All clear for Suki!

Once again I apologise for the lack of posts of late, I am currently juggling a number of things and every spare moment has unfortunately been spent job hunting.  I want to give you all an update on Suki as I am always keen to share good news...  

Last weekend we took her to the vets and he was amazed when she happily trotted in, on four legs whilst wagging her tail.  I am so proud that she feels no fear when visiting the vets as all things considered it would be understandable if she were a bit apprehensive.

We explained to the vet that Suki has been putting a bit of weight on her injured paw and seemed comfortable doing this, he had the dog treats out ready for Suki and she was happy to undergo a quick examination before tucking into the bacon bits.  The vet said the bones in her paw were knitting together very well and therefore he was happy to discharge her!  We are to keep her out of the park for another few weeks, as running on the grass may cause some discomfort, but then it is back to normal.  

Suki is very pleased about this as she is desperate to get back in the park and to be able to socialise with other dogs again.  I confess that I was a bit naughty on Monday evening and when I took her for her evening walk we did end up in the park.  Suki practically dragged me there and I only allowed her to walk on the path that runs through the park for a short distance but it was better than nothing.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in Suki and your good wishes and all your virtual hugs and kisses have definitely helped.  I promise I will take lots of pictures once Suki is back in her beloved park!

Suki's progress

I thought it was time for another update on Suki, throughout this difficult week (with Lennox in mind) when it would be easy to admit defeat and give up hope on things, Suki has been an absolute joy and has really cheered me up.

Since I last updated you we had been able to remove her much despised plastic cone and trust her to just occasionally lick her wound rather than the full blown obsession she had before.  This meant no more sleepless nights for any of us, hurrah!

The other markings on her body are scabbing over and healing rapidly.  She saw the vet with her Daddy last Saturday and hopped all the way there herself, the vet was very pleased with her and said she was able to stop taking the antibiotics and wouldn't need a further check up for two weeks.  

This week there has been a lot more progress, she is back to her clumsy and boisterous self (even more clumsy on three legs!) with a healthy appetite and renewed interest in chewing her favourite toys, she is even able to use two paws to hold her rawhide chew and seems even more vocal than normal when asking for her breakfast!  


A few days ago we decided to nip to the local shop to get some chocolate and Suki accompanied us (even though it was raining!) all the way there and back with a big smile on her face.  Despite her traumatic accident she is still confident and doesn't seem phased by the cars whizzing past which is such a relief.


A few times she has kindly left us an unwanted present on the floor which I have taken to mean that she wants to resume her daily exercise routine, I don't want her to run before she can walk (or hop) so we will take it easy.  The difficulty is that she must wear a bandage when going outside and it takes the two of us to get it on her poorly leg, when I tried to put on the bandage alone it ended up with me being licked within and inch of my life and Suki refusing to keep still, rolling on her back to avoid me grabbing her!  We'll get there.

I am rejoicing at how lucky we have all been, things could have been so much worse and I am beyond grateful to still have my beloved pooch at my side.  She is such a brave girl - a real inspiration.  

Suki's accident has taught me that although Suki has been trained to behave off the lead the fact that she ignored commands and ran away subsequently resulting in an accident means that there is still more to do.  Suki is a work in progress and, as a responsible dog owner, I need to work harder to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Get Well Soon Suki

I'm just stopping by to apologise for the lack of blog posts of late, just over a week ago Suki was hit by a car.  She is still with us and we are very lucky indeed.  She was bruised and battered with a very damaged front arm and paw which is undergoing treatment.  The accident happened on a sunny Sunday afternoon but we were able to locate a nearby vet who happened to be available therefore Suki was able to receive almost immediate attention.

  

This past week we have been taking time off work and spending a lot of time with our girl and visiting the vet regularly to monitor the progress of her damaged front arm.  She has healed very well so far but this morning the vet discovered that the more serious wound has started to become infected which has meant leaving it open and to stop eager Suki from licking it too much she is having to wear a plastic cone which, as you can imagine, she is not too thrilled about.

