Doggy update

Pooches update

I made her an appointment with our local vet the next morning and explained the situation. I was told
1. Shes not microchipped
2. She is not 6/7 years old like we thought, she is in fact only just 2 if that going by her teeth health.
3. Shes very underweight and weighs just 7lbs 7ozs. She's having problems getting onto the sofa where she seems to like sleeping because she is so frail , but we have given her a bed on the floor that she can literally walk onto but she prefers the sofa on a blanket we put there for her.
4. Shes an intact female (not neutered)
5. She may be having a reaction to the fleas, or it may be mange on her hind legs - am to leave it two weeks and if no improvement with Frontline take her back for another medication.
6. Vet 'off the record commented' himself that maybe its best the owners weren't found as it was clearly an abandonment issue and no animal should be left to suffer like that.
7. Vet gave me four free worming tablets to treat her for worms/lungworm.
8. Once she is healthy again, we can discuss vaccinations and neutering her if shes still with me.
Apart from that I got her out of the car on the way home and she ran straight to our front door with her tail wagging, straight in and onto the spot where she's slept all night. She has made herself right at home but my only concern is whether she will get on with our dog.
I showed her and Bruno (my JRT) each other through the baby gate (I should explain Bruno is currently in our kitchen/diner which is seperated from the living room by a door which also has a baby gate in it at present) and whilst he was whining and wanting to meet her she seems shy, came to my legs for two seconds and then back to her seat on the sofa, since then she has growled at him but I think its more nervousness, the last few minutes we introduced them my partner had Bruno our dog whilst I sat near her, she did growl occassionally but they got within about a meter of each other with no noise until he looked at her and she growled at him and we promptly seperated them.
Yesterday we left them seperate but took them for a walk together, he was in front and her behind and they walked fine, they were within inches of each other and no aggression. She did snap at him though when we stopped face to face and he licked her but I think she is possibly an only dog before and still a bit confused at this bouncy white thing that she has to suddenly get use to. Bruno was good as gold and looked like hed been a naughty teenager.
We have had them both in the living room together, whilst my partner sat with Bruno and I sat with her, there was a little growling but as soon as she was told 'hey' she stopped and they sat briefly before she went back to her blanket. Her spot is the sofa though and thats when she tends to get a bit snarly when he wants to go there.

I wanted to add that I rung my work Friday morning and again yesterday as she was left tied up outside it and no one has been in to ask or enquire about her.
We have since re-named her Mabel rather than coop dog.
As yet no contact or attempts to find her that I am aware of have been made but I am keeping a file of photos and information of the care I've provided in case it is needed.
Only other concern at present is that if her snoring gets much louder she may start rattling the glass out the windows........

we would love to keep her as she is so sweet natured and loving, and she is really good with our children (aged 2yrs and 8yrs). Im hoping we are going the right way about introducing the two dogs, little and often for the minute but we are hoping as she heals and feels more settled that she will mellow a bit. We have my sister in laws crate that we can use if it might be worthwhile but we obviously dont want to rush anything......

Apart from that yesterday we went and got her a lead, collar, name tag, bed and coat.......and more flea stuff for Bruno - needless to say with everything brought for a second dog we came home almost £70 lighter but we are hoping it will be worth it and at the end of the day we did a good thing and gave a little doggy a life back 

Right pictures - after 3 days

MABEL 

Nicknamed 'Foxy Bingo' by my sister in law

cuddles

Contortionist practice?

The safest place to hide and where she seems to spend 90% of her time just watching and snoring.

Till next time peeps :-) 

x x x

A little bit of Love is all you need....(upsetting pictures)

***** I just wish to warn but before you read any further this post may contain pictures that might upset some people to do with animal neglect and mistreatment *****

Tonight in work was going like any normal night until 9pm when the only customer in the shop was leaving and he mentioned there was a dog tied up outside so myself and my workmate Luke went to investigate.

There in the darkness we found a little terrier dog tied to the trolley bay, so we gave her some fuss, checked the shop for customers and then went back to her.

The gentleman who was leaving offered to take her home (he is a regular and we know where he lives) and if her owners returned we could point them in the right direction.

At 9.15 he came back and said he couldn't take her, his wife said no and they had discovered the state she was in (we couldn't see it in the dark outside) but we brought her into the shop and it was made clear.

Needless to say we rang the RSPCA and they wouldn't come to get her as she is mobile and eating, they put us on to the dog warden who then didn't answer.

The only thing this little doggy had was an orange and green collar (that looked fairly new), a manky old lead, and a doggy coat which had been put down on the floor to lay on - which makes you wonder if someone just accidentally forgot their dog wouldn't she still have been wearing it?

