Alfie's Story!

For those of you who regularly read my ramblings (not that my ramblings are that regular any more.... but I shall improve), our little off-white dog Alfie has been a familiar name as he lives his life alongside ours.

We have had him for nearly thirteen years, wow, we can hardly believe, and for those of you who didn't know his story, here is a brief synopsis!

Alfie and his best friend... Rob.

I found him in the middle of the traffic one January morning in 2007 in our town of Vredenburg. He was lost, he was confused, he was filthy and matted and covered in fleas and he was in danger of being run over any moment. So, we stopped to pick him up (my sister was visiting at the time) and took him to our wonderful vet who said that she would keep him for a few days to see if he was claimed.
When I got home and told Rob the story, he looked amused.
'What do you want to do?'..... were the words he uttered and by that time I was phoning the vet to say 'Give him his innoculations, I shall come to fetch him' and the rest is history!

More friends, Morris and of course, the ginger boy Basil.

And for the last thirteen years our evening routine has never varied....

National Dog Day!

Today, Saturday 26 August, is National Dog Day.

Our four-legged-friends special day, a day set aside to think about all the ways in which we can celebrate their help, love and friendship. The guide dogs, the sniffer dogs who head into dangerous territory without thinking, the dogs who 'know' when their owner is about to have a seizure, and the everyday much loved stay-at-home spoilt dogs.

Like our Alfie!

But, it is also a day when we think about all the homeless dogs, the dogs in shelters all over the world, the abused, hurt, abandoned, starving dogs and the sad dogs who are only used  for 'backyard breeding'. A pox on the owners.....

Since joining Facebook, I have 'liked' and followed, several Animal Shelters who do amazing work with limited funds, limited people and limited time! I have laughed, cried and cursed. I have shared and deleted, I have added comments and emojis.

I follow shelters who specialise in rescuing Donkeys, Birds, Cats and Dogs, Carthorses, Baboons and exotic smuggled animals.

I have put my comments under photos of horribly abused animals, and fat slobs who think it is great fun to shoot canned lions, (when are tourists going to realise that those cute lion cubs they like to have their photos taken with will most likely end up as cannon fodder for some rich idiot from overseas), and circuses who still use animals in their acts (although they are becoming few and far between, thank goodness!)

So, sorry for the ranting, but this brings me to my topic!

We have had the honour of Alfie's presence in our home for going on 11 years now. My sister was visiting in January 2007 when we saw him running in the middle of the road in town. We stopped and picked him up, a hairy, filthy, matted soul, terrified and confused, and took him to the vet in town. Of course he had no collar, no identification. She assured us that she would keep him, look after him until he was claimed, failing which, she would send him to the local boarding kennels on a farm.

Of course when we got home we told Rob all about this little dog, and he casually asked, 'So, what do you want to do about it?'
The vet was phoned with instructions to clean him up, give him his injections (we knew it was a 'him' by carefully feeling underneath when we first picked him up!), and I would be in to fetch him the very next day!

Alfie, I think this was his first day home with us!

When we went back to fetch him, the vet brought out this tiny little dog!
'That isn't the dog I brought in' I said.......
'Yes, it is him, we had to shave him' was the reply!

He came home and has been Rob's constant companion since that day.

The Loyal look... waiting for a little nibble....

We bought a caravan so he could come on holiday with us.....

Alfie camping!

He has been good for us, making us walk every day! He has never been sick, but we notice now that his eye is clouding and he cannot jump over the gate as easily as he once could. He had a tooth removed a little while ago, and has a few soft lumps that the vet assures us are not malignant and can remain.

The windswept look!

We are growing old together, Alfie, Rob and me.

But, as today is National Dog Day, he will have a special supper!

But for Alfie..... every day is the Day of the Dog.

I wish everybody who has a dog, could say the same.

Fun With Floyd!

Last week we went camping!

For ages we have been thinking and planning and deciding whether to hire a Mobile Home and spend a week trundling from camp to camp, spending one night at a time and moving on each day. We wanted to see whether we preferred a Mobile Home to the caravan, so Rob did some homework and sent off an enquiry to see what the costs etc would be.

Well.
Back came a very nice mail confirming that the dates we wanted were indeed available, and after Rob had deposited R48 000 (that is forty-eight thousand rand) into their account (for insurance you understand, returnable when we dropped the vehicle back), we could organise a day to come and have a quick lesson, pick it up, and drive off into the sunset.

