Showing posts with label re-homing dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label re-homing dogs. Show all posts

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Happy Memories.


 Roberto Matta.

Today is another unpredictable day, 1 minute it looks pleasant, the very next there is torrential rain, it is just like April and not like August.                                                         

Global warming is really starting to have an impact now, as all our seasons are turned around, summer in spring and autumn in the summer.

Again I slept really well last night; I even managed to sleep through until midday today, something I have not done in years.

That means that I'm late going to the shower, toilet but no worries as it is nice to have a lazy day on Sunday.

It reminds me of Sundays before I had MS, when I loved a lazy morning, lying in bed, drinking tea smoking joints and talking to Richie.

Pleasant memories of happy days, we had at that time a lovely Staffordshire terrier cross called Daisy.

She liked joining us in the bedroom; she would on command get her bed as well as her blanket, the bed she would put by the radiator and the blanket in bed for her to snuggle under.

Daisy was very clever like that; she also knew how to put her toys away at the end of the day which no other dog we have had since can't do.

Our trio of beautiful dogs, Marleen, Cyril and Tina get on very well together and make a wonderful happy pack.

What is really brilliant is seeing how happy and confident Cyril has become; his confidence has grown tremendously since the beginning of the year.

Finally he has been able to be a dog, something it seems he was not allowed to do in his old home, horrible to think of an active dog like Cyril being deprived of exercise.

 I'm so glad we took him in January 2011; it has been quite a challenge trying to win his trust, now one year and seven months later we have a lovely dog.

Re-homing dogs is very worthwhile thing to do especially because it means avoiding buying dogs from puppy farms, something we do not agree with. 

Finally the rain has stopped and the weather has improved, at precisely 20.00 this evening the sun came out and the sky is blue now.

Richie is making us a delicious dinner which I am looking forward to, after we have eaten or look for artwork and put this on my blog, happy days.





Thursday, December 23, 2010

Cold Winter Day.


English Beach at Heist.
Georges Lemmen (1865–1916)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Lemmen

Sitting here typing with my left hand mostly, though I do try to keep using my right hand too, even if only intermittently.

Just gone 16.00 now and it is getting dark, not long now and it is night again, really feel it is winter now.

Marleen is a little bit happier and more relaxed today, which is lovely to see, she also does not look as depressed and as middle aged as she did on Tuesday & Wednesday.

When she sat with her jaw hanging, looking suddenly much older and quite resigned to life.

She seemed to get tremendously cheered up by her walk yesterday, plus Richie put her on my bed in the morning those plus lots of games and attention.

Really good to see Marleen looking and being herself, she woke up very cheery this morning and wanted her early morning games.

First time since last Saturday when Spike was just died that Marleen has been abit livelier, she really wanted a game with Richie this morning which was sweet to see.

At the moment there are no Jack Russell’s online that need re-housing, we will keep looking and hoping for a new dog, so we can lavish attention and love on it too.

Marleen is definitely missing Spike presence and the interaction with him, their 5 years together made them very close, a lovely little pack.

Who knows we may be able to find Marleen a new chum after Christmas, I hope we do.



Saturday, December 11, 2010

Re-Homing Is Very Rewarding.




Richie, Daisy and Spike in 2003.

Richie just came back from going round the block with the dogs, Spike started off hating his wheelchair, as he always does every time he uses it.

Think he soon noticed how useful it was, as he can move around better and can get to explore all the dog scents he wants to sniff.

He also got considerable attention from people on the street, which Richie said he milked for all its worth.

Richie says it was a sweet sight, seeing Spike wagging his tail as people oh’ed and ah’ed over him in the wheelchair.

They returned and Spike was still in the wheelchair and not protesting about it, glad even Spike can understand that the wheelchair is useful.

Thinking about Spike brought tears to my eye, more tears followed when I read Janis’s post about her dog Bruno, and she also mentions Spike.


Janis’s story about Bruno is moving, what a lovely dog he was, and what a treat to have a dog like that in your life.

Having Spike in our lives since 2002 has been wonderful, he was a handful when we first   brought him home but very rewarding for us all.

It was hard work convincing Spike that he was not the boss; that he was a pack member, as soon as he understood this, he was a happy dog.

Re-homing dogs is a good thing to do, better than buying and encouraging puppy farms.

Re-homing Spike and Marleen has been very good and incredibly rewarding for Richie and I as well as Spike and Marleen who have both blossomed with us.

      


Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Champion's League Football- Arsenal v Olympiakos.










