PEDIGREE ADOPTION DRIVE ..... 17th - 21st October 2011

Well , dear readers , its Wednesday . The third day of  the PEDIGREE ADOPTION DRIVE  and you are all doing so much to help raise much needed money to help Rescue Centres and  Animal Shelters all over the country . But you might have guessed that I wouldnt let you off the hook so lightly ! Oh and all you cat lovers , please don't feel excluded . I am just as anxious to help abandoned cats and have rescued many myself . I adore cats. However , back to the task in hand and my daily post . Yesterday someone told me on Twitter that I should post a  'tear in the eye ' warning ! Well you may need a tissue or two for this one !


                                                        Kindness and Devotion .

Dogs do not only enrich our lives , they care for each other too , often showing extraordinary sensitivity and understanding .  I have had the great priviledge of witnessing this  on many occasions .

My daughter had an  American Cocker Spaniel ..... Tilly .... who sadly went blind .  Tilly coped very well , as dogs do , but as she got older it became more difficult . She was becoming quite deaf too . However , my daughters  Afghan Hound ,  Stanley , took it upon himself to be her guide . Her eyes and ears . It was heartwarming to see them together , Stanley gently steering Tilly , making sure she avoided any obstacle , looking out for any dangers . Whenever my daughter called out for them , Stanley would go and wake  Tilly or fetch her from the garden and gently steer her into the kitchen , or where ever my daughter happened to be .  When  Tilly died ,  Stanley was devastated and searched for her for weeks .

Then there was dear Tarquin . The  ' Terrible Tarquin ' of many of my blog entries had the kindest of hearts .
For all his naughtiness he was a true softie . When we arrived home with a new puppy .... Stripey Joe .... Tarquin rushed to his toybox , brought out all his toys and laid them at  Joe's feet !  His generous nature could also be overwhelming . One day I found a tiny kitten in the garden . It had obviously been dropped by  a feral cat , who must have been transporting her litter to a new location .  It had lain on the frosty ground for goodness knows  how long . All alone on a Scottish Winters day . I thought at first it was dead , but ,detecting a very small heartbeat , I took the tiny scrap indoors . I rubbed some life into it and wrapped it in a heated towel and placed the precious bundle in a cardboard box beside the Aga . While  I was preparing some warm milky mixture for it , Tarquin came into the kitchen , poked his nose into the box and then dashed off . Thank goodness I was there , as he came racing back with his huge marrow bone and dropped it into the box for the kitten and then ran off for more toys .  Luckily the kitten survived the  'marrow bone gift' and grew up to be strong and healthy and a much loved member of the family . And , of course , Tarquins  special chum .

                                                                 Joe and Sophie

Sometimes dogs can become so attached to one another that they are inseparable . Two of our Afghans formed this bond  .  Sophie , a beautiful cream  Afghan , was always a bit feisty , a bit of a bully . So she obviously needed a companion who could fend for himself .  Joe was that companion . Feisty and confidant , he became her kennel mate . They spent most of their time together and became just like an old married couple . Sophie would bark and grumble at him  and Joe would just turn his back and sit in a corner with his eyes closed . Sophie waited patiently while Joe was away at  shows and I swear he told her all about his day and just exactly what he thought of the judging , when he returned . They were wonderful together and totally devoted to each other .  Sophie was a couple of years older than Joe and when she passed away the change in him was startling.  This once healthy , robust dog pined away so badly that I had to force food down his throat by hand in a vain attempt to get him to eat . He became listless and lost all interest in life .
One morning ,I placed his breakfast in front of him and told him I had to go out for a short time , but I expected to see all the food finished when I returned . An hour and a half later I came home to find him lying dead beside  Sophies grave . I'm sure he had deliberately waited till I went out . It was exactly two weeks since she had passed away and  Joe had simply died of a broken heart.

                                                                          Joe
 So , if dogs can display such devotion to each other , why do people cruelly abandon them ?
Help Pedigree make a difference to the lives of so many abandoned dogs by clicking on Ripleys lead and taking her for a walk .
It only takes a few minutes , but the money raised could mean a lifetime of love for some lonely dog .
Thank You !