Our neighbour had 12! She is down to something like six. They used to be badly enclosed and we had neither fence nor gate. Our dogs were regularly set on and two of our cats torn apart. We were eventually told about the cats some weeks later, with an expression of the inconvenience of her having to collect and dispose of their remains. The woman in question is Belgian, now in her 80s and will have nothing to do with SPA or any other refuge. She certainly does not hunt. She simply takes in dogs other people do not want. They are neither ever walked nor properly controlled. Once when the SAMU had a call out and thought it was there, they entered through the unmarked gate and were set on.
Because we are in the last corner of the commune, the maire (the previous one anyway) did not want to know despite attacks on other dogs and occasionally walkers who passed by unaware. She eventually got an order to have fences repaired and a secure gate installed. People doing a barn conversion who are living on site are continually awoke at all hours and from around 0500 on find it impossible to sleep for the noise.
I am a dog lover, have always had dogs and will end my days preferably in their company if there is no human worth having at hand. So I am not picking on her. It is just that when dogs are like that it is unpleasant for everybody. Val's dogs, we have heard about them as long as she has been around, do not match that kind of description in any sense. Apart from that, I have run through my fingers and we know at least 12 French families with two or more dogs, one has four Labradors even!
Bullies, and OH and I have worked on that topic several times over, have one characteristic that is universal. They pick on somebody weaker, more vulnerable than themselves. Ignoring it, keeping quiet and such things simply lets them get on with it undisturbed. Therefore you just need a couple of people to stand beside you to kind of say "Oi, you, what's your problem?". When the bully then catches you alone again, you retort by saying that your friends still want to know what the problem is and offer your mobile in a gesture to have him/her explain to your friends. See how rapidly said bully looks for a new victim. Talk to neighbour with howling dog about what you understood to be a threat as a priority. Simply stack the odds against the eejit then he will have no choice but to back off. Talk to the other English and tell them what he is doing and saying and rub in the fact he is not talking to the French and that you will talk to them yourself if he persists. The people might not want to take sides, but they also will not want to find themselves on the wrong side either.
Apart from that, as ever we are all here for the moral support.
I was slightly bemused, then slightly paranoid but it's comical so I'm going to run a poll, lol:
Just spent 20 minutes on the phone to a lady who did sound sincere. She'd picked up a little dog she'd found on the road after presumably being frightened by the storms. A man in her town (about 10-12km away from me) had given her my name as maybe being a refuge. I don't know anyone in that town. She'd called my local Mairie, spoke to a nice lady and the lady had given her my number. She wanted to know if I could take the dog. I said no, never been a refuge but had fostered for the SPA. I confirmed that she'd checked with the vet that it had no chip/tat and said she'd need to take to the SPA and told her where it was.
This is the first time anyone has ever called me thinking I'm a dog rescuer. Now, for the poll. Is this:
1. Completely bizarre coincidence? 2. She is my Muse and has been sent by the Universe to put ideas in my head to turn my house into a Pet Crisis Centre? (That would be so funny).
3. An attempted sting operation? I don't know (I don't think) anyone in her area who could supply my name, and definitely not full name. Did she say enough to the Mairie to make them think I'm running an illegal refuge?
Absolutely right, Debra, there are so many noises associated with rural life and in villages you get 'people' noise in addition so there would never be total peace and quiet. To be honest I agree with him to the extent that if I had neighbours with dogs that barked 24/7, 365 days a year I would find it annoying - I think realistically anyone would - but mine don't actually do that. They bark if they hear someone coming, then shut up when they recognise them, and I know they've sometimes made a noise if I go out but the anti-barking collars should help with that. The going out noise would probably average 20 minutes once a week so if I can reduce that, that would be great. He said not to bother being nice and looking for solutions because the only one he would be happy with was for me to have no dogs. Trouble is, not being nice isn't really me so I am still coming up with various ideas.
Hi Debra, no he'll be back in a few weeks. I said above that I thought he was laying the groundwork and it's because we just had our annual village celeb and he came over for that. He wouldn't acknowledge me before the event and I think I know why. He used it as an opportunity to canvass people's opinions of me/my family/my dogs/whatever. He said 'lots of people at the fete complained about your dogs'. To be honest, I have serious doubts that his 'lots of people complained' statement is true.
He is moving over permanently and wants everything exactly the way he likes it, ie complete silence around him apart from the birds singing. But his house is in a village. There are families, pets and holiday homes. His complaint list so far is the dogs obviously, the cats walking across his garden to get to the land beyond and children playing noisily (that was initially directed at a holidaying family whose girls were playing shuttlecock or footie, can't remember, on the lane but then expanded to include my son).
I admit this assumption may be wrong but I think he's only approached the other 'English'. I'm not sure he's spoken to the French neighbours about it. Having to deal with him as an individual on a daily basis would make life uncomfortable enough. If he ropes in others, it would be miserable.
But the point was really that I felt completely alone in having to deal with him. His threat to have all our animals seized because that was the only solution acceptable to him sort of 'traumatised' me if that's the right word. They're my son's best friends. Anyway, it was only down to the actions of someone I'd met on SFN that I didn't completely lose the plot. Hence my thanks.
Facial reconstruction, ha ha ha ha ha. Love it. No, he was over for a week but gave me the cold shoulder as soon as he got out of the car so he must have been planning this in advance. I think he's moving over permanently (f. great) so is laying the groundwork to get me kow-towing to him before he arrives. I did ask if he'd spoken to the French neighbour about their dog howling in the garden behind him - big surprise he hadn't but said "It might be dead by the time I come over". Yikes.
Oops suddenly gone black here. Think I may have to pull the plugs ...
No, I know it's not a pity party. Of all the people I know, you most definitely do not engage in pity parties! It just got to me thinking that this damn pillock marches in for a few weeks, and tries to bully you. So you refrained from giving him some facial reconstruction then? If he does anything again, call the police.
Nooooo, no tears - it's not a pity party. It was a friend made through here that gave me the push I needed, that's all. By the way you'd love the pillock - English, complete f. eejit.
I'm in tears reading this Val. I didn't realise just how badly that pillock was behaving. You have my phone number, so ring any time you want to vent, rant, or just talk. Big hugs. xxxxxx