What happened next
Once this article was published I informed Heavenlyhogs through the Reptile UK Forums of its existence. This morning I received her reply which I post here in its entirety, exactly as it was received by me:
Quote:
Dear Ms Fountain,
I’d like to inform you about a blog article I posted earlier today about you on my site
Hedgehogs as Pets
Thanks for your time
Regards
Spike
Hi there
thanks for that i found it very very interesting what i also find interesting is your lack of Balls to actually name yourself.
Let’s get a few little things straight shall we?
Check my feedback and you will see i have had people to my home recently and it is NOT filthy as your bulls
article implies.
Futhermore no vet report was ever received from chazy babe and im sick of her and others using her health issues as a sympathy card whilst meanwhile all those concerned acuse me of using my sons as a so called sympathy card,my sons made the offer,shoot them for their love of me and their pets why dont you.
Anyone with an ounce of intelligence would be aware of the freedom of information act to find out if i was ever indeed prosecuted for any illegal importation of hedgehogs including youand clearly i was not so therefor einstein NO offense could have been comitted.If it was why would they drop the case with no action…deeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrr
Why dont you print some lovely articles on the very people spreading RUMOUR and crapola of so called authority on inbreeding and keeping hedgies in plastic boxes with no excercise wheels all stacked one on the other.While you’re at it check out the uk website if you want to see filthy husbandry with lots of zoozones stacked on top of one another with the insides being absolutely appalling and no wheels ect.Those breeding hoglets through inbreeding that were born with extra limbs and non functional back legs and sold with owners merely offered a NEW hog no mention of paying vet feesyet i had a ringworm issue and all hell breaks loose well i guess im really bad for wanting vet reports from BOTH parties before issuing ANY payments.And i’m ever so sorry i will not be walked all over for the likes of you or anybody else,my apologies for that.Why the hell would i issue refunds with no vet report?
As for the breeders list i do not care for it in light of the above.
I am setting up my own hedgehog club and and will mention the breeders you haven’t and this story,there isnt a damn thing you can do about that.No one will drive me away from my passion at that includes YOU.
I am not miss fountain or Viljoen by the way
New husband new surname
and for the record i will leave the money making up to 90% of uk breeders.I am a millionairess why the hell would i care for the disimal money for a hedgie.
IDIOT
Mrs mindyaowngoddamnbusiness
__________________
I think the email speaks for itself and no further comments are necessary from me. I did try to use the Reptile UK user interface to reply to Heavenlyhogs but it appears that she has shut down all means of doing so at her end. I have posted a reply on a forum where she has pictures of her latest litter and that can be found here (please note my username is Alley-Cat on this forum):
http://www.emerald-isle-exotics.com/hedgehogs-f20/some-of-my-boys-t37.htm#258
As this post is likely to be deleted soon I’m also pasting my reply below:
Hi again Heavenlyhogs,
Unfortunately you have turned off the means of communicating with you on the Reptile UK Forum.
Thanks very much for your reply.
My name is Paul Murphy and I live in Verona, Italy. I’m ex-army (SIB) and teach English for a living. I’m 54 and have an 18 year old daughter. (So please stop accusing me of hiding behind my computer.)
Please note that nowhere in my article do I say that you were prosecuted for importing hedgehogs illegally into the UK. Perhaps I’m not quite as stupid as you imagine.
If you can supply me with links to anything or any evidence about what you said about other hedgehog breeders please send them to me and I will carefully consider writing an article about it as well.
Please feel free to make comments on my blog about anything you feel is inaccurate or misleading.
Regards
Paul
The text below was first sent to me as an email and then posted as a comment on the Follow-up page. Due to its length I am posting it here (as I intended to do with the email anyway, Heavenlyhogs beat me to it). Again it is posted in its entirety.
Hello Paul
i saw your message on my websites guest page.
Firstly may i point out that you have named me and i’m not sure unless you have 100% proof of claims that that is altogether fair or even legal.
This would mean you would have to have all copies of both parties vet bills,along with RSPCA reports and my own vets reports.Otherwise it is hearsay and unreliable.
also the list of recommended breeders are all friends of each other and also the UK reg is not a uk reg but a branch so that needs to be straightened out.
I find your article highly unprofessional in light of what i have said so far.
Let me take you back to the begining,i originally started out as thehoghut several months before becoming heavenlyhogs,i even had a forum to that effect and a member of that forum was Bonnie martin aka happyhogs.I had a male hoglet on reserve from her and 1 other lady Alicia Chantrey at the time.I showed bonnie my site which at the time also had an availables page.Yet she NEVER uttered a word about the available page being inappropiate and was still happy to sell me the hoglet i ha reserved.Now if there was any doubts at that time why would she have been supporting me and giving no mention of the available page.She knew i wanted to breed someday but never uttered a word about it being inappropiate to have an availables page on my website or a FORUM.
Not too long after and just about a week before i was due to collect my boy from both breeders my grandmother(who lives abroad)was taken seriously ill and my partner was hospitalised with ptsd,my personal life has no baring or any business of anyone but out of goodwill i sent both breeders emails telling them i had to let them down and why.And i also closed down the forum as i didn’t have the time to contribute to it then.
I had to go to be by my grandmothers side and at the same time be there for my partner so i thought i acted in the best interest of the hoglets concerned at the time.I thought the breeders would accept this and not talk about how BADLY i had let them down if it was in the best interests of the hoglets.My mistake.
So i went to see my grandmother and fortunately she made a satisfactory recovery.Not long afterwards i had a boy on reserve from another breeder,i emailed the breeder sent my £10 deposit via paypal and collected him a few weeks later.I was delighted and yes perhaps i got a little carried away coming back and opening a new website and forum for newbies but i was fascinated and passionate about these animals although my intentions may have been somewhat misinterprated at the time.However no one said anything and i even went into uk pygmy forum all excited to tell of my site name change,still no one said anything other than it was looking great.
