Category: News

Sorry to be rather late in wishing you all the very best of everything for the New Year !  This is because I only got back from England late on the 4th and have been dashing around catching up on what has been happening ever since.

The first thing I have to tell you is that in 2015, Danielle of La Mere aux Betes whom I work very closely with, rehomed over 150 dogs !!!!  This is nothing short of amazing for one person with a little help from Poorpaws.  We couldn’t believe it when we counted up.  Danielle and I are both one man bands, no committees, no band of helpers (though we do receive kind offers), it is just little us to do everything from poo cleaning up to paperwork.  As you know Poorpaws now concentrates on older dogs who are in need – we will be welcoming Motus and Junior into the fold at the end of the month since there has been no luck in finding them a home – whilst Danielle takes in the ‘adoptables’ which we home together from our websites.  We were hoping that 2016 would see a reduction in dog abandons but already Danielle has taken in about 15 new dogs and with Motus and Junior coming to Poorpaws I have to say enough is enough.  We now have 20 dogs here and are really bursting at the seams.  I’m still not certain that when we take the next two four-leggeds, one two legged won’t leave !!!    

My trip to England for Christmas and New Year  was great fun though I have not been away for two weeks for since I can’t remember when and by the time ten days had gone by I was ready to come home.  I missed the dogs so much and vowed never to shout at them again –  huh, that last one evening !!  I spent Christmas with my pal Sue in Bromley, then Ernst joined us and we went to Pangbourne for New Year and after that we went to Fleet to spend a couple of days with friend Geraldine.  Geraldine and I have been friends for 66 years, our mothers having been great mates !  The weather was not brilliant but at least some kind friend sent me photos of apéros being taken outside in the sunshine here.  Grrrr ! 

However, it was lovely to have the time to shop, lunch and have a lazy time eating chocolate in front of the television.  Not having a television here I thought I would be in for a tvfest but I was disappointed in what was on.  Of course I watched Strictly, slept through Downtown, never having seen it before, but did enjoy An Inspector Calls and the three part Agatha Christie.  In Fleet it was lovely to see Geraldine’s grandchildren and play some silly games.  From now on, anyone coming to our place for an evening will be expected to get an After Eight from their forehead into their mouth without using hands !!

Now it’s back to work but before I finish I must mention Molly.  Molly was adopted in 2015 from Poorpaws, a delightful young lady who went through many health issues including being bitten by a snake.  She has come through brilliantly and I am delighted to tell you, won a Good Citizen award at her training class.  Well done Molly !  I’ll try to get a photo on to the website. 

It just remains for me to thank all the lovely people who sent donations and gifts for the dogs.  I’m trying to keep up with the thank you letters so please don’t think I am ungrateful, far from it.  Thank you soooo much ! 

Oh one final thing, if there appeared to be a shortage of Krispy Creme doughnuts in Bromley over Christmas, I apologise, totally my fault, I just love them !! 

Sue xx

Thought you might like this and I’ll probably forget it next month.  I left the house the other day saying to Ernst that I had an appointment at 4 o’clock in Montcuq for a facial.  “Good luck” was his reply !  He’s expected out of hospital before Christmas.

Well hallo there, let me introduce myself, I am Balto and I think  you will all know a bit about me as I have appeared in the monthly News page before, be it because I run off on walks or perhaps because I scaled a two metre fence to get to the female I love.  Sadly she is in love with a little old mongrol who has been at Poorpaws almost since the day it began.  So, in order to help me get over my chagrin Sue has agreed that I can kick off the newsletter this month with a great photo of moiself showing off a fabulous new kennel that has been donated by Mr. and Mrs. Eyers.  It is huge, provides plenty of space for two large dogs to sleep in and Mr. and Mrs. Eyers drove it a long way down here, such generosity !  In case you were wondering, there is a roof but it is detachable to make cleaning easier – the very latest in kennel class.  So, I am quite liking ……………….

Ok Balto  that’s enough, you’ve had your fifteen minutes now back down !!

So, as I said last month, now  I am slightly older now and although I had not intended to celebrate my 66th, events were rather taken out of my hand.  A group of us have a Strictly Sweepstake and every couple of weeks or so we all get together to watch the programme and have supper together.  Ernst said it would be a good idea for us to host on my birthday.  Hmm, the fact that we only have a kitchen diner, not really large enough to feed 28 people didn’t put him off, nor, suprisingly, did the fact that we don’t have a television !  (Well we do but it is fixed on to the wall in a bedroom and used only to watch dvd’s and Wimbledon.)  No problemo, Gaynor and Phil brought their TV round, luckily only 15 of the group could make it so we all sat round the kitchen table munching, drinking, cheering and booing together.  Those of you who know me know very well that domestic goddess I am so not, so the great thing about these evenings is that everyone brings either a savoury or sweet dish so that not everything falls to the host to prepare.

So, a very enjoyable birthday after all and now Christmas is on its’ way with ever increasing speed !  I’m off to England on the 22nd to spend Christmas with friends Sue and Shelagh, leaving Ernst to cope with the dogs and cats.  He cannot be doing with Christmas but I have to say I do like it and haven’t had an English one for about 20 years now.  So it will be a strictly girlie affair, lunching, shopping and watching smaltzy Christmas films.  Ernst will join us on the 29th when we move on to friends in Pangbourne for New Year, then to others in Fleet, coming home on the 4th.  I haven’t been away for so long for years now !  I’m hoping Ernst does make it over as his flight has been moved from 11.30 am to 7.30 !!!  He is not good at getting up early but very good at staying up late, so I have suggested he just doesn’t go to bed the night before.  We have also had to ask a friend to print Ernst boarding card as he has no idea how to even switch on the computer let alone work it and BA only let you print off 24 hours before.  A lovely friend is moving in whilst we are away and another friend is on standby as back up, so all in all it should go well.

As for adoptions this month, well it has been very successful time !  Lots of pups have been homed, Jack the white Jack Russel is in a great place, Nouky too.  The best news for me however is that Berger looks like he is on his way to happiness !  Now if the lovely Junot could find a home, that would really make my Christmas.

You all have a good one and I’ll be back next year !!

Love,

Sue x

October has been a Very Busy Month !!!  We started off with our usual week on Il de Ré where we had the bestest of best times cycling (the island doesn’t have a hill on it which is why I cycle so happily there !), reading, cinema and just sitting at the deserted beach gazing into the far sea.  Paradise !  We came down to earth with a bump on returning home to find that one of the dogs had found out how to open our back gate so poor Louise who was sort of dog sitting for me, had had a right game.  All were present and correct when we arrived apart from Balto the gorgeous old  English Setter who has been with us since he was found in a garage after his owners moved house.  I was frantic when he didn’t come home the second night and by the third was hysterical.  I rang our mayor to report Balto missing and was told that the ex mayor had found a dog on Saturday.  I didn’t think it could be Balto as said ex mayor is our neighbour, albeit 500 metres down the road, and we would be the first people he would come to if he found a dog.  However I beetled down there …………. and there was Balto playing happily in Gerard’s garden where he had apparently been for three days.  Gerard had indeed been up to us but of course we were driving home so not there.  Now I am always banging on about how important it is to have your dog’s telephone number on the collar……. well, mea culpa, the number had ineed been on Balto’s collar but had faded to illegibility.  Anyway, a huge PHEW !  Gate is mended and collar number renewed ! 

Then my ‘old’ friend Phena came over for a few days.  We hit the ground running and didn’t stop.  Apéros, searching through junk shops, lovely lunches, coffee at the Sunday market and, on the Monday, a long drive round collecting books for the forthcoming (then) book sale.  We found ourselves very near to Cordes and since neither of us had ever been there, took the time to wander up to the top.  Loved it, especially because it wasn’t too chocolate boxy.

Thereafter it was all hands on deck to prepare for the Poorpaws/Cancer Research Book Sale !  The team was rather apprehensive as we had changed the venue, we clashed with the Phoenix Great Book Sale and our own personal Quercy Cake Goddess  Amanda, is having a right royal battle with T cell lymphona.  So the cry went out to our baking friends and they did us proud with offers of cakes, scones and quiches coming from all directions.  I feel I must give a special mention to Liz who came up with a carrot cake to beat all carrot cakes (don’t read this Amanda !!).  It just melted in your mouth.  The sale opened and we immediately realised we had lost three of our usual big spenders, one sadly has died , another has closed her shop and the third we expect was beetling up to Phoenix (no hard feelings any money raised for dog rescue is fine by us).  HOWEVER, we were very quickly very, very busy with people filling up boxes, bags and tummies.  Our new snack lunches of quiche and/or soup were a success as was the accordionist musician who generously played for free giving the whole event a lovely atmosphere. My fears were unfounded, we had the best sale ever raising 2,000 euros!!  So, from 48 hours previously when I was wailing that this would be the last sale, not doing all this again, never filling my bedroom – and half my bed ! – with boxes and boxes of books……………… we have already reserved the hall for Easter Saturday next year.  26th March, get it in your diaries.

Life is a little more peaceful now so I can get on with the many jobs that have been waiting too long.

As for dogs, well, Jack the little white Jack Russell has a great permanent home, Liberty has gone as have several pups.  Another dog who never appeared on the website for security reasons has now found a happy home well away from here and will enjoy a proper life instead of a small balcony 24/7.  Another great story is that Fleur the gorgeous Labrador will be going to a new home on Friday.  She’ll have a new ‘brother’ and we are all hoping that they will get on better than their first meeting when Max leapt out of the car and went for poor Fleur.  Max has a sad history and although he is now in a great home he tends to think that attack is the best form of defence.  After the initial shock he and Fleur walked happily together, though Fleur was, understandably cautious.  Fingers crossed for them.

I think that’s all for now, see you at the end of November – by which time I will be older !!!

Love,

Sue x

First of all I have to say Happy Birthday today to one of my big brothers !!!  Phil is two years older than me and would love to come to live in France but cannot tear himself away from his grandchildren.  Or perhaps it is my lovely sister-in-law Carol who cannot  leave the grandchildren !!  Still, they live in a most beautiful part of Yorkshire so they are not too badly situated !  Hope you have had a great day Phil.

As for Ernst and me, well we are getting ready for our annual much awaited and loved week on the Il de Ré.  But, if anyone else says to me “you’re always on holiday” I will have to get really ugly and deck’ em.    Yes, we had our usual week at Cap d’Ail in September but we have just two one week holidays a year, usually one in May and one in September but because of my nephew’s wedding in May, the week on Ré had to be postponed.  Glad really because now we have it to look forward to !  Next year we are hoping to add a week in Cornwall to our calendar.

I am starting to believe that we should make the most of every single day – Carpe Diem and all that.  Don’t put things off do them now.  We have a lot of friends at the moment who are having a really shite time healthwise which makes you realise that we are not immortal.

Enough with the doom and gloom, look at all the puppies on the adoptions page, 24 of the little beggars all desperately hoping for a lovely caring home.  Believe me these are cuties of the serious degree and if someone doesn’t hurry and adopt the Brittanys I could well find myself adding them to our pack and Ernst would surely move out !  On the adoption front Ivan the lovely white Jack Russel has gone to a great home as have Jake and Louis – who turned out to be Louise !!  Please, please, please, can someone adopt Junot a most wonderful chap and Fleur who has come soooooo close  twice this week but has been passed over at the last minute.  Hey, they would make a great pair for someone looking for two dogs !

The most important news of the month is to tell you of our Autumn Book Sale !  To be held on the Saturday 24th October at the NEW  VENUE of the St. Pantaleon Salle de Fetes.  St. P is a tiny village (where I live actually) five minutes from Montcuq in the Lot.  10am start with the usual great selection of books and dvd’s at 1 euro, plus our famous yummy home made cakes which you can enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.  Extra this time will be soup and rolls and quiche and salad for a snack lunch.  The new venue means that all the goodies can be enjoyed whatever the weather, outside if warm and inside if cold/wet.  Ample parking in front or in the village car park down the road.  We want this to be our biggest and best sale, all proceeds going to dog rescue and cancer research.  Our own  Quercy Cake Goddess whose cakes, scones and hot cross buns you have enjoyed over the last few years is very seriously ill so this sale is very important to us for her sake and for ‘Tricia and Tony who are both fighting their own battles.  If you need any additional info please email me – susan.glibbery@orange.fr – bearing in mind I’ll be away from 3rd to 10th October.

A little funny for you.  Overheard at a business lunch, a lady who had two supergolfbores either side of her was patronisingly asked if she played golf. “Oh no” she said “I have an active sex life” !!!  Silence was the reply !!

Have a good month, can’t believe it is STILL sunny !

Sue x

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This is a photo of the lovely Mikaela with Honey, a Very Lucky Dog !  Mikaela and her husband adopted Honey a few years ago and provided her with a great home.  Very sadly Mikaela lost her battle with cancer on the 1st August and I am sure that Honey misses her dreadfully.  Mikaela was always very kind to me and often sent me cheery encouraging emails after reading the Poorpaws News at a time when I was having a tough time at work.  It didn’t stop there, after Mikaela had died  Graham suggested charities to donate to in her memory and Poorpaws is lucky to be one of those charities. I would like to thank both Mikalea and John for their kindness in thinking of others at such a difficult time.

From a great act of kindness we go to the other end of the scale and I would just like to thank the miserable thieving bastard who stole our large dog transport cage from in front of our gates.  I had used the cage to collect a dog, then needed space in the car for something else so took the cage out and put it in front of the gate to take up to the house later.  It’s not even as if our gate is on the road, you have to drive in to the parking area.  A couple of days later we found an injured deer in the field opposite and needed the cage to transport the poor animal to the vet for a pet CT (more about that later), when we suddenly realised that the cage wasn’t there.  So, you despicable little piece of shite, beware, my telephone number is on the cage so don’t even try to sell it on EBay or at a Vide, my spies are out.

I’m thinking of having a ‘Good News Competition’ as in our circle of friends there seems to be nothing but bad at the moment.  Death and illness all round.  Our own dear Domestic Godess, queen of cake baking, Amanda, has just been diagnosed with cancer for the second time.  I would say that life is crap sometimes but it is in fact just the opposite, life is wonderful and I for one intend to try to remember that every moment from now on and stop moaning about unimportant things ……….like the theft of a dog cage !

As for our doggies report this month, well that IS good !  Both Brittany Spaniel pups have been homed as have Lucy and Luke (now Baily), we are down to two Labradors and little Lili has a new life.  More pups on the way from a rotten home and this time we may have to kidnap the poor mother to get her sterilised.

Oh yes, the deer.  Well Ernst set off for the vet with the deer in the back and I telephoned ahead to let them know he was on his way.  “Oh” said the receptionist, “he can’t bring it here, we are not allowed to treat wild animals you have to contact the local chasse”.   Whaaaat ?!  No possibility of contacting Ernst to stop him so I expected him to come back  rather disgruntled with the poor deer still in the back.  But no !  Our wonderful vets turned up trumps.  Ernst spoke to one of the ‘back room’ girls who told one of the vets who came out, climbed into the van, gave the deer a shot of antibiotics, checked him over and stapled up the wound.  Ernst then took him way beyond the back of our place and the deer beetled off.  I did tell him to come back in ten days (the deer not Ernst) to have the staples  removed but I don’t think he heard …….!

Vide Grenier day in Montcuq yesterday where we held our usual second hand clothes stall.  I am not kidding you when I say that our first customer was at a quarter past six in the morning !!  We made a very healthy 530 euros so a huge thank you to all who helped and bought.

A ‘save the date’ message, Autumn Book Sale will be on the 24th October at a NEW VENUE.  The Salle de Fetes at St. Pantaleon which is five minutes from Montcuq in the Cahors direction.

I’m away on holiday in September, just for a week – can’t wait !

Love,

Sue

It has been pointed out to me quite sternly that it is already the 5th August and I have not delighted you all (both !) with the delights of the past month.  Sorry, sorry, sorry but it has been quite busy here , soooooo hot and my computer heats up to such a degree that it is almost too hot to handle, giving out wafts of heat.  Thinking of moving it into the freezer …… if we had one !!