Thank you to all of those who have kept Suki in your thoughts and sent her your best wishes, I will keep you posted and normal service will hopefully resume soon.

Nigel Hastilow is barking up the wrong tree.

Standing up for Suki and all the Staffies out there.

Last week I was dismayed when I read this uninformed and heavily biased article in the Shropshire Star written by politician Nigel Hastilow entitled "Barking up the wrong tree with microchips".  In the article he was meant to be discussing the governments controversial decision on compulsory microchipping to try to combat the dangerous dogs problem.  Instead Mr Hastilow completely slated Staffordshire Bull Terriers calling them unlovable, dumb and dangerous.  He also insulted people who owned Staffies calling them thugs and as dangerous as their dogs.  

I was, as you can imagine, furious so decided to tell Mr Hastilow exactly what I thought of his article.  Luckily for me, the Internet Editor of the Shropshire Star asked if I could turn my comment into a blog article for their website which I was more than happy to do!  Please have a look at the article and tell me what you think, I'd love your feedback.

We are TWO!

Happy Birthday The Animal News!

It was on this day two years ago that I made my first post on The Animal News, for some reason I feel like I have been part of this for much longer.  When I first created the blog I knew little about blogging in general and wasn't quite sure how I was going to proceed.  My goal has always been clear, The Animal News aims to raise awareness to the plights of animals all over the world and show people that it doesn't take a lot of time and effort to make a difference.  A few minutes signing a petition can make a big difference, a few more minutes asking some friends to sign the petition can make even more of a difference.  Soon, they may ask their friends and so forth, meanwhile the petition is growing and gaining more weight.

I am still learning as I go along and hope in the next year to find my feet a bit more and convince more people to spare some time to help the millions of animals in our world that have no voice of their own.

At times I find it frustrating when I feel like nobody is listening, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I receive a high volume of e-mails from Animal Welfare Organisations needing help and I am not able to respond due to work commitments.  All this is easily bearable when I see that you, the readers, are listening, taking note, showing interest and taking action.  I want to thank each and every one of you for your time and support and for continuing to read The Animal News.

Special thanks goes out to the people at BlogPaws for putting me in touch with so many like minded animal lovers and to the loyal Twitter followers who constantly promote my blog posts and take action alerts.

Here's to next year!

PS ~ I would love to hear any feedback you have to offer on how I could improve The Animal News.  What would you like to see on here?  Are there any causes you would like me to promote?  Would you like more posts, or less?  Please contact me on Facebook, Twitter or via E-mail on theanimalnews at googlemailcom.

Fluffy Friday #56 ~ Suki "The Sweetest Staffie"

Last Sunday we took Suki to The Mayhew Animal Home's Hyde Bark event in, you guessed it, Hyde Park.  I am a big fan of the Mayhew and have been looking forward to the event for quite a while.  I was particularly excited about their Diamond Dog show as I love fun dog events and I was interested in entering Suki in the categories of "Prettiest Bitch" and "Sweetest Staffie".  In the end we only ended up entering "Sweetest Staffie" and I'm mighty glad we did, as she only went and won!  

Judges Joanna Page and James Thornton loved Suki's party trick back leg raise, happy nature and sweet smile.  Suki was awarded a rosette and a certificate, she wears the rosette with pride on her harness and I hope this encourages people to come and say hello to her rather than discriminating against the Staffie breed.

Us and the Judges, poor Suki blinked as the photo was taken!

Suki socialising with a distinguished looking Bassett Hound.

All images courtesy of The Mayhew Animal Home, more photos of the event available  on their Facebook page.

Happy Friday!

