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Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Our dogs have a human problem, and it's becoming a pet hate
If you have a dog, love a dog, want a dog, support all things dog, maybe think of life from the dog's point of view. The dog's in the front yard. A stranger in head-achey dayglo comes along with a suspicious parcel. Sensing a threat to her beloved owner, the dog growls – first warning. She barks – second warning. And now, the dayglo suspect hasn't backed off, so that's it, sunshine, you've left the dog with no choice. Australia Post reports 44 'dog-related incidents' each week nationally, a sharp increase since the pet population has rocketed up to 4.7 million in NSW alone. With posties being attacked by breeds from the pit bull to the poodle, Australia Post is fighting back by equipping them with citronella spray, which is the Pal version of capsicum spray. This is reported as a dog problem, when it's not. To avoid more dog-related incidents with the postie, the owner locks the dog inside all day. She begins hearing things. A dog whistle, or is that Tony Abbott? She hears other dogs barking. Someone shouts, 'Bad dog!'. She hears a knock at the door. Jehovah's Witness? Another parcel-wielding terrorist? What's a dog to do? Without the option of a bite, all she has is her bark. Barking, too, is described as a dog problem, when it's not. It's a human problem. The human, thinking it's a good and well-trained owner, takes the dog for a walk. The dog is excited, so she does an excitement poo. The human has done the right thing and has brought a roll of poo bags, but just now it's on an important phone call and doesn't see the excitement poo, which remains like an unexploded mine on the footpath. Another human problem that will be blamed on the dog. They continue to the park. Being well-behaved, the owner lets the dog off the leash. Run free, Sparkie! But now there are other humans barking at the owner, who takes Sparkie to the off-leash dog park. There, Sparkie sniffs a savoury assortment of friendship rings, which put her in the mood for another excitement poo. This time, the owner is playing Wordle, and misses another poo. To be honest, the owner doesn't much like the warm feeling of picking up poo and is relieved that Sparkie hasn't done any today. But now another human is barking and pointing, and the owner-human is barking back, and someone is cursing and using a stick to remove something from the sole of its shoe. More human problems. (Sparkie is smart enough not to tread in dog poo.) The human takes Sparkie to Coles. She gets shooed out – no dogs. For relief from this continuous conflict, the human takes Sparkie to its favourite pub, The Dog, but there's a sign: 'The Dog. No Dogs'. So they go to a café with outdoor seating. The human gets a Vegemite and avocado roll. Sparkie's salivary glands go into full flow. The loving human companion shares its roll with Sparkie, who does what any dog would do, down in one gulp, too excited to chew. More problem humans begin barking at each other.
The Age
4 days ago
- General
- The Age
Our dogs have a human problem, and it's becoming a pet hate
If you have a dog, love a dog, want a dog, support all things dog, maybe think of life from the dog's point of view. The dog's in the front yard. A stranger in head-achey dayglo comes along with a suspicious parcel. Sensing a threat to her beloved owner, the dog growls – first warning. She barks – second warning. And now, the dayglo suspect hasn't backed off, so that's it, sunshine, you've left the dog with no choice. Australia Post reports 44 'dog-related incidents' each week nationally, a sharp increase since the pet population has rocketed up to 4.7 million in NSW alone. With posties being attacked by breeds from the pit bull to the poodle, Australia Post is fighting back by equipping them with citronella spray, which is the Pal version of capsicum spray. This is reported as a dog problem, when it's not. To avoid more dog-related incidents with the postie, the owner locks the dog inside all day. She begins hearing things. A dog whistle, or is that Tony Abbott? She hears other dogs barking. Someone shouts, 'Bad dog!'. She hears a knock at the door. Jehovah's Witness? Another parcel-wielding terrorist? What's a dog to do? Without the option of a bite, all she has is her bark. Barking, too, is described as a dog problem, when it's not. It's a human problem. The human, thinking it's a good and well-trained owner, takes the dog for a walk. The dog is excited, so she does an excitement poo. The human has done the right thing and has brought a roll of poo bags, but just now it's on an important phone call and doesn't see the excitement poo, which remains like an unexploded mine on the footpath. Another human problem that will be blamed on the dog. They continue to the park. Being well-behaved, the owner lets the dog off the leash. Run free, Sparkie! But now there are other humans barking at the owner, who takes Sparkie to the off-leash dog park. There, Sparkie sniffs a savoury assortment of friendship rings, which put her in the mood for another excitement poo. This time, the owner is playing Wordle, and misses another poo. To be honest, the owner doesn't much like the warm feeling of picking up poo and is relieved that Sparkie hasn't done any today. But now another human is barking and pointing, and the owner-human is barking back, and someone is cursing and using a stick to remove something from the sole of its shoe. More human problems. (Sparkie is smart enough not to tread in dog poo.) The human takes Sparkie to Coles. She gets shooed out – no dogs. For relief from this continuous conflict, the human takes Sparkie to its favourite pub, The Dog, but there's a sign: 'The Dog. No Dogs'. So they go to a café with outdoor seating. The human gets a Vegemite and avocado roll. Sparkie's salivary glands go into full flow. The loving human companion shares its roll with Sparkie, who does what any dog would do, down in one gulp, too excited to chew. More problem humans begin barking at each other.
