# Dying a death .........



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

The dog section of this forum.

Deathly quiet.


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## ShibaPup (Mar 22, 2017)

Is it? Seems active to me - people are probably out enjoying the sunshine more maybe.

There is one particular member I miss though - selfishly I would love for her to come back with her common sense knowledgeable posts.


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

It does seem really quiet....

I even have looked at various random posts all over the place of the forum. Unlike me to be honest


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Compared to what it was six years ago or even a year ago?

No comparison.


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## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

It has been for months IMO hence why I'm not so much of an active poster now. There is just literally few threads to respond to. Where are all the lengthy discussions we used to have about various subjects? I know many of those threads get closed down but it almost feels like the forum has become a place just to post pics and talk about puppies lol.


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

im actually browsing 'new posts' things are so 'blergh'
but then dont you think as the summer wears on and people are out enjoying the British equivalent of good weather, it does get quiet, then come september and kids are back at school and winter is already here, it builds up again


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## picaresque (Jun 25, 2009)

I have noticed it's gone a bit quiet. Hoping it'll cycle back around. Have seen a few forums die a death though which I'd hate to see happen to PF.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Well, Ok, I wasn't going to post this because I thought it would be boring for everyone except me.
Tango frightened the life out of me yesterday - for the first time since we've had her ( 5 1/2 years ) _she refused her dinner !_ Many of you will know what a gannet she is and how she lives to eat.
OH had fetched her from kennels in the morning , she was happy to be home after 3 days and no reports of anything untoward, she's been many times before and I send the dogs' normal food with instructions. 
On a tour of the garden I found several bits of regurgitated grass, and she had been drinking lots of water.
When she refused supper at 9pm too we were very concerned. OH offered her a tiny piece of duck sausage which she nibbled daintily , then gobbled her supper which she followed with a horrible liquid poo.
She got up this morning and bounced straight into the kitchen looking for breakfast - I made them some scrambled egg, and has been fine all day. 
It seems every time she goes to kennels she has a mild tummy upset afterwards, could it be stress ? Though she seems happy enough and has her normal food.


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## ShibaPup (Mar 22, 2017)

Start discussions people - I'm all up for learning 

FB groups have killed many forums - not a fan of fb groups, they just aren't the same and it's harder to tell who knows what they're actually talking about and who's talking out of their :Mooning


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Dogloverlou said:


> It has been for months IMO hence why I'm not so much of an active poster now. There is just literally few threads to respond to. Where are all the lengthy discussions we used to have about various subjects? I know many of those threads get closed down but it almost feels like the forum has become a place just to post pics and talk about puppies lol.


Spot on, in my opinion.

If it isn't pink and fluffy, it gets closed.

I'll be honest. I see some threads, begin to post and then think "what the hell, it'll just get closed".

Sad, very sad.

Remember BelindaCarlisle's posts and the woman who wanted to breed square, wolfish dogs?

Those threads went on for days and even weeks. Ran their course and fizzled out, but good for the forum, I believe.

That would not happen now.


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## Guest (May 22, 2018)

Totally agree!


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

Hopefully it's just due to the 'nice weather' recently, when it cools down and Autumn is on its way, things will improve again, I find it quietens every summer.


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## PawsOnMe (Nov 1, 2012)

I think it goes through stages where it goes really quiet and then livens up again before repeating, seems to happen especially when established members leave. 

I enjoyed the alphabet thread and seeing people's photo threads but it's been ages since there was a good debate thread that aren't just people trolling (most of the members who started most of those threads are no longer here I think) I love a good thread to get your brain working.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

I really hope this thread isn't going to turn into a mod-bashing thread as I suspect it will. I don't see any more threads being closed than when I first joined the forum 5 years ago.


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## picaresque (Jun 25, 2009)

Rafa said:


> Spot on, in my opinion.
> 
> If it isn't pink and fluffy, it gets closed.
> 
> ...


There's better moderation now, therefore less 'drama'. Good and bad I guess.


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

One closed tonight, one closed lastnight, and no reason given?

A thread used to have to become very heated before it was closed.

I certainly am not 'Mod Bashing'. I am saying I don't like the new trend on the forum.

Undoubtedly, this thread will end up closed.


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## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

Rafa said:


> Spot on, in my opinion.
> 
> If it isn't pink and fluffy, it gets closed.
> 
> ...


I do remember those posters/threads yes. The threads always ended in total silliness with the occasional disgruntled OP butting in to correct or add more nonsensical comments to the thread which just spurred the silliness on even more.

I have to admit I like a good debate too and those are nonexistent these days. Shall I start one? 

Sadly the forum just seems boring


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

The forum has become very boring and very stifled, IMO.

I find myself thinking hard before I post anything these days.

Difficult now to show any interest.


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## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

PawsOnMe said:


> I think it goes through stages where it goes really quiet and then livens up again before repeating, seems to happen especially when established members leave.
> 
> I enjoyed the alphabet thread and seeing people's photo threads but it's been ages since there was a good debate thread that aren't just people trolling (most of the members who started most of those threads are no longer here I think) I love a good thread to get your brain working.


I'm not so sure tbh. Secret Santa was definitely not at the same 'high' it had been in previous years with a few newbies who joined in never being seen again ( namely one of our recipients ) I know BlueJay has decided not to host again and I think there was a few of us who said we wouldn't be joining this year. So the forum hasn't been quite the same for at least a year or so IMO and SS is just one example of that.

ETA: Not one of our recipients, sorry. Someone who we guessed sent to us but never confirmed and have never been seen since.


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## PawsOnMe (Nov 1, 2012)

Dogloverlou said:


> I'm not so sure tbh. Secret Santa was definitely not at the same 'high' it had been in previous years with a few newbies who joined in never being seen again ( namely one of our recipients ) I know BlueJay has decided not to host again and I think there was a few of us who said we wouldn't be joining this year. So the forum hasn't been quite the same for at least a year or so IMO and SS is just one example of that.


I agree with the SS (it was a real shame especially as everyone seemed so excited at first ) and I feel there's been a weird atmosphere at times like there's tension going on with members 'behind the scenes' that leave a bit of a sour taste on threads. It's happened a few times over the years (there was a massive slump when Dogless and a few others left after the forum layout changed but it picked up again eventually when new members joined), I'm holding out hope things will get livelier again though


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## westie~ma (Mar 16, 2009)

Rafa said:


> Spot on, in my opinion.
> 
> If it isn't pink and fluffy, it gets closed.
> 
> ...


See, I remember that member winding up other members terribly.

Started off well, in the end all they wanted to do was to cause trouble, no debate was straight forward there was always an angle, to disrupt.

I remember members being pleased that the member went.


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

westie~ma said:


> See, I remember that member winding up other members terribly.
> 
> Started off well, in the end all they wanted to do was to cause trouble, no debate was straight forward there was always an angle, to disrupt.
> 
> I remember members being pleased that the member went.


She was a wind up merchant and talked a lot of baloney, no doubt.

But. The thread was busy. Some members enjoyed engaging with her and challenging her.

It's about that being taken away now.

The slightest hint of discord, any disagreement, any suggestion of trouble and threads are closed and disappear.

It's a forum. We should be able to give our opinions honestly, without pondering that we may be banned or get the thread closed.

There surely cannot be any argument that the forum is horribly quiet compared what it used to be.


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## westie~ma (Mar 16, 2009)

Long standing members leaving, is unsettling, whatever their influence.

We've had to contend with a lot lately, a version of which you are not party to @Rafa


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## Zaros (Nov 24, 2009)

The whole forum is a lot quieter than it ever used to be, not just Dog chat. Once upon a time it was a hive of activity. I suppose it's a sign of the times. Nothing stays the same.
Truth be known, there's a number of smaller networking sites that are becoming less trafficked. This is because the users, and the more attention seeking amongst us are preferring to use Twitter/Tinder/Facebook because they have a wider audience.

Perhaps we should simply consider Pet Forums UK to be a little more exclusive than all the others*.:Cigar

*
I'll not forget BelindaCarlisle either. Or her partner in crime, Tommy the Tank.:Facepalm


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## Guest (May 23, 2018)

I’ve been here 7 years, even though I was only living in the uk for the first 18 months or so of that time.

I’ve been trying to figure out what has changed between now and when the forum was really buzzing.

I think it’s that sense of community. Newbies don’t tend to hang around so often, older members are posting less. I know personally I’m finding I don’t have the same number of ‘connections’ with other members that I used to and I’m not invested in other people’s dogs the same way as I have been in the past. I attended 3 PF meet ups I’m the 18 months I lived there - when was the last time there was a group meetup organised or even suggested? It’s because we are just not bonding in the same way as we have in the past.

Maybe it’s just a lull or maybe it’s a sign of the times, I don’t know. I do know that I will be incredibly upset if this forum does continue to die - it’s been a huge part of my dog-owning life (as geeky as that sounds) and I have learnt SO much from various people over the years.


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## Gemmaa (Jul 19, 2009)

I felt like it went weird when all the political threads started, the 'atmosphere' changed and even when they finally stopped, it was like the damage was already done. 

Plus a lot of new users have been really tetchy, I know I don't contribute a lot anyway, but one of them made me lose interest in the forum for a while. It didn't seem worth commenting because they always managed to turn it into a criticism against them, even though they were rude to everyone else.

Also, I know threads by one user always end up locked, but I do think the last one could have been kept civil and some useful tips for managing reactive dogs could have been given. 

Hopefully it's a just a phase and things will pick up again.


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## MilleD (Feb 15, 2016)

Rafa said:


> One closed tonight, one closed lastnight, and no reason given?
> 
> A thread used to have to become very heated before it was closed.
> 
> ...


I feel there is an element of protecting certain posters and their threads get closed down before they can even get anywhere near 'antagonised'.

And no, not mod-bashing, stating a point. It's so obvious sometimes it's laughable, and you can almost feel people not bothering to post as you know where it's going to end.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Gemmaa said:


> I felt like it went weird when all the political threads started, the 'atmosphere' changed and even when they finally stopped, it was like the damage was already done


Agree: a number of posters/members ''took over'' most of the political threads and, in my opinion, formed an impenetrable clique; many of these were seldom, if ever, seen on the actual PET threads. The Brexit thread was a good example of this and attempts to close it resulted in other threads morphing into yet another Brexit thread . . . and another . . . and another. That did seem to divide members into two ''camps'' (for want of a better word). Plus a lot of members/regular posters suddenly seem to have got themselves banned or left of their own volition.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

MilleD said:


> I feel there is an element of protecting certain posters and their threads get closed down before they can even get anywhere near 'antagonised'.


Glad it's not just me thinking this.


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## Jobeth (May 23, 2010)

The longest threads often have the same people ‘debating’ by the end as if having the last post means that they have won the argument. Everybody else is probably bored by then and given up. 

