Firework Watch

kylith

They've started in my area already. I was to be found on the street yesterday yelling 'It's bloody 3pm!' I can't walk Finn in the evening anymore now.

Have they started around you yet?

VonVix

Yeah, heard one go off about 9pm yesterday, luckily none of my three are really bothered plus we recently got triple glazing lol.

tk123

3 evenings in a row last week. First we were in the park around 6 fish and heard 3 bangs and that was it tail down and he was heading home - luckily I'd been practicing recall (he has a very serious condition called post-restriction deafness that he gets after his big operations lol!! ) so had a long line on him or I think he could have bolted...although we practice our emergency stops every week so I'd like to hope he'd have stopped for me!! Then I heard a rocket late the following night and night after a load went off - he heard those ones but I coaxed him to lie back down and he lay listening for a while then went back asleep. It'll be such a shame to have him not wanting to go out on walks soon after him having surgery almost 6 months ago, being restricted and building him back up etc etc I'm planning on getting him a better fitting harness so it's easier to hold him if he does try to pull home and so he doesn't hurt himself - last year he was pulling that hard he was gasping. I've ordered a custom made one for Lucy so waiting for that to try on him in case I need to make any adjustments etc etc

kylith

tk123 wrote: »

3 evenings in a row last week. First we were in the park around 6 fish and heard 3 bangs and that was it tail down and he was heading home -

We were the same; got out of the car at the park and 200m later there's a succession of pops and off he goes back to the car, tail between his legs.

jenn1984

Nothing around me but then I'm in a fairly rural area. Hope we don't have to start closing in our cats - they will throw the mother of all strops if they can't get outside.

tk123

My friend has moved to a quiet spot where they don't hear them and said we're always welcome etc etc so I'd love to go down to her but don't want to impose...but if she offers we'll be down in a heartbeat .

kylith

tk123 wrote: »

My friend has moved to a quiet spot where they don't hear them and said we're always welcome etc etc so I'd love to go down to her but don't want to impose...but if she offers we'll be down in a heartbeat .

A friend of mine is similar and offered to let me come visit, but unfortunately for her I'd be showing up now, staying till mid November, and then be back again for a month over new year.

tk123

Bailey is ok-ish when it's bright. But once it gets dark ANY noise he hears outside (if I can get him out) and he'll be afraid. I'm lucky enough that I live beside the park so I get them in before work and can work from home if I need to do I have that option too as it get's closer and I can't get him out in the evenings - when I wfh I'd take them for a stroll at lunchtime to break up the day. I tried coaxing him out before but then felt guilty when he was afraid so better to leave him in where he's settled. I think a spaceship could land beside Lucy and she might woo-wooo at it lol so no problems with her.....although she's 4 now and Bailey was fine until he was 4!

tk123

A bad few days. Wed he thought he heard something and was on edge in the park but came around, thurs a big bang from a skip and he was terrified, he settled a little bit but on edge on the park listening to everything and positioning himself behind our legs when we stopped..but pulling towards the gates when we were moving. I ended up having my dad come to the gate and let him run up the hill to him so he could go home and I could stay on with Lucy a bit longer - this is the dog who's dragged kicking and screaming away from me but he only looked back a few times then went with my dad which was a relief - I regret not taking him home immediately though . Fri he begged not to be taken out - lay in the crate lifting his paw up = PLEASE!!! so I left him in, sat evening he was resting and there was a bang inside - he went into the kitchen and hid under the table crying, all good yesterday since I got him out and back early.. but this morning a skip being collected and one dropped opposite the park and he was ready to bolt. The saving grace has been that he was relaxed in the mornings so at least he was getting a walk then if he refused later and now he's even on edge in the morning!

It's still September

Bells21

We've just had our first dose of fireworks this evening. Wasn't expecting them, had the back door opened for the dogs to potter in and out as I was cleaning and then we heard them. Hoops froze to the spot, tail down and ears up but so far back on his head. I went to coax him in but the poor cows in the field backing on to our garden had obviously also been frightened and it sounded like a stampede with lots of mooing which didn't help poor Hoops. He's been up and down the stairs 4/5 times since the few went off and when he's not upstairs he's been right beside me as I'm cleaning. I even walked on him once because I didn't see him.

tk123

Poor Hoops...and the cows. Bailey would be up and down the stairs if i let him but I'd be worried about the knee now? It got to the stage last year where I decided i needed to break the cycle of him pacing etc so kept him in the sitting room as much as possible to encourage him to settle. He heard one just before he was going to go to the loo before hydro this evening and ran into the vets instead! Wee'd in a flower bed the second he came out so he must have been bursting lol!