I went into a steep decline after the 12th July, what to do for fifty weeks until Wimbledon comes back ?!  There was a little sweetener when Great Britain beat the French in the Davis cup the following weekend but living here in France one has to be careful about making comments that perhaps the French could use their tennis racquets as spaghetti strainers ……. !  (Kidding, HONESTLY !).  So, the TV has been unplugged again and a good thing too,  the rubbish I watched whilst it was connected.  I mean, how small minded do you have to be to watch a programme showing poor people not being able to pay their debts so, hey, let’s watch them being evicted .  Actually, as small minded as me THAT’S why we don’t have television the rest of the year, I’d be a mushy brained addict instead of just mushy brained !  I did love watching The Dog Whisperer though, that man is a genius, only wish I had the same talent then perhaps my Jip would not have chewed up the watch, glasses and sandals of my sister-in-law !! 

Then we had the mini German invasion (do they ever give up ?! – again, kidding !) to celebrate Ernst’s 70th (a second eek to go with last month’s) birthday.  Two cousins arrived a day early and found the hotel didn’t have a free room so there was much dashing about, a brother and nephew arrived in camping cars much to the delight of the dogs and cats – so many wheels to pee against and unprotected food to steal – another nephew arrived, Ernst’s sister arrived and another cousin.  All this was a surprise for Ernst who’s reaction was …… “oh, hallo” !  Master of the understatement is Ernst !  A great time was had and they loved the fete at Trebaix, it really is the best village fete ever.

As for doggy news, well, all the Shih Tzu’s have been adopted, as has Jimmy (yey !) and the amazing black Basset Hound mix.  Luke went off to a great home and is now Bailey (hmm, something of the same name was responsible for my fuzzy head on Saturday, haven’t drunk it for ages, now I remember why !!).  The little two-coloured Spaniel mix is still on the hoping list and Lucy is so (not) missing her brother !!  There are still a couple of Chocolate Labs waiting and there was an unexpected arrival of pups to a little terrier so they will be on the website soon.

Loving this hot weather, hope it lasts for friends’ arrival at the end of the month and into September for our holiday on the Cote d’Azur.

A couple of dates for your diaries, Luxury Afternoon Tea in aid of Cancer Support France on Thursday 27th August in Montcuq, 12.50 per head, contact me for booking/directions and we will be manning our cheapy cheap clothes stall at the Montcuq Vide Grenier on 30th August.

Have a great August and remember PLEASE don’t drag your dogs around all the festivities, leave them at home in the cool.

Sue x

ps. Ok Colin ?

So the email read something like this.  “My wife and I are moving away to enjoy our retirement so need to rehome our four year old dog.  Can you take him for us.”  Hmmm.  O.k.  Now, what do you think my reply was ?  (a) “Oh I quite understand that to enjoy your retirement you have to get rid of your dog and how intelligent of you to take a dog just four years before said retirement.  Yes of course we can take him there are only millions of other needy dogs in desperate search of a kind home so it will be no trouble at all to take a dog  who already has a home and put him to the top of the list and please do enjoy your retirement.”  Or, was it  (b) “You heartless expletive deletive etc., etc., etc.”  Answers on a postcard !!!!  I just couldn’t believe it.  How could anyone be so cold and callous ?  I did, after I had sent the insulting email say that for the dog’s sake I would try to help, but strangely I never had a reply.

So that was my rant for the month.  Apart from that the news has been mainly good, lots of adoptions, although strangely the chocolate Labs are not exactly leaping off the page and they are soooo gorgeous !

Here at Poorpaws we have taken in Honey who was on the adoptions page for quite a while.  She came with her friend Patch and what a lovely pair they are too.  They have settled in beautifully and are great characters.  the favourite game is for someone to throw a ball or toy, Honey will go fetch but take the object to Patch to bring back as if to say “I’m tired, you do a bit !”  Patch is a Bearded Collie and arrived looking a bit like a sheep.  Her owner had done a great job of trying to keep him groomed but he was in need of a good haircut.  So, off to Virginie in Prayssac and one and a half hours later I collected what looked like a Meerkat !!!  This is no reflection on Virginie who I recommend to any of you, but Patch’s fur was so matted close to the skin that a complete shave was necessary !!  We now have to be careful he doesn’t get sunburnt !!

We’ll be celebrating Ernst’s 70th (eek) birthday this month and unbeknown to him there is to be a small German invasion of relatives plus friends from England stayig at various venues.  I’m trying desperately to get him to finish the second shower as there will be eight of us, some in camping cars over the weekend.  What will I buy him ?  Well twelve years ago we saw a clock that we liked in the Horlogerie in Montcuq.  We couldn’t afford it and had nowhere to put it, but made monthly payments and finished paying after six months.  Since then the clock has stayed at the shop because the house wasn’t finished.  it still isn’t but I think that now is the time to collect the clock !!

Not much getting done here partly because of the heat and, obviously, because of Wimbledon – enjoy both !

Sue x

I had intended to start off this month’s update with a mega rant but have decided, in order to stop things getting out of hand, to just get past it, move on and not waste the energy !  Suffice to say that Spider and Molly have a new home and we have kittens who need homes.

Thank you to all who supported the Boncoeur book sale at Beauville last month,  I was selling clothes and was very happy to come away with enough money to pay the dogs’ feed bill this month !  This is just as well as there has been another addition to the Poorpaws oldies’ home, Mr. Beagle !  This little old boy has been kept on a short chain under a sort of shack type kennel with a bowl of green water to drink and food thrown in now and then. Hhe was removed by the cruelty inspection ladies from the SPA at Cahors and an email went round looking for someone to take him.  As a dog who was supposed to be coming to us  now wasn’t, I agreed to have him here.  What a love, just skin and bone when he arrived but now looking very fine.  We have discovered he is stone deaf which makes finding him in the garden at bedtime quite a challenge !

He did however give me a day of grief and insane panic when he got out last week the day before Ernst and I were leaving for England for my godson’s wedding.  I had left home at 8.30 on the Wednesday and didn’t get home until 5.30pm to find the answerphone machine flashing the red light.  It was a message left at 10am that day to say that people down the road had two of our dogs !!!  I had a quick count up and found that FOUR were in fact missing.  Now what is it with men that they cannot pick up the ‘phone when they see there is a message ?!  Of course when I got to the house the dogs were long gone.  I wasn’t too worried about three of them, they have been with us since god was a boy and know their way around, but Mr. Beagle ?  I was frantic.  Two of the dogs turned up during the evening but no sign of the others.  I left messages with friends and neighbours and everyone was looking out for them.  I left the next morning with a very heavy heart and a severe lack of sleep.  However, whilst we were waiting to get on the ‘plane, my friend Louise who was looking after the dogs, rang to say that she had found Mr. Beagle obviously making his way home.  What a relief !!! The other dog also turned up during the day.  How did they get out ?  Well someone had obviously done a three point turn in our driveway (just hope it wasn’t me !) and hit the gate, pulling out the wire netting which the dogs had clearly pulled at to make a hole big enough for the escape !

The wedding was great, held in Peckham and Dulwich, very unconventional, bride and groom walked down the aisle together, a poem was read, my brother made a speech, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison played and the formalities kept to a minimum.  My beautiful new niece-in-law (?) is the youngest of a family of ten, yes TEN children, a real fun family as witnessed by the Irish country dancing in the evening where we all did our best to show off our fancy footwork !

Another very happy event last month was the departure of Cannelle to live in England !  My ‘old’ friend Jackie had seen her on the website and it was love at first sight.  At last this weekend all the necessary paperwork was done and Jackie and son Dominic drove all the way down to collect her.  All went well until they got back to the U.K., when they were told that the rabies page of the passport should have been laminated !!!!  However, they were allowed in and the photos I have received show a very happy Cannelle with her new pal Dudley.  Thanks to Julie for taking care of Cannelle during the weeks before she could leave France.

Apart from Cannelle, Ruby, Inja, Adele and Hugo all went to new homes and the lady who found Dream dog has decided to keep him.  There are just a couple of labradors left, these really are handsome pure Lab boys.

We still have lots of dogs to home  including  Brittany Spaniel pups and a gorgeous Standard poodle.

Tennis time again, oh happy, happy day !!

Sue xx

Sorry, sorry sorry, late again but honestly it really isn’t my fault.  My computer has decided that, like my cooker Betsy, it would like to cause me as much grief as possible. Had to call in the big guns and now thanks to Keith and Colin I can update you with what has been ‘occurring’.

Balto the gorgeous old English Setter arrived safe and sound …………………. and within ten seconds had scaled the two metre high fencing around his new park !  Thinking he had jumped on to the roof of the kennel and then got over, Ernst took the roof off the kennel to test.  Nope, Balto boy was  back at the house before we were.  So, we had a problem because our perimeter fencing is the same height as the fencing round the parks.  The lovely lady who had driven all the way with him made a discreet escape whilst I walked Balto elsewhere but as soon as he realised she had left, he was down climbing the gates !  Luckily he is very obediant so came when called but just to be on the safe side I kept him with me on a lead for the first evening.  He slept in the kitchen with the little oldies and seemed quite happy with that and now we can leave him loose in the garden and he doesn’t try to escape.

Remember I mentioned Lina in the last newsletter ?  Well she didn’t get adopted after all so she is now here at Poorpaws and (now Nina) is an absolute delight……..even if walking on the kitchen table seems to be a skill she has learned somewhere !  We are now awaiting the arrival of a very elderly Beagle who has had a miserable life up to now, hoping that we can make his last years comfortable and happy.

Regular readers of this newsletter will have noticed that Poorpaws has changed direction slightly over the last year.  When I started back in 2003 I would take in strays and find them new homes.  Well, obviously some of the dogs never did get new homes and are still with us which left little space for new arrivals.  We now have about 17 dogs who will never move on because of age or behaviour problems.  So what about all the other poor dogs out there ?  Well you have heard me talk about Danielle many times.  Danielle runs La Mere aux Betes another private refuge in Castelnau.  Like Poorpaws she is a one man band but we work together in homing dogs.  The dogs go to Danielle and I put them on the Poorpaws website so that she can deal with both French and English adopters very easily.  If you are wondering why I still have fund raisers if I am not taking in many dogs, well, 17 old dogs need a lot of care, grooming and, oh, they like to eat every day as well!  I am now retired and I’m sorry to say that my pension alone does not provide enough to keep Ernst and me and all the dogs.  Adoption fees go to Danielle which is quite normal as she has the care of them and so far, my selling greetings cards together with our Book Sales and Clothes sales, keeps our heads above water -with a little underwater swimming now and again !

Last week ‘my own’ dog Jip, a Brittany Spaniel mix (of course !) ran off whilst on a walk.  Now he has never done this before, he charges around but always stays close.  But, a deer came out from the trees and was so close to me I could have touched him/her had I not been so shocked.  Jip couldn’t believe it and he was off as fast as his little legs could go.  He hadn’t rejoined us at the end of the walk, nor had he come home by 11.30 pm which his aged chase companion had.  I was distraught and went out to our back gate every hour up to 3am.  Now the very strange thing is that when you lose a dog, you should leave your jacket near to where you parted company.  I have done this on several occasions and it works, the dog comes back recognises your smell (sorry !)  and curls up on the jacket.  Well I put  mine down close to our gate at 1am, went back an hour later and it had gone !  Disappeared !  Now there is no path leading up to behind our place and surely no-one would be walking there at that time in the morning and even if they had the other dogs would have set up a racket fit to deafen the village. Jip came back at 9am the following morning looking bedraggled and soaked, my swollen eyes got back to their normal size by the end of the day, but as to the jacket, well it’s a mystery !!  So if when you are walking you see a deer or sanglier wearing a torn Primark walking jacket, can you ask if I can have it back please ?!

The brown ‘Dude’ puppy has been reserved as has the gorgeous Cannelle.  in fact it is a friend of mine, Jackie, in England who is adopting Cannelle and her wonderful son, Dominic, is driving her all the way down here from Guildford to take lucky Cannelle back.  I do hope someone takes the little Beagle soon and the beautiful creamy Griffon mix, now there’s an absolute poppet

Now I’m back on line I better get the adoptions page up to date.  I’ll definitely be late with the news next month as I will be in England for my godson’s wedding.  Poor Nick, I have an audio cassette of him when he was six thanking me for sending him a SuperTed annual for Christmas, he (Nick, not SuperTed) is now 35 and probably won’t appreciate the cassette being played at his wedding !

Oh, by the way, don’t go and see Still Alice, get the book it’s much, much more interesting.  Can’t think how they made such a bland film out of a ‘can’t put down’ book !

Love,

Sue xx

Happy Easter everyone.  Sorry this month’s spouting is rather late, I was waiting so that I could give you the results of our Easter Barn Book Sale which we held yesterday.  Wow !  Again I say “Wow” !  It was fantastic, those of you who supported us were great, streaming in with empty bags, boxes and tummies to fill.  It was our Personal Best and we raised over 1,550 euros for dog rescue which is always dear to our hearts and cancer research which is especially dear to our hearts at the moment. 

The money is split 50/50  the Poorpaws share  paying off our vets bill (look out for vets in Prayssac dancing in the street !) and paying for a super duper Ritz/Savoy double kennel being made for us at cost price ready for a couple of large oldies who have to leave their home and who cannot be separated.  This will be ready for them when their poor elderly, confused owner finally decides she will go into a home.  She has changed her mind several times because she cannot bear to leave her dogs but, hey, sweetheart, you take all the time you need, the place for your ‘babes’ is here waiting for when you are all ready.  There will be pennies left over for the next two months’ dogfood and, as usual, a donation to Twilight.  Typical of her generosity Leeanne has been in touch to say that, for personal reasons, she wants the Twilight share to go to cancer research

Twilight is another cause which holds a special place here at Poorpaws.  Many years ago Leeanne and Mike, two of the kindest people ever to exist, adopted a couple of dogs from Poorpaws to keep their gorgeous Golden Retriever company.  They loved having dogs so much and were interested in what Poorpaws was doing, so put forward the idea of setting up’ Poorpaws Dordogne’.  Now I love Leeanne and Mike enormously but Poorpaws has always been  basically a one man band and I have seen too often what happens when more people come in to help run a charity.  Even though everyone is working for the same aim, differences of opinion creep in, tempers get frayed and before you know where you are, the aim you are working for takes second place to soothing ruffled feathers.  So I thanked Leeanne and Mike very much but explained my fears.  They then came back with the wizard idea of Twilight and the rest is history.  So, Poorpaws was started thanks to inspiration from Pheonix and Twilight followed on.  The funny thing is that Poorpaws is now more like Twilight as we can only take in old dogs when we have a space and my friend Danielle at La Mere aux Betes takes in the ‘adoptables’ which we home together.

Must tell you about my great new way of getting dogs homed.  A couple of weeks ago my attention was drawn to a beautiful Griffon, Vickie, who is the spitting image of my lovely Bella who died two years ago.  Vickie is a lovely old girl of about 12 years old.  She had been taken away from her owner who was cruel to her and had been languishing at a refuge for three years without anyone taking any notice of her.  I couldn’t let her languish any longer so called, left a message that I would like to adopt her and followed up with an email.  Well, I got a reply to say that astonishingly, after three years of being ignored, I was the second person that weekend to want to adopt her !  So, being the second, obviously I didn’t get her but I want to say thanks a million to the people who were kind enough to take Vickie into their hearts and homes.

Then I saw Lina, another elderly lady in another refuge who was so like my Dany who forgot her green cross code with tragic results.  Again, I set the wheels in motion to bring Lina here.  Unfortunately I couldn’t collect her until later in the month and have been told that, yes, you guessed it, after a long time in the refuge, Lina has amazingly got someone else looking to adopt.

So, I’m thinking if I call all the refuges and tell them I want to adopt all their dogs, they should all be homed between now and Easter Monday !!

