first mate

kylie6097, I hope you are right about safeguarding procedures- but I would suggest that your comment about Harris' lack of clarity on sports facilities pinpoints exactly the thing that makes people like me suspicious! I guess it might be artistic licence, or a kind of slip that reveals the real long-term intentions of the school and planners, but if you look at the 3D animated visuals of the school it begins with a long shot through a vista of trees on Peckham Rye. As we zoom in through the park and trees to the road- the school being over the other side- I notice that there is no fence or gate separating the park and school, it is as though the park is an extension, separated from the school only by the road. I know I'm being far-fetched but......?

Narnia and LE, I'm also sorry for continuing off topic. LE I hope you find a dog share person soon. Your boy looks a nice lad.

Rgutshell, What a nasty experience- was there any way of identifying the kids at all, just in case there are further incidents? My first reaction is where oh where are those mobile CCTV units when most you need them. Nipping this sort of behaviour in the bud by catching and charging the little b's would be a much better use of resources than endless pursuit of minor parking infringements- better for the kids too in the long term.

Steve T, You keep banging on about this and I understand your anger but everyone is responsible for the litter they discard/generate, by accident or not. Irresponsible people don't give a monkeys- whether they leave dog shit or fail to pick up broken glass or the revolting gum, chicken bones etc.. they spew over the pavement. Dog shit is unpleasant and sometimes dangerous, glass is dangerous (I know, I've been infected by a cut from broken glass left on the pavement). I also happen to dislike discarded gum and chicken bones (a nuisance to me and life threatening to my dog if ingested). You may not have seen much broken glass your way but I see an awful lot.It is the same laziness and lack of community mindedness that drives people to discard and leave any kind of litter.

It seems fairly clear that the ultimate intention is to use the park because there is not enough room at the school for adequate sports facilities. It has been denied all along that the park would be used for this but I would put good money on the fact that it will be.I think this denial of fairly clear intention gets up a lot of people's noses. I also think the concern of many is that once the Rye gets used a bit for school activities that usage will increase to a lot and this may begin to impinge on the freedoms of other park users. The park is there for all but it was never meant or designed to be a school playing field- or was it, please correct me if I am wrong? The FOPK have already indicated that the park cannot take the heavy usage that would be involved in everyday use of it for football, rugby and other sports involving a lot of people at once. Who would fund the extra upkeep involved with this usage? If sports are played every day does this mean that those parts of the park become no go areas for other users (I am thinking health and safety here)? I know that Harris Girls uses it a bit- and a number of park users were pretty hacked off with the attitude of some of the girls- but the use is occasional. A boys school probably has a much greater need to get the lads out and running around- my guess is the use by them would increase very quickly. Before people jump down my throat I am not anti children or anti them using the park, but I am one that feels that a park is not a school playing field. Sports have there place for all the community, but the use is not constant- as it probably would be in this case.

Steve T, How can you possibly know that broken glass is often accidental- any more than leaving dog shits? Both are acts of irresponsible behaviour. If you break glass in a public area- even if by accident- you should still clear it up because it is dangerous. I cannot understand why you seem to brush the issue of broken glass away. It rarely gets a mention.

And to follow up on Narnia's comment to TQ, one might also say 'are all you alcohol drinkers and smokers picking up your broken glass and fag buts- YOU ARE BEING WATCHED'. I get slightly bemused that people get so angry about dog do, but broken glass, of which there is loads, is seemingly fine. It's all litter and all anti social.

James, thanks for that. I'll try doing what you say and take a note of your number. What freaked me a bit was that the camera had turned itself on. I barely use it.

I'm surprised by just how much material workman are allowed to put on the roadside and kerb- I've seen generators, skips, piles of sand, portaloos as well as cables that stretch across the path- this goes on for weeks- is it legal. I would have thought that the cables, at least, were a health and safety thing.

Hi, Can anyone help? I've just had a warning message saying that I've had an access violation- something to do with my computer inbuilt camera software- oh and my computer camera had turned itself on (been turned on? Eek) Could any obliging computer-wise people explain what this means, how worried I should be and what best to do? I've got Norton 360, I've scanned and run registry cleanup where it found and deleted an invalid file of some type- but no evidence of trojans, malware, spyware etc.. If anyone can help please be aware I am a computer/techno eejit, so keep it very simple. Many thanks

Does GG need improving? It's a small patch of land. Common sense suggests that it'll be used more in the summer than the winter and mostly by families, young people and dog walkers. People walking and cycling to go about their business will use it as a cut through. Provided people can be persuaded to stop littering (including but not limited to dog fouling, broken glass, human food waste) and provided those on cycle don't hurtle through, is the park not pretty much fit for function as it is? I've always thought of the children's play area as separate and see that this needs funding for maintenance, upgrading etc..

