Didn't Think

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Maxy, my oldest Italian Greyhound, has this growth near his inner ear. It is quite painful if he bumps his head or opens his mouth too wide. Now with the boisterous River Song, my large 6 month old German Cross Belgium Shepherd puppy, just running around like a tank, Maxy has been keeping out of her way which is mostly up in the upstairs part of the dog house and he now hardly ventures out. Giving him soft foods have been a mission trying keep the other dogs away.

That was until today, my brain wave. The now defunct vegetable garden, ruined by River Song, and the washing line is enclosed off to the dogs, so I put a small doghouse that wasn't in use inside this enclosure and put Maxy inside. Now he can eat in peace and do one of his favourite things, bask in the sun as the vegetable garden gets lovely morning sun but by mid afternoon it gets cold which means I have to transfer him back to the heated dog house later.

He seems to perk up nicely now that he has his own patch of sun.

Bruno Found

I am tired, no exhausted as I sit here and write this post. Yesterday afternoon I arrived back from a quiet morning at the showroom, to join Andreas once again on a quest to find the source of the sewerage leak. It was a hike down into the veld with grasses that were taller than me, and I am not slouch when it comes to height.

I was tired when I got home. I had just taken my shoes off when I heard the dogs getting all excited with someone or something in the veld outside our home. On investigation I saw a brown looking Labrador type dog disappearing into the distance all alone. I whistled and it stopped, turned and looked at me for a while before turning back around and disappearing over a small ridge.

Going back into my home, I remembered seeing a post on our Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch WhatsApp group about a missing dog. Sure enough after checking my phone, a Labrador named Bruno went missing during that awful weather the night before. I informed the Ops Room that I saw a dog in the veld that matches the description of Bruno. The owner Cindy was in no ticks at my home and in the veld calling, and calling. It seems that the dog went towards the high cliffs that over shadowed the gorge.

Cindy not knowing our area was not sure where to go next. So I took her to the abandoned house that over looked the cliffs. We called and whistled for Bruno and in the wind we heard what sounded like a dog in distress. Now I was not sure what to do as light was starting to fade but I could see the panic in Cindy's eyes so I made a discussion to take her into the gorge knowing full well that it would be a race against time as darkness was closing in. I let the Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch know that I was going in with Cindy and dived straight into the abyss.

Along the way we met pilgrims, which we diligently asked about Bruno, and nothing. Light was about gone when we turned around empty handed with Cindy nearly in tears of not finding Bruno but we had to get ourselves safely out of the gorge before search parties are sent in to find us. It was pitch back when we emerged from the mouth of the gorge, to find a CPF Sector 8 forming a search party to go in after us. Sadly we went back to our homes empty handed with a promise to continue the search tomorrow.

About half past 10 last night, my dogs started to get excited again, someone or Bruno was in the veld outside my home. Everytime I went to investigate, who ever it was moved away only to come back later. Just before midnight Cindy came round to check if it wasn't Bruno that was getting my dogs all worked up and sure enough we had a happy reunion.

Now I find myself tired after all that commotion last night. I need a good nights rest.

What have I got in my pocket?

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 Rehabilitation

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.

Zama Zama

Living next to a green belt is rather spectacular except for the opportunistic crimes staged from the bush. Down in the gorge below us there is an old gold mine shaft from the early prospecting era of Johannesburg and some caves. These hovels have become the home to about 15 to 20 destitute people who have been blamed for the opportunistic crimes in the areas surrounding the gorges or could these vagrants be zama-zamas, slang for illegal miners, since there is a mine shaft down there.

In the early hours last night 02:15 to be precise, the whole valley’s power tripped and a few hours later at about 03:30, the vagrants attempted to gain entrance to our property by using the darkness as an advantage but our home is well secured and the parameter alarm triggered the armed security who were soon at my home.

The electricity connection was finally repaired at about 08:30 but the reason I am writing about this is that a few moments ago, at 21:25 they, the vagrants attempted again, twice in one day, and again our security held them at bay, this time it must have been my security companies entire compliment of night duty officers who descended onto our property as a show of force to these would be vagrants who slip quietly back into the veld, back down to their mine shaft and caves.

One of the officers, hearing a noise from the dog house went to investigate and found my dogs nice and snug in bed. He was amazed by our double story dog house. It is a normal 3m x 3m wendy house but with a second floor about a metre high, a stable door which the bottom stays open to allow the dogs in and out to the bottom floor and steps up to the top. The top stable door gives us access to the top floor where all their bedding is. There is a window in the top half for light and a panel heater on the one inside wall for the cold winter nights.

Podge, the Jack Russel, was the only one who got out of bed to welcome the security officers, the Italian Greyhounds well who are we to get them out from under the blankets. Here is Jade and Maxy, warming themselves in the weak zuma-zama autumn sun early today just outside their dog house.