We will be welcoming Balto into Poorpaws next week.  Poor Balto an aged Setter was left behind locked in a garage when his owners moved house!!!  We only found him when the landlord was getting the locks taken off and changed to get into the house that they discovered him and called us. It is when I hear stories like this that I realise I am not a nice person, revenge on Balto’s behalf would be cold, long and painful.

Honey, the twelve year old Border Colley will also be moving in if she has not found a home very soon.  Do think about adopting an oldie, long walks not essential, just a warm bed and a gentle touch to make their last months, years happy knowing they are loved.

Adoptions of the younger ones have been good for March, Caramel a gorgeous Labrador found a great home with Brian and the German Shepherd young lady is now called China and travels around in a Mazda sports car !  I’ll be taking Jaly, to be renamed Rosie, as far as Limoges next week to meet her new owners who will be coming down from Tours to collect her.  This leaves her park pal, the lovely Setter/Spaniel Hugo rather lonely, not fair for such a wonderful dog.  So it goes on !

Just had to share these two photos of rare breed dogs with you, Colleyflower and Brocollie (thank you Gerry) – tee hee !

Love,

Sue x

To all of you those under the impression that we here in the Lot live in the ‘Sunny South West’, I have news for you,  we could rename our area the Soaking South West – WHEN is it going to stop raining ?!!

Right, close to Lauzerte there is a village called Montagudet and I was contacted a couple of weeks ago  by a couple who had happened on a house where the shutters were locked and bolted all except for one (thank goodness) which was broken.  On hearing a lot of barking from inside the couple approached and to their horror saw three dogs inside standing in water and poo whilst, from the noise it was obvious that there were many other dogs in other rooms.  Rebecca and Oliver contacted the gendarmes who more or less shrugged their shoulders and the Mairie, “it is only dogs” !!!!  I am already boiling at this stage.  They also contacted the wonderful Brigitte from Montaigu de Quercy, who is an inspector for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, and Lynne Stone who runs chat du Quercy.  Now Lynne  has guts and determination in spades and she contacted the gendarmes to insist that they investigate the property.  To cut a long story short Rebecca and Oliver received visits from both Brigitte and the gendarmes who admitted that this was indeed a serious case.  The Mayor of the village, an uncaring, slobby, low-life git – “I did not become Mayor to take care of dogs” was dragged kicking and screaming into the case.  It turned out that the owner of the property was a simple guy who lived in his car and who was delighted that help was on hand.  Within 48 hours the 17  dogs were out of that hell hole and on their way to the SPA at Golfech where   they await adoption.  To my horror it was discovered that the Mayor knew of the situation but sat on his fat lazy backside and did nothing.

So, huge thanks to Rebecca and Oliver, Lynne Stone (Chats du Quercy, if you are looking to adopt a cat or kitten get in touch, Lynne does a great job), Brigitte and, finally, the gendarmes.

Now to a happier tale, I am going to tell you the story of Jasper and Jenkins’ Very Big Adventure !!  Regulars to the site will already know of Jasper and Jenkins, two adorable puppies who were on the Poorpaws website back in October/November.  A private refuge in Holland, run by wonderful Lisa, offered to take and home them as they are hunting dogs and could be difficult to home here.  Many collection dates had to be cancelled/postponed for various very valid reasons and in the meantime Jasper and Jenkins were getting Bigger and Bigger !  Then a couple of weeks ago I received a telephone call from  lovely Sunny, a Dutch lady who volunteers at the refuge in Cahors.  She told me she was going to Holland the following week and would take J and J.  I was thrilled – if not a little sad I had grown so fond of these boys.  Sunny said she had never done it before and I reassured her that the worst that could happen would be that they pee or throw up in the cage.  “Oh no” said Sunny “I am flying”.  FLYING ??!!  So Monday 16th February found me at Bergerac Airport with the dogs in a large air transport cage.  I said I would wait at the coffee shop until the flight had actually taken off just in case there were any hitches.  There were none.  I sat by the window and saw Sunny walk by to get on the ‘plane, casting an eye over her shoulder all the while at the baggage transporter behind.  Then I saw the trailer go by with all the cases and, at the end, the cage with my babies in.  I cried !  What were they thinking ?  Did they think I had betrayed them ?  Six months with me having a great time playing and being loved then being crated onto a ‘plane .  Well, when the flight took off, I fell apart.  I am not a good ‘cryer’, I know some people can do it and still look good but I can’t.  I sob, my eyes swell up and I go bright red looking ghastly, ugly and pathetic.  Even knowing that didn’t stop me, I cried my heart out so much so that the couple on the next table were looking and probably thought I had just said goodbye to, or been dumped by, a lover !!   Nah,  wouldn’t cry so much over a bloke !

Anyway, before I had even got home I had received texts from Holland saying they had arrived safely and Sunny emailed me to say that the Captain of the flight even showed her where the dogs were in the hold, in a cosy section seperate from where the cases were.  Latest news is that Jasper has already been adopted.  THANK  YOU  Lisa !  Now I’m going to try to get some photos onto this newsletter but just bear with me !

Hmm, well the photos have all gone to the top of the page !

Other news ?  Adoptions have been great, all the pups have gone, wonderful news is that Jumper has also finally been homed and I’m still hoping that the wonderful Black Jasper gets his forever home soon too, he really is a lovely gentle giant.

Just time to remind you that our Easter Barn Book Sale is on 4th April ( Easter Saturday) at the Hamlet of Beliben next to sauzet in t he Lot, just follow the signs when you get to Beliben.  If you have books or dvd’s (sorry not videos) to donate, get in touch with me.

Love,

Sue x

Well, the no-chocolate resolution went out of the window two weeks in to the New Year when we received a late Christmas present of a tin of Celebrations !  The sell by date was 2016 but I just couldn’t leave them sitting in their pretty tin death row cell until then and thought the kindest way would be to put them out of their misery.  My friend Gabi said just limit yourself to one or two a day then STEP AWAY FROM THE TIN !  Easy to say but I go more with the theory of eat them all as quickly as possible then they are out of temptation’s way.  So that’s what I did and was slightly (slightly ?) peeved when Ernst who is not bothered about sweets ate the last one, THE  LAST  ONE, when we were playing cards one night.  I’m sure it was because he was losing (again !) and wanted to annoy me.  Actually he loses nearly every time we play recently and what does annoy me is that he just shrugs and says “oh well, it is only a game”.  If that were me I would be jumping up and down shouting “IT’S  NOT  FAIR !!!!”  Must be someting in his German genes  – used to losing now.  Oops, got a feeling that may be slightly politically incorrect !

So here we are, already into February and I am totally fed up with the miserable damp weather we are having.  How I envy mates Mo and Walter in sunny Spain and Liz and Billy in Australia and New Zealand for several weeks.  This is the problem having so many dogs to look after, you cannot just up sticks and decamp for weeks on end, so we are stuck with muddy pawprints all over the floor – and up the back of clothing.  I feel so sorry for the dogs, although they have warm straw filled kennels, it can’t be much fun running round an increasingly muddy garden, though, mind you, they don’t seem to mind !

On the canine front we have quite a few adoptions.  The Shih Tzu’s went like hot cakes and the pups too, but there are more pups who are just as sweet, so if you missed out on the last lot, we have more.  Please consider Jasper and Jenkins,  both totally lovely and both of whom would surely be in great new homes by now if they had not been left hanging/hoping on.  I would love to keep them but we already have 15 dogs who will be with us until……… and I really didn’t want to start with puppies again.  Please also think of the older dogs we have.  Older dogs are great for, dare I say it, older people who don’t want to go through the whole training period and, let’s be brutally honest, is it fair to adopt a dog who may well outlive you and find him/herself in the almost impossible situation of looking for a new home at an advanced age.  One refuge I heard of, gave an 18 month old dog to a lady of 90 !!!  How stupid is that ?!  The lady may well live to 105 but what are the chances and anyway a young dog deserves to be with people who can give an active life, not just be taken in a car to a park, let out to run on his own, then back in the car and home again.  The lady, bless her, is doing her best, but it is not fair on either of them.

Of course I couldn’t let a newsletter go out without a rant, so how about this.  “My wife and I are splitting up and neither of us can take our 1o and 9 year old dogs.  How do we go about it.”    How do you go about it ?  Well you think about your dogs who have probably loved you both unconditionally all those years and have no responsibility for the situation you are in, and provide for them BEFORE you make the decision to move and you ensure that the dogs will stay with one of you.  I am so absolutely fed up with people who come over here, embrace the life get dogs, then find out that everything is not as idyllic as it looks on television programmes, so tough shit for the dogs, back to the refuge or, if they are lucky, on to a new home.  Whichever, through no fault of their own they are adding to an already enormous problem in France.  My friend Rowan who is at Carcassonne refuge has the right reply to people like that.  “Ok, we’ll take your dog but you come with me and pick out which other dog we should  put to sleep in order to make room for yours” !

Hope it will be a bit warmer for the next newsletter !!

Sue x

ps Haven’t bought any clothes and have strictly ignored all “Sales” signs !

First of all a Very Happy New Year to you all !   I’m hoping for world tolerance – yeah, good luck with that – and fewer poor dogs in need of help.  Well, a girl can dream can’t she ?!

Looking back at last year’s January News I see that I was disappointed not yet to be in the house for Christmas but delighted that Ernst had not smoked for two weeks.  One year on I am thrilled to say that we spent our first Christmas in my dream country kitchen, woodburner blazing, Christmas tree twinkling, corks a- popping, friends clinking glasses and Betsy my cooker, with whom I have an on/off friendship, behaving beautifully.   As for Ernst ?  Well he still hasn’t had a cigarette since last December.  Brilliant !

Off course I’m still waiting for things that had been promised for Christmas, i.e., guest bedroom, front terrace, and porch, but I did get the kitchen lights (which had been purchased in March) and a door leading from the kitchen to the middle room to avoid us still having to go outside to get to bed.  Well, actually, I got the door but we can’t use it yet because of the Christmas cards.  Not having faith that the door would be in situ I hung Christmas cards across the space, which fell down if the door was opened so in the end I gave up and I and guests braved the cold to get to the bathroom !

As for the porch, this is so that we have somewhere to leave boots and wood before coming into the kitchen.  Well, everywhere we hear that people are looking desperately for work so I was naively thinking that it would be easy to get someone to build a smallish porch to our spécifications.  I KNOW this goes against Ernst’s grain because he likes to do everything himself , but I am running out of patience now.  We contacted three people.  One was a company specialising in porches who came when they said but proposed more of a very posh conservatory at a very posh price.  Thanks but no thanks.  The second guy works alone, couldn’t really understand what we had in mind so I think has shelved us.  The third, the partner of a friend came round about six weeks before Christmas, said he could do it in time then went on to tell us what we should have, which was nothing like what we wanted.  We are still waiting for his “within a week” estimate !!!  Now there is no urgency so it is on Ernst’s ‘to do’ list.  I know he will do it better than anyone, I just wanted it sooner rather than very much later !

So, a new year, new beginnings and a few changes for Poorpaws.  Nothing very much and nothing that will change the ongoing work that Danielle and I do.  By the way, we homed 104 dogs last year !!  104 is an enormous number for just two people so we are really pleased.  What changes ?  Well, I have been doing dog rescue now for thirteen years and get tremendous satisfaction from it.  But over those years there have inevitably been dogs who, for some reason or another have never been adopted so have stayed with us and will do so until the end of their lives.  We have 15 such dogs who live in parks with the tiny oldies sleeping in our bedroom and in the now defunct mobile home.  This means that we are full to bursting and cannot take in any more.  Regulars to the website will know that I mention Danielle a lot.  Danielle is in Castlnau Montratier and many of you know her well already.  She has worked as a cruelty inspector for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and for the S.P.A.  She does kennelling to help with expenses and, obviously rehoming.  She currently has 25 dogs looking for homes.  Having much larger and more parks than me, Danielle will now take in abandoned dogs when she can and give the best advice.  The Poorpaws website will continue (if only to enable me to let off steam now and again – or again and again !) and the Adoptions page will show the dogs seeking homes, the difference being that the dogs will be chez Danielle.  For those not speaking French (people I mean, not dogs) I will always be available to take you to Danielle’s and help with translation.

Another change is that I will no longer be selling greetings cards at the market on a Saturday at Montaigu de Quercy BUT and this is a big BUT, the cards will still be available at the English Library in Montaigu which is open on Saturday mornings and Wednesday mornings and afternoons.  The Library is situated next to the Office de Tourism at Montaigu.  I have loved my five years at the market and have enjoyed meeting so many people.  However, it really is no longer worth the time and petrol, plus it frees me up to do more rota duties at the library which I love.

Fundraising will continue with our ever popular book sales and clothes sales.  The money raised will, as usual be split between cancer research and ‘dog rescue’.  The latter meaning that Poorpaws will take what is needed to care for the fifteen dogs and to help people in a difficult situation with care for their dogs and be split between Danielle’s refuge ‘La mere aux Betes’ and other needy organisations – Twilight being one.

So, there you have it, I’m retired officially now and going through the joy of trying to get my French pension.  God love’em don’t the French just adore their paperwork ?!

Before I sign off a HUGE thank you to all of you who sent donations for pressies for the dogs, you are just so kind and the dogs had special goodies on Christmas Day ……….and worming tablets on New year’s Day !!

One little giggle,  I was on the way to the vets (for a change !) on New Year’s Eve and saw a little dog frantically running up and down the road in Anglars Juillac.  I stopped and she stopped and sat in the middle of the road.  She wasn’t a puppy as I had thought but was a small Jag Terrier.  Now I am very wary of those little dogs, courageous little blighters who take on sangliers without turning a hair.  Anyway she had a collar with name and ‘phone number and let me put her in the car.  I took her up to the vets (in Prayssac, the best in the land) who recognised the name and were able to confirm that she lived in ….Anglars Juillac !!  I left her there and Jackie the receptionist said she would tell the owners that the dog was found on the Montcuq road !!

Well I’m suffering from Festive Fatigue now and keen to get on with 2015.  Did I tell you last year that I was not going to buy any television series on dvd for a year ?  Well I made it so am now happily compiling a list I need to catch up on.  This year I’m on a no clothes buying and no chocolate eating mission – good luck with that too !!

Have a good one !

Sue x

So I start this month with a rant !  Not “hmm I’m rather miffed”,  not even  “I am SO angry”, this is a full blown, rant of catastrophic, off the Richter scale, gale force 180, tornado proportions.  Get the picture ?  

I think that most people, when they adopt from a refuge, accept and are willing to pay a fee in order to help the refuge keep going and support dogs in need.  Here at Poorpaws I ask that any veterinary fees incurred – chip, vaccination for example – are reimbursed and if the adopters would like to add a bit for a donation then of course we are delighted.  I do not impose a set fee, although Danielle, who I work with, does and this is quite normal.  Should a person come along who obviously has a great life to offer a dog but would struggle with the necessary expenses, then Poorpaws is only too happy to help out for the happiness of the dog.

So what happened this month has left me spitting mad.  A lady got in touch looking for a dog and was attracted to one on our website.  Said dog was not actually at Poorpaws but was being fostered by the friend who had found him.  Friend and lady were put in touch, a visit was made and the dog was taken home for a trial period.  We received photos and updates all very pleasing, clearly dog and new owner were very happy.  So then I got in touch to say that as things were going well, I assumed the adoption was going ahead and I would get on with the paperwork.  The dog would be put in to the owner’s name and would she be kind enough to reimburse the 76 euros Poorpaws had paid out for the chip and vaccination.

To say that her reply left me speechless is an understatement.  The person said that she had not been told there would be any payment to be made and as she would have to pay 150 for the neutering and second vaccination herself, she would not be sending us any money.  This apparently “after considerable thought” and from someone who has two homes in France !!  She said she felt “bad” about saying no to a charity  !!  Well I can tell you I felt “bad” too, did the stupid woman think that we are rolling in money, that we just pick more off the trees when we need it ?!  She wanted the dog but Poorpaws has to pick up the tab for a dog that she now owns.  What is more, this moron said that she “didn’t need the dog to be chipped as he would not be travelling”.  Durrrh, numbskull it is obligatory in France for all dogs to be chipped in the name of the owner.   Had I not been sure that the dog would have a good home I would have taken him back, after all he wasn’t chipped in her name, therefore she did not legally own him.  However, I could tell from earlier correspondence that he will have a fab time.

