Matthew is home for the holidays and first things first, we had to pick up a shaved Podge from the vet. Thank goodness, it wasn't as bad as it looked. All the bites missed all the vital organs. Podge is one lucky dog. Just hope that he has learnt his lesson and not go running around the neighbourhood, as I can't afford his vet bills.
Ouch, this is not good. For the last 5 years we have been looking after my brothers dog Orion, a cross Jack Russel and a Pug. Temporary became permanent and we changed his name to Podge as he was obese from living the good life with my brother. After a balanced diet, Podge was soon back to an healthy weight but remained naughty.
Lately Podge has been climbing over our fence, and whatever I did never seemed to work as Podge just found a new way out. Once when arriving home, we found him 2 blocks away and when he saw us, he simply just turned and ran all the way home.
This evening when we were about to go out for a neighborhood patrol after arriving home, I saw Podge by the front gate looking all sorry for himself. He is supposed to be at the back, and must have escaped again. I was going to chase him back when I saw that Podge wasn't himself. Upon investigating I saw that he had bite marks all over him, so instead of the patrol we rushed Podge to the vet.
After getting Lynda’s car washed, buying new plants, we ended up in the garden for an afternoon of pottering around. The dogs, Jade and Maxy, the 2 Italian Greyhounds, and the 2 rescue dogs Podge the Jack Russell cross with a Pug and Mr Wiggles, formerly know as Pup and who knows what he is, well they all were hanging around hoping for a treat which are always to be found in one of Lynda's pockets. "What have I got in my pocket?" asked Lynda
"Not fair! not fair!" cried the dogs in unison quoting Gollum, "It isn't fair, my precious, is it, to ask us what it's got in it's nassty little pocketsess?" Well it didn't quite happen that way and I am using artistic licence to embellish what was going through their little brains.
Pup sunning himself on the steps with Jade and Podge
On Saturday Pup, a dog that was attacked and could not walk due to spine injuries, arrived at our home. All he could do was crawl around on his knees and elbows as the nerves did not co-ordinate his walking but soon he was on his feet albeit wobbly, Pup is well on his way to recovery.
My dogs have being great in helping Pup to gain his confidence, as he is very determined to run with the uh big dogs, okay Italian Greyhounds are big in love if not big in size.
Maxy, my oldest Italian Greyhound seen in the video too with Pup, still has a growth in his inner ear, we have being trying to manage it but the pain has returned, which means I have to put him back onto his pain medication, not nice to see a loved one suffering.
At first Paddington was a little wary of the dogs but whenever I take walk in my garden Paddy and Minky join me and the dogs exploring every nook, cranny, and tree. The pool was not looking so wonderful, full of leaves and a palm branch after all the rain and nearly gale force wind of yesterday, so I decided to take a picture of a sparkling blue pool with floaty leaves but then I noticed Paddy walk straight under Maxy and I had to take a photo. Here is Padding with his 3 bodyguards Maxy, Podge, and Jade.
After the three days of no electricity, our water tanks ran dry and now with the electricity back on, there seems to be a blockage somewhere as we have no hot water other than a trickle. Sigh, I am starting to give up.
Anyway let’s get my head back onto positive things. Who remembers Barbara Woodhouse and her calling “Walkies!” on her television series Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way?
Well in the weak winter sun Matthew calls “Walkies” and Podge, Maxy, Jade, and Minky come along for a walk. Tiger and Princess were a little reluctant after the Killer Jack Russell incidents that left two of my cats and an Italian Greyhound dead.
As you can see, Maxy and Minky both kept a wary eye out from where the killers could strike from but Matthew kept them safe on their short walk in the sun.
I haven’t seen Matthew for nearly a month and it was good having him over. Plus the dogs missed him a lot as Matthew gives them lots of attention. Here is Jade, Maxy, and Podge smothering Matthew with love, hugs and kisses.
For the last three weeks our DSTV Catch Up has not being working. Last weekend I cut down a branch that has being growing in front of the dish but it did not improved the reception. After more tests over the week it turns out that I need a bigger dish but I also noticed that some branches even higher were also in the way.
It just bad timing as after the Christmas break who has any money and with our landlord thinking about moving making matters worse.
So after work today I set up the ladder, armed with a saw, I climbed to the top most rung to the branch that I cut the week before, then I had to set up rigging and safety gear, start climbing a couple of more metres higher.
Only when I was safely down, did my Italian Greyhounds and one Jack Russell/Pug cross came out to explore what all the fuss was all about. With the branches cut away, the reception improved greatly. Now to wait and see if the catch up is working again.
The rain came in waves with hopes of clearing in between and by late afternoon the sun had won the battle but could not dry up all the rain. Arriving back home after work I notice that the rain just ran off the water logged ground and caused the earth dams to refill.
Perfect time for Matthew and I to take the dogs for a walk and play in the puddles. Oops but some of the puddles are deep.
