Pets in the home :)

[Nana]

We couldn't imagine our lives without our pooch. He's a cocker spaniel, five years old. Black with a white flash down his front. He's got gorgeous big soppy eyes & lovely long floppy ears. He comes everywhere with us. Love all your stories, especially mamma-mia's. I have the opinion that all dogs are as good as their owners have trained them to be.
A friend at the College where I studied couldn't work out why her dog died 'for no reason'. It transpired that her daughter gave him chocolate for his many, many treats. 😱 They just didn't know.

[Daisy]

Nana - I think we should all have to pass a 'pet ownership' test before we take on responsibility for their lives. They depend on us totally to do the right thing for them.

Your doggy sounds lovely!

[ZIZI]

My old boy was nearly 24 when he went. All of our cats except one lived to be quite old. My sadness is that George, doo lally that he was, didn't die quietly at home. Our garden fences had been blown down in high winds and, although he hadn't been outside the garden for years, he decided to have an explore and the silly old boy had no idea about roads and got himself run over. Broke my heart.

[Nana]

Aww that's sad Zizi. What a good old age though. We just have to try to remember the good memories.☺

[Pearl5]

Like having grandchildren Oma, nice to see them but nice to give them back...

A few years go OH never shut up about getting a dog, it wasn't the right time, so thought we would think about it later, now i don't think we could be bothered to have a dog full time, saying that everytime an advert comes on with a dog, OH does all the dog panting noises and the paws up, but i say No, my DD 25 said she will move out if we get a dog, so maybe that's an idea why to get one....

My next door neighbour has 2 huskies, there huge now, but there lovely she said they have a thing about her cushions, if she puts cushions on her chairs or sofa they take them off and take them outside, she doesn't bother with them now....

[Oma]

Daisy I agree and I think every dog owner should be licensed and every animal chipped . My DD spends a fortune on her animals no matter the size her Rabbits lived long lives she had regular checks at the vets same with hamsters and guinea pigs even her gold fish was 11 when he died we call her house the Zoo , Only the 3 cats and the dog now I think that's plenty 😊

[Daisy]

Zizi - I remember the awful sadness when you lost George. It is hard to get over, especially because of what happened to him. It's nearly a year now since we lost Rusty, but i still expect to see him come running into the house or hurling himself downstairs to bark at the doorbell. Sigh, and a big hug for you. xx

[Glammanana]

We would be lost I think without a dog in the family,Poppy has been with us now 2 yrs in March how the time has flown,if you all remember she was abandoned when her owner died and they where left in a house for 5 days without anyone knowing the owner had died (such a sad story) she took to Mr Glamma straight away and follows him everywhere and he is a man who has always had a bigger dog to walk (labaradors & bassets) so I was very surprised he took to this little lap dog so quickly,she is well known now in the area and has her own spot at Mr.Gs local pub.
DS2 has a Huskie cross who is the most placid dog I have ever met he has one bright blue eye and one brown and its comical when he looks at you and turns his head ever so slightly,I think he forgets how big he is when he comes to visit he is a right lump of a dog and tries to squash into Poppies little basket ??
We where worried when Pops went into kennels for the first time but she went with DS1s dog at the same time and because she could see him and what was going on in the farm yard where the kennels where situated she was fine so I worried for nothing.Here is a pic of her ladyship all cosy in her basket which is right next to Mr Gs chair.

[Skye]

I've always had cats as I was growing up. Then when I was married first time, the husband was too OCD to have a pet (dirt) so never had one. When I remarried a dog person, we agreed we'd have a dog when we were retired and had time to care for it properly. Now the time has almost come, but again while I would love the devotion and companionship of a dog, I think what would we do when we go away, would feel upset about leaving him in kennels as he wouldn't know we were coming back. How do you manage? No family to leave him with either....

[MillieB]

Skye, it is a problem finding dog care when you go away. I use a local lady who has your dog in her home and walks her on her usual routes. She is council approved and looks after one dog at a time in her house. She even puts a tag on their collar with her phone number. Our dog pulls up her drive so enjoys staying. We had her recommended to us but you can find dog sitters on the internet or ask other dog walkers if they know of anybody. We wouldn't leave our dog in kennels as the previous owner kept her outside in a run and she had bald patches on her legs from lying on concrete. We take her on a holiday to dog friendly cottages to compensate for leaving her when we go on cruises.

[Skye]

Thanks Millie never thought of that, yes a dog sitter sounds much better than kennels! That's our next project....

[Daisy]

Skye - I think you will find there is a good choice of dog sitters. there's a couple in our village who have a lovely friendly retriever and they include their doggy guests as part of their family, with lots of walks and a good sized garden.

Have you thought of setting up a reciprocal arrangement with another dog owner or even owners? You have theirs, they have yours. that way nobody has to worry about leaving their pets. I've often had friends' dogs to stay and our resident dog(s) at the time have always been fine with the extra furry guest.