Category: News

“Those of you who read last month’s Poorpaws news will remember that I told you that our dear Bella had died (she’s the one with floppy ears in the photo with me).  I had her cremated seperately and collected her ashes a couple of days ago.  During a quiet moment yesterday I decided to sprinkle her around the garden at the back of the house (which is in fact the part that fronts on to the road) where she loved to laze and keep an eye on what was going on on the hill opposite as well as going totally loopy whenever anyone arrived to visit.  I walked around shaking her ashes out and talking to her saying how we would always remember and love her and all the other slushy stuff one comes out with at times like that.  I was getting quite tearful until I turned round.  Unbeknown to me, Tiny the Terrible poodle had been following close behind and was covered head to paw in grey ashes !!  I couldn’t help laughing, Bella was not Tiny’s best friend (to put it mildly !) and it just seemed as though she was getting the last laugh.

I still have the ashes of the lovely Carrie who was cremated many months ago and keep promising myself that I WILL take her up to the hill where she spent so many happy hours running around (and I spent so many less happy hours looking for her !) but I just can’t seem to leave her up there on her own.  At home she was always in a large park, not running in the garden as she was a danger to cats and in fact did kill a kitten, so the garden doesn’t seem right either.  Mind you I suppose it would give the cats a chance to get their own back, they could pee on her!  So Carrie languishes in her urn until I make a decision.

June was not a ‘nul points’ month thank goodness.  Special Delphine has gone to a new home and news is that she is proving herself to be every bit as lovely as I said she is.  Be happy Delphine and let’s hope that this is, finally, a permanent happy home.
Greta is also off to a new home where she will have to learn Dutch.  A lovely couple came round to look at several dogs but Greta stole the show.  I just know she will be happy, Dutch people are great dog owners, not caring what a dog looks like (although Greta is, of course, a great beauty !), they just seem to look into the eyes to see the character.  They are also very responsible owners and I have never had a Dutch person wanting to abandon a dog.  (Oops, perhaps I shouldn’t tempt fate !)

Duffy, aaah Duffy, you with the eyes to break hearts at a blink !  It’s funny how things turn out sometimes.  Good friend Tiffany who did great stuff for dogs in France, has gone back to the UK and is setting up a network to rehome French hunting dogs in  England.  Hunting dogs – especially older ones – are not easy to home here and in the six months that she has been here I have not had a single enquiry for Duffy.  So Duffy is set to cross the channel in July.   Then a couple of weeks ago a very nice English couple saw Duffy’s photo on my stand at Montaigu market and were charmed.  They said they would love to give her a home but were only on holiday and due to return to England two days later.  Hah !  No problem says I, Duffy will be going there too.  And (I’m sure I was always told you shouldn’t start sentence with “and” !) it turns out that the people live in Dorset and Duffy would be going to Cornwall.  When I explained all this to Duffy, she immediately packed her bags and enrolled in a crash course in English – ‘food’ and ‘walk’ seems to be all she has learned so far.  I just know she’s going to leave without looking back and I’ll be the one soaking tissues.  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Duffy was also a star a couple of weeks ago.  Our vets rang to see if we had a largish dog we could take to Prayssac immediately to give blood to help another very sick dog.  Ernst rushed her up there and she took it all in her stride.  she can now add ’Life Saver’ to her cv.

If you didn’t come to our Piggy Roast evening, kick yourselves all round the room !  It was a great night.  Thanks to Amanda and Pat the meal was delicious – with such a fantastic veggie option that we had to stop people taking that too as portions were limited.  Blues Train were their usual great selves making it impossible to sit still, you just had to get up there and dance.  Some people wouldn’t come because of having poor piggy roasting on the spit.  As a vegetarian myself I have to admit to having reservations, but had we advertised a roast pork meal, cooked in the more conventional way, no-one would have complained.  If you can’t bear to see the animal cooking, you shouldn’t eat the meat anyway.  Just because you don’t normally see the animal cooking, doesn’t mean it just came by magic wrapped up ready to cook.  Had we advertised a vegetarian meal, I fear we wouldn’t have sold many tickets !!  The money hasn’t been counted yet but I know we’ll be making good donations to dog rescue associations and cancer research.  Thank you to everyone who contributed to making the evening a success.