As for certain threads getting locked - I’d look more at which posters choose to reply to that person wherever they go on the forum rather than assuming it is always the person that is starting it.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

MilleD said:


> I feel there is an element of protecting certain posters and their threads get closed down before they can even get anywhere near 'antagonised'.
> 
> And no, not mod-bashing, stating a point. It's so obvious sometimes it's laughable, and you can almost feel people not bothering to post as you know where it's going to end.


Should they be left open to allow those that seem to enjoy 'antagonising' certain posters to continue their insidious baiting?

I'm not sure what they get out of it nor why they don't just ignore those threads.

Very odd.

Nothing to stop anyone opening a new thread to discuss dealing with reactive dogs, in general, of course.


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## MilleD (Feb 15, 2016)

Lurcherlad said:


> Should they be left open to allow those that seem to enjoy 'antagonising' certain posters to continue their insidious baiting?
> 
> I'm not sure what they get out of it nor why they don't just ignore those threads.
> 
> ...


Yes, and you have sent me a PM in the past saying just the same things. But if people open threads (and know how this forum works) why shouldn't it be allowed to run the course.

There was certainly no 'insidious baiting' on the most recent one that I could see. And if the OP doesn't like certain people's answers, they can also use the ignore function.


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## DaisyBluebell (Apr 14, 2017)

I am a relative new member and find this forum an invaluable source of information, help & compassion when needed. After the newspaper headlines first thing in the morning I come straight on here. I do try to post as much as possible with anY knowledge or information I possess. I love seeing the pictures of others dogs & hate hearing about the illness or death of anyone's precious animal & although I hate to admit it even I sometimes open a thread to find I close it just as quickly as it's not actually very interesting. The last contributor I actually looked for avidly was the one who's name I can not remember but who wrote about his new pup in semi old English, it was so clever & so amusing but that died a death. 
The New Puppy Owners thread started by spamvicous was such a help to me & all those who of us who seemed to get new pups at the same time & were struggling yo cope. But now it seems that the same things are being asked/spoken about in threads by new pup owners without even a cursory look at that thread before hand & have to be directed there. 
Please don't let this forum die, I for one would be lost without it & myself & Emma need all the help we can get from those more knowledgeable than us (even tho she is my 8th dog there are still things to learn from others in similar situations)
I'm pretty sure it's more the fact that it's summer & people are out n about while they can be rather than lack of interest.


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## Teddy-dog (Nov 2, 2017)

DaisyBluebell said:


> I am a relative new member and find this forum an invaluable source of information, help & compassion when needed. After the newspaper headlines first thing in the morning I come straight on here. I do try to post as much as possible with anY knowledge or information I possess. I love seeing the pictures of others dogs & hate hearing about the illness or death of anyone's precious animal & although I hate to admit it even I sometimes open a thread to find I close it just as quickly as it's not actually very interesting. The last contributor I actually looked for avidly was the one who's name I can not remember but who wrote about his new pup in semi old English, it was so clever & so amusing but that died a death.
> The New Puppy Owners thread started by spamvicous was such a help to me & all those who of us who seemed to get new pups at the same time & were struggling yo cope. But now it seems that the same things are being asked/spoken about in threads by new pup owners without even a cursory look at that thread before hand & have to be directed there.
> Please don't let this forum die, I for one would be lost without it & myself & Emma need all the help we can get from those more knowledgeable than us (even tho she is my 8th dog there are still things to learn from others in similar situations)
> I'm pretty sure it's more the fact that it's summer & people are out n about while they can be rather than lack of interest.


I was going to reply myself but you took the words right out of my mouth 

This forum has been so helpful to me working with Teds. Just reading all the old threads has given me so much knowledge and I think he's a better dog because of it! It helped me so much with his reactivity.

I would be really sad to see the forum go, I like hearing about everyone else's dogs. Obviously I wasn't around in the good old days so can't see the difference.


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## DaisyBluebell (Apr 14, 2017)

Now if only anyone could tell me how to make my PitaPata update that would be helpful, it's stopped running


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## westie~ma (Mar 16, 2009)

DaisyBluebell said:


> Now if only anyone could tell me how to make my PitaPata update that would be helpful, it's stopped running


Not sure but I think you have to do it through the pitapata website. Hopefully someone who knows more on these things will help.



McKenzie said:


> I've been here 7 years, even though I was only living in the uk for the first 18 months or so of that time.
> 
> I've been trying to figure out what has changed between now and when the forum was really buzzing.
> 
> ...


Heard there was a plan to meet up with those going to Crufts this year.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

MilleD said:


> I feel there is an element of protecting certain posters and their threads get closed down before they can even get anywhere near 'antagonised'.
> 
> And no, not mod-bashing, stating a point. It's so obvious sometimes it's laughable, and you can almost feel people not bothering to post as you know where it's going to end.


I closed a thread because the OP requested it.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

MilleD said:


> Yes, and you have sent me a PM in the past saying just the same things. But if people open threads (and know how this forum works) why shouldn't it be allowed to run the course.
> 
> There was certainly no 'insidious baiting' on the most recent one that I could see. And if the OP doesn't like certain people's answers, they can also use the ignore function.


99.99% sure it would have gone the same way as all the other similar threads had it not been closed though.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

DaisyBluebell said:


> Now if only anyone could tell me how to make my PitaPata update that would be helpful, it's stopped running


I've just noticed Isla's pita pata has stopped running too, it's been fine for years. Isla is now poised at the day before her fifth birthday


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## Bisbow (Feb 20, 2012)

Some "good" people have been driven away by scathing posts aimed at them and got fed up with it

I nearly left after being called some unsavoury named but decided against it, Why should I let the holier than thou people drive me away from a normally nice friendly group of helpful people who I like and admire


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## Jamesgoeswalkies (May 8, 2014)

I'm afraid I've never understood all the angst about a thread being closed. Threads get closed for a number of reasons. I've never taken it personally or felt my points had somehow been rejected or even felt the need to stop posting. I just walk away and post elsewhere. In fact, I have normally walked away before the thread is closed. 

In my opinion knowing when to stop posting is an important part of forum etiquette. 

Why is the board a bit quiet? It happens. We have lost a few high posting knowledgable posters over recent months. I am sorry that people go, but to my knowledge there are no chains that bind us to the forum so people are free to come and go as they please. It's also been hot and sunny. Who wants to post on a forum when you could be playing with the dogs on the beach.

Then again, I have been as busy as ever posting to new members with queries so there board is there if we care to use it. There is some very good info on here and some very knowledgable members. And I know a lot of new puppy owners have gained help and support. 

Anyway - this poster is off to work now. 

J


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Why don't the people complaining about the lack of threads actually post threads then?
We tried a training thread (several times) with little interest that dies off within weeks...if that doesn't interest people in a dog forum...well...

The forum goes through this slow period pretty much every year, and we also have a thread like this pop up pretty much yearly too lol 

A forum is only what the members make it ;-)


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Perhaps we are all just a bit too tetchy  I find it sad that general chat for instance is much quieter than it used to be but if you (or perhaps I should say "I") start a thread about anything food or health related people get all touchy and tell me to keep it in the "vegan" thread rather than just moving on and not bothering to take part in the thread. We all have subjects we are more interested in than others so I don't really get why people can't just ignore certain threads if they are not to their liking unless they want to debate the subject which is fine. Debate is healthy, telling people they can't post a topic just because others don't like it isn't.

I do agree with @Lurcherlad about the baiting of certain members, I find it very uncomfortable to read and also wonder why adults feel the need to behave in such a way rather than just be grateful they don't have that person's issues to deal with. Not suggesting for one minute we are all happy slappy and agree with everything said member (s) post but the constant harassment is cruel.

If we all want to keep the forum alive and kicking then we all need to make more effort to post threads and comment on other people's and to try just a little bit to be less tetchy


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Well, I’ve certainly been educated today that a certain facility on the forum is not what I thought it was.

Every day’s a school day


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## Happy Paws2 (Sep 13, 2008)

I find General Chat quieter than Dog Chat.


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

I completely agree. I tend have quick flick through, maybe respond to one or two posts if it interests me, and then that is it. I don't remember the last time I was involved with a debating thread; there doesn't seem to be many any more and on the rare occasion they do run on, they tend to get locked, and/or the bullying card comes out.

I think FB groups have replaced a lot of forums, but finding good FB groups (especially when subject specific) that aren't full of morons , fanatics and pink and fluffies is like finding gold dust! the PF group is a gem though!


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## Teddy-dog (Nov 2, 2017)

StormyThai said:


> Why don't the people complaining about the lack of threads actually post threads then?
> We tried a training thread (several times) with little interest that dies off within weeks...if that doesn't interest people in a dog forum...well...
> 
> The forum goes through this slow period pretty much every year, and we also have a thread like this pop up pretty much yearly too lol
> ...


I feel bad that I was one of the ones that started in the training thread and stopped posting. I really liked it but I ended up being really busy due a lame horse taking up most of my evenings and didn't have time to train Teds and continue it


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

I have not really noticed it being quieter. I think when there is a controversial thread it gets busier then it quietens down again. I expected more response to my post about an overweight dog. I often feel that replies, not just to my posts, are very dismissive and sometimes bordering on unpleasant. A lot of new members get chased away pretty quickly and I hate the goat pictures etc accusing innocent posters of being trolls. I know we get some awful trolls but they just get banned quickly, a lot of others are chased away because someone does not like what they are posting. I suppose the truth is everyone wants something different from a forum and so no one will ever agree on what makes a good forum. For instance I find general chat quite horrible and have only been on it 2 or 3 times in however many years I have belonged. I find some posters rude beyond words yet other people seem to think they are fine. I am sorry that a few of the older members have felt they need to leave or been banned for goodness knows what and I have certainly been close to leaving a few times. Onwards and upwards.


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Teddy-dog said:


> I feel bad that I was one of the ones that started in the training thread and stopped posting. I really liked it but I ended up being really busy due a lame horse taking up most of my evenings and didn't have time to train Teds and continue it


Don't feel bad, life happens  
But I do find it strange that only a few take part and then it only lasts a few weeks.

Apparently training isn't in most peoples interest here.


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## ShibaPup (Mar 22, 2017)

StormyThai said:


> Don't feel bad, life happens
> But I do find it strange that only a few take part and then it only lasts a few weeks.
> 
> Apparently training isn't in most peoples interest here.


I'm gutted that thread ended  I enjoy a challenge with Lily.


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## PawsOnMe (Nov 1, 2012)

ShibaPup said:


> I'm gutted that thread ended  I enjoy a challenge with Lily.


I feel like the thread killer on that one 

For those who enjoy training tricks can we not have a general dog training chat where we can set little fortnightly challenges but also just share what we've been working on and our progresses? Would anyone be up for that?


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## Teddy-dog (Nov 2, 2017)

ShibaPup said:


> I'm gutted that thread ended  I enjoy a challenge with Lily.