So at 9.55pm I text Owen and at 10pm I made the decision, that Id bring her home with me.

We got her in the door, straight into the kitchen where she almost collapsed in Owen's arms, he put a tin down for her and then we gave her a bath, we only had baby shampoo but it helped soothe her and she smells lovely.

When we'd finished and Owen went to stroke her she rolled over and was really submissive.

A dear neighbour of mine was on-line too and she has 4 weinmeraners so I asked if she had any flea treatment and she gave us a spare pouch of front-line which we have put on our little lady and she has taken over Bruno's bed (he was locked in the front room) we've since swapped now and she is in the front room on his bed and we've had to put him on a towel and blanket in the kitchen.

She seems such a lovely little old lady too. Such a shame to think no one wanted her.
I have spoken to a local rescue centre who has given me a few pointers and things that may help her settle and they have even advised me that maybe an owner wont want to be found and after seeing her pictures, they wouldn't push too strongly to find them

Also for the foreseeable future she will be known as Kari (from the Welsh Cariad meaning 'sweetheart')

***** WARNING PICTURE ALERT *****

Her in the shop earlier (they are my feet)

In the office with me and Gaynor my supervisor.

Behind the till terrorising Luke, he is very OCD and germ phobic and she has a very bad skin condition (see below) so he was trying to avoid contact with her but he was feeding her treats and stroking her from a distance

You can see her hair loss and skin condition here.

A close up of her back end.

You can clearly see her spine so I'm guessing she hasn't had a good meal in a long while. 

She is off to the vets tomorrow to be looked at, try and find a microchip but I am in no way letting go of this little lady. even if I have to pay for her treatment myself. 

I will make sure to keep you informed of Kari's progress. 

Night all

Sam

x x x x

Post Office..........AARRRGGGHHH!!!

Ive been sat in all day waiting on a packet that was apparently too big for my letter box.

I rang dead on opening and was told it would be out today in the van to redeliver.....

So I rang them at 2.45, and now they cant find the parcel but will look into it and ring me back

3.43pm and still no parcel.

hhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmm.........................................

Im also meant to be waiting in for Owens new iPhone to be delivered.

Its still not here. Its comign with Yodel so I may well recieve it by 2019.

I have already sent Owen a 'please bring home chocolate' text because I dont drink but Im starting to wonder why I stopped!

Fingers crossed I get............(phone rings)

Right just off phone to the post office and apparently it was put on the wrong shelf.......so he will send it with the post man who does collections in our area if he can later so it may be delivered tonight, otherwise he'll put it for redelivery tomorrow.

......urgh...............my head hurts

Competition on a friends blog.....

Afternoon all

I have spent the day helping Owen put the cladding up on his shed with the promise that any spare wood ship lap that he has I can have to make into a raised bed or two to try my veggie growing again.

I was a  bit too all in to everything last year so I'm going to focus on 3.4 things and give them my dedication this growing season.

On the grow your own note a fellow blogger that I read is holding a competition for a GYO Herb Garden. Please all feel free to have a look and enter - her blog is also worth a read and its one of my favourites and her chicken raising antics make me very jealous but my jack russell and the 4 weinmeraner's next door wouldnt approve

Here is the competition link
http://wigglywoo-gardeningdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/competition-time.html#comment-form

Many Thanks all and hope you have had a productive day.

Sammy
x x x x

Some nice news for a change......

Well I have to say , I decided recently that removing negative people from my life was going to be best decision for me. After a particularly difficult few weeks when my best didn't seem good enough and in the long run it was only me getting hurt and making myself sick - I realised that it was their influence and their attitudes that were doing it. As a result I have removed myself from my sister.

Now I know this will probably seem harsh but my sister is a liar and a manipulator, she has gotten thousands of pounds from those around her with no intention to pay them back and then plays the victim and its me who gets it in the neck, I was only keeping contact with her for the sake of her girls. My nieces will always know they have me to turn to as they seem to spend more time with my cousins and auntie than they do their own mother. My eldest niece I speak to weekly when shes at my aunties, my middle niece who lives with her father I talk to weekly, the only one I have little contact with is A but she is only 4 months old and I have informed the health visitor for her that I am concerned of my sisters care level so she is keeping a close eye on her.

So now I have very little to do with that side of the family. My sister is exactly like my mother in every sense and I have not seen her since October 2011 and I spoke to her once last year because my sister told me she was struggling finacially to the point she couldn't feed herself and I thought as the eldest daughter I was obliged to help so I stepped in, gave her £60 for a food shop and never heard from her again, Not even a thank you. probably the best £60 I've spent. 

