THE complaint (about the goose) from Annette Marie Stuart on December 7 can be put down to a misunderstanding — the National Call Centre in Sheffield (which deals with the whole of England and Wales) can be excused for not knowing that a particular vet in Bolton now only deals with equines.

A call back to the NCC would have given an alternative practice.

As far as being “reluctant to visit” is concerned, in many cases, members of the public are able and willing to take a sick or injured animal to a vets far quicker than having to wait for the Inspector who may have to travel from up to 20 miles away.

This is called “caller action invited”. We do rehabilitate all kinds of fowl and the goose would have been no exception had further inquiries been made.

However, the complaint from Name & Address Supplied (December 18) is not only disgraceful but also libellous.

She has no idea how much distress she has caused by trying to demean those of us who give our all to help animals. Maybe we should have maintained a dignified silence but we are proud to stand up and be counted and would invite anyone with an unresolved issue to contact us direct at the Advice Centre where our staff will be happy to assist.

Mrs Katherine M Kay Branch Administrator