The Chillout Zone (Off-Topic Thread)

VonVix

"No take, only throw" is the mantra of my dog's life.

Aragneer

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the 'Bring Finn Home' page updated today with this message:

It is a sad day today for our family.
Liam Brady the PD has informed me that he has reliable information from a local source that Finn has been shot in a field close our house.by a local farmer.This incident apparently occurred on 7 th December.
As you are all aware Finn went missing on 7 th Dec and the FB page was set up on 16 th December .During that week there was sufficient time for that farmer to inform us of these circumstances to be informed that this had occurred...
This is in direct violation of current Irish legislation and both ethically and morally unsustainable.
In simple terms a cowardly act.
Sadly there is no more that this campaign can achieve, I am heartbroken for my gentle silly Finn, I have no more words to describe my anguish.
I am filled with gratitude for the over whelming help and support I have received from the public.Finn has become loved by so many...not just us his immediate family.
Finally to Debora Gough..for setting up the Bring Finn Home page and her incredible support to us all over the past difficult weeks...thank you are not big enough words.
For now.. I will grieve for my boy....

Tbh, I am not sure if I believe the detective. Until a body is found or the farmer is spoken to, everything is still very fishy.

A lot of commenters on the post are calling the detective a scammer, etc...It must be such a sad and stressful time for the family My heart sank when I read this..

jellybear

Heard this this morning. I also find it difficult to believe until the owners see proof. It just seems very out of the blue. Poor Finn though and of course his poor family. Hopefully more will come to light soon. Such a sad story

Aragneer

jellybear wrote: »

Heard this this morning. I also find it difficult to believe until the owners see proof. It just seems very out of the blue. Poor Finn though and of course his poor family. Hopefully more will come to light soon. Such a sad story

I agree. And the dates and info don't seem to match. I am so sorry to speculate on such a tragic case but he was 'stolen' on the 7th and then shot on the 7th?.. I just can't get my head around it.

Very sad story

Lady Haywire

Noticed that page the other day when they started searching a few miles from me in Ballinamore.
Did the owners just assume he was stolen when he disappeared?
If the farmer shot him on land while he was running around sheep he's entirely in his rights to do that, but normally a farmer would go looking for the owners with the dog (dead or alive) afterwards. Sheep are all heavily pregnant at the moment so I don't think many dogs would get second chances if they were caught in the midst of a flock.
But the story just doesn't seem to add up somewhere, it's nearly a bit too convenient after getting a fund me page and all set up for expenses. Reminds me of that dog, an afghan hound or something, a while back.

tk123

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Noticed that page the other day when they started searching a few miles from me in Ballinamore.
Did the owners just assume he was stolen when he disappeared?
If the farmer shot him on land while he was running around sheep he's entirely in his rights to do that, but normally a farmer would go looking for the owners with the dog (dead or alive) afterwards. Sheep are all heavily pregnant at the moment so I don't think many dogs would get second chances if they were caught in the midst of a flock.
But the story just doesn't seem to add up somewhere, it's nearly a bit too convenient after getting a fund me page and all set up for expenses. Reminds me of that dog, an afghan hound or something, a while back.

His collar was left here apparently. I don't know about anyone else but if I see a dog has gone missing near farmlands I kind of assume it's been shot?! They raised £4000 on their crowdfunding page - did they really pay a detective that much?! :eek:

Lady Haywire

tk123 wrote: »

His collar was left here apparently. I don't know about anyone else but if I see a dog has gone missing near farmlands I kind of assume it's been shot?! They raised £4000 on their crowdfunding page - did they really pay a detective that much?! :eek:

Oh......that's a bit odd. Well in that case the farmer wouldn't have any way to identify the dog in question and prob wouldn't go searching if no ID on him. If it was an older chap, chances are that they wouldn't be too good on the internet to see the furore going on about the dog.
It's written on the facebook page that the detective wouldn't accept payment, only telephone/admin expenses, though they're giving the rest to various charities.

ShaShaBear

tk123 wrote: »

His collar was left here apparently. I don't know about anyone else but if I see a dog has gone missing near farmlands I kind of assume it's been shot?! They raised £4000 on their crowdfunding page - did they really pay a detective that much?! :eek:

From what I understand (the owners are 10 minutes away and my hubby coaches football beside them), the farmer shot the dog and attended the house to return the collar rather than haul the body. It's altogether possible that they were not home and out looking for Finn at the time. He probably left the collar there (maybe on a sill or doorstep) and the wind, or any of the other dogs could have moved it around the garden. They presumed him stolen because they encountered a suspicious van earlier that day and the collar was found in the garden when they got home.
The dogs on her property are not contained properly, she said at the start that he doesn't usually roam or bother sheep. But as we all know, it doesn't often take long for a dog to find that one thing that they are willing to break the rules for. Leaving a collar with the owners is well known here in Monaghan as a farmer's port of call if he can't get the owners. If he doesn't use Facebook (very likely), he might have assumed the owners didn't care, and had a munnery truck dispose of the body with any other carcasses there might have been (sheep he killed, aborted lambs, etc). That is where he went wrong. At the very least, the dog should have been reported to the dog warden.