In the last 3 years Ive given my sister maybe £300 , and never once had a thank you or an offer of any of it back. Ive seen her once, when she came down because I had promised to lend her money, she got her £100 and in the process gave the kids the norovirus. Great. 

My new outlook on life now means my children and my family deserve my all. They have burnt their bridges on their own and I will no longer worry about them.  

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.  ~Mary Engelbreit

Here I am mid February and guess what I actually have money!

I took bill paying money out the other day only to find that when I went to pay my council tax that I had actually overpaid and so had this month council tax free AND next month! So that left me with £107 in my pocket this month that I didn't expect. I did use some and buy bits and pieces for the house - the rabbits Sawdust and Hay and a big bag of food and I got Holly some Wellington boots because the weather here is ridiculous and she needs some as she only has open top little shoes (typical its been torrential rain, brought her wellys and its been glorious sunshine since!)

But I have hidden away £70 upstairs that is to remain untouched that Owen doesn't know about (which you may think sounds harsh but if he knows its there he will find something to spend it on that's not needed or expect to be bailed out on a bill or charge again and I cant do it any more  I need to get some savings together for the kids sake and my sanity.

In one bank account I still have £180 - £150 of this needs to go on bills but it will leave me with £30 that I never normally have.

In my second bank account I have £63.

So I'm happy I normally have like £20 left by now so to be at this point of the month with £163 is awesome. I'm trying my best to not spend anything that I don't need. The only two bills I have to pay are the two I've made allowances for so the £163 could stay untouched unless the kids need something. I'm thinking if I keep the £70 hidden upstairs and let myself have a £50 allowance for food until the 12 / 13th March then I can put the £110 into savings.

****Also I have just realised I haven't had wages yet, so on the 21st I will have £121 left of my £280 wages (should be £300 but I put £20 into my credit union savings account direct from wages) so I should potentially be able to save £230 this month.....  I just need to stick to my £50 allowance for the next month.

Fingers crossed this is accomplish-able.

I have also had a nice letter this morning from the council. Our rent is going DOWN, yes you read that right DOWN from £94.94 a week to £88.73 a week.

So we were paying
£94.94 x 49 = £4652.06
and we will be paying
£88.73 x 49 = £4347.77
I make that a saving of £304.29 a year. Owen pays the rent but it will be nice to have spare money there so he can catch up on his other bills and debts.

Our water is now going to go through the welsh water company as well and it says we may get a slight reduction in that because we have two children under 19 in the household so we will see - we were paying £9.29 a week but I always paid £40 per month so we slightly only marginally overpaid on this too.

Character is the result of two things: mental attitude and the way we spend our time. 

Elbert Hubbard 

So things feel a bit lighter in my little mad house. Keeping the positive attitude going is clearly the way to go.....
To all of you who have taken the time to read my blog ~ I thank you, to all the blogs I read ~ I am thoroughly enjoying them and to all the blogs I am yet to find ~ I look forward to it.

Have a wonderful day all, the sun is shining.

Sammy
x x x

February.......a short month so its been busy!

You'd think that a month that only had 28 days would pass by relatively easily.

hhhmmmmm................yeah ok

Where shall we start? My sister and me are no longer talking. Her issues got a bit too much and to top off a very long story I worried about my nieces and their health and safety, she didnt like it and therefore in no uncertain terms told me to leave them alone.
Then I found out the day after through my cousin that my youngest niece who is 4 months is in hospital with a blood infection, she spent 3 days in complete isolation as they treated her for suspected meningitis and then they released her home, and my sister was meant to take her back yesterday for blood results to see what exactly they are treating but she didnt. So now I have no idea what's going and if my niece is even ok.

My mother (who I have had no contact with for the last 2 years) has gotten herself a new job which means my sister may actually need to stand on her own two feet for a change - her and my mother are usually surgically attached so she may struggle somewhat which is why my cousin is keeping me informed about how my nieces are as she lives down the road from them and sees them every other day at least.

My father in law also got a new job, so that is some stress off them for a while. My mother in law is now babysitting her daughters 3 children in the day too so she is getting £50 a week for that whilst her daughter has gone back to work full time. So all in all it is working pretty well

Money wise - I was paid child benefit today - £130.
* £30 into my bank account to get Ben some new school shoes
* £30 spent in Iceland on mainly vegetables and quick bits Owen can cook when I'm in work
* £40 in Tesco on a small shop that should last us 2 weeks
* £15 in Wilkinsons on mainly Hay/Sawdust for the rabbits and dental sticks for Bruno.
* £5 for a cup of hot chocolate and a drink for the kids each
* £6 for the Taxi home
Total spent ~ £126.