Would it perhaps be better to do like a monthly challenge or something? If someone was organised to do it every month. Then you could have a new thread every month for the next challenge and people have lots of time to do it? Sometimes when a thread is so many pages long it might discourage people from going on it as they feel they've missed the boat a bit?

I don't know. Just thinking out loud!


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## Teddy-dog (Nov 2, 2017)

Double post


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## ShibaPup (Mar 22, 2017)

No one killed the thread - people just get busy.

I'll admit I'm lazy and the idea of filming a video, uploading it and then posting it - I forget to make time :Hilarious

I do enjoy training Lily though - I love the training threads because it gives me ideas and some extra motivation. I'll take part in any training threads - whatever works for everyone.


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

I think its been a bit quiet on the whole forum .
perhaps now is the chance to read the other sections ? Some posts in other animals or wildlife hardly get any replies. It hardly seems worth starting threads there.

It would be nice to see more replies in the Introductions section. We need more members so a warm welcome might encourage them to stay and post.

I think the warm spring weather keeps people busy in real life , more gardening and dog walking going on.
Also . peoples lives change , they might not have as much time as they used to . 
Nothing is constant.


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## MilleD (Feb 15, 2016)

Lurcherlad said:


> Well, I've certainly been educated today that a certain facility on the forum is not what I thought it was.
> 
> Every day's a school day


Is this aimed at me? If so I am suitably chastened.


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## Torin. (May 18, 2014)

Forums have been slowly dying for 5+ yrs now. First it was Yahoo groups, then forums, and now as someone else mentioned a lot of stuff is being moved over to FB groups. tbh I'm more surprised that PF has stayed as alive as it has than the other way around.



PawsOnMe said:


> For those who enjoy training tricks can we not have a general dog training chat where we can set little fortnightly challenges but also just share what we've been working on and our progresses? Would anyone be up for that?


I'd be up for that. I'm very up for sharing what me and Cad are doing on a general training thread, but for various reasons the frequent challenges of the previous thread were not for us.


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

ShibaPup said:


> I'm gutted that thread ended  I enjoy a challenge with Lily.





PawsOnMe said:


> I feel like the thread killer on that one
> 
> For those who enjoy training tricks can we not have a general dog training chat where we can set little fortnightly challenges but also just share what we've been working on and our progresses? Would anyone be up for that?


I tried starting a training thread were I thought people could show what they've been doing and maybe ask for help if stuck etc but it never really got any interest 

Could try again though but maybe someone else could start it?

I enjoyed the trick thread but found that a few of the tricks were not for us and when that happened multiple times in a row I kinda forgot about it, then remembered and came back, then the thread fizzled out.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

I can't stand FB groups as many of them seem a free for all for random people to say nasty things. The things I dislike the most though is that there is no index or way of searching for something of interest that you read a while back. It's just a whole heap of things people say, here today gone tomorrow almost. I much prefer a forum where it's all laid out and easy to read and find things from the previous week or whatever.
My village now has two methods of social media, the first one was a FB group, but many older residents wouldn't join as it was, well, Facebook. So recently a new online group was started called NextDoor. This has the advantage that only residents of the village can join and post, its moderated and it's more forum like in that it has an index and a search engine, consequently most of the the village has joined.

Much prefer forums


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## Teddy-dog (Nov 2, 2017)

Animallover26 said:


> I enjoyed the trick thread but found that a few of the tricks were not for us and when that happened multiple times in a row I kinda forgot about it, then remembered and came back, then the thread fizzled out.


That's why I thought maybe a monthly thread would prompt people more as it was sort of a 'starting from scratch' type thread. I don't think I'm explaining myself very well!

Could do league table still, maybe one for beginners and one for more advanced people (either you have to chose where you are at the start, and enter a league for beginners or advanced or mix and match and just have an overall league?). Not sure how many people have puppies but could have a puppy league?

I saw that cat chat have a photo competition every month which looks like fun - and winner gets to pick the new theme. So it could run like that.

Also a photo comp might be fun??


----------



## Biffo (Mar 14, 2016)

I've not been posting much either. There was a poster that I needed to avoid as I used to get so annoyed at all the rubbish they came out with. And any attempt at debate was met with passive aggression and snide comment. But I've had a look about and I think they've been banned.


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## Biffo (Mar 14, 2016)

The Facebook groups I am on are all moderated, several of them are closed or secret groups. The dog groups we arrange meet ups and see who is going to different events etc. Plus it's much easier to spot trolls, but it might be that the RBT community is small so we tend to know each other, or know of them etc.

The local village group is another matter, that is definitely a free for all!


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

Teddy-dog said:


> That's why I thought maybe a monthly thread would prompt people more as it was sort of a 'starting from scratch' type thread. I don't think I'm explaining myself very well!
> 
> Could do league table still, maybe one for beginners and one for more advanced people (either you have to chose where you are at the start, and enter a league for beginners or advanced or mix and match and just have an overall league?). Not sure how many people have puppies but could have a puppy league?
> 
> ...


You explained yourself fine 

Not sure I like the sound of a 'league table', and maybe monthly is too long a gap, but maybe fortnightly? Or the length of time depends on each individual trick?

I like the sound of a photo competition.

I tried a caption competition but that sadly fizzled out, but something similar to cat chats comp where, I believe, a theme is chosen and people post their entry, then there is a vote poll and the winner is decided, then the winner chooses the next theme.

I'd be happy to 'run' that unless someone else wants to, or joint run it with yourself Teddy.


----------



## PawsOnMe (Nov 1, 2012)

Animallover26 said:


> You explained yourself fine
> 
> Not sure I like the sound of a 'league table', and maybe monthly is too long a gap, but maybe fortnightly? Or the length of time depends on each individual trick?
> 
> ...


That sounds fun. I remember once we had the picture hunting thread where we were given a theme say flowers and we had a week to take our new flower photos and post them which was fun, having it as a little competition would make it flow better for choosing the next theme


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## Teddy-dog (Nov 2, 2017)

Animallover26 said:


> You explained yourself fine
> 
> Not sure I like the sound of a 'league table', and maybe monthly is too long a gap, but maybe fortnightly? Or the length of time depends on each individual trick?
> 
> ...


I'm not fussed on a league table either TBH - but I know there was one one the other trick thread so thought people might want it continued.

I'm rubbish at captions, but take lots of photos 

I'm happy to joint run something if you want to share the burden


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

PawsOnMe said:


> That sounds fun. I remember once we had the picture hunting thread where we were given a theme say flowers and we had a week to take our new flower photos and post them which was fun, having it as a little competition would make it flow better for choosing the next theme


That must of been before my time as it were. Sounds good.


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

Teddy-dog said:


> I'm not fussed on a league table either TBH - but I know there was one one the other trick thread so thought people might want it continued.
> 
> I'm rubbish at captions, but take lots of photos
> 
> I'm happy to joint run something if you want to share the burden


I'm happy either way. PM me if you like and we can decide whats what. 

Watch this space folks...........


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

Why doesnt someone restart the thread What are you working on... Which was more a training based thread about anything. So anyone could comment... Didn't matter what was needed. Or big or small you are doing...it all mattered


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## Doyley (Aug 23, 2017)

I will probably get banned for this, but here goes:

A member openly threatened me in the forum a while back but nothing was said to them - no warning, nothing. In fact, it is still there! 

So I then posted a thread simply asking why nothing was done about said threat and my post was immediately removed.

This puts new members off coming back to the forum. 

There is definitely a clique here - which of course everyone in said clique will deny :Banghead - but people outside that group definitely see it.

This is a small group, but because they are protected by the mods (not mod bashing by the way - just saying), the forum then becomes dominated by this small group because new people find other, more accepting forums to use and voila......current forum dies a death.

Don't get me wrong, I have had some great advice here - but do I go elsewhere if possible? Yes. 

And many others are clearly doing the same.


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## Biffo (Mar 14, 2016)

Well what was the threat? What did they threaten you with?


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## Doyley (Aug 23, 2017)

I fail to see why that is relevant? A threat is a threat surely?

Which is apparently not allowed on this forum - however for some, it seems it is


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## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

Biffo said:


> I've not been posting much either. There was a poster that I needed to avoid as I used to get so annoyed at all the rubbish they came out with. And any attempt at debate was met with passive aggression and snide comment. But I've had a look about and I think they've been banned.


I think I know who you mean, and yes, for a while that individual poster did put me off commenting on anything just because their complete nonsense was so dominating of the forum and you dare remark anything to the contrary and you was labelled a bully or met with snide and rude replies as you say.


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## ShibaPup (Mar 22, 2017)

I don't feel there is a clique - people will make friends, those who've been here longer will know more about each other but doesn't seem cliquey to me.

Most folk are helpful - you get some who are blunt but that's them. There are some people's methods I wouldn't follow but I respect their opinion. You get the idiots or people you don't like but you just ignore those.

If you've been threatened report the post - don't think mods can read each and every post. Feel sorry for the mods, reading through this thread they can't win - either they are doing too much or not enough :Hilarious


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## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

If there ever was a clique I think that too has died a death :Hilarious There just doesn't seem enough activity on here anymore that would result in cliques forming. But maybe I'm wrong and I'm just not apart of the 'in crowd'


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## Doyley (Aug 23, 2017)

ShibaPup said:


> I don't feel there is a clique - people will make friends, those who've been here longer will know more about each other but doesn't seem cliquey to me.
> 
> Most folk are helpful - you get some who are blunt but that's them. There are some people's methods I wouldn't follow but I respect their opinion. You get the idiots or people you don't like but you just ignore those.
> 
> If you've been threatened report the post - don't think mods can read each and every post. Feel sorry for the mods, reading through this thread they can't win - either they are doing too much or not enough :Hilarious


You may not feel there is, but myself and other people do.

I did report it, nothing happened. So I posted a simple thread asking why and that got removed.....by a mod....so do I feel sorry for them? No, sorry, I don't.

One of the mods is definitely part of the clique, so I didn't expect anything to be fair, with me not being part of the gang and all


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

ShibaPup said:


> If you've been threatened report the post - don't think mods can read each and every post. Feel sorry for the mods, reading through this thread they can't win - either they are doing too much or not enough :Hilarious


I agree.

I can say with hand on heart I have never made even a negative remark about any Mod on this forum and have, in fact, said many times what a great job they do.

I want to be clear that my purpose in beginning this thread was not to criticise or accuse, but because I had noticed the forum becoming increasingly more and more quiet and wanted to hear opinions from others as to why this is the case.


