We have a lovely local park where all the dog walkers meet in the mornings and afternoons and all the dogs get on great and have a good time.
The other day i was just setting out with my troop and a lady caught my attention and asked if i was taking them to the park, i said yes and she said that i better not go there as the park has been filled up with gypsey caravens over night.
They are everwhere, there must be about 40 or so, dogs on chains kids , rubbish you name it.
One of the ladys that lives near the park , well how can i put it , her dogs have gone missing ( 1 lucher type and 1 terrier type ).
Someone has seen them on this camp, so she called the police and they will do nothing as they will not enter the camp without good reason so they say.
Well i think this is a good reason but the police disagree.
Also there has been a spate of break in's in the area and still the police do nothing.
My concearn is that i do have valuble dogs , ( in my eyes ) and i am worried about them going missing, i don't sleep at all and because my dogs are so friendly they would go with anyone.
has anyone got any advice.
the council knows and so do the police , also we have been told that the council have to wait 28 days before they can remove them.

Peanuts
This is not my week !!!!!

i have incredibly strong views on this situation which i will not bore you with (plus the dialect would be full of stars and heavily edited.
i am lucky to live in a county were there is zero tolerance from the police and council not forgetting the residence on such campsites.
talk to the local press
sorry i cant help
em

personally I wouldnt go within 20 miles of the park until they had gone. :(

I'm not planning on going near it, but i only live 400 yards away

Peanuts

Peanuts, you must be terrified, keep pestering the police to walk the area regularly. Can neighbours help in keeping a watchful eye? Take care.

Be careful, not just now but in the first few weeks at least after they move on, I am not saying anything will happen. But I used to work in an area, that had a camp set up, and they had the same problem sadly approx 6/7 dogs that we heard about I might say; went missing over a 16/18 days period after the "travellers" went.

All the police could say was it's a common occurence they "earmark/note" where the dogs are and come back when people think it's safe. Two dogs went missing before they left also and same answer from the police " not enough evidence to enter the camp.

I am not trying to scare you just to make you aware.

But please please be careful! We have a traveller/ static site where I live about 1/4 mile away if that, it has resident families on and they are the nicest people you could wish to meet.I have chatted to them over the past 20 years when walking the dogs.

But they are proper if there is such a thing travellers. Not Romanies just travellers.

However when a friend had a dog go missing, shortly after another group set up home on some "well secured land which somehow lost the complete gate to the entrance!" I mentioned the missing dog to one of the older men on the resident site as we were chatting, I did not blame or even mentioning the other group, because no one had any idea what had happened to the dog least of all me

But that same evening two men knocked on my door (I hadn't ever told the travellers where I lived ever, so thta it's self made me think afterwards) they said had a friend lost a jack russellX? I said they had, and he checked the colour and a particular scar that was on her shoulder I confirmed it all and the one man (this was about 11.00pm at night) walked away and returned with Kim in his arms she seemed fine and actually reluctant to come to me (she didn't really know me.)

The men walked away and I asked where they found her they replied "what I don't know, I couldn't tell " then the other (the scarier of the two) turned and said "Only because you know Charlie and no one crosses Charlie"

Lord knows who Charlie is, I think it's the man on the resident site but I don't know. But I find it odd.

But I have continued to speak to the travellers when I see them, but I have never EVER seen the two men since.

So I can only say beware, even after they have gone for a while.

Karen

I didnt realise you lived 400yds away (psychic powers not being my strong point!) Suggest you put dogs in car & drive some way away for daily excercise, plus never leave them in the garden where they can be seen by passers by or unattended in anyway.

Are the ladies dogs chipped or tattooed. This happened to a Belgian Shepherd owning freind of mine a few years ago. she was wqalking her dogs, and when she called only 3 of the four returned. She continued on, only to find the vans, and could hear what she thought was her dog barking. She asked the people there if they had seen a black dog like the ones she had on lead, and was told no.

She went to the Police, and got the same reaction as your friend, but she persisted and mentioned that she could positively identify her dog. Very reluctantly they came out with her, and tackled the owner of the van where she had heard the barking. He told them it was his dog that he had for years. The Police suggested that he would not mind shoing him to them then. They guy reluctantly got the dog the Police checked the ear, found the Tattoo, and she got her dog back.. The chap was cautioned.

Peanuts - as everyone has said - get your dogs into the car & drive them a long way away for their exercise! Also - if you put your address in the show schedules - might be an idea to withhold it!

The police do seem to be reluctant to act against travellers at times - our friends had their goats stolen, and our friend's wife scoured the local travellers camps, found one that was advertising goats to sell & watched it for a couple of days. She recognised their own goats - a golden guernsey and an Anglo Nubian. She went to the police & told them that she was going to collect her property and the police told her that SHE would be arrested if she did so - but nevertheless, she went along - police were in attendance - didn't go onto the area where the goats were - but just called them - and out of a flock of about 30 goats - her two (which she had identified to the police) - came up to her:-)

Police asked travellers if they had any receipts or records of these goats, which were eartagged - and the travellers said they were so much trouble - she could have them for a fiver - she paid them with a forged note that she had had passed on to her at one time :-D!