Barmy Army

Snake alert

2010-03-13T03:34:00.005Z

The hot weather has brought the rattlesnakes out, earlier that expected. Out on our dog walk the other day, we inadvertently disturbed a giant snake that was taking the sun coiled up under the shade of a low branch. I got the shock of my life when it started to rattle vehemently, just a metre away from me. Louis had already gone past and was halfway up the hill, while Daisy, Louis and Bertie were a few metres behind me. So there we were, me, then the snake, then the dogs. Luckily the training paid off when we most needed it and they obeyed my command to 'wait'. Roxy curiously started to edge towards the rattling snake, but stopped instantly when I told her to. What a relief! But what a dilemma. Should I try to get past the snake and back to the dogs so I could take them round another way, or should I try to get them past the snake without the snake touching them? How was that even possible? Fortunately, the snake saved me from my dithering and slowly slunk off into the brush. I later read that leaving them space to retreat is the best thing to do. I was shaking like a leaf, and think of that snake every time we go past that bush now. In the meantime, the dogs are booked in at the local vet for rattlesnake bite vaccinations. They behaved beautifully but we can't take any risks, and I can't always control where they go or what they might find when they are sniffing around in long grass. They, of course, were completely unfazed by the entire episode and normal service was resumed instantly.

Always something...

2010-03-13T03:27:00.004Z

So happy that Jeffrey is feeling fit and strong enough to start harassing the other cats again, but not so thrilled that he and Curtis had major physical contact this evening. Last time that happened (a bite from Spencer leading to fever and an abcess, and consequently a refusal to eat), Jeffrey ended up at the vet for three days with acute kidney failure. On the other hand, it's so great to have him running around the house again, constantly announcing his presence with his trademark, ear splitting trumpet-style miaowing.

Big George

2010-03-13T03:22:00.014Z

Can't believe it's been a year since we lost our fabulous George so suddenly and unexpectedly. His loss has left a huge gap in our furry family and we still miss him dreadfully. Still flying the mantra flags for him too...

Happy birthday Loulou!

2010-02-04T07:00:00.015Z

A special mention has to go to our beautiful Loulou who turned 16 on 18th January. She's as sweet and gentle as ever, and is finally finding her feet in her new environment, getting bolder by the day. Happy birthday sweet Loulou!

Pix (clockwise from top left) show Loulou at five weeks old, at 10 weeks old (both with brother George and sister Stripey), at 14 years old, and at 3 years old (with brother George, RIP 8.3.09, still missed dreadfully)

Kitty smörgåsbord

2010-02-04T01:51:00.012Z

For weeks on end we held our breath every time Jeffrey sniffed at a dish of food. Many times he would look like he wanted to eat, but then would not. We suspect that was because he felt nauseous. Seems CRF cats suffer from acid in the stomach as the kidneys are less efficient at removing toxins. The vet prescribed famotidine which helped to an extent, but what really seemed to work was us, trailing Jeffrey around the house with a zillion dishes of different food all day long. When he finally started to lick some gravy, we stood stock still and kept the other cats away to ensure that absolutely nothing distracted him.
When he later actually started eating solids, we were jubilant. Even now, every time he eats, it feels like a major victory. Now he eats little and often. He even has his very own open buffet, which sometimes the other cats (and dogs, when we're not looking) like to visit (Curtis in this case, see pic left). In addition, we still present different types of food to him all day long, and he usually eats at least some of it. It's so much more than we ever could have hoped for. Long may it continue.

Kitty ups and downs

2010-02-03T21:21:00.031Z

The cats have taken much longer to settle down than the dogs, but finally now they have all found their territory within the house, and are enjoying long naps in the afternoon sun. They have also taken possession of their new 'kitty kondos', which are keeping them active till we can build them a proper, 'coyote-proof outdoor' enclosure.

Unfortunately we've had more ups and downs with Jeffrey. After a battle with Spencer, who seems to be trying to become 'topcat', with somewhat limited
success (i.e. none of the others are really that interested), he got an ear abcess. As a result he started to feel ill and stopped eating, which brought on a second episode of acute renal failure on top of his already chronic renal failure (CRF). Another three days of IV fluids at the vet then. The vet was initially not at all optimistic, implying that the kidneys had stopped working altogether and that the bones were starting to weaken. We however knew that Jeffrey was not done yet, so requested another round of fluids. The vet was "game" to give it a go, but it was obvious he was not particularly optimistic. Lo and behold though, three days later, Jeffrey's recovery was "remarkable", according to the vet, "about the best" he's "ever seen". Elated though we were, we were not really surprised. Like I said, we knew he wasn't done yet.

Having said that, it was an uphill struggle again once we got him home. 18 hours after his return from the vet he started to crash again, having stopped eating and drinking and just sitting stock still in the 'meatloaf' position. It seemed like it could be the end after all, I was in despair. Our wonderful vet tech Vo saved the day and came round to administer a dose of sub-cutaneous fluids. Within minutes Jeffrey was up and about again, running around, demanding food. Enormous sighs of relief all round, as the reality of the rollercoaster ride that is looking after a kidney cat began to set in.

And so we began our struggle to encourage Jeffrey to start eating again. We bought just about every type of food in the shop and every flavour. Eventually we settled on two or three that he actually like, but he would only lick the gravy. He was so painfully thin by this stage, just a bag of bones. We went to the supermarket deli and bought fresh roast chicken and turkey, and were astonished to discover that he liked the turkey and would devour large quantities of it. One might argue that this type of high protein is not ideal for a cat with CRF. However, we were just thankful that he was showing an interest in food again. Gradually his weight and strength started to increase again, as did his interest in life. Now, two months later, he is looking the best he has done in a long while, and is showing increased energy by the day.

Pilling him twice a day and doing the subQ fluids is not a walk in the park by any means, but we are all getting better at it and refining our techniques with the minimum stress to all concerned. Jeffrey does not enjoy these sessions but the pilling takes less than half a minute and the fluids just a few minutes. So not too bad in the grand scheme of things. What amazes me most of all is that he never holds it against us. He still trusts us and never bears a grudge. Once it's done it's done and we are all back to a clean slate again. I hope he knows we're trying to help him.
(Pix from top: Loulou, Mini Me, Jeffrey, Curtis, Spencer & Finlay)

Jeffrey and Curtis wonder why they make these things so small

Dogs on the rocks

2010-02-03T20:27:00.033Z

Time has been flying and everyone is well and truly settled in now. We have taken the dogs to the dogpark several more times, and also out on the trails a lot more where they meet other dogs and people. Roxy, Bertie and Daisy all take it in their stride now, but Louis, as ever, is still the problem child. Since he got jumped on by the neighbour's dog he has started to behave aggressively when other dogs approach him. So we do not take him into the dogpark yet, just walk him round the outside where he can see the other dogs and get used to them without having to worry that they will attack him. It's a long process, and an issue we really could do without.

He chased a deer up onto the ridge the other day and was having so much fun did not bother to respond to my calls to come back. So eventually, fearing he would repeat his disappearing act from a few days prior (where he ran off into the brush for an hour and could/would not be found), I scrambled through the trees, rocks and bushes to get him, with the other three obediently in tow. When we finally made it to the ridge, there was so sign of Louis. We trolled down several deer paths with no luck, then suddenly there he was, leaping around obliviously about 20 metres in front of me. Astonishingly he obeyed my frantic screeching to stop and wait and I was able to get him back on a lead. Moral of the story? Louis still cannot be trusted offlead.