I’m still spitting mad but trying to convince myself that she is not worth the bother and clearly has a pea sized brain.

Contrast the above to the adorable people who happily made a six hour round trip to collect Jude and were falling over themselves to make donations left right and center even though Jude was on the website as a favour to the person who was looking after her and Poorpaws had not paid for anything.  Thank goodness there are people like you Mr. and Mrs. N, around to restore our faith in human nature.

You will see from the adoptions page that there have been quite a few adoptions but also many additions !!  I’d love to see big black Jasper go to a good home, what a gentle giant he is.

I was hoping to be able to put Isabella, a gorgeous Brittany Spaniel on the site this month.  I collected her from a breeder who is selling up and the new people don’t want her.  Well, sad to say, she is still petrified of everybody and panics when I go in to see her – unless I have a treat in my hand !  We’ll get there.

Sad news, our huge old German Shepherd, Rik, had to be put to sleep a couple of days ago.  That broke my heart.  He came to us about five years ago when one owner died and the other was not fit to care for herself, let alone Rik.  The family, all with large houses and gardens wouldn’t take him so he came to us and was a loving old boy for all his time here (except for the day he nearly killed a little bichon we had but we got past that).

Well I’m off to the UK for a couple of days of girlie lunches and to the Royal Albert Hall to see the Senior Tennis Tournemant.

Have a great Christmas and I hope to be in a better mood at the end of December !!!

Sue x

BARNEY HAS BEEN FOUND !!     BARNEY HAS BEEN FOUND !!!  BARNEY HAS BEEN FOUND !!!  BARNEY HAS BEEN FOUND !!!

PLEASE  HELP  FIND  ME !

PLEASE,  PLEASE,  PLEASE  can everyone reading this keep an eye out for Barney (above) ?  One of the most awful things that has ever happened to Poorpaws happened two weeks ago.  Dear, very timid Barney, who was adopted from us a couple of years ago, was looking for a new home because his adoring owners have had to go to UK due to serious health problems and are not sure when/if they will come back.  Barney then went to another lovely couple who, although they fell in love with him, felt he would never fit in to their busy lifestyle.  They were very happy to take Barney everywhere with them but Barney would bolt at the slam of a door or any strange noise.  So it was decided that he should go to Danielle at Castelnau Montratier in the Lot, where he spent two months at the beginning of the year and where he was happy.  He certainly seemed very happy to see Danielle and was put into a large park with a lady friend as company.  The moment Danielle’s back was turned, he jumped on to the roof of his kennel and was away over the fence.  And that was it.  Barney cannot simply have vanished into thin air but that is what he seems to have done.  No-one has seen him (apart from one possible sighting at Vazerac) and all hopes of him trying to find his way back to the Dordogne are fast fading.  So, please, please, if you live in the Lot, Tarn et Garonne, or anywhere around there, keep your eyes open.  Barney is so timid you may not be able to catch him but one good thing about him is that he adores riding in a car and will quickly jump in if a door is open.  Barney is quite a big dog, very frightened but absolutely non aggressive.

Oh, hallo by the way, hope you had a good October, at least I think it was October, could have been August !  It was a very busy month here, what with our Barn Book Sale which raised 1,000 euros – a little down on last year (I blame kindles !) but a very healthy total nonetheless.  It was lovely to see so many usual suspects and funny to see people coming early to get to the cake stall before going in to the books !  Especially nice to see Doreen, a lady I am very fond of who tried to adopt Tiny the Terrible poodle a couple of years ago, then he was just called Tiny before we discovered the ‘terrible ‘ bit (“bit” being the operative word !) !!  Then Doreen, her daughter and I went on a long journey to Angoulême to pick up another little oldie for her.  The refuge would only hand Manou to us personally because of the special care given to their dogs.  Hmm,  Manou was in a lovely foster home with very kind Kate, but as for the special care given by the refuge, well, I won’t go in to that.  Suffice to say that several visits to the vet were necessary for Manou before she blossomed into the lovely happy girl she is now.

Then we had the new and nearly new clothes sale, held as usual at La Sirene restaurant in Montaigu de Quercy (thank you Joyce for the usual yummy lunch) and huge thanks to the two Pats for organising it.  500 euros has gone in to the Poorpaws vet/food tin and the dogs are sure their tums will be full until well in to the New Year.

HOW  MUCH  ?!

The month of October saw the final closing of the donations website opened when Poorpaws No. 1 supporter Gaynor made the amazing Tour de France cycle ride.  Here is the official handing over of the 3,000 euro cheque which will enable Danielle to improve kennels and parks for all her Poorpaws.  Again I say, Gaynor you are a star !

Adoptions in October saw all the Brittany Spaniel pups being homed (one seems to have found his way to me, hmm, wonder how that happened !  Ernst still can’t understand why he (Jip the pup) hasn’t been adopted yet ….!).  It also saw Gaby legging it the day before her new family came up from Toulouse to adopt her !  They found another needy soul at the refuge in Toulouse and Gaby was brought home a few days later by a family who asked if they could adopt her, so alls well that ends well.  Lucky has gone back to his previous owners who found out that the hospital had mislead them and the gentleman wasn’t allergic to Lucky at all, but to dairy products !  That was a close thing as Lucky was to be going to a new home a few days later and this is where  my faith in human nature was restored.  His original owners said that if he had found a new home, although they were very sad, they would not stand in the way of the adoption.  The future owners returned serve saying that there was no way they could take a dog from people who obviously felt deeply for him and who had given him such a good start in life.  I was hoping that Joy would sidle into the vacant place left, but perhaps after Christmas.  Christmas ? Yikes !

Right, this is not a rant but a gentle prod.  Your dog’s identification paper.  Do you know where it is ?  If not, find it and put it with the health record booklet.  A couple of times recently there have been difficulties rehoming dogs because the owners cannot find the identification paper from I-CAD.  This is a real problem as copy papers have to be applied (and paid !) for, in the original owner’s name before the dog can be transferred legally to his/her new owners.  It wastes a lot of time and should, god forbid, you wish to rehome your dog, you are responsible for all his/her actions whilst in your name.  So if you give your dog away without changing the id paper, if he causes an accident or goes chasing chickens/sheep, whatever, you are responsible even if he no longer lives with you.

Ok, enough rambling !

Have a good month.  It’s my birthday this month and friends keep asking what I am going to do to celebrate.  Well it’s this.  For a change I am going to stay at home all day and have a complete ‘me’ day.  I won’t get up at seven to walk the dogs , they are going to have to have a lie in too, I won’t do any housework (not much change there then) but I will sit down and read for hours if I want to, have Cadbury’s chocolate for lunch and watch dvd’s all afternoon.  Ernst will cook supper (he’s better at it than me anyway !) and in the evening we will go to the cinema (being a vegetarian, a visit to a posh restaurant is not much of a treat ).

Sue x

 P.S.Had to share this with you, it made me laugh so much, sorry if it offends !

3,055 euros !!  THREE  THOUSAND  AND  FIFTY  FIVE  EUROS !!!!!!!  That is the AMAZING sum that Gaynor raised on her incredible Tour de France cycle back in July !  I cannot find the words to thank her and all of you who donated.  The money will be put to improve old, and build new kennels with extra insulation to keep the dogs warm in the Winter and cool in the Summer.  THANK  YOU  THANK  YOU  THANK  YOU !!!!

So what is with this weather ?!  Sleeveless tshirts in October ?!  I feel sorry for the tourists who, having worked all year, had rotten weather for their Summer holidays and very sorry for the people who make their year’s money during the Summer months as I am sure that this year will not have encouraged people to come back to our area (Midi Pyrenees) in future.

However for those of you who like to spend your children’s inheritance and holiday when the schools are open again September was glorious.  We had an absolutely fantastic week down at Cap d’Ail and, yes, I did the Ice Bucket Challenge (see last month’s news).  It was recorded on video and I was hoping to put it in this newsletter but I cannot fathom how to do it.  I’ll get instruction and try to add it later.

Adoptions were great this month, the lovely Jag was rehomed, the Boy Brittany, puppies galore and all three Coton de Tulears have found really fabulous homes.  Of course more have come in as you will see from the adoptions page.  Barney is a beautiful boy looking for a family who will bring him on out of his shyness, there is not an ounce of aggression in him, just needs to feel secure.  There are several spaniel type pups and Jenkins and Jasper pups are with me and I can vouch for them being great fun.  People worry about taking pups with hunting dog in them but they are the gentlest of dogs and make great companions.  Obviously a fenced in garden would be preferable.

Josie had a great time with Jojo (again, see last month’s news) and I am sure Chris and Diane would have kept her if the little minx hadn’t given them a fright by jumping over their wall on to the main road. 

Oh, mustn’t forget, our Book Sale is on October 11th at Lesley’s Barn, in the Hamlet of Beliben just down the road from Sauzet (Lot).  Do, please come and support us, buy your winter fireside reading – or poolside if you are escaping the Winter – and stock up on the fabulous home made cakes.

Then on the 29th October we have our New and Nearly New Clothes Sale to be held as usual at La Sirene restaurant at Montaigu de Quercy, from 11am.  Come and have a browse and a jolly good and reasonable lunch or even just a coffee.  There is a great selection of bargains to be had.

Finally you seemed to like my Household Hints so here is another.  When doing a white wash always check that you haven’t already flung a red teatowel into the machine thinking the next wash would be coloureds !! Anyone need some pink tshirts, towels and sheets ?!

No rant this month (sorry Shelagh and Mo), could I be turning nice in my old age ?!  Bet your life next month I’ll be ranting about the French Pensions Office !

Enjoy the last of the sunshine !

Sue x

As  usual our annual second hand clothes stall at the Vide Grenier in Montcuq on the last Sunday in August was a huge success.  We arrived with a loaded up van and trailer and people were waiting just itching to get at the bags.  As you can see we had piles of garments and I am kicking myself not to have taken a photo at the end  when there were just a few bits and pieces left..  The secret of our success ?  We are not greedy,  most things are sold at just one or two euros whereas other clothes stalls were asking anything up to 20.  We would rather go home empty than pack up the twenty bags again.  We took over 500 euros, slightly down on last year but a very good day’s takings nonetheless.  Again my heartfelt thanks to Danielle and Lesley for their invaluable help during the very hot and busy day.  The money will be shared between Poorpaws, Danielle’s refuge and I will be sending an envelope off to Twilight.

The dogs have been going thick and fast – but of course, are coming in at the same speed too !!   Indy has found a great new home as have Chopin, Jezebel, Chester, Joley and fingers crossed for Moustache who some people are coming to see this week.  The best news is that Jojo’s owners have decided to keep him even though he looks as though he could end up being taller than them !!  My own lovely Josie will be going to stay with Jojo whilst I am on holiday and if it all works out then she will stay with him so that he has a playmate.  Whilst Josie is extremely deferential to all the dogs here, almost asking permission to play or sleep with them, she has the complete upper hand with Jojo and puts him in his place !

Did you notice how I slid the word ‘holiday’ in there ?!  Yes, it’s the Cap d’Ail time of year again.  We’re off with our friends down to the coast for ten days from the 6th to the 16th for a lovely time playing cards, reading and generally relaxing.  However, whilst we are there, I have to submit to the Ice Bucket Challenge !!  MVBF (my very best friend) sent me a video of herself having a bucket of cold water poured over her and before the ghastly deed said that she nominated me and friends Annie and Sue to do the same.  Now, we don’t have television so I knew nothing about this craze and thought it was something MVBBF (my very best BATTY friend) had thought up as a lark.  I do remember hearing something about a politician challenging someone to do it but thought no more about it.  Apparently I am living in the dark ages because this is sweeping the nation.  I have agreed to do it, possibly because I am so mean and would rather get wet than pay out 10 euros or is it pounds (?) but mainly because the Macmillan nurses were absolute angels to my Dad in his last days.  So, watch out for the next newsletter there may be a VERY unflattering photo of moiself.  I am actually practising flinging my head back so that my hair fans out in slow motion with droplets falling like diamonds as you see in commercials, can’t be that difficult can it ?!

Being so NOT a domestic goddess, when I discover little household hints I like to share them with my friends who are all very happy to receive them, so I thought I would share some with you.

Cooking hints. 1)  When making a cake in a hurry for people who are arriving for tea within the hour, always make sure that the white crystals you put in the cake mixture are sugar and not salt. 2) When making an apple and ginger crumble, always wear your glasses to ensure that the spice you put in the crumble is in fact ‘gingembre’ and not   ‘coriandre’.  There, I bet you are glad I passed those on. Watch out next month for washing household hints.

Enough of this silliness, I haven’t had a rant yet, my friends Shelagh and Mo will be disappointed !  I could go on about Chopin the very first dog homed by me eleven years ago and who has been left behind whilst his family have moved to the UK but you all know my views on that sort of behaviour.  A complete opposite is the lovely Siobain previously of Hope Association, who is moving back to the UK with 12, yes TWELVE dogs !  Look out Dorset, here she comes !

I was hoping to be able to give you the final figures of the total raised by Gaynor with her fantastic cycling achievement but I don’t have them yet.  I’ll add them in as soon as I can.

Love,

Sue

There is only one way I could start this month’s news.  Gaynor did it !!!!   SHE  BALLYWELL  DID  IT !!!!!  She cycled 171 kms in a day in the most horrendous conditions (as you can see behind her) up the steepest of steep mountains and coming down at frightening speeds through cloud where she couldn’t see the side of the road.  Read her full account on gaynorpedals4dogs.com and you will get just a small idea of what she has done for Poorpaws and La Mere aux Betes, our sister refuge.  I watched the professionals do the same stage on the television the other day (in perfect conditions)  and was horrified to think that Gaynor had put hereself through that for us.  “Thank you” does not even touch the surface of what I want to say to Gaynor.  So, if you haven’t donated yet, go to Gaynorpedals4dogs.com and get clicking, it couldn’t be easier.  Any donation however small helps and I promise you on the life of St. Cadbury (although I’m going off him since he sold out to Kraft !), that EVERY  SINGLE  CENT will go to making dogs’ lives happier.  Any expenses incurred in entering the stage have been met by Gaynor and Phil – who also did the stage with a damaged shoulder, mustn’t forget him ! –  their shirts were donated by the manufacturer and the printing of leaflets was also donated.  So, all your money goes to the dogs. I will let you know what it is spent on but at the moment we think it very likely that it will be spent on new solid insulated kennels and improving the parks.  THANK  YOU to everyone who has been connected with this event.

Another successful event this month was our Hog Roast which raised just over 1,700 euros !!  Due to uncertain weather we plumped for eating inside the Salle de Fetes leaving the doors open so people could drift in and out as they wished.  No room to serve the food nside but the weather turned out to be kind and we could serve outside easily.  Thank you to the band Free Drinks who were stupendous.  Great, great music of all sorts with a good mix of new and oldies.  Go see them whenever you can – they will be at the Marché Gourmande at Château Aix at Saux on the first Wednesday of September.

For my friend Shelagh here is this month’s rant !  People !!!!   Just lately, I don’t know why, we have had a few instances where people choose a dog they want to adopt , get all excited, arrangements are made, paperwork is drawn up, then we get the email “Oh, I can’t take the dog after all.  My wife/husband/grandmother/brother-in-law’s second cousin first removed, doesn’t want it !!!  For goodness sake, talk to eachother !  How could anyone even think of taking such a decision without discussing it fully with everyone involved in the well being of the dog ?!  We are talking about a living being here, not a cuddly toy !

As for the guy who is intent on abandoning two elderly dogs who he has had since they were young because he is going back to the UK with a new lady who is  ‘allergic’ so it is “impossible” to keep the dogs, well don’t even get me started.

