first mate

Mick Mac, Are you aware of something called the Dangerous Dogs Act?

I would clean the cat flap and door outside with biological washing powder. This will get rid of the scent of the new cat, which may be putting your cat off, in addition to everything else. Cats are very territorial so you wnat to get rid of any association with the big black puss.

Bunny19, you probably know that dulwichmum is a spoof character. She/he has a website. Satire re Dulwich folk is her/his stock in trade. Dog snatching is a real and serious issue and your description of the person you were suspicious about is helpful. Thanks.

Round my way there have been a number of instances of what looks like human poo, as well as used baby wipes and nappies left at the side of the pavement. I also get tired of finding sweets, bits of chocolate, discarded chicken bones, as well as broken glass strewn around- in the park too, especially in the summer after picnics. I guess litter is a general problem and the dog poo is one aspect, all deeply unpleasant I agree.

cate, I think there are people out there capable of all sorts and digging a microchip out, or attempting to, is not completely beyond the realms of the imagination. Do you remember the young male who was found by police to have portions of his puppy's ears on his person? He had attempted a bit of 'home cropping' and cut off bits of his staff puppy's ears to make it look 'harder'.

What sort of dog do you own? If it looks anything like a Staffie/Pitbull or mastiff, an Akita or Husky/Malamute then chances are your fears are grounded. These are the favoured dogs of the moment. Dogs are also stolen to be used as bait for fighting dogs but would tend to be smaller breeds. I believe a young woman was accosted on the Rye some time ago and attempts made to take her dog. It would be helpful to have a description of the man.

The stuff looked really nice and will pop in for a closer look. I was, however, slightly taken aback by the price of a small side table at ?220(something like that). If it is hand carved from scratch, well okay, but if it is recycled furniture then the price seems a bit steep, especially in these credit crunch times.

HonaloochieB, Seriously? It's because dogs are fed on crap pet food rather than raw meaty bones of yore. The white, crumbly stuff is directly related to bone ingestion.

In my view Pistachio Club is the best for the price. Try the Mumbai lamb curry--mmmm. Ganapati for southern Indian, though portions were a bit small last time I went.

Oops, edited to say I posted twice by mistake.

Madworld, I have an idea it's illegal for one person to walk more than four dogs at at a time. It is almost impossible to control a pack of 15 dogs offlead. Even if there were two people, a man and a woman, it's still way too many dogs. If this is a professional organisation, and it sounds certain that it is, it's out of order. I too know of only one organisation that regularly uses the Rye.

Cate, It is my understanding that regular worming of dogs controls the parasite responsible for Toxocara Canis. The majority of dog owners in ED are responsible and worm their dogs. Nonetheless, nobody wants to tread in dog shit and I also curse the irresponsible minority when I come across it.

Have an idea they qualify as bush meat, if imported, therefore illegal. If grown here don't know, also don't know how easy they would be to breed to that size here.

Hi, If you walk your dog most mornings on the Rye or Dulwich Park you will, in time, see the same faces and dogs appearing. We all get to know each other eventually and everyone is very friendly. 8.30- 10 am is the prime time. As the days get shorter late afternoon walks tail off. But in summer everyone tips out again for evenings in the park. You do get the odd rogue dog and owner and, surprise surprise, they tend to be the ones that don't pick up and that you never see again.

Actually it's the reception staff at Melbourne Grove that I feel sorry for. They are in the middle, in a no win situation, taking the flack for those in charge who have assented to and implemented this deplorable system. The Doctors, and in particular the Doctor in charge, Simon Fradd, are fully signed up to a political experiment, this is about them saving money but at our expense. Those practice members who disagreed, like Dr Brew Graves, left, fast. The only way to change it is for everyone to complain, in writing, to the local Health Trust, the local Practitioners Cttee, and our dear MP. Nothing less will make any difference because at the end of the day it's all about saving money.

What an upsetting experience. I agree that using poison should be avoided. A very nasty, slow, death. Call me soft but I don't even like to think of a rat dying that way. The cub may have ingested a poisonous plant, causing liver failure. He may have had a dodgy liver anyway. So don't beat yourself up about it. Lots of things we use in our daily livesd are highly toxic to animals and it's worth being aware of them.

He once told me that he was allergic to dogs and won't allow them in his shop. Fair enough. His behaviour to your friend is quite extraordinary and totally unjustified. I wonder if he knows that normal urine, even dog pee, is sterile? If there is a next time let him go ahead and call the police, I'm sure they'll tell him where to go and save you the trouble.

sweetgirl, I wasn't excusing, merely explaining. Not even a dog owner likes to step in something from a dog's nethers. However, the virtues of the small, white ones are many. Most of all they don't get stuck on the bottoms of your shoes. They're more crumbly...yeeeeugh....

It's coz our modern mutts are mainly fed on tinned rubbish or dried, extruded rubbish. Formerly dogs lived on raw, meat bones and scraps. The bones made their dumps much smaller and harder and white. Bet in Jamaica most dogs still eat the old fashioned way. So, there you go, blame huge, mucky, 21st century dog turds on huge, greedy, pet food manufacturers and their unwitting customers.

I second a South Indian restaurant. Ganapati is great, but it would be good to have one on Lordship Lane. A nice change from the type of Indian food currently available. Also an Indonesian would be fab...I long for rice tafel (not sure how you spell it).

I don't want to sound pedantic but isn't it Boris Johnson - without the T?

JRussel, One of the maddest posts I've read in a long time. Seem to recall you were the one who was worried about destroying the environment by using baby pooh bags to pick up dog doo. Please tell us you are a wind up merchant?

Just to add to the general picture: this morning, on Peckham Rye, an elderly woman mugged by young black male. He asked her for directions and then ripped a necklace off her neck. She was very badly shaken and incredibly upset and this is the second time she has been mugged in the area in the last year.

Sure, as I said, occasional use is okay. But if it becomes regular and you have a second school doing the same thing, that is going to take up much more park space. Plus when you've got lots of kids in one area you have to start looking at restrictions, health and safety and so on. It's the thin end of the wedge, in my view.

I think kids from the other Academy adjacent to Peckham Rye are already using the Rye for Sports Events. I for one seriously hope that sections of the Rye do not become permanent extensions of the school/s. Regular use in this way could seriously impact on the park and its other users. It was not meant to be used in this way and it is an easy get out for Southwark Council/ Harris etc.. I don't object to occasional use. It's the notion that large sections of the park are given over to schools/sports academies that bothers me and I believe there is an intention to do just this.