dogs in my bed 7

[carolyn dewrance]

Breeders of Chows in the States have now almost totally eradicated the problem of H.D., by breeding only from Clear dogs, so ensuring that this problem is finally being bred out of our wonderful breed. A breeder I know, only breeds her bitches after the age of eighteen months and only after their hips were certified Clear, She also breeds her bitches to males who are certified the same. I know that even for certain Show status awards; the Chow competing must bare a Certified H.D. Clear Certificate before qualifying for a Supreme Title, such as Supreme Chow of the Year etc.
It is known that sound hips or dysplastic hips can only be diagnosed through a hip x-ray.
The Certificate does not evaluate movement. A dog may have a Clear Hip Rating, but still move terribly due to slipping patella’s, shoulders that are too straight, badly broken over hocks or spinal effects. By the same token, there are severely dysplastic Chows that move very well. Because hip dysplasia, particularly if severe, is feared because it is crippling, it has been wrongly assumed that if the dog is still getting around okay, he is not dysplastic•
This is a very difficult subject at best and I can only refer to various articles I have from overseas and vet's to enlighten us further. It has been established that Hip Dysplasia is largely hereditary and its incidence can be increased or decreased through selective breeding practices. By using only stock with normal hips in a breeding program, generation after generation, it has been proved that the incidence of hip dysplasia can be markedly decreased.
I know that one of the great fears of having our Chows x-rayed was death that has occurred due to Anesthesia. However, it is and has been possible for some time, to have our dogs x-rayed without the use of Anesthesia or chemical restraint. Most of our Chows will relax with tranquillizers alone and these x-ray results have been excellent.
We can have our Chows x-rayed by our Vet's who can give us a good indication of the state of our Chows hips. However, I must stress that he/she is not qualified to certify hips or give certificates.
No matter how good he/she is at reading x-rays, he is not an expert in the field and one cannot advertise one’s dog as "H.D. Free" on his opinion. This is illegal and should not be relied on. We have come across cases where a Vet has said a particular dog’s hips were very good.
However, after visiting The Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort, this same dog was certified as a grade 3 hips and not recommended for breeding.
There are those who would use this "contradiction of qualified opinions" as an argument
Against Onderstepoort x-rays, but I must stress, that The Faculty of Veterinary Science is
The only EXPERT in the field of Osteology and Radiology. While we appreciate our Vet's opinion, it cannot be taken as law.
I have been into this subject and have established that Professor Roos, a Veterinary Radiologist
At the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Onderstepoort is the only person who has the necessary qualifications to issue a certificate certifying dogs’ hip joints. One has to obtain a referring letter from one’s Vet to Onderstepoort to have the necessary x-rays taken.
Let me set your mind at ease here immediately. The dogs are given an injection/tranquilizer
Into the vein on arrival. Within minutes they are calm and can be laid on their back for the x-ray. You stay with your dog and assist, if necessary. The dogs do not feel any pain, despite what you may hear from others. Most of us have taught our Chows to lie on their sides for grooming, so it is not very difficult to get them to lie on their backs when sedated.
Your dogs are virtually wide-awake by the time you get to your vehicle and can walk on their own, so it is not a traumatic experience. As for the expense of x-raying and certifying, it’s a whole lot cheaper than replacing puppies or stock, never mind the heartbreak of having to put a pet down. It can still happen that certified stock produce dysplastic pups, but the odds are in your favor, increasing with every generation of certified ancestry.
According to Prof. Roos, the male seems to be the dominant factor carrying hip dysplasia.
When using a stud dog, he must be totally free from any sign of hip dysplasia. In South Africa the grading is done as follow 01234 with 0 being H.D. Free and 4 being the worst possible form of dysplasia. A male who is totally clear may still be put to a bitch having a grading of 2 in one hip and the chances are the puppies should be good. However, he advises this only be done with a bitch whose bloodline is still valuable.
Any male with a Grading of 1 and upward should not be used for breeding and any female
With a grading higher than 2 should not be bred to either, if we want to eradicate this very severe problem.
Dysplasia can be detected by x-ray at an early age if very severe, but the best age to have this x-ray is done before breeding is one year to eighteen months.
I have not written this article to cause uproar, but to bring to our attention where some of our problems lie and to show, as is the case in other countries, if we work together we can beat this crippling disease and work towards the betterment of our breed.
I also wanted to lie aside some of the fallacies heard about x-raying etc and hope that you will come away enlightened. I'm not saying that this is the only problem or most severe problem we have to face, but to me it seems to be rather an important one that we have, perhaps, been trying to overlook. There are NO GUARANTEES in any aspect of dog breeding, but we must choose the safest, most logical route to successful breeding. The future of our breed is at stake!
The New Year awards us all the opportunity to make the most of each day, each new acquaintance, and each exciting new birth of beautiful, promising youngsters. We must use these opportunities to grow, to educate and to share our love and knowledge of the breed.
It is through these efforts that we may gain the satisfaction of having done our share to insure the continued beauty of our breed. Let’s meet the New Year with enthusiasm, dedication and faith ... the future lies securely in our hands...
In loving memory of Cheryl Ann Hurley, who sadly passed away in 2002 from cancer?


