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Joanne O'Riordan at the UN's International Teclecommunications Union conference yesterday in New York. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews/PA Images

'Build me a robot': Irish teen's challenge to tech community

Joanne O’Riordan, who has no limbs, told UN conference that “technology is the limb I never had”.

AN IRISH TEENAGER who was born with a very rare condition which means she has no limbs has challenged the tech community to build her a robot to help pick up items such as phones or pens.

Delivering the keynote speech at a United Nations conference in New York on women in technology, 16-year-old Joanne O’Riordan from Cork spoke of the difference technology had made in her life so far and that “technology is the limb I never had”.

“Technology has opened up a world of possibilities,” she said, “through which I have excelled in both my education and social environment around me”:

I can use my mobile phone, send texts, tweets, update my Facebook, play my PlayStation, Nintendo DS, iPad, iPod, and laptop; without Microsoft, Adobe and Apple in my life I would not be doing and achieving my full potential. In fact I think my life would be quite different to what it is now.

Believe it or not I simply use my upper and bottom lip, chin, nose and hand to work most if not all these systems.

O’Riordan said that the technology had developed significantly since she was a young child, and she called on women leaders in technology to do as she does and “think outside the box” in developing ways to make technology more accessible to the people who really need it.

“It’s my wish and challenge to you and to others out there to build me a robot,” she told the conference. “The main thing the robot would be doing is picking up the objects I drop such as a pen, knife, fork, and or my phone.”

She told Morning Ireland today that after the conference there were people who knew others who worked in the field of robotics “so hopefully they’ll all get in contact and maybe we could all work together”.

O’Riordan said she hopes a robot could help her live a more independent life.

IN FULL: Joanne O’Riordan’s speech at United Nations conference >

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22 Comments
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    Mute James Lyons
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    May 25th 2018, 8:07 PM

    Is the journal going to let us know in a few months what it is?

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    Mute UK Hurling Bloke
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    May 25th 2018, 8:45 PM

    @James Lyons: * Spoiler Alert*
    I can tell you now
    Clearly the Journal doesn’t know or ,more likely, is withholding for clickbait purposes – “OMG you have to see this!
    What is this super mysterious creature?!!”

    Wolves have been crossed with various breeds of dogs. In most US States, they are actually banned. Some of them can be massive and bear like even.
    In some countries, e.g. Czechoslovakia, the wolfdog is actually recognised as a breed.

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    Mute Sean Dilligan
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    May 25th 2018, 8:58 PM

    @UK Hurling Bloke: Czechoslovakia does not exist

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    Mute Phil O' Meara
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    May 25th 2018, 9:09 PM

    @Sean Dilligan: It used to. It was a recognised crossbreed between the Czechs and the Slovaks…

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    Mute Pat Lonergan
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    May 25th 2018, 11:38 PM

    @Phil O’ Meara: nice

    25
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    Mute Dave O'Hanlon
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    May 26th 2018, 12:14 AM

    @UK Hurling Bloke: wow now we have a bigger mystery, someone who existed between world war one and 1992 has time jumped to the present day

    22
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    Mute Thomas Maher
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    May 26th 2018, 11:31 AM

    @Sean Dilligan: It’s a bit like the direwolf. They existed at one time. Czechoslovakia did exist at one time, but longer exists.

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    Mute Duke Auburn
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    May 25th 2018, 8:10 PM

    Great. Shoot first then decide if it’s a rare animal or not.

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    Mute Marlon Brando
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    May 25th 2018, 8:14 PM

    @Duke Auburn: yeah maybe he should have invited it in for a cup of tea instead?!

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    Mute tomas o beag
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    May 25th 2018, 8:25 PM

    That’s the yanks fill stop

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    Mute Jason Burns
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    May 25th 2018, 9:10 PM

    @Duke Auburn: or let him kill his livestock?

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    Mute pkunzip doom2.zip
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    May 25th 2018, 9:36 PM

    @Marlon Brando: how do you know it’ll like tea?

    31
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    Mute Cheryl Mellett
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    May 25th 2018, 8:11 PM

    Looks more like a dog or possibly a wolf hybrid. Certainly not a mysterious creature. You see weirder looking cross breeds for sale on done deal (unfortunately)

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    Mute Billy Nomates
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    May 27th 2018, 8:16 AM

    @Kev Barnes: Yup!

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    Mute Michael
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    May 25th 2018, 8:05 PM

    Clearly a dog…

    128
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    Mute Sean O'Shea
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    May 25th 2018, 8:08 PM

    @Michael: Agreed.

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    Mute I like this cushion
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    May 25th 2018, 8:17 PM

    @Michael: It’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing. That or a bunch of cats taped together.