In other news, the dogs were mightily unimpressed with the tornado that ripped through southern California two weeks ago. Trying to get them to go out in the pounding rain was quite the challenge, although they always seemed to enjoy it once they got going. Although they did not appreciate the hailstorm that rained down on us at one point...

Wet weather seems to have brought out the ticks and Daisy especially is covered in them, Frontline or no Frontline. The first one I ever found, on the back of her neck, took an hour to get out, simply because she could not quite bring herself to trust me not to hurt her, based on past experience with whoever hurt her before. Eventually, with the aid of some nice treats, I was able to persuade her that removing it was in her best interest. Since then, tick check has been a daily pleasure for her. She loves to roll over and let me pick them off her and will allow me to do so for as long as is necessary. Sometimes she even comes back for more. It's an amazing turnaround. Wish I could say the same for Louis, but he still gets snappy. The trick is to wait till he's up on his rock, overlooking the canyon. Then, when he's totally distracted, he'll let you pick off as many ticks as you like and will barely even notice. Bertie and Roxy, it goes without saying, are no trouble at all.

One big long whinge about Americans and dog behaviour

2009-11-17T04:46:00.004Z

I have to admit, I am finding the American approach to dog behaviour a little confusing. First of all, one of the neighbours tells me that another of the neighbours puts her dog in an "alpha roll" to 'show' her who's boss. Words fail me, I mean, how utterly draconian. Don't these people know anything about inter-species communication?

Secondly, when I had Roxy up on the trail one morning and she approached one of the neighbour's dogs a little bit nervously and therefore not coming across as uber-friendly, the woman had a fit, grabbed her dog and told she'd "appreciate it" if I would put Roxy on a lead because she didn't want to take her dog to the vet with a dog bite. Dog bite? Erm, hello!!! For goodness sake, all they were doing was sounding each other out. Said woman with her skittish behaviour made the situation much worse than it needed to be for everyone. I have refused to walk our dogs anywhere near her ever since.

Thirdly, a group of three boxers and a fourth dog, all belonging to the same owners, chased and terrorised a little Airedale in the dogpark the other day, causing him to screech in terror. Other dogs joined in and people (not the owners) started chasing the dogs to try to stop them. Eventually one of the owners dragged himself over there and called the dogs off and the other owner yelled over from her seat to ask if the little one was okay. But did they go over to check, or, dare I say it, apologise? Of course not. I went over and so did one other lady and luckily the dog was fine, but I thought the attitude of the owners was just appalling.

Fourthly, we walk our dogs (two at a time) on a trail at the end of our road sometimes. This involves walking past the house at the end of the lane which is home to a large dog who barks like crazy as we go past and continues as she sees us go up on the trail. We have walked the dogs with this neighbour and this dog sometimes, with no issues. But just lately, because they leave their front gate open, she has started rushing out, lips up, teeth bared, growling, and jumped on one of our dogs (whom we keep on leads to go past to avoid them going anywhere near the driveway). So far she's got Louis twice (he's now so scared he doesn't want to walk down the road and especially not past this house) Daisy once, and Roxy once.

The first time I was not prepared at all, but luckily the neighbour heard the dogs barking and me shouting and came out and lifted their dog off Louis, who slipped out of his collar and ran straight home. He could've gone anywhere. Later we found two bite marks on him. The second and third times we weren't totally prepared either and it was a similar scenario. Today, the fourth time, I was totally prepared as I had heard the dog barking at us as we came down from the trail. I had Bertie and Roxy on their leads on the other side of the road and was marching past, yet still she came charging out at us, teeth bared, growling and snarling. It was really scary. I yelled at her before she even got to us but there was nothing I could do to stop it. Roxy had the brunt of the attack, but luckily was not hurt as far as we can tell, although she was covered in the other dog's saliva.

I was furious, and also very scared. The neighbours heard me screaming at their dog and came out to call her off, and I made off quickly up the road. They yelled something after me which I couldn't make out but I shouted back that maybe they could keep their gate shut, to which they said "it's her (i.e. the dog's) home". In other words, why should they. How goddamn arrogant. So it's okay that their dog can run out and attack any random dog that walks past their gate? I don't think so. Thankfully our dogs do not fight back. Not yet anyway.

The first two times it happened they didn't even have the courtesy to apologise or ask if our dogs were all right. Yesterday and today at least they said sorry. The fact is, the trail on which we walk the dogs is on their land, but everyone who lives locally uses it to walk their dogs. That portion of land is actually up for sale. Nowhere does it say that the land is private. Fact is also that our dogs have been attacked when being walked, on leads, on the other side of the road to this house, before the beginning of the trail. Surely the road is a public right of way for all, and therefore one should expect to be able to walk ones dogs there, on leads, without the fear of a big dog rushing out every time and attacking them. We are doing all we can to avoid this situation and manage the problem, and they are not even prepared to meet us halfway. I mean really, how hard would it be to keep the gate shut? Would it really make that much difference to the dog's quality of life? She shouldn't be running loose anyway, especially if there's a chance she could hurt another dog. So it looks like our only option is to try to find another trail that avoids walking past that house. They could see how scared and upset I was but, needless to say, they didn't bother themselves to come up later and apologise or see if Roxy was okay. I get the impression they think it's our fault because we haven't spent loads of time socialising our dogs with theirs. Well sorry guys if our schedules do not fit in with when you walk your dog. And regardless of socialisation, this seems to be more of a territorial issue. I don't really think it would make much of a difference. The arrogance is simply staggering.

Hitting the dog park

2009-11-09T07:29:00.007Z

After some more not very successful encounters on the canyon trails this weekend (i.e. barking at strangers and snarling at other dogs), we decided to step up the socialisation process a notch and hit the dogpark today. We were apprehensive, and yet everyone behaved impeccably, just as we know they can. So why don't they? Largely the lead issue probably, and the feeling that they are not in control, combined with a need to 'protect' us. So we went to the dogpark twice, once with problem pair Louis and Daisy and then again with 'easy' pair Bertie and Roxy. The results were amazing. Four happy dogs either ignoring other dogs and people, or socialising appropriately with other dogs and people. Louis let the side down a bit with a couple of snarls at other dogs, but dogs, being the smart creatures that they are, read his signals a mile off, accepted them, and left him alone. No problem. The owners were all very cool as well, and there were at least 40 dogs in the park and probably as many people. When we went to leave and put the dogs back on their leads, hot and tired, they even walked past other dogs and people without batting an eyelid (unheard of). This is our ultimate goal! Suddenly it seems a lot more manageable, and relief is one of the most powerful reinforcers of all.

Unpacking

2009-11-06T03:19:00.008Z

The boxes start stacking up and Jeffrey starts to explore.

Bertie and Daisy are thrilled to be reunited with their beds.

Spencer loves all the paper, while Curtis is happy to curl up with a Chinese porcelain cat.

The cats seem to be bonding amidst all the excitement: Loulou with Spencer; Curtis with Finlay...

...Jeffrey with Curtis; Spencer with Finlay, as always.