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## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

Doyley said:


> A threat is a threat surely?


well, someone could threatened to dip you in yogurt (yum) or cut off your ears and turn them into a necklace (yikes!)....2 very different threats! LOL

It has been abit slow here lately. TBH a lot of the threads just haven't floated my boat though so I haven't got involved. Had a few disagreements with people but they were very short as I just put them on ignore and move on with my life!LOL
Maybe I should start a vegan dog thread.....I'm sure that would create some drama!:Hilarious


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Doyley said:


> I did report it, nothing happened. So I posted a simple thread asking why and that got removed.....by a mod....so do I feel sorry for them? No, sorry, I don't.


Yes you did, and it was dealt with and discussed.
If you have an issue with how the mods deal with things then may I suggest you contact Mark to discuss your grievances instead of suggesting any of us are in some kind of Clique.

We had our reasons for removing your thread


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Doyley said:


> You may not feel there is, but myself and other people do.
> 
> I did report it, nothing happened. So I posted a simple thread asking why and that got removed.....by a mod....so do I feel sorry for them? No, sorry, I don't.
> 
> One of the mods is definitely part of the clique, so I didn't expect anything to be fair, with me not being part of the gang and all


Sorry but I'm going to take issue with you here. There can appear to be cliques in certain threads, and I do find it cliquey when people refer to their off forum friendships with other members in a way that excludes others but if you spent more time on the forum you would soon see that with a couple of exceptions people agree on some threads and vehemently disagree on others. I can be agreeing and liking every post some members make in say General Chat especially on the vegan/animal rights threads and then be locking horns and getting very heated with the same members on other threads. We are a bunch of humans, none of us are the same, we might share some views with some people but strongly dislike some of those same people's other views. The trick to forum life is to try (and I know its hard) not to let feelings from one thread run into others so that this atmosphere of bad feeling gets spread around. If you reported a post and then felt the moderator didn't deal with it appropriately then pm one of the others, luckily we have plenty


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## Jamesgoeswalkies (May 8, 2014)

Doyley said:


> I will probably get banned for this, but here goes:
> 
> A member openly threatened me in the forum a while back but nothing was said to them - no warning, nothing. In fact, it is still there!
> 
> ...


Post like this tend to make me think, am I on the same forum as you? Post like this always tend to start with 'I'll probably get banned for saying this, too 

But as for these mystery cliques. Where the heck are they because I can't find one. Or even an 'in crowd'. Or a 'gang'.

J


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

catz4m8z said:


> well, someone could threatened to dip you in yogurt (yum) or cut off your ears and turn them into a necklace (yikes!)....2 very different threats! LOL
> 
> It has been abit slow here lately. TBH a lot of the threads just haven't floated my boat though so I haven't got involved. Had a few disagreements with people but they were very short as I just put them on ignore and move on with my life!LOL
> Maybe I should start a vegan dog thread.....I'm sure that would create some drama!:Hilarious


Yes please do, I was thinking of starting one to ask for genuine opinions as its a subject I've been really struggling with recently and wondered what other people thought about it. If you don't I will but I'd rather a few of the "V word" threads were started by others because it seems some members get the hump with my V threads


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Jamesgoeswalkies said:


> Post like this tend to make me think, am I on the same forum as you? Post like this always tend to start with 'I'll probably get banned for saying this, too
> 
> But as for these mystery cliques. Where the heck are they because I can't find one. Or even an 'in crowd'. Or a 'gang'.
> 
> J


I too DEMAND to know where the 'In Crowd' is at.

I want in.


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## picaresque (Jun 25, 2009)

I think the cliques do exist, but that is just human nature. To everyone who says 'what clique?', they are less noticeable when you're a part of it.


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## Doyley (Aug 23, 2017)

StormyThai said:


> Yes you did, and it was dealt with and discussed.
> If you have an issue with how the mods deal with things then may I suggest you contact Mark to discuss your grievances instead of suggesting any of us are in some kind of Clique.
> 
> We had our reasons for removing your thread


No it was not, no-one discussed it with me. That is a lie.

I asked a simple question on my thread - what was the reason for removing??

In fact, nevermind, I really don't care.

Point proven in the replies here......the thread was going quiet and then as soon as you mention a MOD or clique, in they all swoop and you get told to basically shut up :Hilarious Funniest thing of all is that it is liked by the person who actually made the threat.......even better :Banghead:Banghead :Hilarious

Enjoy it folks.....I'm outta here :Finger :Mooning


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)




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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

I love Bryan Ferry.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Rafa said:


> I love Bryan Ferry.


I used to until I found out he was pro hunting


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Doyley said:


> No it was not, no-one discussed it with me. That is a lie.
> 
> I asked a simple question on my thread - what was the reason for removing??
> 
> ...


It was discussed between the mods, which is what we do with every report. 
We do not discuss how we deal with reports either publicly or privately..we also don't have to discuss why we delete or move threads and if you refresh yourself with the rules of the forum it clearly states this.
As I said, if you have an issue with how things are done then pm a mod you do like or Admin.


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> I used to until I found out he was pro hunting




I didn't know that.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Rafa said:


> I didn't know that.


https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/oct/05/hunting.arts

His son Otis was the youngest Master of Foxhounds and Ferry did gigs to raise money for the Countryside Alliance :Rage


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## Guest (May 23, 2018)

Geez Brian Ferry is definitely off my Xmas card list. Reading with interest, even the thread about threads is a bit grumpy! I have never noticed a clique as such. Everyone seems very knowledgeable about each other, but that is what you get when you have been doing it a long time. I even found I had something in common with someone and had a little pm chat about it, which was very nice and inclusive feeling. Maybe the heat is getting to us all. 

regarding time - I come straight to dog chat and hang about a bit, then off to launder, wash, cook, clean, dog walk etc. Some folks just don't have time to spare.


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## Biffo (Mar 14, 2016)

Bryan Ferry off my list too now.


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## DaisyBluebell (Apr 14, 2017)

ShibaPup said:


> No one killed the thread - people just get busy.
> I'll admit I'm lazy and the idea of filming a video, uploading it and then posting it - I forget to make time :Hilarious
> I do enjoy training Lily though - I love the training threads because it gives me ideas and some extra motivation. I'll take part in any training threads - whatever works for everyone.


Emma & I started a dog training class just today, so I would be interested & motivated with a Training thread now. Wasn't before as I haven't been able to do too much real training with Emma because of my shoulder tendinitis & my OH who thinks training is a waste of time basically, but today I really enjoyed being in a small training group again, ok so I got told off for something as well as praised for something, that was part of the enjoyment too, and it was great to think I was building to something like I have with all my other dogs in the past & being motivated by the other groups at different levels around me. Oooh I feel quite excited just typing about it.



Rafa said:


> I didn't know that.


I didn't know that either !! That's any like I had of him gone outa the window then.

This thread is now 5 pages long so its definitely sparked some interested hasn't it


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## ShibaPup (Mar 22, 2017)

DaisyBluebell said:


> Emma & I started a dog training class just today, so I would be interested & motivated with a Training thread now. Wasn't before as I haven't been able to do too much real training with Emma because of my shoulder tendinitis & my OH who thinks training is a waste of time basically, but today I really enjoyed being in a small training group again, ok so I got told off for something as well as praised for something, that was part of the enjoyment too, and it was great to think I was building to something like I have with all my other dogs in the past & being motivated by the other groups at different levels around me. Oooh I feel quite excited just typing about it.
> 
> I didn't know that either !! That's any like I had of him gone outa the window then.
> 
> This thread is now 5 pages long so its definitely sparked some interested hasn't it


The training threads are my training class - since I can't travel to a good one


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

It's so good to see this thread take such a positive turn !


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## DaisyBluebell (Apr 14, 2017)

ShibaPup said:


> The training threads are my training class - since I can't travel to a good one


The funny thing is today was just a go along to see if we fitted in, liked it and Emma liked it, no class next week as its Bank Holiday week and there is stuff going on at the place we go so I go back on the 6th for the first real class and that date is the date I first got Emma - our Gotcha day - so hopefully a good omen for us


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## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> Yes please do, I was thinking of starting one to ask for genuine opinions as its a subject I've been really struggling with recently and wondered what other people thought about it. If you don't I will but I'd rather a few of the "V word" threads were started by others because it seems some members get the hump with my V threads


but...but...what if they start coming after me then with the pitchforks and flaming torches!!?:Wideyed
:Hilarious

ok, off to write thread. I figured at least people might find it of interest even if its not something they would ever do with their own dog.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

catz4m8z said:


> but...but...what if they start coming after me then with the pitchforks and flaming torches!!?:Wideyed
> :Hilarious
> 
> ok, off to write thread. I figured at least people might find it of interest even if its not something they would ever do with their own dog.


Well we will just have to form a vegan clique and meet them on the beaches :Hilarious


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## ForestWomble (May 2, 2013)

Talking about vegan dogs, I got some of those Soopa treats and Bungo loves the Kale and Apple ones. Really surprised me, I've tried him with carrot and pumpkin too and he's not sure about that yet.


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## diefenbaker (Jan 15, 2011)

StormyThai said:


> Why don't the people complaining about the lack of threads actually post threads then?


I can setup some robots to create threads on a regular basis to give the illusion of activity if that will help.


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

I think it seems we have cliques because we agree (or disagree) with the same things .



diefenbaker said:


> I can setup some robots to create threads on a regular basis to give the illusion of activity if that will help.


Nooooo! We have enough bots and chinese spammers as it is .


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

Jamesgoeswalkies said:


> Post like this tend to make me think, am I on the same forum as you? Post like this always tend to start with 'I'll probably get banned for saying this, too
> 
> But as for these mystery cliques. Where the heck are they because I can't find one. Or even an 'in crowd'. Or a 'gang'.
> 
> J


I dont think there are cliques as such but some members have history, either good or bad, so it is hard to stay neutral which could be construed as a clique by newer members who feel a bit left out. Such is life though, not a lot you can do about it.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

diefenbaker said:


> I can setup some robots to create threads on a regular basis to give the illusion of activity if that will help.


But _please, _not in Chinese !


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

Animallover26 said:


> Talking about vegan dogs, I got some of those Soopa treats and Bungo loves the Kale and Apple ones. Really surprised me, I've tried him with carrot and pumpkin too and he's not sure about that yet.


Mine really love dried coconut Soopa treats too!

Glad Bungo likes them!


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## Blitz (Feb 12, 2009)

so now we are going to discuss vegan and pro hunting. That could cause some arguments. Just for the record I am anti vegan and pro hunting!


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## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

Blitz said:


> so now we are going to discuss vegan and pro hunting. That could cause some arguments. Just for the record I am anti vegan and pro hunting!


nooooo, wrong thread. We are discussing lack of forum activity and cliques!

I don't think there are cliques TBH. Just that certain people share interests and they naturally congregate on certain threads.


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## westie~ma (Mar 16, 2009)

Blitz said:


> so now we are going to discuss vegan and pro hunting. That could cause some arguments. Just for the record I am anti vegan and pro hunting!


