A RAINEY WEEKEND
I had taken the Friday off to prepare my dogs for the weekend shows, we had put the tent and stretcher to air before packing them, but as I opened my eyes that morning my sprits fell, it was raining so hard, the tent was soaking wet as well as the stretcher, the ground was flooded and half the drive had washed away. On checking my dogs half of them were dry and asleep in their kennels, but the others including Baxter were looking like drowned rats, to top it all I had a boarder bitch that had come for mating closed in the bathroom as she was going home that evening, I had to try and keep her dry.
Well I went shopping and came home and prepared our bags to take with us, it was still raining, I got the stretcher in and managed to almost suck all the water out with the vacuum and then blew it dry with my hair dryer, I then attempted to do the same to the tent but to no avail, the more I vacuumed the tent the harder it rained, I gave up in the end and folded this large soggy canvas mess into two black garbage bags and hoped that Saturday would be a bit dryer.
My boarder bitch was collected a 6pm and then it was time to bath and prepare my two dogs for the weekend shows, Tao loves her bath and was soon clean and dry, but not allowed out for the night, Baxter was another problem, although he loves the bath its the drying afterwards that terrifies him, first of all I sucked the water out of his coat with my vacuum but he would not allow me to touch his head, he screamed his lungs out drying him with the hair dryer, eventually I had him reasonably dry, I allowed him out to relieve himself and then called him back inside, he was again covered with burs, so once again out came the brush and the hairdryer, to get those sticky things out of his coat, it was not 1am and time to get some sleep before we left at 5 in the morning.
We awoke slightly refreshed and looked outside, Loa and behold it was still raining, pouring down, everything was underwater, we got the dogs settled into the car and para-glide down our drive, We were on our way, nothing could keep us from the shows, it's like a drug. The trip although wet was safe and we arrived in good time at the grounds, but to our dismay the field where we were suppose to show our dogs was under water in places a meter high. Cars were stuck in the mud, humans were fed up and dogs restless, we had to turn around and head for the Port Shepstone High school hall, of course we got lost going around in circles before we eventually followed some one who knew where they were going. Again chaos reigned, the hall although large felt crushed with dogs, humans and all their belongings, about 600 dogs, double the amount of adults and hundreds of kids, well we all settled down as best we could and the show went on.
Our judge I won't give her name, worked her way very quickly through the Bull Terriers that she judged before starting the utility group, she rushed the bulldogs in and out of the ring, we were the only two Chows, Baxter she liked enough to give best of breed and a C.C. but Tao she ignored, why I will never know as she is now starting to look lovely, even though her coat is still short, she walks like a dream and another judge not judging this day said she had lovely conformation and an excellent walk, head lovely and good bone, all that was lacking was coat "all Chows shed once a year.
Well once Saturdays show was over, I put away my disappointment over Tao and the Judge, and said I would never show under her again, and never have. We packed the car and set off for the beach, at least he rain had stopped and we could take the dogs for a walk, before settling them down at the Caravan Park in our wet tent for the evening. Once we had made our camp we thought a nice cup of tea would round up the day, Oops we had nothing to boil the water in but Baxter's dish, I had forgotten the kettle at home, so I fed Baxter and Tao and then washed his dish and soon we had a cup of very welcome tea, and supper, The stretcher was still wet, so I covered it with a blanket and by 8pm that night I was ready for bed, Rick slept in the car and I in the soggy wet cold tent, it was quite a long time before I fell asleep, as the noise from the traffic on the main south coast road was terrific, During the night while my two dogs slept peacefully in the tent on dry blankets, I heard a strange sound, we were being visited by a family of ducks, Thank heavens the dogs did not wake, they might have had duck for supper the next night. The following morning dawned, soft blue clouds floated above us, and no sign of rain at last it had cleared up, we had breakfast and then packed all our gear into the car, got the dogs settled and off we went for the second show this weekend. Baxter and Tao both did very well at this show both gaining their C.C points and Baxter again Best of Breed. Once the show was over we again packed everything into the car and headed for home, quite some weekend and one that won't be forgotten in a long time but this all goes to making dog showing the enjoyable sport that it is.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Heidie
