first mate

I think historically people got staffies because, correctly bred, they are exceedingly reliable with children. However, many of the bull breed types we see on the streets today are crossbreeds and so we cannot know that the true staffie temperament has been passed on to them. Unfortunately, since dogs that have the bullbreed look have become status dogs it seems the case that all sorts of breeds are being mixed up- some have mastiff, others different terriers or even sight hound. So, what we are dealing with is to some degree a lottery in terms of characteristics. I have to agree Jeremy that formerly staffies were bred for fighting. Ironically, the need to pull a fighting dog off another fighting dog without the owner getting bitten, is what made them so reliable with people, strange but true. I would say that true staffs can be OTT in their play which can lead to problems with other dogs. They have been bred to look physically assertive with a very upright carriage when meeting other dogs- this can lead to problems. They are not always so great in giving off the right body language or in reading the appeasements signals of other dogs. All of these issues are surmountable with the right training and socialization through puppyhood. On the plus side, they are very bright and very trainable,much more so than many other terrier breeds. This is why you'll so often see them being walked off lead- though I do not approve. I can think of few other terrier breeds that you could do this with so often. They are also immensely forgiving of human abuse- I cannot imagine a Dobermann or Akita taking the kind of punishment that these dogs will soak up. Bottom line is each dog has to be taken on its own merits. Some dogs have a very high prey drive which can find an outlet with other dogs. Intact males may, not always, be more likely to fight with other intact males. Dogs that have themselves been attacked or scared by another dog can develop fear aggression to other dogs. Dogs that have been abused/scared by people can develop fear aggression to people. A dog that shows aggression to another dog is likely to be fine to people and vice versa- aggression is rarely an all encompassing reaction to everything in life.

It would be useful to know the reproductive status of the attacking dog and if the pup attacked is a boy or girl? A 5-6 month male pup will have experienced a hormone surge which gives it 6-7 times the amount of circulating testosterone. This can be like a red rag to many intact adult males and they may 'target' the youngster. To us a 5 month old is a pup, to an adult dog, depending on its hormonal status, it will no longer enjoy so called puppy license. If the staffie is an intact adult male and the pup is a boy, this might be one explanation for a seemingly out of the blue attack. I am not excusing but what can look like a horrific attack may be something a bit different. Was the pup injured and did it have any marks on it? Other equally possible explanations are that the staffie was treating the pup as prey. Staffs are notorious for not being that great with other dogs and if it has not been properly socialized this may be another reason. It is not clear if both the pup and Staff were on a lead? If walking on the pavement were you both on the same side? Or did the staff run out from a house, or was it being walked off lead? How old is the staff, is it neutered? Many of these dogs are in rescue and extremely well meaning people take them on and don't quite realise what they can be like with other dogs. Either way,the owner of this staffie now knows that their dog might repeat this behaviour with other dogs/pups. I would suggest the owner is asked to ensure that their dog is always kept on a lead and away from other dogs until it has attended training classes and can be shown to be safe around other dogs, having been properly assessed by an expert. The Dogs Act of 1871 might allow grounds for civil action if it can be shown that the dog is a repeat offender. See the website for Trevor Cooper who is an expert on dog law. If your pup begins to show fear around other dogs as a result of the experience you might suggest that owner of staffie funds some behavioral work with the pup. Could you give a description of the Staff involved as I recall another EDF poster who had her dog attacked by a staff that ran out of a house- I wonder if it was the same dog?

That's the plan. Once they can get it in on one or two streets they know it'll put pressure on the surrounding areas and so by degrees, the CPZ will spread and spread and the council coffers will swell from the proceeds. It is crystal clear that James Barber is totally in favour of the CPZ, despite not having a handle on the detail, as gmckenney, john at Chener books and others have pointed out so clearly.

I can't believe this is still being pushed. Living in the area proposed I must point out that we've rejected it again and again. Nobody I know of believes it works and none of us want to pay for it. Life is getting too expensive without this on top of it all. Of course Southwark will do everything they can to push it through because it is a revenue source, pure and simple. It is disgusting and devious.

I think it's great for kids to be in pubs and restaurants provided they are being properly supervised and not running and screaming about the place. It is up to parents to ensure that their kids are suitably entertained and not left to their own devices. I remember sitting in the Bishop last year and noticed a young foursome, each couple with a baby. One of the baby's was screaming until it was almost blue in the face.One of the men, the father I assume, had the baby dandled on his knee, with no support for the baby's head. It was just all wrong. I was on the verge of intervening when finally they decided to leave. I feel a glass or two of something had got in the way of judgement. The baby really looked very distressed for quite some time and I did feel that the Bishop environment was all just too full on for a babe of that age. On another occasion a couple next to me in the Actress let their toddler clamber all over our table, the surrounding chairs, and all over me. They went on to tell me that their child was extremely hyperactive and hard to calm down. I did wonder if an extremely noisy pub, quite late in the evening, was, therefore, the best place for an over stimulated kiddie? Anyhow, I'm all for kids but they must be supervised otherwise it's unfair on others but most of all on the kids.

If you were able to get a name for the private contractor I would try to find out from them exactly who authorized the work- for instance, they will have sent an invoice to someone. I would then write to that person, whoever it is, and cc it to all the relevant councillors, planning etc. Once in writing, and with a clear audit trail, I think you will find those at Southwark more receptive. Please keep us informed of your progress.

James, I'm with you on this. The cost for the event is astronomical. Also, fireworks are really bad for wildlife. A bonfire, jacket potatoes a few sparklers...fine. Fireworks- you can keep 'em.

My blue wheelie bin has not been emptied since it was delivered- now it is nearly overflowing. What a cockup!

Let us know if Marnie is found and good luck.