(Excerpts from various publications-local/overseas)
THE CHOW CHOW
In a remote mysterious period of evolution appeared the animal we now call a Chow Chow. Without a doubt is one of our most ancient breeds of dog. Historians have found chronicles dating as far back as the 11th century BC, which describe the "Tartar dog" or foreign Chow. Clearly showing that the unique characteristics were then present. The dogs are described as heavily built, with harsh bristly hair, absolutely straight back legs and blue tongues, Evolution and subsequent domestication had obviously taken place before that time.
In the genealogical tree of carnivores, the last to separate were the canines and the ursine.
During the Miocene period, about 28 to 12 million years ago, there appeared a late descendent,
The Hemicyon, which was an intermediate between dog and bear, moderate in size and in many respects very dog-like, its direct descendant was the simicyon, an animal which varied in size from a fox to a small bear. These animals inhabited the sub arctic regions and an advancing Ice Age drove them southwards towards Siberia, and Northern Mongolia. Apart from the Chow's obvious bear like features, it is interesting to note that the Chow shares with the small bears of Tibet and Manchuria the characteristic blue black tongue, the broad skull, short muzzle and square body. These are ursine rather than lupine features, final and conclusive proof is provided by the animal's dentition whereas the normal dog group has 42 teeth the Hemicyans and Simicyons have 44 to 46. The Chow also has 44 teeth, although they usually loose the extra two in their adult dentition. The Chow or an ancestor very like it was probably established on the high cold steppes of Mongolia many years before the evolution of ape-man into homosapiens.



IS THE CHOW THE RIGHT BREED FOR YOU
Chow is a most rewarding and wonderful companion but it is probably the most unconventional of all breeds.
1. His high grade of intelligence and reasoning means that he requires to build his loving relationship
2. With his owner in order to respond. A Chow does not respond without seeing the reason for the
3. Response. Often referred to as a one-man dog because he is so utterly loyal and devoted to his
4. Family and chosen friends.
5. He will quietly guard your house and garden, the famous scowling expression giving a forbidding appearance to unwelcome callers. He is a wonderful watchdog, only barking when necessary.
6. He is an ideal companion and guard for your children and will protect his charges from any danger,
7. But never allow your child to tease the Chow! There must be mutual respect, which will make for
8. Mutual love and devotion. A long-lived breed. Loyal lifetime companion!
9. Difficult to breed is an understatement, so if you have to wait for a puppy, please be patient!

A DOG SHOW WITH A DIFFERENCE.

Yesterday I saw a notice on the door of the pet shop, A fun dog show in aid of the Crestholme farmers Watch, This I thought would be fun, And as I had not been able to enter the K.U.S.A. Championship Show in Durban I said to Rick that I would like to attend this little show, and just spend the day relaxing.
I awoke very early, 5am to be exact, the morning was lovely with the sun already shining brightly, I put the Chairs and the dog cage into the car, prepared the sandwiches, and made the tea in the flask, then I got My Black Chow out of her kennel and gave her a good wash and brush down, She was looking lovely, and the only one that was not loosing coat at the moment.
I then went to feed the ducks, letting them out of their cage, Well the first thing Donald duck was to start a fight with Waggi tail, this was not on as far as I was concerned, no fighting on such a lovely morning, nothing was going to spoil my day, so I attempted to separate them, Now you may not realize it but Moscovies can be very powerful, and a strong flap of the wing can cause a lot of damage, and this happened to me, I nearly got my arm broken, badly bruised, but still in one piece, I separated the ducks, and locked Waggie tail up on his own for the morning, I then went to feed the fish in the dam and much to my dismay, there was one of my Koi just not moving, I tried to get him, but the water although not deep, was deep enough to go over the top of my rain boots, so I had to get a rake, and eventually managed to get to him, sadly he was already dead, I think he had been attacked by one of the Wild Kites that torment me and my fish every day. This was still not going to stop me from enjoying my day at the dog show, and I went inside to waken Rick.
We arrived at the show grounds, which were really the polo pony grounds, and saw that there were a great many other dogs of all kinds and shapes, all lovely dogs; we were the only ones with a Chow.
Well the show started with a look alike, contest, owner and dog, now I must say I really don’t look like my dog but I entered just the same. The winner was a fox terrier and her owner, I don’t know where the resemblance came in but the judges must have seen something. Then they held agility trials for the next two hours, very interesting to watch and also a lot of fun for the dogs, I was very tempted to try it with Sharon but as the day was getting very hot, I decided against it, as I did not want to put her under any stress, Black Chows can’t take running around in a lot of sun. So we just sat and watched the others enjoy them selves. Then came a few more challenges, On was a fancy dress contest, I had a dogs flower hat that I made years ago this I put onto Sharon’s Head, and a string of pearls around her neck, and off we went, We were placed in 3rd class, and got a rosette for our effort, They had a few other classes, but we were not place in any of them as there were so many dogs to choose from, but it did not matter, I took her out to enjoy the day with her and give her a little bit of special attention, which I cant always give them these days. We all had a lovely day, and were happy and relaxed when we got home. Zena was a little bit jealous when I put Sharon back into the run but a quick reprimand put her smartly in her place.