When Suki met Rusty

Despite adopting Suki the Staffie almost a year and a half ago it was only recently she became acquainted with Rusty the Cat.  (FYI, Rusty lives with my parents - or in Rusty's opinion my parents live with her!) Suki has been to my Parents house and stayed over on a number of occasions and although she can smell Rusty and knows she is there they have never actually met face to face, this is because we were told that Suki isn't a big fan of cats (and has a scar on her nose to prove it) so kept them separate.

All that changed during our visit home for Mother's Day weekend, an oversight on my part meant Suki casually trotted into the kitchen to check whether any of Rusty's food (or poop) was hanging around.  It wasn't just those items she happened upon, but little Rusty herself.  The rest is a blur of shouting (me), screaming (me), barking (Suki), hissing (Rusty) flying fur (both) and crashing cups of cold tea flooding the floor.  Suki was on top of Rusty and then Rusty was on top of Suki (it was like they were in a cloud of dust, just like in the cartoons I used to watch as a child) and I just remember dragging Suki out of the kitchen, somewhere quiet where I could inspect her scars and calm her down.

I must confess that I was more worried about Rusty, a small, delicate and thin but fluffy cat, rather than our well padded Staffie, however I seriously underestimated her.  When the dust settled and the tea was mopped up, I went up to check on how Rusty was.  Completely fine as it happens!  She was spitting and hissing whilst staring at the door seemingly wishing for round two.  In contrast, Suki was trembling with a sad and sheepish look on her face and a scratched tummy.  


The next day my Dad, who was first on the scene of the fight, remarked that it was in fact small, delicate and thin but fluffy Rusty that had spotted Suki ambling into the kitchen and started the whole thing!  

I think they are both sorry for how their first meeting ended and to make amends Suki is posting some yummy treats for Rusty to enjoy and says she is sorry for trying to steal her dinner (and poop).  Rusty has decided to sent Suki some of her favourite treats and wishes to apologise for overreacting and resorting to violence.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Fluffy Friday #53

We're off on holiday for a week!  I have prepared some posts in advance but I will only have sporadic access to Facebook and Twitter, just in case you wonder where I've got to.  In the meantime, I'll leave you with today's Fluffy Friday...


Animals do the funniest things!  

Have a lovely weekend!

Happy Valentines Day: Have a Heart for Animals

Me and Suki.

Love is definitely in the air.  Tonight we are cooking a (hopefully) delicious vegetarian meal and curling up with Suki.  Are you celebrating Valentine's Day?

If you are planning on celebrating with chocolates please make sure you keep them well away from your pets.  One thing that isn't forbidden is plenty of loving cuddles, although I know Rusty would prefer a nice gentle brush of her fur rather than a big squeeze and for Suki the bigger and longer the cuddle, the better (especially if it's from her Daddy!)

Me and Rusty.

BUAV is reminding us to have a heart for animals this Valentines day (and always) by treating loved ones to gifts that are not tested on animals.  They even have a special offer!  Bulldog Natural Skin care is offering all BUAV supporters 30% off, for more info and BUAV's latest news check this out.

Happy Valentines Day to you all with Lots of Love from me and my girls xoxox

Update on... SUKI!

Suki has had a very eventful summer, we took her to a Farm Cottage in beautiful Northumberland for a week back in August and she thoroughly enjoyed herself running on the beach (though not in the sea) and jumping through the corn fields.  Upon coming across some farm animals she was transfixed by the sheep, seeming to think they were a type of woolly dog that wanted to play with her.  She didn’t get the hint when the sheep ran away!  We even took Suki on a boat trip to see some seals off the coast and she was highly excited by that experience as well.

The next big adventure for Suki was moving down to the Big Smoke which has involved lots of travelling on the tube as well as visiting Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and all of the big parks London has to offer.  When walking in Green Park, which is just a stones throw from the Palace, we came across a very well to do lady who was walking a Jack Russell named Jack, we were quite taken with the little dog and admired his coat which featured an embroidered crown.  It was the crown that made me wonder if little Jack could possibly have a Royal owner, apparently the Duchess of Cornwall has recently adopted a Jack Russell named Jack and I can’t help but wonder if Suki’s play mate could have been quite famous!

