Christine Animal

This type of situation is very sad.  It's a shame that moderators should have to exist and intervene at all...

Perhaps you could be "foggering" TU, getting rid of the fleas in the house.  Of course you have to be careful to treat the rooms without the animals in them.  You probably know that there are products to treat the house, apart from the animals.  This is why the Frontlining of animals before they go to the UK always seems a bit daft, it doesn't matter if the owner and the car are full of fleas!  Also the French often say to me "but don't they have fleas in England?" I also don't understand why it seems that Frontline have the "monopole" for trips to the UK.  There are other brands and there is a problem where the fleas get immune to certain products, so it is necessary to change. C'est bien compliqué tout ca!

"I'm not a francophile. I'm not a francophobe either incidentally" No, TU, you are just you.  It's funny how everybody and everything has to be put into "categories".  I did not come here originally either because I was a francophile, but because my  husband is French, and I like it here.  C'est tout.

Absolutely Coco...

Thanks Deby.

When we used to go down to Spain, with several animals in the car, cats and dogs (we've got too many to go away at all now) we used to stop in the Campanile motels who accept pets.  We used to ask for a ground floor room, they never even come and see, you just go to the reception and get the key, go back to your room and settle everyone in, litter tray in the bathroom, their beds on the floor.  Leave everything clean in the morning and return the key to the reception desk.  We used to find it marvellous.

But Boghound, don't they have to be microchipped to come into France (even if it is not of much use when they get here). ?

.........me too  

I suggested that a little earlier Catalpa, as Ant has now put this in the pets section, and he said he was going to do that.

...except that we were now on to crumble for the weekend. Seriously though, that fruits de mer is a wonderful idea.

Thanks Ian.  Well, here we go again, it's the wrong information.  The above letter from the Ministère de l'intérieur, 7th January 2002, states : Chiens de race "Staffordshire bull terrier".  Il doit être précisé que ce type de chien ne relève pas des catégories énumérées par l'arrêté des Ministres de l'Intérieur et de l'Agriculture et de la Pêche du 27 avril 1999....... De plus les chiens dits "Staffordshire Bull terrier" n'entrent pas dans le champ d'application du dispositif juridique en vigueur. Perhaps the only solution is to write to the Ministère de l'Intérieur to obtain an official renewed answer. I'm going back to the site I referred to above and ask them the question again. Christine   I edit : I've just sent an email to the site I mentioned on the previous page.

What's a "sticky"?  Ants, without being unfaithful to this forum, but just to help, have you tried an ad on Angloinfo, there is a section for Brittany which is pretty "fervent" for animals under "Animal Magic", you have to put their microchop numbers in the ad. Good luck, Christine

Yes, mine was in pre-crumble days (although I probably wasn’t much good at crumble anyway!). Now we have crumble, brownies and Halloween.

  FK if you have disappeared back down in your burrow to try to compete in the Gerbil drawing contest, we shall have to come and ferret you out.  We all know you do the best "sketches" ! I may be on the trail of a giraffe, so be ready...  

Naps, your meal sounded absolutely delicious and I'm sure your guests really enjoyed it and certainly appreciated all the effort you put into it.  Don't worry about not doing things "right", they don't care, as long as everyone enjoys themselves. It's true that nowadays when it comes to the cheese, many people don't want much (that is also why there are certain restaurant menus, apart from the price, with cheese or dessert).  Instead of having a whole cheeseboard, it's sometimes just as "nice" to simply have two "big lumps", say a whole camembert and a generous portion of something firmer, such as Tomme, Cantal, etc. and/or perhaps a fromage de chèvre.  The French often serve a green salad after the main course (also good with walnuts in as there are plenty round here), fresher than the cheese, served at the same time so they can choose between the two, or both. I once went to great trouble to make a crumble for dessert, which everyone ate politely.  Then as they were good friends, yearslater they said everything I had ever served was good, except once, some peculiar dessert.  It was the crumble! I often did lamb curry (Robert Carrier's recipe) and everyone loved this with the chutneys, etc.  Every time I did that they were pleased sometimes saying that's what they hoped I would do. Naps, don't forget to let us know what your guests serve when they invite you back.... à suivre. Christine  