With nearly a week of torrential rains, the sun decided to show some face over the weekend, perfect to take the dogs for a walk and splash in the big puddles left over from the rain, oh and not to forget all the glorious mud.
Podge to Jade, "Come on in, the water is lovely and warm"
Maxy - "Something touched me! There is something moving in this water!"
Forget the Beatles and the famous Abbey Road zebra crossing, we have a new crossing, this time a rickety wooden bridge across water to an island at Walkhaven. Below is Matthew with the dogs Patch, Jade, Podge and Maxy, all crossing over the bridge.
It is a beautiful day, and a perfect morning to take the dogs for a walk and a bit of socialising.
Trying to get my dogs posing all together is like pulling hen’s teeth, well not for Podge, my Jack Russell who is here to serve and please, and Maxy of course my Italian Greyhound who is a too sexy model, and he knows it.
Jade my hyper Italian Greyhound finally made an appearance on the catwalk whereas the old man iggy also known as Patch just put his nose up and watched all the models strutting their stuff on the catwalk from the sidelines.
The old song, "Save your kisses for me" is appropriate when Podge met his old owner after a long time. Anthony, my brother along with his wife Helene, came for a braai at our home. Podge used to be his and called Orion at the time but Anthony had to give him up when he got married because their new home did not allow animals. So Orion came to us.
Orion was overweight when he arrived to stay with us and hence his name changed to Podge. As you can see Podge is ecstatic to see Anthony again and showered him with kisses.
The heavens opened up this morning which left us wondering when would this torrential rain would come to an end. While the rain just continued, we started looking out for any tell tell signs of animals collecting in pairs or some bearded man building a large boat.
Somehow the rain did come to an end, the skies turned blue and the sun started drying up the saturated land. But Eishkom, our only electricity producer thought it a perfect time to continue with load shedding. To make the best of a bad situation we decided that a walk will do us good.
So walk we did along this dirt road and into the country side. Here is Lynda and Matthew with Patch, Maxy, Podge, and Jade, during our walk. Toto this aren’t no yellow brick road. Happily we can report back that we found no animals walking two by two, nor any crazy man building an ark, nor the Emerald Palace but I nice walk was had by all.
After arriving to a huge welcome from all my pets and settling down for the weekend, I took a walk in the garden with some doggy treats. Jade, my smallest Italian Greyhound, along with Minky our cat, where playing hide and seek and with the doggy treats in my hand, I could only entice Podge, Maxy, and Patch to me. Here in today’s photo I was asking them “Where’s Jade? Where’s Minky?”
Podge, the Jack Russell, was only interested in the treat and couldn’t keep his eyes off, whereas the Italian Greyhounds where alert, looking for Jade and Minky but also not straying too far from the treats. What must have been going through their minds was “Don’t worry about them two, they are somewhere in the garden.”
And the rest of the family waited patiently for us to return from our weekend away. They had Robynne feeding them while we have been away but it is not the same when the pack is not whole.
Since we came home late last night, we didn’t get to spend quality time with the Iggy Pack who stayed watch while we played, so when I returned home from work today, the pack they were waiting at the gate. Maxy the lead Italian Greyhound took up his usual position in the front, with Podge the Jack Russel, and the rest of the iggies, Patch and Jade in the rear.
I haven't been taken too many photos of Podge, the once over weight Jack Russell. Well the main reason is that he doesn't know the art of posing for the camera, like Maxy the Italian Greyhound. Opps I spoke too soon, there goes Maxy moving his head.
On the weather front, thankfully the rain has stopped but the cold has moved in. Brrr, winter is coming.
Lynda's vegetable patch is starting to grow quite nicely with all this rain that we had last month. With her green fingers, she now has green beans, bringals, green peppers, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, onions, cat nip, parsley, and swiss chard growing. Now to get some butternut and gems quash on the growing list.
It is a hot Sunday, a perfect day to wash the pets and the Famous Five get their big wash. Jade, the smallest of my Italian Greyhounds, was first go as she is the scardy cat, followed by Podge, the Jack Russell, then was handsome Maxy, my beautiful Italian Greyhound, then Patch, my old Italian Greyhound, and finally but not least, Minky, my sexy kitty cat. Yes four dogs and a cat got washed this afternoon.
This putty tat, who hitched a ride under a pantechnicon trailer, was rescued by Lynda's son, Dael, down in Durban. He started life as Chase but then he found his way to our home and he was discovered the he was a she and her name was changed to Monkey due to her love of climbing everything and was often found in the rafters. Monkey’s name was shortened to Minky which was a more elegant name for our princess.
Now you too will be a confused as a putty tat if your named was changed so often or you started as a he only to find yourself a she. Now I am starting to wonder if Minky thinks that she is a dog. Here she is with Podge. I tat I taw a puddytat. I tat I taw another puddytat. I did, I did! I taw two puddytats. Have you two puddytats met?
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