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    Mute Ray
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    May 25th 2018, 9:55 PM

    @I like this cushion: ha

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    Mute james lee
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    May 25th 2018, 11:48 PM

    @I like this cushion: clearly.

    4
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    Mute Tom Tom
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    May 25th 2018, 8:15 PM

    It’s half man, half bear, half pig. Where’s Al Gore when you need him?

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    Mute I like this cushion
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    May 25th 2018, 8:18 PM

    @Tom Tom: Nice

    14
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    Mute Mary King
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    May 25th 2018, 8:23 PM

    @Tom Tom:
    3 halves ?

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    Mute Kev Barnes
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    May 25th 2018, 8:27 PM

    @Tom Tom: EXCELSIOR!!!!

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    Mute Kev Barnes
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    May 25th 2018, 8:28 PM
    14
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    Mute John Hayes
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    May 25th 2018, 9:25 PM

    @Mary King: yeah its a big animal.

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 25th 2018, 9:41 PM

    @Mary King: It’s South Park , when Al Gore was warning the World about global warming ,you had to be there .

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    Mute Glenn Walsh
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    May 25th 2018, 8:24 PM

    It’s Caitlin Jenner’s Cat

    58
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    Mute Jason Burns
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    May 25th 2018, 9:11 PM

    @Glenn Walsh: I’d say if you had a look at her pussy it wouldn’t be far off that creature alright

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    Mute Del Boy
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    May 25th 2018, 8:07 PM

    @Ryan Kelly: Spot on

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    Mute JustOneScoop
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    May 25th 2018, 8:14 PM

    @Ryan Kelly: ha ha ha ha ha

    27
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    Mute Al O'Saurus
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    May 25th 2018, 8:18 PM

    Direwolves weren’t fictional. They existed in North America during the Ice Age.

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    May 25th 2018, 10:20 PM

    @Al O’Saurus: Shhhh. It’s not as clickbaity if you don’t link it to pop culture instead of the real world.

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    Mute Anthony Edward Healy
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    May 25th 2018, 8:21 PM

    Mystery? Slow news evening now the 8th Ref posts are exhausted FFS

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    Mute I like this cushion
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    May 25th 2018, 8:25 PM

    Laurel. Definitely laurel.

    16
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    Mute Ray O'Mahony
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    May 25th 2018, 9:23 PM

    Maybe it’s a Steppenwolf, wasn’t it Born to be Wild ??!!

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    Mute Pl O'neill
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    May 25th 2018, 8:09 PM

    A Cat Pretending to be a dog .

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    Mute @Anthonyweim
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    May 25th 2018, 8:35 PM

    Fenton!!!!!!

    17
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    Mute @Kevinro1980
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    May 25th 2018, 9:32 PM

    The three little pigs will sleep easy tonight.

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    Mute Nicholas Lynch
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    May 25th 2018, 8:49 PM

    Why are coments open on this

    10
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    Mute Frank Dubogovik
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    May 25th 2018, 9:10 PM

    @Nicholas Lynch: seriously???? A weird doggy like wolf thing got shot in the States and your idea is that we shouldn’t be permitted to comment on it?? You’d love it in North Korea

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    Mute Derek Durkin
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    May 25th 2018, 8:13 PM

    People probably seriously do think that it’s possibly a Direwolf.

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    Mute Larissa Caroline Nikolaus
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    May 25th 2018, 8:36 PM

    @Derek Durkin: Well, direwolfs are real, although extinct, animals

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire_wolf

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    Mute Brían Ó Cionnaith
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    May 25th 2018, 9:29 PM

    Why was this animal killed ?? Could the shooter not used a dart to put it to sleep

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 25th 2018, 9:45 PM

    @Brían Ó Cionnaith: Probably not the type of things a hunter carry’s .
    Contrary to popular belief , hunters eat what they kill .

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    Mute P Quinn
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    May 25th 2018, 11:27 PM

    “direwolf (a mythical super-wolf from the fictional world of Game of Thrones).”

    If the author bothered to do proper research they would know that the dire wolf is an extinct species of wolf that was found in North America. It has since become the basis of the creatures in Game of Thrones.

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    Mute Eric De Red
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    May 25th 2018, 8:46 PM

    It looks just like a dog. What’s the problem?

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    Mute Paul O Riordan
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    May 25th 2018, 8:17 PM

    Is Arlene foster really a dog. I never would have guessed

    13
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    Mute George Oscar Bluth
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    May 25th 2018, 8:44 PM

    @ƃuᴉʞ sᴉ uᴉoɔʇᴉq: Arlene looks a bit like Ramsay Snow…

    7
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    Mute Matthew Gorman
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    May 25th 2018, 9:05 PM

    Where wolf.