HEIDIE
Heidie flew down from Johannesburg at the age of 6 weeks, She was a very lovely puppy, and once we had got her home she was soon accepted by all our other Chows, especially Tammy who had just had a puppy herself only one out of a litter of 4 survived, our dear little Amour who sadly was born with congenital cateracts on both of her eyes, and although she can see a little it will take a lot of treatment until the cataracts clear, this we now realize she inherited from her father Archie who on looking closely you can see the blue film over his eyes, But this is Heidies story. Heidie was a very very lovely golden red chow, a very quite puppy and loved to sit in her water bowl for hours on end, she was forever wet front and back, and as soon as I dried her off she would be back into the water, so I built her and Amour a puppy pen where they could play together safely with a small flat bowl of water the could play in, they were allowed certain play time out of their puppy pen and this was when my heartbreak started.On the 30th Dec l998 while playing with Amour ,.how this happened, I don't know. I was busy painting the Kitchen, and noticed Heidie limping. I took her inside to examine her and felt her Hip did not feel right, it felt out of joint, so I kept her inside and settled her down in the bedroom with some warm milk soon after drinking her milk she started to Vomit, I gave her gastrospect but it did not help, our vet only opened his surgery at 4.30, So as soon as Rick came home I rushed her up to see him, He confirmed that her hip was dislocated and said she had enteritis as well, He said that I should leave her in
hospital for that night so he could put her on a drip to control the vomiting and that he would x-ray her hip the next day, and put it right. I could fetch her in the evening. When I got to my Vets on the 31st Dec l998 Heidie had stopped vomiting, Her leg was strapped to her body with thick plaster and she was allowed to come home, She refused to eat and lay with her little face in her water bowl taking small laps of it now and again, I was still very worried about her but she eventually seemed to settle down, and went to sleep, I sat with her until 2am, then went to bed, When I woke up at 6am she was crying a bit, and I thought her leg was sore, so I gave her an antibiotic and a little milk. But she continued to cry and was very restless, I phoned my Vet but he was not there and as Rick had to work that day I could not get her to the emergency clinic in Durban. She got weaker and weaker, And I tried everything in my Power to help her. My lovely baby died at 10am on New Years Day l999, and I cried and cried. I could only get hold of our Vet on the Saturday morning, and I took her body back to ask him to do and autopsy. As I wanted to know why a perfectly healthy puppy 3 days ago was now dead. She had only been with us a few weeks. He did the autopsy and the cause of death was "Enterotoxaemia, resulting from Acute enteritis, complicated by intersusception of the small intestine, (i.e. The bowel had telescoped in on itself and had been unable to free itself) She also had some arrears of hemorrhage of the lungs. When I spoke to him on the phone he said he had also examined her hip and although not qualified to say so he said it looked suspicious and that if she had lived
she would have had to undergo further X-rays at 12 months and possible hip replacement to correct the defect. I have cried and cried over the loss of this little Angel, but God wanted her so he took her. Was it shock that caused the enteritis, How did she dislocate her hip at such a young age did she have congenital Hip Dysplasia, These are questions that will never be answered, All I know is I miss her so much and Tammy and Amour miss her as well, she was part of our hearts, and our life, for such a short period, but we will never forget her she grew into my heart and there she will stay forever.