Ok rant over !  On to Poorpaws dogs.  The long eared Brunos have had a lot of success, in fact as I write there is just one female left, the Cairn Terrier puppy has gone to a super home as have a couple of other little pups who never made it to the website.  Take a peek at Jezebel, what a charmer if ever I saw one !  Our Tega, unbelievably has fallen on her feet again !  She has been adopted by a lovely couple with a huge garden and a lake next door where Tega has her morning constitutional.  You mess this one up Tega and I’ll be after you !!

It’s Fete and Manifestation time again, so I’ll give out the usual reminder.  Please don’t drag your poor dogs round markets and fetes, it is totally miserable for them, leave them at home in the cool and NEVER, however cool it seems, shut your dog in the car with the windows up.  I cannot believe in this day and age I actually saw one such poor dog outside Carrefour.  I reported it and left a rude message on the windscreen.  Luckily it wasn’t a scorching day but a car heats up very quickly.

Have a wonderful August and keep a  peek at the News, I often forget things and add them later !!

Love,

Sue

Sorry about the lateness of this months news, I have been glued to the TV for the last two weeks watching Wimbledon ! What a fantastic Mens’ final and how glorious to see a five setter where really neither player deserved to lose. I didn’t see the Ladies’ Final as my friend Lesley’s daughter, Marta was getting married and as I was a witness I sort of had to be there. I won’t tell you my reaction when I realised which weekend she had chosen for the wedding, all I can say is that some people push the friendship boundary very far !! Still, it was a wonderful wedding and so it should have been as Lesley has been working herself into a self-destructing stressball over the last month or so – or should that be year or so !!

Regular readers of this monthly waffle will remember Sky the most adorable Rottweiler (scroll back a few months if you want to read about her). Many hearts were broken when Sky became so ill there was only one kindness left that Kelly and her family could do for her. A Rotty breeeder (grr, don’t like breeders but I forgive this one) heard about Sky and has given the family a beautiful female pup who has been named Lulu. Lulu is turning out to be very bright and looks as though she will also be one gorgeous dog. Here you see her in the photo where it seems that she has her eyes set on a career as a pole dancer ! Lulu you are one Lucky Girl to become a member of Kelly’s family and I’m sure you won’t let them down. We look forward to more photos as you grow up.

My friend Shelagh says she reads this rubbish to find out what I am going to go off on one about every month. Well this month is it FOOTBALL, or rather FOOTBALLERS !!!! We have had to suffer months of World Cup this and World Cup that, the players are paid a fortune, they seem to consider they are little gods and don’t even get me started on their wives / partners ! Then what happens ? THEY CAN’T WIN A SINGLE MATCH !! After they had lost the first two, they were saying that if Italy won then the English team would still be in with a chance. No, sorry, you have no right to still be in with a chance YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF WINNING ONE MATCH. Go home you miserable apologies for footballers and don’t darken our newspaper pages again. What REALLY got me mad was that there was all the hype about them and little Heather Watson played a blinder of a tennis match against the world number 12 and beat her, but did we hear anything about that ? Yeah, right !!

However, this news page is supposed to be about dogs !! Tondra is adopted, Ben is adopted, Guismo is adopted, Holly too, lots of interest in Indy and just one Cairn Terrier pup left to go. Lots of new dogs who will, I promise be on the website very soon. Oh big beautiful Tega came back. Silly, silly girl, had a wonderful home with gorgeous Geordie as a playmate and what does Miss Tega do ? Suddenly turns into Bitchzilla and makes the poor Geordie’s life a misery. Decides she is boss and wants all the attention. So she is here again where she has settled back into the gang but still looking for a home where she will be the only dog. I can’t understand it, she shares affection here with 17 other dogs, but when there are just two she gets stroppy.

It’s not too late to sponsor Gaynor in her Tour de France ride in aid of Poorpaws and our sister refuge La Mere Aux Betes. Just Google Gaynorpedals4dogs.com and follow the instructions how to donate. Ernst and I are going down to cheer her on so I should have some photos for the next news page.

I’m sure I had more to say but can’t think ( suffering from Wimbledon blues). Anyhow I’ll add if need be.

Love,
Sue xx

Well hallo again, aren’t the months just flying by ?  Ernst and I have just got back from our annual week on the Il de Ré and it was, as usual wonderful.  We are used to going in October when it is blissfully quiet there but thought we would have a change and go in May this year.  Quite a difference, all the shops and restaurants open and many more people around.  We are used to having the cycling tracks to ourselves but this time there were bicycles all over the place.  A bonus was the long light days which we don’t get in October so we think we will go in May again next year, but avoid a Bank Holiday period – if that is possible in May over here !  We had gorgeous weather, sun, fluffy white clouds but quite a bit of breeze which made the cycling, for me anyway, more difficult despite the flat as a pancake landscape.  I could never understand why whether we were going out or coming home, the wind was always against me !  I am quite a bit (well, actually a lot) shorter than Ernst so whereas he just cycles slowly along, I am behind him with my little legs going like pistons trying to keep up.  I don’t think we ever, during the whole week, got back home at the same time as he was always so far ahead and didn’t bother to wait for me at junctions so I never knew which way he had gone ! 

A bonus also was the fact that I could watch Roland Garros in the afternoon (we don’t have TV at home).  Mind you, I spent a lot of the time screaming at the screen ” have you even HEARD of Andy Murray ?”  Honestly, I love France and love living here, but really, in England when Wimbledon is on it is on television from midday until end of play WITHOUT ADVERTS.  In France, even though play starts at 11 am, it is not on TV until three o’clock and then goes off at 8 with adverts every five minutes.  Sooooo frustrating !  Actually I’m telling porkies to say we don’t have TV, we do have a set but I use it only for dvd’s and the lovely Keith comes round once a year to connect me up for Wimbledon, after which it is unplugged again.  People sometimes ask me whatever do we do in the evenings if we don’t have television.  Well, I have to say, Radio 4 is on from the minute I get up to the minute Ernst comes to bed and we read, we play cards and Backgammon.  It is surprising how quickly you get used to not having the box.  When I go to UK I always think I’ll have a real tellyfest but there never seems to be anything interesting on.  Obviously there are some really good series but I can and do get those on dvd.

Right, having bored you to tears, lets talk about something very important – fund raising !!  July 12th in your diaries please, our second Hog Roast.  The first was a great success two years ago so we thought we would do another.  Tickets are 22.50 euros and you will be treated to live music, a great meal and all round a great evening.  I know it is difficult for vegetarians – I am one – but we will be royally catered for, just let us know when booking and keep your back to the piggy.  To be held at the St. Pantaleon Salle de Fetes.  Please book as early as possible,you can email me, susan.glibbery@orange.fr or ‘phone me on 0565245303.  I will be sending out détails to those of you on my mailing list.

The second Very Important Event is my mate Gaynor’s INCREDIBLE attempt at one of the Tour de France – TOUR  DE  FRANCE  FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE – stages.  Besides being completely bananas Gaynor is an absolute dog lover and cycling fanatic and follows the Tour closely.  Last year she and husband Philip took part in the amateur stage (which is one of the most difficult parts of the Tour).  Gaynor didn’t quite make it, but this year she is determined to finish and she is doing it to raise money for Dog Rescue.  Please go to the website Gaynorpedals4dogs.com and see the enormous challenge that she is facing.  If, like me, you are completely in awe and want to support Gaynor and through Gaynor, Poorpaws, go to the donations page.  You can give as little or much as you like.  Every single cent will go to help make an unhappy dog happy.

  I can tell you that having just cycled round Ré which has no hills over six inches, my legs go to jelly just at the thought of the mountains Gaynor will be cycling up.

Following our holiday I went round to Danielle’s to collect a few of the dogs she had been looking after for me and to catch up on who has been adopted and who has come in.  May was a good month !  Off to new homes went Itou and Ilou, Caline (yey !), Chopin, Athéna, the two lab cross pups and my little Bobby.  Of course lots have come in and you can see them all on the adoptions page – I’m keeping special fingers crossed for Jag, what a super boy !  You may  spot some changes to the adoptions page in that I have found out how to add little cartoony figures !  The dog running means the dog has been adopted, the little cute dog means “please adopt me” and the puppies mean …….. well, puppies actually.  How arty farty is that ?!

So, that’s my waffle over for another month, see you in July.

Love,

Sue x

So, we’ve had a nice bit of sunshine and I’ve already seen them about.  Rare birds ?  Baby wild animals ?  No,  people who think they are keeping themselves and their dogs fit by cycling around with the poor dog tied to the bike.  ARRRGH !!   NO,  NO, NO !!!  Not only is it so dangerous that they may end up not having to worry about the dog’s health or their own any more, it is just downright cruel and will probably shorten the dog’s life due to a heart attack.  Dogs are like footballers, they run they stop, they turn they run they stop.  They are not long distance runners.  Imagine yourself being tied to a moving machine and being forced to keep up even if you are well out of breath and have to keep going and keep going until the person on the machine decides to stop.  It’s just too ghastly to think about a poor dog in that situation.   So, please, walk with your dog and cycle alone.

Another thing that has been spotted and if you were in Carrefour one hot sunny day a few weeks ago, you may have seen her too, a lady doing her shopping in her swimsuit !!  The cashier told me and said the guys on the butchery counter were having funny turns, so if your chops and mince were overweight and under priced you will know why !!  Although, even in my (much) younger days when I used to look ok in a bathing costume, I would never have gone shopping dressed like that, I do admire the guts of the woman to be so sure of herself.

‘Guts’, horrid word but I couldn’t think of another, ‘balls’ didn’t seem appropriate !  Other words I hate,  ‘belly’, ‘tummy’ is so much nicer, and ‘bitch’, horrid word, I don’t think I have ever referred to a female dog as a bitch even though that is surely what she is.

Talking of dogs, it has been a great month here !  My beloved Tega went to a great new home, as did Gamin, Kali, Emma and Sarko.  You can see pictures of them all on the Happy Endings page – although it has been pointed out to me that that page should be renamed Happy Beginnings  – like it !

Our Easter Book sale was a great success and thank you to all who supported us.  We made 1,500 euros, up on last Easter and a little down on the Autumn but we always take more just before Winter.  Happily we didn’t run out of cakes this time, in fact we had so many that some even didn’t make it to the table – as was the case for a couple of mine, but perhaps that is no bad thing.  Thanks for all the lovely books donated and sorry we had to refuse some which were offered just a couple of days before the sale.  I’ll get in touch nearer the Autumn one.  I would especially like to thank the person who put in the beautiful untouched address book.  It had a dust cover with a lovely bouquet of flowers and flowers throughout the book.  When I saw it, my heart did a triple bounce, it is EXACTLY the same as the address book my Mum and Dad had for many years until they died.  Looking through the book I could see my Mum and Dad’s writing on every page.  Naturally, it is now here with me.  Also a copy of Kai Lung Unrols His Mat.  My Dad loved Kai Lung books and even quoted him at (one of !) my weddings – “a man does not burn down his own house even to annoy his mother-in-law” !!

My Dad was a lovely gentle man, except when playing Bridge !!!  He adored it and tried so hard to be a good loser but never quite managed it, blaming all his bad hands on the God he didn’t believe in !

I’ve had a couple of weekends away since the last News Page – isn’t not working great when you have friends all over the place ?!  I went to the UK to celebrate my mate Sue’s birthday and we did it well !!  Curry on the first night with the Essex gang, then off to Bromley for celebrations with the friends the other side of the Thames.  Then last weekend we went to stay with friends Chantal and Claud down at Martigue.  Chantal and I have been friends since 1971 when I was an au pair in Toulon working for her sister-in-law.  Chantal is great but just doesn’t get the ‘vegetarian thing’.  She made an effort on the first night, peppers, aubergines and tomatoes ……………..stuffed with minced meat !!  She is convinced I am going to die because I don’t eat meat or fish but has been saying this for thirty years and doesn’t seem to notice I am fit, fine and healthy !!

At the end of this month we are off to our beloved Isle de Ré – don’t think I’ve ever been away so much – thank you to good pal Louise who looks after the dogs and cats for us.

Anyway, back to dogs !  Please, please, please look at Caline, she is a Darling and has been hoping for a home for much too long now !

Love,

Sue x

Wow,  what can I say but WOW !  Our clothes sale at La Sirene raised a fantastic 500 euros !!  I was only able to be there for an hour or two and when I left it looked as though the sale would not be that successful but there must have been a surge after I left.  Huge thanks to Pat Lockett and Pat Norden Angus for all their hard work and thank you to all of you who donated and who came along to support.  Hope you got a few bargains.  I must give a special mention to Gaynor Pugh who never fails to pull fantastic clothes, brand new and unworn, out of the hat, her generosity knows no limits.

Talking of Gaynor, she not only donates wonderful clothes she is going to be cycling the amateur stage of the Tour de France ……..yes, you read that right THE  TOUR  DE  FRANCE (!!!!) in aid of dog rescue. We will be setting up a website where you will be able to donate easily direct by a click.

Oh come on, whilst I’ve got the begging bowl out, I’ll continue !  First of all our very popular (big-headed or what ?!) book sale in support of Dog Rescue and Cancer Research.  The next one is Easter Saturday, 19th April, 10am to 3pm, as usual to be held at Lesley’s lovely barn at her home in Beliben, which is five minutes from Sauzet in the Cahors direction.  As usual there will be hundreds of great books – I know because I have read them all just to check and those I haven’t read my brother has (this phrase stolen from Sophie with apologies).  We ran out of cakes too soon last time so are making lots more to make sure this doesn’t happen again but better come early to be sure !  I’m desperately trying to get on to good terms with Bitch Betsy my new cooker, so that I can make something edible if not too presentable !   It has been pointed out that if I stopped calling her Bitch Betsy she may behave better.  The price for books and dvd’s (please no videos) remains at just one euro each.  If you have any dvd’s or books to donate, please get in touch so we can arrange to get them.

Next and last grab at your money, following the success of our hog Roast a couple of years ago, this is to be repeated on Saturday 12th July at the Salle de Fetes at St. Pantaleon.  so, put it in your diary and I’ll be giving you more news in the next newsletter.

And so to dog news !  The lovely Hamish was returned from one home and went to another on the same day !  This time it is for keeps and I knew it would work when I found out the new owners are fellow Essex people (yes, folks I am an Essex girl from ‘Sarfend’ – Southend for those who don’t speak Essex) and the chap even lived in the same tiny hamlet as I did just before I left England !  The tiny Yorkie, now Oscar went off with his new owners laughing all the way, they just couldn’t believe a dog could be so small !  As for me, after looking after Oscar for a few days, I couldn’t believe so much poo could come out of one so tiny !  I’m still waiting for a photo of Oscar with his new huge playmate !!

Excellent news in that my lovely (though not so lovely since she was party to scaring one of our cats to death) Tega will be off to a new home in a couple of weeks.  Tega is just a Darling, Darling dog and I couldn’t be happier for her, although I’ll need to get a giant box of tissues for the handover.

We are really keen to find a home(s) for Janet and John.  Two little babes who were found fending for themselves in the woods – should have called them Hansel and Gretal.  I have been looking after these two for a couple of weeks and they have come on enormously.  Both still slightly timid but walking on a lead now.

Evelyn at Doglinks has brought Dino to my attention.  Dino is a Spanish Mastiff mix who has been in a refuge since the age of five months.  He is now NINE  YEARS  OLD !!!  Please, please, please, if there is a Mastiff lover out there, step forward.  Go to Doglinks WordPress and scroll down until you get to him.  A big boy with the temperament of a kitten.  All expenses will be paid to get him out and into the right home.

Right, I have to prepare now for a week of fun and frolics.  My mate Susie is coming over from UK tomorrow then I will fly back with her on Friday just for four days to celebrate her birthday.  That’s if I can bring myself to leave ……………..my KITCHEN !!  There will be a couple of updated photos somewhere in this newsletter, goodness knows where, I don’t seem to be able to control photo placements !! Ernst says don’t take any notice of the drawer fronts, they are temporary !