What about when FFGW says "cor" is that allowed? No "yummy" and no "cor" would leave little to quote. Last night FFJT sampled the pud cooked by a Scottish lady copper and obeserved "I don't like the way your sauce has separated into two colours".

Cassidy, Those parents should be well and truly ashamed of themselves. What a bad example to set for their children- my rubbish but let someone else pick it up because I'm too 'busy'(lazy), and outside a school too- well, well. Lack of bins, what absolute nonsense, you just carry the bag until you get to a bin- it's in a plastic bag it can't hurt you. I also believe, though I'm happy to be corrected, that most people would not object to you popping a bag into their bin (if out on the street)- better there than turds left for the cleaners to pick up or dog owners like me to slip in! In a similar vein, I do see a lot of kids just dropping stuff willy nilly on the streets. Do we need to be educating children (and some of their parents) a little more about littering- oh as well as the errant dog owners.

James, I really do think that over the very cold weather poo will have built up but been hidden by snow etc..- where not even cleaners would see it. Would also point out that one dog per street will produce 14 deposits of excreta a week. If that is not picked up by the irresponsible owner you do not have to be a genius to see how quickly just one bad owner can leave our streets heavily befouled. There are certain cultures that loathe dogs. I would imagine that if as a cleaner you were a member of that culture you would be extremely reluctant to pick up dog poo and, in my view, why should you. The real solution is to find a way of catching the owners that don't pick up and hit them hard with a penalty of some kind. Perhaps it requires some very close round the clock monitoring on streets where there is a lot of dog poo, until culprits are caught red-handed and examples made. Those council cars with CCTV atop might be just the thing. To your knowledge has anyone ever been issued with a fine for dog fouling that is not picked up?

Thanks Louisiana for that very helpful summary. You've pointed out some worrying aspects of this scheme. I'm definitely out.

James, My guess would be that more of the wrong type are owning dogs ( a cursory glance at animal rescue centres servicing/ near Southwark shows a huge rise in certain types of dog, plus litters of puppies). Such people are more likely to allow their dogs to poo on the path in very cold weather/rain because they are too lazy to go to the park (where the poo is more likely to be hidden in undergrowth and therefore not seen, though I don't condone that). Also, during the snow I am guessing successive deposits will have been covered by snow etc..only reappearing after the thaw. In the last year I have noticed a great rise in the prevalence of certain types of dog- they are often walked offlead around the streets- I think there is a clue here as to why we have seen a sudden increase in dog poo. It really only takes a few antisocial types, James, to have a big impact on a neighbourhood, as I'm sure you know.

What about large and instant on the spot fines for anyone caught littering (dog poo not picked up is another form of littering)- all these community wardens could be tasked with more hands on monitoring until the message gets through. Bylaws need to be changed to make it an offence to have a dog offlead on the pavement beside a public highway. Finally, compulsory chipping and dog licenses should be instated. Handheld scanners can easily be carried by community wardens. Regular scanning of dogs when people are out and about and instant fines/confiscation for unchipped dogs, might help people get more serious and responsible about dog ownership and think twice about acquisition of a dog on a whim as the latest fashion accessory.

James, What about extending this to cover some of the other major litter issues? I find broken glass to be very hazardous and have cut my foot before, resulting in a severe infection that needed treatment. I also get extremely annoyed by chewing gum on my shoes and finally disgusting human food detritus that attracts foxes and rats and that is casually dropped on the pavement. What is your point about cold weather? I think you know that the real issue here is irresponsible, antisocial humans- deal with them.

cate, it's the " am I bovvered" type. They're the same people that litter indiscriminately: chewing gum, discarded chicken and lamb bones and broken bottles/ glasses after a night's boozing. The type that careers around in their car one hand on the wheel the other on their mobile; the ones that feel they have special exemption from speed limits and so drive up your backside. People that just don't care how what they do impacts on everyone else. It's not unique to dog owners its the type of everyday, lazy and self centered behaviour that crops up everywhere.