Heidie flew down from Johannesburg at the age of 6 weeks, She was a very lovely puppy, and once we had got her home she was soon accepted by all our other Chows, especially Tammy who had just had a puppy herself only one out of a litter of 4 survived, our dear little Amour who sadly was born with congenital cateracts on both of her eyes, and although she can see a little it will take a lot of treatment until the cataracts clear, this we now realize she inherited from her father Archie who on looking closely you can see the blue film over his eyes, But this is Heidies story. Heidie was a very very lovely golden red chow, a very quite puppy and loved to sit in her water bowl for hours on end, she was forever wet front and back, and as soon as I dried her off she would be back into the water, so I built her and Amour a puppy pen where they could play together safely with a small flat bowl of water the could play in, they were allowed certain play time out of their puppy pen and this was when my heartbreak started.On the 30th Dec l998 while playing with Amour ,.how this happened, I don't know. I was busy painting the Kitchen, and noticed Heidie limping. I took her inside to examine her and felt her Hip did not feel right, it felt out of joint, so I kept her inside and settled her down in the bedroom with some warm milk soon after drinking her milk she started to Vomit, I gave her gastrospect but it did not help, our vet only opened his surgery at 4.30, So as soon as Rick came home I rushed her up to see him, He confirmed that her hip was dislocated and said she had enteritis as well, He said that I should leave her in
hospital for that night so he could put her on a drip to control the vomiting and that he would x-ray her hip the next day, and put it right. I could fetch her in the evening. When I got to my Vets on the 31st Dec l998 Heidie had stopped vomiting, Her leg was strapped to her body with thick plaster and she was allowed to come home, She refused to eat and lay with her little face in her water bowl taking small laps of it now and again, I was still very worried about her but she eventually seemed to settle down, and went to sleep, I sat with her until 2am, then went to bed, When I woke up at 6am she was crying a bit, and I thought her leg was sore, so I gave her an antibiotic and a little milk. But she continued to cry and was very restless, I phoned my Vet but he was not there and as Rick had to work that day I could not get her to the emergency clinic in Durban. She got weaker and weaker, And I tried everything in my Power to help her. My lovely baby died at 10am on New Years Day l999, and I cried and cried. I could only get hold of our Vet on the Saturday morning, and I took her body back to ask him to do and autopsy. As I wanted to know why a perfectly healthy puppy 3 days ago was now dead. She had only been with us a few weeks. He did the autopsy and the cause of death was "Enterotoxaemia, resulting from Acute enteritis, complicated by intersusception of the small intestine, (i.e. The bowel had telescoped in on itself and had been unable to free itself) She also had some arrears of hemorrhage of the lungs. When I spoke to him on the phone he said he had also examined her hip and although not qualified to say so he said it looked suspicious and that if she had lived
she would have had to undergo further X-rays at 12 months and possible hip replacement to correct the defect. I have cried and cried over the loss of this little Angel, but God wanted her so he took her. Was it shock that caused the enteritis, How did she dislocate her hip at such a young age did she have congenital Hip Dysplasia, These are questions that will never be answered, All I know is I miss her so much and Tammy and Amour miss her as well, she was part of our hearts, and our life, for such a short period, but we will never forget her she grew into my heart and there she will stay forever.
Sezer
Bringing up Sezar
He was just six weeks old when he came to live with us, a cute little baby Bear, and he loved everyone, this included the other chows of our house hold, young and old alike. His favorite was out tiny blue chow Tanya, He just loved her and she loved him back, she cleaned him and even tried to feed him, but Sezar was destined to grow, and this he did, you could almost see him growing after each meal he ate, he just grew and grew.
He loves the Rain and plays with the hosepipe, whether it is on or not.
Paddles in his water bowl and I can never keep him dry, so I bought a bigger bowl, that he could not get in too. Well it did not stop him, at that time We had very heavy rain and this lasted for nearly a week, He loved it and
flew around the garden getting as wet as he possibly could, I had the jobof trying to get him dry, every evening once I got home from work. putting him under the hair dryer is no joke, but he eventually started to enjoy this as well and would stand and allow me to dry him. It was during this time that he caught a bad cold, and had to have a visit to the Vet, bronchitis said Charles, keep the little bugger dry, and gave him a shot of antibiotics, of course Sezar did not like this treatment from a stranger and tried to bite him, I guess he is going to need training said Charles, The devil must be gotten out of him.
And I had to agree , If I was hoping to show this lovely puppy. Now our darling Sezar whose name really suits his cheeky attitude, is five months old, a very very pretty puppy except for where I cut the fur fromunder his chin and chest when he was getting so wet that it made him sick.
he has had all his injections and deworming and is healthy loveable bundle of joy, very square and compact with very good bone, not to tall or to short, But he does have a few bad habits, he insists that I get up at 5.04 every morning to give him his breakfast, he bangs on the veranda door, and if that does not work, he barks and barks until he wakes the whole house hold up. He then flies inside to the kitchen and stands looking at the fridge until I get his plate and feed him. At first he hated the car and cried and cried and barked as loud as he could, but now he is Ready to go, he is going to training lessons on a Saturday afternoon, and loves it, he walks like a dream on the lead and loves to show himself, he knows that he is a winner, and is slowly starting to allow other humans to handle him as well , at first he growled and tried to bite, but he was only nervous, he still drops his tail If he is not sure of someone, but once away and walking up it comes and he is his smiling self once again.