Sinjon in fancy dress,

CHOW-MANIA
"Chow-mania" has over the years taken over- many homes and hearts of various different people including movie stars and other famous persons. Did you know that the following people owned Chows'""


Sigmund Freud owned a Chow Chow to which he was particularly devoted. There are many photographs of Freud with Chows including one appearing in "The Dog” by Fernard Mery".
Virginia Woolf (famous author) owned Chows and not only that but in her novel "Mrs. Dalloway" a Chow Chow starred as one of the characters.
Eugene 0"Neill was another literary genius who owned a Chow Chow; he included one in” Marco’s Millions”
Among royalty Queen Victoria ranks at the top for her devotion to dogs and she is known to have included a Chow Chow in her personal menagerie? As did President Calvin Coolidge.
Movie stars also seemed to take a fancy to the furry China balls from the Orient. Charlie Chaplin, Clara Bow, and Mary Pickford were devoted to Chows. Zsa Zsa Gabor and of course also owns a Chow as did Senator Howard Baker of the Watergate Hearings. Herbert von Karajan, Musical director of the Vienna state Opera also joined the ranks of Chow enthusiasts.
Back to the present and to South Africa. Clive Scott (Many of our breeders will still remember him from the T.V. story “The Villagers” also owns a Chow and loves the breed, A few years ago an Afrikaans singing group called “Herbie and Spence” (two brothers) also owned Chows. I call upon our readers to let me know of any other "celebrities” devoted to our breed. owning a Chow Chow or even breeding Chows.
Chow-mania is spreading rapidly through the country. Numerous calls for good quality puppies are received virtually daily and I would therefore also like to urge our breeders to advertise their litters in our newsletter -Especially breeders in other provinces like Cape Town and Natal, If our readers know of Chow breeders in their-vicinity that do not belong to the Chow Chow Club or maybe do not even know of the Clubs existence? Please introduce our club to them and encourage them to attend out annual shows. Like the saying goes, if you don’t know us, we also don’t know you” Let us gather more chow lovers and breeders and help this Club to grow.




Angies Easter hat

DISASTER RAINS PELT PINETOWN 1999
Last night after 3 weeks of boiling sun the weather broke and down came the rain. 120mm in 3 hours. The rivers turned into oceans and washed everything in their path away. Closer to home, I was worried that the hill would come down this time, My dogs were my main concern, Well I did what had to be done, into the bathroom went the little dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens, My bedroom was the haven for five of my chows, the lounge contained 3 chows and the Dobermans, and the front veranda although wet was sheltered and here we put the balance of the chows, Not one of them growled at another I think they all realized that this was a disaster area. The back yard this morning was a swimming pool, the front yard looked like the Victoria falls in full flood, But all my dogs were safe and dry, Their kennels flooded about 30cm of water in each. Part of the hill was washed away; I have never seen so much water in one night. When I allowed the dogs into their kennels this morning I felt so sorry for them as they had to walk through rivers of water to get to their boxes, which were thankfully dry.
Coming to work was another story, Garden walls had fallen over, drives had been washed away trees had fallen down across the roads, The river which is usually just a stream out side our company was a raging torrent of water, a lot of our offices had been almost completely destroyed, buildings across the road were washed away. The Road itself to our company was in danger of collapsing, with the river still pouring over it. I have never seen so much destruction caused by rainstorm. But we survived all my dogs and us humans.



REST IN PEACE MY LOVELY TAMMY

Tammy and Amour.



THIS STUNNING PHOTOGRAPH OF THE KING OF THE BEASTS
WAS TAKEN BY ALAN AND MERRIL RILEY OF LINKHILLS NATAL.AND
IS INCLUDED IN MY BOOK WITH MERRIL RILEY’S PERMISSION.
IS THERE NOT A LIKNESS BETWEEN THE KING OF THE BEASTS AND
THE KING OF THE CANINES.





CHAMPION ANLIAS MONIQUE OF MELTARI.


THE PUDDLING PUP (Mr. A. Posthumus) A Tale of a Piddling Pup Nine Piddles and One Puddle!
A Farmer's dog once cane to town, his Christian name was Pete, His pedigree was two yards long, his looks were hard to beat, And is he trotted down the road, ‘twas beautiful to see, His work on every Lamp Post, his work on every tree.
He watered every gateway, and never missed a post, For piddling was his masterpiece, and piddling was his boast, The city dogs stood looking on in deep and jealous rage, To see this lovely country dog, the piddler of the age.
Then all the dogs from far and wide were summoned with a yell, To sniff the country stranger off, and judge him by his smell, They sniffed beneath the puppy tail, their praise for him was high, but when one sniffed him underneath, Pete piddled in his eye.
They smelled him over one by one, they smelled him two by two, And noble Pete in high disdain, stood still, Then Pete to show the City dogs he didn't care a damn, Walked straight into the Grocer's shop and piddled on the Ham*
He piddled on the onions, he piddled on the floor, And when the Grocer kicked him out, he piddled on the door, Behind him all the city dogs decided what they'd do, They'd start a piddling Carnival to see the stranger through.
They showed him all the piddling posts that they had in the town, And started off with many a wink to wear the stranger down, They called the champion piddlers in who were always on the go And sometimes held a piddling camp, or had a piddling show.
They sprang these on him suddenly when halfway through the town, But Pete just piddled on and on, and wore the Champions down, For Pete was with them every trick, with vigor and with vim, and A thousand piddles more or less were all the same to him.

