Today is ...

Black Cat Day....

According to the news reports, black cats may be popular with witches - but not with us apparently. Today therefore is black cat day - a day devoted to re-homing these ebony animals because there are so many of them in care. I am not sure why this is, they are just as loving as a tabby, or a ginger cat so why wouldn't they be as popular.  It could be the long held myth that they were witches familiar but why does the same applied to black dogs, and it does.

How I ended up with my three black boys....

I have two black Labradors, Murphy and Jasper, stunning lads with a lovely temperament and yet both of them came from rescue organisations.

Murphy because he was too much for his last owner to cope with (he is a very strong willed dog and you really have to be one step ahead of him, but this chunky monkey of a dog is a loving wannabe lapdog - just a shame my lap isn't that big). He came to me just a week before his first birthday, and had three previous owners.  I promised Murphy then, he would never have to have another home in his lifetime come what may I will fight tooth and nail to ensure that comes true for him.

Jasper came, partly because Murphy is bit of a lazy monkey, and I thought company for him in the shape of another dog would encourage him to do more running around. Jasper (originally called Bobby), came from Labrador Rescue and he and his brother would escape and run wild on the moors down near Penzance. Jasper is a comedian, has a permanent laugh on his face, and loves, absolutely loves his tennis ball and will do anything for a game of throw.

Neither one of them could be called cat friendly when we had them, certainly outside Jasper and Murphy would love to chase anything that moved.. preferably a cat. So getting a kitten was done with much thought.

I knew it had to be a kitten, to fit in with them, but not buying it from a backyard breeder.  I found someone who takes in semi-feral and feral cats and their kittens and then 'tames' them by patience and skill (not to mention a few bites in the process).

Piran was black with a little white bib and another white patch on his belly, he was 16 weeks old when he came, so not too young but very skittish as for the first 5 days apart from the missing food, I didn't see him. I used to come home from work, walk the dogs, and then go and sit in Piran's room and read to him from whichever book I was reading at the time.

Slowly but surely, Piran realised that I wasn't going to hurt him, nor make him do anything until he was ready and one night I woke up to noises from his room. He was sitting on the windowsill looking out, he treated me to a low growl, but let me stroke him; the growl turned to a purr and the battle was won. He quickly decided to explore upstairs, a gate was put downstairs to stop the dogs from coming up although Murphy and Piran met at bedtimes and all was well with those two.

The introduction to Jasper was a little more challenging, a greeting through the stairgate was met with snapping from the dog and a fairly skittish kitten. It was at this point in time I wondered whether I had done the right thing, I carried out with the scent transferring (a number of blankets kept swapping between the dogs and the kitten to familiarise them with the others scents).. and hoped that Piran had enough sense to know to get to safety if he were to venture downstairs.

About three weeks after he arrived, I was watching tv with the dogs when all of a sudden they rushed to the dining table upon which was a tiny little black kitten calmly washing himself and announcing he was now here to stay. Murphy was used to him so just came and sat back down by my feet and the kitten curled up on the sofa and fell asleep unaware of the very big step he had taken. Jasper was puzzled, and rather confused with the behaviour of this tiny little boy, he came over and said hello to the sleeping kitten and then also lay down and snoozed.

:
: tbc

Introducing Piran

When I moved to Cornwall, originally I was going to have two cats, Piran and Saffy but when I finally got Tre Agan, Piran had gone walkabout and Saffy wasn't allowed to come on his own. So no pets until a month later when Murphy came to stay. Then 9 months later, Jasper arrived.. no there is no relationship or pregnancies involved in the occurrence.

Something was missing though, and both Jasper and Murphy were both very keen on cats, keen as in chasing them if they had half a chance.. Jasper being the worst of the two almost pulling me over.

August arrived, and with it this little chap, also called Piran as he is mainly black with a white heart patch on his chest... what else could I call him, and he is rescued from feral communities.. sadly for him, he has already had his nuts removed before I got him, but that is a good thing with a male cat. He spend the first two days hiding in the study (his den) and then introduced himself to Murphy who as usual was so laid back as to be horizontal. An introduction to Jasper was made behind the stairgate and didn't go terribly well - was I making a huge mistake?

Then on 23rd August, he casually walked downstairs, sat on the dining room table and surveyed his kingdom and two black labs - I picked him up and sat on the sofa with him and Piran fell asleep on his back... Jasper was curious but nothing more after that the household has settled down and now it looks as though they are good buddies.

Piran loves snuggling up to the dogs bellies, Jasper is more obliging that Murphy on this, and they are often found in the same bed. Peace reigns (or Piran) at Tre Agan.

Cooking on Gas

Yesterday was a good day, a batch of granary bread for sandwiches this week. Last week's loaf was turned into breadcrumbs, wasting nothing as this can now be used as a topping for sweet or savoury dishes like tomorrow's courgette and tomato bake with sage and garlic which I will let you know how it tastes.

When you cook for yourself, it is surprising how vegetarian I become, as it is easier to cook without meat than to buy too much for one person and waste it.. excluding the dogs from the leftovers lol.. though I do like a whole chicken as the carcass can be used to make the most delicious stock or soup.