Mini Me is so happy to see the sofa she peed on it within minutes of it being unpacked. Welcome home sofa! Spencer tries out the dog bed and likes it.

Not for long though, Louis and Roxy have waited far too long for this moment. And so the unpacking continues...

Normal service resumed

2009-11-04T02:29:00.006Z

Our furniture etc is finally being delivered tomorrow after six weeks at sea and two weeks in the port, being cleared. The dogs will be thrilled to have their beds again and the cats will be delighted to have stuff to climb all over and scratch again. No more lying on cold, hard concrete floors and cramming onto narrow window ledges!

Halloween dogs

2009-11-01T19:17:00.004Z

The dogs put on their special zombie look last night before they went out trick or treating.

Feline friends

2009-11-01T19:04:00.008Z

The cats are getting a lot more settled now. Finlay's leg is better, Jeffrey is a lot stronger, eating well and taking his meds, and finally Loulou is starting to emerge from her hidey-hole and explore a little bit. Also, now the cats are all shoved together in one house as they are not allowed to go outside because of the coyote risk, they are getting a little better acquainted (with mixed results), while enjoying the views and the sunny spots.

(clockwise from top left: Curtis, Loulou, Mini Me, Finlay & Jeffrey, Loulou & Spencer)

Dogs in the rain

2009-10-15T00:07:00.011+01:00

Everyone got soaked to the bone and muddy as hell down in the canyon this afternoon. And then Daisy refused to get out of the car when we got home. Unsurprisingly, the house smells of wet dog and there are muddy pawprints everywhere.

Wet wet wet

2009-10-14T18:43:00.006+01:00

First storm of the season and it's been raining for 24 hours up in the hills now. I took the dogs out yesterday and, surprisingly, they seemed to enjoy themselves. They were very happy to get home again though! Poor things have been shivering as they are so cold with their short hair and thin little coats. Bertie was quite happy to borrow an oversized t-shirt, which Daisy and Louis found fascinating. It will be great when their beds arrive next week so they'll no longer have to sleep on the cold floor.

It was so cold and windy this morning that they refused to go out, but in the end I kicked them out for half an hour. They have to have a toilet break sometime after all. They were running around enjoying themselves for the first 10 minutes, and then reality kicked in and they wanted to come back inside. Never mind, mission accomplished. Am just trying very hard not to freak out about the muddy paw prints all over the floor for now.

The cats are even less impressed and are not so patiently waiting to see what it takes for us to light the fire.

Back to square one

2009-09-29T04:31:00.006+01:00

Just as we were doing so well with the dogs' socialisation training! I had got them into a nice little routine, Daisy and Louis first for an hour, then Roxy and Bertie for an hour. Sometimes I'd hike the uphill trail with them, sometimes I'd walk or run the flatter, narrower, leafier trail with them. It was all going great. Most of the people and dogs we met were very cool and they socialised pretty well, given that they were not restrained on the lead and were on neutral territory. Except for Louis of course who was snarly, growly and lungy the first few times but even he was starting to improve.

But yesterday we suddenly came across kids and adults on bikes and Louis and Daisy were scared to death. Louis freaked out and put the brakes on in the middle of the trail and wouldn't move, yet the bikers just kept on coming at them. Erm, hello, I thought the rules of the trails were that bikers give way to pedestrians and horses? And yet they had the cheek to look pissed when I asked them to wait a moment as the dogs were terrified and I needed to get them under control. The kids were great of course, but one of the two guys with them looked very put out. I mean, come on! So that was that, and we all got over it.

But then today for some reason Louis and Daisy took a dislike to a couple who were walking their dog. I didn't see them in time to rein Louis in fully on the long line and Daisy, offlead, barked at them, quite close up. Louis started snarling at them even though he was a way away. The couple started acting nervy which I don't blame them for, but it did make things worse. All you have to do folks is just ignore and walk right on. That is what works. You freak out, the dogs freak out, that's how it goes. As I calmly moved Louis and Daisy away I heard the woman exclaim "oh my goodness!" as if they were the worst, out of control monsters on the planet. I was unimpressed. Although I was disappointed with the dogs for not handling the situation better, I was more disappointed with myself for not pre-empting it better. And yet, when they have met other people and those people have been calm and relaxed, the issue has not arisen. We've even made some friends out on the trails, believe it or not!

Bertie and Roxy, usually the better pairing, also barked right in the faces of a couple of runners yesterday. Thankfully the runners were just awesome, stood still, ignored them and calmly waited till I moved the dogs on. The way people respond makes such a difference and it was all over in a flash. But you can't expect everyone to react the right way.

So I decided we'd better all go back a step. We'll go back to the one on one training on the canyon trail. The weather seems to be getting cooler which means more people seem to be out and about, and one dog alone is firstly a lot easier to control and secondly, behaves a lot differently. They are a lot more confident in a pair. And it just means I'll get even fitter which can't be a bad thing.

Knackered

2009-09-22T06:21:00.016+01:00

All this fresh air and exercise is taking its toll on the furry ones...

Trial and error

2009-09-21T22:16:00.006+01:00

Patience is a virtue. Methods we've tried so far to get Jeffrey to take his meds:

Epakitin powder stuffed into empty pill capsule, azodyl already in capsule form, then loaded into pill popper - Fail (capsule breaks/major biting or scratching/vomits immediately/powder goes everywhere)
Mixed in food - Fail (won't eat it)
Mixed with tuna water and syringed down throat - Fail (major biting or scratching/goes everywhere except down his neck/makes him gag/vomit)
Mixed with dry food and enclosed in a ziplock bag all night so the food absorbs the powder - Fail (won't touch it)
Mixed with veal flavour babyfood to make a paste and spread on fur when he's calm and not really aware of what you're doing - SUCCESS! (sometimes goes all over the place but usually he licks it off - at least he's getting most of it)

It's taken us about a week to get to this point after much anguish, distress, frustration and stress for everyone. It also took several days to find a couple of foods that he really loves, so now he is eating without the anti-nausea meds or the appetite stimulant. This is much more than we could have hoped for just over a week ago when he was so thin and refusing to eat. He's a tough boy from the street though, we wouldn't have expected him to give up so easily. Great to see him up and about again. Go Jeffrey! And a huge thank you to all our friends on Twitter who provided the most incredible support network at a time when we'd just all arrived in a new country and barely knew anyone. You made it all so much easier to bear, and we got there in the end!

Traildogs

2009-09-19T05:33:00.013+01:00

The dogs have been doing great with their training out on the trails. Daisy, Bertie and Roxy are already offlead, but Louis is still on the long line as I'm not sure we'll ever trust him again after he bolted last year and we lost him for 48 hours. But he's doing well nonetheless, although he hasn't been too keen on the other dogs we've met. The other three have been nervous around other dogs, but behaved well, and the owners have all been great, very friendly and supportive, and fascinated by the story of The Barmy Army (with one notable exception who seemed to think the alpha roll was still an acceptable dog training 'method'. Note - just because Cesar does it does not mean it is okay! It's immoral, aversive, unethical and belongs firmly in the dark ages, from where it originates).

