Dog sitter needed

We’ve recently moved to a house near Verfeil and your name and blog were mentioned to us as a source of much information and more!

My initial reason for contacting you is that we are looking for someone to take care of our 2 border terriers while we are away. In the Uk they used to stay with someone in their house rather than kennels so the former would be preferable.

I’m not sure if you have any ideas in this regard.  Whatever I very much look forward to hearing from you!

Best regards

Tony

Anthony James ajames947@hotmail.com

Beautiful baby seeks a new home

Obaby, a beautiful Newfoundland cross.  She is four months old and weighs 16.7 kilos ......so far.  Obaby is a delight, she is gentle, loving and obediant.  She has always been with other dogs and cats so would either like a friend to play with or a home where she will have good walks and human company.  In other words not left outside on her own all day.  

contact susanglibbery@gmail.com of Poorpaws.

Doggy walks in Toulouse

Walkers assemble in the Place du Capitole :pic.ML Lejeune

Dozens of dogs of all sizes and breeds assembled in Toulouse for the city's first free dog walk on Saturday (Jan 13). Designed to educate owners on the need for "responsible" behaviour, by them and their canine companions, the walk was accompanied by trainers. The authorities also hoped that the dogs would become socialised and get on together in the city streets.
The ville rose is home to some 50000 dogs and spends a good proportion of its cleaning budget on picking up crottes deposited by dogs. The exercise will be repeated each second and third Saturday in an urban park.
Sadly, these events tend to be preaching to the converted, but the maire hopes the publicity will bring the message home to the city's residents.
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21 dogs rescued at St Cirq

In contrast to the sympathetic story about Figeac dog refuge below. a tale of horror unfolded at St Cirq, near Caussade, when the association 30 millions d'amis aided by the gendarmes rescued 21 small dogs which were being housed in cages designed for rabbits, open to the weather, without available food or water. In dirty conditions at the home of a private individual, the dogs are now in a refuge and the association has filed a complaint against the owner. Should readers want more details about any of the dogs telephone 06 78 83 49 73. There is a video on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=49&v=P3AqOjvgBWw
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Book sale raises over 3000€

From Sue Glibbery at Poorpaws

Thank you so much for your support on Saturday.  It was a wonderful day and photographs will be on the News Page of the Poorpaws website at the end of the month.  The sale was supposed to start at 10 am but our first customer arrived at 8.45 !!  From then on in it was non stop, the books flew out the door, the cakes off the table and soup and lunches sold out.  We made a fabulous total of 3,100 euros, every cent of 3,000 will go to helping dogs in need and people in need as a result of being affected in any way by cancer then we made a donation of 100 euros to ‘Donkey Jan’ who runs a donkey charity locally.

All thanks to you generous people !  Happy reading to you all and I’ll be getting on your nerves about February next year, book-begging for the sale in March.  Please do contact me at any time if you want me to collect books from you.  I have a list but because of storage, cannot collect until February.

Have a wonderful Winter !

With love,

Sue x 

Dog passport problems

Hi Val

We just had this caution from our English vet, who is offering a free replacement passport to any of their customers affected.

Unfortunately there has been a marked increase in difficulties owners are experiencing with return journeys to the UK, thanks to some over exuberant officials checking  pets passports.

The main problem is that our French friends are now not recognising that if a normal dog vaccination has been given at the same time as a rabies vaccination that this is not a licenced compatibility. Although the manufacturers are quite happy that this is safe practice for our pets.  In true French style this does not affect feline passports!

Best wishes

John
Val says: following the stories about "lost" dogs, there is advice and a list of refuges on our Pets to Go page.

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Hi Val

Another issue that has arisen recently on dog passports is that, since a changeover date in 2014, laminated passports have been in use throughout the EU, where a plastic sheet folds over to protect the information from alteration.  Some French vets, however, have continued using up old stock, i.e. issuing post-2014 using pre-2014 stationery.  In the UK, if a passport is dated after the 2014 changeover date it will apparently not now be accepted unless it's the new laminated type.  

xC  

Looking for a dog-sitter

We are looking for a dogsitter. (Villevayre area)

Day and time are optional, what suits best.
We have a dutch shepherd, Lola, She is very kind, very energetic.

