A New Dog?

The picture is of Ted, the delightful little dog who came to stay along with my granddaughter last October.  We all thought he was a great dog to have around.  Now my daughter tells me that a friend who has one of these sweet little King Charles Cavalier spaniels has to find a new home for it.  She's going to suggest me.  I'm so excited.

In case they agree, all I have to do is persuade my other half that we really, really need a dog.  Each time I mention it, he says it will be too much like hard work for us wrinklies.

We've been dog owners before and we still miss, Sam, our wonderful staffie, whose cancer was sadly diagnosed too late for him to be healed.  I think we really need another  dog to get us out of the house regularly, let alone all the love and affection we'll get from it.

Pets For Our New Home

When we saw our conveyancing solicitor recently, she said we could be moving in 6 to 8 weeks.  I keep having to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.  It’s taken such a long time to get to this stage.

Anyway, our thoughts are now moving on to the pets we can have at our new house.  It’s over fifteen years since we had a dog.  Losing him was so painful, at the time we felt we just couldn’t go through that again.  But now I think it’s time to get one for the love and company, and to get me out of the house and walking regularly.

A cat could keep him in his place too, as our last one did.  She was certainly the boss and used to sit behind him on my lap and gradually push him off, so she had it all to herself.  Their antics together used to have us in stitches.  She moved to our current house with us but we’ve been without her as well for the last few years.

If I do get another cat, I’ll be going in for this new cat flap I’ve just learned about.  It’s called the Pet Porte Smart Flap, and it’s smart because it won’t let any strange cats in.  You have to get your cat micro-chipped before you install it, because that’s what lets your cat in.  This means it’s better than a magnetic flap that would let in other cats if they are wearing a magnetic collar.

So, if the poor thing is being chased by a big bully of a cat, it can whip through the flap, turn around and laugh at its tormentor through the flap.  You can programme the flap too, to keep your cat inside whenever you want.  And you’ll probably save on cat food, because no others can come in and steal it. 

Mind you, in our house it will have to be put up high so the dog won’t woof it down first.

If you’re interested in buying one of these cat flaps, check out Pet Porte Smart flap.

Magnetic Therapy for Humans and Animals

This payperpost opportunity is very timely as my sister has been telling me how she is thinking of trying out a magnetic bracelet to help with the arthritic pain in her arm. I decided to do some research and discovered that, among medical practitioners and laymen alike, there is no doubt that magnets can help to reduce pain and accelerate the healing of injuries, as well as ongoing medical conditions.

Athletes and other sports people swear by them to help them get fit again as quickly as possible after they’ve been injured. I was told that as well as restoring the normal blood flow to affected areas, they rebalance the ion concentrations. This meant nothing to me, so I looked up ion in my trusty Reader’s Digest Wordpower Dictionary. It told me that an ion is “an atom or molecule with a net electric charge caused through loss or gain of electrons, either positive or negative”, which sort of makes sense to me.

A word of warning though: magnets must be used correctly, so you need to get them from a reputable supplier. I’ll be recommending my sister to check out this one, where she can get a tried and tested wrap to go around her upper arm.

Since magnetic therapy has proved so effective for humans, many people are now trying them out on their injured pets, often with brilliant results. You can buy magnetic collars for cats and dogs, as well as special beds for them in different sizes. If you have horses or ponies in need, you can get them special boots or tendon wraps, headcollars and rugs. I’m going to remember that. There is nothing worse than having to watch a beloved pet’s suffering and feeling utterly helpless.

Photo Inspiration

Some days, when I am scheduled to post here, I can't think what to write about. To avoid an absolute panic, I go to the photos I have on my computer and look for inspiration. Today was one of those days. And just look what I found.

Sam was a wonderful dog. I still tear up when I see this picture, though we lost him to cancer about 14 years ago. We've never tried to replace him as we found the ending just too painful to invite it voluntarily again. Maybe when we finally get to move to the seaside will be the time.

Meanwhile, I just try to remember all the really good times we had together. When he first arrived, he fitted easily in my cupped hands. He lived with our family, which included a cat, for eight years.

He tried to play with the cat and my daughter was horrified one day when she saw him with her head in his mouth. He was gentle though and didn't hurt her, but she was older and she knew how to put him in his place. Once I watched her walk along his back from one arm of the armchair he was lying in to the other. He just opened one eye, cocked an ear and whispered a growl. Hubby said he often came down early in the morning and found them snuggled together for warmth. They used then to jump apart as though they were illicit lovers and didn't want us to know.

Sam also liked to sit on my lap when we were relaxing. Often the cat would come and sit above him on my stomach and gradually he'd be pushed further towards my knees until he fell off and she had pride of place. It was quite comical. There is nothing quite as stress busting as relaxing with pets.

Isn't he just beautiful?