The UK’s Be Ready advice says it is just in case. The fuller answer is on the record: NATO and the EU have built household preparedness into their plans because they judge Russia could be able to attack a NATO country by around 2029 or 2030, and sabotage and an energy shock are already happening. No government has named a date or event. What it means in Northern Ireland, as of 29 October 2026.
Only one shop in east Belfast is open all night: the Eurospar at 101 Ladas Drive. Holywood and Bangor have nothing open after midnight, and no pharmacy in Northern Ireland opens later than 9pm. We checked every shop’s own opening hours on 3 October 2026; here is where to go, what a shop can sell you, and who to phone if it is more than a headache.
If you live in Northern Ireland and collect the puppy yourself in GB, DAERA confirmed in writing in September 2026 that the journey is non-commercial: the pup needs a microchip and must be at least 8 weeks old, with no pet travel document, rabies jab or tapeworm treatment. If the seller or a courier delivers it, it is commercial, and the pup is in practice about 15 weeks old before it can travel.