You really don't want to be in anyone's clique do you


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Well, there have been a number of new members who have arrived on the forum and immediately begun criticising and being rude to existing members.

When these people are met with a negative response from several people, it's because they're a clique.


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## diefenbaker (Jan 15, 2011)

kimthecat said:


> Nooooo! We have enough bots and chinese spammers as it is .


Actually I have done it once on here before. If you can find what I did you win a prize ( it's under my login name ). I thought I was very funny at the time. But then I always do.


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

Rafa said:


> Well, there have been a number of new members who have arrived on the forum and immediately begun criticising and being rude to existing members.
> .


Weren't they trolls pretending to be Mods?



diefenbaker said:


> Actually I have done it once on here before. If you can find what I did you win a prize ( it's under my login name ). I thought I was very funny at the time. But then I always do.


 :Hilarious You'll be banned now !

Whats the prize? you could start a new competition thread.

B*gger, Ive missed half of Home and away now . Im off to watch it !


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## westie~ma (Mar 16, 2009)

Rafa said:


> Well, there have been a number of new members who have arrived on the forum and immediately begun criticising and being rude to existing members.
> 
> When these people are met with a negative response from several people, it's because they're a clique.


So they call clique to completely gloss over their rudeness?

Staggering.


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## diefenbaker (Jan 15, 2011)

kimthecat said:


> Whats the prize? you could start a new competition thread.


The prize is dinner for two in the comfort of your own home made with ingredients from your own fridge.

There is no cash alternative. Terms and conditions apply. The winning entrant will be notified by racing pigeon no later than half past four.


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## DaisyBluebell (Apr 14, 2017)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> Well we will just have to form a vegan clique and meet them on the beaches :Hilarious


Oooh a clique, can one join even if one is not a vegan or even vegetarian, if ones father was a lifelong vegetarian???? Just so we can meet at the beach too???


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## labradrk (Dec 10, 2012)

I don't think this forum is busy enough for 'cliques'.

You get members who's opinions match similarly and you are therefore more likely to respond to their posts and agree with them. Same as in real life you are more likely to gel with people who share similar interests and outlooks.


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## DaisyBluebell (Apr 14, 2017)

Animallover26 said:


> Talking about vegan dogs, I got some of those Soopa treats and Bungo loves the Kale and Apple ones. Really surprised me, I've tried him with carrot and pumpkin too and he's not sure about that yet.


Emma loves Lily's treats that are fruit and vegies too


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Blitz said:


> so now we are going to discuss vegan and pro hunting. That could cause some arguments. Just for the record I am anti vegan and pro hunting!


Never in a million years would I have guessed 



DaisyBluebell said:


> Oooh a clique, can one join even if one is not a vegan or even vegetarian, if ones father was a lifelong vegetarian???? Just so we can meet at the beach too???


Yes anyone can join in just like the plant based thread in General Chat - all are welcome


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## westie~ma (Mar 16, 2009)

Once suggested to Dh that we should do meatless monday. 

He said can we do it on tuesday instead cos he's not here on tuesdays.


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## Guest (May 23, 2018)

There have definitely been cliques in the past but I don’t think there is now. If there is I’m definitely not past of it because my PM inbox is full of cobwebs and I don’t know anyone’s real name!


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

catz4m8z said:


> Maybe I should start a vegan dog thread.....I'm sure that would create some drama!:Hilarious


There have been several such threads over the years and, sorry to disappoint you, I do not recall any ''drama'' . . . tho' I spend less time here than many. There may have been drama of epic proportions.


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## rottieboys (Jan 16, 2013)

I rarely come on here now...Every now and again I will have a quick read at some posts. But I do agree with other comments, I got a lot of negative responses when my lovely Honey was dying.. What nasty comments I got...When I got my new dog Elsa...Wow did n't the existing members have a go at me. Judging me... ....I expect those members will say, if you don n't want to be critcise then don n't put your post on here.... Sometime we only want positive responses. Why don n't members think before they put there nasty. remarks down.


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## Jamesgoeswalkies (May 8, 2014)

McKenzie said:


> I'm definitely not part of it because my PM inbox is full of cobwebs and I don't know anyone's real name!


I think I have a grand total of four PM's in my inbox ...I'm very antisocial.

I love Usernames. I have friends who I met 15 years ago via a Forum/Message Board and know irl yet we still call each other by our Usernames even though we actually (obviously) know real names by now. Much more fun 

J


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## Royoyo (Feb 21, 2013)

In all honesty, to me this forum is just a little boring now. I don’t feel it is how it used to be and find myself a lot of the time thinking about commenting on something but then deciding not too in the end. 

I do feel that the frequent editing/locking of threads just makes me think what’s the point in even bothering. 

That’s ok though. I understand why it needs to be done but I don’t feel this forum is for me anymore. I used to actually enjoy coming here but now it’s just a bit meh....


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## huckybuck (Jan 17, 2014)

Cat Chat seems to have perked up at the minute - you could always pop in there..

We do have our share of drama too - just mention Secret Santa and it's off...


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

huckybuck said:


> Cat Chat seems to have perked up at the minute - you could always pop in there..
> 
> We do have our share of drama too - just mention Secret Santa and it's off...


Wasn't the secret santa thread locked recently...as it was too early! I loved that thread!


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## Teddy-dog (Nov 2, 2017)

DaisyBluebell said:


> Emma & I started a dog training class just today, so I would be interested & motivated with a Training thread now. Wasn't before as I haven't been able to do too much real training with Emma because of my shoulder tendinitis & my OH who thinks training is a waste of time basically, but today I really enjoyed being in a small training group again, ok so I got told off for something as well as praised for something, that was part of the enjoyment too, and it was great to think I was building to something like I have with all my other dogs in the past & being motivated by the other groups at different levels around me. Oooh I feel quite excited just typing about it.
> 
> I didn't know that either !! That's any like I had of him gone outa the window then.





ShibaPup said:


> The training threads are my training class - since I can't travel to a good one


Watch this space....:Smug


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Royoyo said:


> In all honesty, to me this forum is just a little boring now. I don't feel it is how it used to be and find myself a lot of the time thinking about commenting on something but then deciding not too in the end.


I feel the same.
Wanted to post on the "things I like about the forum" thread but mine are all past tense. I used to spend ridiculous amounts of time here but now I'm done in a few minutes. 
In 8 years I've had invaluable advice, made great cyber friends and thoroughly enjoyed discussing dog food. 
My "oracles" are gone, along with my cyber friends and my interest in dog food since Heidi's restricted diet. It's not discussed much anyway and "allaboutdogfood" covers most things.
I think for me too many good members went at once and I'm not sure if there's a future.


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## huckybuck (Jan 17, 2014)

lullabydream said:


> Wasn't the secret santa thread locked recently...as it was too early! I loved that thread!


I think it was locked on the "pretext" it was too early...but it happened immediately after, a member, who hadn't been seen for months, came on and whinged about the rules  as well as making a snide comment about the organisers. Unfortunately I wasn't around in time to get my teeth into a response before it was closed  A bit of PF drama is a guilty pleasure lol


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## westie~ma (Mar 16, 2009)

Mum2Heidi said:


> I feel the same.
> Wanted to post on the "things I like about the forum" thread but mine are all past tense. I used to spend ridiculous amounts of time here but now I'm done in a few minutes.
> In 8 years I've had invaluable advice, made great cyber friends and thoroughly enjoyed discussing dog food.
> My "oracles" are gone, along with my cyber friends and my interest in dog food since Heidi's restricted diet. It's not discussed much anyway and "allaboutdogfood" covers most things.
> I think for me too many good members went at once and I'm not sure if there's a future.


Ikwym. I've had friends leave, watching long standing members leave is unsettling, seeing their pets pass as well, I still think of Rona's Alfie.

What I have realised over the years being here is that my interests have changed as Mont has aged. I now need info on keeping him ticking along igeon


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## Guest (May 23, 2018)

If you want to know why newbies leave then read the thread "Beagle Biting" OP comes on for the first time, asks an important question, then thread is immediately hijacked by a popular newbie, and the next two replies actually address him by name instead of the original OP. This is just plain rude.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Mum2Heidi said:


> I feel the same.
> Wanted to post on the "things I like about the forum" thread but mine are all past tense. I used to spend ridiculous amounts of time here but now I'm done in a few minutes.
> In 8 years I've had invaluable advice, made great cyber friends and thoroughly enjoyed discussing dog food.
> My "oracles" are gone, along with my cyber friends and my interest in dog food since Heidi's restricted diet. It's not discussed much anyway and "allaboutdogfood" covers most things.
> I think for me too many good members went at once and I'm not sure if there's a future.


That's rather sad and deflating for those of us that remain and keep things going , I feel. We do our best, but if it's no longer for you, fair enough.
I started the other thread as a bit of an antidote to this one which became rather negative and gloomy.


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

Chatcat said:


> If you want to know why newbies leave then read the thread "Beagle Biting" OP comes on for the first time, asks an important question, then thread is immediately hijacked by a popular newbie, and the next two replies actually address him by name instead of the original OP. This is just plain rude.


Did you read the reply from a well valued member and the like from the newbie? No one had nothing else to add.. Reams of advice given


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## Guest (May 23, 2018)

Yes, I read it. One post is hardly reams of advice.


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## WillowT (Mar 21, 2015)

Jamesgoeswalkies said:


> I think I have a grand total of four PM's in my inbox ...I'm very antisocial.
> 
> I love Usernames. I have friends who I met 15 years ago via a Forum/Message Board and know irl yet we still call each other by our Usernames even though we actually (obviously) know real names by now. Much more fun
> 
> J


Doing better than me!


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

Chatcat said:


> Yes, I read it. One post is hardly reams of advice.


Did you read the advice on the link?


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## diefenbaker (Jan 15, 2011)

Chatcat said:


> Yes, I read it. One post is hardly reams of advice.


Grey area. Although the second poster could have entered the thread slightly more gracefully their post did not take the thread off-topic and subsequent replies should still be of use to the OP. I've seen worse. Much worse.


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## Sarah H (Jan 18, 2014)

I left the forum a few years ago when life got busy. I used to enjoy the busy forum and joined in the trick threads etc, when I came back it was much quieter with some of the 'old boys' gone. I only pop on every couple of days, I wanted to join in the new trick thread but just didn't have the time, but enjoyed watching everyone's videos.
My first Secret Santa this year was disappointing, (nothing to do with my SS and not bluejay's fault either), and I've found that a lot of the new posters are asking the same things over and over again which makes for boring reading and no-one wants to write or the same advice over and over for a different person every day. Again not really anyone's fault (except maybe the new members who don't read the hundreds of other threads on the same topic!).


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

SusieRainbow said:


> That's rather sad and deflating for those of us that remain and keep things going , I feel. We do our best, but if it's no longer for you, fair enough.
> I started the other thread as a bit of an antidote to this one , which became rather negative and gloomy.