Love,

Sue

ps Oh, and to the person who sent me an email telling me to “rot in hell”, I probably will, see you there !

I am in love !!  Not with another man or a special dog but with a city.  Berlin !!  Ernst and I had the opportunity to go to join his brother and sister-in-law in Berlin for three days and to be honest I wasn’t that fussed.  Yes it would be nice to see Ernst’s cousins and friends, but Berlin in February ??!!  Cold, snow, rain, surely I would freeze and be miserable.  Not a bit of it, the weather was lovely, sunny, a bit fresh and a couple of showers at night.  As for Berlin it is FANTASTIC !  Now, I am not a city girl at all, I much prefer a walk in the country to visiting museums and galleries but Berlin has so much of interest to see.  We took a bus tour where you can get off and on when you like which was brilliant.  So much history, so colourful, lots of wonderful courtyards.  Independent bookshops to die for and little coffee shops each with armchairs outside with fleeces and plaids to keep you warm whilst you drink your coffee and put the world to rights.  I had only ever seen that in New York and that was exceptional, but in Berlin it is the norm.  Don’t even mention the all night bars !!  East Berlin was fascinating, beautiful buildings next to run down concrete blocks of flats.    There was just too much to see and do and luckily we must have behaved ourselves as we came back with open invitations to visit whenever we like.  Next week too soon ??

I have some great news on the home front.  We have moved into the house !!!  Moved in last Saturday after twelve years ,TWELVE  YEARS  !, of living in a mobile home that was shabby when we bought it in 2001.  So much has happened in those years, my parents died and I have lost friends too, nieces and nephews seem to have suddenly gone from being  children to adults with their own children, I started Poorpaws and good thing I did because at times it was only the dogs that kept me here !!  Anyway, my kitchen diner is wonderful.  I don’t like fitted kitchens so we have tables and cupboards and a comfy chair for me to sit by the wood burner and read.  Ernst ALWAYS sits at the table even if there is a more comfortable chair.  I have a new range cooker in cream colour after cooking for the last decade on two electric rings and a tiny tempremental microwave/cooker combo.  I have called my cooker Betsy and was prepared to love her like my mother.  Sadly she has turned out to be Bitch Betsy, burning the soup the first time I used her !!

Back down to earth or, as it feels like at the moment, back down to marsh, will it EVER stop raining?  I have only been able to go to Montaigu market to sell my cards one week in five, luckily they are for sale in the lovely Montaigu English Library, if you have never been there, do go, you won’t be disappointed.

Something I have to mention here.  I will always help anyone as much as I can to rehome dogs but I will not help anyone sell a dog.  There has recently been a rather unpleasant situation where I was asked to  help home a lovely little dog and I was successful in finding several possible adopters.  However, although I told the people they would only pay for the chip and vaccination, when contact was made they were asked for much more.  This was partly my fault as I did not make the situation clear with the owner of the dog at the outset.  Many feathers were ruffled and I have to take some responsibility .  So, if you want help from me rehoming your dog, please note that the dog MUST be chipped and vaccinated to date and you can only ask for reimbursement of those costs.  I will not encourage breeding by helping to sell a dog.

We have had several dogs homed this month – mostly dogs who never made it on to the website, so if you are looking to adopt, a ‘phone call or email never does any harm as not all the dogs available are on the website, new ones coming in nearly every day.  I am particularly happy that Sarko is reserved and will, all things being equal, be going off to a new home in April.

Some very important dates for your diaries:-

March 27th Thursday – Great sale of good quality and some designer clothes at La Sirene restaurant in Montaigu de Quercy.  Come along, look through, buy and have lunch too. If you have clothes to donate, contact me.  I hasten to add these are not the same clothes we sell at the Vide Grenier in August, much more classy !!

Easter Saturday – Our now famous and increasingly popular Book Sale at Lesley’s barn in Beliben.  Can’t read ? Then come for the VERY delicious home made cakes. (Hope Betsy and I have made up by then !!)

July 12th – Hog Roast at the Salle de Fetes in St. Pantaleon.

Hope to see you at ALL of the above !

Love,

Sue x

PS The pictures at the top are of our kitchen – I can’t seem to make them go next to the appropriate paragraph !

Phew, thank goodness for that, January is over.  Why does January feel so  l o n g and miserable ?  Possibly because of the absolutely horrid weather we are having, probably because of the bills coming in and for us here at Poorpaws because we had two very sad RIP’s.  One was our lovely little Tammy.  I found ginger Tammy wandering around in the middle of the main Montcuq/Cahors road a couple of years ago.  Nearly blind, nearly deaf, this little mite was surely lost.  However, after a poster campaign and all the usual searches, no-one came to claim her.  Had she been chucked out after a death or was it because that her favourite place was stuck to your legs even when you were walking around, very dangerous if she belonged to an elderly person ? It may even be that the foul example of a human being who  was responsible for the ten shotgun pellets in her thought that she had died.  Who knows, anyway she became my little darling and shadow.  She survived a major stomach operation thanks to the lovely Dr. Cros at Prayssac a year ago but a couple of weeks ago cancer got the better of her and she was sent peacefully to sleep.

Then I heard that Zac a beautiful Border Colley adopted from us some seven years ago was being beaten by leishmaniose.  This is such a cruel disease which dogs get from mosquitos.  If vaccinated before they get it they are safe but once they have it there is no hope and the end is heartbreaking.  Sleep happy Zac,  Christopher and Diane thank you for the happy memories.

So, lets get on to happier news.  Hmm, have to think !  Many adoptions, mostly of dogs who never made it to the website !  One very happy one was Barney a scruffy looking love who was rescued from a travellers’ camp.  When he got to us  he had a wire so tight round his neck that the vet had to operate to remove it.  But does Barney hold any grudges ?  Nope, he is just one lovely happy fellow.  Mr. and Mrs. White drove four hours to choose a dog.  In ten seconds they came, they saw and Barney conquered !!  I am not kidding you, a very long drive, they walked in, spied Barney and said that’s the one !  We offered to show others but no, their minds were made up and you can see Barney on the Happy Endings page.  Then there was Tilly a lovely little lady, not unlike my Tammy.  Tilly came with a broken tail but that didn’t put Mr. and Mrs Oaks off, Tilly was snapped up (oops, ouch, perhaps not the best word !) let’s say that she was given the thumbs up immediately and went off happily with Ossi.  We won’t mention that Ossi obviously would have preferred one of the little boys !!  Mustn’t forget Izzie, another one who had a long journey home but worth every kilometre !  You can see Izzie on the Happy Endings page too.

Another little pup has gone down to  the Cote d’Azur.  Ernst and I went down for a party to celebrate the 25 years of the Ship and Castle pub in Monte Carlo where I used to work and where I met Ernst. (Hmmm. !)  So little Hektor came too and his new owners are over the moon with him.

I have been asked to put on the website some very needy dogs who are coming over from India.  That is one country I would never want to visit, I just wouldn’t be able to cope with the poor animals there but I am more than happy to try to help from afar.  So, being unable to put the dogs ‘en bloc’ on our website, can I direct you to Doglinks website where you can see them and hopefully help.

I’m typing this quite early (for me) in order to get our news out there, but it  is very possible that I have forgotten something I wanted to tell you, so when you have a minute, pop back to see if I have added something !!

Also, if anyone sees the sun, tell him we are missing him !

Love,

Sue x

PS Added later.  Something wonderful happened after I had written the above, Gali went off to a new home which I know is gong to be great !  He deserves if after all he has been through.  You are on your way to happiness Gali AND to three new girlfriends !!  There is a photo of Gali ready to leave up at the top.  Sorry, I’m totally incapable of getting it in the right place !!

Feeling slightly jaded as I write this, don’t know if it is an ‘age thing’ but I don’t seem to be able to cope with lots of socialising and all that goes with it, as well as I used to.  I love it that’s for sure but it seems to take longer to recover !!

Sadly we didn’t make it into the house for Christmas but we were able to host a Christmas Day drinks apero in there after I had Christmas decorated the kitchen and got the tree etc., up.  Sod’s law, Ernst went down with a ghastly cold just inches from the finishing line and wasn’t able to work for a while.  Strange, I had the same cold the week before but was able to carry on so long as I had plenty of early nights.  Hmm, man-flu obviously.  However, the great, really great, brilliant thing that has happened as a result of the man-flu ……..Ernst hasn’t smoked for over two weeks !!  This is someone who smoked at least a packet of cigarellos a day.  He had such coughing fits that I was sure I would have to take him to A and E so bad was the choking and I think that may have frightened him – it sure did me !!  Anyway, I’m not saying he has given up, don’t want to tempt fate, I’m just keeping my fingers crossed. 

He surpassed himself with my Christmas present.  Having told me on Christmas Eve that he hadn’t bought me a present ( I quite understand, he hadn’t had much time …………. only 364 xxxxx days since last Christmas !) he obviously dashed into Cahors and on Christmas Day I found a parfumerie bag with a Chanel packet in.  As my friend Lesley is a Chanel 5 girl, I assumed someone had left it for her.  But no, Ernst said it was for me.  I expressed surprise as I have never worn Chanel but Ernst insisted I had, then admitted that the salesgirl had told him.  It turns out he had gone to the shop and asked what was the last thing I had bought.  Yes, Chanel 5 body lotion….. BUT  FOR  LESLEY’S  BIRTHDAY !!!!  He now has on a little piece of paper in his wallet the names of my two favourite scents !

There was plenty of good dog news. Ixe the malamut/German Shepherd went off to a new home and the latest news is that although he requires a lot of education, things are going well.  Now called Iffi and this because before he went off to his new family there were  apparently lots of “If he” conversations !

Then there was the story of Harry and Sally, two very elderly Westies who were not living in very good conditions.  Suffice to say that they are now living in a cosy loving home and have even had a trip to the hairdresser.

Igloo goes off this week, his new owners are driving down from Normandy !!

Then I had my own personal “phew” moment.  A couple of weeks ago, to help Danielle out, we took in a desperately sad Pointer who had been ‘removed’ from her bastard owner who used her as a punch/kick ball.  She was so timid and frightened poor thing.  She came out on walks with us, on a lead, then as she gained confidence and realised a hand coming towards her meant a stroke and love rather than a clout, I let her off the lead.  She was so happy it brought tears to my eyes.  She would run around with Tega but always kept me in her sights.  On Boxing Day I let her off and she ran like a rocket off into the distance.  I didn’t worry as she was with another dog and they always come back at some time.  However that evening she hadn’t returned and nor had she the next morning although all the others had returned long ago.  By now I was beside myself.  I rang all the local hunt Présidents and all promised to keep an eye out. (nb. Although I hate hunting, I keep in with the hunters as they have helped me find dogs on several occasions.)  That afternoon one of the hunters called to say he had seen her in the next village the night before and had just seen her in between St. Pantaleon and Sauzet, but had not been able to catch her.  We shot up and drove around for an hour up and down all the lanes but to no avail.  The hunter was even there looking too and pointed out exactly where he had seen her.  We went home disappointed, then got another call from the hunter all excited, he had just seen her again at Cambayrac.  This was worrying as she was getting further away from us.  So, off we dashed again with torches and whistles – and sore throats from calling !  No success, so we returned again.  BUT, on the way home I left my jacket together with food and water, at one of the places she had been seen. (A tip from a hunter long ago.)  At about 10pm I returned and there she was on my jacket !!!!  Spooked by the car headlights she ran off but I walked around with the torch calling gently to her and I soon saw two little frightened eyes looking up at me through a bush.  She was curled up, tail right through her legs up to her nose, trembling, clearly waiting to be beaten.  I held her and cuddled her and managed to get her into the car.  She’s back to happy and confident now and will make someone a lovely, lovely companion.  Look out for her on the website.

Finally I have to thank all of you who sent the dogs such generous donations for Christmas.  I can hardly believe how so many of you remember us at such a busy time.  I would love to name you all but would be so scared of missing someone, but I will mention Oscar who was adopted from us many years ago and always sends us some of his pocket money.  Thanks to all of you I am going to buy some ‘squashy’ beds for our little oldies in the sales and some of the inmates will get a much need ‘shampoo and set’.  Thank, you, thank you, thank you !

Have a wonderful New Year, love your dogs and if you have room for another, well, you know where to come !!

Lots and lots of love and thanks to you,

Sue – and The Poorpaws Gang who are mostly unhomeable due to age or bad temper ( a bit like me !) Scoopy, Piglet, Kiki, Tammy, Tiny the Terrible Poodle (who gave me a nasty bite just before Christmas when I was bathing him !), Doucka, Rik, Ermine (the Pointer), Tega, Robbie, Ziggy, Lizzie, Lulu, Charly, Fargo and Caline. Plus the cats !

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November was an up and down month for Poorpaws.  You will probably have read our special item on Sky the fabulous Rottie and we had our own RIP here.  Remember Jilly, ‘haven’t stopped barking yet’ ?  Well after a few months of calm and comfort Jilly turned into Jilly ‘haven’t stopped coughing yet’.  Two weeks of medication showed no improvement so she had an Xray.  This showed that Jilly’s heart had enlarged, more tumours had appeared and, the worst of all, she had cancer on the tracchea and in the lungs.  So, at her age there was no hope and I had to make the PTS decision.  This obviously broke my heart but I couldn’t let her suffer.  Happy Birthday me, but in another way, because of the date she will never be forgotten and thank goodness (and Lieke and Lesley) Jilly knew love and comfort before she died.

Another sad loss was Cheddar who had been on the website for a while.  Poor Cheddar was asleep in front of his house when two strangers somehow startled him and he bit them.  Sadly the people insisted that he too be PTS.  Now I’m not sure that anyone can insist on this without various tests being done, but in the chaos obviously things happened too quickly.  So, please, please, please, if you don’t know the dog, let sleeping dogs lie !!

Then there was the story of Bambi !  Get a cup of coffee for this one !!  Bambi was on the way back to the UK from Spain with her owners.  At Calais port the car door was opened just at the same time as an articulated lorry put on, or let off, his airbrakes.  The noise spooked Bambi and she was off.  Her owners spent hours driving round looking for her and finally had to take the last ferry home whilst their lift returned to Spain.  I got a plea for help and got in touch with the port dog pound, Bambi hadn’t been taken there.  Then the next day, great excitment I had a call from the pound to say someone had taken her in !!  Brilliant, then disaster, her passport had been left in the car which had returned to Spain !!  The passport was posted back to the UK but took time.  One person at the pound told me that if the passport was sent there they would arrange for the necessary flea treatment to be done so that her owners could do a return day trip to collect Bambi.  So the passport was posted to the pound and then someone else there told me they wouldn’t get the treatment done and the owners would have to go over themselves, thereby obliging them to stay three days in Calais.  So this is what happened and Bambi is finally reunited with her family.  Did I mention that the owners were also in the process of moving house ??!!

So, be warned and be prepared ! ALWAYS,  ALWAYS,  ALWAYS attach your dogs in your car.  Even if they are the most docile and obediant, the unexpected can happen.  I attach a lead to a loop in the back of the car (I think the loop secures the warning triangle cover) and attach the lead also to the dog.  I also put another lead attached to the dog so that you can release one knowing you are hanging on to the other.

Adoptions were good this month, Oscar, Faulk (now Very Happy Frankie), Italy and Roxanne went to good homes and Gary took up the lovely home that Caline refused.  Silly her and Lucky Gary !!

My good news is that we are frighteningly close to moving into our house !!  I have even ordered a new cooker – just as well I need somewhere to put my jumpers.

Thank you to all of you who through various Christmas Fairs are helping dogs in need and HUGE thank you to Hope Association for yet again sharing.

Have a lovely Christmas and a great New Year !

