Dogs at a firework display (rant alert!)

[Alfiem]

My terrier loves going out into the garden to try and catch the fireworks!! - he can't work out why they dont land as such and spends ages sniffing around then looking back up at the sky to chase the next one! I can walk him on bonfire night and the bangs don't worry him at all, I wouldn't take him to a display though as he'd be a greedy pest...My old collie cross hated fireworks and would hide under the stairs and get snappy poor lad, it was a blessing in disguise when he went deaf in his old age

 

[JFTDWS]

I can see the logic in taking a puppy - desensitisation and exposure, which if the dog isn't given any reason to think is scary, may help him accept fireworks in future. I wouldn't take my dog - he's fine with fireworks but he'd do his nut and lose all manners at the sight of a hotdog stand

I could also take my cob or my older highland to a display - they're both more than happy to watch the fireworks Given half a chance, they would also mug you for a hot dog though

I don't think it's an innately absurd thing to do - quite logical. But if the dogs were freaking out once they were there, I would take them home rather than sit the whole thing out.

 

[JFTDWS]

Sorry bit of a rant but I get so bloody mad at smug people who claim all their animals don't mind, I bet a lot of them do but the owners are so selfish they don't see it!

And in my humble opinion, most owners whose pets do mind are owners who haven't bothered to expose their animals to such things in a positive manner and owners who fuss so much around their pets when there are fireworks that they make the animal neurotic.

My animals genuinely don't mind. They show no signs of distress. The horses were standing chewing their forage in the field looking up at the fireworks quite happily while the dog ran around with his ball. Clearly I wasn't paying them any attention because I was too busy being selfish at home...