Busted Italian Greyhound

Busted Maxy! What can I do with a naughty dog? I was doing my rounds filling up the bird feeding trays this morning, a chore I call setting the cat TV when I doubled back and found Maxy, my Italian Greyhound, up on the bird feeding station investigating if there were any yummies for him.

The Bodyguards

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.

Silverfields

Maxy my Italian Greyhound is still in pain from the growth near the inner ear. He is now off the alternative medicine as he now refuses to take it and since late last year we have just been managing the pain but bacteria growth in the affected ear has gotten out of control. About a month back, Andrea, the vet at Silverfields Veterinary Clinic, took a swab of the bacteria and sent it away to be cultured and tested.

The lab results didn’t come back very good as it showed that this bacterium was very resistant to all the medicine thrown at it except one which showed slight affect and that was Otomax. The problem with Otomax, it works better if it is close to the eardrum and Maxy’s ear was so clogged up but we started a process of every two days cleaning with Ococlean, antibiotics, and pain killers.

Andrea and her assistant Carin seeing to Maxy’s ear problem

In 2 weeks Maxy’s ear was much cleaner but the growth was still there and he was still in pain that he cries when he tries to eat, bark, or howl. Good news because we can now try the Otomax and Maxy did put on an extra half a kilogram of weight in the 2 weeks.

Cabbage Tree View

Our garden consists of mostly indigenous plants, living long side a nature reserve has its price, nature overflows into our garden. Beautiful plants welcoming beautiful creatures who visit. In the veldt there are a proteas, cabbage trees, and wild peach trees.

This cabbage tree is in our property, the cats love climbing up its soft trunk, and the from the tree the dogs have a nice vantage point into the veldt. Here are my 2 Italian Greyhounds, Maxy and Jade doing what they do second best, gazing into the distance, hoping catch a glimpse of some guinea fowl or a rabbit or two. Second best as the best is all in the chase, baby!

Shuu Tsukiyama

It is that time of year again, a few weeks before Halloween where the geeks go crazy and cosplay. Yip it is Rage time again, and this year Matthew decided to go as a ghoul called Shuu, Shuu Tsukiyama. Matthew has always swam against the flow of all the Marvel and other comic book superheroes when it comes to his heroes as he loves anime.

My word, walking with a purple Matthew attracted a lot of stares, which I am not used to from my normal introverted ways always trying to keep a low profile. Me introverted, well that may come as a shock to most of my friends, because introverted I am.

"I fight in order to survive" - Shuu Tsukiyama.

Ouch the Pain

Over a month now and Maxy still has a problem, health wise. The ear-ache is about gone but he is still in pain when opening his mouth wide. At first the medicine helps but then the pain comes back after a week. Back to the vets again this morning. Now the vets are trying to investigate if it is the antibiotics or the steroids that are working. So now Maxy is off the steroids and only on antibiotics but it is painful for him to eat his usual pellets and treats so it is wet food only.

Flea in my Ear

Oh no, there is no fleas on me, I use Bravecto. My dad is just been silly by saying that there is a flea in my ear as I am suffering from a nasty ear infection. My ear ache first occurred 2 weeks ago and I’ve been on Surolan ear drops and antibiotics but this bacteria has been quite resistant.

Now Alex, the kind vet at Lammermoor Veterinary Clinic has to mix up some potent ear drops containing Baytril. Surely these pesky microbes have seen the last of me.

Walkies

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.

Hugs and Kisses

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.

Branches Out of the Way

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.

Play in Puddles

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.

Maxy the Italian Greyhound

Wow Maxy at nearly 9 years old, 52 in human years, you are starting to show a lot of grey. I remember you as a young Italian Greyhound puppy being pitch black with a white inverted Y on your chest and white socks, now I have to call you old man along with the octogenatian Patch. At least I am now the youngest one. No wait Jade is about to be 6 years old which will make her the youngest at 40 years old.

Walking on Water

Podge showing us how to walk on water

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!"

Kodaka Hasegawa

Jade and Maxy want to part of the Neighbours Club

僕は友達が少ない, Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai or literally translated from Japanese I don’t have many friends. Haganai is one of the main characters of a series of short novels called Haganai which was written by Yomi Hirasaka and is about a young teenager called Kodaka Hasegawa. The stories have also been adapted as a full feature anime film and series, and it is these animes that have caught the attention of Matthew.

Kodaka and Deadpool

Marius

Kodaka, is transferred to a new school and found it difficult to make friends due to his mix of brown-blonde hair. He finally makes friends with solitary young lady, called Yozora Mikazuki. Both of them form an after school club called the Neighbours Club, for people like themselves with no friends.

Moses, Tyran, and Matthew

It seems that Kodaka has become Matthew’s role model and he cosplayed as Kodaka for rAge today where he won a prize for cosplayer that is dressed closest to character. Wow, to me he was dressed just as a normal teenager but I am sure the girls would think that his hair style is cool, well certainly Deadpool and Jon Snow thinks so. Yes Jon Snow is still alive and well as seen today at rAge.

Jon Snow is Alive

Dogs Crossing

 

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.