It's a sad story and the pictures of Finn and his doggy family are clear indication that they are all well-looked after dogs who are spoilt rotten, but this is a classic case of rural dwellers presuming that "it hasn't happened, therefore never will" with regards to their dogs roaming.

tk123

ShaShaBear wrote: »

a classic case of rural dwellers presuming that "it hasn't happened, therefore never will" with regards to their dogs roaming.

I have family like that 'oh he's a country dog so it's ok' eh lads you're in North County Dublin contain your dogs! :rolleyes:

Lady Haywire

ShaShaBear wrote: »

The dogs on her property are not contained properly, she said at the start that he doesn't usually roam or bother sheep.

Enough said!

ShaShaBear

tk123 wrote: »

I have family like that 'oh he's a country dog so it's ok' eh lads you're in North County Dublin contain your dogs! :rolleyes:

There's loads of them here. The part of Monaghan I am in and Finn is from (and the whole bloody county if I'm honest) is a series of straights of main road built up commercially and residential-wise and the surrounding areas are rural. My homeplace is Castleblayney, which is a fairly built up town, but it also includes about 20 townlands which are all rural. Ballybay is almost identical to Blayney - a straight of road with shops, pubs, schools and churches - and a LOAD of farms and rural dwellers.

Her two other dogs are older and probably not arsed roaming, and since Finn stuck with them, she probably (and wrongly) assumed he wouldn't either.

Choc Chip

tk123 wrote: »

I have family like that 'oh he's a country dog so it's ok' eh lads you're in North County Dublin contain your dogs! :rolleyes:

I don't get that though! Even in the country, why would it be ok?

I'm baffled by how accepted it is that people let their dogs roam - I'm well out into the country and it's pretty common to be greeted by dogs on the road.

Maybe I'm overly sensitive about it because one of mine would wage a one-dog war against the local wildlife and sheep if she was given half a chance (so they're never allowed off-lead unless they're on our land). I'm so bemused by the concept of opening the door and letting the dog wander the roads though...

borderlinemeath

Himself has relations in Monaghan and his extended family are livestock farmers and they don't have their own dogs securely penned in. You drive into the front yard and 2 or 3 of them are wandering about. It beggars belief.

First thing I though of when the collar was left in the garden was that it may have been returned by a farmer who shot the dog. Not the best method of communication but the farmer may not have wanted to get into a row with neighbours, particularly if there was little or no harm done to stock. You can be sure if the dog had actually mauled or worried sheep to abort lambs then he would be banging their door down looking for compensation, and the whole situation would have been sorted and not dragged out for a month

Aragneer

Ah, it's interesting to hear from you that know of the area/themselves.

I cannot believe these dogs were not contained properly. I am a believer of dangerous owners, not dangerous breeds so this is not in relation to that but boxer dogs are dogs that are often high value for dog thiefs for dog fighting, selling, etc., if these dogs are not contained properly, there would have always been that possibility and like you have all said, there is always possibility that he would roam. You can never say your dog won't and never will because a dog is independent and if he/she is bored, especially with older dogs around the house, they'll hop away happily.

Poor guy, such a young dog. It's very sad.

Very interesting about the collar thing..I guess there isn't really any speculation so. Unfotunately on the comments on their fbook page will make them continue their own speculation until a body is found.. It's always hard with no closure and I do hope the family heal in due course.

I don't want to be THAT person..but I hope it also makes them consider their fencing/containment of their animals for their older dogs and anymore they are to get in the future.

Btw guys - what is it with everyone thinking white vans are suspicious?

tk123

Aragneer wrote: »

Btw guys - what is it with everyone thinking white vans are suspicious?

Only extremely dodgy characters drive white vans ... :D

borderlinemeath

tk123 wrote: »

Only extremely dodgy characters drive white vans ... :D

Ah here....we have one!! ( I take it MP has one as well:P)

Actually when I crashed the red van into the front gates (writing off the van and doing thousands of damage to the electric gates and the wall in the process:rolleyes:), the one thing on the list of requirements for a new van was that it was a colour other than white. A couple of weeks later and REALLY needing the van (couldn't get to the beach and was limited to the fields) I had to relent and we got a white van that matched our needs.

muddypaws

Yeah, I have one, and worse, its a white transit :eek:

muddypaws

Aw, poor Indy just walked into the crate, then couldn't work out how to get back out again, her dementia seems to be getting worse, as do her breathing issues.

aonb

muddypaws wrote: »

Aw, poor Indy just walked into the crate, then couldn't work out how to get back out again, her dementia seems to be getting worse, as do her breathing issues.

so sad. my poor old Pepper used to do that - go someplace and get stuck

spookwoman

ShaShaBear wrote: »

.....
The dogs on her property are not contained properly, she said at the start that he doesn't usually roam or bother sheep. But as we all know, it doesn't often take long for a dog to find that one thing that they are willing to break the rules for.

