Help Needed Tomorrow 2 Sept 2004

[Penny29]

Hi All,

Support and assistance required from all animal lovers within reach of Jumilhac Le Grand in the north Dordogne for tomorrow morning at 10am please.

The Bridgette Bardot Foundation has uncovered a terrible case of animal cruelty at a farm on the outskirts of Jumilhac. The farmer seems to have acquired donkeys for breeding purposes but now the animals are quickly starving to death in a barren field with no food and no water. The one exception being a small foal, which he has enclosed within an electric fence so that the other donkeys do not eat the meagre amount of hay he has given it.

The Foundation have taken legal action against the farmer but this will not be heard in court for another 2 weeks, this will be to late for the donkeys as two have already died. Therefore, the Foundation have arranged for TV cameras to be present tomorrow and need as many people to come along to give support

to the point they are trying to make, which is that the law against animal cruelty here is too cumbersome and too slow to save "at risk" animals lives. They also hope to shame the farmer into releasing the donkeys into proper care.

This venture has the full backing of the local gendarmerie and the Mairie. Several vets will also be present to administer aid to the donkeys if they should be released. A safe sanctuary is also ready for the immediate care of the animals until they are well enough to be adopted.

The other aim for tomorrow morning is for people to take food such as carrots, fruit and even hay so that, if not released, at least the donkeys can be fed, even though this may involve hurling apples over the electric fences!. We are taking along sturdy water troughs that can be passed under the fences but desperately need people to turn up with water in large canisters as most of us are reduced to collecting water in bottles at the moment and that simple won’t be enough. Unfortunately, we heard about this too late in the day to buy bigger water vessels.

If any Forum members could lend their support the BB Foundation would be eternally grateful.

Jumilhac Le Grand is just inside Dept24 (North) on the very edge of the borders of 87 ( near St Yrieux Le Perche) and 19 (Hauteforte). We are meeting at 10am tomorrow morning outside the Mairie in Jumilhac Le Grand.

PLEASE HELP.

Penny

[La Doretie]

Hi,

This is absolutely appalling.  I'm really sorry we can't make it tomorrow, but I will be thinking of you there, and hope you get a good turn out.  This kind of treatment really must be stopped.  If there is anything else we can do, please let us know.

We have had a stray dog here the last few days.  A neighbour did try to return it to its owner yesterday (apparently a few villages away), but the dog came back this morning.  We have given the dog a good look over today, and he is riddled with fleas and ticks, and is obviously very malnourished, and treated very poorly.  It is very submissive, and very wary, although he is getting used to my husband, who has been taking food and water to him today.  not sure what the policy is here, but we have decided we cannot let him go back to his owners.  We are going to find out whatever treatment we need for him, and get that in the morning.  Our only concern is that we have 2 young children, and are not sure whether the dog will be a good "family" pet with the obviously very bad background he has had.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Good luck tomorrow, and please report back on how it went.

Oh, by the way Penny, I am Liz, (used to be Lizzielou).  Couldn't get logged on as that so have had to change).

Liz:

[letrangere]

Penny, alas can't be there in person but will certainly be with you in spirit.  How utterly dreadful.  Best of luck. 

Liz, why not discuss issue with vet?  Sounds to me as though poor dog clearly doesn't want to live with his former people. Fully understand your concerns though.  Has he been in any even limited contact with the children yet? 

M

[La Doretie]

Yes he has - he has very lovingly sat and watched our 2 playing in the garden.  He seemed very unphased by them, and just eager to sit and watch.

 

Liz

[Penny29]

Hi,

 

Just to say I have put an update on the donkeys under the "Pets" section.

Regarding the dog mentioned above - I'd just say that you can always train a submissive dog by giving him lots of TLC and thus confidence & that they usually end up making the most loyal and loving of pets.

The quickest way of improving their confidence, I have found, is to give them a proper routine (especially for feeding times) for the first few weeks. Dogs are creatures of habit and they love always knowing what will happen next and when!

I've also found making a cave (from a large cardboard box covered with old blankets) useful for very nervous dogs as they then have a place to hide when the newness of everything becomes just too much.