How to medicate a cat. Or not

2009-09-19T05:10:00.014+01:00

It's been a rollercoaster week with Jeffrey. But finally we have found a food that he will eat and treats that he loves. Had all sorts of dramas giving him his meds, some of which resulted in total failure, others which were moderately successful, and some that were in between. At the moment we are trying to get him to take it in food as he kept vomiting if we forced capsules down his neck. Other options might be getting a pharmacy to compound it into a fishy paste, putting it in butter and spreading it on his fur so he'll lick it off, putting it in tuna water and syringing it down his throat... We need to find the most effective and least stressful. We're about 20% of the way there at the moment. The good news is he's putting on weight, is eating without the anti nausea and appetite stimulant meds, and is up and about, so obviously feels better. He's been getting reacquainted with the other cats (pictured here with Finlay) and enjoying the view. Mini Me, Spencer, Finlay, Curtis meanwhile are just chillin'. Loulou is still lying on the suitcase in the cupboard. Hope she doesn't want to go back to Dubai.

Fussy felines

2009-09-14T22:35:00.011+01:00

Just spent a fortune on different wet and dry food in the hope that Jeffrey (left, still feeling a little sorry for himself) will like at least some of them. He likes four out of eight of the dry/treats (result!) but none out of one (so far) of the wet (Hills a/d, which everyone said he'd love). Also got two lots of powdered meds from the vet for kidney support so we have got to figure out a way to get his meds down him without him getting majorly distressed and, worse, gagging/vomiting as he did yesterday.

Meantime, the other cats think the dogs have had too much exposure here, so here they are in all their glory, enjoying life in their new home (clockwise from top left: Mini Me, Loulou, Finlay, Spencer, Curtis)

Off-roading II

2009-09-14T01:17:00.010+01:00

Let the dogs out early this morning while I went for a run and they barked almost the whole time because they could see me up on the trail. I knew the neighbours would be annoyed and one was lying in wait for me when I got back to tell me "we can't have this". Had to grovel quite a bit. Oops!!

A bit later I took Bertie out for his first solo walk down the canyon and he was fine, except he barked at one guy who I hadn't seen. The guy stopped and Bertie stopped (luckily) so I just told Bertie to wait, which he did, clipped the lead on and apologised to the guy. I'm sure he must be someone famous, I think I recognised him. Anyway, he looked annoyed, but said it was okay. God this is stressful. Other than that Bertie was great, didn't run off or anything. We didn't meet any other dogs.

Next was Louis who I kept on a long line. We met a couple with three dogs on the way in and their friendly big black dog came up to Louis, who snarled at him and got a bit aggressive. I told them he was very nervous and they were fine about it, telling their dog he needed to learn to read signals and understand if someone didn't want to be friends. We didn't meet anyone else with Louis which is a shame really. Early days though. Usually he doesn't really react to other people or dogs and, if anything, enjoys their company. Maybe he's still a bit stressed.

Next was Daisy. We met a very nice older couple with two Labs. I asked if I could let her off the lead which they were fine with, and told them her story. They were really nice about it, and Daisy coped well with the other dogs, if a bit scared. We met another woman with two dogs and Daisy was offlead and fine with her dogs too.

Finally Roxy. Surprisingly, she has been the best! We met a guy on a bike with a dog, and also the same woman who we'd seen with Daisy was still there with her two dogs, and Roxy was great. She ignored the dogs mostly although she snarled when one came too close, and the dog backed off so it was fine. I told the woman about the situation and she was very happy to bear with us while we do the training. So we have had quite good success.

The girl dogs have now had two individual outings each, the boys only one so far. Bertie will go on the morning walk with the neighbours and their dogs tomorrow, and I'll probably take Louis back down the canyon in the evening. The chronic lack of socialisation they have as a hangover from Dubai can certainly be painful, but the only way is to work through it.

Jeffrey meanwhile is doing good. He's eating and drinking well, though still sleeping a lot. Today he was really feisty and would not let me give him his pills so I had to give up but will have to try later. Can't wait. At least he likes his new drinking fountain which is good seeing as it cost $54. I spoke to the vet today who is going to prescribe two more lots of meds for him. What joy!

Off-roading

2009-09-13T05:28:00.005+01:00

Daisy and Roxy have both had their first solo trail walking training sessions now. Both excelled, surprisingly. When all four are together they behave very badly when they see other dogs/people, but individually they are model dogs. Roxy stuck close to me almost the whole time and, whenever she dawdled for a sniff, came running as soon as I called her. Even when faced with two people and their two dogs she did nothing, just stayed close to me. Very proud of her!

Daisy was a bit more adventurous and went off-trail a few times, so I started using the clicker to keep her closer which seemed to work. She also had a lesson in socialisation from two very nice dogs and their three people, and did really well. She was a little scared and overwhelmed but behaved beautifully with the dogs, and totally ignored the people. So two out of two so far. Tomorrow it'll be Louis and Bertie's turns.

Breakfast in America

2009-09-12T04:21:00.005+01:00

The dogs are settling in great and have had their first off-leash trail walk already. Bertie and Roxy followed closely and obediently as expected, while Daisy followed but on her own terms, in a roundabout kind of way. We didn’t want to risk Louis yet as he’s prone to run off. They’ve also done a few walks in the canyons and have behaved reasonably well when confronted with other dogs and people, which they did not get much experience of in Dubai.

And they love having breakfast served on the ocean view ‘terrace’.

Cautiously optimistic

2009-09-12T03:57:00.004+01:00

Brought Jeffrey home a couple of days ago, fully rehydrated. He proceeded to spend the next 24 hours under the duvet, refusing to eat and drink. We were worried sick. However, a call to the vet confirmed that his recent blood test results had shown a 50% improvement in kidney values to what they were three days ago, which the vet was extremely happy with. What a relief. All we had to do now was get him to eat. Amazingly, later the day after he got home, he started to show an interest in eating and drinking miniscule amounts, even before I gave him the anti-nausea meds and appetite stimulants prescribed by the vet. So very happy!!

Aside from that, Jeffrey is back to his usual self, loud, chatty, demanding and affectionate, and has been out and about exploring his new house, which he didn’t really get a chance to see before. He is bony and skinny, but gradually showing more interest in food and water and eating small amounts, especially if we hand deliver them to him.

So, so far so good. We just need him to hang in there, eat more and more, get strong, stay hydrated and start to enjoy his new life in California. Have to give the vet a call on Sunday to give him an update. Let’s hope we can keep Jeffrey fit, healthy and strong for a long time to come yet.

Meantime, the other cats are leaving him alone which is great as we don’t want him to have any extra stress at the moment. They are all getting to know each other a little better!

First vet visit

2009-09-10T18:40:00.009+01:00

After three days in California everyone was doing great, except Jeffrey and Finlay who had still shown no signs of improvement. Jeffrey had not eaten since he arrived, and Finlay was still hiding in a cupboard. When he did venture out, could not walk properly. So it was time to try to locate a vet on Labor Day weekend. The local one was closed of course, but we managed to locate the SoCal Vet Hospital in Woodland Hills who were just amazing.

It appears that Finlay was so stressed out by the journey that he’d licked his leg red raw and it had got infected. Antibiotics, a cortisone shot and some cream have sorted him out a treat and he’s back to his normal self now.