So he went on piddling merrily, with hind legs kicking high, When most were lifting legs in bluff and piddling mighty dry, But on and on Pete sought new ground on which to lay the dust, Till every Champion dog went dry and gave up in disgust.
Still one and one went noble Pete to water every sand hill, While all the City Champions just piddled to a standstill, Then Pete an exhibition gave If all the ways to piddle, Like double drips and fancy flips, and here and there a dribble.
And all the time this country dog did neither wink nor grin, But piddled blithely out of town as he had piddled in, The City dogs said - "So long, friend, your piddling did defeat us", But no one ever put them wise - that Pete had DIABETES!


SHAMEFULL OWNERS AND SAD DOGS
The dog parlor- van arrived with its first load of dogs at 8am. There were sixteen dogs in all. small Maltese., Chows and a very sad looking sheep dog of whom this sad story is about.
I am happy to say that the Maltese although dirty are always well cared -For, being "mom" s" pampered baby, they only need a. good brush, bath and trim, to make them look lovely. Bulldogs likewise are very easy to maintain The Chows. well they are regular visitors to the parlor, so no knots in their coats which unfortunately are kept cut short so that they can be managed easier. This is sad for me, as I am the breeder of these two lovely males, Leo and Zoltan, but I suppose when an owner does not have all that much time to brush them everyday, a short coat and a dog parlor is the answer. But I must come to the sheepdog; I’ll call him “Joe”
Joe is a large black and white bobtail ^sheep dog „ with large sad round eyes covered by a mop of very thick, dirty, knotted hair. He was sent for his yearly wash and groom because he smelt rather funny, or so his owners said when they booked him in.
Well it was impossible to get either a comb or a brush through his coat it was so thick with knots, burs. As well as grass-sand and if you looked hard enough you might even have found a birds nest amongst his fur Well as we could not brush or comb this matted mass, the next best thing was to shave all his coat off. Rather shames as it was the start of winter and he could easily catch cold without his woolly coat for protect ion.
Well the razor cut deep into his coat and the more- we cut away the more he smelt of rotten meat. The dog smelt as if he had a dead rat buried in his coat so bad was the stench. As the shaved coat fell to the floor to our horror' and disgust we found a large open wound on his rear end right by his anus. On close inspection what at first appeared to be sloughing skin, to our horror, he was alive with maggots.
We finished clipping him and then he was placed into a bath of disinfectant, after which I took this poor creature to the vets surgery next door, whom was just as shocked and horrified as to the poor animals condition.
The Inspectorate of the S.P.C.A. was phoned and told the story. The owners of the dog were also phoned and were very surprised at our story, and rather annoyed at how much the Vets fees were for the treatment. The dog was collected by the Inspector of the S.P.C.A. and taken home after treatment, so that they could examine the premises he came from.
This may be Shocking to you, but it is meant to SHOCK you- This is dog came from a home in Randburq, which had a very large garden leading right down to a stream, He was allowed the full use of the garden but never allowed inside the house, since the day he was brought home as a tiny puppy. His home was in the wooden shed underneath the back stairs, outside the kitchen, He was a pure bred dog of a good bloodline and he was well fed, if not over fed, as he tended to be very fat, He had never had any personal attention to himself or grooming from the first day in that horrid home. We saw him when he was about three years old. He had been sent to other dog parlors before once a year, but each year to a different parlor.
I hate to think of what might have happened to this poor animal if we had not been given the Job of getting rid of his smell, Remember DOG also belongs to GOD and CLEANLINESS is next TO GODLINESS.
While working in this parlor I saw many horrifying sights of ill treated animals, dog and cats that come from good homes but the owners only wanted a beautiful animal for prestige and show off. When you sell a puppy make sure it is a wanted puppy, like adopting a baby, do you really want it, ask your self this question, or is it a toy for your child until it gets to old to be carried around or dressed in dolls clothes or plunked in a dolls crib or pram. A dog be it a puppy or an adult needs care and attention and love Just like a human child or adult and it that cannot be supplied then tell them to look elsewhere for a pet, maybe a snake will suit them better.
Our Chows at Meltari-kennels are very special dogs and puppies hopefully only go to very special homes and owners.
Joe the sheep dog is but a sample of sad dogs that pass in and out of pet parlors each day. Please do not let one of your animals reach the state that Joe did a comb, brush and a very good shampoo cost little in the care of your dog. It is all very well to have lovely homes, flashy cars, and big gardens but does all this finery really seem necessary if you can't care for your dog.











