I'm Back!

Hi All!

I'm back from sunny Barbados. I had a fantastic time but really missed the dogs! They gave me a brilliant welcome home reception as only they can and it was very much appreciated.

So back to business. Tim Dale sent me details of a walk that we can do anytime soon.

Click on link for details : Greenwich Park Stroll

We can also do another Hythe walk along the canal and back along the sea front, with fish and chips lunch and a cheeky drink.

I will write all the details for that nearer the time.

I am really busy in June (looking forward to seeing you at the Summer Picnic Sunday 7th June)

so would like to arrange a ramble in July. Watch this space.

I'm not the only one to go on holiday. Jan Chamberlain writes:

Morning Pat,

We've just got back from a lovely holiday on the Llyn pensinular.Weather was better than expected. Last wednesday we were in a small village in Snowdonia called Beddgelert. Not long after we started our walk we bumped into a couple on holiday from Holland, with their Welsh terrier. They had bought her back to her roots they said. Small world isn't it?

They said in Holland you have to pay a sort of tax to own a dog.

It was lovely to see old Meg & Willow running on the beach. It seemed that everyone had at least one dog. It was such a dog friendly area. We've had our Welsh fix for the year.

See you in a couple of weeks

Jan

PS.Nigel actually spotted a WT as we drove through Pwllelli.I missed it, must have caught me on my blind side. No I was map reading, or looking at the shops.

So, here I am back in the real world and the first thing I saw on TV was a special report on dog farming, BBC 1, that David had recorded from last week. Oh dear! Tears streaming down my eyes. These people are so wicked. I was wondering if anyone else saw it?

Jan Chamberlain writes:

Hi Pat,

Glad you had a good holiday.Yes we too taped that programme.It wasn't very nice was it?Quite an eye opener,Why are people still buying puppies off these websites? If they don't know how to go about getting a pup, why on earth don't they ask a vet clinic?

Jane Price writes:

Last nights programme The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies on Channel 5, will haunt me and I wish that I hadn't watched it! Not that it is a bad programme, in fact it is an excellent series but the one last night was one of the saddest and most heartbreaking ones that I have seen. For those of you who didn't see it ( I advise you not to), it demonstrated the extreme consequences of not grooming a terrier . In the case of the programme, a Wire Haired Fox Terrier called Ted. His owner, a pensioner, obviously cared for the dog in his own way, he fed him but and talked to him yet clearly seemed totally unaware of the cruelty he was inflicting on poor Ted by neglecting to groom him. Ted could neither see nor walk due to matted fur and was extremely weak due anaemia brought on by an infestation of fleas not to mention a whole host of other underlying medical problems not noticed under all that fur!

Although incredibly sad, if nothing else, I hope it taught the public how important grooming is!

In fairness to the elderly owner of Ted, he may not have been able to cope and may not have had the money nor the time to get him groomed, particularly if he himself was unwell or he was caring for say a sick wife? It was heart breaking that when he was handing Ted over to the RSPCA inspector that he started to cry and then apologised to Ted for the state he had let him get into! It was tear jerking stuff and I got through an entire box of tissues but what makes me angry is why didn't a neighbour or anyone visiting the house do something about it earlier??!

Thanks for comments Jan & Jane.

Grooming for our breed is really important and when David and myself took Daisy & Jack on the WFT walk in Brighton, I'm afraid I did give one person some firm advice. A chap was proudly announcing how he much preferred his WFT all fluffy and long! I couldn't help myself and just had to warn him of the dangers of leaving the coat to get very long in our breeds. First of all why would you want to buy a trimmed breed if you want a dog that resembles a yeti? Why would you want to block a dog's vision and leave its ears crammed full of hairs? Why would you want to risk matting and a dirty bottom and a whole host of things that you wouldn't be able to see? I will add that this particular dog looked really clean and was brushed, but luckily for me the wife agreed whole heartedly and the man didn't take offence. He promised to take on board what I had said. Phew!

Hi Patsy

Glad to hear you and Jan have had good holidays.

A note on the latest blogs. I too saw some of the puppy farming prog but could not watch all of all of it. I recently had a run in with a woman in Greenwich Park. She had a lovely Doberman that had had its ears pricked and was in bandages. On being challenged she said dogs should have pricked ears as floppy ones are not natural. The dog also had an extreme docked tail but this seemed ok.

Some thoughts please.

Jenny Carr