Huggers

''hahahahaha - Who'd have thought that Daffodils would inspire such a fierce debate.'' ..as opposed to inspiring one of the greatest poems of the nineteenth century ? if the daffodils are the pennies of the natural world then its worth looking after them so that the pounds look after themselves.

yes falcoa, but I believe those boys were caught.

JB's comment sounds more like Burgess Park.! The Woody incident shows just how communicative this forum is on anything grave happening. I think we would have a forum full of reported specific incidents if they were happening. After six years of daily walking on Peckham Rye with dog,and ten of walking with children,cycling with children, footballing with children,adventure parking with children- I have to say that JB's experience is not my experience. I suppose it depends what time you go. But I go in the morning with the dog, in the afternoons, weekends with the kids. Once at 3pm in the afternoon I saw a group of boys with several staffies sitting on a park bench one summer. But the dogs were on leads and nothing happened.

what year is your camper Sam, so we can keep an eye out if its parked in any of our streets- part of the reg ?

blast! Ive got lots of ambition but no talent.

Legal, you got to practise with the stilton at home so he knows you have the stilton. We hate stilton and I always buy it by mistake at Christmas,so have supply, but I understand camembert is a good one. In fact now if dog has nose in kentucky fried chicken and is about to start his 'dance' of buggering off with it, I scream 'cheese!'

Ive found pocket full of crumbled old stilton cheese invaluable for getting dog back when he is focused on all the bones dropped in the park.It s stink can over-ride anything else. Ive also started to teach him hand signals so he is watching to see if there are any coming- it completely knackers his brain. (i emphasise I am the one doing the hand signals, not the dog,)

the day I wrote the post there was one, and as a regular dog walker i did 'tell her' . She was exercising her dog deliberately in the picnic area because she thought it would keep her dog safe. She kept saying she had been told it was alright to do so. Hence in my original post on this thread a reference to it. Maybe in real terms it doesnt actually have any impact on potential picnickers in the winter- but what it does have an impact on is the anti-dog lobby who go 'look, I told you so.'

But Mscrathew, have you not discovered the dog circuit walk in Dulwich park? the muddy track round the edge? its pretty quiet-and then the big field...though the big field can get a bit intense. I still prefer Peckham Rye for dogs any day, or early morning Nunhead cemetery.

This is a Recall issue- everyone should be able to call their dogs back from picnics, joggers, other dogs as a first principal. All dogs (ok most) can be taught recall. You just have to be more interesting to your dog than anything else in the park- I find stilton cheese is irresistable...or rather, doggy does.

edited because I am even boring myself now.

Oh God, I knew someone reactionary would suggest this. Exactly what we want to avoid. Why? Why would there no longer be a problem having them in the banned areas? People who don't read the signs arent going to read yours either. Also, please think this through....the density of dogs in these so-called allocated areas. As we have all said, Peckham Rye is a peacable place-why would the answer to keeping the garden/picnic on-lead be keeping the whole park on lead? Between october and April we are just about the only people out there anyway. Your people areas will be completely empty...except for the truants and the vandals. We are not the states. We don't declaw our cats over here either.

Hi 2degreesfrommadenss- my dog is the same- and it's taken a year of training and confidence building to get him to the stage where he is happy around other dogs- but he still doesnt like 'rude dogs' and I have to show him I can protect him from them so that he doesnt have to do it himself. ...I think he dropped the soap in the showers at battersea dogs home and some rottwieler tried to make him his bitch. That kind of things stays with you.

I agree with miss sophie, but I hope she realizes my original post was about dog etiquette when a dog happens to be on a on a lead and anothe is not- not about putting all dogs on leads which I disagree with.

well Puzzled, , this morning someone had deliberately taken their dog in the enclosed picnic area. I know, because I had a conversation with them about it. We are lucky to have most of the park to have our dogs running free, so why give fuel to the anti-dog lobby who would like to see all dogs on leads ? Nappy Lady, yes you can get around the park without having to go on-lead. Steve T, I'm not asking for everyone to be castrated, just to read the signs! Is it true the Oval is no longer a lead on area? It always used to be.

actually, its a pretty middle class 'surely you don't mean me?' problem.

