Realise I haven’t given you any ‘Helpful Hints’ recently, so here is one for you. When making a date and walnut cake make sure lights are well bright in the kitchen to avoid cutting up sun dried tomatoes and adding them to your cake mixture. I can assure you, it is not easy to pick them out once the deed is done !
April has been, I think, the saddest and most catastrophic month of my Poorpaws life. All down to Yuno the troubled Border Colley. People who read about her on the adoptions page will know that I was sure she was not happy with us because of all the other dogs, so I was therefore delighted when Dee called from Charente to say that she had a space in her home and heart since Jackson had died. So, I drove up to Charente on the Sunday and all went well. Yuno was all waggy tail and I came away mightily relieved. 7.30 am the next day the ‘phone rang, Yuno had bitten Dee quite badly. I threw on some clothes splashed some water on my face and set off back up to the Charente. We will never know why it happened, Yuno was just lying on the lounge floor, as Dee passed she stroked Yuno’s head and quick as a flash Yuno had her. Dee was in tears, I was in tears and totally mortified. How could I have got it so wrong?
Yuno was delighted to see me and we set off home again. All went well and I decided Yuno would have no more changes in her life, she would stay with us. A couple of days later I took her for a long walk up on the hills behind us and when we got back to the car she wouldn’t let me put her lead on her to attach her back in the car. I wasn’t that bothered and let her just jump in where she found an empty jar that had had fish rillettes in and set to licking it out. I got in, started the car but as I let off the hand brake I happened to touch Yuno’s back. Well, she whizzed round and turned on me, barking, growling and snarling, obviously protecting ‘her’ jar. I was very frightened and very slowly opened the car door and jumped out. Then Yuno wouldn’t let me back in !! So I had to walk home (luckily across the fields not too far) and get Ernst along with some calmivet tablets in some cheese.
We got back up there and Yuno still wouldn’t let us in so I threw her the disguised tranquilisers which she wolfed down. Her demeanour then changed drastically, much too soon for the tablets to take effect, she jumped out and came to me wagging her tail, let me put the lead on and attach her back in the car (having got rid of the pesky jar !). I was very shaken by the events and very sadly decided I could not keep her. She was too unpredictable and with all the dogs we have here I cannot possibly watch every single movement and gesture I make 24/7. So I called the lady who had brought her to me and gave her the option of collecting Yuno or I would have to do the dreaded PTS as I could not put Yuno up for adoption. After discussions when I was told what I had done wrong and how I could have killed Yuno with the calmivets, it was agreed that Ernst would meet the lady at Bergerac the following day. Yuno slept the sleep of the just on and off all night with me checking on her every two hours. I know calmivets can make a situation worse not better and can be dangerous but I needed to be able to get back into the car and I wasn’t to know she would flip back into lovable mode just like that.
The latest news is that Yuno has been accepted by a refuge which specialises in troubled dogs and the lady who brought her to me has said that if, when she retires in October, Yuno still needs a home she will take her. This is fantastic news. I was so, so very upset feeling I had let the dog down and, as usual, the problems were not Yuno’s fault. After I had heard her true history, beaten, locked in a flat for four years, I am sure that if she was human she would be in prison for murder.
So, not as clever and experienced as I thought I was. brought me down a peg or two !!!
Moving on to good news, lovely Leeanne and Mike from Twilight Retirement Home for Dogs suddenly felt a need for young blood amongst their oldies and have taken a ‘Bruiser Pup’ who they have named Bear. Don’t worry, Bear won’t be lonely, the news on the block is that there is another pup due to be joining him soon. They’ll have much to chat about, both starting their lives by being dumped in a dustbin. It was super to meet up with Leeanne and Mike again after too many years and Danielle and I will be going up for a visit to Twilight very soon.
Well Ernst and I are off for our annual Il de Ré week on the 30th April. I can’t wait, a whole week of peace, quiet, books and cycling. I always feel very anxious about the dogs at home for the first couple of days then a week later I have to be dragged back kicking and screaming !!
See you next month and don’t forget our clothes sale at La Sirene, Montaigu de Quercy on the 12th May.
Love,
Sue xx