When he was 3 months old Robin was given a little Doberman Bitch puppy, and Sezar loves to play with her, she will soon have to start her lessons, As she is growing like a horse, and is also well accepted by the other Chows and the Maltese..
As our home has large grounds for the dogs to play in, it is not necessary to walk them every day like we used to do in Hillbrow, but I do miss my Sunday walk, but it is to dangerous to walk them in this area of Pinetown, there have been a lot of attacks, and muggings, and I don't intend being a victim ever again. Sezar will be going to his first open show on the 9th November, and then the following weekend he will be representing the Natal Chows at the World of Dogs and Cats.
He was just six weeks old when he came to live with us, a cute little baby Bear, and he loved everyone, this included the other chows of our house hold, young and old alike. His favorite was out tiny blue chow Tanya, He just loved her and she loved him back, she cleaned him and even tried to feed him, but Sezar was destined to grow, and this he did, you could almost see him growing after each meal he ate, he just grew and grew.
He loves the Rain and plays with the hosepipe, whether it is on or not.
Paddles in his water bowl and I can never keep him dry, so I bought a bigger bowl, that he could not get in too. Well it did not stop him, at that time We had very heavy rain and this lasted for nearly a week, He loved it and
flew around the garden getting as wet as he possibly could, I had the jobof trying to get him dry, every evening once I got home from work. putting him under the hair dryer is no joke, but he eventually started to enjoy this as well and would stand and allow me to dry him. It was during this time that he caught a bad cold, and had to have a visit to the Vet, bronchitis said Charles, keep the little bugger dry, and gave him a shot of antibiotics, of course Sezar did not like this treatment from a stranger and tried to bite him, I guess he is going to need training said Charles, The devil must be gotten out of him.
And I had to agree , If I was hoping to show this lovely puppy. Now our darling Sezar whose name really suits his cheeky attitude, is five months old, a very very pretty puppy except for where I cut the fur fromunder his chin and chest when he was getting so wet that it made him sick.
he has had all his injections and deworming and is healthy loveable bundle of joy, very square and compact with very good bone, not to tall or to short, But he does have a few bad habits, he insists that I get up at 5.04 every morning to give him his breakfast, he bangs on the veranda door, and if that does not work, he barks and barks until he wakes the whole house hold up. He then flies inside to the kitchen and stands looking at the fridge until I get his plate and feed him. At first he hated the car and cried and cried and barked as loud as he could, but now he is Ready to go, he is going to training lessons on a Saturday afternoon, and loves it, he walks like a dream on the lead and loves to show himself, he knows that he is a winner, and is slowly starting to allow other humans to handle him as well , at first he growled and tried to bite, but he was only nervous, he still drops his tail If he is not sure of someone, but once away and walking up it comes and he is his smiling self once again.
When he was 3 months old Robin was given a little Doberman Bitch puppy, and Sezar loves to play with her, she will soon have to start her lessons, As she is growing like a horse, and is also well accepted by the other Chows and the Maltese..
As our home has large grounds for the dogs to play in, it is not necessary to walk them every day like we used to do in Hillbrow, but I do miss my Sunday walk, but it is to dangerous to walk them in this area of Pinetown, there have been a lot of attacks, and muggings, and I don't intend being a victim ever again. Sezar will be going to his first open show on the 9th November, and then the following weekend he will be representing the Natal Chows at the World of Dogs and Cats.
Kimiko
GOING BACK A BIT IN TIME TO 1972
KIMIKO
As I was passing a pet shop in Ladysmith one hot summer's day, I saw what looked like a little golden teddy bear, lying in the window box. the bowl which was near to her contained no water She looked at me with dark almond eyes and yawned, Her tongue was almost black in color. I walked into the shop and enquired as to what breed she was and the price, She I was told was a Chow Chow I bought her and took her home, much to the delight of my two small sons. She was just six weeks old.
As the months passed Kim grew into a beautiful golden dog, She had the most loving nature and was always at my side. A better friend and watch dog I could never have had. The local Africans, were terrified of her, for she looked like a small lion.