I then went from england to belfast to collect a hoglet for me and one for a friend.I paid double the cost to do that as the ferry i had already booked and paid for refused carrige at the last moment despite previous confirmations that this would be ok.
I had my hoglets 6mts when i decided to breed and alot of new owners do the same when they buy hoglets although they’re afraid to admit their intention to breed due to reprisals.In this 6mts i researched more and more and joined various forums ect.I had already researched hedgehogs a year prior to purchase,in fact i had noticed them and decided on ferrets instead.When i lost my boy ferret i thought of the hedgies i had seen and began researching and finding reputable breeders.
I’ve always been upfront and open of my intentions to breed from the begining i’ve not kept it hush hush as most newbies do.
I had learned a lot about the uk gene pool and wanted to do something about it so i contacted defra and was told in emails and telephone conversations that it was fine for me to import from holland via germany that no quarantine was needed.
So i thought great and set about my journey,yes the email you mentioned was out dated that’s because i didn’t have the original one they sent.Hell i didn’t think i would need it.My mistake again.The reason that later one came about is because i made exactly the same enquiry at the same time defra actually informed me when i of my own FREE will contacted them on the advise of another registra to ask them if they had been mistaken and the hedgehogs should have been indeed quarantined.That in itself just goes to show what a pigs ear they were making of things STILL.It was that email that saved me so to speak.I was told that they would be i touch and no one contacted me until 3 mts later after lengthy investigation to say that i could now keep the hedgehogs in my home since they were there for the 3 months i was waiting to hear.In the meantime i went without buying new furniture for my home and kepy a bidget just in case,my children were upset at my being upset and offered to h!
elp.
All this time myself and my family and other pets were placed at risk.Would i intentionally do this?NO.That’s insane as far as rabies is concerned.
So as i said 3mts later they contacted me to say that the hedgies must rmain on the property until the 6 month period was over and that i should report any symptom to them and a vet immediately.
No charges were ever brought and if i had intentionally imported without the propper papers,procedures then i’m pretty sure i would have been,but i did to my mind do everything by the book and rely on them for the correct information.
I went on to have my first litter and sold all those in the litter as you well know.Yes it is most unfortunate that ringworm was evident.But all i can say is that i apologised to those concerned(i still have their emails)and would do all i could to rectify the situation.
None of my animals showed any visable signs of ringworm at any point so there was no way i would have known about it.I did contact my vet with the intention of binging every hog and it was explained that skin scrapes would need to be made but the best course of action was to treat for ringworm immediately.I was advised by keepers/breeders that imaverol was very sucessful in the treatment of ringworm in hedgehogs and available without perscription.I rang my vet and had a consultation and they had a look at one of my hedgies and said that no sign of ringworm was evident.I told my vet about the advise i had been given on imaverol and they looked up the ingredients to make absolutely sure it was ok to use and they said it was and did i want themto order it in to whichi replied i had already sent for some but just wanted to make absolutely certain of its use.
And i indeed treated all my hedgies.
One of my recent litter babies was also tested to the tune of £100 and tested negative and my vet said there and then it was highly inprobable that any of my other hedgies had it since i treated and practiced good hygene.
I have offered both parties vet fees and i did receive an invoice from iain and julie but i have ot to date ever received an invoice from chazy.Despite my many requests.I was polites and courteous up to the point and a little beyond of the rep uk forums posts.I found it highly offensive and unecessary to word it in the way it was and innacurately say that i was “convicted”of illegal importations.
I still to this day maintain that monies(despite these posts and accusations)for iain and julie will be sent to hedgehog welfare.
To date as i mentioned i have not received anything from Chazy and i would like very much to see this pm’s or emails she thinks she has sent to me requesting the refund.It is standard practice for all breeders to request such documentations.
With regards to stacking cages,yes i do in 2’s and there is nothing wrong with it.Have you even bothered to look at my set ups on the forums or my hedgies to check anything.As for my home being filthy that is also VERY untrue.Ask lota front in my feedback she recently visited my home to deliver a lizard and commented in the feedback that i was a nice person and my reptiles were in fatastic shape so i resent you remarks not only toward my hedgies which are quite clearly healthy looking and in suitable housing but for the other exotics i keep.I would like evidence of this.
With regards to the rspca that is a blatent lie and i welcome yu to ring them,i will give my permission for details to be released on your behalf.
Forgive me if i’m wrong but standard practice for animals hat have beendenied a vet and filthy condition is removal,not time time for rectification when they urgently need a vet.The animals would have been removed there and then.
With regards to other breeders and all i have said i think it is for you in light of what you are doing to research facts thoroughly before publishing works.This in my opinion is most unprofessional.You can find full details of what i have said in the breeders helping breeders yahoo forum in the archives quite frankly i don’t have the energy for this email let alone go delving into what has past.But the same breeder attacking me was accused of bad breeding practices herself.
I find the mention(as an ex army member yourself)of my partners ptsd,my children and my grandma totally uneccasary.They are of no concern to anyone.
It was at my request i be removed from the hhc breeders list as i am emigrating and will no longer be part of the uk.I’m sure i have this email request in my sent folder somewhere.Really i do not have the fight in me.If you’re professional and passionate about what you contribute then this article would never have been made without first consulting all those involved and having 100% proof.
As for money making i don’t think so.
My partner has an incredible job(his own business now)which nets him millions by the year.Also i donate to hedgehog research for every hoglet i sell,unfortunately due to about £1,000 of vet fees in recent month this has not been possible.I am also currently setting up an animal sanctuary.
Michelle
nothing futher to add