Parsley, Mint, Fennel, Sage, Chives, Lemon Balm, Shallots, Rosemary, Rocket, Tomatoes, Also Strawberries, Pumpkin, Potatoes, Yams & Chokos Barry has put in Paw Paws, Lady Finger bananas, Mulberry, Orange, Fig, Passionfruit,Custard Apple & Plum Old tires or odd containers filled with bags of potting mix & topped with lawn clippings make good containers. I put shredded paper or mulch from leaves to keep weeds down & water from evaporating. Sometimes Barry goes & gets a trailer load of sugar cane mulch. In very hot weather they need some shade cloth draped over or to be put under a tree. Occasionally I dig in some blood & bone. I put vegie scraps & paper into a plastic mulching bin.

(I keep a bucket in the kitchen...don't forget tea bags & eggs shells can go in. But not onion peels)

At our other house we had a Fox Hound (Honey) whom we bought at the pound & her pup (Danny) crossed with a Golden Labrador. She had 15 pups to him & died about a month after their birth. The vet said it was too much of a strain on her. Please NEVER let a bitch mate with a male dog bigger than her own breed.Some of the birds are in the kitchen or on the patio...there is also a larger tin cage in the carport. Our son keeps them fed & "circulating". We've lost a few over the years...either flying away, or by ACCIDENTS when a "certain" dog is nearby! Leah is a "bird-dog". I think hounds as hunting dogs, have a natural instinct to go for "game".

Our other two boy dogs (BEN & NUGGET) got into the neighbour's yard once & I found them chasing the chickens around with feathers stuck around their mouths. They looked at me wide eyed, panting & "smiling from ear to ear".

They were having a wonderful time but A CHAMPION white chook with fluffy long feathers was very dead!

I apologized profusely when the owner came home. Very embarrassing, but usually our dogs are within the back yard...not let to run around the streets.

How animals die...from old age, cancer, heart attack & other causes...it's not pretty...& I only share this to help pre warn those who don't know & may think they'd rather let it die "naturally" at home or out alone in the "shed"

We have 7 animals buried here in the back yard...& at our last house we had 2 pets. One, Honey, Barry buried where she was found dead in the bushes behind a neighbour's house & old Danny that we left at the vet to be especially "disposed of"by the council. Later someone told us they are put in green plastic rubbish bags & dumped unceremoniously with the general household & food garbage! I have seen gruesome photos of dead animals, from chooks to horses & the ones collected from vets all being grated up in a huge vat cum mincer for dog food! I can't remember if this was in Australia...but find out first where it's body would go. Surely it would be more humane to bury your pet yourself. If you are in a flat or rented house then go for a drive into a bushy place...or even well at the back of sand dunes in a very lonely place where no one could accidently find it.

Please realise when their time is coming there's nothing you can do to stop it...Keep calm...make them comfortable...offer water but PLEASE take them to a vet once they show signs of distress or suffering. They need your help now as before & the best WAY you CAN help them is to have the vet give medication to stop the heart...& therefore SAVE them from many MORE hours or days or weeks of suffering. They call it putting them to "sleep" but it's evidently a muscle relaxant & the animal will struggle as it happens. I was there when Jeda died & I felt dreadful as she couldn't breathe. I tried to hold her mouth open! Then her eyes rolled back. It upsets me now to think about it. The vet said she seemed to accept it & that some animals really fight & panic. Jeda was already UTTERLY exhausted though...so I suppose it depends at what stage one takes the pet in. Try to time it so that they ARE very tired but not in too much pain. Anyway ask your vet about it all before hand & WHAT OPTIONS there are to administer. Maybe there are other ways? It may be better to stay outside.

They usually don't want to eat...may want to hide in a darker place...get a trancy look in their eyes...bladder & bowels may go...may go into panting, coughing, with heat rate right up...even physically shaking their whole body...staggering, lame, eyes rolling, collapsing, vomiting, bleeding in urine or feaces, gums go white from SHOCK, jaw or limbs can go rigid, winging & yelping, moaning, barking from pain, fear, diorentation, distress etc.

Give thanks for the many years of love you HAVE had together...isn't it better to have had them for that time than not to have had them at all?After a while you will realize there are more puppies & kittens being born who NEED loving homes & care.When we get a new baby animal friend, they are SO GORGEOUS & soft & cute but I can't help thinking about 10-15 years down the track this little creature will die & we'll have to go through the heart ache again...but think also of ALL THE JOY you'll have in those years. It is worth doing again.