By the time she was nine months old, she had become a mother, to seven smaller images of herself, except for one which was black and very much larger than his brothers and sisters. Kim took motherhood well but missed her romps with myself and the boys in the veldt. Soon new homes were found for her litter, and she was once again free to be with me.
One afternoon when she was about a year old, she showed just how faithful she was, She was walking through the bush with the children, when they came across a large snake basking in the afternoon sun. Kim barked a warning and stood between the boys and the now alert snake. As the snake's head started to rise, Kim pounced, catching it behind the head, she bit hard and shook the snake, as a cat would a mouse, the snake fought back wiping its long body from left of right. Kim grimly hung on not letting go of her deadly hold until the snake was dead. All the time the children were screaming at her to stop. We never found out what kind of snake it was, but Kim came off her ordeal scott free, and with repercussions for her brave deed.
On our weekend walks we would take her down to the Klip River, where she soon became a proficient swimmer. She would swim the width of the river climbing out on the opposite bank, to chase the rock rabbits that lived there. You could hear her grunts of joy as she sprang around like a mountain goat, She never hurt them and would return to us shaking her wet fur over any one that was within her reach.
When she was two years old we moved from Ladysmith to Durban to a small flat at the seaside. We were very lucky to be able to keep her in the flat. Soon she became a creature of the sea. There was no need to worry when she was not at home. All you had to do was look out of the window, and you could see her where she was playing with the children along the beach. She loved running in the cool water, barking as the waves chased her along the wet sands, then chasing the ripples back to the deeper water.
Many nights we would go swimming, there was no leaving her behind.she would follow me into the water, swimming by my side, grabbing hold of the back of my costume if she thought I was swimming out to far.
she never allowed the children into the water on their own, and kept them within a few feet of the shore. If one of them was bowled over by a strong wave, Kim would dive to the rescue, bringing up the little person screaming his lungs out. She would then tug on his shorts until she had him safe on the shore.
Often we would take her down to the Point Yacht Club for an early morning swim, This was when she would catch her fish for breakfast there wasn't a morning that she did not catch at least two fish, one for her breakfast and one for mine. They were never big fish but big enough for a light meal.
We would take her with us camping, She loved to ride in cars, Anyone's car that had an open door, was an open invitation for Kim to demand a ride. She would jump in regardless of whom they were and where they were supposed to be going. I would then have the battle of getting her out. Most people after their initial fright of having a strange animal jumping into their cars fell in love with her, her friendly tongue licking their surprised faces and often sitting on their laps.
As she grew older Kim was plagued by skin infections, brought on by her swimming in the sea, time after time her fur would fall out covering my carpets and the furniture in a soft golden down, but try as I would there was no way of keeping her out of the water. She developed chest problems, she also lost weight. We took her to Vet after Vet, trying to get her well. The only advice to me was to keep her out of the sea, and away from the sand, as it was termites in the sand that was causing her fur to drop out. But Kim was adamant, that
the sea was her life and she pined for the water. Any chance she could get, to slip out of the flat, when I was not looking and she was gone.
Kim lived with us for 8 years, a real Water dog.
The day came when I knew that things were getting progressively worse she was now going blind and was also deaf. I could not leave her to her own resources. I took her for walks in the park on her leash,
I was now her eyes and ears. Occasionally I would take her to her beloved sea.
It was there that one night on our evening walk in the sand that she stopped and looked at me, I sat down beside her in the cool sand and she put her beautiful head into my lap, growling and almost as as if she was talking to me. I knew the time had come to say goodbye to my precious friend. She closed her blind eyes and took her last shuddering breath. She had left me for a life full of peace. We buried her in a quite spot near the beach at midnight when no one was around. But although she is now gone, if you look hard you will see her paw prints in she sand as she roams the beaches at midnight.
KIMIKO
As I was passing a pet shop in Ladysmith one hot summer's day, I saw what looked like a little golden teddy bear, lying in the window box. the bowl which was near to her contained no water She looked at me with dark almond eyes and yawned, Her tongue was almost black in color. I walked into the shop and enquired as to what breed she was and the price, She I was told was a Chow Chow I bought her and took her home, much to the delight of my two small sons. She was just six weeks old.
