Guess where we went last night, Harty Church. Mrs Dog Warden and myself visit this wonderful little place fairly frequently for personal reasons I won't go into here. It's another of Swale's little jewels that you really must have a look at.
The journey from the Leysdown road down to Harty is brilliant. We saw 9 hares, countless pheasants and quails, one peacock, a kestrel hovering over head, plus of course dozens of rabbits. I wonder how many places in the UK you can go and almost guarantee to see not just one hare, but loads of them.
The church itself, full name "The Church of St Thomas the Apostle", dates back to Norman times, and is said to be one of the remotest and smallest in Kent. Anyway, enough of the history lessons, it's a lovely place to visit. Last week they held the annual flower festival; the smell of Lillis and other flowers was fantastic as we walked into this beautiful old building. The grounds themselves are lovingly cared for offering wonderful views across the Swale, and we had the added bonus of a Thames and Medway Spritsail barge majestically making its way up river.
OK, have you got the picture in your mind now, so why bring it up here? Well I'll tell you why, smack in the middle of the immaculate church grounds was an enormous dog turd. Not an expression I would normally use in polite circles like this, but there it was, and when I say enormous, it was enormous. This was no terrier or any small to medium size dog; this was Hound of the Baskerville stuff. For goodness sake, this church is so remote someone took this dog there. There is no way on earth this person could not have been aware that the dog had fouled in the middle of the church grounds. All I will say to that dog owner, in a collective consciousness sort of way, is if you're not prepared to abide by the law regarding dog fouling, then you had better study the law of karma.
Just a quick reminder that Swale Borough Councils dog health check and micro-chipping days are nearly here. We, in partnership with the PDSA, will be in:
On a final note, to the person that allows their large dog to defecate beside my van, it really isn't a great idea. The clue is the words DOG WARDEN, plastered on the sides. If you have a little trouble reading the sign, here's some help:
D is for disgusting,
O is for obnoxious,
G is for get a grip,
W is for walkies,
A is for anger,
R is for really don't believe it,
D is for (I've already done that one),
E is for excreta or elephant size poo, and
N is for neglecting to clean up your dogs mess.
It's only a matter of time until I witness you failing to clean up after your dog, and when I do, you will receive a fixed penalty notice for £80, as will any person doing the same in Swale if witness by myself, one of our street wardens, enforcement officers, or police community support officers. Better still, be responsible like the majority of Swale's dog owners, if your dog fouls anywhere, clean it up. There is no excuse, Scoop it, Bag it, Bin it.
The journey from the Leysdown road down to Harty is brilliant. We saw 9 hares, countless pheasants and quails, one peacock, a kestrel hovering over head, plus of course dozens of rabbits. I wonder how many places in the UK you can go and almost guarantee to see not just one hare, but loads of them.
The church itself, full name "The Church of St Thomas the Apostle", dates back to Norman times, and is said to be one of the remotest and smallest in Kent. Anyway, enough of the history lessons, it's a lovely place to visit. Last week they held the annual flower festival; the smell of Lillis and other flowers was fantastic as we walked into this beautiful old building. The grounds themselves are lovingly cared for offering wonderful views across the Swale, and we had the added bonus of a Thames and Medway Spritsail barge majestically making its way up river.
OK, have you got the picture in your mind now, so why bring it up here? Well I'll tell you why, smack in the middle of the immaculate church grounds was an enormous dog turd. Not an expression I would normally use in polite circles like this, but there it was, and when I say enormous, it was enormous. This was no terrier or any small to medium size dog; this was Hound of the Baskerville stuff. For goodness sake, this church is so remote someone took this dog there. There is no way on earth this person could not have been aware that the dog had fouled in the middle of the church grounds. All I will say to that dog owner, in a collective consciousness sort of way, is if you're not prepared to abide by the law regarding dog fouling, then you had better study the law of karma.
Just a quick reminder that Swale Borough Councils dog health check and micro-chipping days are nearly here. We, in partnership with the PDSA, will be in:
- Central Avenue Sittingbourne on the 29th July (from 10am until 5pm),
- The Market Square Faversham on the 30th July (from 10am until 5pm),
- Sheerness Town Clock on the 31stJuly, (from 10am until 5pm).
On a final note, to the person that allows their large dog to defecate beside my van, it really isn't a great idea. The clue is the words DOG WARDEN, plastered on the sides. If you have a little trouble reading the sign, here's some help:
D is for disgusting,
O is for obnoxious,
G is for get a grip,
W is for walkies,
A is for anger,
R is for really don't believe it,
D is for (I've already done that one),
E is for excreta or elephant size poo, and
N is for neglecting to clean up your dogs mess.
It's only a matter of time until I witness you failing to clean up after your dog, and when I do, you will receive a fixed penalty notice for £80, as will any person doing the same in Swale if witness by myself, one of our street wardens, enforcement officers, or police community support officers. Better still, be responsible like the majority of Swale's dog owners, if your dog fouls anywhere, clean it up. There is no excuse, Scoop it, Bag it, Bin it.
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