Sue x

Ernst and I are very lucky in that we have wonderful friends and neighbours, Pat and Tony.  Pat and Tony in turn have a lovely daughter, Kelly, who lives in the UK.  About five years ago Kelly, her partner Phil and daughter Morgan, adopted Sky a year old Rottweiler.  This caused concern amongst family and friends as Rotties don’t have a very good press in England – well anywhere for that matter.  Everyone was proved wrong.  Sky was the most beautiful, gentle, obediant dog.  A gorgeous creature the size of a small bear with the character of a lamb.

Sky was truly a magical dog who touched many hearts.  Phil works with people with disabilities and Sky was so gentle with them.  Even those fearful of dogs, especially large ones, were drawn to her and were unafraid.  She proved that it is not dogs who are bad it is owners who make them so. 

A few days ago Sky was discovered to have a cancer that had gone through the bone of one of her legs and into her lung.  She was in great pain and no-one could bear to see her suffer.  So this wonderful animal was put to sleep on the 15th November leaving broken hearts lying all around.  Sky was loved, adored and admired by anyone who came into contact with her (well apart from the squirrels !) and is missed dreadfully.  Run now without pain Sky sweetie, there must have been a huge welcoming party there in doggy heaven to welcome you, our loss is their gain and you will never be forgotten.

OUR  BEST  BARN  BOOK  SALE  EVER !!!!

It was great, the weather was great and you were wonderful !!  Thank you sooo much to all who came along to support us and to those who couldn’t, hopefully next time ?  We have never had so many people which was really super as we had serious competition on that day !  You donated wonderful books  (albeit as with the clothes sale there are obviously those who don’t get the ‘in good condition and saleable’ concept !) which added to our good reputation so much so that we had requests to visit the day before from some who were unable to come on the day.  The cakes were just as yummy as ever, our Quercy Cake Queens pulled out all the stops and by 2pm there wasn’t a single cake crumb left (even all my ginger cake went !) so huge apologies to those who came later, we have already put the wheels in motion to ensure more goodies for next time.  Of course there are special thank yous, firstly to Lesley who yet again put her lovely barn and garden at our disposal,  to the gang who gave up their Wednesday afternoon to help sort hundreds of books (I won’t name them all for fear of forgetting someone and losing them for the next event !) to Tony who was indispensable taking and sorting the many books brought along on the day, and to our saviour Gary who, after we have cherry picked the left overs, takes the rest.  We raised a fabulous 1,500 euros half of which will be shared between Poorpaws, Twilight Retirement Home for Dogs, the Rescue Refuge at Castlenau Montratier and the other half will go to cancer research.  Thank you, thank you, thank you !!

Lots of adoptions in October, Iriane, now Kelli, the little black lab type pup ,now called Indy, see her on the Happy Endings page, Geronimo, Igor and lastly Caline who went to a wonderful home a week ago …………………….and came back yesterday !!  Silly girl Caline, a perfect, perfect home for her and what did she do ?  Went into a depression !  All her life Caline has been with lots of other dogs, first in a hunting pack where she was asked to leave as she is gun shy, then here at Poorpaws where she proved herself a gorgeous affectionate young lady.  Her prospective owners loved her and did everything to make her happy, but no, she turned into a nervous mess and spent most of her time hiding under the bed.  So I took her back yesterday and when we got home she leapt out of the car and bounced up the driveway dashing left and right to say hallo to everyone.  Then today she had an epilectic fit.  So, we now know she needs a home with another dog, more if possible and with someone who is not going to worry about the fits.

Djerk has also been adopted apparently.  I just love it when people beg for help to find a new home for a dog, then don’t have the common decency to let you know when the dog is sorted.  I had an enquiry for Djerk so happily rang the guy only to be told he had homed the dog “way back in the Summer”.  Thanks a bunch, my description of the owner on the website was obviously spot on !

A couple of days ago I was told about a poor dog tied up out in the countryside nowhere near any houses.  Lesley and I went to have a look and indeed there is a lovely dog tied to a tree with a ramshackle kennel beside him with no company except for three horses in the field.  The chain he is on, which is way below regulation length, was so tangled round the tree that the poor thing couldn’t even get to his kennel or his bowl of rotten green water.  The owner has been traced and when I spoke to her to see if she would like to rehome the dog she replied “oh no, I really love him”.  Words fail me, well actually they don’t but I cannot print them.  So at least we now know about the poor animal we can do everything possible to make his life a bit more bearable – he already looked so happy when we stuffed his kennel full of the bale of straw we had taken along.

Can’t believe it is already nearly two months since I left work – when did I ever have the time to go there ?!  Ernst and I had a wonderful week on the Il de Ré as usual, then his cousin came to stay, which meant that we had to move back into the bedroom in the mobile home.  We had a lovely time with her here and I saw more of Cahors in five days than I have in twelve years !  Now my friend Sue is coming over to help me celebrate my “when I’m 64” birthday and we have a very busy few days lined up.  I’ll probably need to lie down until Christmas after that.  Christmas !  Yikes !  If you need to top up on cards I have some for sale, in aid of the dogs, at the English Library in Montaigu de Quercy and on rain-free Saturdays I will be selling at the market there.  It was funny yesterday as people kept coming up to me saying “got any Christmas cards ?” and I’d get out the boxful behind my stand.  I felt as if I was selling illegal substances !

Enjoy the rest of this wonderful Indian summer and get reading so you can bring the books back for the next sale.  Oh, by the way if anyone bought a book about Brigitte Bardot, can they let me buy it back when they have read it ?  I promised a friend I’d put it by for her ….. and promptly forgot !

Love,

Sue x

Hmm, 1st October – Happy Birthday brother Phil !

Well it’s over !  My horrid Summer job has finally come to an end and I am free !  Well actually I’ve been free since the 15th September and have had a great fun week on the Cote d’Azur with friends Sue, Jan and ‘Ouisa (Louise).  We had nothing but really hot sunshine which was a good excuse to do very little except laze around the pool, read, and play cards.  Isn’t it lovely that when you are on holiday it always seems to be aperitif time ?!  The week got off to a giggly start when I bought a new mobile ‘phone, plugged it in to charge up whilst we played cards, then was surprised three hours later to find it wasn’t working.  I started off on one, casting curses  at the thieving supermarket ‘without a mother’ where I had bought it.  Then one of the girls asked mildly if I had put the battery in it.  Battery ? What battery ?  Surely it wasn’t for me to put the battery in, it should already be in there !!  Apparently not but never mind, luckily they were all there to get it up and running for me.  I learned how to text but it takes me for ever just to send a very short text and anyone nearby has their ears assaulted by expletives and deletives ! 

Whilst I was down there I went to visit Holly, one of the loves of my life, in her new home, along with her ‘brothers’ Hector and Houston who also came from Poorpaws.  I was happy (and a little sad) to find that Holly only had eyes for her new owners and couldn’t have cared less if I was there or not.  You will see in the photo that I have to hold her collar to keep her near me but she is staring adoringly at Olivia.  There’s faithfulness for you !!  Seriously, she, and Hector and Houston just could not have fallen into better hands. 

You will see from the adoptions page and the missing photos that September was a great month and very many dogs went off to lovely new homes.  A couple of new ones and there will be more, including a Boxer for you Boxer fans.

I think several of you know that I sell greetings cards at the market at Montaigu Market (and at the English Library there).  I buy them in bulk from the UK and am able to sell them at just 1 euro each.  Well I just wanted to mention here a lovely lady called Hayley who I ordered a number of cards from.  When Hayley learned what I wanted them for, she threw in several packs free and made a HUGE reduction on postage.  Thank you Hayley, you are obviously a lovely person and you can be sure I will order from you again.

Someone has pointed out to me that I should mention the website chiensperdu.org.  If you find or have lost a dog, take a look at this site as many dogs have been reunited with their owners as a result.

VERY  IMPORTANT !!  In the last newsletter I mentioned that our Autumn Book Sale would be on the 19th October.  However, due to the fact that our Quercy Cake Godess will be in the UK then, we have changed the date to the 26th.  So we do hope you will be able to come along, usual place, Lesley’s Barn at Beliben, Sauzet, usual time 10 am to 3pm, usual price, 1 euro per book, 1 euro per dvd and usual yummy cakes, tea and coffee.  We are collecting books now, so get in touch 0565245303 if you want us to collect.  It is better for us to have them the week before so that we have a couple of days to sort but obviously you are welcome to bring them along on the day.

Ernst and I are off to our beloved Ile de Ré on the 5th for a week. I know, I know, but he deserves a holiday too .  From the look of the weather forecast  I shouldn’t have been so mean when buying my last pair of walking boots and should have forked out a bit (well, actually a LOT) more for the waterproof ones !!

See you at the Book Sale !

Love,

Sue x 

It has been a long hot month !  Hours at work have been very long and tempers very short !!  Boy was I ever wrong about the new owners at the Auberge !  He is ok but she is ………….. well, ‘she who must be obeyed’ and woe betide you if you don’t !  After shedding tears of anger on the way home on several occasions having been totally unfairly ‘got at’ I decided just to go with the flow and gave myself a strict talking to.  Only six weeks to go (now two !) and I am out of there FOR  GOOD.  Apparently I am “slow” (I am twenty years older than the others !), “lethargic” and if I didn’t want to work I shouldn’t have asked for work !!  This after I made a backhand comment after being told that I had to work on my night off, therefore couldn’t go to my friend’s 60th birthday party, because the girl who does work on that night was going to a wedding !!  However, what goes round comes around and there was a wonderful moment a week or so ago when one of the clients took the the owner for my mother !!!!  She is six years younger than me.  I didn’t dare laugh, she heard but I thought it prudent to pretend I hadn’t !!

On a much happier note our clothes stall at the Montcuq Vide Grenier, was, as ever, a huge success and a huge thank you to all of you who parted with really great clothes for us to sell.  As for those who didn’t quite understand “clean and saleable”, well, we have saved you a trip to the tip, which is perhaps what you wanted !  We made 540 euros which is about 80 down on last year explained by the fact that it rained in the afternoon so we had to close down earlier.  Ernst only had to take five bags to Emmaus on Monday compared to 13 last year.  Thanks as ever to Danielle and Lesley for giving up your Sunday to work so hard whilst I stood around and chatted !!

The next sale is on 12th September at La Sirene restaurant at Montaigu de Quercy, (close to the Post office) on Thursday 12th September.  This time we are selling new and nearly new designer and nearly designer clothes at bargain prices.  Armani and YSL are only a couple of the labels on sale so come along from 11 am to 2pm, have coffee and cake, or even better lunch and make a girls’ day of it.

Those of you who have been following Poorpaws news for a few years may remember Scoop.  Scoop was one of the first dogs Poorpaws took from the Carcassonne SPA.  He had been there for a long time and had just given up on being adopted.  Going from jumping happily when people walked by to just laying down and not showing any interest, seeming to understand that he wouldn’t be chosen.  (Oh no, I’m crying again !)  Well after being at Poorpaws for a while enjoying being in a much smaller refuge, Scoop was chosen by Mr. Vanucci (see them on the Happy Endings page) had a name change to Teddy  and has just celebrated his seventh birthday in style with cake and champagne !

A story to encourage you, if you need encouraging, to get your dog chipped (and I always recommend putting your telephone number on your dog’s collar).  A friend of mine recently lost her little dog who had run off with the neighbour’s dog.  This had happened before and she always came back, however my friend had recently moved.  I contacted the refuge in Cahors and a few days later received by email a photo of my friend’s dog asking if it was her’s.  Then the fun started !  The dog wasn’t actually at the refuge but was with some holiday makers who had found her.  I got the number and eventually made contact.  Yes they had found the dog but “another lady” had taken her.  It turned out the neighbour’s dog was chipped so contact was made rapidly.  When the neighbour went to collect her dog she saw my friend’s and said that as they couldn’t find the owner, she would take her too !!  So, for the last few days, my friend’s dog had been living just 300 metres down the road !  She was quickly recuperated – much to the chagrin of the neighbour’s children – and the following day I took her to get her chipped.  Even more of a coioncidence, the receptionist at ‘my’ vets recognised the little dog as the holiday makers had taken her there to check for the chip in the first place !!  So, if you don’t want your dog living down the road, get him/her chipped !!

Not a huge number of adoptions this month, August is always slow, so the Adoptions page is quite long.  something for everyone I believe though.

We’ll be having our Autumn Book Sale in October – probably the 19th – so get sorting !  Out with the Summer poolside reads and in with the Autumn fireside warmers !

I’m off on 18th September  with mates Sue, Louise and Jan, down, as usual to the Cote d’Azur for a week of cards, reading, general lazing and perhaps a glass or two.  Ernst will be holding the fort here happy to be free to Suduko all day !!

love,

Sue x

No, I’m NOT going to moan about the heat !!  I love it !  I love feeling the sun get warmer as I walk the dogs in the early morning – the only time possible at the moment – and I love sitting outside in the warmth of the evening enjoying a glass of cold rosé before going to bed.  The dogs sleep all day in the shade of trees, bushes or their kennels and don’t even want to go out.  Old Rik our 15 year old German Shepherd has to be dragged out of the stifling heat of the mobile home across the garden to the cool building which will one day – ha ha – be our house.

Of course there are downsides, work is ghastly !  Serving tables at 35° is not pleasant, certainly not for me and I wonder about the poor customers having someone with the face as red as a beetroot trying to take the order before the perspiration drips down the side of the face.  How can people eat cassoulet in these températures ?!

I give here my annual plea,  PLEASE don’t drag your poor dogs round fetes, vide greniers and other such manifestations.  It is pure torture for them, leave them at home in the cool and whatever you do, don’t take them and leave them in the car.  Someone tied up his dog to a tree behind me in the market the other day whilst he went shopping.  The poor animal was in direct sunshine and gratefully gulped down the water I and my market neighbour gave him.  Of course, big mouth me couldn’t not give the guy a piece of my mind when he came back and I got the expected response – “mind your own business” !!   I’d love to have tied him to the tree for half an hour.

It has been an up and down month for me.  Adoptions have gone well. Boy do I miss Ivor and have to stop myself calling every day to see how he is doing.  Very finely apparently.  On the other hand, there have been many abandons.  I got four calls in one day about various dogs .  This was towards the end of a very stressful week and I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t behave well and risked losing a friendship I hold very dear.  Luckily we have come through it due solely to my friend being an absolute brick and very understanding. 

I did agree to take in a very old Brittany Spaniel who was found in Montcuq.  This was only because there was a space left when our Sukie died.  12year old Jilly, as I have called her (in memory of a darling dog owned by the friend mentioned above -yes I know, crawler !) came to us with tumours, a hernia and a severe heart murmour, so I was expecting a feeble old thing.  Not so !  She celebrated her arrival by coming on heat immediately and, remember the song “Haven’t stopped dancing yet” ?  well, substitute barking for dancing and that is Jilly !!

Dear Aunty Betty, the 93 mother of my very best friend, died in July so I went over for the funeral.  A very sad occasion but one which gave me the opportunity to stay with my ‘old’ mate Shelagh.  Shelagh and I worked together at Lloyds Bank in the seventies and have remained friends ever since.  We had a lovely couple of days together and I revisited Leigh Broadway which has changed slightly (!) and is now a haven of lovely little shops and eating places.  I was amazed that we could go out to eat at 3pm !!  Can’t think of anywhere you could do that here – except Macdonalds I suppose !  The flight over was a bit nervewracking.  We were all on the ‘plane by 9 am and trundled off to the runway where we got faster and faster and faster and then ………a strange vibration and screech of brakes !  Back to the terminal where we were told there was an unexplained problem and another ‘plane would come over from Dublin or England for us.  Ten minutes later a delighted pilot said the problem had been identified ( wonky front wheel prop) and a local technician could fix it.  Well, I don’t want to be mean but I kind of would have preferred another aircraft !!  Then we didn’t have enough fuel – having kept the air conditioning running – then we missed our departure slot, so we finally took off at 11.30 when I decided that it was past coffee time and had a bottle of wine instead to calm my nerves.

