WEEKEND WISHES

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!!!

Wishing all our friends a relaxing and happy weekend!
With lotsalicks

KING TOFFEE IN SOUTH AFRICA

TOMMY: 1996 - 29th July 2010

TOMMY

(Affectionately known as "The Boarder")

Sometime during the year of 1996 a small white Maltese puppy was taken home to a farm in a remote part of South Africa. It was my parents' farm and this little bundle was destined to be their farm dog. He was a cute little bundle of soft, white fur and was the apple of my father'seye.

As he grew older he was allowed freedom of the farm and both my parents spoilt him rotten.

Despite being a small little bundle, who was really bred for laps, he embraced farm life with vigor. He became the household watch dog, alerting my aging parents to people arriving at their homestead. He took it upon himself to chase the monkeys out of my father's orchard and when he wasn't busy 'working', he was always found around my mother's heels. His energy was unmatched and I will never forget the echo's of his barking in the valley as he ran up and down a pathway, under a green canopy of trees, in relentless pursuit of the pilfering monkeys.

The monkeys  knew him well and would taunt him from a distance, whipping him up into a frenzy of frustration. He never gave up the hope of one day catching one.

Mom adored Tommy!

He was her "heart" dog.

 I remember feeling small tinges of jealousy when she referred to him as 'her kid'.

...In her mind, I was his sibling. 

He received titbits constantly and especially loved biltong (beef jerky).

My dad took great delight in cutting off special bits for him in the pantry.

He was allowed onto any piece of furniture in the house and he'd sleep on my parents bed at night.

He lived an idyllic life of bliss in an African paradise...

Tommy's life was destined to change substantially however.

 When my father died suddely in 1998, Mom was forced to moved into the little village and Tommy went along with her.  He stayed by her side whilst she grieved for my dad - (My parents had been married for over 50 years.) He must have received many of her tears on those lonely nights after my father had gone.

But Tommy adapted well.  There were also monkeys around the village and a little stream not far from Mom's cottage. He'd disappear for the whole day in his bid to find them and she'd call after him in vain whilst holding on to her walking stick.  There were no boundaries in Tommy's life.  In the village he made friends with all the neighbourhood dogs and sampled their food in the process.  I don't think we will find a more socialised dog than Tommy was.

In 2004 my mother became ill.  Her condition required good medical supervision and together we made the difficult decision to move her to a retirement village in Johannesburg.  It was a traumatic time because mom had not lived in the city for many years.  She had to say good-bye to a life that she'd loved as well as long standing friends who had supported her over the years.

Unfortunately the retirement village didn't allow animals and mom was distraught as to what we should do with Tommy.  He was destined to be put to sleep and my mom was heartbroken. I agreed to take him in as one of our pack so at least she would get to see him on weekends.

Initially it was very hard for this little dog.  He pined constantly for my mother and would sit by the front door all week waiting for her to come and visit him on a Sunday.  There were other things too: No more monkeys, no more free reign of the neighbourhood, only good food. 

When I took him in, he was also riddled with allergies (from running in the long grass) and worms (from eating all the other dogs' food in the village) and I had to correct this as fast as I could for the benefit of the whole pack.  He was put onto a stringent but good diet.   But everything was different for him and he also had to adjust from being a lap dog to one that was the lowest rank pack member.

(Tommy on the RHS)

After 4 years of living with us, Tommy had still not entirely adjusted to the new city lifestyle.  He continued to pine heavily for my mother and was getting older and frailer.  He lost his hearing and much of his eye sight and Maxdog became his own personal 'guide dog'.  He would cuddle up beside Max and became his constant shadow. For a short while he was comfortable.

...and then my mother passed away last November.

It took Tommy 3-4 months to realise that she wouldn't be visiting us again.

Over the past 4-5 months, he has become weaker and frailer. The death of his personal 'guide dog' -namely Maxdog - also affected him significantly. He has recently had numerous medical afflictions and it became very difficult to groom him and to handle him - his body was just too sensitive.

He deteriorated significantly this past week and I finally decided to let him go to finally be with 'Granny'.

Putting a dog to sleep is never an easy thing to do.

Like with Max, I was with him to the last moment.

