Concern over four dogs left in hot car

I WAS most concerned to note on Tuesday last, outside a café in Bridlington, a red car was parked with four dogs inside it. They were in the sun, and although the windows were open slightly, they were panting, barking and somewhat restless.

It was the talk of the café, but although this was the case, nothing seemed to be done about the matter. During the time I was in the café, many people walked past and looked concerned.

There was no traffic warden or policeman in evidence during the time I spent in the café, one hour. I came out only to find the car (parked in a one-hour zone) had a disabled sticker displayed on the dashboard – effectively those dogs could be there for up to three hours.

Unfortunately, I was a visitor to the town and did not know or see any sign of a telephone box or the police station, or else I would have reported this matter.

I consider it an absolute disgrace that dog owners continue to put their animals’ lives at risk in this way and cause great distress both to them and people in the vicinity. I felt quite useless as I wasn’t able to do anything myself other than raise my concerns with the café.

I sincerely hope those owners of the four dogs came back before the three hours were up and that the dogs were alive. The owners deserve to be prosecuted for such behaviour.

Man’s duty in natural world

From: William Snowden, Butterbowl Gardens, Farnley Ring Road, Leeds.

WHILE cycling along Wortley Ring Road, I saw a dead fox lying on the grass verge: a young, lactating vixen. Somewhere, I pondered, there would be a den of fox cubs pining for her.

A woman approached to express her concern that “local kids” might “mess about” with the fox. “I’ll return and take her to a secluded place,” I promised.

“What will happen to her cubs now?” she asked.

“If her mate (the dog fox) is still alive, he’ll try to support them”, I said. “But they will probably perish. That’s nature”.

In our busy lives, we’re often insensate to the acts of selfless devotion and sacrifice, drama, daring and tragedies that unfold all around us, in the natural world. We may not always be able to help distressed animals (some, like the little vixen, are beyond help) but it is, I believe, incumbent upon us to try.

Measuring decline

From: David W Wright, Easingwold, North Yorkshire.

THE excellent opinion column by Father Neil McNicholas (Yorkshire Post, June 2) concerning the moral decline and use of bad language is only part of the UK’s degradation.

Our media is full of examples, daily, of our slide into third world status with the MPs and members of the House of Lords fiddling their expenses, FIFA bosses accused of corruption, the UK Border Agency is not fit for purpose, the immigration situation is a joke and we continue to spend millions on the EU monolith.

There are just a few of the examples of our decline – but what are David Cameron and the Government doing about it? Not a lot.

EU testing has been done

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury.

TO all your correspondents who persist in boring the pants off readers with their incessant calls for a referendum, may I point out that opinions on Europe have already been regularly tested.

If people were as antipathetic to the EU as we keep being told, they could have voted for UKIP or other parties at election after election.

Sooner or later these constant correspondents may have to accept that we are in and we are staying in. But then I suppose they would have to think of something else to bang on about.

From: Douglas Hartley, Irving Terrace, Clayton, Bradford.

FOLLOWING the popular revolts in North African countries, since January more than 22,000 “economic migrants” are said to have arrived in Italy, most of these from Tunisia.

Historical associations mean that they want to travel to France to seek work. The French have stepped up border controls to prevent entry.

Italy had planned to issue temporary permits allowing migrants to travel anywhere in the EU’s open border Schengen area.

However, European ministers meeting in Luxembourg, refused to recognise such permits, regarding the migrants as Italy’s own problem.

Roberto Maroni, Italy’s Foreign Minister, accused the EU of abandoning his country.

“If this is the answer, it is better to be alone than in bad company,” he said. “I wonder if it makes sense to stay in the European Union.”

Experiences of workers

From: RC Curry, Adel Grange Close, Leeds.

IN the article by Joanne Ginley about the River Aire (Yorkshire Post, June 2), the adjacent canal and its life, a comment has been made about the Bradford textile businesses: “No-one bothered to record the workers’ experiences because everyone took them for granted.”

That is not so as a book entitled Waste Matters by Roger Davy is one recent publication about one particular aspect of the textile trade in that city, where quite a number of individual tasks and lives are featured.

It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in local matters. I believe it is available in local bookshops.