LOVE OF THE LAND
When I started to write this story it was all fabrication, a dream that I knew may never happen or was it a premonition that I had to write down. Yesterday 20years later, I went with Rick and Robin out to a farm in Shongweni Valley in Natal, to look at a little 3 bedroom cottage that was to let, Due to now being working on short time I was unable to keep up the excessive rent on the house in Waterfall and was offered this little house at lower rental, on arrival there it was almost as if I had been there before, the cows were there, as were the pigs, and the ducks, I would be allowed to take my dogs as well as my cats and the ducks and the birds, looking back on what I have written above makes me think that I wrote about something that I had always dreamed of and it now had a possibility of coming true. The house was small although it had 3 bedrooms a lounge and a kitchen as well as a large Sun Room, There were unused pig pens not far from the house, in which I could house my chows, and there were kennels which were used for bitches in season of which I could make use for the Maltese and the chows and Dixie, although they would have the free run of the yard while I was away at work, there was a section along side of the house which appeared to be a herb garden in which once well fenced off I could keep my ducks and I would be able to put my bird aviary in the front yard. Its going to be a tight squeeze to start with but I am sure we are going to make this work for us.
Our move to the farm was organized chaos, I managed to get the dogs into their new kennels after four in the afternoon, they had been given their sleeping tablets at 12pm and were already waking up, Luke fighting with Dixie in the back of the car, so she tried to get away from him and in the process of doing this peed all over me, the little dogs were in the front of the car with me and Charlie then objected to Dixie taking up his space and promptly turned on her, so I had to pick him up and put him on my now wet smelly lap, Amour and Denim slept quietly on the back seat not taking any notice of what was going on with the non Chow dogs, My Nephew and his girl friend brought over the other chows with no hassles, once they were all in their respective kennels things started to calm down, except that Flash and his little 3 month old son do not see eye to eye, son Rusty must now live with Denim until I find him another home, I don’t want father killing son. The Doberman Luke and Afrikanis Dixie slept in the Bathroom where Dixie found one of my pot plants and had great fun digging in the sand, the little dogs I put into the Ducks run with their own kennel, as they are smaller then the ducks and would not hurt them until I get the big run made for the ducks, The goose laid her first egg on arrival which was a good start, or lets say end of the day, I only managed to bring one of my cats over as the others were scarred and ran away, I will try and bring them on Thursday, and I still have to remove the fencing as well as my Bar and my big bed, the desk and kennels and other things. I just could not manage it all in one day, I could not find any food to cook or the dogs food, so we had bread and Avocado pear, and I eventually found the dogs food in the morning so fed them then, Still cant find the bird seed or fish food, the house is a mess and is waiting for me at the weekend to clean it up. Hopefully I might get some dinner tonight if I can find something to cook in and find out where the food is, I think it is till at the old house, As I am 25 miles from any shop I cant just walk out and buy something. Talking about walking I walked to work this morning and really enjoyed it, 1 &1/2 miles. It took me 15 minutes not bad for an old lady.
Thursday, went to remove the fencing and try and find my other cats, you will be pleased to hear that I managed to get them all, its amazing what a little cat food can do for a very hungry cat. Chows are more or less settled in their new kennels, and tomorrow I will have two boys over to put up the run for them, then they will be able to go out and get some exercise, as I have not been able to walk them for 3 days due to having to move and work at the same time but I will soon be able to set them free.
This morning I went out to take mama duck to put her in with the other ducks, and got the shock of my life, there curled up next to her dead body was a Genet sound asleep, I gently replaced the lid of the kennel in which they were and went and called Robin, I then lifted the kennel lid again and the cat woke up and looked at us he had a longish face similar to a Siamese cat, with the most beautiful tabby markings of brown and gold in its coat, and a tail twice as long as a normal cat, its legs were also longer than a normal cat, I did not have the heart to kill it even though it had killed my favorite duck, and on seeing us he jumped out the box and tried to climb the wall to get away, and failing to do this he ran and climbed up the fence and under the shade cloth to get away. I have borrowed a cat trap from Bill to try and trap him as I think he is only a young cat, and may be able to tame him??????





LARGE GENET

Well I set the trap but he still has not returned, and to tell you the truth I hoe he does not, as I really don’t want to loose any more of my little ducks.
I have had my gardener in to day to clear a lot of the ground that I want to grow vegetables in and am now ready to start farming in earnest.
Well we haven’t caught the Genet yet but we did catch something, I went out to see how Roxies puppies were doing this afternoon and could not see Roxie, so I went into the kennel where the duck was and yes there was Roxie sitting in the cat trap, she had gone in after the piece of chicken I had put into it. She was very excited to see me and only too happy to be let out.
We have been on the farm for 6 months now and things are going well for us, My garden is now producing all the vegetables we need and more, The ducks and geese have had little ones and they are so sweet, One of the little geese was born with a skew neck, and he is now three months old and doing very well, I hand reared him and taught him to walk, and he now spends a lot of his time in the house that he loves, and he just loves human company, I do put him outside with the other geese but they really take very little notice of him as he cant get around the garden as well as they can.
This little insert is not really very relevant to my story but I thought that you would find it quite amusing, Where I work at Stonehaven Castle, they have 9 ostrich which started off as pets but then grew to large to have running around the house so were transferred to a 30 acre piece of the garden well fenced off so that they would not be a danger to anyone, There is one large male that has taken rather a fancy to me, he waits for me each morning down at the bottom fence where he can see me walking up the road and waits for me, when I arrive he gets down on his haunches and does the magnificent mating dance flapping his beautiful wings and twisting his head from side to side, this continues for a few minutes until I call him closer, he then walks along the inside of the fence with me safe on the outside and sort of escorts me to work, he walks and then dances every few meters, but does not leave me until he see’s me to the main gate, where I leave him to go to my office. He has been doing this for the past week and when I leave for home he is there waiting for me to do the reverse walk, back down the long drive and along the road until he can no longer see me, Of course my boss thinks it’s very funny that one of his ostrich should have taken a fancy to me, and says that he is doing the mating dance for me and not the many females he has around him, I would have never have guessed that my soul partner in life would be an ostrich.











