Traumatic few weeks

[welshman]

The last few weeks have not been easy at our gaff for various reasons and all brought about by folk with nowt to do with us and who don't even know us.

Now we have four dogs and love them all to bits and all but one of them are mutts we have rescued and have thrived here with us in their spacious country abode.

We all know about the bad media image dogs get these days, so I'll give you two examples of how our family could have ended up roasted by ignorant non caring society we all live in.

On Sunday we had all been chilling out at the front of our bungalow, quite a large enclosed garden with our drive gated and closed/secure, we had gone in for tea and were sat at the table, we'd moved the dogs up into the yard, another large area which again was gated, closed/secure. After a while the dogs started barking, had a look, nowt to be seen, back to the table. The dogs still did not settle and so I went out into the yard, then down to the front through the gates only to find......................a group of young tykes wandering about and said they were trying to sell sweets??????. Now these children were from the village, close to a mile away and had walked along a seriously busy main road going from house to house selling sweets, where the hell were their parents?.

Yesterday, after this incident, I was down the drive and fitting lockable bolts on the gates, the dogs were there with me as always, when along comes this lady and starts to open the gate, she wanted hand me a "Christian Aid" pamphlet. Now she'd already passed our mail box.

Why so much concern? Our dogs are a Rottie, bullcross Lurcher, Spaniel and a Shar Pei who all guard home and family, on both occasions the dogs were making enough noise to wake up the dead and so excited they were frothing at the mouth!!!!!..................so you could just imagine the possible result, are people really that thick?, have they got a death wish?

So along with the locks, our entrance now has even more signage to warn folk

Al.

[Scribbler.]

Hello Welshman aka Al, whilst I sympathise with your overall anger, and applaud your policy of saving `strays'; there is a pen-ultimate statement which is rather disturbing, namely ... " Have they got a death wish." This endorses what most people are afraid of, that many such dogs like it or not are by nature dangerous. The very mention of `death wish' suggests you are well aware of this. Hence really you answer your own leading question. Yes such dogs have recieved bad press though these news worthy items were not dreamed up, they occurred, fact.
Large dogs are menacing to most people and certainly to children and fitting a `muzzle' simply adds to the threats image. Many dog owners still do not `clean up' after their dogs foul our green areas unless they're aware of being watched. "Taking the dog for a walk" often translates as ... taking the dog to do its business, off our land.
................. Conclusion; whilst farms or large estates etc have the capacity for agressive looking dogs they are totally unsuitable for towns and or villages and certainly unfit for flat dwellers. Hallways, stairs, lifts even cars etc can all be fouled by dog urine and no owners clean that up, yet it remains a natural dog instinct to mark its territories.
Yours, Mike.

[welshman]

All dogs can bite/maim/kill Mike, but some folk just target certain breeds and they end up as "dangerous", which is usually a load of ******** as it is the irresponsible owners who are normally the danger.

Al

[FredSpencer]

The harm that dogs do to humans, even the potential for harm that they could do, is nothing compared to the mindless savagery carried out by a great many humans against others. Balance the companionship and pleasure that dogs give and the scales are very much in their favour.

[welshman]

Originally Posted by FredSpencer

The harm that dogs do to humans, even the potential for harm that they could do, is nothing compared to the mindless savagery carried out by a great many humans against others. Balance the companionship and pleasure that dogs give and the scales are very much in their favour.

How very very true Sir, have a look here:-
http://img689.imageshack.us/slidesho...686582imp.smil

One of ma boys

[FredSpencer]

Originally Posted by welshman

How very very true Sir, have a look here:-
http://img689.imageshack.us/slidesho...686582imp.smil

One of ma boys

He's gorgeous, a credit to you. I can't understand the fear people have of these dogs, they are such noble animals. I've known quite few of them and always found them easy to get on with. I might just be biased though as I'd rather live with animals than people any day.

I still have very fond memories of a Rotty bitch I fostered many years ago. She was the subject of a cruelty case and was in such a poor condition it was touch and go whether she would survive. Excellent vet care and a lot of patience got her into a proper condition for rehoming. Even after all her ill-treatment she still had a wonderful temperament.

[Roverowner]

Agree, it´s not the animals fault but the keepers, when things happen.

That Spence feels more at home sitting next to Desmond Morris (God I´m getting on), at the zoo than cultivating his social skills -wi us lot- hasn´t gone unnoticed

[FredSpencer]

Originally Posted by Roverowner

Agree, it´s not the animals fault but the keepers, when things happen.

That Spence feels more at home sitting next to Desmond Morris (God I´m getting on), at the zoo than cultivating his social skills -wi us lot- hasn´t gone unnoticed

I'm sure you're not averse to snuggling up with a polar bear during those long cold winter nights.

[Roverowner]

Originally Posted by FredSpencer

I'm sure you're not averse to snuggling up with a polar bear during those long cold winter nights.

Wouldn´t exactly call her a polar bear, more arctic fox

[FredSpencer]

Originally Posted by Roverowner

Wouldn´t exactly call her a polar bear, more arctic fox

Just about big enough to keep your feet warm.