IN REPLY to letters in the Examiner (May 8 and 9) regarding taxis refusing to take dogs.

I had to have a taxi to take me to the PDSA on March 6 as my dog was having fits.

I rang Tandem at Waterloo and they sent a car straight away for which I was very grateful.

Unfortunately my dog had to be put to sleep, but thanks to them she didn’t suffer.

Pat Snow

Huddersfield

Everyone’s friend?

I CANNOT blame anyone for not wanting to carry a dog in their vehicle.

Most of us undoubtedly like dogs but there are many people who do not, for many reasons.

Dogs do smell, some very badly. They shed hair, they bark and those which have irresponsible owners (which, evidenced by the state of footpaths around Golcar, is the majority) defecate at random. Additionally, if you care to look into the mouth of even the friendliest of dogs, you will see that such a mouth is designed for ripping meat apart.

Whilst most people may accept these quirks for the sake of a gratifying human/dog relationship, dog owners must concede that not everybody does, and they must be able to cater for their dog’s needs without expecting others to automatically accept their four-legged friend.

Alan Starr

Golcar

Thrown by darts

I ENJOY the odd game of darts now and again, and I usually play with my friends at home, but when I played darts regularly I can remember being in a pub in Barnsley were one of the blokes in the tap room heard my friend comment about how small the board was and about the throwing distance.

He told us, “that’s a Yorkshire board lads”. I also noticed that the board was lower than usual.

I know the throwing distance for a standard dart board is 8ft but this was far less. I read up on this and a dart board called a Manchester board is apparently smaller and has a throwing distance of 7ft 3in and the board is set 4in lower than standard boards and this poses the question.

Is there a difference between the Manchester board and the Yorkshire board? Can any Examiner readers answer this question?

Colin Vause

Marsh

Give him a chance

BARRY Gibson, in his thoughtful article (May 8), describes Ed Miliband as “the most underwhelming Prime Minister-in-waiting in British history.”

But Mr Miliband has a rival for that title, namely Clement Attlee. I believe Churchill described Mr Atlee as a modest man who has a lot to be modest about.

Yet Mr Atlee led the government that gave us the National Health Service. Although the Tory-led government is trying to destroy it, others see the NHS as the greatest peace-time achievement of any British government.

The lesson to be drawn from this is not to underestimate the good that a man might do before they have had a chance to put their ideas into action.

Michael Hutchinson

Mirfield

New way ahead

EINSTEIN said that insanity was dong the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

This brings me on to the British electorate. There has been many column inches devoted to why UKIP received such a large percentage of the vote in the recent local elections.

The general consensus seems to be that it was a poke in the eye for the major parties who are increasingly viewed as out of touch and moribund when it comes to dealing with important issues that matter to the general public.

It was mainly disaffected Tories who made up the majority of the UKIP votes. However, there were also disaffected Labour votes in there too.

Suddenly the major parties have been shaken out of their complacency and are taking UKIP more seriously.

The old party tribalism is beginning to break down and not before time. It is mainly the older end who continue to vote the same way. Younger voters can not be taken for granted.

I do not personally support UKIP and have not been seduced by the beer swilling blokishness of their leader Nigel Farrage (an ex city trader). Also they seem to have only one policy (immigration).

However, voting for the main political parties seems to be an increasingly pointless exercise because they will never bring about the radical change that is required to deal with the major issues that are affecting ordinary people such as ever spiralling utility bills, lack of affordable housing, rises in the cost of living, genuine job creation and an affordable and efficient transport system to name a few.

This is because they are largely dominated by professional politicians who have never been out there in the real world and are increasingly aloof to the real hardships that their constituents are experiencing.

They are slaves to the modern political/electoral science of placating the swing voters of middle England to get over the finishing line.

They will by definition therefore always be complacent and cautious and as a result things will continue as they are.

I would therefore appeal to the electorate to take a leap of faith at the next election and vote for the minority party of their choice to give the complacent political establishment a well deserved kick up the backside.

liam mcparland

Huddersfield

Puppy plea

SINCE animal charity Four Paws was founded 25 years ago we have helped many thousands of animals all over the world.

Sadly we are now receiving a record number of reports of sick puppies in areas such as Huddersfield.

Many sick puppies have been bred in terrible conditions on puppy farms where they often have little veterinary care and are poorly treated.

Common problems can include mange, ear mites, fleas, eye infections and parasitic infections.

Sadly mental health is also sometimes affected which can cause great problems for the puppy even after they have found a home.

Four Paws is urging people in Huddersfield not to buy puppies from the boot of a car or van, and to always arrange to meet the puppy with its parents at the breeder’s home.

Remember the best and most rewarding place to find a dog is at a reputable re-homing centre, where there are many desperate animals who are looking for a second chance at a loving home.

Will Wright

Four Pawswww.four-paws.org.uk