Last night , around 9pm I found myself in my normal night time routine, checking the drive to see if the foxes have been , how much food had been eaten and if there was any sign of our now elusive resident hedgehogs. All normal so far , we’ll in my life anyway. Then a man walked past the house carrying a rather large dog . Very strange even for me , until I heard the bang , and a rather large noisy bang at that. Here we go then , the first night of the seemingly never ending firework season.

Sunday the 27th October, a full nine days before the traditional night to release fireworks in the U.K. , November 5th more commonly know as bonfire night. And so it starts , there will be fireworks now on random nights all the way to New Years Eve.

Kill joy , yes guilty as charged. I should add that I have no problem with fireworks , if they happen at an organised event that’s well planned and with plenty of notice. By all means enjoy the spectacular light show in the sky . But fireworks sold over the counter in my opinion should be banned. The main reason is the effect of both domesticated and wild animals.

I return to the poor chap carrying the petrified dog. If you know there will be an organised display , you can plan how to manage your pet. Turn up the TV if your close by , keep your cat in for the night or just simply avoid walking your dog during the display. But when as it seems every night if bonfire night , for over two months ?

This year Sainsburys have announced they will not be selling any fireworks from their two thousand odd stores , partly due to a Champaign with over 700,000 signature. They have sacrificed the small profit from firework sales . So far they seem to be the only national retailer to take this action.

If you want to see fireworks , go to a display. If you must have your own fireworks , that’s keep them just for the 5th of November, or the closest weekend. For the benefit of all pet owners , their animals and our wildlife.