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Beautiful young fox killed on Southfield Road

Walked dogs along Southfield Road tonight. Just before the gate to the park was a lovely,  healthy looking young fox with its whole life ahead of it - except it was dead.  Outside the house opposite was a bowl with food in. The woman who leaves the food outside her gate clearly has mental health problems,  she is often seen sweeping leaves at 1 am. I have asked her many times not to leave (often totally inappropriate) food for foxes on the pavement across the road from the park. That poor fox paid with its life tonight, clearly hit by a car trying to get to the food.  Tonight  a fox -tomorrow it could be your dog. Please be careful if you let your dogs off the lead in Southfield Playing Fields.

Claire Moran ● 1474d13 Comments

Claire Moran explained" a lovely,  healthy looking young fox with its whole life ahead of it"Which it might be suggested is only young and healthy looking at the moment and would only have stayed that way largely due to the efforts of people with "mental health problems" leaving food outside their houses.Also it might be suggested that foxes will search out for food anywhere on both sides of any roads regardless of whether there are people with mental healtth problems leaving food out on the "wrong side".This woman with "mental health problems" is often seen sweeping leaves at 1 a.m.So sweeping leaves at 1 a.m is sympotamtic of having "mental health problems". Whereas watching someone else sweeping leaves at 1 a.m is symptoamytic of what exactly ?Or put another way, what time would people certified as definitely not having any "mental health problems" recommend as an optimum time of day to be sweeping leaves ?When there are plenty of people about perhaps, to undo all that good work ?    While one footpath to hell might indeed be paved with good intentions that pales into insignificance as compared with the eight land superhighway to hell as travelled by people actively poisoniong foxes -  which is what I originally thought was being suggested.Sadly as with a lot of wildlife its only possible to appreaciate just how "lovely and healthy looking" a lot of it is  when its dead - eithet as a result of being deliberately hunted and shot or accidentaly run over. But such is life I'm afraid.Would you really have prefeered to have found a skeletal emaciated fox which had clearlt starved to death, instaed ?For myself people whose "mental health problems" simply cause thenm to sweep leaves "at the wrong time of day/or night" or leave food out for foxes on "the wrong side of the road" represent far less of a problem than people seemingly determined to order other people about.    michael adams

Michael Adams ● 1474d

The point is Michael  that it was crossing a busy road from the park, where other people feed it and where it is comparatively safe, to get to a dish of food left on the pavement.  It is unlikely to have dashed across a busy road if no food hD been left there.  And I know the person involved. She frequently sweeps the entire length of the top of Southfield Road muttering to herself in the early hours. Perhaps you live in a part of Chiswick where that's the norm.  Or perhaps you even do it yourself?  If so, I'm sure your neighbours are very grateful. But no one should leave food where animals have to cross a busy road to get to it. Perhaps you like the idea of dogs being run over, as well as foxes? I don't.

Claire Moran ● 1474d

" And I know the person involved. She frequently sweeps the entire length of the top of Southfield Road muttering to herself in the early hours. Perhaps you live in a part of Chiswick where that's the norm. "Well I wouldn't know would I ? As unlike some people it seems, I don't wander the streets in the early hours, in search of muttering eccentrics.Which does then raise the question, as to why anyone actually would ?As to dogs, its the owner's responsibility to ensure that their dog is properly trained and kept under control and if necessary kept on a lead in proximity to roads. That's simple common sense. The fact that some eccentric old lady may have left food on the other side of that road is totally irrelevant. An out of control dog is out of control; for which there can be no real excuse. End of.But as I suggested, I can only assume you'd have much preferred to have found an emaciated fox which had slowly died of starvation than the healthy and happy fox (until hisuntimely demise) you did actually find.When you come to think about it we can only assume that most wild animals don't in fact enjoy a particularly pleasant death; but most probably will die slowly from disease or starvation. As would in fact have your fox; after a few years of eeking out an existance of sorts.michael adams 

Michael Adams ● 1474d

What a very strange post, Michael, along with your post about the Queen. Got out of bed the wrong side?

Claire Moran ● 1474d

Claire Moran What a very strange post, Michael,In what way exactly ?You're the one watching eccentric ladies sweeping up leaves in the early hours of the morning.Now *that* is what I'd call strange.As to the Queen, as people reach an advanced age others are more inclined to worry about them and their health, more especially if they hold an important position such as does the Queen.  Perhaps you might like to consider that strange possibility the next time you find yourself watching an eccentriv lady sweeping up leaves in the early hours. michael adams

Michael Adams ● 1474d

Gosh  Michael.  Some people have a social life and - gasp - even stay out after midnight. And you would clearly be surprised how many people take their dogs out for a last walk of the day around midnight  or later. Sounds like you are tucked up in your bed socks with a cup of cocoa by 9 pm - when you're not behind your keyboard that is.  Doesn't sound as if either activity cheers you up.

Claire Moran ● 1474d

In the olden days, people used to raise a rabble and go out and burn muttering old ladies communing with animals. I think you might want to distance yourself from that thinking Claire. 

John Hall ● 1474d

Sorry my mistake, Claire.I try and offer reasoned argument, to which you yourself as is your right, are apparently totally incapable of offering any kind of reasoned response. Relying instead on personal remarks.As to needing cheering up. I'm not the one going around trying to order other people around, as you did with thislady. I'll bet the idea that she simply totally ignores you must have really cheered you up. So much so, that you've immortalised her, on here.   Your initial concern if you remember Claire, in addition to the fox was the danger this food posed to dogs tempted to leave the park and cross the road.There are plenty of areas of Southfield Park where a properly trained dog could be allowed off the lead to run around with other dogs (ignoring the bicycle menace ). The area near the road *isn't one of them*.And so your whole "argument" concerning the danger this food poses to properly trained dogs, is a *total nonsense*.michael adams 

Michael Adams ● 1474d

Not so, Michael but I don't have any more time to waste on you and your very silly comments.

Claire Moran ● 1474d

What you mean Claire is that you've lost the plot and the argument.

Brian Coyle ● 1474d

Err, no Brian. There was no argument, just silly nonsense from Adams.

Claire Moran ● 1474d

Err, no Brian. There was no argument, just silly nonsense from Adams.

Claire Moran ● 1474d

" I don't have any more time to waste on you and your very silly comments. "Claire, in your previous post you explained the reasons why you sometimes walk your dog in the early hours - which were indeed quite reasonable.And indeed you berated me, for keeping "normal" hours.And yet previously you described somebody as "having mental problems", solely on account of the fact that instead of walking a dog, they chose to sweep up leaves in the early hours instead. When in fact there may be sound practical advantages in doing so, at that hour.You do see the contradiction here, I take it ? (Some hopes )Or are yuu now going to accuse me of "having mental problems" as well ?michael adams

Michael Adams ● 1474d