    5
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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 25th 2018, 9:56 PM

    @Mary King: As a Nobel Prize winning person who deals with animals , my money’s on it being a deformed starving brown bear .
    However , Al Gore knows more than me .

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    Mute Anthony Whelan
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    May 25th 2018, 9:45 PM

    It’s a direwolf from north of the wall the night king is coming :)

    5
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    Mute Declan McArdle
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    May 26th 2018, 12:46 AM

    “Wolf management specialist?” I’ll have to connect with him on LinkedIn.

    4
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    Mute purple rain
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    May 25th 2018, 9:01 PM

    turning into the Dailymail.

    4
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    Mute ƃuᴉʞ sᴉ uᴉoɔʇᴉq
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    May 25th 2018, 8:24 PM

    Arlene is more of a banshee witch

    19
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    Mute ƃuᴉʞ sᴉ uᴉoɔʇᴉq
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    May 25th 2018, 8:26 PM

    Woof and a fur? It’s gotta be catdog

    4
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    Mute John Elliott
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    May 25th 2018, 9:34 PM

    Pictures are very distasteful especially the one we’re he is high five in the poor creature:/

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    Mute Jarlath Murphy
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    May 25th 2018, 9:36 PM

    Drat they killed the Celtic Tiger!!!

    We’re all doomed!

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    Mute Patrick Dunne
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    May 26th 2018, 10:43 AM

    @Jarlath Murphy: Fianna Fail did that years ago…….

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    Mute Roisín Marsh
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    May 25th 2018, 9:02 PM

    It’s a wolf dog, just google search wolf dog and loads of animals that look like that come up. Also, direwolves were real, they’re just extinct now. They weren’t that much bigger than grey wolves but had a bigger head and bigger teeth.

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    Mute Jackson
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    May 25th 2018, 9:30 PM

    Why is this poor dead animal a topic for jokes ?
    Can fathom the mentality of people who think a dead animal is cause for hilarity and jest.
    Who are the real animals here?
    You are sick !

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    Mute Clinton Baptiste
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    May 25th 2018, 9:49 PM

    @Jackson: Do you eat hamburgers ?
    This rancher was protecting the animals about to be turned into happy meals .

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    Mute Kate Flaherty
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    May 25th 2018, 8:19 PM

    Looks kinda like a fox/wolf/dog to my untrained eye!….

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    Mute Des Groome
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    May 25th 2018, 9:15 PM

    Yawn. It’s a shepherd breed of dog.. most likely a Dutch/Caucasian shepherd mix or similiar.

    4
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    Mute Missyb211
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    May 26th 2018, 9:09 AM

    Poor dog. Wouldn”t it more fascinating to wonder about it alive. (is this a toxic comment? Journal seems to think so . LOL)

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    Mute Tommy C
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    May 26th 2018, 1:53 AM

    My bet is on a German Shepard wolf mix

    2
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    Mute Stand Still
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    May 26th 2018, 12:16 AM

    Hound wolf

    2
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    Mute Seán J. Troy
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    May 25th 2018, 9:06 PM

    Probably just a weird feral dog.

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    Mute ruari mcdaid
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    May 26th 2018, 8:18 AM

    Title should read ‘Man Shoots Dog’

    3
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    Mute Raymond Dennehy
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    May 25th 2018, 10:12 PM

    Bloody Americans shoot first ask questions later. Looks like something out of game of thrones

    5
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    Mute Jason Flynn-Wall
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    May 25th 2018, 8:59 PM

    Probably one of Starks.

    2
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    Mute Patrick Dunne
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    May 26th 2018, 10:41 AM

    So let’s kill it anyway…… welcome to the USA……

    5
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    Mute Larry O Neill
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    May 25th 2018, 9:58 PM

    Coyote / Wolf hybrid I recon .
    Direwolf !!

    1
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    Mute Larry O Neill
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    May 25th 2018, 10:00 PM

    Coyote / wolf
    Hybrid I recon ,direwolf!

    1
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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    May 25th 2018, 9:44 PM

    Looks like a bad attempt at taxidermy

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    Mute Mr D
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    May 25th 2018, 10:16 PM

    Man bear pig

    2
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    Mute Michael Mcshane
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    May 26th 2018, 12:20 AM

    ..they have shot Spit the Dog..B@stardos !!! :D

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    Mute Shougeki
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    May 26th 2018, 2:39 AM

    God damn werewolves are back.

    1
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    Mute Ger
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    May 27th 2018, 5:05 AM

    Quite clearly it’s Sirius Black, as any Harry Potter fan will tell you.

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    Mute Larry O Neill
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    May 25th 2018, 10:04 PM

    Jackson : Is that a stuffed fox as your profile pic ?

    1
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