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