Jeffrey has not fared so well. He had got so dehydrated on the flight that his kidney values were sky high. The vet muttered something about kidney failure, which was rather terrifying. We tried to give him IV fluids at home but he was having none of it, so we had no option but to take him back to the vet the next day so they could sedate him to do it. He’s been there ever since.

Poor Jeffrey, he looked so sad when I went to visit him there yesterday and he was pretty cranky too. He’s had a go at the staff quite a few times and has got himself a bit of a reputation. At least he still has that fighting spirit! He’s looking a lot better now he’s rehydrated. A few days ago you could see all his bones sticking out. Tonight they are going to redo his bloods so we’ll know if there’s any kidney damage and, if so, how severe. Meantime, he hasn’t eaten for a week, although he did eat one mouthful of tuna yesterday when I went to visit him. If he doesn’t eat then we have a big problem, irrespective of what his renal function is like. Desperately hoping for the best right now.

Jeffrey at the vet (left) and Finlay's leg

Journey’s End

2009-09-10T18:21:00.016+01:00

Once we arrived at LAX, we managed to get over to the KLM cargo warehouse just in time to see KL601 from Amsterdam touch down. The relief that it had arrived safely was overwhelming, but of course, we still did not know at that stage how everyone had coped with the journey.

We then had an agonising wait of an hour and 45 minutes before the animals arrived all shackled together on a cargo pallet. We had hired the fantastic Michael Foley from Global Animal Transport to clear them for us, so he’d done all the vet stuff and customs clearance before they even landed. So when they finally arrived at the KLM warehouse on their pallet (transported by a forklift no less!) we were able to unshackle them immediately, load them into the van we’d rented, and head for home. The dogs were thrilled to see us but the cats were very distressed. You could hear them miaowing a mile off. They all looked very bemused to be manoeuvred around by a forklift! But thankfully they all made it, I was very worried that someone would die of shock or something.

It took about 45 minutes to get up to the house and we released the cats first. They were all in quite a state, sort of shell shocked and soaking wet, not in pee, but probably where their water had spilt and they’d just had to sit in it for hours. Once we let them out they all rushed off and hid somewhere. A couple of them came to eat and they were all quite disoriented. Curtis seemed to handle it best. He just started exploring as if nothing had ever happened. Spencer and Finlay found a quiet shelf in the wardrobe and curled up and went to sleep there. Mini Me hid in a box for hours on end, Jeffrey found his way onto the kitchen counter and started dozing there in a corner, and Loulou found another wardrobe shelf to hide on. Quite a few of them headed straight for the litter tray, poor things.

Once we’d sorted all them out, we got the dogs out one by one. We let them straight into the house as their run was not quite ready. They were a bit disoriented too but were quite bouncy. Two of them ate and they all drank gallons. We took them straight out for a little walk so they could stretch their legs and go to the loo.

We are quite worried about Jeffrey and Finlay, they didn’t cope at all well with the journey. Finlay has hurt his back leg and has been limping around, and also seemed to have some sort of nosebleed on the plane. Jeffrey seems a bit traumatised and hasn’t eaten since we arrived. They’re just hiding themselves away so we take them water every now and again and they’re both drinking, and Finlay ate for the first time this morning. just giving them a bit of time in the hope that they’ll get back to normal eventually.

The biggest change is that the braver cats – Mini Me, Spencer and Curtis - have all been coming into the kitchen and living room and the dogs have been taking any notice of them whatsoever (except Louis of course) so everyone is kind of wandering around together. Maybe they bonded on the flight! I’m sure Jeffrey and Finlay will join them once they feel better, but Loulou will probably stay away.

We’ve already taken the dogs on a couple of short hikes now up some of the trails and they love it. They don’t even seem to have noticed they are on a totally different continent with trees and hills!

Arrived!

2009-09-04T04:38:00.002+01:00

Everyone arrived safe and well, albeit a little traumatised and exhausted. The relief is overwhelming. Pix and report coming soon!

Part I done

2009-09-01T04:10:00.004+01:00

The flight has just landed in Amsterdam, 18 minutes early. Yay! First part is done. I do hope they are all okay. Such a shame they have to do it all over again in about eight hours time...

At the airport. Right now

2009-08-31T19:17:00.007+01:00

Just got a call from Andrew at DKC to say all 10 have been delivered safely to the airport and are now waiting in the 'live animal holding area'. Bet they love that. Apparently there was some drama getting Louis, Daisy and Roxy into the travel boxes with some snapping going on. In the end they had to corner them a bit. Hope they weren't too stressed. Andrew said they had now settled down in their boxes and were all coping well, both cats and dogs.

Earlier, he called to say that Finlay had damaged his claws a bit in his frantic efforts to get out of the box. Poor Finlay, must be so terrifying for him. Not so long ago he was a semi-feral street cat and is still quite skittish around us sometimes. He ran out the front door this morning and I had to wrestle him to the ground and hang on for dear life so he wouldn't get away. Once he's up the tree and over the wall, that's it, he's gone for the day. Of course, he bit me for my trouble. Can't say I blame him though.

I just checked the airline's website, which says that "10 pieces have been received from shipper". They refer to live animals as 'pieces'?! One hour 45 minutes to go... Safe travels all.

And they're off

2009-08-31T11:22:00.008+01:00

We tried to keep things as 'normal' as possible right up until the time when the cats and dogs were collected by DKC, so got up early as usual, fed the cats and take the dogs out. The cats were very unhappy at not being allowed to go out, but we obviously couldn't risk them disappearing for the day! At 8.40am DKC called to say they'd arrive for the pick up in about 30 minutes. The moment we'd been dreading. So I started to get the cats into their boxes which went faster than I thought it would, but was highly stressful for them. Finlay tried to rip his way through the metal grid door, and joined Spencer and Curtis crying his head off. Jeffrey was rudely awoken from his cosy slumber and shoved into his box, and joined in the chorus. Loulou was easy to handle as always, but very scared, and Mini Me had figured out something was going on and was hiding on top of a cupboard. I had to coax her down and grab her, quickly stuffing her into her box. Amazing how strong those little cats can be!

Of course, at all the noise and commotion, the dogs were barking and howling which didn't help the cats' stress levels. Then the DKC guy arrived and started loading the dog boxes into the van. Luckily the dogs were so hyper it was easy to get them outside and on their leads before they had a chance to think too much. I started with nervous boy Louis who, amazingly jumped straight into the van and straight into his box. Next was Daisy, who put the brakes on, as expected. She was so scared, poor thing. In the end I took her back from the guy, walked her past the van, and then back the other way and got her to quickly jump in before she had a chance to think properly. Next was Roxy who was surprisingly easy, and then Bertie who was also easy, predictably. Next it was time to load the cats and before I knew it we were done and they were off.

They were so bewildered, it was heartbreaking seeing their little faces. Poor Louis was shaking like a leaf and they were all so overwhelmed. The house is so quiet and empty without them. I see and hear them everywhere, even though they are not here. By now, they should have finished their vet check at the Ministry Vet and be 'relaxing' in the kennels. They go to the airport around 11pm, i.e. in about nine hours time. Anyone reading this, please send positive thoughts!