As the months passed Kim grew into a beautiful golden dog, She had the most loving nature and was always at my side. A better friend and watch dog I could never have had. The local Africans, were terrified of her, for she looked like a small lion.
By the time she was nine months old, she had become a mother, to seven smaller images of herself, except for one which was black and very much larger than his brothers and sisters. Kim took motherhood well but missed her romps with myself and the boys in the veldt. Soon new homes were found for her litter, and she was once again free to be with me.
One afternoon when she was about a year old, she showed just how faithful she was, She was walking through the bush with the children, when they came across a large snake basking in the afternoon sun. Kim barked a warning and stood between the boys and the now alert snake. As the snake's head started to rise, Kim pounced, catching it behind the head, she bit hard and shook the snake, as a cat would a mouse, the snake fought back wiping its long body from left of right. Kim grimly hung on not letting go of her deadly hold until the snake was dead. All the time the children were screaming at her to stop. We never found out what kind of snake it was, but Kim came off her ordeal scott free, and with repercussions for her brave deed.
On our weekend walks we would take her down to the Klip River, where she soon became a proficient swimmer. She would swim the width of the river climbing out on the opposite bank, to chase the rock rabbits that lived there. You could hear her grunts of joy as she sprang around like a mountain goat, She never hurt them and would return to us shaking her wet fur over any one that was within her reach.
When she was two years old we moved from Ladysmith to Durban to a small flat at the seaside. We were very lucky to be able to keep her in the flat. Soon she became a creature of the sea. There was no need to worry when she was not at home. All you had to do was look out of the window, and you could see her where she was playing with the children along the beach. She loved running in the cool water, barking as the waves chased her along the wet sands, then chasing the ripples back to the deeper water.
Many nights we would go swimming, there was no leaving her behind.she would follow me into the water, swimming by my side, grabbing hold of the back of my costume if she thought I was swimming out to far.
she never allowed the children into the water on their own, and kept them within a few feet of the shore. If one of them was bowled over by a strong wave, Kim would dive to the rescue, bringing up the little person screaming his lungs out. She would then tug on his shorts until she had him safe on the shore.
Often we would take her down to the Point Yacht Club for an early morning swim, This was when she would catch her fish for breakfast there wasn't a morning that she did not catch at least two fish, one for her breakfast and one for mine. They were never big fish but big enough for a light meal.
We would take her with us camping, She loved to ride in cars, Anyone's car that had an open door, was an open invitation for Kim to demand a ride. She would jump in regardless of whom they were and where they were supposed to be going. I would then have the battle of getting her out. Most people after their initial fright of having a strange animal jumping into their cars fell in love with her, her friendly tongue licking their surprised faces and often sitting on their laps.
As she grew older Kim was plagued by skin infections, brought on by her swimming in the sea, time after time her fur would fall out covering my carpets and the furniture in a soft golden down, but try as I would there was no way of keeping her out of the water. She developed chest problems, she also lost weight. We took her to Vet after Vet, trying to get her well. The only advice to me was to keep her out of the sea, and away from the sand, as it was termites in the sand that was causing her fur to drop out. But Kim was adamant, that
the sea was her life and she pined for the water. Any chance she could get, to slip out of the flat, when I was not looking and she was gone.
Kim lived with us for 8 years, a real Water dog.
The day came when I knew that things were getting progressively worse she was now going blind and was also deaf. I could not leave her to her own resources. I took her for walks in the park on her leash,
I was now her eyes and ears. Occasionally I would take her to her beloved sea.
It was there that one night on our evening walk in the sand that she stopped and looked at me, I sat down beside her in the cool sand and she put her beautiful head into my lap, growling and almost as as if she was talking to me. I knew the time had come to say goodbye to my precious friend. She closed her blind eyes and took her last shuddering breath. She had left me for a life full of peace. We buried her in a quite spot near the beach at midnight when no one was around. But although she is now gone, if you look hard you will see her paw prints in she sand as she roams the beaches at midnight.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
In Memory of Cyan
Cyan passed away from a heart attack at the age of 14years, on the 1.3.09
I breed her and she was my sisters chow for all these years. Loved unconditionaly and will be sadly missed.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Smurf crossed the Rainbow Bridge to day
Rest in Peace my Chow Chow, you were greatly loved, We will never forget you.
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