Fireworks

You were a child yourself once.

Not all children are created equal.

(Wow, hasn't this derailed from fireworks!)

Me neither.

Well I obviously left at some point, but sometimes needs must.  I had my own bedroom which was kept clean and washed kitchen things before I used them.  She did do housework, it's just the cats..the cats...the cats!  (There were "only" 3 it wasn't one of those mad old ladies with a houseful of cats and faeces or anything, but the love of them meant they could do no wrong and she didn't see their germs the way I did).

aghhh, thanks !! now I need a long shower......god how could you live there ? I can't believe they tried to eat it.

I so agree with all the stuff about the germs of pets.  I once flat shared with a woman who was cat-mad, she had 3 cats.  She had hessian wallpaper and her un-neutered tom cat regularly sprayed urine up the hessian wallpaper and the whole flat smelled disgusting, despite her efforts to clean it off.  One of her cats was a persian (white) and it's hair was everywhere, floating along like white fluff.  And all the cats used to jump up over all the kitchen surfaces, it was gross.  I felt like nothing was ever clean.  And this one cat used to always find its way into my bedroom even though I used to shut the door and I'd find a cat-shaped indentation on my bed covered in disgusting bits from outside.  She once made a visitor a meal and dropped it on the carpet, and although she regularly vacuumed there were always cats hairs and she scooped up the meal back onto the plate and gave it to them.  To be polite they tried to eat it but they ended up saying they couldn't as they were finding cat's hairs throughout the meal.

One of the other gross things cats do, when they are rubbing their face "affectionately" against you, they are wiping cheek secretions on you to mark you as their territory.  Blurch!

I always cross over when I see certain types of dogs coming, I don't know all breeds but ones like greyhounds I don't have a problem with, it's not about the dog it's about the breeding, some are bred to be violent at the drop of a hat, it's easy to spot the type. I think all breeds of dogs that have a history of violence should be made to wear muzzles in public and the owners should be vetted, and without question it should be an offence to leave them alone with kids.

However I think all cats should be banned ! they are disgusting creatures that like you say Intenseworld spread toxoplasmosis through their exctretions, this parasite can effect the brain - when mice or rats are affected they actually go towards the cat because they are being controlled by the parasite which wants to get inside the cat to complete the cycle. I think those people that are crazy about cats and like have loads of them living with them are infected by the parasite. Cats also do untold damage to our natural wildlife even Chris Packham has spoken out about that and reckons that 200 million animals are killed every year in the UK by cats.

Personally though, I can never understand why people allow animals to jump all over their furniture and carpet, they let them run in and out without washing their feet, they slobber, moult hairs everywhere, they stink, they don't wipe their bums after a number 2 - gross - especially the people who let their pets get into bed with them. I feel itchy just talking about it.

I am very pleased to hear your opinions regarding this discussion.

No matter what we do, where we do it, and how we do it, rule number one is health and safety. Any pets that are normally kept in the garden should be moved indoors during firework displays. It would be an idea to keep all windows closed, because doing so would minimise the banging noise, especially if the windows were double or triple glazed.

Good to have a debate, I appreciate your opinion.

''Any animal can turn without warning'': this is true, but you have to weigh up the risks with each individual animal. A well trained  dog, and particularly if it is a friendly breed whose history is known, is very unlikely to turn aggressive. Of course one should always be wary around strange dogs, but a responsible owner will keep their dog under firm control when out in public. Some owners, it is true, are very irresponsible, and there are some breeds with a propensity to aggression which I think should be banned: staffies, bull dogs, doberman pinschers, alsations, rottweilers etc. Dogs from the so called 'friendly' breeds, like spaniels, can also be aggressive, it is true, but the breeds are less likely to be aggressive.

All dogs are individuals. My dog, Jessy, we had for 16 years, and in those years she did not hurt a single person, despite kids prodding her, pulling her tail etc. She was a very placid and timid dog, and it was other dogs who often attacked her, poor thing - she could not fight back.

I am not unsympathetic Intense World, and I have OCD, too. However, it is well known that exposure to dogs in childhood can boost your immune system. I used to kiss my dog on the lips and never got ill from it. She was wormed regularly. Having pet dogs can also have other postive effects, like reducing the risk of stress and heart disease.

In the end, I can see both sides. I am afraid of some dogs, and I do think some breeds should be banned and that there should be more draconian leglislation around dog attacks. But humans have owned dogs for thousands of years, and I don't think this will ever change, and neither would it be right to ban dogs. We live in a 'free' society, and to ban all dogs would be dictatorial. This is a complex debate, and it should not be swept aside, but we should retain perspective and a balanced view concerning risks.

Dogs are descended from wolves.  Any animal can turn without warning.  Even the ones that seem placid and harmless.  For that reason alone I think things should be as tough as I said.  One person disfigured is one person too much and one life lost is one life too much.  My view is very unpopular I am aware.  Personally I would go as far as making all pet ownership illegal other than a creature small enough to be kept in a cage in your house (as long as the creature had enough space and was happy).  Cats poo all over other peoples' gardens and dogs are a potential threat (as well as pooing over pavements and other places).  You will never get all owners to be responsible.  Banning is the most effective way.  Not to mention toxicara (dogs) toxoplasmosis (cats) from faeces.  I am quite OCD about germs and I find it disgusting when people let their dogs sniff around you with a dirty wet nose that was in their crotch moments before and God knows where else (I've seen dogs eating dried sick from the pavement before yerch!).