A little bit of advice, if you go to a really splendid village fete – at Trebaix for instance – and don’t get home until 4.30 am, give your ten o’clock Pilates class a miss and definitely don’t go to an eightieth birthday lunch – you’ll feel  absolutely awful, end up parting company with your lunch and crawling into bed at 4.30 in the afternoon !! 

We are still collecting clothes for the sale at Montcuq vide grenier, so get in touch if you have any.  Please, please, please, clean saleable clothes only !!

Oh yes, cats !!!  I’ve had lots of calls about cats and kittens and am sorry to say I can’t help you, but Lynn at Chats du Quercy will be happy to so please call her for ANY advice or information.   0563947397.

Finally, a very Happy Birthday to Pat and to Gabi who will both be joining me in the sixties this month !!

Love,

Sue x

July 2nd and is that the sun I see up there in a blue sky ????  Welcome back, lovely to see you, it’s been far too long !!!

I should have written this yesterday but have to admit to being glued to the television for Wimbledon.  Poor Laura, she so nearly made it and well done Andy.  Also well done Sabine Lsicki (spelling ?), the German girl who put out Serena.  What I really love about Lsicki is that she actually SMILES during a match !  All the other players are so, so serious, well of course it is serious for them; but how lovely to see someone who looks as if she is actually enjoying playing.  Takes me back to the good old Chris Evert, Martina, Connors and McEnroe days.  Well perhaps McEnroe didn’t smile too much but he was entertaining and he has turned into a really great person and an excellent commentator.

Very remiss of me last month not to mention friends Pat Lockett and Pat Norton-Angus who organised a  second hand designer clothes sale for Poorpaws.  We netted 300 euros and the dogs are eating again.  Joke !  Thank you so much Pat and Pat, I look forward to the Autumn sale now.

On the subject of clothes, it is time to sort out all your clothes ready for the Poorpaws second hand clothes sale at the Montcuq vide grenier at the end of August.  We always have a great selection of clothing and hope we will do so again this year.  You may not have yet put your winter woolies away and as you have been wearing them for longer than usual this year, you are probably fed up with them, so send them our way.  You’ll only have time to wear your new Summer stuff, so we might as well take the old off your hands !  Clothes can be delivered to me at Montaigu de Quercy market on a Saturday morning (warn me first to make sure I have room in the car), or to me here in St. Pantaleon, or we will be happy to collect – so long as you are not in Paris !!  Please, no underwear or paint spattered t-shirts.  We sell clean, rewearable clothes and any not sold will go to Emmaus.

A couple of R.I.P’s this month.  Our dear old black Lab Sukie developed an inoperable tumour and went over the rainbow a couple of weeks ago.  Sukie came to us about five years ago (then called Sikie if you ever did !) from a horrid git who gave me a cock and bull sob story, which I believed, promising to come and walk her regularly, bring us vegetables from his garden and regular payments.  I should have seen the pigs flying by, we had two donations of 20 euros and from then on all we heard was stories he was spreading about me saying he had given me 200 euros to take Sukie !!!  She was happier with us and turned from an ailing old girl with hardly any fur, to a fine and dandy elderly lady who lived into her 15th year.  Sleep tight sweetie and I forgive you (almost) for the cat !!

Then there was Dylan.  I never met Dylan but his owner told me all about him when she got in touch after finding a stray.  Michelle said she couldn’t possibly keep the stray (happily his owner was found) as Dylan just DID NOT accept newcomers.  He was one lucky dog who  would have spent a very long time in a refuge and probably PTS for being unhomeable.  A category cross dog who was totally unsociable and scary I hope he appreciated how Michelle put her life on hold for him.  The story I love is the one where Michelle was advised to get a dog behaviourist to visit Dylan and give advice how to handle and socialise him.  The guy went in, put Dylan down on his back straight away and tickled his tummy.  Then he stood up and said “see we are friends”.  That’s when Dylan bit him.  I’m not sure if it was the indignity of being put on his back or just teaching the guy a lesson.  Anyway Dylan spent his life in a wonderul park and being walked very carefully by Michelle.  Old age was the only thing that got the better of him.  I hope you’re happy Dylan and be nice to Sukie, she has been known to get annoyed too !!

Regulars to the Poorpaws website will know that I have a tendance to rant and rave sometimes.  Well, here comes one.  Leeanne and Mike who run Twilight Retirement Home are just about the kindest people I know – in fact I think it’s because their hearts are so big that we haven’t seen the sun much lately !  Leeanne and Mike, not in the best of health themselves are totally selfless devoting all their time and money to looking after the canine oldies.  So when I hear of people criticising them for taking a much deserved break thanks to the generosity of Mum, it makes me want to hit someone.  Leeanne won’t tell me who the person is but if by any chance he or she is reading this,  know that I consider you a total shite.

On a brighter side, as I said in last month’s news, I’m back working at the Auberge de la Tour in Sauzet for the Summer and wow, what a difference !!  I can confirm that new owners are lovely.  Friendly and welcoming to customers – we’re not used to that at the auberge ! – and the food is great, much better than before.  So do come along without fear , I really want them to do well, they deserve it.  If you want to avoid me I work Saturday evenings, and Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday lunchtimes and evenings.

So, dogs !  Quite a few adoptions and great news that the owners of Dixie and Koko have decided they can’t bear to be parted from them, move to a smaller house in UK or not.  I couldn’t be happier.  Lots of lovely very needy dogs on the Adoptions page, I’d love Ivor to find a new home very soon, he is bored with the old ones here and needs a younger playmate, he’s a super boy.  Take a look at the Adoptions even if you don’t think you want a dog now and look at the ‘Dog’s Will’, if it doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, as I’ve said before, you probably need help !!!

Back to the tennis now, have a great July,

Sue x

Our lovely neighbours Paul and Wynn took this fantastic photo of our place under the rainbow.  We just love it and I thought I’d change my name to Dorothy !  One very close ‘friend’ thought perhaps Wicked Witch of the West !!!  This absolutely ghastly weather has produced some beautiful skies and rainbows but I think we are all agreed that a bit of sunshine wouldn’t go amiss.  I don’t even want to think about the fact that the days start getting shorter in about three weeks time !!!

As expected, it was tears before bedtime when we left Holly at her new home.  We spent a lovely evening with the Motillon family who threw a barbecue in Holly’s honour.  Houston and Hector two previous Poorpaws were rather overwhelmed at first when the whirlwind that is Holly swept in and was immediately crouching before them saying “come on let’s play NOW” and very soon the three of them were charging around having the best of time.  Every now and then Holly would come over to me, place her head on my knees to tell me what a fab time she was having and why was I crying ?!  She was taken into the house whilst we left and I cried all the way home.  We were invited back before the end of our holiday but I thought it best to let her get on with her new lovely owner Pierrick rather than confuse her – and upset me again !!  But it is better for her to be there having fun with young folk and young dogs.  She has charmed her way into everyone’s heart – even the mother-in-law who doesn’t like dogs lets her into her room for a cuddle.   An older dog who lives there (this is an extended family !) and who doesn’t take to other dogs, is completely under her spell and Hector and Houston who refused to bark when strangers arrived were astonished when Holly took command and, refusing to be outdone by a girl, are now doing a fantastic warning system job alongside her.  So be happy my baby and I’ll see you hopefully in September.

Of course other things have happened this month !!  The little Yorkie (dog, not bar !) was very quickly homed and hasn’t stopped dancing yet, Lola too and Hayley and Xena will very shortly be off to greener grass.

I would just like to mention that there are several dogs on the website who have been there for ages and who are still looking for homes.  these are Java, Lovely Chap and Sugar, all three still at the refuge les Oublies de Saint Beart at Castelsarrasin.  So please spare a thought for them, they have been waiting sooooooooooo long.  In fact this weekend 1/2/June there is a two day Open House at the refuge so why no go along to see if you can’t offer a home to a new pal ?  To find the refuge look for the signs to the Dechetterie and the refuge is next door.

Sometimes when people call enquiring about a dog, they almost with embarrassment, say that they already have a dog “from the opposition”.  This means they have adopted from Pheonix, or Hope or Carcassonne or any one of the, thankfully, many refuges there are around now.  I would just like to say that there is no competition between refuges, any dog homed is a success for all of us whoever signs the paperwork.  Proof of this could have been seen at at the Dolce Vita restaurant in Villeréal on the 28th May when Sheelagh of Pheonix and I had a wonderful lunch, a great laugh and a few tears (Sheelagh, like me is a huge cry-baby).  It was so lovely to see her again after a couple of years when we never seemed to be able to co-ordinate dates.  I took my little 93 year old friend too and she can’t wait for next time !

I started back at work last Sunday and the new owners of the Auberge seem very nice to work with – and the food is better too !!  I start properly on the 15th June to the 15th Septmber, by which time I’ll be ready for another week away !!

Lets hope that in the next newsletter I’ll be complaining about the hot weather !!!

Sue x

Oops, a bit late this month, this week has been hectic.  Or perhaps I was putting it off because there isn’t too much good news.

Max, who I told you about last month, sadly only had a very short stay at Twilight.  But at least he ended his days surrounded by the love and warmth that only Leeanne and Mike know how to give.  I was criticised for taking Max away from the refuge where he had been for twelve years, some said he should have been left in an environment he knew.  Well I’m sorry, I’m the first to say that dogs shouldn’t be treated like humans and should stay in their ‘doggy place’ but I believe that Max deserved to feel grass under his feet and a warm cosy bed indoors.  Also, my friend Didi says that dogs have no notion of time, so hopefully Max will have left thinking he had always been in the paradise for dogs that is Twilight.

Then there is the story of poor Raspberry and Widdle.  Very many people helped in finding these two a foster home (Didi again was involved) down south.  Their poor distraught owner had to be scraped off the floor when she left them.  Sadly it has been found that little Widdle seems to have something seriously wrong with him, perhaps even a broken neck.  His owner had suspected something for a long time but TWO vets had told her there wasn’t a problem.  He will see a specialist vet and a decision will be made.  We cannot leave him to live in pain at such a young age – well, at any age of course.  Raspberry is still looking for a home.

I would here like to mention a great organisation called chienicietailleurs.  These are the people who came to our aid for Raspberry and Widdle.  They do a great job rescuing dogs from all over, including the Ile de Reunion such terrible things are done to stray dogs that I can’t even bear to type it.  Do look at their website to see the lovely dogs they have seeking homes.

I fear I may be the one being scraped off the floor when I take Holly down to the lovely Motillon family, who already adopted Houston and Hector.  This is one beautiful dog who has stolen my heart.  I would only part with her to a spcial family and, luckily, the Motillons tick all the boxes.  Mind you, Holly is missing out on a holiday in the Pyrenees !  Our friends and neighbours who were going to look after her whilst we are on holiday were going to take her and their dog, Oscar, ( also a Poorpaws) to the mountains for a couple of days.  Sorry babe !

So yes, Ernst and I are off down to Cap d’Ail for a week and I can’t wait, maybe there will be that strange thing there called “sunshine”.  We normally go in October after I have finished work for the season, but as I’m not working yet, and our friends couldn’t make October this year,  we decided to go earlier.  Instead, I’m starting work when I get back !!  The new owners of the Auberge where I worked for eight years, have asked me to go back for June, July and August.  Only part time, but it’s something .

So that’s about it for now, if I think of anything else I’ll add it on.  Oh yes, knew there was something.  Please be careful when buying squeaky toys for your dogs.  To dogs it is something in distress and risks betraying the whereabouts of ‘the pack’ and should be destroyed.  I had the experience once when walking our dogs, our little Bichon, Piglet, hurt her paw and squealed in pain.  Immediately the other dogs who knew and loved her, turned on her and I only just avoided a ghastly situation.  If you have young children they may have squeaky toys so I don’t need to point out the obvious dangers.  Please remove the ‘squeaks’ !!

Slapper Gania’s pups are on the adoption page and we think we’re pointing the parental father finger at Marius the Beagle !!

Back in June when I’ll be back at work, so the sun is bound to shine !!

Love,

Sue

It didn’t just rain. It poured. It tipped it down. It chucked buckets. Plus, for good measure there were periodic gusty wind attacks. But, were we downhearted ? No ! Nor were you. You pulled on wellies, dived into mackintoshes and rammed everything from rainhats to plastic bags on your heads and made our Easter Barn Book Sale the Very Best Ever !!!!! We are still very tiny compared to the Pheonix and Hope booksales so I will leave adjectives like ‘Bonster’ and ‘Bumper’ to them, but by golly you did us proud. We raised 1,330 euros which will be split between cancer research and Poorpaws, plus various dog rescue organisations. Thank you, thank you and thank you again.

We were really happy to see two Previous Poorpaws, the simply gorgeous Harper who is living up to all my expectations and who is the delight of his owners who don’t for one minute regret taking a boy instead of a girl. Then our ‘walnut chomper’ Polly who was in ‘no photos please’ mode ! Polly has lost seven kilos – and so has her proud owner. Well done both !!

Dog rescue can be very disheartening at times but every now and then there is a story which raises your hopes. Such is the story of Max. An eagle-eyed dog rescue supporter surfing rescue websites, noticed that Max had been in the refuge at Digne for TWELVE years. Yes, TWELVE. The word was immediately out, Max was in his dotage, deaf, practically blind and several people were determined that he should not end his days in the refuge. The angels, otherwise known as Leeanne and Mike, at Twilight said that they would take him just as soon as a place became available and could someone else take him meantime. My beloved Houston and Hector were off to a forever home which meant I had a park free and meant that Max would transfer from a town refuge to a smaller one where he would have the company of other dogs and the freedom of a garden, so the transfer of lifestyle would not been too traumatic. But, how to get him from Dignes ? Ernst and I were on our way to the Cote d’Azur for a family event and taking Hector and Houston to their new home. Great Poorpaws supporters Didi and Jean François who live down there, offered to make the trop to Dignes and pick up Max so we could take him back. With great foresight they picked him up a few days earlier which was lucky as the road was closed after a landslide the day they were due to go. (See ? Max really was meant to get out of there !). We brought Max home with us but it was obvious that he was very doddery and that he would stress in a park hearing other unfamiliar dogs barking and not being able to see them. So, our old German Shepherd, Rik, was ousted from his bedroom in our mobile home and we made Max a home there. The first evening he got lost in our large garden and I was running around with a torch only to find him stuck behind the wood pile. Max doesn’t ‘do’ reverse !! He regularly got stuck underneath chairs and half way in and out of the dog flap, just standing patiently, waiting to be released.

Luckily for Max, but sadly for Twilight who mourn every death, a space became available and I took Max to Montayral to meet up with Paul who was going up to Twilight. I was sad to see him go (Rik was delighted !) but just know that Twilight is the best place for him. Leeanne sends regular updates and he has settled in well, as you can see. Max will end his days knowing great love, warmth and comfort. Bless you Twilight.

So what has been happening here ? Well, I finally receive dole money (yeah !) but find that getting another job is proving much more difficult than I imagined. Possibly because I am older now !! Still, I seem to be busy all the time and look forward to the time when I don’t need to look for a job !!

On the dog front there is good, bad and unexpected news !! We’ve had a couple of ‘returns’ where dogs who behaved jolly well with Danielle have been such rascals in their new homes that they have come back. My beloved Houston and Hector are having a great life on the Cote d’Azur as is Hinza who is living in Monte Carlo – get her !! The unexpected ? Well, remember three legged Gania ? The little slapper presented her new owners with six puppies last week. We were mortified and are still trying to work out who the daddy is. Gus, the Jack Russell ? Marius the Beagle ? Time will tell. Never mind, in two months time there will be six beautiful pups looking for homes !

I need to remind you that dogs are not allowed to roam off lead in woods and forests from 15th April to 30th June.  This is because the wildlife will be having their young and therefore will be vulnerable.  If you think that is all twaddle, imagine being eight months pregnant and having to run for your life from a predator .  Hmm, not so silly after all is it ?!!!   Please, please go along with this and keep your dogs on leads.  We love living in the country and are lucky to do so, therefore we should abide by the rules.

Have a great April – you never know, the sun might shine !!

Love,

Sue x

Note added 28.03.