Bells21

tk123 wrote:

Poor Hoops...and the cows. Bailey would be up and down the stairs if i let him but I'd be worried about the knee now? It got to the stage last year where I decided i needed to break the cycle of him pacing etc so kept him in the sitting room as much as possible to encourage him to settle. He heard one just before he was going to go to the loo before hydro this evening and ran into the vets instead! Wee'd in a flower bed the second he came out so he must have been bursting lol!

Must be the first dog to run into the vets!!! I've tried covered crates and keeping him in the one room but the place he relaxes a little in is on an old duvet in the alcove of our room. I'm assuming the noise isn't as loud there. I've tried getting him to settle but even though he's as food motivated as they come, when the fireworks start he hasn't any interest.

Bells21

So after trying all the usual tricks of the trade in regards to keeping a dog stress free during the fireworks, I had to look at other options. I bought some dorwest valerian and skullcap tablets and have had our fella on these for almost 10 days now. We haven't had one evening of frantic pacing in the house. They seem to take him down a notch so that he can be distracted with his toys/games etc.

Kerry25x

I guess that my dog is in the minority because he doesn't seem to be troubled by fireworks at all. We were out walking last week when some teenagers set off fireworks in the park across the road from us but other than stopping for a couple seconds to see what was going on he hardly reacted.

tk123

Bells21 wrote: »

I bought some dorwest valerian and skullcap tablets and have had our fella on these for almost 10 days now. We haven't had one evening of frantic pacing in the house. They seem to take him down a notch so that he can be distracted with his toys/games etc.

Tricky boy Bailey spits the pills out lol so I use the drops - I find they work better and you can drop them on bedding or in Bailey's case his bib

Kerry25x wrote: »

I guess that my dog is in the minority because he doesn't seem to be troubled by fireworks at all. We were out walking last week when some teenagers set off fireworks in the park across the road from us but other than stopping for a couple seconds to see what was going on he hardly reacted.

Bailey was like that until he was 4 then got a fright from thunder that summer and was terrified at halloween

Bells21

I have the valerian spray from holistic hound too which he loves to lick as I spray it but the tablets have had a great affect so far. I've shoved them into his food and he hadn't noticed so far. Our fella was the same,was never overly concerned about fireworks until last year. Can't pinpoint when he got the scare that has done the damage.

kylith

Finn went out for a poo about 2pm today and was halfway through when they started going off. He ran inside and dropped the rest of it indoors. I'm not impressed.

tk123

kylith wrote: »

Finn went out for a poo about 2pm today and was halfway through when they started going off. He ran inside and dropped the rest of it indoors. I'm not impressed.

We had a few accidents last year for the same reason - poor Bailey bursting and afraid to go out!

Lucy has started to take notice of them too when we're out. I've been praising and treating her when she hears them but walked a different way the other evening to avoid where I knew they were going off. She heard one yesterday jumped up and came to me for her treat but still listened after. She's 4 now - the same age Bailey was when he started to be afraid of them.

baby and crumble

At about 11 last night a rake of them were lit and thrown into our front garden. Explosions blew out power in the whole estate. Our cats are incredibly chill thank god but I can only imagine how terrified some of the local dogs must have been. :mad:

Ashbx

baby and crumble wrote: »

At about 11 last night a rake of them were lit and thrown into our front garden. Explosions blew out power in the whole estate. Our cats are incredibly chill thank god but I can only imagine how terrified some of the local dogs must have been. :mad:

Ugh they are little sh*ts sometimes!

I had some fireworks thrown into my car last year when I left my sunroof slightly open in my driveway! Whatever about the dogs, they scared the living daylight out of me!

Ashbx

My collie is starting to be a bit reluctant to go out these days too!

We are nearly there folks....only a week or so left of the firework season! Unfortunately, the bangs seem to be starting earlier and earlier each year!

baby and crumble

Ashbx wrote: »

Ugh they are little sh*ts sometimes!

I had some fireworks thrown into my car last year when I left my sunroof slightly open in my driveway! Whatever about the dogs, they scared the living daylight out of me!

Oh my god, were you in the car???

Yeah it was pretty scary. Fair play to ESB though, we reported it straight away and they had it all repaired and power back within 30 minutes.