Doesn't bark a lot. Sometimes When She feels She needs to protect the house, which is once a month. ;-)

She is 2 years old, and well behaved. 
Is there anybody in the area who provides these services or would want to? 
You can reach us at:
AnjaEijzenga@gmail.com
Phone: +31610101277
This is a number from the Netherlands
We speak Dutch, English and already some French. 
Anja Eijzenga

Anyone know a play group for puppies?

Hello

I wonder if you have any information on puppy play groups in the area.

We’ve just got a puppy and are looking for one.

Thanks and best wishes,

Annette Lepple
j-alepple@sunrise.ch

Lost dog in Cambou

Good Morning

 Could you post this on tag for me please.

My neighbours at Cambou have lost their Border Collie. He (I think it is a he) is black and white with a little brown on his face. 

If anyone sees him please give me a ring on

0780336522

Thank you

Jo x

Hydrotherapy for dogs

Hi

 I wonder if you could ask Tag readers if anyone knows of dog hydrotherapy locally, my lovely Ernie has been diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia and water work would certainly help.

Thank you

Jo x
suggestions to taglines82@gmail.com or stephensjoanne@gmail.com

Golden find

Hello
I recently found this golden retriever in poor condition in a ditch near Najac. Now he is back in form with us. He is a very affectionate dog who loves cuddles and adores being brushed.
He has neither tattoo nor chip, and it is difficult for us to keep him at present. We are therefore seeking a new caring home for him.
contact Remi 0613753940 or 0681913645

Fostered dog looking for full time home

Pimousse has been looked after for the last six months by friends after 3 years terrified in the refuge at Cahors. A friendly and affectionate bitch, but needing gentle handling to rid her of those memories. Now she is ready to find a permanent home.  In many ways like our dog Eldo, who had a similar background and who is now very much part of our family. These rescue dogs do make the most affectionate pets for those who offer them the kindness so missing from their previous life.
More details in this link: Pimousse

France's favourite dogs

Whilst the most widespread domestic pet remains the cat, the body responsible for dog registration reports that numbers of dogs notified keeps them firmly close by.
The most popular breed is the German Shepherd (berger allemand), followed by the Belgian Shepherd and Golden Retriever. In fact the first smaller dog, the King Charles spaniel, is down at number eight. Locally one thinks that hunting dogs must be the most common and what about the humble "Heinz"? Whatever breed, dogs are a wonderful companion and ours are ready for their morning walk....

Bonny and Eldo on the lookout

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That's the way to do it, old girl!

Walking by the Aveyron this afternoon (lovely spring weather at last) the water is still running fast and the little island by the Moulin has emerged from the flood. But the channel is a bit too wide for Bonny to jump now and she usually has to swim across. Today she had to tiptoe across a precarious bridge made from a log jam in the channel. No such shenanigans for Eldo, who merely leapt across - four times just to rub it in.

Eldo showing off - Bonny not impressed

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Pups to be adopted

The pups will be chipped before being re-homed.

Advice on lost dogs

We have had a spate of people recently finding lost dogs, so from my experience working with Kathy dog rehomer I know I can give this advice.
Unless the dog is on a dangerous road or looking malnourished leave it alone, do not feed it or it will hang around even if its own home is round the corner.
You may see an uncastrated male wandering but he knows where he is and what he is up to. Often dogs people find as wandering are repeat offenders, uncastrated males. ( obviously a thin dog with matted coat is different).
If you do pick it up, the first thing to do is get it to your local vet to find if it has an ownership chip in its neck. It is free and if the dog is chipped the owner can quickly be found.
If not chipped you need to tell the Maire as it is his responsibility but often you will receive a shrug!
In the St. Antonin area which covers Caylus you can contact the paid dog rehomer Kathy Gabu.
tel 0563682493
She will take the dog and it will be kept for 8 to 10 days in the St. Antonin dog pound whilst searches are made for the owner. If the owner of the dog does not turn up in that time the dog will be put up for adoption before being sent to the Montauban dog refuge.
Kathy does try to rehome through her association " Truffes et moustaches"
So  think, before catching a dog, does it look in trouble or is it a dog just out wandering?
One of the reasons Kathy insists on fenced gardens is to stop dogs getting into these roaming the country situations. Too many dogs roaming causing traffic accidents and some chase and kill sheep.
We know what farmers do to them!
Kathy promotes sensible dog ownership and I am with her on that.
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Russia offers a dog

Following the death of Diesel, the police dog killed in the Paris attacks last week, the Russian Interior Ministry has announced that it will offer the French police a replacement, called Dobrynya. The dog is named for a legendary Russian hero who exhibited the qualities the dogs need to work as police attack dogs.
It might seem a bit dog in the manger to look a gift dog in the mouth, but we have plenty of dogs here in France. We think Kathy or Poorpaws would soon sort things out.