Now on with my fictional story.
THE MOVE


Today was the day we were to leave the city of Johannesburg behind it was six-o clock in the morning and the removal van was already parked in front of the block of flats where Rick lived. All our packing was completed with boxes of goods lying all over the place, Curtains had been taken down a week ago and washed, ironed and carefully folded and packed away. Excitement and tension was coursing through our veins, we were going farming on a piece of land, and we had no idea of what it looked like. The kettle was constantly on this boil for the numerous cups of tea Rickie was drinking. I think he was more nervous than I. All we had not packed were two coffee mugs, tea, milk and sugar, and of course the kettle. The removal boys were already busy taking out the furniture of Rick’s flat and I would have to get down to my flat before they had completed the packing in the van, to get ready for them to empty my flat. What a day this was going to be, really topsy turvey and tempers were bound to clash before the day was over, maybe even a few tears on my behalf, tears of frustration and fear of the future ahead, for we were going into the unknown, something completely new to us, farming as well as breeding and running kennels. Plans had been drawn up and had been passed by the government we were all set. It was after two-o clock before the last of our goods had been packed in the removal van, and slowly on their way out to the farm at Hartebeespoort dam. All we had to do now was put the dogs, cats, birds and Robins old rat into Rick’s Combie, and we could be on our way. The farm was over an hour’s drive from Johannesburg. Robin by the way is my son who is now doing his bit for the country, in the armed services. We drove along the sandy bumpy road, which lead to the farmhouse. In front of us we could see rocky ground with plenty of weeds almost two meters tall in some places, there were a few thorn trees, but no beautiful large trees that would provide shade. The land appeared flat and barren, "Fit for goats and chickens,” I thought. A small hill appeared in front of us and to our right we could see a small dwelling,” could that be it " I asked Rick, my heart thumping away like crazy, "Yes I think we have arrived,’ he replied. We pulled up in front of a tiny house and switched of
The car engine. We sat for quite a few minutes surveying what lay in front of us, for miles we could see open ground covered with rocks.


