A very serious incident!
Two of our most valued and respected members were today (Christmas Eve) confronted by a pack of 5 Collie sheepdogs whilst keeping their own counsel fishing at the top of the Loch o the Lowes. The majority appeared to be hyper excited at being let out, one however (older dog) appeared very aggressive baring his/her teeth and jumping up on to Kris Olson and biting his (thankfully) clothed arm! His heavy winter clothing preventing actual body damage! Whilst this was going on others went into his fishing bag and proceeded to consume all their fishing bait in a matter of seconds!
One actually got hooked by a trace whilst grubbing around in the fishing bag but thankfully this was one of the calmer ones and the trace was quickly removed! They appeared to be under the “direction” of a female who in spite of repeated shouting could exert no control whatsoever over them! Luckily Kris’s mate Stevie witnessed all that took place!
Kris in a gale with a stocky five!
This is a completely unacceptable situation which requires immediate rectification! Dogs will be dogs and the area in which the anglers were fishing would no doubt be viewed by the dogs as their territory. This being the case the anglers could well expect some attention including jumping around and barking, but would also expect a degree of control to be exerted by the custodian of the animals! What is completely unacceptable however is when the dog attacks without provocation and the custodian of the dog appears powerless to do anything to stop this! If a child had been involved this could have turned into headline news in the gutter press rags such as The Sun!
This area encompassing the Southern Upland Way and other walkways is used by men, women and children in the guise of walkers, anglers and the occasional picnicker! I have encountered many sheepdogs from the Cappercleuch area and all have acted within what would be termed acceptable limits, most being extremely friendly, even the boisterous ones with no malicious intent being immediately brought to heel by their owners!
Unfortunately on speaking to a few others it is clear this is not the first time these particular dogs have displayed errant behaviour, in the past however their aggression stopped short of attack!
We will approach the owner of these dogs in the next few days to express our concern and seek an assurance that incidents such as happened will never be repeated!
Our interim advice to anglers (pending formal SSPCA and police advice) when confronted by out of control dogs is to do whatever you deem necessary to minimise personal injury and end the situation quickly! In cases of actual attack without exception, after the incident and immediate medical measures the police should be called! We should also be notified of any incident relating to these dogs (irrespective of whether personal injury results) so we can bring them to the attention of the police and our riparian owners. It is incumbent on those who keep dogs to be able to exercise immediate control over them!
26/12/2011 Today Ian and I met with the shepherd who is the owner of the dogs. Unfortunately it was not possible to have constructive dialogue with the female involved in the incident, We explained the incident as it was reported to us and expressed our concern at what had taken place. Credit where credit is due the shepherd agreed with our points of concern and has agreed that if anglers are fishing the top of the Lowes the dogs will not be let out into the fields unattended or with anyone who cannot exercise proper control over them. It is not our wish to see dogs punished or their activities curtailed but the safety of the public is of paramount importance!
We have heard back from Kris and whilst he was shaken by what occurred he does not want to press charges. Whilst this is his right, we have decided that we will log this incident with the police so that if in future such an attack takes place background information is available to them! Whilst we commend the latest words and right thinking attitude from the shepherd concerned we move forward on the principle that- Ordinary members of the public, angler’s, walkers and any others must be able to carry out their activities on land which is legally accessible to them without fear of being attacked by rogue dogs! Naturally we would like to be notified immediately if any further problems are encountered!
They made a difference!
Thanks again to Frank Green who sent us the following information regarding the refurbished war memorial plaque. Frank sent us the following link to the Scottish War Memorial Project.
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| My thanks to Secret Skwirrel for the following information which he spied on the St. Marys Angling Club website Giving something back A few weeks ago Ian asked me to have a look at the war memorial close to the AA box in the village. He said Mrs Mitchell (the elder) could remember when the memorial was easily read as the printing was highlighted in black against a golden background, but now the whole plaque was black (with corrosion) readable only at close quarters. He asked if I would be interested in restoring it to its former glory. A small part of my work is restoring clock dials for the jewellery trade so I had a look at it and on examination found under the black patination the base metal was yellow brass. So today Ian and I went along and carried out some work on the plaque and in less than an hour we had her looking shipshape. Now all that is required is a rub with a very fine abrasive pad two or three times a year which will keep the plaque in tip top condition as a fitting memorial to those who paid the ultimate price in the quest for freedom from tyranny. “And what a difference they have made to the plaque, it is now looking braw.” Click the link below to visit the SWMP site.  The Megget memorial at Cappercleuch.( A right thinking lady with a vision of making something just that bit better, a lady intent on maintaining a fitting reminder for those who come later, telling of the ultimate sacrifice made by so many lest we forget, a lady who wanted to ensure that those who went before are not forgotten and afforded a correct degree of respect reflecting their sacrifice! The very best of sentiments, selflessly pursued by one who cares! Along with our loch keeper Ian, they took the steps necessary to follow through on their idea. Yes if only the society we currently endure under the wretched Con-dems was based on such a premise the country would be a much better place! Mrs Mitchell, Ian, your vision came to pass, and now the comments of significant others applaud that vision. Respect due! Some information on a couple of the soldiers from the area has been added since Secret Skwirrel notified the forum moderator of the work carried out, and I am sure if anyone wants information on others, these are the people to contact. |
Muppet of the year 2011!
It’s that time of year again when we find out whom if anybody has won the Muppet of the year award, awarded to the biggest fool that we have had the misfortune to come across! The competition seeks to expose those who are an embarrassment to decent anglers and would serve angling best by taking up another sport! It would be much preferable if we had no contenders for the “prize”, but this year unfortunately we have three candidates.