I agree that there should be more policing around dangerous dogs, having a severe dog phobia myself. However, there are responsible and irresponsible dog owners, and as well as certain breeds being more prone to aggression, how the dog is trained also plays a big role. All dogs should be registered and ID tagged (I thought that was now compulsory?), and all dogs should be on a leash when walking along pavements or in urban areas.There should be more draconian penalties for dangerous dogs and dog attacks (long prison sentences etc), but I don't think all dogs should have to be on a leash or muzzled when being walked in the country for instance. It is about striking a balance; there should certainly be more dog free walkways, though, so that  people who have phobias can access the country without fear.

I don't see how you can police not allowing dogs to be left in a room with a child below 16 without an adult present. In any event, not all dogs are aggressive, and this can go too far. I had a really friendly dog as a child, a collie/spaniel cross, and I often was alone with her when I was younger than 16. She was so friendly that kids could climb all over her and she would patiently let them. But she was well trained and raised.  However, some dogs, for example those with a difficult past, can be prone to aggression, and so should be supervised by someone responsible.

I don't like them, but the organised displays are ok because you know whats going to happen, its the sudden ones that I dont like someone fired one at me and my son (a rocket) in a park one day, it was terrifying, it was kids who did it, they were laughing, some old people called the police and made us a cup of tea I was crying and shaking all over

I can't understand why the government has never done anything about fireworks.  Considering they distress pets and wildlife, and humans like us as well as cause injuries.

My personal opinion is that they should be illegal to the general public and should only be allowed to be used for officially organised displays by responsible organisations and displays can be attended by the public.

But then, the government has not done anything about the high volume of dog attacks on children, they haven't brought in laws to enforce all dog owners having to register and have their dog ID tagged and on a leash and muzzle when outside and not allowed to be left in a room with a child below 16 without a responsible adult present.

The government doesn't care to do what's right, ever.

I heard a super loud bang at around 8.30pm today. The bang shook me to the core, and made me swear to myself. The bang was isolated, and no other fire-works have gone off. It is very strange.

Hello, Hope.

I would usually watch television or listen to music with my headphones on, but all that firework noise really distracts me. I don't know if any autistic people do any night-time jobs in their local areas, but if they did, driving to or from work, or using public transport for that matter, would easily become distracted by those loud fireworks. I don't think that waiting 10 to 15 minutes for a bus or train with all those fireworks going off would be particularly good.

Hello, True Colours.

I have been keeping my eyes and ears open on the firework displays in my home town of Felixstowe, in Suffolk. As far as I can tell, most if not all of the fireworks have stopped going off by 9:30pm, or possibly a but later. Perhaps the firework display people are being considerate to the local residents, pets etc.

However, at approximately 7:55pm today (Saturday 9th November), there was an enormous firework explosion in the sky. It was like one of those fireworks that do not produce any coloured shower displays in the sky, but flashes before disappearing completely. That bang was more like a gun or bomb exploding, it was that loud. Almost immediately, a pet dog was barking, as if it was scared.

In my opinion, a firework isn't one without the coloured shower displays. Most of these do not bang so loudly in the sky. Any that flash and bang excessively loudly in the sky should be banned. I feel so sorry for any pets, or people with noise sensitivity issues, that have to put up with all that noise.

Hello, caretwo.

I agree that there should be a ban on buying or using fireworks for private use. Although I did handle a small sparkler as a kid, these things are major safety hazards in the wrong hands. Some private firework displays take place in some pretty small front or back gardens, and if anything went slightly wrong with any of the fireworks, they could explode in one's face, injure or even kill someone, or in some residential areas, one rogue firework could hit a passing car, and cause a nasty accident.

These small gardens, in my opinion, are too small for proper firework displays. A school playing field, an open country area or even a large, suitable field would be much safer. The further away these displays are from residential areas and major roads, the better.

As a small child I was terrified of fireworks. When my parents took me to displays at my primary school (before they knew I had this phobia), I would hide in the school building, and would then drag my parents home.

As an older child, I liked to watch fireworks from a distance, for example from my home if one of the local schools had a display. I enjoyed watching the colours, but did not like getting too close to the noise.

As an adult, the spectacle no longer fascinates me, and I am left with a fear of the noise. I hate being out at night when there are fireworks going off, and I am very easily startled by them. They are also distracting; last week I was watching a film at around 9 pm, but could not concentrate because fireworks kept going off.

I would not shed a tear if they were banned!

It's not so bad when you know its going to go on for a while like a display, but when it's quiet and a firework goes off all of a sudden, then it's quiet again and another one goes off and this goes on for a while then its really annoying. They may be nice to look at but why so much noise ? and just when you think it's all over and it's gone past 5th November ..boom..sometimes even till the weekend after.