Loud traffic noise as opposed to gunshots/fireworks

[Wally]

Whose horse will not react to loud traffic noise but would run a mile at a firework or gunshot?

As a matter of interest whose cat or dog would behave the same way?

[Gypsypoop]

Mineeeeeeeeee:D

[chev]

Mine too... don't bat an eyelid at tractors/tippers/aircraft taking off overhead but one gunshot and they all run.

Maybe to do with the suddeness of gunshots?

[Horsey Bird]

Mine is angelic in traffic...in fact she tries to get into any passing vehicle because of course, thats where treats come from :D Also angelic when rabid dogs appear out of nowhere and growl at her.

She was also angelic when some idiot started his chainsaw just as we passed his garden one day...other than a quick "what the hell was that?" she did nothing.

However....(there has to be a "however" in this story doesnt there??)....when we ride past the golf course she is on tip-toes watching out for golfers and tries to scoot past as quickly as possible when she sees them. Reason?? The sound of the golf ball being smacked scares the living daylights out of her.

Dont ask me......:D

[maverick927]

My dog is very nervous of any noise and hides in the smallest most uncomfortable place he can.

Maverick howewver is completely different. If a firework or gunshot went off from beside him, he would even raise his head, but let something like a scrambler drive past his field, and Maverick has to run with it, but not away from it. Same thing happens on the roads, I think he must think its a game :D

[tubby]

Pony jumps at the first bang on passing shoots then he's fine, but he doesn't like fireworks though I think that's cos they appear to chase him. The dog goes demented at fireworks & in our house you get little sleep round firework time , don't think he's heard a gun go off close by.

[Mehitabel]

we have a clay pigeon range within earshot of the most usual hacking route, so within a month or so none of ours react to gunshot! it is very handy, although we do have to make sure the staff take a new school horse out that way a few times first.
we don't normally have trouble with fireworks - this year one of the youngsters trashed her stable and got a bit squitty the day after bonfire night, but the weekend after, when it was just as noisy, she was OK.

[Big Ears]

They shoot pheasants on the hill next to our field and Rosie stands and watches it all, the dogs working, the guns etc. She is quite interested in it. Molly is all a jitter.

Ditto fireworks. Molly is in a complete tizz, sweats up, box walks, really really scared, very uptight, Rosie stands and watches it all quite happily.

Our field is often buzzed by a low flying Chinook helicopter - very noisy - same reaction - Molly is convincned they are about to bomb her and Rosie almost waves to the pilot!

[western]

U are not alone , mine does all of that . He hates guns, fireworks, traffic and any other strange loud noise. But he does not mind the sound of a chain saw for some reason i dont know. About a couple of years ago we had some fireworks and now we have to take them somwhere else because all my horse does is walk back and forth for hours on end and gets all sweaty and scared but at least i solved that problem, and if their is going to be any gun shooting that goes somewhere else too away from the barn because i do not want any damages or an injured horse.

[jUmPingIsLifE]

my horses are better with guns then with traffic! probably because my dad has guns and shots them off all the time so they are really used to it.

Two of my dogs are scared to death of guns/fireworks/thunder, the poor things shake so bad they are terrified. one of them was shot a year n a half ago so her fear stems from that, she used to be a hunting dog, now the sound scares her half to death.

[Wally]

So most....not all, but most of you would agree thet the sound and not sight of traffic, loud aircraft, tractors etc. really doesn't have that much effect on your cats, dogs or nags. The sound of a firework, gunshot and most interestingly golf ball whacks tend to upset them.

I ask because they are proposing to build a clay pidgeon range next to the lacal cattery and cats' protection league shelter. 100 letters of protest telling them that it will terrify a large majority of cats staying at the shelter seems to have no effect. They have done sound tests and have said the loudness of a shot is less then the traffic and the aircraft taking off at the airstrip.

I have found with our horses and my dog, they will not blink at tractors or loud traffic, a gunshot makes them all gallop round the field tails in the air. The mere sound of bubblewrap being burst sends the dog into decline!

This is a clear case of arrogant humans not listening to the animals' point of view....or should I say hearing! Just because the sound is less to us has it crossed thier minds that animals hear a different range of soudnfrequency to us, what we hear ain't what the animal hears.

[Horsey Bird]

If its a case of "poor animal" v. "$$$$$", the animal doesnt stand a chance of being heard.

I've just starting reading one of the Charlotte Uhlenbroek books ("Talking with Animals") and she explains clearly how an animals hearing works and just how dull our own senses are by comparison. Its full of very interesting information.

Wanna lend it to these nitwits ??? :D

[Silver1]

Heh, that reminds me, did anybody see Tomb Raider 2, where Laura is firing over the horses head and it doesn't bat an eyelid, and then a helicopter comes zooming over head real low, and it comes to a sliding stop (calmly) then rears up...and all of a sudden is panicked?