The Irish Sun
10-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
The medieval English seaside town overlooked by its famous neighbours with seal colonies and fantastic restaurant scene
IT was just as the boat turned south out of the River Stour estuary that we got our first glimpse of them. On the sandbanks of the salt channels were dozens of gluttonous seals stretching out in the spring sun, many of the females showing off their pregnant bellies. Advertisement 4 Have fun on the Kent river Credit: Alamy 4 A plush room at The Dog At Wingham Credit: Supplied We'd joined the River Runner seal cruise from the Quay in There's loads of fun to be had, with herons, little egrets, kingfishers and oystercatchers to spot with binoculars on the journey down the channel. It was just one of the highlights from our weekend in Sandwich, which is the most complete medieval town in Britain. Just over an hour from London by train, this quaint coastal settlement is a hidden gem between the more popular tourist destinations of Margate and Advertisement Read More on Travel Steeped in rich history, it was one of the five historic Cinque Ports. Alongside Hastings, New Romney, Hythe and Dover, these formed an alliance before the We stopped by the Guildhall museum in the town centre, which is free to enter and is home to some of the town's most prized possessions, including the 'Sandwich gold silks' from the Coronation of King George II in 1727. The 16th-century building tells the story of the town to the present day and highly informed tour guides from the Sandwich Local History Society can guide you through viewings of the Sandwich Magna Carta from 1300AD and other treasures dating back to the Stepping outside the museum you'll find yourself in the market square where there are stalls selling freshly baked goods and local arts and crafts. Advertisement Most read in Beach holidays From here you can wander down through a street of independent boutique shops selling clothes and homewares, to St Peter's Church, which is home to a bric-a-brac market full of pre-loved local books, ornaments and toys. To get a higher view over the town, you can climb the church tower for a £5 donation (£4 for children) or just relax with coffee-and-walnut cake in the courtyard and listen to the bells ring. I'm a foodie and you've been making a bacon sandwich all wrong There's an abundance of activities to enjoy in the town itself, too. We visited the Cat's Eye Carving on Market Street where we had a go at stone-carving with Jurassic limestone. Advertisement An class — hosted in the shop — involves a demonstration using traditional stonemasonry tools, before creating your own sculpture to take home. Just outside the town you'll find Wingham Wildlife Park, which is Kent's fastest-growing zoo. As well as seeing everything from red pandas to moon bears, you can enjoy one-on-one experiences with animals including giraffes, tigers and tortoises for an extra charge. Seaside ambience The village of Wingham, just six miles from Sandwich, was also where we stayed — at much-loved gastro pub The Dog At Wingham. Advertisement The eight bedrooms are all individually designed, with exposed brickwork and beams as well as all the modern comforts. We tried the pub's new a-la- carte menu for spring, with dishes such as devilled crab sourdough, £14, salt-cod and potato fondant, £25, and Kentish lamb, £30. The pub is very popular so it's recommended to book a spot for dinner. The breakfasts were great, too, with huge portions to set you up for the day. Advertisement And the food in town was equally impressive. We enjoyed smoked salmon and cream-cheese sandwiches in The Waiting Room cafe, a lovely spot in the centre of town. 4 A chillled ot seal on the beach Credit: Alamy 4 Jess Wilson on board a boat for a ride Credit: Supplied Advertisement But the highlight of the weekend was without a doubt dinner at The Toll Bridge Restaurant on The Quay. This was the best restaurant in town, with a lovely seaside ambience and laidback vibe, while the food was Michelin-star quality. We tried a selection of dishes on the menu including local Kentish mussels cooked in cream and white wine, scallops and homemade fish and chips. The warm bread and whipped butter with whole roasted garlic bulb was also a highlight, as was the frozen hazelnut parfait with white chocolate wafer. Advertisement Top tip — turn up hungry. GO: SANDWICH STAYING THERE: The Dog At Wingham has dinner, bed and breakfast stays from £100pp, per night. See OUT & ABOUT: River Runner boat trips from £25pp, under-threes free ( Stone-carving session, £45pp. See Wingham Wildlife Park entry from £20pp. See
