes does it for me. But I always wonder about how the wildlife manages to cope with that magnitude of bang.
Certainly my two dogs were utterly terrified of them and I used to dislike November for that.
All in all, fireworks are more of an annoyance to me than anything else.
But more restrictions? Really? Why is our only response to anything we don't like, don't want to do or which affects our life is to make laws banning it?
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Point taken obviously about the frightening nature of Guy Fawkes night where dogs and cats are concerned. I'd be inclined to keep them indoors.
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I think the underlying point is that, if fireworks are restricted to specific dates, then pet owners could take precautions. Random detonations by Joe Bloggs and his stun bomb hurling offspring are a pain.
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Utterly a pain.
But I think we have enough legislation. We are developing the same problem with our legislation that we are experiencing with antibiotics.
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I agree actually, I don't want anything else banned either, well, apart from lorries in lane 2, obviously, but other than that.
No, if people want to let off fireworks then so be it, but it doesn't alter the fact that many animals become very distressed by them whether they are indoors or not.
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Soon the nice big Bangs will be feeble "pops" - Health and Safety you know, can't have the kiddywinks risking ear-damage can we?
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I firmly believe that fireworks should only be available for professional licenced displays. I can keep the cat inside for a few days a year in November and around New Year, but if everyone is letting them off for random birthdays and even 4th July you just can't plan ahead.
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>> I think the underlying point is that, if fireworks are restricted to specific dates, then
>> pet owners could take precautions. Random detonations by Joe Bloggs and his stun bomb hurling
>> offspring are a pain.
>>
Quite agree. I'm old enough to remember when fireworks were sold about a month before Bonfire Night, and were virtually unobtainable about a day after the event; nowadays one can purchase them all year round. I'm afraid it also does irk me somewhat that my former hobby of shooting has been legislated almost into oblivion whilst there are probably more restrictions on chavs buying cigarettes than there are for them buying fireworks.
I would like to see a system of licensed purchase for fireworks, dependent upon a safety qualification; it is surely farcical that users of e-cigarettes cannot purchase the liquid in larger quantities than 10ml (lest they risk poisoning themselves should they decide to drink the stuff) but fireworks are available to anyone over 18.
Just out of interest, here's the government leaflet which lays out conditions for selling fireworks;
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/31873/10-1043-fireworks-retailers-guide.pdf
Scary thing is that you can buy up to 50kg without a license. I do note though that even on November 5th there are time limits. Worth remembering if you have problems with a neighbour's display.
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Too many laws !
You used to be able to enjoy your fireworks and your pets at the same time by tying a rip-rap to the cat's tail.
I suppose that's not allowed now....bah !
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Next door had a party earlier this year - my neighbour's 70th. We knew about the party but not about the fireworks....! Frightened the life out of the Springer but no adverse reaction beyond running away from the sounds. The Cocker doesn't mind.
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>> Random detonations by Joe Bloggs and his stun bomb hurling offspring are a pain.
If you have the misfortune to be eating out in Algiers at the feast of Mouloud (I think it's the Prophet's birthday but may be wrong) youngsters off the street may chuck thunderflashes under your chair before running off giggling.
Not too brilliant for a knackered middle-aged digestion, although it sort of adds to the gaiety of nations I suppose.
Algerians are wicked cats, always up for a robust joke. They are the drunkest Muslims I've ever met, except for a certain Iraqi.
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>>Algerians are wicked cats, always up for a robust joke. They are the drunkest Muslims I've ever met, except for a certain Iraqi.
Interesting, considering the religious objection and that much alcohol is produce in Algeria. A Malay colleague (practically ipso facto a Muslim) told me he could drink alcohol, just so long as he did not get drunk.
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French Algeria produced vast quantities of red wine, some of it really excellent if you like heavy and mellow.
Houari Boumedienne was both a socialist and a pious Muslim, funny cat. I used to drink with local hacks in seedy Algiers bars, but under Boumedienne they started closing because of religious pressure. The hacks then became a bit tortured and liable to get distastefully sloshed.
Meanwhile some mischievous secret police I knew socially drove rapidly about the capital when they could hardly stand let alone see, they even managed to scare me. Crashed into the back of another car once but sent it on its way with a flea in its ear... Only with their driving though, they didn't give me the third degree.
Couldn't help noticing others doing rapid vanishing acts when we entered a bar however. We didn't usually pay either. There's a lot to be said for fascism if you're in with the on-top side and don't think too hard.
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Preposterous. We ban too many things as it is.
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Oh there's plenty more to go yet...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-36320123
{Throwing mortar boards in the air on graduation day}
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Meanwhile in the countryside, cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, and other livestock are free to be scared to death..
(You could not make it up)
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For every new law two should be repealed untill we get to a sensible number then one for one.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 18 May 16 at 15:50
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"Pet lovers urge fireworks restrictions" - Old Navy