Sorry to start new thread but I don't want it to get buried in the woody-dog-attack thread. Out this morning with my hound I came accross a very upset non-dog lady. She had just been verbally abused by a woman who's two dogs had been harrassing the ducks- because she had pointed out the dog-on-lead notice to her. If we don't put our dogs on leads where we are asked to in the park, we will soon be asked to keep them on the lead all the time. These on-lead areas are to protect wildlife, newly planted flower beds and shrubs. Little Fido's scamping around them has the same impact as a small act of vandalism. These areas include the ponds, sexby gardens, the garden with the little brook and the Oval- the Oval has the worst offenders, as for many it is their way in to the park. It is also my way out of the park and when my dog is on his lead (which he is in this area) he really does not like to be dive-bombed by off lead dogs who's owners are on their mobile phones oblivious or who think it's cute. Which brings me to my second point of Dog Etiquette. If someone puts their dog on a lead when they see you and your dog it means they do not want their dog to interact with yours at that point- either because it is very young/vulnerable, doesnt like other dogs and may snap if harrassed, or because it is injured/old or maybe just because it is in training. It is completely unfair to then let your off lead dog rush an on lead dog -who is going to feel much more vulnerable on his lead anyway- and it can undo all the confidence building an owner has been working on with a rescue dog. For the other lady in the no-dog picnic area, too afraid to let her little dog run free in the main park - how about getting a 'long line'(which is not an extendable lead but like a horse training line) and take him into the enclosed dog-permissable bit just below the 'oval' and build up his confidence there? If scarey big dogs come you can reel him in. Thanks for your attention everyone. Huggers Jobsworth.

Ang, both my children go to Askes and really enjoy it. One is very academic and the other is the opposite of academic and it seems to offer good things to both. There isn't an outer catchment anymore and it's the former'lottery' places that the monson children take up- about 45 places. Except for the music places, looked after children, siblings etc, everyone else is on distance. You may be lucky if your child falls into an undersubscribed band. We know children in Nunhead (south side)who have got in on distance (ivydale)but others (more northerly nunhead)who havent got in. As the Monson childrens' siblings start getting places (who themselves are at monson, or temple grove as it is now) more places will be liberated as the years go on as some of those automatic monson places will be siblings.(if you get my drift) My childrens contemporaries who have gone to Kingsdale, Charter and Forest Hill have settled well and find their schools good. I think all in all schools in our area are improving.

blimey first mate! I think Ive seen this dog- but I also think there might be more than one that looks like this so we must be careful not to get the wrong one. Ive seen one like this that is walked often by two men. .

This is horrible, poor Woody- but Tony Quinn, it's not that typical of dog owners as walkers in Peckham Rye will tell you. We are generally a civilized, supportive, responsible and courteous lot who keep an eye out for eachother. As Woody was on the lead, maybe the police can do something this time daizie.

call the council? its light pollution.

Am I right in thinking that in the States it is much easier to pursue and receive damages for vaccine damage as the US government accepts that there is always a tiny proprotion of damaged children built into a mass programme, but that this is worth the protection of the majority- and so treats its citizens as grown ups and pays up. It's our government's (not party based but historic policy)vehemence that there are no links between the odd damage and a vaccine, and making parents fight so hard, that creates mistrust. They should put their hands up and say sometimes shit happens. .

yes I noticed this last night. I wonder if its causing a day for night situation in any local residential windows.?

Those drivers of us 'in the know' who avoid the turn right junction by going down nigel road and then turn right across the semi roundabout on that lower part of Rye Lane, I believe are in for a nasty surprise with plans to make nigel road a no through/dead end. Bliss for residents I am sure, but extra pressure on that right hand junction on the rye. Correct me if I am wrong.

The Hob opposite Forest Hill station is the now permanent home of the original EDT Comedy that started in the eightees. It has strong bills in a purpose built comedy room (upstairs) booked and run by Ron and Emma who have years in the comedy business. This Saturday theyve got Will Smith, who plays the oppositon pr bloke in The Thick Of It.