In front of the house was a borehole, and the house itself seemed so small, I wondered where we would be able to put all our belongings, I climbed out of the front seat taking Lady my Chow Chow with me, and walked towards our new home. I attached Lady to the small fence surrounding the house, so that she would not be able to fight with Monique my other chow chow. And went to help Rick with the other dogs, Leo, Sonny and Monique It was with these four dogs that we were going to start breeding Chow Chow's. Once I had them all tied separately to the fence with their benching chains we removed the kettle, tea coffee, milk and sugar and cups from the car and entered our small domain.
The front door led right into the kitchen, we were lucky for power had been supplied from escom recently to the farms in this area, so I plugged in the kettle and switched on the electricity. We had arrived and a welcome cup of tea was just what we needed in our new home. While Rick cleared the car of our odd and ends, I inspected this little home that was to be ours. There was a small bedroom with no built in cupboards, the floor was wooden and worn, the lounge and dining area was as big as mine was at the flat and that was not very big. The kitchen was small and compact with a few small1 cupboards a sink and a big old coal stove, this was set in the center of the room with a flute going up out of the roof like a chimney. I opened it to find a little coal left from the previous tenants, "well we might be able to cook a few sausages and chips with that, " I thought aloud to my self. Rick heard me and said "great idea, I'm starving, I’ll get the fire going while you sort out the dogs and give them some food and water. Tomorrow we will have to erect a temporary shelter for them until our things arrive and are unpacked".
I walked the dogs to relive them of their burdens then gave each a bowl of food that I had prepared the day before at the flat, and a bowl of water, making sure they were securely tied to the fence. The only thing that looked secure about the whole farm at the moment was that fence. The house looked like the wind could blow it over, and I couldn’t even find a toilet. This I eventually found hidden away from the house in a little tin shack, it was the old bucket type toilet which when emptied by pulling a chain went into a soap or 1lime pit in the earth, the seat was made of wood and carved to shape the bottom, there was no light in the little room, so visits at night would have to be made by torchlight.
The bathroom was just as small and an old but large standing bath in the middle of the floor, water would have to be carried from the kitchen to put into the bath, as yet there was only running water in the kitchen and that really was only a slow trickle. It was quicker getting buckets of water from the pump outside. There was a storm water tank alongside the house for emergencies. Slowly the sun set into the west and Rick and I sat on the small veranda watching the sky turn red from its rays, the moon was already rising in the sky and above us the first star of the evening was beginning to twinkle, we drank our tea and ate the sausages and chips I had prepared for us and sat silently each one deep in his own thoughts, He thinking and planning where he would build his hydphonic tunnels to plant all the precious seeds he had bought, and I thinking about building kennels for our dogs, Kennels that would meet with the standard that was required by the health department. As the sky grew darker I stood up and took the dishes to the kitchen, while Rick took a bucket to the pump for water in which to wash them.
We were both very tired now and tomorrow was going to be a busy day when our furniture arrived and had to be packed away, for to night we would sleep on the floor in a couple of sleeping bags. We unchained the dogs and locked Lady and Sonny into the toilet and Monique and Leo into the bathroom, we then took the two cats into the kitchen and buttered their paws well so that they would not run away, the birds and the rat were placed on the small veranda out of the draught and covered with an old tarpaulin.
Our first day was almost over. Tomorrow we would start farming in earnest, I felt a bit like one of the 1820 settlers, coming to a new land, everything was still and quite, only the sound of crickets and frogs with a few hoots from the night owls could be heard, a squeak or two from the bats in the roof and now and again a bark of the baboons in the distance.
Peace was upon us, and we thanked God for bringing us to our Solitude.
I awoke early this morning, cold and very stiff, I had not been able to sleep very well it was a strange place and the quietness disturbed me, I climbed out of my sleeping bag quietly so as not to disturb Rick and crept into the kitchen to make him some tea and myself some coffee
I stood by the kitchen window and could see a faint line of the blue sky on the horizon as the suns started too waken the sleeping countryside. I looked at my watch, it was just after five in the morning, not even the birds were awake yet, sleeping together near the warm stove were my two cats. Monique heard me moving around the kitchen and whimpered, so I let her and Leo out of the bathroom slipping their leads on and took them for a quick walk in the garden. I gave them a drink of water then fastened them to their benching chains that were still attached to the fence.
I then sat on the veranda drinking my coffee and watched the sun rise in the now ever increasing blue sky. Silently I sat for ten minuets surveying all that lay around me. In the quite of the morning I could see the distant Magaliesburg Mountains rising like giant shadows with the morning sun. How
It was here so peaceful and clean, no traffic or shouting Africans, just peace and beauty, I would be happy here I thought, its what I always dreamed off. I stood up and stretched, opening my lungs to the fresh air and turned back to the kitchen, it was almost six o clock and tine to waken Rick to a cup of farm tea, I would also start breakfast, that would get him moving, the smell of bacon and eggs in the country air was never more appetizing.
He was still sound asleep when I took him his tea, "Rick" I gently shook him awake "here’s your tea" he groaned and half sat up, " "what time is it" he asked "six o clock" I replied "time to rise and shine, its going to be a lovely day" I bent down and kissed him good morning and handed him his tea, "breakfast is almost ready" I said, "how long have you been up " he asked, "since before dawn" I replied "Now I've got work to do, so up you get " I left him and made my way out to the toilet where Lady and Sonny
Were locked, I put them on their leads and led them through the long damp grass to where the other two were tired to ' the fence. Making sure they were all secure I gathered wood from the pile outside the door and carried it in side to the old stove, I wanted a bath and the only way was to boil the water on the stove, but as yet I had no big pots and eventually found a couple of old coffee tins which were only slightly rusty, I placed them on the stove and filled them with water, at least we would be able to have a wash. Soon the birds could be heard chirping their morning songs as they
Sat on the fence around the garden, and my two cockatiels answered them in their squawks and shouts with Fred calling Good morning and pretty boy every now and again. What a cheerful sound it was
And soon I would be adding the sound of a crowing rooster to the lot, We would have to rear chickens, for our food supply would be very low until things started look up; We again had our breakfast on the veranda in the early morning sun.