In addition to that, I made two marble cakes, one of which is now in the freezer. This was partly to use up some old eggs but I enjoy eating cake made at home rather than shop brought and it is generally much cheaper even when you add in the time and the gas used.

While these were cooking, I put together a lasagne, half of which I had for tea last night with some garlic bread and the other half I will have before college tonight.. filled with a selection of veggies, onions, garlic and tomatoes it was lovely but would have benefited from longer cooking and would have done if Jasper hadn't bolted over the wall once more in the afternoon...

This time he was caught and with stern words ringing in his here 'get back here.. NOW' and he lept over next doors fence and back round the front.  Where I thought he was leaping over, was not in fact where he was getting over, but was helped instead by the hedge stepping and he is a very athletic dog.. who now has to go out into the garden on a long line until new arrangements are made for the bottom hedge to be increased with visible deterrents for the miscreant.. he knows he has done wrong, and later in the afternoon he was treated to a lengthy game of ball until he cried mercy which meant that the entire evening he slept away as he was too tired to leave his bed..

Horror

Monday was a hard day, back at work - not too bad and even satisfying to be back to normal again.

Monday night, is college, so have to finish work early enough to walk and feed the dogs and that is where this story starts...

I feed the dogs at 4pm, let them out into the garden for 10 mins back door is open. I am putting a batch of bread into the machine and I notice Murphy looking up at the back hedge by the tree - lowest point in the garden.. go out into the garden, no sign of Jasper... call him, no answer... Murphy is still looking up at the hedge and my heart sank as I realised that Jasper who for 12 months had not done anything like that had now legged it into the great blue yonder...

I had to be at College by 5pm but that was not an option unless Jasper reappeared.

I grabbed a spare lead, walked around to the back lane, accessed via  main road.. my heart racing as I thought of all the potential hazards.. when I got there the lane was empty, I checked all the gardens at his leaping height and headed back home with a heavy heart.

Next step, ringing the dog warden to report him lost, no collar (note to self, Jasper will have to wear one in future with my number on it), and asked the neighbours to look out for him.. I was on the phone, in an endless queue listening to a voice saying someone will answer shortly, when I saw him reappear outside the front. A more frightened looking dog you have never seen. Hackles up, head down.. panting furiously.. bless him a big hug and a biscuit.. no point in shouting at him.

I did make college that night, but when I got home, Jasper was and has been since quiet and fairly subdued and even nervous in the garden. I can only surmise that a cat was on the hedge and he lept up after it only to find the drop the other side meant getting back was impossible.. however he would have had to make his way home along one of three fairly busy roads which makes me glad for his safe return..

Pond Boys

This morning, and with no work on today, the boys and I headed up the hill to Carn Marth and the smallest pond I had seen but probably the smelliest.

Jasper found it first, but it was Murphy who wallowed in it like a hippo in a watering hole -he loves the water.

Carn Marth is a quarry, with views back over to the North coast, it definitely worth a walk and the boys had fun once I had ensured that it was safe for them to play.

The pond boys (as they have become renamed) were running around the bottom of the quarry as though they were infused with a huge boost of energy and made me laugh at their antics. While we have been letting Jasper off the lead, it has been in controlled situations and usually involves chasing a tennis ball. This time although I had the balls with me, I didn't use them as they were both exhausted and willingly came back to me for a treat (or two).

The picture above shows Murphy in his red harness, and Jasper in the blue.. and very smart they look.

This picture on the right shows the quarry from above, and the view you first have of it, in the bottom of the picture you can see the steps going down and from the muddy earth at the bottom of the quarry in wetter times it would be a lovely pool but all we had was a small smelly pond.

This was a picture of the drilling holes in close up from the picture above it was bang in the centre of the wall opposite.. makes you wonder who was employed there, and what their lives must have been like.

We had a lovely walk back home, taking a more direct route but somehow the walk up through the footpaths was more scenic than the roadway walk back. On our return the boys were treated to a cold shower courtesy of the hose but we still have an aromatic pair of pond boys!

Fat Boy Slim & Slim Boy Fat

These are the pet names for the two boys, Murphy is Slim Boy Fat giving Jasper the Fat Boy Slim title but it is a close run thing for since Jaspers arrival in April, Murphy is trimming down and Jasper is gaining a little bit of weight; no longer are his hip bones sticking through.

They both have a healthy shining coat, and many people comment on it when they meet the for the first time. Murphy is a lunatic, just wants to play with other dogs, or anything come to think of it while Jasper is serious about a tennis ball (well until we throw two then he usually just stands there waiting for a ball to appear in front of him).

Jasper is therefore allowed off the lead, he doesn't show much interest in running off but that may be due to the influence of Murphy on him as he follows with interest what Murphy finds but as he answers to his name and comes back we are trusting him more and more.

Both boys now have smart new harnesses, Jasper is in Blue while Murphy is in Red with matching leads; both have tags on their harnesses as we are trying to get rid of the collar marks from Jasper's neck and not wearing a collar means the hair is slowly recovering. I promise to get some new pictures, preferably when the boys are out running, but either me or the camera is not around to capture those lovely moments.