Thanks also to Joyce at la Sirene in Montaigu.  They had a Jubilee Street Party and Poorpaws benefited from  raffle takings.  I know several people who were at the party and apparently it was a great event.  My 92 year old friend Lynne was quite miffed that one table won several raffle prizes.  Wouldn’t have happened  “in my day” “people were more thoughtful and if they’d already won one prize they’d put the second back” !!

Whilst I’m typing this I’m also watching Murray on court – he seems to have hit a sticky patch so I’d better give him some encouragement.  Wimbledon is great this year, the kings are having a tough time hanging on to their crowns !!

Have a great July !

Sue x

PS.  Don’t forget that if you don’t see the dog of your dreams here on our adoption page, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE go to the Cahors Refuge website – refugecaninlotois – and to the Carcassone Refuge site – dogrescuecarcassonne  – where so very many dogs are looking for homes.  In fact both refuges are faced with having to make very sad decisions if the numbers don’t go down.

Well, the total embarrassment of it all !  ‘Nul Points’ for Poorpaws last month – not a single adoption !!  I don’t think that’s ever happened before.  Greta had two close calls but nothing came of them (so far).  Come on, let’s “could do better” for June.

Whoa, hey !  What happened there ??!  I was so looking forward to our few days on Ile de Ré when no sooner had we set off in the car, than it turned into a time machine, kranked forward four days and there we were coming home again !!  Oh but it was lovely.  We took everything the weather could chuck at us, torrential rain, gale force winds and periods of fabulous sunshine long enough to have nice a walk every day.  As I said last month, there is a distinct difference between being in a nice dry house in bad weather, and being in a leaky mobile home.  Sitting by the window in the little house with a good book on my lap (After you’d gone by Maggie O’Farrell) watching the rain lash down was extremely pleasant.  When I first came to France I lived by the sea for many years and didn’t think I would miss it when we moved to the country, but there is something about the salty smell of sea air.

April and I know I should be hoping for rain but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Rain is great when you are in a nice dry house with a cup of tea looking out at your recently planted flora drinking it in but when you live on a building site in a delapidated mobile home with 17 dogs and 20 cats around, it’s a different story. However much time you spend wiping surfaces down they are immediately covered in William Morris Paw de Chat print. I have to wear waterproof trousers to get down to the car otherwise I’m covered in the later design of Paws de Dog sizes various !

Mea culpa time !!  I’m always banging on about getting your dogs sterilised.  Even if you say your dogs never go out without you, there is always the possibility of a second’s moment of inattention and there you go, more puppies who risk ending up in the Lot or a dustbin.  Well, we have Fargo, a huge Ariegois dog, who is so frightened of everything that it was considered putting him to sleep as he would have no quality of life.  I said I would give him a try here, he could just live his own life in the safety of a park and large garden and no-one would bother him.  He isn’t aggressive you understand, just terribly terribly nervous.  Well, after six months I can just about touch him but only when he knows I am going to open the park and let him run in the garden.  The other day when bringing the other dogs home from a walk, I had that “moment of inattention” and Fargo was out into the big wide world.  I hadn’t had him neutered as I didn’t want to put him through the stress of a visit to the vet.  SILLY, SILLY ME !!  I spent an anxious day at work imagining him battling with other males in order to impregnate some poor female – it’s ‘season’ time and there are hundreds around.  All the other dogs were shut up in parks, the back gate left open, Ernst was asked to keep an eye out and to close the gate as soon as Fargo came home.  I got back in the afternoon to find Fargo happily playing in the garden.  Phew !  Then a SFB moment (I can’t possibly write that in full), the back gate was still open.  I charged up to it and did an Ally McBeal flying leap to close it before Fargo realised he could get out again.  I turned round to see him looking at me a sort of bemused “duurrhh, been there, seen it, dunnnit, got the t-shirt” look on his face.  For those of you who are interested, Ernst had been so involved in putting in windows (yeah !!) he hadn’t even realised Fargo was back!

I get the last laugh, Fargo is off to the vet next week and will come home missing two little pieces of his anatomy !!

March !  No, not an order, just a statement !  2012 is really getting into gear now so come on in the weather’s lovely !

WARNING !! I have heard from Ann who adopted the lovely scruffy Mojo from Cahors refuge last year.  They had a nasty scare when Mojo started violently trembling and they thought he was fitting.  A mad dash to the vet where they found out they he had eaten poison.  The vet said that farmers are putting slug pellets down when they fertilise so it is easy for a dog to get the poison on their paws or drink it if the pellet has been rained into a puddle.  So, if your dogs shows any symptoms,  get him/her to the vet directly, any delay could prove fatal.

