crufts dog show

**carrie** · 03-07-2001, 03:43 PM

So sorry I haven't been in touch, it is becoming a bit of a circus. We are being told that the peak has been reached and we are looking at the light at the end of the tunnel.
Farmers are asking for restrictions to be lifted so they can move ewes to safer lambing grounds.
Horse racing resumed today despite urgent calls from farmers, and many racehorse trainers, not to put livestock and farmers at risk in this way.
We had eleven new cases today, the first in Yorkshire were confirmed, the total farms infected now number 96.
It does seem that the powers that be are more interested in collecting the taxes from racing - the Cheltenham Festival begins next week - than trying to save animal lives or farmers. This may, of course be a coincidence, but it does make me wonder.......

**carrie** · 03-07-2001, 06:02 PM

It has been announced that the Celtenham race meeting has been postponed - thank goodness!

**carrie** · 03-07-2001, 06:19 PM

I have been a bit of a coward and have not kept you all up to date as I promised I would.
My friends on Dartmoor started to slaughter their animals last night - Foot and Mouth was confirmed yesterday afternoon. The pyres are being built and they are loading the bodies of the animals overnight.
How much do you want to know.......

I didn't want to post this but my friends said that they wanted me to - It has still taken me a while - they say they will be out of contact for a while as they try to get used to it. They say, again, to thank you all for your messages of sympathy and support and that the sleepless nights they have had worrying about the situation were not worth it - the reality is ten times worse.
I can't believe all this fear and caution can end in such a way - it just doesn't seem fair- "it can't happen to me" syndrome. They are the most ethical and caring people who farm animals I have ever met.

**jackiesdaisy1935** · 03-07-2001, 06:52 PM

Carrie, I think you are doing fantastic keeping us posted under the circumstances.
I was a little worried because we had not heard from you. Words just don't come anymore! I know there is little we can do, but would a card or a note help from maybe all of us? Is it the English that say
"Keep a tight lip"? Take care, and thank you so much for your effort in keeping us posted.

**Karen** · 03-07-2001, 11:34 PM

Actually the saying is keeping a "stiff upper lip" though the lower lip is usually what quivers in bad situations.

Carrie, please express to your friends our deepest condolences, what an awful, awful thing to have to go through, both emotionally, physically and financially. Our hearts go out to them.

**Gio** · 03-08-2001, 06:55 AM

Carrie,

my thoughts are with you and your friends. I honestly don't know how I could cope with it all. It's heartbreaking to see all this happening and not being able to do anything about it.

The horrible thing is that they have found cases in Denmark and Belgium as well. I just hope this nightmare will end soon.

**Daisy's Mom** · 03-08-2001, 04:34 PM

There's nothing to say to make it better, but please express my sympathy to your friends and make sure they know they are in our thoughts and prayers.

**carrie** · 03-09-2001, 09:30 AM

By luchtime today there was 16 new cases for today alone - that makes a total of 123 cases confirmed so far. We are now told that this is going to be a long outbreak and the worst is yet to come.

**Karen** · 03-09-2001, 11:28 AM

How awful, how dreadful, how sad
Your friends have already had
The worst part of the plague to date
Now all it seems is the country has to wait
And try to keep it from spreading even more
Through farm and town, to parkland and moors
Our country holds your hand in sorrow
In looking toward the bleak tomorrow
And will think of you all until the day
A cure is found, or the outbreak dies away

We hope the world is watching and caring
And doing its best to keep from sharing
This dreaded disease with other lands
Precautions must be taken, animal friends must take a stand
And make governments be more diligent,
And people, all people more aware
That if it happens anywhere
People and animals everywhere
Will suffer, for this earth is one that - despite borders and boundaries
We really all must share

**ownerof3dogs** · 03-09-2001, 01:15 PM

If I'am right it seems that Animal Planet is showing the cruft show tonight.

I am confused

**I Love My Aussie** · 03-09-2001, 02:35 PM

Well, I thought the same thing but, now when the commercials come on it says, "A special ENCORE presentation" Instead of saying that its coming on it says that it will be an encore presentation so apparently they will not be having them and Crufts is the most popular dog show IN THE WORLD!

------------------
*Get a Grip Get an Aussie*

**jackiesdaisy1935** · 03-09-2001, 04:24 PM

Karen that is a wonderful poem, you are very talented with words. I picked out this poem for Carrie and her friends, the author is unknown.

To Carrie and friends

If I could...
send you sunshine on a rainy day or the stars on a cloudy night.
a robin's song, a kitten's purr or the smile of a child

If I could...
send you the smell of a rose, the roar of the ocean, the colors in a sea shell or a fresh mountain breeze.

If I could...
send you a sunset in springtime, a tumbling waterfall, or the quiet of a forest, or the softness of a cloud

If I could...
send you the taste of a snowflake, the light of a moonbeam, the flight of a butterfly, or dewdrops in the early morn.

If I could...
box up a rainbow and send it to you I would,
because I want to send you joy.
This truly is my wish to all of you
If only I could send you joy!

Jackie

**carrie** · 03-10-2001, 03:43 PM

Thank you all so much - the poems had us all so touched by your kindness and thoughtfulness we were quite speechless. You will never know how much it means to my friends that people all over the world are thinking of them. It is a sad fact of life that news becomes old very quickly and even in this country the plight of farmers and animals alike is no longer the major news of the day. This makes those isolated feel ten times more alone.

We now have an astounding 139 cases confirmed, one that is just about to be confirmed by all accounts, and around 141 farms under suspicsion. It is spreading through cattle herds as well as sheep, this is bad news as it means the path of infection has been lost - it is loose and unpredictable and out of control.
The ministry of Agriculture are warning that the level of manpower is just not enough to cope with the slaughter and burning and a backlog is building - this is also a major reason the outbreak is spreading.

Badminton Horse Trials have now been cancelled (three day eventing).

**AdoreMyDogs** · 03-11-2001, 04:39 PM

I heard on the news today that the hoof and mouth disease may have made it to the US. Some used farm equipment was sent from England to one of the states in the US (don't remember which one) and it's being quarantined and then disinfected. I am not sure why used farm equipment would have been shipped, I did not hear the whole story, but they are worried that it'll spread before they can prevent it. Hope not. It's scary and it spreads so fast.

**jackiesdaisy1935** · 03-11-2001, 06:55 PM

I heard the same news, but didn't get the particulars. It is a dreadful disease for people of all countries. We all hope and pray there will be an end to this soon for everyone.