Inspired by Fur-Face Kids .....

ZORRO - not happy either

Is it just me or do the past few weeks seem to be nothing more than just one more bad thing happening on top of another? Granted, if you start off with biorhythms (does anyone else believe in those?) being at all all-time low, the chances are that your outlook would be pretty seriously affected and seeing the glass as  half-full would be just about impossible!

So with the middle of the month fast approaching and knowing I have to produce something for the Blog by today, I found to my absolute horror that there was nothing I could write about!! Nothing! Nada! Niks and even more Bugger-All!! So if this is what "writers-block" feels like, it really, really sucks and being under pressure is not helping much either. I even asked a fellow-writer for a suggestion and the best she could come up with was "human rights, evictions, crime, the weather..."! Sheesh!!! somewhere the lines got horribly crossed --- I WANT HAPPY!!!!

And that is when I realised that the problem was not my surroundings, the news, the weather or all the horrid stuff going on around the world - it was me! The 8-year old inside was throwing a mother of a tantrum demanding to be made happy, expecting the world to revolve around her and provide her with lots and lots of of happy!!! 

ZOE - not stressed at all

So with all this teeth gnashing and finger nail biting going on, I happen to look over at the couch in my office and see Zoe, exhausted from the morning walk - looking anything but stressed - and part of me was suddenly very, very envious. For those that are not aware of our household, we share our lives (and bed in some cases) with 7 dogs and 2 cats and I realised that our fur-face kids and their weird and wonderful quirks and foibles provide us with so much more than we are prepared to admit.

There is no word for parents whose kids have scampered across the seas in search of a better life and prospects for themselves and their children. Don't for one minute think I hold it against them in any way as they really had very little choice, but maybe the "old folks" who stay behind fill the space with fur-face kids. It is kinda impossible to feel miserably depressed and wanting to hibernate under your duvet when you have animals to feed. A cold nose stuck in your ear will soon have you leaping out of bed when the choice is either to get up and let them out or do poo-patrol indoors!

Beyond the care and attention they require, they bring something more and when I looked, I found what each little fur-face brings to our world that is special and unique ....

SHERRY - matriarch

Sherry  has been with us the longest and has a pedigree as long as my arm. She might be one of the smallest but is definitely the matriarch and ruler  of the fur-face pack. She is the one that keeps everyone in line and does not miss a thing. Quite a little busy-body and demands attention from every human who visits her - seriously, that is the only reason humans come here, not so? She leads the way in the morning and afternoon walks but does not play with the other dogs - she only plays one-on-one with humans.

RILEY - lover boy

Riley arrived a year after Sherry. He too is a highly pedigreed little fellow who was destined to be a show dog until one of his testes failed to emerge. This did not stop him from siring 5 beautiful puppies before he was permanently fixed! He is by far the most loving and cuddly dog of the pack, which is why he is called the lover-boy. He also used to be the resident in-house trainer and ran around like a hooligan getting the other dogs to try and catch him. Not so much anymore which explains why he resembles a brick and snores very loudly!

PEDRO - the littlest boy

Sherry and Riley's puppies were born on our anniversary (28th August) 3 years ago and after expecting maybe two, imagine our surprise when there were 5! Pedro was the last one and turned out to be the prettiest of them all and very much his father's double and loves to cuddle. Zorro (top left) on the other hand is the absolute opposite; shy and reserved, he does not make friends easily but is by far the most alert of the pack. Both of the boys are perennial snackers - they fetch a mouthful of pellets from the kitchen and sit and eat them in the lounge - never did figure out why.

These four are Ian's darlings and they all sleep on his lap in winter - a little part of them knows he hates winter and they all do their bit to keep him as warm as possible. Getting up out of his chair is sometimes a problem which is where we adopted the terminology that he is "be-dogged" *chuckle*

DOOBI - still a gentleman

Doobi you have met before in a previous Blog : "A Question of Loyalty" and although he is getting very old and grey (he is almost 80 in doggie years), he still comes for walks with us, plays with his ball when its not too cold and soaks up as much sun as he can. He seems to like Zoe although he appears to spend an awful lot of time snapping at her when she gets too boisterous. Yet, when nobody is looking he will deliberately bump into her and run away so that she chases him ......

JESSE - the great protector

Jesse is the big dog on the farm and my bestie. If she has a down side it is that really icy cold nose she sticks in my ear from 5am in the morning when she wants out. Its not only the cold nose, she kinda breathes and huffs at the same time which is more effective that any alarm clock! Sometimes she will just rest her head on your shoulder and sigh deeply with utter content - her version of a doggie hug. She has proved to be a very good snake hunter and has a specific double bark which announces their presence. We all know that when we hear that bark, Ian fetches the shotgun and I lock up the little dogs. Jesse also loves hedgehogs and has brought many of them home to play with - until Ian removes them in his hanky.

JESSE & ZOE 

Although almost 3 years old, Jesse still loves playing and romping and none of the little dogs like playing with her so the decision was made to find her a friend - and that is how Zoe came to join the household. Zoe is pure labrador puppy and everything you have ever ready about them pales into insignificance when you actually live with one. Everything about Zoe is "more" - more chewing, more playful, more boisterous, more goofy, more annoying, more determined, more hungry, more clumsy, more cute and more lovable. With all the confidence in the world she simply leaps on us and we are smothered in doggie kisses and snuffles until she is satisfied that we know she is the baby in the house and she loves us!

So after writing all this I find that I am not half as miserable and depressed as I was when I started out. Having to concentrate to find the words to aptly describe our fur-face kids helped shift the focus away from the 8-year old's grumpiness. I may just have stumbled upon a cure for depression - a new puppy for the 8-year old and Fifty Shades of Grey for the adult - an odd combination that is bound to deliver positive results.

Romping time

And no, I have not forgotten about the cats ..... Tigger and Smuggles are never around when you need them- either to be photographed or to catch the mouse hiding in the bathroom. They will however catch the birds and mice outside and proudly bring them home for us to admire. 
But for now you will need to excuse me, I have spent way too much time behind this computer, the sun is shining outside and even if it is darn cold - there are a whole bunch of fur-face kids wanting to go and play. And somehow I think that is far better than wallowing further  ..... don't you?