I HATE FIREWORKS

[peggyleggy]

I will start by saying that this is my dog’s first 4th of July and she’s doing incredible! I’m so proud of her and the fact that she was calm and didn’t react to the fireworks as I had thought she may.

With that said, what the f**k is wrong with people?! They’re literally throwing fireworks that make the buildings shake and sound like bombs! I don’t mind the legal firework shows that the cities will do because those are scheduled until a certain time and they’re set in non-pedestrian areas. The ones I mean are the illegal ones.

Like don’t they realize that they’re literally burning their money? And I wouldn’t be surprised to see that tomorrow I’ll find a lot of garbage on the sidewalks from people that didn’t pick up the trash.

Anyway, had to vent because my poor dog is doing her best to go to bed and every 5 minutes someone will light a firework that makes the whole apartment shake.

 

[mdc]

@peggyleggy Have a party (with rewards) with your pup each time you hear a firework. Mine went from being terrified of them to getting excited when she heard them and runs to the treat cupboard.

Similar to LAT training

 

[zog]

@mdc I love this!

It's a perfect example of leading your dog and not following them.

We were all scared of roller coasters, thunder, dark basements, scary movies, etc. Should they all be prohibited?

No, we find an adult, a big bro or sis, someone we can trust to lead us through these times, until we can handle it ourselves .

 

[nek1]

@zog But people being inconsiderate with fireworks should be illegal.

 

[sherelle]

@zog No but fireworks are pointless.

 

[zog]

@sherelle That's a silly thing to say, fireworks are an ancient as well as modern industry and fascination.

As are dogs.

You wouldn't like if someone told you dogs are pointless. Your dog is not guarding, shepherding, pulling a sled, etc. No better than any technology or professionaly trained dog.

People shouldn't have pets... they're pointless.

See how that works?

I hope you grow to be more understanding and less dismissive.

 

[sherelle]

@zog Of course I love beautiful fireworks organized by the city 2-3-5 times a year for some event.

I am against Chad blowing up his balcony and the street 5 days before NYE. Then leaving a war zone behind because of course he doesn’t care about the people on January 1st picking up his shit at 6am.

And I definitely don’t understand the small things being blown up where every year people lose fingers - is it called firecrackers in english? I have seen parents show this to their little kids. Why?!?!?

Of course like everything it’s not about the specific thing, it’s about the people…

Btw my hate for fireworks has nothing to do with dogs - I hate them since a little kid when I was afraid of walking in my neighborhood and heard news about people getting hurt and losing fingers constantly. I only found out many dogs are scared of them like last year. And now I understand this stupid tradition even less.

 

[robsgotmail]

@zog This is a hobby that can be avoided because it is genuinely scary for a lot of beings, humans with ptsd and animal.

 

[smileagain]

@robsgotmail And should people not have dogs because some people are terrified of them and have dog related trauma?

That logic applies to everything, stop with the double standard.

 

[lily_lost]

@smileagain This is not at all a comparable example. I have PTSD and the two weeks surrounding the 4th of July is hell. I can’t do anything to avoid it because anywhere you go, someone is firing them off. It’s invasive, causes psychological and emotional distress to humans, pets, and wildlife, and it’s f-ing selfish. Silent fireworks exist. There is no excuse.

 

[smileagain]

@lily_lost People absolutely can have trauma and even PTSD regarding dogs though.

What about people who have been attacked by dogs? Or people who have had a pet killed by a dog? Or people who have had children be mauled by dogs? Or even just people with extreme sensory issues who find being around dogs highly distressing?

I'm sure for people with extreme dog phobia or trauma, their everyday life is very difficult as dogs are present just about everywhere outside. My brother for example was bit by a dog as a very young child and spent the first 11 years of his life having a full on emotional meltdown every time he heard a dog barking.

Low noise fireworks do exist, yes. But they are really not very common, at least from what I've seen. Perhaps if they were easer to obtain then more people might opt for them.

My point is, just about anything could cause distress or a trauma response to somebody out there. If we removed everything from life that could trigger distress to somebody, there literally wouldn't be anything on this planet.

I do think that fireworks should only be done in designated areas though. Randos just setting them off anywhere is not only distressing to some, but is also a safety hazard to everyone in the area.

I'm sorry about your PTSD, that must be horrible right about now.

 

[robsgotmail]

@smileagain Fireworks are not sentient beings, they are just a thing. Loud scary noises are not imperative for anything. It’s freaks out someone like me without ptsd so think of vets that have war related trauma. Or rescue animals that have other traumas. It’s psychologically harmful. Not doing fireworks is not psychologically harming anyone.

 

[rdwin]

@sherelle People like to blow things up, it's amusing. It maybe pointless for you, but that doesn't mean it is for others.

 

[sherelle]

@rdwin At the expense of others?

But if it’s allowed it’s allowed. People are inconsiderate A-holes in many ways.

 

[champion11]

@mdc I tried this but he was too distressed to take the treats!

 

[dlbell208]

@champion11 Same here. And I did desensitization training with fireworks noises- but couldn't prepare him for ones that shake the apartment. He completely ignored the bottle rockets and small firecrackers, mortars are too scary for him to take treats- including boiled chicken and lunch meat ham

 

[mdc]

@champion11 So was mine at the start but she saw how exited we got and started playing with us (she normally never gets to play with the ball inside) and then we worked down to just an excited “yes” and treats

 

[selinalidy]

@mdc That’s also what you can do for a gun shy dog as well.

 

[zog]

@selinalidy Exactly.

Many dogs can deal with guns, cows kicking them in the face, distractions like rodents and birds.

It takes a lot of work, but it's on the owner.

Admittedly, there is the temperament of the dog, but it still comes down to the persistence and consistency of the owner.

Dogs live to serve, and make you happy. Dont be content or sympathetic to undesirable behavior.

 

[mem5]

@mdc Wish that worked on me (I hate fireworks they freak me out)