Apparently it was because I "MUST" getting something out of it.. such as my meat free or discounted etc... and I was told that there is no way I "would be doing it out of the goodness of my heart"

Well all I can say is that I pity that person, they obviously know the wrong people..I done this with the sole reason of getting food for my dog, which was paid for in full.. Although the bottle of wine, box of chox and the flowers i got from various people to thank me for "doing it out of the goodness of my heart" were much much appreciated

How bad minded L and thats the best thing to do, pity them &forget all about them.

And how sweeter the little pressies of appreciation must have been eh

Nice to know goodness is still alive & kickin

Please forgive my ignorance (I'm getting old!), but I'm not sure what the problem is with getting stuff from your butcher? I have no problems getting minced leftovers from mine! And I'd be able to get bones, too, if I gave my Boys bones (Snorri-dog doesn't get them because he has bad teeth*, so Kali doesn't get them either).

*he has a small jaw irregularity and his teeth are not very secure - he has lost some already, poor chap - there was very little holding them in

Either I am not au fait with current legislation, or my butcher is just ignoring it!

Snorri

some butchers are great Snorri and I agree this is the best place for meat, bones and offal...but so many butchers now a days don't do their own cuts and just get the meat ready to go, so no bones...Some are practically in fear of handing out bones because of the ill advice that goes around, 'dogs shouldn't have bones' etc etc...(well it depends what type doesn't it) Alot of butchers cook there bones and let people have them thinking this is safe!...It's alot of miss education...Just cuz they are butchers don't mean they know about canine nutrition unfortunately and I think gone are the days when the butcher just took the customers word for it because of all the different legislation's and rules.

It's hard to find either a butcher who will just give what you ask for believing you know what's best or just has the stuff you need. I'm lucky cuz I found the parent company who owns our localish butchers and they supply me wholesale with different stuff like whole ox heart, liver, breast of lamb, lamb neck, whole chicken etc...They are good for the rmb part of the diet but most meats stiil to expensive other than that though...It's the most difficult thing with feeding raw as far as I'm concerned! Getting the diet right is the easy part, sourcing your supplies at a cost effective price can be the challenge!

Beleive me if it was that easy to get bones etc from my butcher I would be doing it.. Instead or organising all this..

My butcher in central Scotland will not hand over ANYTHING.. not even bones free
£1.50 for 2 small marrow bones (about 5 inches in length).. or £3.50 for a bag of 18 HUGE bones..

Maybe more hassle but I know where I would rather give my money too..

I think you must be really lucky Snorri.. We need more butchers like yours

That may well explain it, then! My butcher is the retail outlet of a small wholesaler, and they are very "traditional" - they get the carcases direct from the abbatoir and do all the cutting themselves (except for venison, that comes from "doon sooth"), and there's rarely a shortage of doggy-munchable bits.

Of course, it works to their advantage, too, in that they can sell stuff that otherwise would be thrown away as waste, and people who go in to but dog food often buy stuff for themselves that they might not have bought. Mrs S and I get our dog food weekly, and usually come out with something for us (steak, a rib roast, or even just "own-make" sausages), which lessens the weight of my wallet!

Snorri

Those type of butchers are definitely dying out I think.

That is very true that they have to pay for the bones and scraps to be taken away so you would think they would welcome an outlet with open arms...but then some like Louise mentioned loose their good will and charge ridiculously for things as soon as they know there is any interest

Most butchers we have asked at just don't do their own butchering anymore and those that do either have other people already taking the stuff and don't like to share or just don't like to be helpful in general...lol...I have to say when we found the supplier to our butchers who was really helpful and friendly and even gets the stuff we want bought right to our front door anytime we want it free of delivery charge because we are on the way to the butchers, well I was very surprised and more than pleased but also very lucky....lol

Hold onto your good butchers there Snorri

Wonder if its a Scottish thing LOL but just spoke to another butcher and the results were the same,,nil its like a swear word to them,, honestly if some butchers can do it why not all of them ,, think a lot of them actually pay to have the waste taken away just cant understand them at all when all we are doing is trying to feed our dogs a healthy diet, Louise thats horrible just shows some nasty peeps around but nice to know there are some nice ones too, ive only got a little freezer so may think of coming in with you when I get another , the offer is greatly appreciated.

I go to a meat wholesaler who is lovely and gives me bones for free, luckily he is open to the public, but if you look in your yellow pages you may find they are so happy to give the bones away as they pay to have them taken away themselves. I get so many I cant store them. Your not far from me b-eye I live in Northumberland I can give you his number if ever your down for a visit to the metro centre or Newcastle?

hi Bye -eye
Yes , I think it is a Scottish thing. When I asked 2 butchers if they could order me Chicken carcasses they asked me what they were for . I said MY DOGS . Well , I got a lecture about the rules of the abatoir and boy did he give me such a funny look
I have to pay 60 pence for 2 bones when they have them in. If I buy my butchermeat I do get 2 small ones free. So the bones are all we can get up this way and even thats asking for gold.