Dobrynya

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Today was all about Ruby

The story is about Ruby but I just have to mention Katy the dog rehomer who had never driven an automatic car. I insisted we went in our safe four wheels,  she insisted on driving otherwise she would be sick, had never in her life driven on a motorway and was horrified when I said I had worked out the nearly four hour drive by motorway and that was what we were doing. After a stop at Cahors for a break where she could not use the loos and had to use the bushes as she was claustrophobic, slammed the brakes on after we started again as she heard the car doors click locking shut, and she cannot be locked in, I yelled start the car we are on a motorway you cannot stop, asked me how to break the window if it was needed, I showed her how they opened ... I knew we were in for a long exciting day. It made me realise how someone with claustrophobia must suffer and all credit to Katy she did all we did today for Ruby, forcing herself to do things she would never normally consider;
I call that brave.
We did have a lot of laughs, most of it hysterical, like when we spent an hour in a forest somewhere after Perigueux, as she refused to consider Amelia on the GPS could possibly know the way and refusing to go down the lanes mentioned as she could not possibly be right. We did stop the car as we were laughing so much. In the end I phoned Trevor who was adopting Ruby and he met us and guided us in.

The meeting was lovely, I think love at first sight. What an interesting man with a big heart. His previous dog Mable who looks very similar to Ruby died two months ago. Mable was a star and had been on a morning show in the UK. She had been with four homes before Trevor adopted her from a rehoming centre. She had a problem a bit like epilepsy where when excited she suddenly dropped unconscious for a few minutes. Trevor a photo journalist and Mable hit the news.
Then Trevor had a serious illness and Mable was there for him, helping him through it. So when Mable became ill he did everything he could for her but to no avail in the end.
I told him Ruby was a very needy dog, staying close to the person in charge of her. Trevor said "wherever I go Ruby will go"
Katy and I thought we would leave in tears but instead left in total happiness
I think Trevor and Ruby are going to be soulmates.. and I hope the adoption brings them both joy.
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Who killed the sheep?

In the Larzac area of Aveyron, south of Millau, a number of flocks of sheep have been attacked with some deaths and disappearances. The causse is widely grazed by sheep and the latest attack left 4 ewes dead three lambs injured and one taken away. Inevitably some locals claim that the attacks are by wolves - though local chasseurs and wildlife wardens say there have been no sightings or traces of wolves.
Most likely culprits are lost dogs, who can join into a pack and will attack flocks of sheep, often causing pregnant ewes to abort.
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From Michelle Ring:
It is important to know that there are compensations given for wolves attacks and not for dog attacks so it is in the interest of the owners of sheep to be able to pin the attacks on wolves. The attacks represent 0,08 % of all deaths and for 6000 sheep killed by wolves a year, 400.000 are killed by lightning and accidents in the Alpages. There has been an increase in the ownership of attack dogs in France as well as a definite demonisation of the wolves. I come from the Alpes de Haute Provence (a hot bed of wolves these days in the Mercantour); we use to see the transhumance on foot with dogs, goats and donkeys and being a shepherd was a very hard and respected job. A friend of mine became one, he had to study (in Rambouillet I think) for a few years, everything from vetinary science, weather forecast and survival skills. Shepherds lived in the Alpages for months at a time, alone, they were often very cultured people, reading, playing music and writing too. They would have been incredibly aware of the herd, reading all signs of danger...now the sheep are plonked in a field with hardly any protection not even a Patou. The problem is not so much with the wolf but with a soulless industrial agriculture .

Any old pullovers

photo: MaxPPP

The SPA kennels at Garric (near Albi) have appealed for coats for dogs, including old pullovers that their volunteers can re-fashion into coats. There are 79 cages at Garric which are not heated and the director explains that in that part of the Tarn winter temperatures often fall below 0C (see our story below!). All sizes are needed and short haired dogs are particularly at risk. The centre also needs covers for the cages to protect the inmates from the cold.
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