Slept reasonably, but was disturbed a couple of times by noise from outside, loud conversation around 3 am and at 6 a dog barking loudly.

I drifted back off each time with a little bit of THC, and finally got woken up when I must have moved.

As soon as I move in the mornings even if it is just moving my arms a fraction it results in horrible cramps in my arms.

It is unpleasant, it is difficult to straighten my arms, and this morning my only o-option was to literally grit my teeth and did my arm exercises.

Still painful during and after but then I could stretch my arms out and use my hands without too much trouble.

Hands are noticeably, more clumsy and it remains potentially very frustrating doing things, it does not put me off doing things.

Sometimes I cope by shouting, once I have reassured Richie I do not need his help, I can shout as much as I need to.

This morning was extra painful and my arms were very tense and very difficult to do anything with.

Shed a few tears because I hurt so much, Richie was over holding my gently and whispering lovingly to me.

The Spike started to squeak until Richie lifted him up onto my bed, where he very careful came very close and snuggled down in to arms.

He was extremely quiet and very delicate so as not to hurt me anymore, we had the loveliest cuddle for about 40 minutes.

After which Richie took Spike off and put Marleen onto my bed, much to her delight and when she had also done her bit in making me feel better she was returned to her own cosy bed.

Richie did my leg exercises and massage after that, my legs did not feel so tense and painful.

The baclofen tablets were duly taken and after washing face, neck and hands and brushing my teeth all done in bed my day could start.

It is lovely having two such nice dogs like Marleen and Spike, they are a delight, so glad we re-homed them now.

They give us such pleasure everyday, with their playful good nature and their total trust and affection for us.

It is very endearing to see how much they love us and their lives and where they live.

Really lovely to see, especially as both of them were not in such a good condition when we got them.

Spike we found online at a Dog Rescue in Den Bosch, he had been dumped as a puppy and was just 7 months old when we took him home.

He was hysterical and depressed and badly in need of love, poor little dog, he could not believe his luck when we took him home.

Even more so once we got home and it became clear to him that he was getting lots of attention and best of all toys and games.

He was very excited when I returned from the Pet shop with a bed and bowls for him plus a ball.

I recall his excitement as he snatched the ball out of my hand, we think it was the first toy he had ever had.

We were both extremely surprised to see that his paws were still pink, he had never been for a proper walk, and maybe he had been taken for a quick walk on the grass around the dog shelter.

But from what we saw and heard the day we went to see him they did not have any time.

They did not have the time to check his collar, they told us that he had suddenly been coughing but seemed healthy, they were puzzled by this.

When we got home Richie remembered what they had said at the shelter and checked his collar and found that the collar was far too tight.

The wee dog had outgrown his collar and it was just starting to cut into his neck and the skin was very red and raw, another day and it would have cut his neck and it would have started growing into his neck.

No wonder he was so hysterical, the pain must have made him slightly demented.

Marleen we found in 2005, also on the internet, she needed to be re-homed as the new baby had asthma and Marleen is very fluffy.

She was twice the size of Spike, at 12 1/2 kilos to Spike's 6 kilos, we gave her slightly less than Daisy and Spike and she soon started to lose the excess weight.

She was so fat she could only get into her bed with a huge effort, grooming was a nightmare as she lay in bed like a large seal.

She constantly flopped around trying desperately to groom, with little result, she panted if she walked only a few steps.

She had never had toys or played both of which she learnt with us.

However in the park she ran like crazy, stopping to pant and then getting her breath back so she could run again.

She loved to swim and dedicated herself to swimming, after two months of not getting extras she lost 6 1/2 kilos and looked and felt better.

It had been noticeable that she had been depressed when we got her, gradually she cheered up, and losing the weight gave her a new lease of life.

Now she is our gorgeous Marleen, who is happy and loves to run and play, she is the top dog and she knows it.

I am very pleased and happy we have been able to make a difference to the two dog’s lives, they have certainly made a difference to our lives.

Glad we re-homed them both, it is very worthwhile thing to do and it has been good getting to know and understand them.

They certainly give us great pleasure, they love to spend time with me in the bedroom and seem to make it their mission to look after me and keep me entertained.

Would for sure advocate people giving rescue animals a new life by re-homing them, they will repay you hundreds of times with their love and devotion.

Arsenal Football Club is playing in the Champion’s League tonight against Olympiakos, a Greek team.

It is going to be very exciting, hope that I can cope with watching the game tonight.

Have a good day, I intend to despite my pain and the lack of blue sky and sunshine, it is our first grey cloudy day.