MIDORI and VALHALLA????

[booyhoo]

a golden retriever has turned up at my house. i haven left a message on the DW answerphone but they don't open til tomorrow. i will contact both local vets in the morning. what else can i do to try and find owner? also Midori, i know you have some GR contacts in downpatrick (that's where i live) do you know any that are missing one? i haven't been able to see what sex as it was shying away from my hand so didn't want to scare it anymore than necessary. it's in my kitchen now.

Booy I hope to god that by now you've found very loving owner who didn't sleep last night for worrying about his/her missing Retriever. If I can help in any way please contact me at [email protected]

If you do so, please put up a seperate thread on The Doghouse, with my name in the title, so that I know you've mailed me as its not my usual email address but just a spare one I keep for forum use.

I think I have done all I can here for now, I've given my advice, my take and my experience and have inadvertantly caused offence in the process so I will be hiding this particular thread for the benefit of my blood pressure. :)

Bella I merely said that your version and Scuttle's version of a truly dedicated DW "MAY" differ from mine.

MAY.

I think that it's possible that where we do differ is on what we are prepared to do about things. That doesn't make you less caring than me either. That probably just makes me an extremist.

I repeat - I'm not turning this into a case of you caring less about dogs than I do. I don't happen to feel that you do care less than I.

You are taking offence where none was meant and where I have tried, albeit clearly unsuccessfully, to make it clear that I was if anything warning readers about my own outlook and attitude about caring for dogs, not yours.

I didn't accuse you of saying that I was "out to get you" either. I said that you were assuming that I was because you seem to have taken my self-confessedly unusual, AR-sympathetic comments very personally when there was no cause for you to do so.

Them's the facts. :)

Now, I'm off to walk dogs, it's a lovely morning here. Here's wishing everyone as pleasant a day.

no luck yet val, although one of the local vets is going to scan her for me this afternoon so hopefully that will prove fruitful. i went out this morning and asked about. a few people seemed to think she lived in a local housing estate but didn't know who with. they said they think she is the dog that often runs about the roads by herself . i hate the thought of handing her back over to the owner if she is just going to be left to roam again, but if they are the owner i have no choice. haven't heard anything back from DW yet, i thought they might have been in touch by now.

I really am baffled as to why you are intent on turning this into a full blown hysterical argument, Val - hiding threads for the sake of your blood pressure and shouting at me in bold. All I did was point out that Booy making allegations about an identifiable person wasn't really on. I wasn't even addressing my comments to you at that point,Val. But, as has happened several times before when I appearto disagree with you, I just get a full-on rant in return.

FWIW I believe the reason so many stray dogs get put down is because there are simply too many of them.

Booy - hope the story has a happy ending. Good luck.

DW turned up at my house and could see her in my garden. i presumed they would ring before they arrived. they wouldn't let her stay here for the holding period. i have told them i will be ringing daily to see if she has been claimed and if not i will take her back after the 5 days and continue looking for owner. really hope the owner rings them and she gets to go home.

Val, we all work for stray dogs in our own way. I don't appreciate the implication that I care less about dogs or that I am happy to accept low standards from local authorities. I'm actually doing my best to work alongside local authority officers to suggest ways of improving services in a constructive and positive manner - what I actually feel may be different but I try my best to engage my brain, and work with that. Hence my website, which is gathering together data and analysis which nobody else in Wales, not even the big animal charities or the WAG, has carried out. That kind of data provides an unanswerable foundation for solid policy improvements - it's boring for most people, and isn't the heartstring tugging element of rescue work, but by heaven, it's necessary. Many of the improvements needed are not particularly sexy, they are things like looking at pound contracts, improving out of hours cover, helping dog wardens improve information on Council websites,things like that that will make a positive difference in lots of ways, and help change the system for the better, which will be especially difficult in the forthcoming financial climate for local government. An old friend of mine, Ronnie Lee (who you might have heard of) explains this difference (as usual) much better than me - of course it is important to rescue an individual dog but it matters enormously to change the system that dog has been put in. As well as that, my own record in fostering and volunteering speaks for itself, and as far as I know, I've never discussed my views on AR, so please don't assume you know what they are, or how radical.

Any news Booyhoo?

My friend kindly informed me she had stopped at the pound yesterday and there are actually two Goldens in there, so assuming one may be the one you found? It was closed at the time though, so she couldn't ask about them.

She suggested I visit to look, but I know what my 'look' would involve, so I am avoiding ATM.

midori, what you say has actually concerned me. i phoned the pound this morning, she was unaware of any goldens being in this week until i told her that i was the person who phoned them about her. then she suddenly remembered that there was one and said the owner collected her on tuesday morning. if your friend said there were 2 there yesterday then that is an awful lot of goldens in one week. think i might have to call down tomorrow. wonder why she had no knowledge of 3 golden retrievers in the one week am worried now.

Eek!!!

Ok, I will ring friend and ask if she went back this morning. I agree it's a little concerning.

I am assuming ti would be the same pound? If you want to email me, so do on [email protected]

thanks midori, i have emailed you.

I've emailed back.