It is sad and I feel deflated every morning when I log on over breakfast. I'm aware you do your best, as did your predecessors. 
I fully understand why you started the other thread and wanted to post. That's when it dawned - my good things about PF are past tense. So yes, for those of us who remain after the mass exodus it isn't great. Not sure what can be done but thought I may as well stand up and be counted.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Mum2Heidi said:


> It is sad and I feel deflated every morning when I log on over breakfast. I'm aware you do your best, as did your predecessors.
> I fully understand why you started the other thread and wanted to post. That's when it dawned - my good things about PF are past tense. So yes, for those of us who remain after the mass exodus it isn't great. Not sure what can be done but thought I may as well stand up and be counted.


That's a shame , I for one have missed your posts as felt we had a lot in common dog-wise.


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## mrs phas (Apr 6, 2014)

catz4m8z said:


> w
> Maybe I should start a vegan dog thread.....I'm sure that would create some drama!:Hilarious


now if you really want drama .....................start a vegan cat thread:Hilarious:Hilarious


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Chatcat said:


> If you want to know why newbies leave then read the thread "Beagle Biting" OP comes on for the first time, asks an important question, then thread is immediately hijacked by a popular newbie, and the next two replies actually address him by name instead of the original OP. This is just plain rude.


Thing is some of us oldies go to a lot of trouble posting advice, links or photos to help out newbies and very often we don't get so much as a reply or thank you which is fine but if you specifically ask please let us know how you get on and then never hear another thing it can get demoralising so this whole thing works both ways. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by a popular newbie , I hadn't even noticed the poster until you mentioned him :Jawdrop:Joyful


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Mum2Heidi said:


> It is sad and I feel deflated every morning when I log on over breakfast. I'm aware you do your best, as did your predecessors.
> I fully understand why you started the other thread and wanted to post. That's when it dawned - my good things about PF are past tense. So yes, for those of us who remain after the mass exodus it isn't great. Not sure what can be done but thought I may as well stand up and be counted.





SusieRainbow said:


> That's a shame , I for one have missed your posts as felt we had a lot in common dog-wise.


Yes I've missed your posts too @Mum2Heidi


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## Guest (May 24, 2018)

@rottiepointerhouse , yes I totally agree, it works both ways, I have indeed been annoyed on others behalf when OPs don't come back to a thread.


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## Guest (May 24, 2018)

@lullabydream , yes I read the link, although that is not really the point. I am saying that the OPs thread had one reply directed at her, and the rest directed at another poster, which I feel, IMHO, is a bit rude, that's all.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

Chatcat said:


> @lullabydream , yes I read the link, although that is not really the point. I am saying that the OPs thread had one reply directed at her, and the rest directed at another poster, which I feel, IMHO, is a bit rude, that's all.


If you care to look at the thread the OP has come back online and replied to virtually all the posts made since her first post and further replies have been made.
Questions and answers are a two way conversation. If the question is put and answered and there is no further correspondence from the OP at that time then a thread will move on. It was kept in line with the question asked, it didn't veer off. I'm not sure quite what is so rude about this.


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## StormyThai (Sep 11, 2013)

Chatcat said:


> If you want to know why newbies leave then read the thread "Beagle Biting" OP comes on for the first time, asks an important question, then thread is immediately hijacked by a popular newbie, and the next two replies actually address him by name instead of the original OP. This is just plain rude.


Maybe I'm reading a different thread...I don't see a high jacked thread at all...Nor do I see any rudeness.
Just people discussing what works for puppy biting...the OP is still engaging with the thread so it looks like they don't see any rudeness either 

Are you suggesting that people aren't allowed to address anyone but the OP in a thread or?


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## Boxerluver30 (Jun 14, 2017)

I for one would hate to see this forum die off, I actually really like it here. There is lots of knowledgeable and nice people here (and of course lovely dogs/cats ) and I've learnt a lot . I would definitely like to see more discussions/debates as I really enjoy reading them and joining in if I can. I wouldn't have a clue what to do one on though, my head is too filled up with exam revision at the moment so might have to think on that one. I only joined last year so don't know about anything that happened previously but I must say in my time here I haven't noticed any cliques, maybe that's just me though I do tend to be quite absentminded at the best of times . I think its more like there are people here who are good friends and have history with each other/met each other and this comes across in posts? We do tend to talk differently to people who we like/have a connection with than people who we don't know that well? And newbies may find it hard to fit in at first, I know I did a bit when I first joined which is why I immediately came on posting asking everyone to introduce their dogs/cats so that gave us something to talk about straight away.


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## Bebe1 (Feb 24, 2017)

Im a newbie ( well, to this particular forum) and have had great advice and help here, even a very touching and supportive private message from a mod, and Im really glad I joined! Having read here for a long time before posting, it struck me as being a friendly place, but I was slightly wary of posting after experiences on other forums over the years. I was a member of a forum called DogPages for about 18 years and if you want to see " cliquie" theres the place lol...but I do realise cliques exist on most forums and I was actually accused of being one of the "cliques" on D.Ps which kind of upset me really, Id never knowingly make somebody feel bad or ostracised. On the other hand, I will stand up for myself if needed, and dont think at my age I need to be letting anyone, however "experienced" they are, talk down to me or be snippy, Im more than capable of telling them where to go but I know a lot of people would just collapse and run a mile and then possibly not get the help they need, which in turn means their dog doesnt get the help they need..and thats sad  

Forums can be helpful, or hostile, depending on how thick your skin is I think? Its the nature of the beast...we arnt all going to agree and some people are more blunt than others, and some people are more sensitive than others. Add in " Trolls" to the equation and mods have their work cut out! 
I like online forums though and think theyre invaluable, especially to people who need reassurance about something pretty fast? But Facebook is killing a lot of forums unfortunately. I dont think facebook is anywhere near as helpful, or personal, as a forum is, and I hope forums havnt had their day.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Bebe1 said:


> Im a newbie ( well, to this particular forum) and have had great advice and help here, even a very touching and supportive private message from a mod, and Im really glad I joined! Having read here for a long time before posting, it struck me as being a friendly place, but I was slightly wary of posting after experiences on other forums over the years. I was a member of a forum called DogPages for about 18 years and if you want to see " cliquie" theres the place lol...but I do realise cliques exist on most forums and I was actually accused of being one of the "cliques" on D.Ps which kind of upset me really, Id never knowingly make somebody feel bad or ostracised. On the other hand, I will stand up for myself if needed, and dont think at my age I need to be letting anyone, however "experienced" they are, talk down to me or be snippy, Im more than capable of telling them where to go but I know a lot of people would just collapse and run a mile and then possibly not get the help they need, which in turn means their dog doesnt get the help they need..and thats sad
> 
> Forums can be helpful, or hostile, depending on how thick your skin is I think? Its the nature of the beast...we arnt all going to agree and some people are more blunt than others, and some people are more sensitive than others. Add in " Trolls" to the equation and mods have their work cut out!
> I like online forums though and think theyre invaluable, especially to people who need reassurance about something pretty fast? But Facebook is killing a lot of forums unfortunately. I dont think facebook is anywhere near as helpful, or personal, as a forum is, and I hope forums havnt had their day.


There are a few ex DogPages members here


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## Bebe1 (Feb 24, 2017)

Really?  I probably know them then? I was very active around mid-to late 1990s up until Ray took away my posting rights (but not banned) after a particular thread about BSL and Deed not Breed, then again late 2000s. Often wonder what happened to certain people and their lovely dogs !


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## Gemmaa (Jul 19, 2009)

Chatcat said:


> @lullabydream , yes I read the link, although that is not really the point. I am saying that the OPs thread had one reply directed at her, and the rest directed at another poster, which I feel, IMHO, is a bit rude, that's all.


...it's a difficult one, because the 'popular newbie' could potentially now feel awkward about being singled out in your comments, and be put off from posting again.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Thanks to
Westie-ma SusieRainbow and RPH I feel a little better re PF this morning.
Shrinking into the background may not have been for the best. Perhaps it’s about getting out what you put in. Instead of digging my heels in, accept change.
Time will tell.
I live life by the Serenity Prayer (Serenity to accept things I can’t change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference), I forgot it in this instance.


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## SusieRainbow (Jan 21, 2013)

Mum2Heidi said:


> Thanks to
> Westie-ma SusieRainbow and RPH I feel a little better re PF this morning.
> Shrinking into the background may not have been for the best. Perhaps it's about getting out what you put in. Instead of digging my heels in, accept change.
> Time will tell.
> I live life by the Serenity Prayer (Serenity to accept things I can't change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference), I forgot it in this instance.


That's very true about getting out what you put in.
I was feeling a bit 'meh' after dealing with a few difficult situations , starting the thread yesterday has reaffirmed my commitment and enjoyment in the forum.
I also try to live by the serenity prayer , and have a mantra that I taught my daughter when she was going through her turbulent teenage years - ' Rise above it ! '


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## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

Bebe1 said:


> Really?  I probably know them then? I was very active around mid-to late 1990s up until Ray took away my posting rights (but not banned) after a particular thread about BSL and Deed not Breed, then again late 2000s. Often wonder what happened to certain people and their lovely dogs !


I was on there too until I was practically lynched and chased off the forum for standing my ground on the fact you can own both purebred breeder dogs and still support rescue. I was called a lot of different rude names and told I would not be welcome to post about my purebred puppy. Rudest bunch of people on a forum I've ever come across. So yeah, definitely 'cliquey' there I agree.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

Bebe1 said:


> Really?  I probably know them then? I was very active around mid-to late 1990s up until Ray took away my posting rights (but not banned) after a particular thread about BSL and Deed not Breed, then again late 2000s. Often wonder what happened to certain people and their lovely dogs !





Dogloverlou said:


> I was on there too until I was practically lynched and chased off the forum for standing my ground on the fact you can own both purebred breeder dogs and still support rescue. I was called a lot of different rude names and told I would not be welcome to post about my purebred puppy. Rudest bunch of people on a forum I've ever come across. So yeah, definitely 'cliquey' there I agree.


And I was told I have the blood of English rescue dogs on my hands because I had two rescue dogs from Southern Ireland and at the time one human and dog aggressive rescue rottie from an English rescue. Anyhow I believe DP has closed down now.


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## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

Chatcat said:


> If you want to know why newbies leave then read the thread "Beagle Biting" OP comes on for the first time, asks an important question, then thread is immediately hijacked by a popular newbie, and the next two replies actually address him by name instead of the original OP. This is just plain rude.


I've just had a look at that thread, and can't see anything wrong? 

Two people, both new (or pretty new) to the forum having the same problem. One posts a thread about the problem, the other comes along with "Hey, I have that problem too, read that link, doesn't seem to be working", which can happen in real life, too, other, more experienced members come along and post with more advice - all of which is relevant to the thread and the OP ... What's the problem?