[Wally]

I have watched Gerrard Naprous with his stunt film horses, he fires two shot guns over the horse's head, one in each hand while galloping, then without reins the horse comes to a sliding halt, drops down "dead" then Gerrard lies between the horse's legs and shoots over his belly, not his, the horse's.

Perhaps the Cat's protection lot better get Gerrard in to train the cats not to be scared of gunshots!:D :D

As you say, the poor animals don't stand a chance if the firing range goes next door. Some of these cats are rescue and cruelty cases and need peace to recover in.

[Mehitabel]

i think it's the suddenness rather thaan the volume - with traffic, once the animal knows what a car is, they can see it, hear it and smell it so they know exactly what's what and no surprises. also, they're exposed to it so much that i would think it becomes more of a background noise than an event.

gunshots or fireworks are a rarity, out of the ordinary and don't come with any warning - an apporaching car starts off quiet and gets louder, whereas guns or fireworks are sudden and fireworks come with very unusual visuals!

those poor cats - i do pity them.

[Bebe]

I think Es is right, it's the sudden, out of the blue-ness of gunshots, fireworks, etc that are startling. Traffic tends to be a fairly constant noise, or at least, you get warning.

Bebe is fine with gunshots, golfers, fireworks, traffic (to the point of being so bored she goes to sleep - roads = walking which is v boring), just about anything except people using megaphones! I'm lucky though as I used to keep her next to a golf course which sided onto woods where they held regular shoots, so she's used to all that. Now she's kept on a yard that has clay shooting once or twice a week, people come to shoot rabbits, etc and the field sides onto a busy dual carriageway. She'd still spook if a gun went off very close to her, probably same goes for anything though.

Shooting and fireworks however, scare the hell out of my older cat. This is because she isn't used to them. My younger cats don't seem bothered but I still would object to a clay pigeon shoot being placed near to any kind of animal shelter, kennels, etc. It would be worse with a rescue shelter, a lot of the animals would already be traumatised and for a severe case, hearing guns going off might be the last straw.

[Wally]

So you wouldn't be leaving your much loved, nervous older family pet cat at a cattery to be boarded while you went on holiday if it were next to a shooting range then?

We have to ride past a place where the police practice shooting in the summer. The tatgets and the range is about a mile off the road maybe. But the gunshots from that distance still wind them up.

Clare was on Fat Nótt one day while the police were practicing, Nótt is usually steady as a rock, the gunshots went off and so did Nótt......by the way expletives carry just as far as gunshots and they heard thier pedigree as Clare and Nótt went for a bit of a gallop. They did stop and Clare did get an apology from the officers when they met her in the town.

My old horse of 30+ has done the county show circuit, driven and ridden over motorway bridges and round motorway junctions, he's seen life ......shoot rabbits in his field and he comes alive, he hates gunshots.

[Mehitabel]

Originally posted by Wally
So you wouldn't be leaving your much loved, nervous older family pet cat at a cattery to be boarded while you went on holiday if it were next to a shooting range then?


not in a million years.

[Bebe]

Me neither.

There is a cattery/boarding kennels next to our yard which backs on to where the clay pigeon shooting goes on. It doesn't seem to stop people from taking their pets there, though they probably don't even know that shooting goes on nearby as it's only once or twice a week and usually at times when the place is closed to the public.

[Cornish Lass]

I have been horse-sitting for a friend over Xmas, and she has been sharing our field with our shetland and 2 goats. I spent about half an hour of new years eve, standing in the field in the rain whilst they all shivered in fear, whilst my neighbour's irresponsible son who was staying for the weekend let of his fireworks - I have since complained!!**!!.

I think its the suddeness and the startling effect of fireworks which causes the problem. We often have people shooting nearby and none of them bats an eyelid, and my "adopted" horse hase been fine riding out on the roads over the holiday, even though she has been in a totally enclosed farm area, and has not seen traffic for nearly 6 years!


Lesley

[intouch]

The yard where we used to keep our horses was on a hill overlooking an airfield - they got so used to the planes we didn't even bring them in for the annual airshow! The surrounding land was used daily by guns - it annoyed me more then the horses. But I can understand visiting cats wouldn't have time to get used to it - and clays do go on a bit!

[tasha]

On a ride the other month we met a tank. As in, with tracks and a big gun, not a glass thing to keep fish in! Anyway as you can imagine, tanks are very noisy. And fast, appear from nowhere and in this case had several heads sticking out of it wearing flurescent hats shouting at each other.

Kally stopped, looked at it and sighed.

5 mins later we met an old tarp spread on the floor over the bridleway. It was partially covered by dirt and was black-I didnt notice it first. Did I after Kal spooked at it!!! 2 mins later and we were past it in one piece having had an argument over its safety ("It might eat me, Mummy!!")

[floppy]

Elja doesnt mind gunshots...we live in the mountains with loads of forest and there is always the gamekeepers shooting deer or hunting wild boar.

but my little doggie you cant watch any tv program with fireworks in it..he'll have a nervous breakdown