Blooming fireworks ...

It feels wrong to go on deliberately frightening animals especially since they are so innocent

Remember, remember, the

5^th of November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

Today it’s Tuesday 10^th November … and the bangs are still going on!

Moss was fairly untroubled at first, but each evening, as the bangs keep on coming, she’s become more anxious - and she’s far from the worst affected. 

For some dogs the unpredictable bangs are deeply distressing. It’s not just dogs of course, it’s many animals - farm animals and wildlife suffer too.

As I walked beside the river, at dusk the other evening, I was listening to the distinctive sound of pheasants roosting; it’s a lovely sound. Then some fireworks went off, and I could immediately hear the distress in their calls.

Stress reaches far beyond our domestic pets.

Back home, I searched online for ways to keep dogs calm on firework night. There’s no shortage of products promising to ease their distress. There is: desensitizing training, dog anxiety vests, calming supplements and pheromones … the list goes on and on. 

Surely that misses the point.

I think that marking a significant date in history is culturally important, but traditions need to evolve.

Loud – unpredictable – bangs – frighten animals.

(And those of us with a nervous disposition too.)

Different countries are tackling the firework problem in different ways.

In New Zealand, they have reduced noise limit of traditional fireworks from 120 dB to 90 dB.  In Scotland, local councils are making certain areas “firework free zones”. And in Japan, investments have been made into high-quality displays using lasers and drones - notfireworks. 

It’s all interesting stuff, and not exactly Guy Fawkes; but the issues are the same.

It’s easy to moan, and not particularly helpful either.  All I’m saying is let’s keep the fun — just make it more visual and less blooming noisy  - please! 

AJK