Linda Martin’s our modern day ‘St Francis of Assisi’
A WORD of deep appreciation to Niamh Walsh for highlighting in last week’s Irish Mail on Sunday (January 28) the amazing and trojan work that Linda Martin does on behalf of our abandoned dogs. I am over the moon to learn that she has now been awarded a contract to run a dog shelter on behalf of Dublin City Council.
I commend Linda for always being a voice for our four-legged friends in condemning unscrupulous puppy farmers .
She has also called out the lack of enforcement by the Government in policing the wild west of online sales of so-called designer dog breeds.
Let’s never forget that when one adopts a pet, one is saving a life.
Adopting a rescue dog for your family presents a wonderful opportunity to teach your children basic values of compassion and caring, as well as teaching about the value of second chances.
Let’s never forget that most dogs that have come to be rescued were not given up because they were ‘bad dogs’ or had behavioural problems.
Unfortunately, many people buy dogs without thinking about the time, effort and expense. These dogs then end up in shelters or, if they’re lucky, in rescue.
It takes a special person to commit themselves to looking after abandoned dogs. This why I want to thank and commend
Linda Martin for being our modern day St Francis of Assisi.
John O’Brien, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Another stealth tax
THE stupid new Deposit Return Scheme is yet another stealth tax in addition to the one already imposed by this Government for a householder’s green bin.
If you’re an online shopper, as many disabled people on low incomes are out of necessity, you have to pay extra for your plastic bottles in an online shop. You then have to pay again for them to be taken away in your green bin as you can’t claim your deposit back because the delivery drivers won’t collect the empty bottles from you.
It is a truly ludicrous scheme that discriminates and double taxes those who shop online, many of them people with disabilities. It needs to be scrapped immediately or changed, just as the voters will do with the Government that imposed it.
Patrick Gibbons, Dublin 24.
Food for thought
AFTER being in and out of public and private hospitals I’ve come to the conclusion that public hospital food is terrible because they want you to go and private hospital food is alright because they want you to stay.
Kevin Devitte, Westport, Co. Mayo.