Friday 10 September 2021

Non-Human Family Members.


Occasionally I get quite 'emotional' about my animals, past and present.

Just recently I posted the Lotte Lenya song 'September Song', and whilst listening to it I was looking at the first three pictures (below) on my sidebar. Freddie our handsome Tabby, Bok who was given to us so that he could be with his best friend Monty, and Monty himself who may possibly have been poisoned, and died very young.


If you visit this page often, you will be familiar with these three, as I keep their photos permanently in front of me. 


It's a huge responsibility looking after animals. We try to make them as comfortable as we can, we feed them good quality food, we look to their general well-being, health, etc, and we show them as much love as possible. Having done all that we can only hope that they are happy, and enjoy living with us.


When Bok died, I was totally distraught. I'd been here by myself for a few weeks, and his sudden prognosis and death came as a shock, and hit me really hard. I'd thought he was simply overweight, but in fact he'd had a huge internal tumour. He had given no signs that he was unwell; I wonder if he even knew? I swore I'd never have another Dog; the pain of losing him was too distressing.


But then, along came Billy, a scruffy looking, very young, mutt in a shoebox. In fact it was a Border Collie Puppy given as a present by my son Kimbo. Just when I thought we'd never have another Dog, here was Billy and he was gorgeous. He grew to be the proverbial Swan.

I often wonder if he likes us, if he's happy, and if he misses his own Dog family. I'm pretty sure he likes it here, I think it offers everything any Dog would wish for; he also has a very good friend nearby, Amie, a big female German Shepherd who he plays with almost daily.

p.s. Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a huge increase in demand for pets; especially Dogs. This has also led to an increase in theft of both Dogs and Cats. Such thefts are often for ransom, but mostly they are to sell on for very large amounts of money. With this in mind, new laws have appeared in the UK treating both Dogs and Cats as 'sentient creatures', and as from mid-September (I think), animal thieves could receive custodial sentences of between 2 and 5 years. GOOD!

26 comments:

  1. And Billy doesn't know yet that he has new life ahead in Brighton.

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  2. Yes, I remember your grief over Bok. Grief is personal. Takes time. There is little anyone can do to help (other than Billy).

    When I think back over the animals/pets that have touched my life I can't say that I grieved at their demise as such. More taking it, oddly, in my stride. However, I do occasionally miss them, remember them fondly, how much they amused me (and I hope I them), I look at photos (feel a bit of a pang). Never forgotten but, largely, shelved. Not least the Goldfish (his name was Oscar). Never was there a more one sided relationship.

    Freddie? He was a beauty. That photo of him epitomizes the very image I have of cats. Poise, elegance, calm. And then they pounce on their unsuspecting prey. And put a half dead something at your feet as a token of their love for you.

    U

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    1. Freddie used to bring us live Mice at night. I imagine he thought we'd be grateful.

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  3. My attitude exactly Cro - I remember all my dogs and cats and the love they gave me in return for the love ((and food and walks) - I miss them all.

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    1. This is why I buried all three of them together at Haddock's. I see their graves every day, and say a quick 'Hello'. I miss them terribly.

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  4. Cruelty to animals is something I cannot understand. I applaud your kindness.

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    1. Actually YP, I don't consider our attitude to be 'kindness'; just 'normal'. Like you I detest cruelty to animals, and would happily be quite cruel to the perpetrators.

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  5. It’s so awful when we lose a pet ….. I thought I would be upset but not as devastated as I was…. after losing three pets, I can’t have anymore …. The pain is just too great. XXXX

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    1. That's what I'd said after Bok died, but then along came Billy.

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  6. Since moving from a rural location into town we have become aware of the huge number of dogs kept as pets here. I don't know if it was the same here before lockdown. The owners as well as the dogs are very varied.. young, old, everything in-between. We see the dogs being walked everywhere and playing on the beach. The downside is that not everyone bothers with a poo bag so you need to watch where you are treading.

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    1. As long as they look after them, that's fine. And they need to remember that a Dog is for life not just for the pandemic.

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  7. The demand under last year's long lockdown was extremely high but I did not hear of more thefts. I understand animal shelters were pretty much emptied out and I am sure the price for dogs from breeders shot up.

    Good that the theft laws in England have been beefed up. I don't think dogs have a good long term memory of their past circumstances. They are mostly very much of the moment but of course will remember places and people for a very long time.

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    1. There are scumbags around who will take advantage of any situation. Stealing dogs is horrendous, and a spell in prison would teach them a good lesson.

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  8. Billy has grown into a beautiful adult dog. I am sure he is as happy to have you as you are to have him.

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    1. He's a lovely boy. He has his 'faults', but he's 99% gorgeous.

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  9. I remember Bok and Monty and how sad it was when they died. I'm sure they had happy lives as part of the Magnon family! It's taken me a year not to cry every time I talk about Ginger and I still miss her terribly.

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    1. It's awful losing a dog. They literally are part of the family.

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  10. Oh Cro! You are just a big softy.

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  11. I remember Bok and Monty and Freddie the cat. Everyone had a wonderful life with you.

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    1. I hope they did. Dogs and Cats don't get much choice in life. They have to trust us.

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  12. Our dogs and cats are cherished family members. No doubt about that.

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    1. Good; so they should be. They should never become 'fashion statements', as so many have become these days.

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  13. You give your heart to a dog to tear”

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