I am comfortable that Tommy is chasing monkeys across the rainbow bridge.

...and when he is tired of that...he will be sitting on my mothers lap...

forever!

Fly free little Tommy!

Lotsaluv

MORE PUPPIES...DESTINED FOR SERVICE!

GREETINGS FROM SUNNY SOUTH AFRICA!!!

MAXMOM here...

\

Hello there to all our friends across the world!

The weather is warming up here in Johannesburg and the Namaqualand Daisies are starting to bloom.  Each year the arid region of the South Eastern part of our country transforms itself into a vast expanse of amazing colour.  It is a famous tourist attraction which you can read more about...

HERE.

Although I've never been to Namaqualand myself, I believe it is an incredible sight to behold!

Instead, I sprinkle seeds on my pavement in the early winter and now I am rewarded with this...

Things are still very dry here, but the bees have found their pollen stores and visit these pretty little flowers frequently.

(Notice their swollen pollen sacs)

The promise of Spring suggests brand new life and 'puppies' are very much on my mind.

(As you all know by now)

Molly's puppies (previous post) are located on the other side of our city - some 50kms away - so I will only be able to visit them occasionally over the long 6-8 week time period before I perhaps get to bring one home.

One of my good friends however has decided to volunteer as a puppy walker for the

SOUTH AFRICAN GUIDE DOG ASSOCIATION.

Today she invited me along to go and choose her puppy.

....oh, the joys of puppy breath!...

This little Golden Retriever puppy was fixated on his chewy treat.

Black labradors prefer shoes!

This is THE pup which goes home with her on Monday next week!

After hours of sitting and playing with the pups, my friend eventually chose this one which is destined for a year of family life in her home.

 What excitement!!!

All these pups are bred to be trained as either guide dogs or service dogs.

After spending a year with their puppy walkers, they begin their formal training.  Only after they have graduated from that training are they then paired up with their forever companions.

What wonderful experiences they are all in for!

It's great to see such amazing work!

GOOD LUCK, LORRAINE, WITH YOUR NEW COMPANION

AND WITH THE JOURNEY YOU HAVE SET OUT ON!

Thank you too for inviting me along with you today!

I am a confirmed "Golden" fan!!!

( for which I make no apologies)

...and took a moment to spend some time with this delightful Golden who is recovering from his neutering. What an amazingly beautiful temperament he has!

All the pups are lovely and we returned home feeling refreshed with the joys of spring and the promise of puppies.

The seasons are definitely changing!
Sending lotsaluv to you all,

MOLLY AND HER GOLDEN PUPS...IN ALL THEIR GLORY!

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!!!

MAXMOM here...

Here they are...
Seven beautiful Golden puppies!

They were born in the early hours of yesterday morning...

Aren't they too sweet for words!

Oh yes, I nearly forgot...

Hello there to all my friends from across the world!

It's been great excitement this end...

We got to go and visit "Molly" and her brand new puppies!!

Isn't 'mommy' absolutely beautiful!?!

You might ask...

Who is Molly?

Well Molly is the Golden mother of these beautiful pups!
She is the Granddaughter of "Sherry" who is Maxdog's mother.

These dear little puppies therefore have a little something in them that sniffs of my own darling

"Maxdog"

Oh, they are so sweet!!!

All of them are well and sucking happily with their wonderful mother in attendance...

Molly came to greet us when we arrived and proceded to 'show' us her new brood. 

She really is a beautifully natured Golden retriever and bowled me over with her facial expressions which reminded me so much of Maxdog...

I got a real lump in my throat when watching dear, beautiful Molly...

she is a fantastic Golden mother!!!

Whilst we were visiting, Zena (Maxdog's breeder) showed us a picture of one of Maxdog's own puppies - Indianna - who was a breed champion in her time.

Unfortunately Indianna crossed to the Rainbow bridge this year. 

But her memory lives on...

Now...

this little pup (below) is 'Flannigan'...

the father of all these new puppies!

 He's all grown up today and I should also be meeting him sometime in the weeks ahead.

But here he is - as a pup himself!...

As for Molly...

Looking after a healthy brood is hard work...

...but she cleans them and watches over them very carefully...

She is so sweet and allowed me to touch her puppies.