Look, no screwworms

2009-08-30T11:19:00.005+01:00

We took the four dogs to the vet this morning to be checked for screwworm. Of course, we knew they didn't have it, but we need a certificate saying so that is dated within five days of their travel to the US. Daisy did not appreciate having the microchip scanner waved over her head and went for a bit of a nip which was a shame. We should've known better. She was the first one and we were more careful with the other three, and there were no problems. Roxy behaved extremely well given that she usually barks at strangers and snaps at vets. Louis was much improved too, although quite nervous. Much better than a few months ago though. Bertie was the best behaved, as usual, although he did bark at the water delivery guy and scare him half to death! Back home with four tired, hot dogs now. Twenty hours only now till they get picked up by the kennels. Hard to believe.

The breakthrough

2009-08-29T18:25:00.008+01:00

Finally! Tonight we led Louis into the box first, distracted him with treats at the back and quietly closed the door behind him. He trembled a little bit, but not nearly as badly as yesterday and he sat there quite calmly and quietly while we led the other three in, one at a time. Major result, and right on time too! We are so relieved, six weeks of training pays off in the end. Just 36 hours till pick up now. The countdown is really on...
(left to right: Daisy, Bertie, Roxy, Louis)

Heading for California

2009-08-29T09:07:00.008+01:00

In honour of the 40 Year Woodstock Anniversary, our good friend @ShawneeShep turned the five cats and four dogs into hippies. Very apt considering we are about to head for California!

Three out of four with three days to go

2009-08-28T19:34:00.004+01:00

Major result! Roxy, Bertie and Daisy (l to r) are now all going into the boxes and waiting calmly with the doors shut. No luck with Louis yet though. When we tried to lead him in he started trembling violently and got really scared, so we didn't push him. He went in later of his own accord but we're still not at door closing stage. On Monday when they are picked up, their boxes will be loaded into the van first, and then the dogs are supposedly going to jump up into the van and go into the dog boxes. That's so not going to happen! Poor cats, we'll keep them in the house till the dogs are sorted, then quickly load them. Then it's goodbye as all 10 head for the Ministry Vet to get their health certificates, on to the kennels for the rest of the day, and then the airport around 10pm. Cannot believe we are nearly at that stage!

Assistant packers

2009-08-26T15:00:00.010+01:00

Loulou, Mini Me and Jeffrey always love to help with packing. Maybe we could send Loulou by UPS instead? The dogs are a bit annoyed that their beds are going in the container and they'll have to do without them for a while. 50-60 days to be precise. Going to bribe them with some cream cheese (with herbal calming pill thingies 'hidden' inside) now.

It's on!

2009-08-26T10:11:00.005+01:00

Just arranged for all 10 barmies to be picked up around 9.30am next Monday. They will go straight to the Ministry Vet to get their health certificates and then on to the kennels, where they'll stay for about 12 hours, then it's off to the airport. Not quite sure how Louis and Roxy are going to take to being shoved into their boxes in a van with a load of cats. It's going to be traumatic for everyone, to say the least. Karina at DKC has been awesome, not only assured us that everything will be okay but was convincing enough that we believed her! The only thing now is that we may have to split the air waybill into two to avoid some outrageous vet check fees in Amsterdam when they're not even entering the European Union. If they can't avoid it, they are talking about changing the flights to another airline. Trying not to even think about that until it becomes a reality.

Meantime, we have started them all on herbal relaxants prescribed by our friendly homeopathic vet, Hilke. Managed to pill all 10 of them in less than 10 minutes this morning. Let's see how easy it is tomorrow, now that they're wise to the fact. The pills are quite big, and smell vile, so it's a straight down the neck job. The cats just love that! Loulou has got an abcess in her mouth, so is on antibiotics too. She seems a bit subdued. They can all sense that something's going on, but we're keeping it as normal as possible to try to minimise everyone's stress.

At the other end, our cat enclosure is ready, but the dog run will not be ready till a week after we arrive. That'll be straight out onto the hiking trails and into the dog parks then. So watch out canines of LA!

Two down, two to go

2009-08-22T17:04:00.005+01:00

The more confident Bertie and Daisy are first, as usual, to master the task. Both are finally going into the boxes and staying without panicking while we shut the doors. Roxy and Louis have got another eight days to get to this stage also...

Packing commences

2009-08-21T11:37:00.004+01:00

It's so great when you have Curtis and Jeffrey on hand to help (aka hinder) you when you're trying to pack...

Cats in the box

2009-08-20T13:21:00.013+01:00

The flights have been booked. No going back now! Luckily the dog box training is going great. We had to 'incentivise' (aka bribe) them with sausages in the end as they wouldn't go in for their boring old biscuits. Smart dogs will only work for something if it's really worth it! Bertie and Daisy have been going right in from the start, but Roxy and Louis were a lot more reticent, not liking to put their paws on the red stuff. But now they are both going all the way in too. Result! This weekend we are going to see if we can briefly shut the doors and hope that Louis doesn't completely flip out.

Meantime, Spencer and Finlay love the dog boxes, whether they're in them or on them. Daisy doesn't seem to mind either. Mini Me, ever the individual, has her own ideas about the kind of box she'd like to travel in.

Back to basics

2009-08-04T07:17:00.008+01:00

Last week we made great progress with the dogs learning to love their dog boxes. This week we've gone backwards. They'll just about go near them to eat breakfast/supper but that's about it. So it's time to go back to basics. I'd noticed that some of them, Roxy in particular, was very wary of putting her paws down on the red 'snug rug' stuff that lines the boxes. So today we took it out and put it in their beds...

Roxy remained unimpressed and Daisy elected to use the floor instead. But Bertie and Louis (surprisingly) had no such qualms.

Meantime, Loulou shows them all how it's done, while Jeffrey continues to pour scorn on the entire packing process!

Breakfast in the boxes

2009-07-31T06:31:00.008+01:00

We're stepping it up a bit today, so breakfast was served in the dogs' travel boxes. Bertie and Daisy were very happy about it, while Louis and Roxy would take a piece of meat out of the bowl and take it away to eat elsewhere. Didn't stop them going back for more though. They will LOVE those boxes by the time we're done with them!

Roxy even managed to get over her initial trepidation to sneak into Daisy's box to see if there was anything left. She cleaned up after Louis too. So considerate of her. If there's food involved, Roxy is always right there, first in line.

Progress Report

2009-07-29T18:34:00.003+01:00

Daisy - after three days she's already lying down in the travel box with the door shut.
Bertie - goes all the way then backs all the way out again immediately.
Roxy - still tentative but now putting her nose halfway in and one paw in.
Louis - goes all the way in happily but was VERY unhappy when we tried shutting the door.

All in all, good progress for just three training sessions!

Daisy makes progress

2009-07-17T10:39:00.005+01:00

Day One of training the dogs to use their travel boxes. Daisy and Bertie managed to go right in to get a treat, but Roxy and Louis only just managed to put their nose in, grab the treat and rapidly retreat. We've got one month to do this. Should be fine!

At least the cats are happy

2009-07-16T14:22:00.004+01:00

Spencer seems to like his travel box, even though he's a stray street cat who's never been confined in his life!

Step two

2009-07-16T12:27:00.012+01:00

The dogs' travel boxes were delivered this afternoon. They look solid, and pretty cosy too with those red snug rugs. No one has ventured inside yet (except the humans to test them out!) but Bertie did carry out a brief inspection. He was unimpressed. 18 hours in one of those? You've got to be kidding!