Murphy will have been with us a year come 12th June, and the following week on 19th will be his 2nd birthday while Jasper came to us on 19th March and he will be celebrating his 2nd birthday on 28 August this year... what to get them for their birthday?

L is for

Today's word is happy, which in Cornish is Lowen and the welsh equivalent is dedwydd.


In usage this would be


    ass yw dydh lowen = what a happy day it is!


Today in Cornwall, it is a happy day despite the rain and inclement weather. We have had the first rain in over a week and the garden will appreciate it even if we do not.

Jasper is settling in well and appears to be happy here at Tre Agan. He is learning that wait means sit at the side of a road before crossing it, that taking food from our fingers is given with the nicely command or the treat is held back from him.

More importantly he is learning that digging in the garden is not going to make me lowen, nor is chewing anything which is hard and plastic looking.

He desparately wants to please, and competes with Murphy over bringing something to you but this leaves the paper wet and slighly chewed. Ah well, the joys of being a dog owner are outwitting your dogs before they do the damage.

Introducing the two boys

I have mentioned our new dog, Jasper, and many of you hinted... well a couple mentioned that you would like to see the pictures.. and some of Murphy as well.

Well they have relaxed, which is good, and some sunny days has allowed a couple of pictures to be taken so here they are in the garden last Wednesday.

They had just finished a playful session in the garden, over a chew toy which actually belongs to Jasper but Murphy has it in the background.

Jasper is as thin as a rake, and is on extra rations to try and put some weight on him. He has twice the amount of food as Murphy but he tends still to bolt it down as we think he might have had to eat faster to stop his brother taking it from him. Currently we are feeding them separately, to try and get him more relaxed over eating his dinner. You can see him here, lying down in the garden chilling out in the sunshine.

Murphy bless him, has been an absolute star, he has accomodated Jasper with grace, sharing us and the house and garden with no bad manners at all. Even his favourite toy, the football, as shown below is a shared item, with them both taking turns at trying to pick it up and carry it back.

Jasper is currently restricted to exercise on a lead, although we have a long line for him and he is already showing signs of bonding with Murphy, a blessing as apparently him and his brother used to roam from their old house and it is important that we get him confidently coming back to us before he is let off the lead.

Beautiful Sunshine

A bit of a lazy morning, I managed to persuade both Murphy and Jasper to have a lie in until 8.30 and then we stirred ourselves into having breakfast before starting on some chores.

Washing up done, washing on the line, and we head out for our first walk of the day. Jasper has an acute fear of drains, large or small, it makes no difference; something in his history has made him very scared to go near them.

We had a coffee on our return and put the second lot of washing out on the line. I then stripped the bed, and remade it with clean sheets and linen, and put this washing in the machine.

Lunchtime saw us take another walk, this time over the fields, Murphy can run free as the livestock is far enough away from the footpath, but one style was blocked up that any dogs would need to be carried across it and Murphy is too heavy for me. So we returned. Jasper has a 5 metre long line attached to his harness as he is still in the early days of learning to come back to us.

We have had a request to let the previous owner know how he is getting on, and he is getting on well with Murphy although some of their play fighting leaves a lot to be desired. As I write this, he is in his bed, quiet and asleep even though the door is not locked.. still he will be awake soon enough as it is nearly dinnertime.

Hamster Look

I woke up yesterday morning with a face like a hamster with two full pouches, I had been suffering a little from being under the weather and had a sore throat for a few days; on Saturday it felt as though I had a mouth full of cotton wool.

I hoped it was just viral, no problems, just keep up the fluid intake, and all would be well.  So college last night was painful as I felt like crap, and concentration was at an altime low. Luckily, we have covered most of the aspects of the course, and attendance now for the next three lessons is not mandatory. On my way home I dropped into the Docs and I came out with a prescription for some Penicillin to get rid of the nasty puss covered tonsils..

Then just to add to the general misery, somehow I have backache; haven't had it for a few months and even putting on socks is so very painful. By evening it will be a bit better, but hopefully it will go away shortly. Walking the boys this morning was on the whole a bit of a pain lol.

Jasper is gradually calming down, he has a few bad habits, but on the whole he has taken to the change very well. He has given Murphy a bit of a hard time on occasion and vice versa, as I type he is lying here on the floor calm and relaxed while Murphy is lying on my feet.

You do have to be careful giving him food as he is used to fighting for his treats with his brother and it is taking a while for him to realise that here there is no competition. However, we are both realistic that his snapping is an issue and needs to be addressed, we are hoping that Murphy's more relaxed attitude (practically horizontal at times) will rub off on him.

First Night

So far so good.

We had the choice of the two brothers : Bobbie and Jack, however Jack was the more dominant and so we chose Bobbie.

He seemed to be more playful and less aggressive than Jack, but he doesn't really seem to know his name so we have decided on a new start, new name.. so henceforward he will be known as Jasper.

He has a few bad habits, snapping for food being one of them, and greedy for food; we think he may have had to compete with Jack and so we have a regime of feeding Murphy and him separately in order that they both eat slowly rather than bolt their food down.

Last night Jasper slept in his cage, and Murphy upstairs as per normal. As late into the evening they were still playing with each other..

Early days but so far so good.