Don’t get me wrong. I am as patriotic as the next guy, but I hate, I really hate, fireworks.
The family behind us must have spent ten grand on fireworks this year, and they have been shooting them off non stop for days.
One more bottle rocket hits my house, and I may start shooting back and I do not have bottle rockets
That sucks, man.
I used to hate the 4th because my dog was an absolute wreck during fireworks. And people would shoot them off for a week sometimes. It was awful! I couldn’t ever do anything fun for the 4th because I couldn’t leave her alone.
But now she’s dead and that sucks. I have 2 new dogs, tho. I am putting them in boarding for the weekend and going to visit my family in PA. I worry a ton about the dogs being afraid of fireworks but I am hoping they will be ok together and with other dogs around. They aren’t afraid of the starting pistol at all the track meets next door so that is a good sign to me.
My dad’s a combat veteran, tho. And the fireworks do bother him. He is not coming with us this weekend and I reminded my brother to check in on dad. I am worried about him too.
Gee, the 4th just fills me with worry!
ETA: Also I am super un-patriotic
My first thoughts when I read the thread was:
Dog lover
don’t know yet if that is the OP but the first response is right on target.
Our dog hasn’t come out from under the bed all day. I get up early, and they seem to blow stuff up will into the night
I’m not that patriotic but my dislike for the holiday goes back further for a basis than most people – and actually doesn’t involve a dog. It goes back to July 4 1754 when Washington signed the capitulation at Fort Necessity and sentenced this continent to an endless series of spin-doctoring right up to the present day. 
We have a drought, a heat wave, tinder-dry conditions and a law declaring fireworks in this city illegal which everyone in the neighborhood will ignore. We’ll be spending the Fourth at home with hoses on all the faucets.
It’s been at least 20 years since I deliberately went to a fireworks display. Even if it wasn’t forecast to rain tonight, I wouldn’t go. My dog doesn’t seem to mind the noise too much - in fact, when our windows are closed, all outdoor sounds are muffled. And I don’t think any of our neighbors bother with fireworks - anything that shoots into the air is illegal in MD, not that that stops some people. Still, I don’t recall any especially noisy stuff nearby. And I don’t think the Amish down the road are into explosions.
My husband and I will pass this holiday as we do most holiday - ignoring it and watching TV. Now get off our lawn!!
Most people here shoot their mortars and rockets over the bay. But not all of them do. I don’t worry so much about the mortars, but I always find rockets around the house, on the roof, in the SO’s truck, etc. after the 4th. (Not so much after the 1st. I think the Canadians save some to shoot off on the Big Day.)
The cats seem to take it all in stride. The big booms of the mortars barely affect them, but the strings of firecrackers people light off in front of the house freak them out a little.
Yeah. Besides having to drug two dogs and put them in the basement to shiver, we have one to three neighbors who are prone to going to the next state and coming back with cases of aerials. Usually, it’s just the 30-somethings who have all their friends out to the country and do a sky show that we get to watch, with one or two boomers. But three years back, they and two others near us each had 50-100 boomers, each one of which made our house shake, windows rattle and ears ring if we stepped outside. We had to huddle inside before we could finally go out around 10:30 to do a few of our paltry little 'works. We did “the Fourth” the next day.
Since the town Fire Marshal/PSO is a friend, I alerted him and he’s said he’ll show up in ten minutes if I call. Haven’t had to for two years now. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. I did find that other neighbors found it just as obnoxious, and apparently talked to the offenders they knew.
And yeah, it’s a month of having Great Danes try to climb up in your lap at least once a day, or being awakened at midnight by screechers. :rolleyes:
Thank goodness my two nearest neighbors are old farts who are unlikely to get crazy with the fireworks (Georgia just legalized them, in a limited way.) But I suspect that the folks down the road will be out standing in their fields firing off whatever they have - which is okay, their land, their money, etc. But I’ll still have to drug all three dogs - even the K9 doesn’t like big booms, gunshots, thunder, etc. At least we’ve had a whole bunch of rain lately, so the fire danger is low, and we live out in the country, with homes far enough apart that mortars aren’t likely to land on my roof. When we lived in town, it wasn’t at all unusual to find spent fireworks all over our yard and roof on July fifth.
Same here in So Cal, L.A. county.
Oh goodie. Starting already. The small emergency backup dog may develop laryngitis by tomorrow, but I’m hoping that his drugs will kick in first.
Well my dog doesn’t like fireworks either but what I don’t understand is why he gets worse each year. It’s not like anyone has set one off under his nose or anything. We don’t really get a lot in this neighborhood, although we get a few, and there are no more this year than last year but he’s twice as edgy.
Having said that, about half of the ones in our neighborhood get set off after midnight. Why? If they’re sparkly, it’s dark by 9:30. The only reason to set shit like this off at 2 a.m. is to annoy people and freak out their dogs.
I just used my pellet gun to take out all of their outside lights…
And the goddamned M-80s have started next door, at all of 3:30. It’s going to be a long night with big dogs perched on my shoulders, shivering.
I have this fantasy of getting the really big boys, “M-100s” or equivalent, and wiring them for remote detonation in the forest between us. Seems like one or two absolutely deafening counter shots should send the message.
I hear ya but I am not limiting my hate to the 4th (and the week or so before and after), but I’ll add Memorial Day and New Years (and the weeks before and after) because that seems to be when the idiots in my neighborhood set off their fireworks. My dog has been gone a couple years now but I still have a couple cats that get worked up by all the loud noises. Also, I work at an Animal Clinic and we are always inundated with runaways around this time of year and some of them end up injured or worse.
I know what you mean. Five of my seven huddle around me for protection, the other two go out back and look for something to attack.
We just had a lovely loud booming thunderstorm as a prologue to tonight’s fireworks. The dogs are already in full panic mode. Hooray - it’s gonna be a long night!
I have 2 dogs and the oldest has never liked fireworks or thunder/lightning but it also gets worse every year. Last year we even fled to Canada to get away from them. This year, we cannot get away and with it so hot we can’t even stomach the idea of trying to find a secluded camping spot. It’s going to be drugs (for the dog…maybe for me too :p), closed windows with the AC going, lots of droning fans and either music or the TV loudly playing until 1-2:00 AM. Joy. :mad:
But…but… we come bearing ambrosia, 7-layer Mexican Dip with homemade corn chips and tequila.
And lemon water for the kids.
So, LET US ON THE LAWN !