She had more to say than what I normally do ....

The dog saga continues ... I have been FINED .... it arrived in the post today.  The offence is recorded as “Failure to ensure dog on leash in a public place” and carries a penalty of $300.


My letter of objection has been written ... my hound was on leash and Carol can corroborate

that.  Yes ... I wasn’t holding the leash all the time as we were sitting down but the Dog By-laws stipulate she should be under control ... and she was. I know ignorance is no excuse but let’s see what they make of my letter.  My usual problem has surfaced ... a need to use a thousand words instead of one .... will I ever learn! 

 I’ve decided to include the letter in my submission about the new Dog By-laws too.


I’ve also included the photo of the lady who was on the beach with her hound after the permitted time ... the camera’s timestamp is on the photo and I’ve enlarged it so you can clearly see the lady and her hound ... but not the hound’s dog tag.  I don’t want her to get a fine ... I just want to reinforce what I’ve said about this particular Officer victimising my friends and I. 

If the fine isn’t withdrawn I’ll be doing my morning rambles with a collection plate ... or having to do WITHOUT my daily caffeine fix .... $4 a day for caffeine will have to go towards the fine ... $4 x 7 days a week = $28 a week ... might take a few weeks to pay off my fine!

On to more pleasant things ... the sun rise this morning was so awesome!  The tide’s low at the moment so we can access our Bay of the Tree and really enjoy watching the sun’s rays brighten our world.  Life is just so much better when hound and human return home tired and satisfied.  I think Julia’s day at work is so much better when her and Indy have had their ramble ... I love how our morning ramble has become a necessity in her life ... for both human AND hound!

The deadline for submitting our petition is drawing closer ... only 13 days to go ... and every day I’m finding a few more humans with hounds to add their signatures to the pile.  One of the ladies I spoke to today is Australian ... has two fluffy maltese type hounds ... one of whom kept trying to nip Chocolat’s bum!  She had

views on a whole gamut of things ... Dog Control laws ... the Waitangi Treaty ... Maori rights .... the National Flag and the Maori Flag.  She had more to say than what I normally do ... and that’s saying something!


I love it when people are so passionate .... there’s

no middle of the road ... just a firm belief in a principle they hold dear.  Life is about living and we have to do it passionately.  I don’t want to regret not having followed my heart .... not having taken the trouble to take action when necessary or when I’ve believed something is worth fighting for.

It’s a good thought to have today ... especially with it being Valentine’s Day ... a day of declaring your love for that special someone in your life. 


Be passionate about what you believe in ..... take risks ..... passion inspires action!  I have to take a stand for what I believe in ... for what I’m passionate about .... the poaching of the rhinos in Africa springs to mind.  If I don’t take a stand .... if you don’t take a stand ... what right do we have to complain about injustices in our world.