Yes I know some were devastated, tes I know some were heartbroken at losing their dogs, however I also know some were not and coudl`nt care less so long as they were getting compensation, [ and yes there were some cases of fraud.

My sceptisism in *some* of them comes from being married at the time to a soldier who was on the task force and the things it told me as well as many other soldiers whow ere involved and who were utterly appalled at the attitudes and actions of *some* farmers whom they had direct contact with.

It was not all broken hearted farmers, not all cases reached the media, and not all dogs were satisfactorilly dealt with. Those are the type I refer to, not those who did everything the best they could and who were left devastated.

The most sickening thing of it all was that innoculation and testing was available which would have prevented the mass slaughter and ripple effects of the outbreak.
Some might say it is not cost effective for farmers to innoculate.
I would say there is no difference between the care and disease prevention in livestock as with a pet dog. Can`t afford the outlay of what would come under basic routine care ?
Don`t take them on in the first place then...

From Border Collie Rescue, N Yorks ...


This - to clear up some myths about unwanted dogs during the Foot and Mouth crisis

Contrary to some stories circulated in the Press about farmers dumping dogs and rescue centres all over the UK being inundated with unwanted farm dogs due to foot and mouth disease, Border Collie Rescue found quite the opposite. We found this out by phoning lots of rescue centres and asking them about the BC's they had taken in over the crisis. It turned out that most of these rumours were originated by two rescue organisations with their own agendas and it seemed to be more about raising funds and public sympathy.

Under our government approved program, we received over 1200 applications from UK farms offering homes for dogs and took just over 800 of these on file. We had so many enquiries that we had to close our application register. Reports reached us from all over the UK about a shortage of sheepdogs and enquiries we made - and they were extensive enquiries - with rescue organisations all over the UK and particularly in worst affected areas - indicated that many had seen less than the normal number of BC's being offered for re-homing and at worst had noted no more than normal. There was no evidence to suggest that farmers had been dumping dogs and plenty of evidence to indicate that there had been less puppies bred on farms during the crisis year than in previous years.
This all makes sense when you consider the depressed farming market, the restrictions on animal movements and all the other problems associated with this terrible disease. Most farms affected by foot and mouth were not allowed to have their dogs taken away without special licences issued by the ministry.

During the period since our Foot and Mouth farm dog rescue program was approved by MAFF and the Government (April 2001) - we took in 211 dogs. These, for the most part, were young dogs and the oldest on the Program was a 10 year old. This was certainly not because the farming community did not know about the program - it was extensively publicised through MAFF, the NFU and the farming press and on the Internet. Many radio and TV stations also covered our rescue program.
If farmers had wanted to 'dump' unwanted dogs they knew who to contact.

So things were not as bad as some people would have liked the public to think.
We thank the lord for that.

Slightly off topic yet on topic, a farmer friend of the family was hit really hard in F&M, his two collies and 'sprocker' spaniel were the only things keeping him going-when he lost them the poor man took himself out into a field with a shotgun and..
So i don't think the farmers are heartless, far from it-all i know are very compassionate for their working sheepdogs

I have`nt said its cruel, and yes Guide dogs are a very good example of dogs passing though while they are preparing for a working life.

I just could`nt do it myself. I would be far too attached to a dog I had developed a tremendous working and training relationship with as well as sharing the companionship during non-working time.
I have done foster over the years, and with those its very different, they are `on holiday` so to speak, they were not my own dogs to start with and were mostly very short stay similar to looking after a friends dog while they have their fortnight in Spain or wherever.
When I long term fostered, I joined the Happily Failed Fosterer Club because I adopted

My first post on the thread was partly tongue in cheek but with poignency as to how I would feel myself about parting with a working dog, its just not something I could do myself thats all, I`m far too soft and emotional about dogs to understand how others could part with them like that - it does`nt make them wrong or cruel if they and their dogs are ok with it, its just not something I could do myself thats all.

I have *tremendous* respect for Guide Dog puppy walkers, it must take huge strength to be able to part with each dog even though the dogs are never actually `theirs`, and I understand that they get that strength from knowing when one moves on they can help bring another on toward such an invaluable job - I just could`nt do it myself, it would leave me broken hearted to say goodbye so they are far better people than I and are worth their weight and more in gold :smt001


Hope this explains my perspective a bit more and clears up that I am *not* saying cruelty is involved, that was never part of my equation on the selling on of working dogs.

I haven't said you said it was cruel Patch

This is not exactly true and one sided to be honest. They're was a big debate on the implications of innoculations, it wasn't as straightforward as you might think

When something as big as Foot and Mouth occurs, there are those that will take advantage of the disaster. Sad but true. I spent months going home every day from work in tears after the phonecalls I had received from livestock owners pleading that we did something as they were in the culling area. Our hands were tied. After months of negotiation we managed to get some animals excluded from the culls. It was a terrible time and a couple of people I personally spoke to, I later found out had committed suicide as they had lost everything. I nearly packed my job in because of it Bear in mind this didn't just happen to farmers but ordinary people and hobby farmers whose animals were part of their family were affected. There animals taken away and destroyed because they were in the wrong area. Imagine someone knocking on your door because you were in an area of infection. Taking all of your dogs and destroying them. One lady I spoke to daily who had 20 sheep, they were pets, had names for them all and actually brought them all into the house to protect them, still had them taken away. It's something I would never want to happen again.

I see Patch, thanks

I think pet owners and owners of purely working dogs are worlds apart in a lot of senses ... that doesn't make either right or wrong, or one better than the other.

I work my dog, but he is definitely my treasured companion first and foremost. I am sure many of the other people who go to the sheepdog classes I go to, must think I am a bit mad and eccentric After all, my dog lives in the house, sleeps on my bed, I never go on holiday without him and he is always well groomed and smelling fresh

It was an awful time for many and I read that the suicide rate among farmers was high at that particular time Many farmers spend years building up their particular flock of sheep or breed of cow and take great pride in that ... you only have to visit any country/agricultural show and see the animals on display to see that.

There was also a lady who worked at the solicitors where I did at the time, and she kept a few goats. She had them as pets and had names for them. She lived in Cumbria and spent night after night awake, crying and worrying about her goats and whether they would be seized, destroyed and burned on one of the pyres in the area. Thankfully she was spared, but many weren't