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July 3, 2014 at 3:12 pm #611850
HollyWMemberPlease Please for the love of God…conserve your fireworks or stop early if you must explode them – many many dogs have SEVERE phobias and are shell-shocked for days surrounding the 4th. Veterans also become anxious, stressed during this time. PLEASE BE AWARE AND KIND with your 4th of July choices…?
July 3, 2014 at 4:13 pm #810428
amlParticipantEvery year I hope that maybe this is the year people don’t set of fireworks, but haven’t had much luck. Our old dog is almost deaf now so it’s not as much of an issue now, but for years if we weren’t out of town, we resorted to giving her a tranquilizer to calm her down.
July 3, 2014 at 5:55 pm #810429
JanSParticipantSadly, the people who are using illegal fireworks are most likely not the type of person who, at 10pm, is going to stop and say to themselves “Gosh, it’s 10pm, I have to think of the dogs”, and quit. :-
July 3, 2014 at 6:42 pm #810430
datamuseParticipantIt’s not just dogs. I know quite a few military veterans who go as far from town as they can get for the 4th because Seattle sounds too much like a war zone.
My neighborhood’s been unusually quiet this year. Well, except for the neighbors who’ve been shouting at each other at 5 am for two mornings running, but I don’t think that has to do with the 4th.
July 3, 2014 at 7:05 pm #810431
LindseyParticipantHere’s an article I came across today with several suggestions.
July 3, 2014 at 8:04 pm #810432
sacatoshParticipantIt’s definitely not just dogs. I have PTSD and fireworks set me off big-time. I spend the whole weekend Xanax’d to the gills just to cope. Not out of preference or fun…
July 3, 2014 at 8:25 pm #810433
sam-cParticipantnot just dogs and vets.
last year my kid just stayed awake crying, til 2 am. despite us saying ‘they’re just fireworks, it’s ok- you don’t need to be scared’.
July 3, 2014 at 10:35 pm #810434
anonymeParticipantI am so furious about the non-enforcement approach in this City. To make it even worse, SPD officials actually go on television proclaiming that they will NOT enforce the law, and for citizens to NOT call them about violations. Who does this approach reward? Who does it punish? What recourse do we have? You can’t reason with these people.
I wonder how many thousands of dollars are spent by people who must drug their pets (and/or themselves) senseless in order to cope with this annual onslaught of illegal bombs and burning debris. Many of my Arbor Heights neighbors are leaving town, as tomorrow our neighborhood will turn into Syria.
I am planning to write to the Mayor and new Police Chief, and possibly start a petition. It seems like more people are upset about this every year. Would others be interested in signing something like this? Individual complaints will probably be dumped in the circular…if so, next year I buy a bazooka.
July 3, 2014 at 10:39 pm #810435
GoGoParticipantI totally agree with anonyme. Why bother making them illegal if you are not going to enforce the law? I’m lucky, my dogs don’t pay any attention to fireworks but I’ve seen my mom’s dog and it breaks my heart to see him suffer.
July 3, 2014 at 11:14 pm #810436
JeannieParticipantI always thought the people who shoot off illegal fireworks were overcompensating for certain shortcomings. Anyway, I totally agree with anonyme. And don’t forget about wildlife; it must be scary to them, also. I always turn the white-noise machine way up, and the TV on loud (as long as it isn’t on a channel broadcasting the damn fireworks!). Even that doesn’t drown out the fireworks, but it helps a little.
July 4, 2014 at 1:03 am #810437
miwsParticipantanonyme, if you do the petition, let us know.
I don’t mean to sound defeatist, OR, to excuse the Police, if they could indeed enforce the Law on some better level, but I’ve always attributed the lack of enforcement to the sheer number of them being set off everywhere and lack of enough Personnel, what with most of the Resources presumably being at places like Alki, Golden Gardens, and such.
I’d definitely sign a petition, though, as it would (hopefully) send a message, if something could actually be done.
Mike
July 4, 2014 at 1:16 am #810438
anonymeParticipantMike, I’ve no doubt that lack of personnel has a great deal to do with the lack of enforcement. However, for police spokesperson Mark Jamieson to repeatedly make public announcements supporting illegal behavior while simultaneously warning off those who might have the audacity to report it is completely inappropriate. He even mocked them, stating “we’re not going to come out because some kid has a firecracker”. If only the reality was so mundane…
However, even on the rare occasions when police do respond to a fireworks complaint, the worst that happens is confiscation of the materials. Laws provide for up to a $5,000 fine and a year in prison for violations; I’d like to know EXACTLY how many citations were issued last year? If a few fines were handed out in Arbor Heights alone, it would not only send a message – but more than cover the cost of enforcement.
July 4, 2014 at 1:53 am #810439
HollyWMemberI’m glad to see its not just me that HATES this time of year in this neighborhood – Believe it or not I used to live in Idaho – YES IDAHO and the fireworks were not 1/10th as bad as in Arbor Hts… anonyme – I would love to sign a petition, stuff mailboxes, speak at city council, whatever…I did call last year because my windows were shaking from the repeated explosions – they outright said they wouldn’t do anything I gave them addresses that I knew there to be illegal fireworks…not interested.