Whilst living in our temporary house in London, Suki has become a frequent visitor to the local park and made numerous friends both canine and human.  She has taken a shine to one dog in particular, a Rottweiler Staffie cross named Brockster.  I think he is her boyfriend but don’t tell her I told you, otherwise she will be embarrassed.  Suki is such a sociable dog and the smile on her face after meeting her friends in the park really warms my heart.

Update on... RUSTY!

A few of you have said you miss hearing my personal stories about Suki and Rusty and there is an awful lot of catching up for you all to do.  I am going to try and start running Suki's Serene Sunday again as soon as I can lay my hands on a new camera (unfortunately I lost my camera over the summer).  As Suki has her own feature on The Animal News I would like Rusty to have a regular feature as well but so far I can only think of Rusty's Rules or Rusty's Recipes and Rusty neither follows rules or recipes!  If you think of anything please let me know by commenting in the box below, posting on the Facebook page or sending me a Tweet.

This week I will start by giving you an update on Rusty as it has been a long while since I last posted about the little rascal.  Things for Rusty have been mostly good over the summer, long days of sun bathing followed by evenings snuggled up on the bed.  Now myself and my Sister have moved out of home she can take her pick of beds.  Last time I was home for the weekend she glared accusingly at me as she wanted to sleep in my bed but I was in there, instead she lay on the window sill shooting exasperated glances in my direction.  

I say things have been mostly good because she has had a few bad experiences over the past few months, as well as having conjunctivitis and a bug that made her very sick and involved a trip to the vets she was left at a cattery for a week whilst we went on a family holiday.  It was even more upsetting for poor Rusty as we took Suki with us, I can imagine she was seething!  When she came home from the cattery she seemed to be quite spooked by the whole experience, she hid under my sister’s bed for a time before wolfing down as much food as she could manage.  We noticed that all her fur was quite matted and it took her a few days to acclimatize to being home.  It’s not that I think she was badly looked after but I think she could have been distressed by the whole experience.  Last time she stayed at a cattery she was with her sister Dusty and together they had a whale of a time together and barely noticed we’d gone.  

I’m told she is doing very well now and has settled back into her routine of leaving the house at the crack of dawn, spending the day chasing leaves and sleeping all night.

Back for a Minute!

Source.

Apologies for my longer than planned hiatus, unfortunately I will only be able to work on The Animal News sporadically over the next few weeks as we're moving again and this means lots to do.  Once were settled again things will be back to normal (I hope).

My inbox is bursting with animal news and things to do, everything is equally urgent so I will try my best to get all the information to you.

In the meantime, Happy September!

Short Hiatus

Hello all,

We're taking Suki on holiday so there will be no blog updates for a short time whilst we're tucked away in a cottage near Scotland.  There will be plenty of walking, fresh air and hopefully relaxation. 

In the meantime there is plenty to be getting on with (hint, hint) and we'll be back before you know it :)

Source 1.  Source 2.

So, how's Suki?

Suki Loves Destroyed Footballs!

We've had Suki for over 9 months now and the time has flown by, I feel like she has always been in our lives and has just fitted in perfectly.  

Attempting to completely demolish the ball..

Things don't always run smoothly though and over the last few months we have had some issues with Suki, she suddenly started making a mess on the floor every time we went out of the house together.  We don't go out very often without Suki, when we do it is never for a lengthy period of time.  Suki didn't really do this before so when she started to behave this way, we were quite concerned.  At first we decided that we would go out more often in an effort to show her that no matter what she did, we would continue our occasional night out but this only exacerbated things (we were also shattered after consecutive nights out!)  Eventually I did the thing I probably should have done first, checked my Dog Bible!

You didn't want to use this ball for anything did you?

The author of my Dog Bible is Victoria Stilwell who is a fantastic dog trainer and I have followed her career since she burst onto our screens with It's Me or the Dog which is still my favourite TV show.