She loved the attention I gave her as well...

I just loved the next picture...

(sorry it's slightly out of focus.)

Whew!...they make such a sweet noise when they are suckling..

Their tummies are full and they are ALL happy!...

Congratulations on your beautiful puppies, Molly!!!

I am really looking forward to maybe choosing one soon!

Congratulations also go to Zena and Alan, the breeders of all these beautiful goldens at...

RUFFITWOOD GOLDEN RETRIEVERS

Thank you so much for allowing me to visit today.

Thanks to you all, I now have

GOLDEN FEVER!

The next 6-8 weeks are going to pass very slowly, I just know it!

Sending lotsaluv to you all...

DREAMING OF GOLDEN MOMENTS...

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!!!

MAXMOM here...mmmm...

Hello there dear friends...

Firstly, I would like to say 'thank you' to all my blogging friends (especially Khyra) for helping me track down "Amanda" - the wonderful mom of Cody, Roy, Lady and Zena who writes their blog:

http://ladyzenasdiary.blogspot.com/

and who sent me that gorgeous, gorgeous portrait of Maxdog!

Through your help I was able to say a special thank you to her again!

I am very grateful for your help...the blogging community is truly amazing!

---xXx---

Now for this blogpost...

I am so excited at the moment although I know that I mustn't become TOO excited yet!

You see...

In the early hours of this morning, 7 dear little Golden Retriever puppies were born...

(3 males and 4 females)

"Mommy Golden" and her puppies are doing well and perhaps I'll get to peek at them sometime this weekend!?!

If all goes well, one of them will eventually become mine!

...probably a female.

The exciting part is that these special little pups are within Maxdog's geneology:

Their Great-Grandmother is Maxdog's mom!!!

Please keep us in your peripheral prayers that the right little pup eventually finds its way to us.

So...

This weekend, I am dreaming of a Golden puppy to call my very own,

A pup to become a companion to Tammy, Toffee and Toffee.

One that will receive a life filled with health, happiness, good nutrition, good socialisation, good training as well as the opportunity to simply be a dog...

It's going to be a long wait, but it will eventually be worth it.

What do you think, Tammy and Toffee?

 

Sending lotsaluv to you all

and have a wonderful weekend too!

CALLING..."AMANDA LIM"!!!...THANK YOU!

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!!!

MAXMOM here...

Dear friends...

I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP...

As you can see, this is what I received in the post last night and I am not sure where to begin....

Perhaps I should explain that this is a miniature portrait of my dear, beloved

MAXDOG

18 March 2000 - 24 May 2010.

Most of you will know Maxdog from his blog...

http://www.theadventuresofmaxdog.blogspot.com

I can't begin to tell you how touched I am with this little painting. 

It is absolutely beautiful!!!

...and so lifelike...and so true to his sweet nature.

I am so, so thankful!!!

The little painting is about 13cm square...hardly bigger than a coffee mug...

It really is exquisite!

But here's my problem...

At this point, I have no idea who "AMANDA LIM" is...???

I have searched my emails and looked through the comments section of some of Maxdog's posts, but I can't identify who she is.

She is obviously one of my wonderful blogging friends, but perhaps I only know her by her blog's name....???

So Please, if you are Amanda, would you identify yourself.

I really want to say:...

"Dear Amanda...

Thank you so, so much for this beautiful portrait of my dear Maxdog!!!

I am so touched by your generosity and care as I pine deeply for him every day.

Thank you for taking the time to commission this amazing painting and for thinking of me.

I can't begin to tell you how beautiful it is...

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!

With grateful appreciation,

Caryl"

The artist of this beautiful portrait

- SUZI CHUA -

has done an incredible job!

 The detail in the picture is extraordinary too!

She has even included the dates of Max's life on his bandanna...

So, thank you also to Suzie for your amazing talent!!!

...and TAMMY-GIRL says 'thank you' too!

So Amanda....

I am really sorry I don't recognise who you are...!...

PLEASE!!!!...

make contact with me...

Sending lotsaluv to you all

WORDLESS...

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY...

(Locked in the kitchen...)

---xXx---

Have a happy day!

Sending lotsaluv to all my friends across the globe!