August 2012

August and the heat is on – at last !!  After a rotten start to Summer, dare we think that we are now on the way.  Temperatures up in the 30’s and don’t let me hear anyone complaining !! As each year, let me make a plea to you all;  go to all the wonderful Summer Markets and Fetes but PLEASE leave your dogs at home in the cool.  I know a lot of you believe your dogs must be with you all the time and credit to you for that, but really being dragged round all the festivities in the heat is no fun for them at all.  I sometimes see people at Montaigu market with dogs and whilst the owners stop to have chats with friends enjoying the sunshine, the poor dogs are panting in the heat and look very miserable.

July was like the parson’s egg – good in parts.  Foxie, Helia, Guapa and Dolce, Venard, an Aussie pup, Fashion and Newak all found lovely homes or lovely homes to go to very soon.

So, the bad bit ?  My lovely Duffy.  Remember she went off to a new life in the UK ?   Very sadly, although her new owner loved her to pieces,  Duffy became very nervous when grandchildren came to stay and it obviously became a ‘them or her’ situation.  Of course there was no contest (there would have been if it had been me !) and poor Duffy lost.  It has made me so sad to think of her confused and wondering what on earth is happening but wonderful Tiffany has found her what seems like an ideal temporary home, which, hopefully, will become permanent.  If not,  Duffy will come back to Poorpaws to be welcomed with open arms/paws thinking she has just been on holiday.

Can I put in an extra word for TINA ?  It is my aim in life now to find this wonderful dog a new home.  Her sterilisation and exit costs will be covered by a wellTinawisher.

Many of you know that I work in a small hotel restaurant which is very hard in the Summer with 11 hour days being the norm.  So, a few hints on how to be a good restaurant customer ?  ALWAYS,  ALWAYS wherever possible book your table ahead, don’t just turn up expecting to find places.  If you do this, your waitress (who could be me !) will welcome you  with a smile, but inside she will HATE you!!  There is a reason for this.  After lunch, restaurant owners will look at the bookings and decide, depending on the number of reservations, how many staff are needed for the next shift.  So, if as happens nearly every day now, there are, say, 15 reservations, only two of us will be asked to work.  Then if masses more turn up the two working have a very difficult time.  New tables have to be set up, people who have reserved have to wait, the chef gets in a foul temper as orders are taking too long and dishes not getting out quickly enough.  Also, if you haven’t reserved, please don’t expect to get your order taken before others who have.  Unbelievably, I have had (unreserved) people walk out on me because their orders weren’t taken within a minute of them sitting down and don’t even get me started on the family of 15, yes 15 (!!) who turned up on a very busy evening without booking, then before their bottoms had hit the seats, started giving me drink orders and were surprised that we weren’t delighted to see them.  Obviously we always set up a few extra tables but when you get large unexpected groups coming in it is difficult to keep a smile on the face when you are thinking very impolite thoughts !  A final thing, tipping !!  Tips are NOT included in your bill and if nothing is left on the table waiters/waitresses don’t get anything.  If they are added to the credit card payment – which is not allowed at our place as it messes up accounting – again, we don’t get them.  The British are the best tippers so we love you.  To be remembered as a valued customer, leave a tip, it doesn’t have to be huge (although if you want to ……..!), it’s the thought that counts.  To those who say “keep the change” then we find out that said ‘change’ is 10 cents, I feel like telling them to keep it !!  At our place we waitresses have to do all the washing up and cleaning before we go home, so we have at least an hour’s more work after clients have left.  We have a saying before each service  “venez, mangez et degager!” ( “come, eat and bugger off”), then we get into the swing of the evening and usually have a laugh and a giggle too.

As every August, Poorpaws will have a second hand clothes stall at the Montcuq Vide Grenier on Sunday the 26th August.  We have now got a great reputation for selling excellent second hand clothes at amazingly low prices.  So, come and see us. Don’t forget, if there aren’t any dogs who tickle your fancy on our website, PLEASE go to peek at dogrescuecarcassonne (no worries about the distance, transport of dogs is no problem), refugecaninlotois  and dog-links.  If you feel a need to wash your eyes look at Twilightchien where Leeanne and Mike do a wonderful job and we love them for it.