Ashbx

baby and crumble wrote: »

Oh my god, were you in the car???
QUOTE]

No, thankfully! Car was in the driveway and I was in my living room. Ran out to the car and opened the doors before anything caught on fire.

Thankfully I have seat covers on my car for the dogs which took the brunt of the damage. My car seats themselves were fine.

Bells21

I was in school at 8:45 this morning and I could hear fireworks going off in an estate that the school is in! Have been trying to educate my little people on the dangers of fireworks and how scary they must be for animals/older people.
Thankfully Hoops has been doing better this year, in the house anyway. One went off the other night while we were in the garden and he went to the door to be let in. He didn't run at the door and once inside he was calm enough not pacing or panting. Such a relief.

Kerry25x

tk123 wrote: »

Bailey was like that until he was 4 then got a fright from thunder that summer and was terrified at halloween

Ah, that's interesting. My guy is 3 now, hopefully he won't get more nervous as he gets older. People are relentless with fireworks around my area the last couple weekends.

tk123

Bailey got all excited to come on the evening walk this evening as I was home a bit earlier that usual - he normally goes into hiding...tried to put him off but he was that excited I knew he'd freak if we left him. Well we were out about 20 mins then boom! He did settle once we turned and went the opposite way but still uneasy in the park so we came home then more going off! Once Halloween is over I'll have to get him out for some short walks and build his confidence/courage up!

Bells21

tk123 wrote:

Once Halloween is over I'll have to get him out for some short walks and build his confidence/courage up!

You will have just succeeded and he'll be happy as Larry and then BOOM! New year's Eve! Well that's how it is down our way anyway

tk123

Bells21 wrote: »

You will have just succeeded and he'll be happy as Larry and then BOOM! New year's Eve! Well that's how it is down our way anyway

Yep same around here! At least I can work from home over the holidays and get them out early! I have a meeting on tues morning in work then work from home the afternoon to mind him!

kylith

I'm walking in the mornings these days. Thankfully the tossers who set them off tend not to be around at 7:30am.

tk123

kylith wrote: »

I'm walking in the mornings these days. Thankfully the tossers who set them off tend not to be around at 7:30am.

We've heard them a few times very early. Even this morning a few went off before 9 but he didn't seem to notice! He's settled a few evenings this week after hearing them rather than going from room to room listening.

tk123

Nice quiet evening and we said earlier we were going to jinx it by saying it.. sure enough he was up there wanting to run out to the loo so assuming he heard a bang..then he wanted to come upstairs(he normally sleeps downstairs) and has set up camp on our tiny landing.. I've had to leave the bathroom door open and light on so nobody is killed during the night and falls over him! Hopefully by this time tomorrow he'll be passed out from exhaustion and we'll be over the worse of it!

Happy Halloween everyone >_<

VonVix

The fireworks were really kicking off last night, so much so I think it was my next door neighbour who had them going. Lovely.

Time to make some Kongs for this evening.

Bells21

I had to stop the car when driving through a local estate as there was a number of people letting fireworks off in the middle of the road. I'd love to say that these were kids/teen-agers that didn't know any better but they were 30/40 year old men!!
Fireworks have started here this morning already, going to be a fun day. Thank goodness we don't have trick or treaters to deal with too.

muddypaws

I don't usually have an issues, living in the middle of nowhere, but spent the weekend at Camac Valley campsite in Dublin, unfortunately had to have one dog in the van with me due to a mix up at the kennels I'd booked. I chose Max, who I thought wouldn't be bothered by any bangs, but I was wrong, Saturday night it was quiet, and he was fine, Sunday night he was petrified. Having run the marathon on Sunday, I didn't think I could climb up into my bed in the camper van, and so pulled the mattress down onto the floor, he sleeps on my bed every night, so I thought he'd be happier under the duvet with me in the van, but the poor lad was so scared, he wanted to be in one of the crates. He still didn't settle, and took a lot of coaxing to come out of the crate in the morning. I'm very glad that I live where I do, those of you who have to put up with this every year really have my sympathies.

VonVix

muddypaws wrote: »

I don't usually have an issues, living in the middle of nowhere, but spent the weekend at Camac Valley campsite in Dublin, unfortunately had to have one dog in the van with me due to a mix up at the kennels I'd booked. I chose Max, who I thought wouldn't be bothered by any bangs, but I was wrong, Saturday night it was quiet, and he was fine, Sunday night he was petrified. Having run the marathon on Sunday, I didn't think I could climb up into my bed in the camper van, and so pulled the mattress down onto the floor, he sleeps on my bed every night, so I thought he'd be happier under the duvet with me in the van, but the poor lad was so scared, he wanted to be in one of the crates. He still didn't settle, and took a lot of coaxing to come out of the crate in the morning. I'm very glad that I live where I do, those of you who have to put up with this every year really have my sympathies.

