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Dog with large tumour on
face was living in squalid conditions
AN elderly dog with a facial tumour the
size of an orange was rescued from a house where he lived in squalor, in a case
which left the RSPCA inspector who investigated shocked and upset.
Timmy, a 16 year old collie type dog, was found by the local fire crews at a
house in Selby Street, Wallasey, Merseyside, who forced entry after becoming
concerned about the state of the house while doing routine checks in the area.
They found Timmy lying on a sofa in the living room of the property, which was
strewn with rubbish, faeces and mouldy food and there was a strong smell of
ammonia.
RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes said:-
"The fire crew could smell something very strong and unpleasant through the
letterbox and were concerned that there was a dead body in the house, so they
gained entry with the Police. That's when they found Timmy, so they contacted
us. The house was in squalor; every room was full of faeces. It was very hard to
not stand in faeces as the carpet was full of it. It was one of the worst
environments I have been in. The ammonia smell from the urine was very strong
and there was mouldy food and rubbish on the floor. There was no evidence to
suggest someone had been living there; there was no food in the fridge and there
was no electricity. Timmy was essentially using the house as his kennel and as
his toilet."
Additionally, there were flies all over the
house. Inspector Joynes said:- "It was a wonder that Timmy wasn't
suffering from flystrike too, which happens when flies lay their eggs on an
animal's flesh, with a wound like that on his face. If he hadn't have been found
when he was, we could have been dealing with a dog on the brink of death, or
even the body of a dog. I went home that night quite upset and shocked, just
thinking about what Timmy went through. He is an elderly dog and should have
been relaxing on a sofa in a lovely home, not living as he was, in a lonely,
dirty environment."
Timmy was treated by a vet, and his owner was interviewed by the RSPCA.
In the meantime, Timmy began to recover.
"He had so many hurdles to overcome. He had to have a series of tests to
determine if the tumour was attached to any bones, or if it had spread
elsewhere. Luckily, these tests came back as negative so it was something which
could be surgically removed safely. He survived the operation, however due to
the size of the tumour which had been removed, he was in some discomfort for a
few weeks afterwards, but he has overcome that and now he is living such a nice
life. It makes all the bad thoughts from that day worth it. Timmy is now living
with a vet on a farm in Cheshire and he is having such a lovely life. There is a
genuinely happy ending to such a sad case." said Inspector Joynes.
Timmy's previous owner, Christine Daley, 60,
appeared at Wirral Magistrates' Court, on Wednesday, 8 March 2017, where she
pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Timmy by failing to provide
veterinary treatment to the tumour, and for failing to meet the needs by not
providing him with a suitable environment, between 1 October and 25 October
2016.
Magistrates disqualified Daley from keeping
all animals for 10 years, gave her a 6 week prison sentence, suspended for 6
months and ordered her to pay costs of ₤1,075.
Timmy's story will feature on Channel 5's The Dog Rescuers later this year
(2017.)
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World Heritage Big History
Weekend returns to St George's Hall Liverpool
KEN Pye and St George's Hall Liverpool
are delighted to announce the return of the fascinating and insightful:-
'World Heritage Big History Weekend,' which is back bigger and better
for 2017.
The 2 day event takes place on Saturday, 29 April and Sunday, 30 April 2017, in
1 of the most historic and iconic venues the City has to offer. The event will
take place between 10am and 5pm on both days.
Admission is ₤2 payable on the door, free entry for under 16's. The admission
cost will support the restoration of the iconic Minton Tiled floor in the Great
Hall of St George's Hall Liverpool.
Local history fans and geology enthusiasts can
look forward to a full programme across the weekend, including a diverse choice
of talks, guided tours and exhibitor stalls.
A series of 8 talks by guest historians will take place across the weekend,
giving an insight to a variety of local subjects.
Guest speakers include Steve Binns MBE, expert on St George's Hall Liverpool;
Ken Pye will focus on Liverpool's renaissance from a fishing village to a major
port on the world stage; Clare Moorhead will give guest a fascinating insight
into the life of Joseph Williams, the man behind the Williamson Tunnels; and
Spencer Leigh, who will highlight 60 exciting and memorable years of the iconic
Cavern Club.
For visitors wanting to learn a bit more about the City's history or for those
who have a question about the City they've always wanted to ask, then the Local
History Question Time is an absolute must. The panel line up will be announced
shortly.
Tickets for the special guest talks and the Question Time panel event are ₤2
each.
Visitors can also look forward to meeting
representatives from a range of groups and societies from across Liverpool City
Region who specialise in local history, family history and heritage.