Ben passed away a few months later after our day out with the dog club. He even ran along with me to join in a bit on one of the games.It was totally traumatic! I've now watched 2 dogs die at home, him of pleurosy & then violent heart attacks. He'd been on medication for both conditions for years...but I left it so long..hoping & praying he'd die peacefully...that when he started having heart attacks I knew it was too late as he'd only die in the car on the way to the vet's.He was trying to stagger around, yelping & was throwing fits banging his head on the ground several times. If I picked him up he was totally uncomfortable. I felt so helpless. I kept laying on hands & praying & an anointing was coming through my hand but it didn't SEEM to be releiving him. Nugget also died of pleurosy & utter exhaustion over the last week or so. He had staggered out to toilet on the grass & collapsed. I brought him back inside to his basket & tried to prop him head up...a few minutes later he started to go. Also with their sister Jeda, she used to sit beside me while I read at night until after midnight. For three weeks she struggled to breath with pleurosy (water in the lungs). Even on medication it catches up after a while & they get so weak from coughing to trying to clear their throats. If they drop off to sleep they suddenly wake up choking. It can go on for days & they can't sleep & neither can I. Up & down to check if they're "dead yet". Barry didn't realise HOW sick she was & then one day I looked in her mouth & saw a large lump growing on the roof of her mouth! We took her straight up to out vet (Owen Brown at Upper Coomera, Queensland) & he said it was a tumour & that she was too old & obviously not well enough to operate on any way. There was no choice but he watered his plants & fed the cockies outside while Barry & I taked about it. It broke his heart as he got a shock & wasn't ready to let her go.

Never again will I let a pet stay at home to die if it's going on & on. It's kinder to take them to the vet & get it over with.They struggle for breathe as the relaxant takes over but they struggle for breathe at home when the're dying anyway. Either way is terribly upsetting. Our vet said very few animals die in a peaceful sleep. I have prayed & prayed for each one...it must help.

The old cat we had years many ago was a stray I picked up down the road near the dump. (PHOTO COMING) I used to look longingly at people buying cat food in a supermarket & wished I had a cat. But Barry didn't want one.

I was driving home & she was just sitting on the edge of the road as I went past. I looked in my rear vision mirror & she had turned her head & was meowing towards me. I stopped, backed up & she didn't run away. She obviously WANTED help! She was very skinny & all scratched up. I loaded her in, brought her home & she devoured plates of milk & meat. She was a quiet thing...with pretty tri-colouring & long hair...a part persian. Barry made me take her to the pound. Nearly broke my heart when the woman grabbed her by the scruff of the neck & put her in a small cage in a room of other cages. (Maybe they would have put her in the big pens later after a vet check? )

I couldn't sleep & was so upset Barry let me go back the next day, but I had to BUY her then! She was very "skitish" after that experience but settled down after a while. Anyway about ten years later she staggered into the kitchen dragging her back feet behind & wetting the floor. I rushed her to a vet but there was so much going wrong with kidneys etc. he advised to "put her down". I agreed & went out to wait. I was upset as it was all so sudden but I didn't have a choice. Two minutes later they gave her to me in a towel...I paid & walked out & AS I DID I GOT QUITE A SURPRISE...because suddenly I was aware of a BEAUTIFUL INNER FEELING OF PEACE & the knowledge that "it's alright you did the right thing...thank you". That was a relief & blessed me to realize I HAD DONE THE RIGHT THING! I was able to let it all go then without grieving. A quick death like this is far less traumatic & emotional. All our other animals either died while they were at the vet's or we took them but I've never had that feeling again as I did with the one we simply called Puss Puss. I think the Angels put her there on the road side for me that day...it was uncanny how she didn't move as I drove by so close. I can still see how she was looking right at me as I drove towards her & meowing as I went by & look after the car. How could I have not stopped ?

As Nugget was "sort of" Darren's dog...& for his sake...I tried to find Ben "my dog" a good home. I found some people who wanted him but he nearly had a fit hiding under the car. I said I'd bring him over "gradually" but I changed my mind. I just couldn't part with him. They understood. So I kept the dogs apart, which was hard to do...if I left the kitchen door open they'd spot each other... tip toe gingerly towards each other then C-H-A-R-G-E!!!!!! It wasn't funny, I thought they'd kill each other. They'd latch on around the head or neck & sometimes we'd hose them to break it up! Eventually, little by little they made up. So I wouldn't recommend any more than one male in a household unless other dogs are smaller or more placid & willing to let one male be the "dominant" one. Of course it may work out fine...but ours were OK for the first few years. It was probably jealosy...but I had always tried to treat them & the mother & sister equally.(Our vet had even suggested getting them spayed to calm them down...but that didn't seem to work)

I had gone off that day to buy a Dachshund that was advertised by a private seller at Tweed Heads. It didn't look quite right & had no papers. It stunk & the woman wouldn't let me in. She brought it to the door & said this is it & shoved "it" at me. She didn't have the mother or father...she said it was a "friends" dog from the country.I could hear other puppies winging & yelping inside. Her husband was hanging around with a fag in his mouth. This is typical of "puppy farm" dealers.The dogs are bred under terrible conditions just to Sell! Sell! Sell!

Very dissapointed I went around the pet shops hoping to "strike" another Dachshund.

We have always liked the look of boxers & my sons kept saying "why don't you get a real dog with long legs we can play with?" My husband has always liked cattle dogs so when I saw Jessy asleep in the pet shop window & picked her up...she looked straight at me & licked my face... my heart went all warm & I just knew I couldn't leave her there. I rang my husband to get his approval & wasn't going to take NO for an answer. Her cheeks were like velvet. Her brother was also in the cage for sale & a young couple from Sydney grapped him & said they would take him. He was a classic brown & white boxer colour & a bit bigger. BUT I WANTED JESSY! What a darling & so gentle & quite..but that's because she was so sleepy.