July 4, 2014 at 2:02 am #810440
hammerheadParticipantI have neighbors that do NOT give a rats ass about the laws. I have dogs, I can’t give them enough pot butter to calm them. I will be bumping it up to benadryl. The cats are locked up for the next 3 days. Hoses are ready to be used.
As for police, I get it is illegal, but I would rather them focus on drunk drivers. If fireworks hurt some one it is probably their fault. So no sympathy there.
I hate this day and new years for that matter.
Cheers
July 4, 2014 at 2:38 am #810441
kayoParticipantIt is insane. This is the 2nd year we have fled Seattle on the 4th for quieter environs in the country. I wish everyone who suffers from the noise could get away from it. The jerks who go on all night make me the most crazy. Not to mention the spike in air pollution and the fireworks litter that trashes any open area where people set them off and don’t bother to clean up. Sigh. Hang in there. Get some good earplugs. Hunker down and stay safe.
July 4, 2014 at 2:45 pm #810442
littlebrowndogParticipantIt seems like the first year fireworks became illegal in Seattle there were relatively few in my area, but with each successive year of well publicized lack of enforcement they have gotten worse and worse. Virtually every neighbor with kids now gets out on the sidewalk or middle of the street and lights them off, and bottle rockets soar over our house, sometimes landing on the roof and deck. With dogs, a cat, and a combat veteran in the house it’s a really miserable time, but we don’t dare leave town and have one of those things start our unattended house on fire.
July 4, 2014 at 3:50 pm #810443
anonymeParticipantlbd, it looks like there are a lot of us having the same experience. I’ve also observed that this is often not a kid thing, as Mark Jamieson so dismissively suggests. Instead, many of the worst offenders appear to be supposedly grown men just wanting to blow sh!t up. Last year, there was someone who set off a couple of M-80’s every night about 2 am.
Kayo brings up another good point: the pollution associated with this stuff is serious and toxic. You can see the cloud hanging over Seattle for days. Where is Washington Clean Air on this? If this is condoned on Independence Day, why not set off mini-nuclear bombs to celebrate the end of WW II? It makes no sense.
July 4, 2014 at 7:51 pm #810444
JoBParticipantI wish going away for the fourth would be enough..sadly it’s not.
The fireworks started in my neighborhood a week ago.. Before it was legal to purchase fireworks..and although hubby has to go back to work on Monday..the pups and I are booking another week out of town.
Between vacation rentals, house sitters and someone to keep the garden growing… It would be far cheaper for me to personally pay for enforcement.
July 5, 2014 at 1:24 am #810445
NorthbyNorthWestParticipantNeighborhoods turning into Syria? Mini-nuclear bombs? Do some of you have any perspective? Were you ever kids? Did you ever go through teenage years? Have any of you actually been to a country were genocide and the use of chemical weapons are the norm? Have any of you actually tried to run a police department in a major city with limited resources and have to balance those resources to maximize safety? I’m guessing the answer is no…
Happy 4th! Hope everyone has tons of fun and stays safe while still living life!!
July 5, 2014 at 4:24 am #810446
JeannieParticipantIronically, some of those most distressed by the fireworks are combat veterans suffering from PTSD. Yep, the day where we supposedly celebrate our freedom can be traumatic to those who fought for freedom.
July 5, 2014 at 4:36 am #810447
JanSParticipantstopthemadness…maybe none of us have been to the middle east in war…but maybe some have, and just don’t talk about it. And those of us who haven’t still care about those who will suffer through this…those with PTSD, who relive the experience while you think we just need to relax and let kids be kids. Sadly, those kids for the most part do not have parental supervision, and sadly some of those “kids” are parental units themselves. Yes, mostly grown persons terrorizing our neighborhoods. Kids will just be kids, like the ones setting of M80’s and bigger in my neighborhood between 1 and 3am? Give me a break.
I am 67…on the 4th, when I was a kid, we had sparklers…and an organized fireworks display at our local park that everyone went to. Sorry, your argument just doesn’t cut it with me.. They’re still breaking the law.
July 5, 2014 at 5:38 am #810448
miwsParticipantIf I had the money, I’d buy me an old pumper fire truck, and then next year drive through West Seattle, spraying down the morons setting off fireworks.
“Oh, you looked like you were on fire! I was just trying to help!”
Mike
July 5, 2014 at 5:40 am #810449
miwsParticipantI have some Chateau Ste. Michelle Sleep Aid.
I keep taking more doses, because there aren’t really any instructions on how much to take.
Once bedtime rolls around, we’ll se if it works.
Mike
July 5, 2014 at 6:08 am #810450
biankatParticipantAnyone else have their loving neighbors start their fireworks festivities at 7:30 this morning? Was great for us and our pups. Asses.
July 5, 2014 at 6:11 am #810451
NorthbyNorthWestParticipant67? Ah, so you are a child of the 50/60’s. I wasn’t around then, but I’m glad to hear it was such an amazing time, what with everyone following the rules and respecting each other. Wish I could have been there to see it!
Wait, I think I remember some things from history class. Let me see… Communist witch hunts, segregation, sexism, race riots, recreational drug use, the Vietnam War. Am I missing anything? Yes, please let’s go back to the days of the Nuclear family and The Donna Reed Show, because clearly everything was soooooooo much better then for everyone…
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