As you can imagine, we abandoned that plan and loaded up our trusty Hyacinth!

The campsite we chose was one of our very favourites, 'Koningskop' on a working citrus and rooibos tea estate. We went there last year, and vowed to return!

So, last Monday we rolled into camp just after lunch (a brilliant burger at Piketberg), and went straight to the site that we had last time. Grassy, shady and right next to the all important Ablution Block!

Home sweet home! Ablution block to the right!

The Boys Are Back!

Reading the title, you would be forgiven in thinking that someone in the family (or someones) had returned from holiday.

Wrong. Read on.

For the last few weeks Morris the cat, (he of the bladder problems), has been going 'bos' (bush) in the evenings. Popping in and out during the day as usual, he suddenly decided that he was going to razzle overnight and pick the odd barney with whoever was around, and we have been waking to the sound of caterwauling! Alfie hates hearing cat fights, so we let him out to referee the fight and chase off the interloper. This can be anytime before dawn!

So, on Saturday night Rob noticed that Morris had a lopsided look about him, and when l had a closer look I noticed that he had a rather large abscess on the side of his head. There was a scabby area, so I fiddled and managed to clear quite a lot out of it. He was very good, but wasn't too happy about me squeezing for very long.

Sunday being Easter, there was no vet around, and Monday was a holiday too. We decided to go and see Aunty Vet on Tuesday morning!

Early on Tuesday morning we set off with Morris in the box (furious and hungry and complaining), and Alfie along for the ride (or so we thought!)

Pill-Poppers Rule!

I know what you are thinking!

I have not suddenly become a druggie in my old age, although I must admit that there are many times when my hips ache and my shoulders don't turn and my knees whinge when I am climbing the stairs, that I can easily imagine becoming hooked on pain killers and anti-inflammatories.

But no. This has nothing to do with drugs!

Last week I decided that it was time to de-worm the animals! We try to do it every few months when I have gathered the strength needed to do battle with the lot of them.

I am sure that you have read the 'How to give a cat a pill' followed by 'How to give a dog a pill'. For those of you who have not, very briefly it goes something like this:

First catch the cat. Wrap it in a blanket, don gloves and goggles and tuck the blanket-covered-cat that is by now a struggling demon with claws at the ready, under one arm while with the other you try to trap the legs and with the remaining hand prise the jaws open and flick the pill to the back of the throat. Once you have released the cat, you notice that in the ensuing chaos, the cat has gone 'ptooo', spat the pill onto the floor and has sauntered away, sharpening it's claws on the couch on the way out.

Then it's the dog's turn: Grab the pill, wrap it in a piece of bacon/cheese/ham/peanut butter smeared bread/ sausage/liver paste and simply chuck it in the direction of the dog who gobbles it down and sits grinning at you.

Whoever wrote this is lying.

Of This and That!

I have become very tardy lately! For the last week I have been wondering what to write about next. My head is full of ideas, so much so that I cannot pin it down to one subject, so I have done nothing about anything!!

But, here we go!

I shall skip over my birthday (yes, another one, don't they come round quickly?? And I had a wonderful day starting with coffee in bed, even though it was an even numbered day! Add to that skypes with my family and chats with lots of friends, wine at lunchtime and rugby to watch later and you get the picture! And, Saturday Chicken for lunch, on a Saturday too!) Rob had a four day tour starting on Sunday, so he set off after lunch on Sunday and Alfie was a little confused with the comings and goings!

Oh, look what's on the telly! This has nothing to do with the story, but it's quite funny!

Alfie's Goose is Cooked!

I know that I have mentioned the six Egyptian Geese that Nicola and her goose Peta are raising?

Well, these little souls are growing by the day and are now quite adept at grazing with their large foster mother every evening on the Scott's lawn. We were chatting to them the other evening (are you surprised? I thought not!) and we realised that the six littlies arrived on Christmas Eve.

Peta and her brood. (Pics thanks to Rob)

You Can Lead a Dog to Water...........................!

Yes, I know that it's really a horse that you can lead to water, but we don't have a horse. We do have a dog though and that is the whole point!