Well thank goodness for that.  January is over for another year.  Don’t you just hate January ?  Well I suppose those of you with birthdays in that month quite like it, but for me it is just a no-money-after-Christmas, bill-laden, long stepping stone to February.  I often think that it would be much better to start the year with February, a nice little short month which would get us on our way and prepare us for January after that.  Of course this year there is the excitement of having the 29th February and I will propose to Ernst just for the hell of it.  Of course he will say no – thank goodness as he is German and I really don’t want to be a ‘Frau’ !!

Well, here we go again, another New Year.  Here’s hoping you all have a good one and give in to the desire to adopt more dogs !!

Well, would you believe it, December has crept up behind me so quietly I didn’t realise we are already in THAT month, the ‘C’ month !

And an angel came unto Poorpaws and the angel’s name was Sophie. And Sophie looked at all the dogs and laid eyes on Gumbo.  And Sophie saw that Gumbo was good (despite his broken leg and damaged hip).  And Sophie picked up Gumbo (and his veterinary bills) and took him home.  And Sophie was happy and Gumbo was very happy and repaid Sophie by peeing and crapping all over her home.  BUT Jean-Francois was NOT happy and said unto Sophie “either the dog goeth or I goeth”.  Silly Jean-Francois.  And Sophie helped Jean-Francois pack his bags and move into the shed.

The October update is a bit early because………..on the 1st October……………….I’m going for a week……….ON  HOLIDAY !!!!!!  I can’t wait, our annual week with friends at Ernst’s sister’s house on the Cote d’Azur spent playing cards, reading, sleeping, eating, drinking and generally putting the world to rights.  Don’t worry about our dogs  they will all be tied to trees for safety with enough food and water (hopefully !) for one week. Nah, only kidding, some will be going on their hols to friend Danielle and the rest will stay here to be cared for by friend Virginie and spoilt, treated and cuddled by June.

A very weird month August has been – 40° one day and boots and brolly the next !  It is much easier to keep dogs warm in the cold than it is to keep them cool in the heat.  Here we have kiddies’ plastic sandpits filled with cold water in the garden and in dog parks but have to say that they seem to drink the water rather than paddle, except for Rik the ancient huge German Shepherd who wallows like a hippo just keeping his nose above water.  Our old Brittany Spaniel, Max, suffers in the hot weather so I make sure he has a comfy bed on a cotton sheet in the shade of a tree with water close by.  But is he thankful ?  Nope !  He drags himself back into the mobile home where the temperature is unbearable and lays panting !!

For those of you who may be rather confused, that was July, honestly, not March or November, but what a stinker ! August seems to be better but shhhh, don’t say it too loud !!

We are happy to tell you that Titou has now left his lonely life at the farmhouse, is living the life of Riley with Jill in Montcuq and, as I speak, is packing his case ready for a holiday in Switzerland. Fifi has been rehomed and Sissi will be on her way up North at the end of a month. So, all in all July was a good month for the oldies !

Someone (Mark Twain ?) once said “news of my death is premature”, well for those of you who have heard the rumours, news of my retirement is premature. It is partly true though. We have 15 dogs here at Poorpaws who because of age and/or behaviour problems will never be adopted and I have decided that I really cannot take any more in.
I work long busy hours at the hotel to fund the dogs (and 25 cats) and am finding it all very tiring now – can it be that I am getting old ?!!! Also the hotel is up for sale and if it is not sold by November will be closing anyway so I may well be without a job very soon. However, I will continue to be heavily involved in dog rehoming, the website will stay as an adoption board to put dogs and adopters in contact with each other and the Poorpaws news will continue. Fund raising events will continue in aid of other rescue centres as will the card stall at Montaigu market and the English library, and I hope that the name Poorpaws will still be a focal point for helping dogs in need.

One bit of great news is that the UK is coming into line with other european countries and as from the 1st January 2012 dogs will no longer require passports to go back to Great Britain. No more blood tests or 24/48 hour tick and flea treatments. Your dogs only need to have a valid rabies vaccination of at least three weeks. We are so hoping this will reduce the number of dogs abandoned by Brits leaving France.

On 28th August Poorpaws will be manning its’ usual second hand clothes store at the Montcuq Vide Grenier, so if you have any little numbers you don’t wear any more or any Manola Blahniks that are soooooo passé, send them our way ! Seriously all good condition clothes gratefully accepted.