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## Dogloverlou (Dec 8, 2013)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> And I was told I have the blood of English rescue dogs on my hands because I had two rescue dogs from Southern Ireland and at the time one human and dog aggressive rescue rottie from an English rescue. Anyhow I believe DP has closed down now.


They were very over dramatic. ONLY rescue dogs in the UK were worthy apparently. Am only surprised the forum lasted as long as it did.


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

@Bebe1 Hello 
Dogpages was closed suddenly a few weeks ago without warning . Sadly i didnt have members email addys and I have lost touch with a lot of friends, yes it was bad at one time but then there was a split and people left to start too other forums and the mods too and it was a lot better . The two other are dead in the water.

I prefer the layout of forums, the sections and threads are easier to follow than facebook .
I used to do Yahoo groups , google groups and other fourms , we were spoilt for choice !


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

Dogloverlou said:


> They were very over dramatic. ONLY rescue dogs in the UK were worthy apparently. Am only surprised the forum lasted as long as it did.


There was a lot of debate about it , it wasnt that one sided . It wasnt about "worthness" .

Ray owned the forum and he paid for it out of his money , he was retired and i guess he couldn't run it anymore or pay for it . It perhaps it would have kept going if he had handed it over to someone else ,


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## Torin. (May 18, 2014)

I was never on DogPages, but I was on Dogsey and Unleashed


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

Dogloverlou said:


> I was on there too until I was practically lynched and chased off the forum for standing my ground on the fact you can own both purebred breeder dogs and still support rescue. I was called a lot of different rude names and told I would not be welcome to post about my purebred puppy. Rudest bunch of people on a forum I've ever come across. So yeah, definitely 'cliquey' there I agree.


That was a shame . Im sorry that happened.
But dont you think its more about beliefs than being cliquey ? it was a rescue forum and people in rescues dealing with it , its understandable they feel strongly about certain things .


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

Torin. said:


> I was never on DogPages, but I was on Dogsey and Unleashed


I still check into Dogsey but its quiet there despite the large number of members alleged to be on line. if you check their names , they have never posted anything and joined years ago !


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## diefenbaker (Jan 15, 2011)

LinznMilly said:


> I've just had a look at that thread, and can't see anything wrong?


To be fair to Chatcat.. at the time they made their comment.. there were only about 4 posts in the thread.. and the OP at that time hadn't come back. At this point I think we are in mountain molehill territory and should just let it go, let it go, the cold never bothered me anyway.


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## Bebe1 (Feb 24, 2017)

Dogloverlou said:


> I was on there too until I was practically lynched and chased off the forum for standing my ground on the fact you can own both purebred breeder dogs and still support rescue. I was called a lot of different rude names and told I would not be welcome to post about my purebred puppy. Rudest bunch of people on a forum I've ever come across. So yeah, definitely 'cliquey' there I agree.


Yep there were some incredibly rude people on there! A lot of lovely people too but some were downright nasty and I never understood why people who obviously have no people-skills would join a forum? A lot of good was done for rescues on there though, as long as the rescue was "in" with Ray and didn't try to post on any other forum of course



rottiepointerhouse said:


> And I was told I have the blood of English rescue dogs on my hands because I had two rescue dogs from Southern Ireland and at the time one human and dog aggressive rescue rottie from an English rescue. Anyhow I believe DP has closed down now.


Oh I remember lots of arguments on threads about dogs from rescues outside of UK. To me, it doesnt matter where a dogs rescued from, its one less dog thats suffering 



kimthecat said:


> @Bebe1 Hello
> Dogpages was closed suddenly a few weeks ago without warning . Sadly i didnt have members email addys and I have lost touch with a lot of friends, yes it was bad at one time but then there was a split and people left to start too other forums and the mods too and it was a lot better . The two other are dead in the water.
> 
> I prefer the layout of forums, the sections and threads are easier to follow than facebook .
> I used to do Yahoo groups , google groups and other fourms , we were spoilt for choice !


Yep I Remember when the first split happened when a lot of people left to make a new forum called The Refuge, I was on there too for a while. And then when Bevd left and took all but one of the other mods with her. There was a lot of in-fighting I think? Its a shame, when it was good it was really good but when it was bad it was enough to scare people off forums for life.



kimthecat said:


> There was a lot of debate about it , it wasnt that one sided . It wasnt about "worthness" .
> 
> Ray owned the forum and he paid for it out of his money , he was retired and i guess he couldn't run it anymore or pay for it . It perhaps it would have kept going if he had handed it over to someone else ,


Also I think that because a lot of the financial upkeep came from Sponser members ( bit of a badge to get your "golden paws" and be allowed into the Sponser lounge lol), when the numbers dropped so did the sponsors paying in money. The forum was pulling in lots of people and lots of money through sponsershop at one point.


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## MilleD (Feb 15, 2016)

diefenbaker said:


> To be fair to Chatcat.. at the time they made their comment.. there were only about 4 posts in the thread.. and the OP at that time hadn't come back. At this point I think we are in mountain molehill territory and should just let it go, let it go, the cold never bothered me anyway.


Absolutely, the thread has moved on since.

Nice singing by the way


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

Bebe1 said:


> Also I think that because a lot of the financial upkeep came from Sponser members ( bit of a badge to get your "golden paws" and be allowed into the Sponser lounge lol), when the numbers dropped so did the sponsors paying in money. The forum was pulling in lots of people and lots of money through sponsershop at one point.


TBF , the sponsership could be as little as a pound or two and you did not have to pay again .

ray was too controlling and often unfair but I joined both the refuge and dog rescue world and I told him and he said it wasnt a problem.

I had more trouble with hard wing members and mods than Ray , made to feel bad because I didnt care Bin laden was killed and other stuff.
Ive also had a lot of carp here when i first started posting , for daring to mention pedigree dogs exposed etc 
Been asked if I have opposable thumbs for not being able to use the brake on the retracting lead when i'd already explained RA had badly affected my hands. Not nice at all.

I think this forum is a lot lot better now, the mods are fair here so perhaps we should argue less and post more to keep it going .
I would be lost without PF !


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## westie~ma (Mar 16, 2009)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> And I was told I have the blood of English rescue dogs on my hands because I had two rescue dogs from Southern Ireland and at the time one human and dog aggressive rescue rottie from an English rescue. Anyhow I believe DP has closed down now.


:Wideyed:Wideyed:Wideyed:Wideyed


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

kimthecat said:


> TBF , the sponsership could be as little as a pound or two and you did not have to pay again .
> 
> ray was too controlling and often unfair but I joined both the refuge and dog rescue world and I told him and he said it wasnt a problem.
> 
> ...


@kimthecat am sorry people didn't take into your account your limitations. I cringe sometimes at some posts when people's limitations have been forgotten. It's not as if they have been well kept secret from here... To be fair those that it effects usually see no harm to be honest.

Am glad you stayed. Libby and Pip are damn cute and we don't hear or see enough of their antics!


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## diefenbaker (Jan 15, 2011)

kimthecat said:


> @Bebe1 Hello
> Dogpages was closed suddenly a few weeks ago without warning . Sadly i didnt have members email addys and I have lost touch with a lot of friends


You may be able to retrieve some info from the wayback machine

https://web.archive.org/web/20180224032511/http://www.dogpages.org.uk


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

lullabydream said:


> @kimthecat am sorry people didn't take into your account your limitations. I cringe sometimes at some posts when people's limitations have been forgotten. It's not as if they have been well kept secret from here... To be fair those that it effects usually see no harm to be honest.
> 
> Am glad you stayed. Libby and Pip are damn cute and we don't hear or see enough of their antics!


I do too but I do think some members have a habit of replying to a thread without having read all of it or scan reading so missing vital bits of information. I hate it when someone posts on a thread about a sick dog for instance offering advice when the OP has already come back and said the dog has sadly died.


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

B


diefenbaker said:


> You may be able to retrieve some info from the wayback machine
> 
> https://web.archive.org/web/20180224032511/http://www.dogpages.org.uk


Brilliant thanks. 
If anyone is in touch with chris dog groomer perhaps they could let me know


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> I do too but I do think some members have a habit of replying to a thread without having read all of it or scan reading so missing vital bits of information. I hate it when someone posts on a thread about a sick dog for instance offering advice when the OP has already come back and said the dog has sadly died.


Im guilty of not reading all the threads , they are so long sometimes though I will state I haven't read it all and apologise in advanced, 
I always check the posts about sick dogs so as not to make that mistake . Sometimes I have forgotten I have posted in a thread and send another post saying exactly the same thing.


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

rottiepointerhouse said:


> I do too but I do think some members have a habit of replying to a thread without having read all of it or scan reading so missing vital bits of information. I hate it when someone posts on a thread about a sick dog for instance offering advice when the OP has already come back and said the dog has sadly died.


Absolutely agree...


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## Bebe1 (Feb 24, 2017)

kimthecat said:


> TBF , the sponsership could be as little as a pound or two and you did not have to pay again .
> 
> ray was too controlling and often unfair but I joined both the refuge and dog rescue world and I told him and he said it wasnt a problem.
> 
> ...


God yes, he was mega controlling, a bit of a dictator. I had a big fall out with him via email, that was when he took my posting rights away. It was right at the beginning of BSL and the Met Police had seized a dog that looked "type". I had two dogs of "type" at the time and posted my concerns and that the Met were going to be seizing dogs that looked "type" even if they had done nothing wrong. Ray said that wasnt true and I was scare-mongering, and that the police couldnt seize a dog just because of how it looked, I Was lying, blah blah...fast forward a few months and hundreds of innocent staffys and crosses had been seized, just because of the way they looked, many destroyed by the Met, and other local forces and councils followed. So Id been right all along and Ray just didnt listen. Then Deed not Breed was formed, but we wernt allowed to mention it on DPs because an ex mod from there ran Deed not Breed and Ray hated her..so many people didnt get the info they needed at that time because of Rays stubborness. Sadly innocent dogs are still being seized just because theyre too long in the leg or look a certain way, its a subject thats quaranteed to get me livid!!