On Saturday we had to take Alfie to the vet. In the years since we found him, he has been to the vet for his yearly 'jauvas' (inoculations and injections) but apart from that, he has been a very healthy and hassle-free lad. We can count on one hand the number of times that we have had to take him for other things, and that is usually to have his nails clipped. And once for a 'hot spot' on his side. But on Friday evening we noticed that he had licked his one dewclaw so much that it was looking very red and inflamed, so Saturday morning we decided to take him To The Vet! (Have you noticed that visits to the vet usually coincide with weekends and Public Holidays? Or after hour emergencies?)

Alfie feeling very sorry for himself!

Luckily Alfie loves going for a ride in the car, so he was very happy to climb in, and was equally happy to go into the vet as he is always made to feel very welcome. We were fifth in line after a cat, a Labrador puppy, an elderly Jack Russell and a very bouncy staffy who eyed the fluffy toys with great interest. We kept our distance and stood some way off, as he was eyeing Alfie with the same interest!

Alfie is Lost!

Alfie is lost.

I don't mean physically, no, he is here, sort of, in body only! I mean mentally and psychologically lost. Look at the photo below, does this look like a happy, well-balanced animal?

His head on Rob's pillow! Eish!

I rest my case!

On the Road Again!

We've just returned from a lovely few days away in Gemsquash. I say 'lovely' because it's always great fun to camp, behave like tourists, be lazy, read and generally loll about. However, the campsite was in the middle of the town of Montagu, a beautifully kept, tidy and pet friendly park. The ablution blocks were spotless and the grass was green and lush.

They visited us daily for Alfie's food!

The only other people around were pensioners, like ourselves!

Rob showing a few photos to our neighbours!

So, what was wrong I hear you asking? The noise from the traffic was unbelievable! Remember, we have about twelve cars passing us on a busy day here, so we forget what it is like in town! We were directed to a corner of the park that was next to a road that went up a hill and had a sharp turn at the bottom, so we had brake noise, revving noise, hooting noise, radio noise, general engine noise and the odd shouts of drivers to pedestrians noise! Add dogs barking and you have some idea of what it was like. Apart from that, it was super, and we met some really nice people who all fell in love with Alfie!

Lost and Found!

They say that things always happen in threes, and last weekend was no exception! The schools closed on Thursday for the Easter break and the weekend was a long one, so our little village was full of holidaymakers. Also, I think a few people from here went away to spend time inland, so there has been a fair number of comings and goings as you can imagine!

So, on Friday morning I was standing idly chatting to my neighbour and watching two little boys riding their bikes round the block, followed by a sort of Jack Russell mix female dog with a long tail. They were having great fun, and every now and then the dog plunged into the bushes to try and catch a francolin (no chance there!). As they rode past for about the fourth time, I said to them 'Gosh, your dog is fit, isn't she tired yet?' They stopped to chat and the younger boy said 'It's not our dog!' (I had a flashback moment to the Peter Sellers Pink Panther movie when he asked the chap 'Does your dog bite?' and the answer was 'no' but it did bite and then it turned out that it wasn't his dog!) Apparently this little dog had simply arrived at the boys house and played with them, spent the night and was more than happy to stay. 

Our Fully Qualified Camping Dog!

Our boy is famous.......again!! Towards the end of last year Rob took out a subscription to a magazine called 'Caravan and outdoor life' and we read it from cover to cover every month. We have actually used a couple of their ideas in Gemsquash too, Rob sawed off the end of the table which gives us more room inside (I told you it was compact!) and yesterday he fixed a wooden roller towel holder on the cupboard. We just have to remember to make sure that the towel is firmly held closed with an elastic band, as it has a way of unrolling itself with movement and I have visions of opening the caravan door and fighting my way through half a kilometre of roller towel ready to escape! Anyway, I decided to write to the editor of the magazine with a little story about our last camping trip to Clanwilliam, and how Alfie was a Fully Qualified Camping Dog!

Our hot dog looking like Road Kill!

It's a Bird Dog!

Yes, it's another Alfie picture! I have to admit that I must have at least fifty pictures of him on my computer, but Rob takes the cake, he has Alfie as a screen saver on his mobile phone and regularly whips the mobile out to show people in shops, caravan parks, restaurants, you name it! I tease him by saying that most people our age (maturing nicely like smelly cheese), have photos of their grandchildren to brag about!