That’s about it for now – don’t even get me going on the couple of Brits going back to UK but leaving their cat, who they have stopped feeding, behind so that she can “learn to fend for herself”.

Sue x

Oh, by the way, it’s that time of year again, fetes, festivals, vide greniers and marchés.  Go and have a great time, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, leave your dogs at home in the cool.  Fun for humans, those festivities are pure misery for dogs being dragged around the crowds in the heat.  Much better to go alone and be free knowing that your faithful friend is happy at home dozing in the cool.  Under no circumstances leave them in the car even with windows open, the sun moves round surprisingly quickly.

Phew, well that’s over for another year !  The TV has had its’ annual airing, has now been unplugged and I’m trying to get back to normal life after trying to fit in work and ‘playing’ every match at Wimbledon that I could.  I feel quite bereft now !

June was a sad little month for us here, two of our beautiful puppies caught a ghastly gastro virus and sadly didn’t make it.  Then two of our oldest residents had to be put to sleep.  Fabus, one of the very first dogs taken in, was a scruffy little so and so.  He came to us after his owner died and after he had run away from two new homes – to go and sit in front of the café where he used to go with his master !  He ran away from us once but couldn’t find a bar so came back and never left us after that.  Every morning he would branch off from our walk and go to our lovely neighbours Pat and Tony.  He would walk in the back door, eat the breakfast kindly given to him, then out the front door without so much as a thank you !  Pat and Tony miss him but our Max is taking over – happily he is more polite and at least permits a pat and stroke before he comes home.  Fabus came to us at 12 years and was 17 when a series of nasty fits eventually left him in a very sad state and the decision had to be taken for him to be at peace.

A very, very dear, sadly departed, friend always said “no good deed goes unpunished”.  Sadly I often find this to be true but never more so than last Sunday !  Following the death of someone in the village we felt duty bound to take on his elderly German Shepherd dog.  Uncastrated and normally I would have got him ‘done’ but due to his age and possible heart condition I didn’t.  Then I had a call from a lady saying she had gone on holiday, left her little dog tied up in the garden and would I go and get him and look after him until she came home !  I was in fact in UK for the weekend so the poor thing was tied up for two days.  At first all went well, the GS was fine with all the other dogs and cats, then he took against the other little dog (also not castrated).  To cut a long (boring) story short the GS finally went for the little one in a nasty way.  He had him in his mouth and was shaking and shaking him.  I was screaming and trying to get the poor thing free but as old as he is the GS is very strong.  The little dog had his head thrown back, also screaming, then he saw something to bite.  And he bit.  Don’t blame him.  Only thing was, what he saw was my leg.  Luckily Ernst heard all the noise, ran over and delivered a swift hard punch to the GS’s nose.  Little Caramel was dropped and scurried away, thank goodness only bruised.  He has since spent most of his time in our bedroom coming out cautiously to pee.  The GS is in solitary until the guy’s family find a solution.  As for me, well I have the mother and father of bruises plus a nice little row of teeth marks.  It was flipping Mothers’ Day too, so no chance of staying off work – in fact I had to do a 12 hour shift !  Got to the Doctor, finally, who said that the leg won’t have to be amputated (bummer, could have given up work !).

May already and only a month to go before I can leave my socks and vest off !! Mum always said “cast ne’er a clout ’til May is out”, but I can tell you with the weather we’ve been having I’m tempted to dare to disobey !!

Many of you have asked how little Gypsey is. Well, she is just great ! She recovered fully, is now Lola and is happily eating her way through her new home when not at art classes !!!

Toto went to a great new home and has slotted herself into the pecking order – near the top ! – of her new four-legged pals. Her adoption also gave me another opportunity to go up to the Vienne so I was very happy ! Geordie had lots of enquiries all of a sudden and has gone to Albi where he has six, yes SIX, children to play with.