Spanner in the works

2009-07-16T12:17:00.009+01:00

Louis has had bad teeth ever since we got him out of the shelter two and a half years ago and his upper right canine finally gave up the ghost yesterday and snapped right off, having rotted right through. Hmmm, another visit to the vet with Louis was really just what we didn't need after his little performance two weeks ago for the vaccinations!

But anyway, off we went this morning and it went so much better than expected. Relief all round. We decided not to muzzle him as that totally freaks him out, and he did stay a lot calmer, even walked into the vet's with us, which he does not normally do. With a little firm but gentle handling and our highly skilled vet Malcolm (yay!) we got the pre-med done very quickly, then we just sat with him on the floor to keep him calm, till he passed out. Half an hour later he was anaesthetised, carried onto the table, the rotten tooth removed by Sara and the other teeth cleaned. No worries at all. He was back home by lunchtime, a bit nervous and shaky (and a bit cranky it must be said) but mainly tired and hungry. Hope we can find vets in LA who are as good as these guys. Oh, and here's the tooth (or rather, the root and a bit of rotten tooth)!

Step one completed

2009-07-09T06:51:00.006+01:00

Took the dogs to Dubai Kennels & Cattery (the animal freight peeps) yesterday to be measured for their custom-made travel boxes. We knew it would be tricky, they always freak out around strangers, especially if they think someone is going to hurt them. And some random guy with a tape measure in his hand was always going to be a problem.

It was about 45 degrees and 80% humidity, and we had to squash them all into this tiny rental car (don't ask) with rubbish aircon, only to find half the roads around the kennels were being dug up and we had to go miles out of our way to even get into the place.

Anyway, we finally got there and Andrew, the guy who has the supreme misfortune to be dealing with our case, was ready for us and took us and the dogs into the office to complete the preliminary paperwork. We knew an office full of people would bother the dogs and we were right. They barked at everyone, and Roxy, who is scared of men, was a bit nippy around Andrew. This went on for quite a while. They'd settle for a bit, but then someone would walk past, and they'd leap up and bark again.

To their credit most of the staff were very good and handled themselves with aplomb, but one idiot woman pointed at Bertie as soon as we walked in and shrieked: "Oh look, she hasn't got a tail." What an idiot. First of all, Bertie is a boy, doh, and second of all, it's true, he doesn't have a tail and we have no idea why not, he's a rescue dog, but did she have to point and yell like that?

A bit later, the same halfwit said something about how she wasn't going to come anywhere near our dogs as "once bitten twice shy". As if that wasn't offensive enough, she repeated it a bit later. Well none of our dogs has ever bitten anyone, they were just scared and behaving skittishly. She treated it as some sort of joke but we just thought she was a total MORON who would have done better to keep her mouth shut.

Measuring the dogs was tricky, as we knew it would be. We muzzled Roxy to be on the safe side and she was fine, if a little scared. Bertie did not need the muzzle but was also scared and kept backing into me. Daisy we muzzled just as a precaution and she was also fine, although terrified. It was difficult to get the actual measurements because the dogs were scared and hunched over a bit.

Anyway, onto Louis who was always going to be the worst one. I asked if it could be done outside as I knew he'd be marginally better with some distractions and without a bunch of office people staring at him. He did freak out and got snappy when the tape measure was near his head, but all things considered it went reasonably well.

The whole project took about 90 minutes, and was exhausting for everyone, especially in that heat. The boxes will be ready in about a week, at which time we'll get them delivered so the dogs can start to get used to them.

We also got two additional cat boxes for Spencer and Finlay, and have got 'snug rugs' (special snuggly, absorbent fluffy stuff) for all six cat boxes so that the cats can start sleeping on it now, get used to it and cover it in their scent.

And so the first step is all done. Huge sighs of relief all round.

Panic sets in

2009-07-03T13:03:00.006+01:00

Am freaking out somewhat because a friend of a friend whose dog travelled with them on a flight to Munich a few days ago was discovered dead on arrival. Other animals who travelled on the same flight arrived okay though. How absolutely terrible.

The dog was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, 6 y/o, healthy but a bit overweight and stressed from the move apparently. His owners were made redundant, and had to leave in a big rush. So utterly awful for them.

Of our lot, Loulou's 'elderly', Louis's a nervous wreck, Jeffrey's a bit sniffly, Curtis, Spencer and Finlay loathe confinement in any way, particularly in a cat box... The list goes on and on. On the other hand, Alison took her seven dogs from Dubai to New York with no major issues, and we sent four rescues from here to New York earlier this year and they all arrived in good spirits. At the end of the day, there's nothing else we can do except keep the Barmy Army as stress-free as possible leading up to the travel date, then put them on the plane and hope for the best.

ETA: "Bracycephalic breed dogs should get approval from a vet before travelling. These breeds are especially prone to heat stroke and breathing problems when exposed to stress or extreme temperatures, more so than any other dogs."

This includes Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, which this guy was. Wonder if it had anything to do with it? So sad.

Meanwhile, back at the vet...

2009-06-30T08:01:00.003+01:00

Curtis was not happy when he didn't get to go outside at 5.30am today. Even a dish of tuna would not placate him. We had to keep him in cos otherwise he'd disappear for the day. Anyway, we got him to the vet for his appointment at 8.15am and he behaved immaculately, which is pretty amazing given that he's a street cat we couldn't even get near, much less touch, this time last year. Thanks Curtis, you went a long way to restoring the family honour that Louis totally wrecked with his little performance last Friday!

So now all four dogs and six cats are up to date with their vax and can travel 30 days from now. Yes, that includes Spencer and Finlay. As we've done absolutely nothing about rehoming them, it looks like they are coming too. Note to self: buy two more cat travel boxes. Their flight is booked for mid-August and so are the kennels where they'll need to spend a few days while we get the house packed up and before they travel. They are so gonna hate the upheaval but hopefully it's all gonna be worth it in the end. We're gonna travel the day before so we can be at LAX the next day to greet them. That's gonna be exciting! Got to rent a big van for that...

Tulips from Amsterdam

2009-06-29T13:15:00.003+01:00

Our animal freighters, in their infinite wisdom, have informed us that the direct flight to LA (approx 16 hours) is too long for animals to do in one go. So, they recommend that they travel via Amsterdam, spend eight hours there where they can get out of their travel boxes, wander round in an enclosure for a while and have a drink (but no food), and then get reloaded back into their boxes and onto another plane to LA.

This is all well and good but it means two take offs and landings instead of one which is stressful enough, but also two lots of being bundled into travel boxes and loaded onto an aircraft, which Louis, Roxy, Daisy and Jeffrey in particular are going to absolutely hate. And when they are that terrified they will be very aggressive for sure. Got to trust that the peeps at Schiphol know what they are doing but it's all starting to get rather daunting...

It's a date!

2009-06-26T11:34:00.008+01:00

We are tentatively working on a date in mid-August to ship the Barmy Army to Los Angeles. We have a quote from the air freighters which will not quite break the bank, but will come close. Next step is to fix an appointment to drag the four dogs down there to be measured for their boxes. That's going to be a joy. At least we don't have to take the cats, they can travel in standard cat boxes. Also next week we have to take Curtis for his vaccinations and then everyone is up to date. At last we are making some progress!

