PennyB

Whatever some compensations people get others still do lose their houses (or at least downsize!) because of loss or illness or other tragedy. The fund at the end of the day was to find Maddy.

I'm not torn at all -- and think its a 'no'. Other peoples lives are shattered by illness and deaths in their families that can be as equally tragic as the McCanns but we've never heard about them and they end up losing their homes and don't have a fund to dip into to bail them out.

Also not all rescues neuter dogs as well as part of their rehoming anyway.

Sadly some (probably more than some really) owners encourage their dogs to chase or go for cats though Thankfully my cats do go to the loo in my own garden and all the dogs round here are cat freindly but its the eeejits who have latchkey dogs Im afraid of who I know aren't cat friendly --- so I guess we can't win really, you do sort of fell victimised as a whole if you have cats sometimes. While it is hard work to keep the cats in its also difficult to build a cat run for them --- I have neither the space or the money

We've just set up a Friends of the park group in our local area to help try and address this. Its early days and at the moment we can only do simple things until we find our feet. But we did a deal with some of the kids in that if they left the bowling green alone (vandalising it) we'd get some football organised for them (which is what they want). We've got some local community police officers to help run things in the autumn. The bowling green and pavillion had fallen into disrepair through lack of use for bowls and vandalism but we've decided we need to keep it as it represents a focal point on the park. Volunteers along with the council have begun repairing and playing 'fun' bowling events twice a week (we also get a handful of kids who come along as well and are actually enjoying it). Eventually we hope that the building will house a ranger (our next campaign), bowls club, cafe and other activities --- it was a simple gesture to keep it up and running as we felt if council demolished it we would lose our focal point and a way of generating more activities for the community in the future, and hopefully there will be a knockon effect re antisocial behaviour. Its hard work and as I said early days and it may not work in the long run but I guess we have to try.

I was listening to R4 this afternoon re 'any answers' and there was an ex magistrate on there and she suggested something a neighbour of mine also did a couple of days before. It was all about the idea of youths actually mixing with adults occasionally or others in the community. The sad fact is that we spend too much time demonising single parents and absent fathers and we should be concentrating on ideas that bring a lot of these youths into contact with more adults (hopefully responsible) from all different backgrounds regardless of whether they're related to us or not rather than the situation at the moment where some only ever spend time with their peers. I think far too many nowadays never go outside their peer group and so don't really know how to act around other groups or members of society. While things have changed re family life the general idea should still be the same --- in the past we had the extended family of various generations that interacted with each other now we seem to split off into groups and don't always mix with other groups so some don't actually get to know the elderly or those younger or the same age as their parents. So lets forget about blaming and work out how to get them involved in the communities they're part of

Obviously they're trying to tell you something, LOL

How could I forget Tuppence --- this poor very very scaredy boy spent a week in my house before he went to the oldies club. Glad to see he's still with us though

This dog is very lucky that he came across so many people who wanted to keep him out the pound in the 1st place (originally he was actually taken door to door on a local estate by the kids asking if people owned him then he ran in through one person's door and refused to leave --- may be he guessed they'd be part of his rescue). Am so pleased he's now with the oldies club.

You've done the best you can and I can imagine the decision wasn't an easy one. Having seen 1st hand how crippling SA can be for both dog and family I really do understand <<hug>>

Brilliant news, Fidget is home

http://www.doglost.co.uk/forum.asp?ID=9871 Name: FIDGIT Breed: Terrier Jack Russell Sex: Bitch Colour: white and brown Description: Fidgit went missing on the 12th June from Bedwas near Caerphilly,South Wales. Fidgit is MICROCHIPPED but has no ID on her-please look out locally. Age: 4 years Region: Wales Postcode: CF83 Tagged: No Chipped: Yes

I beleive in Oz you have to by law to protect children from similar dangers whether you have children or not!

Not a great fan of the KC but thinking of joining their dog owners club to help with campaining in this area if it comes to it http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/295

Wonder what they mean by temprement tests though This hasn't gone through in Wales yet as the Assembly are dealing with it 1st so wonder if they're waiting to hear about what happens in the elections 1st

Manchester I believe is an area that is undergone the same restrictions as has Preston, and someone has posted on cockersonline tonight to say that Sandwell are rushing through proposals in the next 3 weeks Is it possible mods this aspect of dog restrictions to be included in the 'protests and actions forum' bit as this will affect all of us as well and quite considerably --- lets face it if you can't run some dogs offlead then we all know behaviourally we may have problems in the long term (far more than now). My thinking is that we need to get our heads together to fight this as its discretionary and the more that fight the better chance we have rather than just chat about it here Personally I don't want dog only parks either as I don't always want to walk with certain other dogs and be so restricted and as others say families need to be able to use the park as well along with their dogs.

I loved gollies and teddies (I also had a mickey mouse one which I still have --- he's now at that age where he'll never see 40 again ), but I was given a large doll as a child (when iI was about 7) that walked and talked and I hated her as she freaked me out

Brilliant news Cindy, and long may he continue to get better

She's lovely, but then I do have a soft spot for cavs --- and I know my two hooligans adore them

Cocker kisses from Wilf and Ruby

http://www.doglost.co.uk/forum.asp?ID=8257 http://www.doglost.co.uk/forum.asp?ID=8258 Tel. 01302743361 if you know who's they are. Finder numbers are 1313 and 1313a. Its such a shame as they do look well groomed so wonder if something happened to their owner or they were stolen and dumped --- so any groomers out there from this area know them. (PS Boy looks like a blue roan not black and white as indicated)

I do agility for fun with my two cockers, Wilf and Ruby. We couldn't get into the club anyway as they're always full so we go to sessions on someone's farm near to the club who're also agility instructors there anyway.