Thats awful you had people say that to you about opposing thumbs etc, its hard when people dont understand the issues we have. I have M.S and my memory and cognitive stuff is affected by it, so I have to ask the same thing multiple times or keep asking if Im reading it right and asking for clarification sometimes before it sinks in, people then think I either havnt listened or read it properly or Im stupid. I am a bit, but thats not why I dont always understand )


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## kimthecat (Aug 11, 2009)

Bebe1 said:


> God yes, he was mega controlling, a bit of a dictator. I had a big fall out with him via email, that was when he took my posting rights away. It was right at the beginning of BSL and the Met Police had seized a dog that looked "type". I had two dogs of "type" at the time and posted my concerns and that the Met were going to be seizing dogs that looked "type" even if they had done nothing wrong. Ray said that wasnt true and I was scare-mongering, and that the police couldnt seize a dog just because of how it looked, I Was lying, blah blah...fast forward a few months and hundreds of innocent staffys and crosses had been seized, just because of the way they looked, many destroyed by the Met, and other local forces and councils followed. So Id been right all along and Ray just didnt listen. Then Deed not Breed was formed, but we wernt allowed to mention it on DPs because an ex mod from there ran Deed not Breed and Ray hated her..so many people didnt get the info they needed at that time because of Rays stubborness. Sadly innocent dogs are still being seized just because theyre too long in the leg or look a certain way, its a subject thats quaranteed to get me livid!!
> 
> Thats awful you had people say that to you about opposing thumbs etc, its hard when people dont understand the issues we have. I have M.S and my memory and cognitive stuff is affected by it, so I have to ask the same thing multiple times or keep asking if Im reading it right and asking for clarification sometimes before it sinks in, people then think I either havnt listened or read it properly or Im stupid. I am a bit, but thats not why I dont always understand )


 Sorry people have been horrible about your memory . 

 Yes thats true , That was bad of Ray. People really needed that info. If I remember rightly , DP was down for days and Pingu start a temporary DP and ray did his nut because he didnt have permission from him but members were pleased that pingu had done it .

I was very proud to be at the beginning and see Breed not Deed formed . I still have my car sticker ! 
Ive forgotten the mods name but I believe she was married to Pingu , it started well but later on he was going to update the site and then that didnt happen and he seemed to disappear . Very sad about that , its not used much and only in the general chat . 
i hope they are both well and carrying on the good work.


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## Bebe1 (Feb 24, 2017)

kimthecat said:


> Sorry people have been horrible about your memory .
> 
> Yes thats true , That was bad of Ray. People really needed that info. If I remember rightly , DP was down for days and Pingu start a temporary DP and ray did his nut because he didnt have permission from him but members were pleased that pingu had done it .
> 
> ...


Thankyou, Im used to people judging though, thats what its like with " invisible disabilities" . Sometimes my speech is a bit slurred and a shop assistant once said loudly to her colleague that its disgusting to be drunk at that time of the day lol...I went back in with a friend with the next day, carrying a half empty bottle of whisky haha....

Yep Ive still got my Deed not Breed t.shirt and fleece  Im proud to have been there at the start too. 
Youre right about Pingu starting the Refuge when DP was down. I think everyone was like " omg...Dogpages is down,what are we going to do!" and Pingu set it up as a temporary measure, but Ray went nuts so The Refuge stayed and Pingu never went back to DP. It was Mel Page who set up Deed not Breed, she still runs it now, they do such fantastic work and have helped so many people and saved so many dogs, along with Trevor Cooper who gave up being a Solicitor for general cases to advise only on BSL cases, free of charge I believe? Amazing!

I liked being on the Refuge forum, it was a good laugh lol, I made a thread once when some insect or another flew into my ear and I couldnt get it out, the thread ran for ages and got hysterically funny, there were some really funny posters on there  but I constantly had a run in with one particular mod who disliked me intensely for some reason so I had to go. Youve reminded me of a lot of things lol, Im going to be remembering some of the great times I had on both forums


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## cbcdesign (Jul 3, 2014)

I have no been on here a lot lately due to lots going on in my life, mostly problems to be honest. Everything from our energy company fitting smart meters and shutting off our gas supply for a week condemning our perfectly healthy boiler, a brand new car being collected and ending up on a flat bed truck and going back to the dealership the next day too a friend with a diagnosis of cancer recently. With all these problems I just have not had time to spend on this forum or any others.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

cbcdesign said:


> I have no been on here a lot lately due to lots going on in my life, mostly problems to be honest. Everything from our energy company fitting smart meters and shutting off our gas supply for a week condemning our perfectly healthy boiler, a brand new car being collected and ending up on a flat bed truck and going back to the dealership the next day too a friend with a diagnosis of cancer recently. With all these problems I just have not had time to spend on this forum or any others.


Real life has a way of putting the hoo ha of pet forums into perspective.

Hope things improve


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## Blaise in Surrey (Jun 10, 2014)

I wonder if one’s view of the busy-ness of the forum is influenced by the way one uses it? I always go to ‘new posts’ and there are plenty of them, whereas if I limited myself to one area of the forum it would seem quieter. It would also risk missing posts, as new people don’t always know which area to post in.


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## Blaise in Surrey (Jun 10, 2014)

Anyway, off to start a thread on a very controversial topic in general chat......


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## diefenbaker (Jan 15, 2011)

In order to determine whether or not the forum is dying I have devised a test. I will monitor a particular thread for activity over a 60 hour period. If the forum wins then the forum is alive. If I win then the forum is officially dead. It is a dead forum. It has ceased to be. Details are here:

https://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/the-last-person-to-post-wins.102592/page-249#post-1065189101

Please do your bit to keep the forum alive.


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## petforum (Oct 30, 2007)

I personally think the forum in general is really busy at the moment and i'm very proud of how popular it is and how much all our members and moderators contribute to our community. Dog chat has always been a popular section and is still very busy. From my experience running pet related websites, over the summer months, or any time in spring when the weather is really good, many pet owners tend not to spend quite as much time on the internet.


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## Pappychi (Aug 12, 2015)

I'm another who has wandered away from the forum.

When I first arrived it was full of interesting and lively debates regarding all sorts of topics. I used to spend hours on here but now I only pop in to talk to those who don't have Facebook. 

I found FB Groups much more engaging and challenging of ones views - it's a shame so many long-standing and knowledgeable posters have left.


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## Westie Mum (Feb 5, 2015)

I’m pretty AWOL at the moment because I’ve been on holiday and then come back to gardening season plus I’m trying to decorate aswell and another holiday in a few weeks ..... it’s pretty much the same for me every year from April - August and then I’m back again for the Aurumn, Winter and Spring. 

Plus I’m not as young as I used to be, everything takes me longer :Shy


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## fernlady (Feb 27, 2013)

Jamesgoeswalkies said:


> I think I have a grand total of four PM's in my inbox ...I'm very antisocial.
> 
> I love Usernames. I have friends who I met 15 years ago via a Forum/Message Board and know irl yet we still call each other by our Usernames even though we actually (obviously) know real names by now. Much more fun
> 
> J


There was a fun thread a few years back now about usernames & how we arrived at them. Some of them were really quite funny. I also think we tried to guess male/female & some of them guesses were hilarious.


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## Siskin (Nov 13, 2012)

fernlady said:


> There was a fun thread a few years back now about usernames & how we arrived at them. Some of them were really quite funny. I also think we tried to guess male/female & some of them guesses were hilarious.


I seem to remember that there were a quite a few people amazed to find out that @Lurcherlad wasnt a lad at all:Hilarious


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## diefenbaker (Jan 15, 2011)

Siskin said:


> I seem to remember that there were a quite a few people amazed to find out that @Lurcherlad wasnt a lad at all:Hilarious


Nice to know that Petforums is a safe haven for the BLT community.


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## Zaros (Nov 24, 2009)

petforum said:


> I'm very proud of how popular it is and how much all our members and moderators contribute to our community.


And so you should be.

I've been here since 2009 and despite several attempts to get rid of me, I'm still here.:Smug

If the grim reaper doesn't come visiting during the wee hours of this night, I'll be here tomorrow too.


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## petforum (Oct 30, 2007)

Zaros said:


> And so you should be.
> 
> I've been here since 2009 and despite several attempts to get rid of me, I'm still here.:Smug
> 
> If the grim reaper doesn't come visiting during the wee hours of this night, I'll be here tomorrow too.


Thank you for contributing so much to our community


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## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

Teddy-dog said:


> I feel bad that I was one of the ones that started in the training thread and stopped posting. I really liked it but I ended up being really busy due a lame horse taking up most of my evenings and didn't have time to train Teds and continue it


I also feel bad. I was really enjoying it, but now that we're back in show season I'm so much busier. Most of my training time is being dedicated to obedience stuff and I just haven't found time to master the tricks and film them. Sorry everyone


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## DaisyBluebell (Apr 14, 2017)

Siskin said:


> I seem to remember that there were a quite a few people amazed to find out that @Lurcherlad wasnt a lad at all:Hilarious


WHAT !!, He's not


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## lullabydream (Jun 25, 2013)

DaisyBluebell said:


> WHAT !!, He's not


She's brilliant though!


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

DaisyBluebell said:


> WHAT !!, He's not


Nah, I ain't a geezer - I'm a laaady!


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

lullabydream said:


> She's brilliant though!


Oh thank you


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## JoanneF (Feb 1, 2016)

Sairy said:


> I also feel bad. I was really enjoying it, but now that we're back in show season I'm so much busier. Most of my training time is being dedicated to obedience stuff and I just haven't found time to master the tricks and film them. Sorry everyone


Just glad to see that it's nothing bad that has been keeping you away


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## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

JoanneF said:


> Just glad to see that it's nothing bad that has been keeping you away


No not at all. I've been on Facebook more recently, largely to do with the fact that a lot of obedience show communication has been on there and I've just been so busy. Plus the weather has been glorious of course. I have dipped in briefly from time to time but just not posted much. I'm not deliberately "keeping away" though


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Siskin said:


> I seem to remember that there were a quite a few people amazed to find out that @Lurcherlad wasnt a lad at all:Hilarious


Me too: I seem to remember I thought ''he'' (Lurcherlad) was likely married to lurchergirl (or in some way involved with her). But of course, lurchergirl may be a bloke . . . who knows?


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## DaisyBluebell (Apr 14, 2017)

Lurcherlad said:


> Nah, I ain't a geezer - I'm a laaady!


LOL


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## fernlady (Feb 27, 2013)

& some would say I'm not a lady & my name is not Fern!


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## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

fernlady said:


> & some would say I'm not a lady & my name is not Fern!


Whaaat!?  You're not a lady? :Jawdrop


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## CuddleMonster (Mar 9, 2016)

I've been told I ain't no lady either


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## fernlady (Feb 27, 2013)

Sairy said:


> Whaaat!?  You're not a lady? :Jawdrop


Lol! Well genetically speaking I am female but I'm not a lady per se!


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## Sairy (Nov 22, 2016)

fernlady said:


> Lol! Well genetically speaking I am female but I'm not a lady per se!


Ah OK...

"I may not be a lady, but I'm all woman" :Hilarious


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## Zaros (Nov 24, 2009)

I think a few people once thought I was a woman.:Shamefullyembarrased

MrsZee, however, thinks I'm far too masculine to be mistaken for a female and, at one time, believed it might be beneficial for me if I was to get in touch with my feminine side more often.

Let me tell you something for nowt! It was the last time I ever followed her bleedin' advice.

I took myself down a dimly lit alley one night for a bit of a kiss and a cuddle and was promptly arrested for lewd behaviour.:Meh


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