A bit of The Who for you this spring morning
Last week was a busy’un, trying to make sure I’d got myself organised for a training session on Friday morning. Despite a bit of rain, it was good to share the day with some really lovely people and spend the day talking about Hestons and their shouty ways. Hagrid’s future owner came and spent a couple of hours with him and it doesn’t half make me feel proud seeing this dog who was at risk of being euthanised for his behaviour. He’s come a long, long way. It doesn’t always end well for dogs like him, not by a long shot.
Been a chilly old week as well – hopefully we’ll get some sunshine to warm up our old bones.
I’ve got assignment 15 out of 16 to submit today for my dog behaviour course – I can’t believe I’ve actually completed so much. This one was easy for content and hard to write: elderly dogs and their care. Always very hard to write about those final months, days or hours with a treasured pet. I know I’ve had two and a half years of seniors here, but we’re in a happy position at the shelter of having found homes for a lot of our oldies. Just after Christmas, we had thirteen oldies on the books – and when the cold snap hit, there was a big push to get them in shelters. Benji spent a couple of weeks here before finding a home, and Gaven who spent a week or so at my dad’s found his home too. With our resident rotties Amon and Aster reserved, it leaves us with three oldies. Pretty amazing. Pilou is next on my list for a really, really big push. He’s been here a long time and it’s time he found a home of his own. Casimir and Yola have just arrived, so here’s hoping for a quick home. What was great was that a lot of those winter fosters turned into adoptions. You can’t ask for more.
I won’t be taking on another oldie for the foreseeable future. Tilly is 12 this year and Amigo, although his paperwork says 9, is certainly not. His lungs are not in good shape and he struggles often to breathe. He seems to have recovered physically from his stroke, but often he seems a little lost or disorientated. He is also completely deaf. We went for his vaccinations last week – he just had leptospirosis this time and the vet said not to bother with the others. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to suggest it wasn’t worth it as she didn’t think he’d be sticking around much longer – though many vets are now saying there is little point vaccinating bigger dogs over the age of 7 as their vaccines so far should see them through. Lepto is a yearly one – more and more dogs are presenting with it here, so it’s not one I’d miss out.
This week will be putting the final touches to assignment 16, which is the last before the dissertation. It’s one on breed specific law in France, something I know inside out. I know it doesn’t make me best popular. In fact, someone posted a picture of a dog they wanted to rehome on a local Facebook site, advertising the dog as a retriever x rottweiler. Rottie Xs are subject to specific conditions of adoption, so I asked her if the vet knew for sure the dog was a rottweiler x… after a few posts intimating I knew nothing and should keep my sticky beak out (love that when trying to save someone from having a dog that can be seized and destroyed!) … she said that the dog’s colour was the only rottie thing about it. Yes, because only rottweilers are black with tan socks, face markings and pips. Grrr. I’m sure all the breeds from dachshund, minpins, hovawarts, dobies cockers and Bruno du Jura upto beauceron are just rotties as well. Must be. Same colour.
It wouldn’t be so bad if there wasn’t a complete arse on the same group who likes to always make some snarky comment every time I post. He’s still got hurt feelings from when I told him to wind his neck in a few months back. Men and their delicate egos.
Anyhow, I have floors to sweep and kitchens to mop… have a fabulous week!
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