Soapbox time again ! I have said time and time again that shit happens, we all know that and when I get people calling desperate for help rehoming dogs because they “have to go back to UK and never thought we would” or seeking kennelling facilities for a couple of months, I will do what I can to help even if I can’t understand why the problem has not been faced earlier instead of leaving things to the last minute. However, I’m soon going to stop trying to help. Time after time, Danielle (the voluntary SPA Inspector I work very closely with) puts herself out and reserves places for such dogs only to find, that despite promises made, no dog arrives and when we make enquiries we are told that “other arrangements have been made”. OK, but why are we not told, surely it is just common courtesy. Another increasingly regular problem is people leaving dogs and never coming back for them. One horrid snivelling confidence trickster swore to me several times during the course of calls to UK (at my expense !) that ” a friend was on his way from Paris with backdated kennel fees and a large donation”. Well, even if the friend was crawling backwards blindfolded from Paris he would have been here by now. Then there was Mrs. G who was desperate for us to look after Vinny – or was it Bonny, she couldn’t remember ! She even said she couldn’t understand how people messed us about when I was cautious about agreeing to help. Guess what, the time for Vinny (or Bonny, who gives a toss now ?!) to arrive and……………..silence ! Not even the good manners to get in touch.

Now it has happened again ! A lady desperate for us to take lovely Archie (see adoptions page) for the winter, promised she would be back in April. She didn’t have a French chequebook (should have been a clue Susan, should have been a clue !) so it was arranged that Poorpaws would pay the monthly kennel and feed bill and the ‘lady’ would pay the equivalent in Sterling into a Building Society account in England. All went well at first then the emails stopped. I recently checked my account and, surprise, surprise, no payment has been made since January and all emails are ignored. I work in a restaurant to fund Poorpaws and 100 euros a month is not peanuts for me ! So Mrs. P where are you ?! What is so difficult about emailing me to say there is a problem ?
It’s just pigging rude. Do you know it is illegal to abandon a dog in France ?

Now then, lets get on to happy news ! The Book Sale went well. In a way I think the rainy weather helped as you weren’t able to lounge or work in your gardens !! Don’t forget the Saturday Night Fever evening on June 11th and get in touch to reserve places – it’s getting closer !

Anyone looking to adopt a cat, take a look at Matthew – please !!

Have a wonderful Maytime, see you in June by which time I will have been to my first ever class reunion – we’re all over 60 now, how did that happen ??!!

PS.  Since the above newsletter ‘went to press’ I have heard from Mrs. G.  Apparently the email cancelling the kennel booking must have got lost and is floating around in cyberspace somewhere, together with my emails asking for news.  So that’s one puzzle solved and apologies offered. (Sometimes I think I’d like to float around in cyberspace for a while – and if I keep upsetting people like I am at the moment, the floating may start sooner than anticipated !)  Still waiting for the chap from Paris though …………………….. !



OK get your kleenex out because I’m going to tell you a sad story !  See this little angel here, Gypsy ?  Well she and her brother, both barely two months old, were found at the bottom of a ditch.  They came to Poorpaws and were immediately taken to the vet for a pre-distemper prevention vaccination.  Galpin, the little boy (who is now Ozzie) was fine and is growing well and healthily in his new home.  Sadly little Gypsy must have already had distemper in her and has been so, so poorly.  She spent a week in the vets on a drip and  I was convinced she would die. I had to go away for a couple of days and took her with me so that she wouldn’t die alone.  She had a horrible fit one afternoon and I was convinced that was it and begged her to just ‘go to sleep’.  I even considered looking for a vet in the area to help her on her way.  However, she obviously had other ideas and hung on in there.  She started to eat again and perked up ……….a bit.  One week on she is eating normally but is still weak and instead of running around like any other puppy, she walks like an old lady.  The vet thinks the virus has caused brain damage so she will probably never be ‘normal’ but hey, she’s here, she’s a darling and one more nutter in the madhouse makes no difference !!

Other Poorpaws babes have been luckier !  Toby’s owners decided they couldn’t part with him after all (phew), Sultan went off to a great home with Libby and Craig and instantly acquired four new brothers and sisters – last news was that Sultan is the best behaved of them all !

Well February was a Very Busy Month !!  So much so that I’m wondering how I ever had time to go to work before my accident.  I’m very soon going to find out as I start back tomorrow and it’s going to be very difficult after three months of being with the dogs all the time.

This month Mimi had a haircut and found a great new home, Moss found another person to love,  Xena struck lucky and Mia is now at Poorpaws where she is fast losing her timidity and enjoying her new life to the full.

I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days in the Vienne – I love that department – when I took Babouchka and Titi to new homes.  I stayed with my penpal from 300 years ago and we talked the hind legs off very many donkeys.  Babouchka said thank you to her new owner by presenting him with a neighbour’s chicken on the first morning ! Neither Babouchka’s new owner nor the chicken’s owner seemed very put out by the event but I told them that if it happened again they should tie the dead chick round Babouchka’s neck for a day.  That should make her think twice before doing it again.