Others started hanging around asking the assistant if they were sold & I hung on to her & said "I'm taking this one". She still cost $150 which is a rip off for a bitsa but I already had the $450 in my purse. We've had our moments with Jess. She is very strong, walks on our feet, barks loudly & leaps around when she wants a game & won't stop. I have to be careful about feeding her around the other animals. She looks ferocious when anyone comes to the door...but that's the idea...I like to have a good gaurd dog. She is a house dog like the other animals but well behaved.

I don't know how people can keep their animal friends outside especially in the dirt, rain & cold or hot. We did with out first animals until we saw how some friends cuddled up with their Dachshund dogs on the couch while watching TV! We came home & decided to put in an order for one too.It took about 6 months to find an available female. She HAD been sold to someone else in another state for a show dog but the cheque bounced twice & when they phoned us, we RUSHED to get her from the breeders three quarters of an hour away. We would have taken her whatever she looked like but she was absolutely perfect. A shaded red. We've always thanked God for her & we still love her so much...another one with God & waiting for us.

We had Penny mated with an English champion & she had 5 puppys. (Yes I was up all hours helping her deliver them) Benson, Nugget & Jeda, whom we kept & we had to part with the other two. We registered ourselves as breeders but didn't keep up the subscription fees after we spayed Penny.

.........

I think dogs & cats are God's gifts to human beings.

It is a priveledge to have them for companions.Though we usually "buy" them, we shouldn't think of pets as our property but as being their caretakers.They also care for us. It is a two way learning experience. They DO have feelings...they can smile at you, tease you, be afraid of you, defend you.They can get jealous, angry, upset, bewildered, depressed etc. There are many resons to have animal friends around you & your home. They should be regarded as part of the family for better or for worse. They often give us more than we give them. They are so faithful, loving & HEALING. If you have an animal you don't like or can't handle...maybe it's your fault. We should be careful about who we bring home...it's going to be for 10 or more years...maybe 18ish. If they don't turn out how we expect or hope...that's tough bickies. We should still feed them & care for them & maybe get another pet as well. All animals are different. There's NO 2 the same.

Before Min I had another male white moggy. He was gentle & used to sleep on the back of the lounge chair. When I walked past he's put up his paws to be picked up. At 12 months, which is when an animal is just maturing nicely & settling in to the household & rewarding you for all that patient "training"...he suddenly disappeared. I searched the streets & gutters & put out adds...checked the pound...& was brockhearted. It was NOT knowing where he was that was so impossible to take. Had he been nabbed or was he caught in a tree meowing helplessly for me? We never found him.

So even after we bought Beautiful Angel Doll, as she was alread named (a pedigree Silver Persian) I still wanted another cat like "Min". I waited for ages for another white male moggy. I called him Min & EXPECTED the SAME behaviour...but didn't get it. Oh well, serves me right. (The first one was called Min because at first I thought he was a girl & named her Minny...when the vet said "you mean he!" I changed it to Min This second "Min" is very aloof & arrogant...not like poor, quiet, little Angel who gets chased & attacked every few days. I throw him outside for a while & give Angel a special treat to eat...& they seem to work it out. She warns him & stands her ground more now. I usually watch him & protect her...I can tell when he's getting in a "I'll pounce on her & cling on with my claws & bite her" mood! I 'm sad that he won't come to me for a cuddle like old Min did, as that's why I "bought" him. Still that's his nature. He WAS great at first...he used to sit on my head at night in bed & sleep in with me...but then he got aloof & independant!

which is not our style...though our son Rod takes her out to an industrial area after hours & lets her run ahead of the car. (He goes VERY SLOW letting her set the pace...BUT please don't ever let a dog run behind a car for they may fear they will be left behind & will overexhert themselves to keep up...perhaps straining their heart. This also goes for even walking too far with an old dog. We went for a walk up a very steep hill with Danny when he was about 12. He died just after. The vet said he had heart worm & that the exhertion had topped it off.). I remember how he was lagging behind with his tongue hanging out. In those days (30 years ago) we had no idea about how to look after an animal properly. We didn't give him heart worm tablets or even feed him properly. He got tinned food & if he didn't like it it stayed there, flies & all, until he did eat it! He slept under the house on an old bag on the dirt...riddled with fleas. Every time I came home he'd run up wagging his tail. Aren't animals incredible? All the kids in the neighbourhood loved Danny & he used to go off exploring for hours away from the house. When he was getting old, deaf & blind he would lie in the middle of the road & we'd try & call him in but never realized we SHOULD put up a front fence to keep him in & safe.We didn't mistreat him on purpose & certainly never hit him...but I only share this to urge others to take better care of their animals. They should be cared for better than that! I wouldn't dream of not letting our animal friends share our house as as part of the family. There are RULES though & the carpeted bedrooms are out of bounds. So is the white leather lounge suite but they do try...do dogs ever look guilty? They sure can! How could we live without them? Barry wants the sound of the patter of more little feet...we'll see...he wants another Dashy but I wouldn't mind another cat or 2! I'm starting to soften...to be continued (3 May 2004)

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