(1) The bully boy! http://www.stmarysanglingclubnews.blogspot.com/2011/12/cowardly-threat.html A thug with a shortage of brain cells, his removal would benefit angling greatly!
(2) The offensive litter louts! http://www.stmarysanglingclubnews.blogspot.com/2011/11/autumn-day-salmon-fishing-2.html A couple of lads who thought they were anglers, but they were wrong they’re Neds!
(3) Dangerman! http://www.stmarysanglingclubnews.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00:00:00Z&updated-max=2011-01-01T00:00:00Z&max-results=50 Quite frankly a fool that beggars belief, of neither use nor ornament! He knows his video is disgraceful and attracts masses of negative comments! By his own making Britain’s most despised angler!
The votes cast were as follows –
In 3rd place with 5 votes are The offensive litter louts!
In 2nd place with 12 votes is The Bully Boy!
In 1st place with a massive 135 votes is Dangerman!
Therefore Dangerman is awarded the Muppet of the year award 2011!
Many however felt that whilst fully deserving of the award he should be eligible for a further award to commemorate his ability to torture, maim and invariably euthanize any Pike that is unfortunate enough to take his bait! Resultantly he has been awarded a special award of the Butchers Apron as a tribute to his butchery skills in handling Pike! Dangerman now joins last years winner the charlatan Mr Kens in the hall of shame! Check out some of the comments on his shocking video they are hilarious!
So there we have it people, here’s hoping the competition is cancelled for next year!
Dangerman aka Kevin Austin!
Great news for the club but bad news for our Trout!
I was delighted to speak with Pete Young our oldest serving member of the club made possible by stalwart member Stevie Nimmo. What had become obvious over the last season was that Pete was not catching as many Trout as he usually does. On speaking to him he told us that he had developed cataracts in both eyes impairing his sight and resultantly was missing more Trout than usual. Well on speaking to him yesterday he announced that one eye has been treated and although he is still applying medicated eye drops four times per day, the sight in the treated eye is much improved on the pre operative state. He also said that he hoped to have his other eye done shortly.
That’s great news Pete! We are delighted all has gone well for you and wish you all the best for the upcoming op! The St Mary’s Trout on hearing this news will no doubt cringe knowing that with improved eyesight Pete will be back to his old ways and catching many more of them!
Feel the cold no more!
Check out the video for a great product that will banish the cold forever! It’s so versatile you can wear it in the house, or it’s just as much at home on the lochside whilst you are waiting on the biggie! Ideal for driving, gardening or just for a leisurely stroll in the park. Check it out below!
The above unfortunately is not available from any of our recommended outlets!
Needing to chill out and come down from the ceiling then just sit back and listen to Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere. Thought to have been composed around the 1600s, copying this music was strictly forbidden by the pope of the time and was punishable by excommunication. Only when Mozart heard it and transcribed to paper from memory did it become freely available! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh31j6L95Ok
If however you need a little cheering up after yet another row with the mother in law, prepare to have your laughing muscles stretched to their limit by tuning in to the antics of ace angling bungler Bill Dance – great entertainment!
Festive TV high spot!
Check out the amazing story of “Wojtek (Voy-tek) the bear that went to war”! It’s the true story of a gregarious and beguiling bear who served as a fully fledged member of the Polish army during the Second World War. Famous for carrying extremely heavy artillery shells to the gunners and for wrestling with his comrades, even though he weighed 500lbs and was 6ft tall capable of ripping limb from limb as though they were paper, he never once hurt anyone and would on occasion allow the human to win the bout! He spent his retirement years in Edinburgh zoo being visited frequently by the now ex soldiers. So revered was he that a statue of him is to be erected in Leith as a tribute to his human like qualities. A bear of more worth to society than all the Muppets above combined! Friday December 30th 7.00pm BBC2.
Great deals
Check out some of the great deals available from Fishers Direct. If Santa gave you lots of money then purchasing some of these bargains is probably a very good way to spend some!
Back on Monday again next week when I will be hiding behind my little blog and pedalling some more my drivel!
Whatever you did to celebrate Christmas hope you had a great time!
Merry Christmas to all our readers!
8 comments:
Bravo! Im sure I speak for the majority of anglers when I say Danger man is a worthy winner of muppet of the year and the (lol) butchers apron! Dont think the dogs are usually to blame its usually the owners.
Hi Richard hope you had a great xmas I could have told you in january that danger man was the winner. He is such a pratt.Love the blanket with sleeves in it going to get one today lol. bill Dance is just great sorry to hear about the bother with dogs usually it is irresponsible owners to blame not the dogs
cheers and a happy new year
Jerry
John he is a most worthy winner he continues to bring disgrace on all anglers! He is most emphatically angling enemy number one!
I would agree that dogs are not usually to blame invariably it is the owners/custodians!
cheers
Richard
Jerry indeed you must have second sight or else you are just on the ball! The blanket with sleeves is a bizarre product but I am sure many will have been sold! Rogue dogs,its usually errant owners!
Thanks again
Richard
lol danger man what a stupid pratt. Disappointing that you had dog tropuble but I see others have said not usually the dogs fault more like useless owners.
Lol the butchers apron lol what a dick.
+Been wating on the muppet result all year, great that danger man has won and the butchers apron he surely deserves it! Enjoyed reading the blog all year heres to many more years
Joe
Hello Joe yes a worthy winner of both awards and heres hoping we can
continue our blog for a few years yet.
cheers
Richard
Hello anon I note all that you say and agree wholeheartedly!
Many thanks for your comment.
Best wishes
Richard
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