As for Titi, well, I was an absolute mess !  This boy had come to Poorpaws a nervous wreck and very quickly became my little loving shadow.  As his lovely new owner led him away he turned and gave me such a look, then they drove by with his little face pressed up against the window as if to say “why ? what have I done ?”  I blubbed all the way home and yet again wondered why I put myself through this !!!

On the way home I stopped off at Bellac where I picked up another Mimi and made new friends.  Mimi was adopted within two days and went off for a week to her new owners.  She came back yesterday as they were going on holiday.  We went for a walk and the moo-bag ran off.  Can you imagine telling people that you have lost their dog ??!!!  I didn’t sleep and was rehearsing my “I don’t know how to tell you this….” speech when I got a call to say she had been found three kilometres away (nb.,  ALWAYS put your telephone number on your dog’s collar !).  Great relief, but she cost me a bottle of champagne !  She is now handcuffed and shackled to a post in the garden ! No, not really, but she probably wishes she was as I haven’t let her out of my sight since, even taking her to a charity committee meeting this afternoon !!

Don’t forget the Barn Book Sale on Easter Saturday at Beliben.  Let me know if you have books to donate or bring them along on the day.

Now, have a look for your new friend and if you don’t find him/her check out the other adoption centres under Links.

February already and we are having some wonderful, wonderful weather, really makes one believe that Spring will actually arrive. (Sorry if it’s not the same where you are !)

‘Adoptions are doing quite well, Danielle’s girls and puppies have gone to new homes and after being at Poorpaws for several months Fulham has immediately followed his brother, going to a new home very soon.  Coincidentally, also to camping car fanatics!  Luckily Fulham doesn’t seem to have the car sickness problem that Fuller had.

Great news that Poppy the spaniel has been found.  The poor thing had been living rough and was very happy to get back to comfort and love.

Our next Barn Book Sale will be on Easter Saturday at the same barn venue in Beliben  (just down the road from Sauzet in the Lot).  So, can I ask you to start reading as fast as you can and let us know if you have books to donate.  Please come along on the day to buy your summer reading and enjoy tea, coffee and delicious cakes – none made by me, promise

We also would love audio books, dvd’s and cd’s, but no videos, sorry, they just don’t sell.

Thank you to those who have enquired about my wrist !  The pins are out thank goodness, it was getting very ‘ouch’ as they had started to travel up the back of my hand !  It’s now down to physio in order to be able to go back to work in March.  Shame, I enjoy being at home and spending more time with the dogs.

Now, take a look at the adoptions page, there are some real sweeties, oh, and if any of you know the English guy who just dropped his dog off at the SPA  Carcassonne on his way to the airport to leave to live back in the UK, WITHOUT leaving the agreed donation, me and ‘de boyz’ would like to get in touch with him in a  “hands round the neck” sort of way.

2011 and Poorpaws is up and running into the New Year !

We hope you all had an enjoyable festive season and that 2011 will be good to you.  Thank you very much to all of you who sent us good wishes and thanks especially to the ex Poorpaws who sent their pocket money to buy treats for the less lucky dogs, you really are a super bunch !

Well that’s enough about you – how about me ……….?!  It was very kind of many of you to enquire  after my broken wrist.  I can report that it’s a real bummer !! You don’t realise how many things you need two hands for – luckily one of them is washing up !  I go back to hospital on the 14th to have an operation to have the pins taken out and I was praying for another overnight stay  but apparently I’ll be out in the afternoon !  Hopefully I’ll be able to go back to work quickly but as I work as a chambermaid / waitress it may be another month.  One-handed hotel workers are not much in demand !

So that’s enough about me too, lets talk dogs.  You will see that beautiful Pumpkin has found happiness, so has Filly (sniff, sniff) and Frannie is due to go to her new owner next week – God help him !!  All the others are keeping their paws crossed.
Don’t worry if you don’t live nearby, transport can be arranged where necessary.

More from me next month when, hopefully, I’ll be back to typing with both hands !

Regular visitors to this website will notice little changes to the set up. This is because my friend Joke (pronounced Yoca) is off on her travels so friend Colin is taking over. Thank you soooooooo much Joke for all your hard work over the years and prepare yourself Colin for taking on a computer ignoramus !!

So there I was, dear reader, lying on the operating table just about to go under the anesthetic when the nurse whipped the oxygen mask off my face and asked if I had a Berenese Mountain dog !! Honestly, I promise you !