Today I saw a young male (swaggering tough guy with hoodie and dog type to match) walking his dog offlead and turning away as it deposited. I was in my car and unable to stop but he saw me stare at him very hard and point to his dog. He looked very slightly embarassed but ignored me. There is also a serial offender that lives near me. Again, teenage boy that exercises his dog offlead on the pavement whilst riding a bike. I've remonstrated with him but I fear it's still going on. It makes me so cross because all the people I know who own dogs, and they are many in ED, all pick up without fail. It's anti social, laziness that is at the core I think- I guess exercising your dog offlead on the pavement while riding a bike, also on the pavement, sums up the type of indivdual that is spoiling it for the rest of us.

Despite what I have said above, I do not want to detract from the awful fact of what happened to Emily Drab's Woody and to reiterate that although I am reasonably well informed about dogs even I will avoid a bull breed I do not know well, because I am not prepared to risk my dog's safety. It's a real dilemma.

Even if it were true you'd have to analyse that information carefully- how many 'Staffs'( possibly many dogs look like Staffs but are crossbreeds) there are per head in the population and how this compares statistically with other breeds ( if there are many more Staffs than other breeds the number of bite incidents might seem higher but statistically be no different from many other breeds). A staff that bites will do more damage than a chihuahua, but the actual level of aggression might be comparable- one incident might land a child in hospital the other might not. Quite apart from all this one would also have to look at the ownership of such dogs- my hunch is that 'Staffs' are currently more abused and maltreated by unsuitable owners than other breeds. Abused animals turn bad. I doubt a really in depth study of this has been done- I also seem to recall that in the last 10 years Daschunds topped the list as people biters, with chihuahuas and cockers both ahead of the pit bull- no sign of staffs.

Puzzled, I do not agree with you there. Some lines of Staff are dog aggressive, others not. Those who breed responsibly and have in depth knowledge of breeding lines will tend to know that the last thing most people want is a dog that attacks other dogs. I know of a number of Staffs that are reliable with other dogs. They have been bought from reputable breeders who know what they are doing, they have been properly trained and socialised with other dogs from puppyhood and they are well supervised- they are no problem. I believe a major factor in all this is the backyard breeders who are deliberately breeding from dog aggressive strains (or unwittingly; people often don't understand that dog on dog aggression is totally different from aggression to people and so if the dog is people friendly it must be okay with dogs. Not so). These breeders are also mixing the Staff with goodness knows what, so you have a dog that looks like a Staff but may have a very different temperament. My sister in law has a KC registered Staff, very well bred by people who have been in the breed for years and really know what they are doing. She is fine with other dogs and she has been taught how to behave around them too. None of this "oh he's fine" shouted across the park while on a mobile!!

MsC, I agree- where people are concerned you won't get a more naturally people-friendly breed than a purebred Staff- ditto Pit bull- well perhaps a Cavalier just pips them to the post!! Anyhow, my point is that it is with other dogs that one has to be careful. They are terriers and whilst not as quick tempered as some working strains of JR's or Patterdales, for example, they will not back down if really pushed that 'hold on till I die' trait is ingrained in them (don't Staffs just love a game of tuggy). I also do believe that Staffs, a bit like Labs and Goldens, have a body language that is often hard for other dogs to read, they can be very 'in your face' and other dogs can take offence and then problems start. Quite aside from all that we cannot deny that the dog fighting heritage still comes through in some Staff lines and they are the kind of dog that cannot be trusted with other dogs, no matter how gorgeous they are with people. You hope that sensible people, breeding for family pets would not breed from dog aggressive strains, but people can be very silly- as we know and there's also no denying that some take a secret pride in the fact that their dog is 'king'. Of course, the key is knowing how to train and socialise your particular breed. With Staffs, because they have a natural affinity for people, a lot is about teaching them how to get along with other breeds of dog.

Cassidy, It is unfortunate, but the fact is that the type of owner that is up to no good and makes a bad dog owner is, currently, inavariably attracted to a bull breed of some type, often a Staff or Staff mix. The fact is that most rescues are overflowing with dogs of these type, a fair few with behavioural problems. We cannot argue with the facts. In the right hands most dogs can make good pets but you have to know what is what with each breed. I agree, you get some very laid back Staffs, the sort that are great with people and dogs, but a glance at any decent breed description of a Staff will mention that they can be unreliable with other dogs- a genetic byproduct of their fighting dog ancestry. I agree you can get horrendous Jack Russells but, with regard to other dogs, they are never going to inflict injuries on the scale a Staff can. Children of course are a different matter. In my view, breeds like Rotties, Dobes, Shepherds, Akitas and Shar Pei are just as worrying, if not more so, in the wrong hands because they have a strong guard instinct. It is sad for the bull breeds that so many idiots are attracted to owning them.