Author: Sue

 

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.

I shouldn’t be such a smartxxse.

One Poorpaws supporter pointed out to me this morning that the March newsletter had disappeared !!!

Help ! Straight on the ‘phone to Colin who found it for me. I had inadvertantly trashed it !!

If the cap fits etc., etc; !!

MARCH 4th 2013

Well, hey look at me !! This is the first time I have updated the website all on my own ! Obvious if you look at the adoptions page – what do I mean IF you look at it ?! – of course you will. Not too clever at changing the photo sizes, the pups appear almost lifesize. Methinks I need another lesson Colin !!

Snow has gone, hopefully and we have been treated to some gorgeous sunshine. This will come to an end, for me, on the 6th as I am going down to the Cote d’Azur and the forecast down there is rain. We are going just for a couple of days for a family/friends occasion to spread the ashes of Ernst’s sister and I’m ashamed to say I’m looking forward to it. I fly down on Wednesday and Ernst left this morning in the car with four, yes FOUR dogs who are all going to new homes down there, one (Hinza, renamed Zucca) even going to live in Monte Carlo !! It’s funny sometimes how coincidences happen. We had a request from a couple who live in Monaco who give their present dog very long daily walks and weekends in the country, then a request for Demo from Roquebrune which is just next door to Monaco and then, the icing on the cake, friends of friends just above Monaco fell in love with Hector and Houston so they were bundled in at the last minute. I had grown so, so fond of those two that I had a huge lump in my throat as they were driven off.

Four away and four new babes on the adoption page, something for everyone !

Easter coming up and so is our Spring Book Sale. Saturday 30th March at the usual place, Lesley’s Barn in Beliben. Come along to drop off all your Winter reading and pick up your Summer lit. All books and dvd’s at one euro each, plus the usual delicious home made cakes and, I am sure, hot cross buns. I’ll be sending out an information email, but in case you are not on the list, do not hesitate to call or email me for full details. If you cannot come, but have books/dvd’s to donate – in fact even if you are coming but have things to donate – let us know an, if you are not too far, we can collect.

I’m not going to gabble on too much this month in case I press the ‘print’ button only to find that
all has disappeared !

Still looking for a job but hope to have good news on that score soon and still not receiving any dole money. How long can it take for the French pension people to confirm that I’m not in receipt of a French pension yet ?! I was “advised” to attend an employment forum a few weeks ago, so I went along. However, they wouldn’t have me in the French Foreign Legion or the Army or Police, so I left !!

Enjoy the sunshine and don’t forget the book sale !

Love,
Sue x