More than 50 groups and societies will be exhibiting throughout the weekend
including the Friends of Williamson Tunnels; Liverpool History Society;
Liverpool Record Office (Central Libraries); Merseyside Polonia; and West Kirby
Museum.
Visitors to the World Heritage Big History
Weekend at St George's Hall Liverpool will also have the opportunity to discover
and explore the iconic venue through a Privileged Guided Tours which take in the
Great Hall, Concert Room, Courts and Catacombs. Tickets for the tour are ₤3.50.
Joint organiser Ken Pye from Discover Liverpool commented:- "The annual
Big History Weekend is the grand culmination of two weeks celebrating Liverpool
as a World Heritage City. Over the two days in the glorious setting of St
George's Hall Liverpool, we will be showcasing local history and heritage from
across Liverpool City Region. With over 50 stalls and exhibitors, eight
outstanding guest speakers, guided tours of St George's Hall and a few surprises
during the weekend, this event has something for the whole family. It is all
about who and what we are; and that's the wonderful people of Liverpool and
Merseyside."
St George's Hall General Manager, Alan Smith said:- "St George's Hall is
delighted to welcome back to the hall the Big History Weekend. This time the
event coincides with a World Heritage fortnight of events at St George's Hall.
These include the magnificent Minton tile floor reveal, the chance to walk on
the floor in the evenings, a series of talks about the hall and its history, the
amazing Steve Binns talking to visitors at the floor reveal in the Great Hall, a
series of behind the scene tours, and then culminating in the Big History
Weekend. It's a real feast for lovers of history, heritage and culture, for
which Liverpool excels."
A full timetable will be announced shortly. Tickets for the guest talks,
Question Time panel and guided tours can be purchased on the day, or they are
available in advance from the heritage centre shop at St George's Hall
Liverpool.
Refreshments will be available to purchase from the Heritage Café.
For more information visit:-
STGeorgesLiverpool.Co.UK.
New law makes vegan option
compulsory in Portuguese public canteens, is Britain next?
THE Portuguese Parliament has approved
an obligatory vegan option in all public canteens; a huge step for vegan
catering for all. The recently approved new law compels all public
canteens (eg. Schools, Universities, Prisons, Hospitals) to provide a strict
vegetarian option in their menus within the next 6 months.
The significant achievement follows a popular petition promoted by the
Portuguese Vegetarian Society (Associação Vegetariana Portuguesa) in 2015, which
rapidly amounted to over 15,000 signatures and was discussed at the parliament
early in 2016.
Nuno Alvim, spokesperson for Associação Vegetariana Portuguesa, said:- "We
feel as if this is a major breakthrough in Portugal because it's the first time
we have any law that specifically mentions vegetarianism. It will promote
diversity of eating habits and encourage more people to choose the veggie option
as it become more widely available. This of course is predicted to have a
significant impact on the population health foremost, but also on animals and
the environment in the long run. Promoting the rights of the vegan population is
as important as campaigning and informing people to adopt veganism, in our
perspective. This law seems to be an important first step on the political
level."
The new law results from a conjoint political initiative of 3 left wing
political parties, and was approved by a large majority on 3 March 2017, with
the abstention of some right wing parties.
With Portugal paving the way, The Vegan Society is even more optimistic about
promoting the diversity of eating habits by campaigning for vegan catering for
all.
Some of this work aims to improve understanding of how to provide adequate vegan
meals in Hospital, and highlight that they are suitable for most people.
The Vegan Society's Dietitian Heather Russell, who provides education about
vegan catering, said:- "Hospitals, prisons and places of education need to
cater in a way that respects equality and diversity but, unfortunately, it can
still be difficult to obtain vegan meals in some settings. Staff training can
contribute to this issue as people working in institutions may not have been
educated about a vegan diet. Our campaigning work aims to achieve just what the
Portuguese law has; to ensure that nutritious vegan food is always readily
available. I am working with health professionals and caterers to help them make
this a reality."
The approval of this measure is widely celebrated by the Portuguese community as
an important achievement for the vegan community, while also meeting with the
expectations of those who follow the diet, whether it is for ethical, health or
ecological reasons.
A petition for vegan options on every:- School, College, University, Hospital
and Prison menu, in the UK, has reached over 16,000 signatures; a thousand more
than the Portuguese 1, but it needs 100,000, by 3 April 2017 to be considered
for debate in Parliament.
So what are your views on this? Do you think we should make a law making:-
"vegan option compulsory?" Please send your views to:-
News24@SouthportReporter.com as we would love to know what you think.
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