FACT: COMPULSORY MICROCHIPPING DOESN’T WORK

Continuing the arguments against compulsory microchipping, this was sent to me by Stephen McMurray of 7th Heaven Animal Rescue Trust in Northern Ireland. It was also published in Dog World in February 2014.

We, at 7^th Heaven Animal Rescue Trust have been voicing our opposition to microchipping ever since it was made compulsory for dog owners in Northern Ireland to have their dogs chipped. I believe that certain parties are also trying to introduce it in the U.K. mainland. I urge your readers to fight this dangerous and unnecessary proposal as I can now prove, using official statistics, that microchipping simply doesn’t work.

Laboratory evidence and real life cases prove that RFID chips can cause cancer and tissue damage and as there is no health benefits whatsoever, we have long argued that it is unethical to carry out this dangerous and unnecessary medical procedure on our pets.

The initial reason compulsory micro-chipping was supposedly introduced was that it would curtail the amount of ‘dangerous dog’ attacks. This is patently preposterous.  Personally, I have never heard of a dog that is about to viciously attack someone think to itself, ‘Hi, hold on a minute, I have a piece of glass and metal inside my neck, I better not attack this person.’

SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO LISTEN – THE RESPONSE

Not long after my article ‘Sometimes you just need to listen‘ appeared in Dog World, Ronnie Irving mentioned my name more than a few times in his Our Dogs column (19th July 2013): OD 190713

Be sure to read my subsequent response ‘We’re no luddites’ to the newspaper, published in the letters section (centre of the page) of Our Dogs (2nd August 2013): OD 020813

 

YET ANOTHER POINTLESS PRO-CULL VIEWPOINT

In the letters page of today’s Dorset Echo (22nd May 2013), one wonders if the anonymous writer is (or is a friend of) ‘Nick’ who commented on a previous pro-cull article on here: https://leeconnorblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/reply-from-the-pro-badger-cull-lobby/

Yet again, no real points are made…

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/yousay/yourletters/10435185.Badgers_are_danger_to_cows/

In reply to the two letters which you have printed in defence of badgers, may I reply.

Since the unwise legislation a few years ago which made these animals a protected species, there has been a vast increase in their numbers, they have probably trebled. After all badgers have no natural enemies.

BADGER CULL A WASTE OF TIME

Robert Tuck writes in today’s (17th May 2013) Bournemouth Echo (and Dorset Echo) in support of my letter from last week.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/yoursay/letterstotheeditor/10426821.Money_wasted_over_cull_issue/

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/yousay/yourletters/10427015.Badger_cull_a_waste_of_time/

 

Lee Connor (Letters, May 10) is absolutely correct about the badger cull.

This government has spent and wasted £50million of taxpayers’ money on research, the findings of which they are now choosing to deliberately ignore in order to curry favour with their farming supporters, although it has to be noted that a few farmers are not in favour of this cull. Much destruction and cruelty will be caused which could be avoided by a systematic vaccination programme, which is already being trialled in some areas by those who are trying desperately to save the badgers.

STOP SLAUGHTER OF ICONIC ANIMALS

Today (16th May 2013) the Dorset Echo also printed my letter alerting readers to the proposed badger cull in Dorset which has been set aside as a reserve area.

REPLY FROM THE PRO BADGER CULL LOBBY

From the letters page of the Bournemouth Echo (14th May 2013) a reader replies to my article. Interestingly enough, I was willing to put my name to my convictions; this person ‘name and address withheld’ obviously thinks differently…

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/yoursay/letterstotheeditor/10417646.Badger_cull_is_long_overdue/

The badger cull is not a mistake, it is long overdue. I speak as a keen naturalist.

DORSET’S KILLING FIELDS

From the letters page of the Bournemouth Echo (10th May 2013)

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/yoursay/letterstotheeditor/10411809.Badgers_cull_is_a_big_mistake/

I would like to inform wildlife-loving readers of the Daily Echo of the government’s plans to use Dorset as a ‘reserve’ in their planned cull of badgers.

Many may have believed the plans to slaughter thousands of badgers had been consigned to the scrapheap but this isn’t the case; it is set to begin in earnest in June, to be trialled in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

PROTECTING OUR BORDERS

From the letters page of Dog World (5th April 2013)

In the spring of 1991 (aged seventeen) I ‘bunked off’ from a long and boring day of A-Level Economic History lectures and caught the train to Earls Court to the very last Crufts to be held in London. This year (twenty-two years later) I made my belated return to Crufts and, although vastly different to the show I remembered all those years ago (now with its myriad of trade stalls and all its associated glitz and razzmatazz), one thing clearly hadn’t changed and that was the sheer dedication and passion of those people supporting their respective breeds.

THE WRONG END OF THE PYRAMID?

From the letters page of Dog World (8th March 2013)

A few nights ago I was flicking through the TV channels at home and, despite the vast array of channels, as usual, there was precious little worth watching. However, I did have the misfortune of stumbling across a documentary on BBC3 focussing on the every day lives of the inhabitants of the Harpurhey council estate in Manchester. Now, the only thing that held my attention was the sight of a litter of eight ‘boxer’ puppies – eight snow-white puppies galloping through the kitchen and front room of a crowded two up two down styled terraced house. I was intrigued and continued watching. It turned out that the couple owned an almost-identical pair of white ‘boxers’ (siblings?) and, of course, the inevitable happened and a litter was born. The programme followed the couple’s desperate attempts to find the pups new homes before they sank beneath an unrelenting sea of faeces and urine! A friend later told me that the previous week’s episode showed a couple whose pair of ‘chihuahuas’ had given birth to a litter of five pups.

DANGERS OF MICROCHIPPING

From the letters page of Dog World (22nd February 2013)

I am surprised at the widespread blanket acceptance of the recent compulsory microchipping announcement. It seems everyone from the Kennel Club to the Blue Cross and obviously the Veterinary Association welcomes the proposals with open arms. I found it strange that such a monumental move didn’t bring about any dissenting voices. Maybe, I thought, this was one of those rare cases where everyone was ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’ but, with a bit of research, I discovered this wasn’t the case.