Putting bread down in parks

[Robin Orton]

Does anyone know what moves people to put bread (piles of crumbs or whole slices) down in parks? I can see there might be a point in doing this when the ground is frozen or snow-covered in winter and the birds might have difficulty getting their normal food. But in Baxter Fields at any rate, some person or person unknown does it all the year round. Is it for the foxes? I hope not; I quite like to see foxes around myself, but they are after all vermin and I think they should be left to fend for themselves rather than actively encouraged.

The reason I raise the issue is that I regularly exercise my dog off the lead in the park, and if he finds bread (even if it's in the shrubbery behind the railings at the edge of the park) he will eat it. It won't kill him, I guess, but it is not really suitable as part of a dog's diet and is, I believe, bad for their teeth.

[marymck]

Possibly it's the same person who put at least half a sliced loaf on my car in the Sainsbury's car park at Bell Green. This was when I had my nice vintage Mercedes, which I liked to keep gleaming. Not so much gleaming as albatross splattered that day.

Having said that: in the days when I had a dog I'd have been delighted if he'd just eaten bread, rather than the disgusting stuff he used to love to ingest when on walkies.

Actually, I always thought bread was bad for birds & chocolate & cheese bad for dogs?

[marymck]

& what is it that birds eat these days anyway? The so called lucky gifts they leave on our cars seems to burn through paintwork at the speed of light nowadays.

[leenewham]

I was half expecting to see a cartoon of someone telling a pack of Hovis that it wasn't as good as Mothers Pride.

Just out of interest, do the birds take all the bread or does it end up staying around a long time?

[Robin Orton]

Just out of interest, do the birds take all the bread or does it end up staying around a long time?

I think it tends to disappear in days rather than weeks. But who eats it (other than my dog, given half a chance) I don't know.

[Annie]

A relatives dog has just had to be put down,
The reason was put down to the fact that she was a great scavenger and used to eat anything and ended up with severe coeliac disease,very distressing time.
she puts a muzzle on her other dog which stops him from doing the same.