That's a stones throw from me, it was worse yesterday can you imagine.

tk123

One rocket and one explosion so far. He's already had calmex but put his vest on after the rocket and some drops of valerian complex on his bib and tongue. He cried at the rocket and got up, for the bang just lay listening and went back asleep so much better than he was last year - I hope it stays this way and we don't have panic stations! I have a tube of Sileo which I saved from his surgery in March but waiting until a bit later until I give it so it lasts the evening. He's settled in the kitchen so working here for now with ironically 'this is halloween, this is halloween' and other songs from Nightmare before Christmas blaring out lol lol

Ashbx

muddypaws wrote: »

I don't usually have an issues, living in the middle of nowhere, but spent the weekend at Camac Valley campsite in Dublin, unfortunately had to have one dog in the van with me due to a mix up at the kennels I'd booked. I chose Max, who I thought wouldn't be bothered by any bangs, but I was wrong, Saturday night it was quiet, and he was fine, Sunday night he was petrified. Having run the marathon on Sunday, I didn't think I could climb up into my bed in the camper van, and so pulled the mattress down onto the floor, he sleeps on my bed every night, so I thought he'd be happier under the duvet with me in the van, but the poor lad was so scared, he wanted to be in one of the crates. He still didn't settle, and took a lot of coaxing to come out of the crate in the morning. I'm very glad that I live where I do, those of you who have to put up with this every year really have my sympathies.

Well done you doing the marathon by the way!

FionnK86

What's the nicest place to go to view fireworks in North Dublin City?

I've two Italians that don't celebrate Halloween that much, was thinking Howth but need somewhere you can drive to the view.

Bells21

FionnK86 wrote:

What's the nicest place to go to view fireworks in North Dublin City?

Think you might be in the wrong thread, this one is more about animals having the bejesus scared out of them thanks to fireworks.

Hoops had an extra tablet earlier to keep him cool, calm and collected. He's been listening to some of the fireworks but wasn't too phased by them, happy to sit with us and is currently denting the kickboards in the kitchen by walloping his Kong gyro full of food off them. Considering this time last year he was panting and pacing and couldn't sit still I'd say it's a win!

Cherry Blossom

So many reports on Facebook of dogs missing and dogs sighted running scared through traffic etc. I really don't understand why people don't keep them in.

tk123

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

So many reports on Facebook of dogs missing and dogs sighted running scared through traffic etc. I really don't understand why people don't keep them in.

Oh my dad will go out to the car any minute now with every door in the house open and the gates too! :rolleyes: Not everyone is on the ball about these kind of things >_<

Anyways he got a bit worried earlier with some panting and crying Had furry cows ears for treats and remembered cheapy zooplus hooves out in the shed so gave one each. Towels underneath to try and contain the mess they make! They smell like rubbish too lol

CFlat

My dog is terrified. It's been bad for the last week but this evening its just fu cking ridiculous. Sounds as if bombs are going off. I've had him in since 5.00, television on loud and talking loud in between the silences and clapping my hands. It seems to be working but I am quite annoyed by the neighbours. We have horses here and dogs and cats, you'd think they would have more cop on.

mymo

Toby the cat climbed out of an upstairs window and jumped down onto my car below, wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it from the kitchen window.
Thankfully he doesn't seem bothered and defiantly sitting on the wall refusing to come in. Ponies in the field not bothered, other 3 cats not bothered. One dog conked out the other in my lap (the bigger of the two) which is weird as he's never been bothered before by them.

tk123

Ah he'd just nodded off then loads started the last 10 mins or so and back up crying! >_< Lucy girl is passed out but waking up when he's crying and standing with him for a while then goes back asleep lol

VonVix

Should have gotten myself a tub of ice cream, I have legitimately had a more anxious evening than my dogs lol.

kylith

Luckily Finn hasn't been too bothered. Whinged a couple of times, but mostly asleep. Looks like all the time I spent playing youtube videos paid off. He's still jumpy as anything outside, but we're into morning walks for the rest of the winter at least.

tk123

We made it! He should be happy to go for a walk in the evenings right in time for bloody new years!! We've had worse nights than last night but glad it's over with! I'll let him skip the evening walks for the rest of the week to be safe.