What seems incredible is that animals before leaving England have to be microchipped to come to France, but the English microchip doesn't work in France!  So why do they have to have it to leave England?  It would be more understandable if they had to have it to be in England, as once they have left the white cliffs of Dover it is useless.  The animals staying permanently in France then have to have their microchip re-registered here, which takes a certain time. Also people coming over on holiday may think their dog has an identity here as he is microchipped.  Not at all, apparently the owner of the dog cannot be traced from here.  There is definitely something wrong in the system. Animals have to be microchipped to travel, but if it is not registered abroad, what is the point? I also wonder what happens with French dogs with French microchips when they go to England. Is there anyone who knows about this, Ian do you know?  I have heard of English microchipped dogs being put down here, after being lost and ending up in a refuge where they were unable to trace the owner.  This is absolutely terrible and nonsensical.  If someone has bothered to microchip their dog it is for him to have an identity and be able to find his family. Can the French police trace the owner of an English car over here in France by its registration plates? Christine  

Cary, that is why this thing has to be cleared up.  There are more and more dogs coming from England such as the "Staffie" as you call them and the French don't know them enough, the same goes for your English Bull Terrier.  When you don't know what something is, panic, it must be dangerous... This is why we have been trying to find out exactly the law.  It is no good saying "according to my vet, according to this, according to that".  There must be an official text for everyone and even the French vets and refuges, etc. are not sure.  That is why it is so important as innocent dogs of no category whatsoever, except being a pet dog, risk being put down by ignorance.  The above letter from the Ministère de l'Intérieur says that a Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not concerned by the categories of dangerous dogs. I can't see the name while typing this, but if the person above who took his "staffie" to the vet this morning would like to give me offline the name and phone number of his vet, I am willing to call him. Thanks, Christine http://animalaidsaintaubin.monsite.wanadoo.fr  

Have you a Staffordshire Bull Terrier or an American Staffordshire Terrier? If it is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier then your vet is wrong, according to the letter from the Ministère above.  Perhaps you might like to print the letter and take it to your vet wherever he is and see what he says after that, because a Stafforshir Bull Terrier is not a first category, nor a second category dog. Do you think you could ask him to give the documents which he bases this on as there still seems to be the wrong information given.  It is important. Thanks, Christine 

It just needs a face painted on it...!

Tresco, if you don't use the "Recent Topics", how do you find out what's been going on, without going through the whole lot? I don't have ADSL and sometimes it is sooooo slooooow.  I have just been offered a free "Booster" by Wanadoo, which I télécharged last night, supposed to speed things up.  I can straight away see a difference, so what must it be like with ADSL? Christine

"It probably went unnoticed in Europe (quite understandably) but the Egyptian Ambassador to Baghdad was murdered by his captors on Thursday too." Nice to hear from you MWJ.  Yes, I saw that about the Ambassador on the French news Thursday night. You mentioned the windows.  During the guerre d'Algérie, all the windows were broken where my parents in law lived, except theirs, she was such a "maniac" for cleaning, she had all the windows open.

Glad to hear from you Vraititi.  I was getting worried.  You usually have so much to say, then plus rien.  I seem to remember you once said you live in the Cotswolds. I watched the French news last night and they remarked on the calm of the people, no panic.  One reporter said this may partly be due to the fact that they have since a while now been made aware of the risk, and that it was not a question of are we going to get it, but when.  Some people interviewed in the street yesterday were even smiling, putting on a brave face.  I am in admiration...

We now seem to have two gerbils and it is soon going to be difficult to distinguish between the two species, of similar origin. Gerbils are native to many parts of the world, but the type of gerbil most commonly kept as a pet is the Panda type, black and white. Gerbils come in a variety of colors, but usually have white fur on their belly. Their tails are covered with hair, unlike those of mice.   Gerbils usually live long, healthy lives, their favourite pastimes being telling fairy tails, drinking red lemonade and galloping down streets on the backs of Alsatians. All this helps to keep a glossy coat. Most are nocturnal, but the Panda ones are not. All gerbils are very frisky, and can easily escape from a website that isn't closed securely. Their eyesight isn't very good, so they sometimes fall off of tables when they are running around loose, but their hearing and sense of smell (not to mention their sense of humour) are both very acute. Gerbils must be treated gently, so children interacting with them should be supervised by an adult. The Gerbil Journal

Où est Vraititi?

Here it is