My freezer is not far from full though, there are main ingredients in the fridge and enough bits and pieces to make us meals for a good two weeks so we are ok in that sense. The pets have enough food and I can bake if need be.
Ive also been looking into books Id like to read, and have found a few that interest me so I will add them to my reading list.

Hope you are all having a good week, and I am in the midst of clearing things out to make some space and finally get the house sorted.

Sammy
x x x

Right, come on February

OK, so Owen paying me back never strictly came but he did give me £20 to go out with girlfriends and enjoy the Wales Vs Ireland match - being that I'm Welsh it was a good day out if nothing else.

I was reminded exactly why I don't eat MacDonald's.

And managed to still somehow come home with £15 in my pocket - and since Id had drinks, food and travel is somehow miraculous and I would love to know how that happened!


Anyway,
on the news front.
Owen has a new job. He is now a sprayer/painter for a gym (hes refurbishing exercise/spin bikes) which means each week on a Friday he should bring home £260 plus this week he will have an extra £150 hes hoping from his training he did last week. So this week he should get about £400 which is nice. Plus we have no rent now as his payment was taken on the 1st so we should be OK. Also he only works from Monday to Friday from 8.30 until 5 so he is home to have the kids on a Sunday and I have enquired about the after school club for Holly and am waiting to hear back now from Sue the childminder.

Not so good news - My father in law just paid out £300 for wood to finish Owen's shed with (it was his Xmas present) but its complicated. Owen had a quote for £200 which I agreed to pay half of a) to help lessen the cost for them and b)it was going to be my main gift to him and c) the shed can finally be finished which in turn means I get my dining room back! He wanted ship lap panels, his dad got him tongue and groove planks, hence the price difference. They ordered it on Friday and told me that day it needed paying the day after (Saturday) and could they have my £100 contribution? No notice and I have no money after giving Owen everything I had, and I'm not paid until the 12th February. Told them Id try my best.

Phone call Sunday morning from my mother in law. My father in law lost his job.
So I had to take out a Wonga loan for the £120 and then on the 14th (I gave myself a day or two to make sure for definite money is in my account) I have to pay back £135.

Needless to say it has curbed my spending. I have not been to town or shopping in almost two weeks now and I don't miss it. I have been living off the freezer - which is now really in need of a refill! but that will happen when I'm paid next. I have been baking and have finally perfected a chocolate cake recipe that the whole family love. I think I will be making some flapjacks etc though as they are obviously more filling than cake.

I did today look into selling a few old DVDs on Music Magpie and have been pointed in the direction of a few other sites so I will see what the best offer is and maybe offload a few there - trying to do a car boot sale is pointless because I have no way to get it to and from a car boot sale and with two children would be torture.

Other positive things ~ I joined the library today. I have decided too that I think I will take out one book for me, One for Holly and One for Ben. Mainly so it keeps all our brains active, but we can all have reading time which means the TV will be off for a bit as well as helping them both in the long run as far as development skills etc are concerned. Also it keeps local places open and used because I think with the discovery of kindles etc that libraries may be the next dying breed along with fruit and veg men etc. Plus if I have more than one book for myself then I tend to get lost in one and forget about the other which isn't going to be productive.
**On a side note I mentioned fruit and veg men above - have discovered a fruit and veg man has opened in town so I will be using him from now on - he also does fruit/veg box delivery's which is always handy to know but I'm hoping this year will be my year of growing my own. I was a bit gun ho last year and tried everything rather than one or two simple things that I could give my full attention too so I think this year I will try again but with only a few things. I'm thinking carrots, potatoes, lettuce and peas. These seem fairly basic but they make up the most of our diet at the minute......plus anything that is left over as far as pods, peels, etc  can be given to the rabbits or put in the compost bin, and lettuce I can barter somewhat with my mother in law with as she is also a large salad eater and Owen and the boys tend to go to hers for BBQ in the summer so if I provide the fresh veg then she can provide the meat :-)

Wins - I won a family garden book. It has simple how to guides as well as plant information and ways to encourage wildlife in the garden so I will be browsing through that at some point.
- Ive also won a flashing dog light which clips to his collar for night time walks and outings in the garden. Handy with a Jack Russell Terrier.

Right , anyway Im off for the night now, I will set an alarm to remind me to sit and write this blog every night! I will remember, I will remember! Anyway I best get the baby to bed as she has been a complete little madam today and I think someone is past tired. Also I need to catch up on other blogs that Ive missed reading.

Lots of Love

Sammy x x x