Shake it!  Shake it!

The advice Victoria gave was that when we left the house we should not make a big deal of it and not bother with saying goodbye to Suki (usually we both make a fuss of her and tell her we'll be back soon) and to follow suit when returning home, ignoring her when she jumps up to greet us etc.  We both found this quite hard and the look of shock on her face when we first left without saying goodbye was hard to see but it has worked wonders!  

The book also helped us to realise that Suki has a touch of "separation anxiety" and I could kick myself for not recognising this before as I would have taken steps to encourage her to be more independent sooner.  In order to help her with this we have been trying especially hard with letting off the lead more which she is doing very well with.  She gets a bit carried away sometimes but she is so happy and free and it is helping with her independence.


The only down side to Suki running freely through the wild flowers is that she has unfortunately contracted conjunctivitis so the next challenge is administering eye drops!

I Love Rats

Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Samuel Whiskers

Source.

Something very sad happened last week.  My other half came across a wild rat in the house next door, he was asked by a scared lady if he could remove it and noticed that the rat was acting a bit strange (not moving much and squeaking). He rang the RSPCA for advice and was told to leave the rat outside in a box and monitor him for half an hour before taking him to the vets.  R decided to head straight to the vets because the rat was clearly not happy, the vets advised him that they would take a look at the rat and let it him free if all was well.  

Around 45 minutes later R telephone the vet to see what the outcome was and a cheerful receptionist told him that due to the law the rat was considered vermin so immediately euthanised.  Both R and I are really disappointed and upset about this as if R had been informed of this in the first place, he would have let the rat free in our local park and let him take his chances in the wild.

Considered "vermin" or not, this rat was not hurting anyone and really didn't deserve to be immediately put to sleep.  Upon telling several people about what happened I was met with responses like "ewwww, a rat!" and "they are full of diseases!" and although I accept rats aren't the most popular animals and are responsible for the spread of certain diseases, I honestly don't think such a negative response is called for.

I have found an interesting link about wild rats that is well worth reading if you get the time.

Fluffy Friday #23

I miss Rusty. 

Entangled in blossom.

Sun baby.

Rusty is an unusual cat who actually enjoys having her tummy rubbed.

 Images courtesy of my little sister.

Sad news

I am sorry for the lack of posts on The Animal News lately, unfortunately a much loved family member sadly passed away unexpectedly and I have been travelling back and forth visiting relatives etc.  

Since my co-worker left last month, work has been really busy and therefore I have not been able to spend as much time as I would have liked on here.  Even so, there is plenty going on in the animal world and I have been inundated with e-mails about the Canadian Seal Cull which is unfortunately going ahead "business as usual" so I will share the news with you as soon as I am able.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Source.

Update on Suki :)

Suki has been very brave and come through her operation tremendously well.  She had a check up on Saturday and the vet said she was healing very well and has advised us to not let Suki jump up onto anything or to jump off anything in order to keep her stitches firmly in tact.  

Also, Suki can't have as much exercise as usual for two weeks just to ensure she recovers fully.  Despite trying to keep her to complete bed rest she is raring to go and seems as if she is back to normal already!  The vet pointed out that if us humans were to undergo the same operation it would render us out of action for 6 months and it just amazes me how resilient animals are.

We now have to adjust her diet as she is likely to put on weight - although the amount of charging about and tail wagging she likes to do I don't think she'll put on much at all.

Spare a thought for Suki.

Our little girl is being spayed tomorrow.  We're dropping her off at 8.30am and although I am pleased that she'll finally be able to run free in the park without worrying about amorous males, I can't help but worry.  The worst thing is when we have to leave her alone at the vets, I hope she realises that we're coming back for her.  She is oblivious about what's in store and happily chewing her bone, last night she had a bath in preparation for the big day.  I hope she forgives us.

I'll let you know how she get's on but please keep her in your thoughts.