The notice reads 'Wild bird take aways'

This photo was taken of Alfie a few months ago. I regularly put the old un-eaten dog and cat food out for the birds and a few minutes later the first 'bird' arrived in the shape of one Alfred. Then we had some fun as Rob challenged our friends and family to 'Name the Bird'. We had some wonderful answers, original, witty and descriptive.
I always wonder how many people read this blog, so, here's my way of finding out! I would like everyone (including those people who sent us their ideas before), to think of a 'name' (in Latin if you like!) and a brief description and post it as a comment at the end of the blog. It will be fun to see how many different answers I get....... please more than 0. Oh yes, and if you are not in South Africa, please put the town and country too!

Here's an example: 'Crested wagtail'. (Waggus crestus). Can be found in urban gardens all over the countryand is easily tamed. Call is a high pitched 'woooof' sound.

The winner will receive an autographed photograph of Alfie! What more could you want!

Dam it's hot!

No, it's not a curse or a spelling mistake, it was HOT! Last week we went to Clanwilliam Dam for another little mid-week break, we find that Alfie needs a change of scenery every now and then, so we oblige! Off we set on Monday morning with the usual south easter blowing to help us on our way. A nice cool temperature of about 21, lovely. We had booked at a private caravan park on a working citrus farm on the banks of the dam, only about 121 kms as the crow flies from home, but just over 200 as the road winds! We arrived at lunchtime and stepped out of the airconditioning to ........................40 degrees! And no wind. At all. By the time we had put the tent up, burning our fingers from the metal rods lying in the sun, I was seriously considering climbing back into the car and coming home!

Almost at the campsite.

Living with a celebrity!

Rob's photo of Alfie in 'home' magazine

For those of you who are regular readers of my blog, the name 'Alfie' conjours up a picture of a small, almost white dog with scribbly hair and a long tail! Well, fame at last, as our 'pavement special' who is well known in our little village, became a celebrity almost overnight! We have a wonderful magazine in South Africa called 'home' that is produced monthly, and I buy it and read it from cover to cover each month. They have a 'Pets Page' that answers pet related questions and prints a selection of photographs that readers send to them. Rob must have over three hundred photographs of Alfie, (he is very photogenic!) and decided to send one to them a few months ago. They mailed back to say that they loved it, and so, this month, on page 80, our boy can be seen sitting on the garden wall, his ears delicately swept sideways by the prevailing wind!

Caravans and Creatures!

One of the perks of reaching retirement (apart from aching joints and high blood pressure, not to mention sagging skin, a widening girth and several visits to the loo during the night), is the fact that we can head off on a mid week break out of season, thereby avoiding school holidays! So, seeing that the weather was perfect and the timing was right, we decided to pack a few essentials, load the dog and head off for a few days in Gemsquash our trusty old caravan! Why Gemsquash you ask? Because she is a real gem, but a bit of a squash with the 3 of us on the bed. We did take Alfie's bed with us last time, but he prefers to guard us closely at night! So Rob surfed the net for small, out-of-the-way camping and caravan parks, and he came up with a winner! Situated just 6 kms from Montagu, it had everything.........and we were the only people there! For us that's a bonus!

Nearly there!

"Alfie"

When we first arrived in Jacobsbaai we had the idea of doing a fair bit of meandering around, footloose and fancy free, lock up and go, as Clyde our dear old cat was extremely independent and could be left overnight as long as there was food, a litter tray and an open window. He was used to being on his own, and in fact, even when we were at home he usually ignored us anyway. He would sit just out of reach with his back to us and pretend that we were not there. You have not been ignored until you are ignored by a cat.

how could we refuse this face?

A few months after our arrival, my sister came to stay. My one sadness about leaving Jo’burg - it's no longer a simple day’s bus trip or an easy five-hour drive to visit her - it's a lot further now. Anyway we were heading into town one morning in early January when we saw a small woolly looking dog running in the main road, dodging between the cars and trucks and very obviously lost. We stopped (after doing a spectacularly illegal U-turn) and managed to get him to come to us. Diana gingerly felt below to establish whether it was male or female as he looked like Boomer on a bad hair day. We took him to the vet, who promised that she would keep him overnight and, if he was unclaimed, he would go to a nearby farm that had some kennels. When we got home we relayed the story to Rob, (with a lot of embellishments I might add) and he said “So what do you want to do?” Easy. I phoned the vet, and said that if he was still there the next day, we would adopt him. The rest, as they say, is history!!

That first day, with Clyde in the foreground