Doesn't bode well. We don't know what that dog was like and could have been a complete and utter pest wandering. Farmer could have just got p*ssed off and shot it again we don't know. Lot of people in this country just open their door and let dogs roam and unfortunately enforcing dog laws in this country is a joke. If it was shot only people to blame are the owners.
Anyone who donated should be given a choice on getting their money back if they feel something is up.

VonVix

Came across two Malinois puppies in a rescue, wish the time was right to foster one (I'm mad enough for that breed!) just hope the rescue knows a enough about the breed to place them in the right home.

jellybear

VonVix wrote: »

Came across two Malinois puppies in a rescue, wish the time was right to foster one (I'm mad enough for that breed!) just hope the rescue knows a enough about the breed to place them in the right home.

Saw them myself, they're gorgeous! Having 2 Belgians myself I also worry about them finding the right home

VonVix

jellybear wrote: »

Saw them myself, they're gorgeous! Having 2 Belgians myself I also worry about them finding the right home

Seems like they're slowly raising in popularity (BYB's really), there another two adults Malinois in another rescue as well, but at least their description has it clearly stating they need an active/sport home.

It's amazing how many rescues can't recognize the Belgian Shepherd/Malinois breed, which is both kind of worrying yet not surprising as you used to never come across them at all really!

jellybear

Yeah they're very uncommon, particularly in rescues so hopefully the right owners come along! They're such a quirky breed you'd need to know a good bit about them before taking one on. Although in saying that their quirkiness is what I love most about them!!:)

tk123

For the first time ever we have a doorbell. Up until now we had a knocker on the door but got a new door before Christmas and the knocker is more for show and not loud enough. My mum went to the shop twice this morning and used the bell when she came back to try it out...well the dogs haven't learned what the bell means yet lol! No racing to the door barking and when I went and opened the door and let her in both dogs were completely confused! 'Did you go somewhere because I didn't hear you knock at the door?!'

borderlinemeath

tk123 wrote: »

For the first time ever we have a doorbell. Up until now we had a knocker on the door but got a new door before Christmas and the knocker is more for show and not loud enough. My mum went to the shop twice this morning and used the bell when she came back to try it out...well the dogs haven't learned what the bell means yet lol! No racing to the door barking and when I went and opened the door and let her in both dogs were completely confused! 'Did you go somewhere because I didn't hear you knock at the door?!'

It won't take long! We got a sensor on our gate so it beeps when somebody pulls up, our own dogs and the regulars know exactly what it meant after about a week!

aonb

tk123 wrote: »

For the first time ever we have a doorbell. Up until now we had a knocker on the door but got a new door before Christmas and the knocker is more for show and not loud enough. My mum went to the shop twice this morning and used the bell when she came back to try it out...well the dogs haven't learned what the bell means yet lol! No racing to the door barking and when I went and opened the door and let her in both dogs were completely confused! 'Did you go somewhere because I didn't hear you knock at the door?!'

Jeez, enjoy the peace while it lasts
We have an electric gate, so dont get unexpected visitors at the door. When the gate buzzer sounds the dogs go INSANE. When the doorbell is rung - by visitors who are expected, and we have left the gate open - the dogs go INSANE.
Such a pain - never taught to them - all of them did it 8-( Such excitement.
The problem when someone rings the gate intercom - the racket with the dogs means that I cant hear what the person at the gate is saying :mad:
Pests!!!
Let us know how long it takes your two to twig that doorBell = doorKNOCKER!

VonVix

Received a nicely bashed up dog food order. Only casualty is one missing wet dog food pouch. Sigh.

tk123

VonVix wrote: »

Received a nicely bashed up dog food order. Only casualty is one missing wet dog food pouch. Sigh.

I got one a while back with 4 (or maybe 6?) boxes of wet pouches along with some trays of wet which broke everything in the box except the wet pouches! The box was hanging open too so don't know how everything was accounted for and none of the pouches burst!

I worked from home before and after Christmas so this is my first day back in the office - it was miserable going out in the dark again this morning and thinking of it now for later!

Zapperzy

I always knew one of my cats, freya, was a little bit dimmer than most cats. She was trying to hunt a spider and she 'lost' it, she was looking everywhere for it, smart bugger was hiding on her forehead smack bang between her eyes The same cat repeatedly tries to jump into a cabinet with a glass door We love her really though