Traumatic vet visit, as expected

2009-06-25T06:00:00.009+01:00

Just taken Louis and Daisy to the vet for their annual vax. Been dreading it for months and they did not disappoint! To be fair, the vet made them wait for half an hour which didn't help, but anyway... We managed to muzzle Daisy which made her very subdued and we were able to lift her onto the table and get her jabbed in a matter of seconds.

Louis was a different story of course. The muzzle was too tight so I couldn't do it up fast enough, by which time he was snarling and freaking out. Tried a few more times but he got worse and worse. We didn't want anyone to get bitten to we decided to try it without. He calmed down inside the vet which was fortunate, but he was still terrified. Luckily our vet Malcolm is so cool! Two of us managed to hold him at the front end while Malcolm jabbed him at the back end. Louis snarled and struggled like hell, but we held firm and it was done, again, very quickly. Only not before Louis had emptied not only his anal glands but also his entire bowel contents all over the floor. It was like fine spray and went absolutely everywhere, including all up our legs! Poor Nutty, he was so frightened. I'll never forgive that bastard Dr Wolf at Jumeirah Vet last year who terrified the living daylights out of Louis and Daisy and ensured that every vet visit from then on has been hell on earth. If you want to find a vet who has no concept of how to handle or approach a nervous, frightened dog, you can find him here. On the other hand, if you want vets who are confident, competent and empathetic, go here.

Anyway, the point is, it's done for another year. What a relief!!! And all things considered,
it went much better than it did last year. Now we can relax for a while. Or at least till we
take them to the air freighters to be measured for their dog boxes next week...

George & Hilary

2009-05-29T14:06:00.010+01:00

We tried, but couldn't let things stand as they were without an acknowledgement to our fabulous George ('The Doctor', top left) and Hilary ('Hilbert', bottom left), both of whom crossed the Rainbow Bridge way too soon. We wish desperately they were still here to join us in this adventure...

Who are we anyway?

2009-05-24T13:09:00.034+01:00

Introducing the crew heading for the West Coast:

Loulou ('Fruity')

The matriarch, beautiful and knows it. Loves to hunt feather toy thingy in the middle of the night and wake everyone up.

Mini Me ('Minimusso')

Picked up as a tiny orphan kitten, very astute with technology and finances, and a loyal nap partner.

Jeffrey ('Jefe')

Also rescued as a tiny kitten. Saved by his phenomenally loud miaow. Trained to headbutt and jump onto shoulders.

Curtis ('The Gannet')

Wily street cat who moved into the house with anyone barely even noticing. Bit of a bruiser and the world's greatest eater and sleeper.

Bertie ('The Colonel')

Sunny boy who loves to 'sing' and snuggle. Was the longest resident shelter dog (3.5 years) when we got him out and has rewarded us a thousand times over ever since.

Roxy ('Koikkis')

Grew up in the shelter (2 years), scared of everything when she first got out. Still barks and pretends to snarl at 'intruders', but is really just a pussycat who wants to lie in bed all day.

Louis ('Nutty')

The resident basketcase, very likely he was abused at some point. Very clever and affectionate, if totally neurotic. But improving daily. Loves yoga and is very bendy.

Daisy ('Parker')

Found on the street skeletal and with chemical burns on her legs. Sharp as a tack, supremely energetic, likes to gather things and help carry the shopping/newspaper/laundry/keys.

Spencer & Finlay
('Uspensky' & 'Finnski')

More wily street cats who somehow knew to move in VERY soon after George (big tabby, Loulou's brother) crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

The trip to LA is on!

2009-05-23T06:18:00.002+01:00

It’s been a long time coming but finally the big move to California is on! But aside from the (comparatively minor) issues of finding somewhere to live, packing our lives up, moving continents and starting out in a new country, our primary concern has always been moving our nutty army of pets over there with us. That includes cats Loulou, Mini Me, Jeffrey and Curtis (and George and Hilary in spirit of course), and dogs Bertie, Roxy, Louis and Daisy. Still open for debate is what to do about Spencer and Finlay, the young tabby brothers who recently moved into our garden (on George’s recommendation, we are sure) and now hang out there a lot of the time, although still (technically at least) being strays. If we can’t find a home for them of course we cannot leave them to fend for themselves. So I guess they will come too!

First up, we are trying not to think about how enormous the bill is going to be to airfreight eight (and possibly 10) animals thousands and thousands of miles. Cats are small, so fairly ‘cheap’. Dogs not so much. Time to go on a diet guys! Kidding, it doesn’t even go on weight but on the volume of the box. So Daisy the long dog and Louis the tall dog are gonna cost extra. Hmmmm…. Anyway, we knew that sooner or later we would have to do this, so have kept money aside for it over the last few years. Some folks think we’re mad of course. Do we care? Of course not! Leaving them behind/rehoming/surrendering them to a shelter (or worse) is just not an option.

We had a trial run last year when we rescued four dogs whose days were very numbered at the local shelter (long stayers/supposedly aggressive behaviour/’unhomeable’/whatever) and sent them over to live with our friends Alison and James and their very own Barmy Army consisting of rescue dogs Snowy, Ashe, Willow, Wilbur, Blue and Archie (and Arthur in spirit) in New Hampshire. It went incredibly smoothly (huge shout out to Janet at DKC who arranged it all for us), so we are encouraged and feel ready to do it all again. It’s gonna be nerve wracking, but it’ll all be over within the space of 24 hours, door to door. Surely we can all manage that!

First step is to make sure all their vaccinations are up to date. Louis and Daisy are due on 1 July, and Curtis on 15 July. Spencer and Finlay need to get their second vax done at the beginning of June. The vaccinations have to be less than a year and over 30 days old at the time of travel. We aim to ship them mid-August so that should just about work out. We’ll probably get them done a couple of weeks early just to be on the safe side.

We always dread taking Louis and Daisy to the vet. Both are rescues and show signs of having been abused, and tend to freak out whenever they think you might be about to hurt them ( especially if you approach them with objects in your hands, as vets tend to do regularly). Louis tends to put the brakes on and refuse to go in altogether, then screams the place down if you manage to get him inside and even attempt to get anywhere near him. Daisy cowers and gets very growly and snappy. Both have to be muzzled and both are terrified. It’s such an ordeal for them (and us) but our vets are great, and used to us with our nutty bunch so they take it in their stride. Both dogs have made massive improvements behaviour-wise in the last 12 months, so let’s hope this year’s vet visit will be marginally less painful than last year’s. It really couldn’t be any worse. But that’s another story

But moving on, all we have to do after that is book the flights, get them measured for their tailor-made dog boxes (cats can go in standard cat travel boxes), get them vet checked for screw-worm within five days of travel, get the local health certificate issued, and drop them off at the kennels (again, the awesome Janet at DKC) who will keep them for a night to settle them a bit, then take them to the airport and take care of all the paperwork the next day. All we have to do is fly to LA the day before they do and be ready to greet them when they arrive. Simple! And yet so so scary. To help us vent a bit, we’re going to chart the progress of their journey here. After all, a home in Malibu (or thereabouts) is really not such a bad way to end up for this motley crew of rescues and strays, many of whom were plucked starving from the streets/bins!