Shush now.

Why do you appear to have a problem with this? It's a simple plea to ask people to keep their eyes peeled for a lost dog- taken under very unpleasant circumstances. The dog was part of a family, the owners are upset. They would like to get their dog back, safe and sound. It doesn't seem to be of interest or matter to you. Point taken- quite possibly you don't care. Can we move on now and get of the original poster's case.

Lilly123, I do hope that the owners find Marnie- very distressing to have a dog taken from you like that. Of course, it takes a dog owner or someone with a modicum of empathy to understand just how upsetting this experience would be and how one would be worrying about what had happened to the dog. Perhaps other posters simply cannot make that leap of imagination. I don't see how worrying about a pet that has been taken from you under violent circumstances is in the least way sentimental- odd reaction. Fingers crossed for Marnie.

Sue, I read it here http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/30/could-amanda-knox-have-an-autism-spectrum-disorder As you see, plenty of outraged reactions, but it gave me pause for thought. Whatever way you look at it, her behaviour was odd.

It has been suggested that Knox is somewhere on the autism/aspergers spectrum. Apparently, this would account for her inappropriate behavior under the circs- doing the splits and cartwheels functioned as some kind of stress buster. She's also been described as very bright but also goofy, geeky and extremely naive. The penchant for 'wild sex' is also consistent with the above and may be a trait with high-functioning female aspergics. Sorry, if this offends anyone, I am not endorsing this simply passing one rationale for behavior which many viewed as odd and damning.

If the dogs are barking non-stop for three hours at a time that indicates that they are not getting enough interaction etc.. and it is potentially an animal welfare issue. I assume that you have approached the neighbours and asked them why the dogs are being left to bark for so long and explain that it is distressing. If there is no joy I would advise asking Southwark Council to come out an hear it for themselves- I would also record it. I'm not sure that the RSPCA will be of much help in this instance, it would only be if the dogs were being kept outside without food or water that it might become a neglect issue. Good luck and I hope you can get it sorted.

I have to say that I let my dog have a 5-10 minute bark in the evening- he likes to see what other dogs are out there and they all generally join in briefly, but I would not let it go on for longer than that. I do think dogs get a buzz out of barking, rather like people yelling at football matches. I think fine to let them do a little bit but if you let it go on it can turn into a bad habit. In terms of the original poster, I'm not sure what to believe at the moment.

SC, Unfortunately, as I was told by Southwark recycling yesterday, they only do the brown bin in a half size, none of the others. If we are going back to weekly collections I too would make do with a blue box, if twice weekly I'd need a half-size blue bin, but they don't do those. I've always put my garden waste in the brown bags for collection and so never needed a bin- some weeks there'd be far too much anyway and other weeks none, so brown bin was a waste of space. Now they've introduced this brown food caddy thing I have nowhere to put the full food scraps bags. If I put the scraps in a blue or green bin it'll be wrong. So I'm forced to get a brown bin which means three bins in the space of one- so annoying. Just which the council would think these things through before they foist it on us.

PeterStorm, Part of me is tempted to advise that perhaps the dog would not get sick if it were allowed out to see the fox off. It may have a fear of foxes, but far more likely is that it is exhibiting extremely frustrated prey drive- it is literally worked into a frenzy by the sight/smell/noise of the fox which it wants to get to. It may be a territorial thing but I'd bet the former. Is it a terrier type dog perchance? Anyhow, it won't be the prey drive or being territorial that is making it sick but the fact that it cannot act on an extremely powerful urge to do something that is being frustrated. One way of dealing with it is to go out with the dog, so that it is satisfied that the fox has been seen off. Otherwise keep dog away from that window and avoid trigger for frustration and use distraction at foxing hour so that the dog learns to associate the arrival of foxes with fabulous games. Anyway, you sound a reasonable chap to me so we agree, a bit of give and take all round is all that's needed- dogs left to bark for several hours at a time are most likely very bored and are an animal welfare issue.

peterstorm, I would disagree that dogs barking at wildlife are distressed, most likely they are having a great time. I do agree if the dogs really are barking for hours on end that is one thing, but from what another poster has written it sounds as though this is not the case. All of us can get irritated by any number of noises- babies crying, children practicing their musical instruments after school- badly; endless building noises...the list goes on, but there has to be a bit of live and let live.

James, I don't think it's been thought through either. I'm very happy to recycle by why have they not thought to offer two sizes of bin? That way those who produce less waste could fit three smaller bins in the space of one and a half. Additionally, why can't all the bins be green or brown and simply colour coded by sticking something on the top, rendering them less of an eyesore. Why does the council always have to treat people as though they are at primary school- ie the blue bins I agree with Sue, aesthetics are important to many people and these bins are ugly with a capital U. Who chose the colour and when were we consulted? When were we consulted about each getting three huge bins to fit in the space of one bin. The mini food waste bin with its special compostable bags, stinks to high heaven so I cannot see myself continuing with that. Grrrrr.

eedee, Oh for goodness sake. Surely children can cope with the sound of a dog barking and 8pm is hardly late. What with the noise of traffic, areoplanes, sirens, car alarms etc...etc.. that blight our urban soundscape from dawn till dusk, I'm amazed that dogs barking are singled out. I suppose next it'll be birds that tweet too late in the evening....oh wait, I do recall someone complaining about that too.

DM, What an odd reaction- do you have major problems with empathy? garnwba, Hope they catch whoever did it.

Squirrels can also make a lot of noise from loud screaming and barky alarm calls to this baby type noisehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WILefPsS13g&feature=related

More fox calls/vocalisations

Follow and listen to this link. If this is what you hear then it is definitely foxes.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur-oXj4D9wE