Far down the read we saw a faint speck of dust and what looked like a vehicle traveling towards the farm "that looks like the removal van" said Rick. It was and soon it was rolling up towards the gate of our farm. Now our day would begin in earnest, this would be the busy part of settling down on the farm. By nine-o clock things were really moving with all of us carrying furniture into the little house. There were boxes of goods strewn all over the front lawn and I was busy placing the furniture in the best positions in the house. In between this there were numerous cups of tea for Rick and the removal boys. Soon I had the entire furniture place in the correct rooms and had laid the carpets where they fitted best, I opened the boxes marked kitchen and packed away as fast as I could. We plugged the fridge and Deepfreeze and switched on. Then put in our food supply. As I packed away I had to wash out all the cupboards as well, it seemed a never ending job with so many boxes to open, and unpack, a few of them would be put away for later days when we would need them, these contained Rick’s stamps and my books, these would go into the study or office once it was built. We had plans of building a couple of rondavels in which Rick and I would have our own offices and a place to go to when we wanted to be alone for a while. Soon I had curtains hanging and the beds made and suddenly it looked and felt like home. Rick was busy hanging paintings onto the walls and the dogs were barking their heads off at the strange Africans.
By two o clock we were dirty and starving so I scraped up a few sandwiches for our lunch, while cutting the bread, I thought to myself that this was one thing I would soon have to learn to make, as out here you could not run down to the nearest shop, because that was ten kilometers away. What ever I wanted on this farm I would have to learn to make it myself or we would go without. I had decided that with the money from my first litter of puppies I would buy a cow so that we would have fresh milk, there was plenty of grass to feed it on, but I would have a lot to learn about farming.
Slowly another day was drawing to a close and I once again took the dogs for a walk, it was a lovely feeling walking through that long grass with a beautiful dog, walking on each side of me, Monique sniffing the ground as if she were a hunting dog. I had put a tick collar around each dog’s neck to protect him or her from the ticks in the long grass. We walked for a long while and saw an amazing amount of small rodents, even a few wild rabbits, running out of the path of our feet. The dogs barked like mad when we came across
A wild tomcat, which stood with his fur raised on his back and spat at the dogs and myself, "Well " I thought to myself, "once he gets
A whiff of our two female cats we are sure to have a few more, just what we will need to keep the rats and mice away. By the time I got back to the farm. Rick had started the fire in the stove for supper and had made a pot of tea, what a welcome surprise, it was so nice living with such a thoughtful 1 man. I had found two pots that were big enough to hold water for the bath and these were just beginning to heat up on the old stove. "What could be better than a nice hot bath and to be able to climb into a clean soft bed.” I smiled at Rick. "Happy" I asked, He drew me into his arms and kissed me "yes, very happy, things have gone well today and when the cement and tunnels arrive next week we will Start work in earnest, I want the seeds in before it gets to cold and we must start on the kennels, tomorrow I will drive to the nearest farm to enquire about buying milk and eggs, maybe even a few laying hens". "That will be nice" I replied. The kitchen was warm and I was getting sleepy, I took one of the pots of water and poured it into the bath, it was not much but enough to relax me for a few minuets. Rick bathed after me while I prepared a light supper, this evening we ate at the kitchen table, and to celebrate I opened a bottle of wine I had kept hidden, "to our new way of life " I toasted him "To prosperity and happiness' he toasted me.
Once the dogs had been fed and locked up, we settled down to a relaxing sleep, for once this day was over we would start to be farmers.
Plans
For the following week while we were waiting for the building equipment to arrive, we made our plans and marked out the ground with string and wooden peg, it was almost as though we were pegging our claim in a diamond field. The land that our farm was on was virgin soil and had never been worked on before, the couple that were here before us had never even planted a tree.
Now Rick has a gadget that is call a metal detector and we thought that it would be interesting to go over the land that we marked out with the machine to see if any old metal or even coins had found their way into the earth from a distant past. So there we were two modern day humans becoming what we hoped archeologists for the next few days.
We first of all planned and roped in the dog kennels that were to be near to the house. We were going to build ten to start with, starting with the four for our own dogs, including a run in which to exercise them each day. We then went over the ground, with the metal detector to see what the ground hid from our eyes. Every time it detected some thing we grabbed our spades and dug into the earth, turning up apiece of old tin or even an unusual rock that possible contained a certain amount of Iron ore. We never found anything of real value, but at one stage a very old coin was discovered dating back to- about the early nineteen century. As the days passed we cleared the ground of rocks and stones that were in the way of where we were to lay our foundations. Rick took a short trip to one of the local poultry farmers and placed an order for a hundred chickens. We then started to make the hen houses with the wood we had brought with us• With hammer, nails, and saw, we made hen houses and also. Wooden kennels in which to keep our animals and to protect them from the cold winter’s night.
Within days we no longer looked like the pale city folk that we had been, we were suntanned and dark, our hands rough with hard work and blisters and dirt so ingrained that we thought they would never come cleat.
Life on the farm that first week was hard, but we had plans and if we wanted to survive we had to make those plans work for us. We walked for miles looking for thorn trees that could be transplanted around the boarders of our farm. All the rocks we dug out were placed one upon the other in a vain attempt at making a rock garden. Soon the equipment we had ordered arrived and we were now able to mix cement for the kennels. We mixed and laid cement for three days before we could see haw far he had progressed, we fixed steel poles into the cement to be supports for the wire fencing we would use to surround the kennels with. Then once the cement had set really hard came the job of unrolling the wire and stretching it to fit around the poles to make safe strong kennels for our dogs.
The hen houses were just as big a job and it took all our strength to erect what was needed.
But eventually after a weeks really hard work we had erected all. To us was a miracle, we had completed four of the ten kennels and the dogs were now much more at home having their own separate areas in which to live. Our dogs have always been brought up apart from each other in their own kennels. At the flat I was in I had built them kennels on my roof so that they could see each other but not interfere with each other. Once they were settled, Rick then went to collect our chickens. Then the chickens were put into the hen house, they clucked and squawked around, not really knowing what they were doing in this strange hen house.
It was wonderful to see how soon things fell into place, we now really were farmers, and our chickens were just the start. Eventually we hoped to include Rabbits to our diet and possibly a pig or two, when we had the time to build a pigsty, but first our tunnels had to be erected and this was the biggest job of all. First of all the ground had to be cleared, we were going to erect two thirty feet tunnels, that meant we had to clear a good eight feet of earth, of stone, long grass and rocks. The ground was hard with the winter sun and no rain had fallen since we had moved here. We had no African labor, as we could not afford to pay them so it was Rick and I going it alone after a quick breakfast
We would pick up our picks and shovels and make our way out in the -early morning air to the area of ground we had pegged off. There we would throw the picks to loosen the hard earth and then take shovels full to a spot away from the tunnel site. Small rocks were carried but large rocks had to be rolled by both of us. We each put in at least eight hours hard labor on the land each day burning up energy and building up muscle. Me worked harder than we had ever worked in our lives. Let me tell you that neither of us are spring chickens, Rick is 51 and I am 40. But after a days work in the sun we both looked and felt like a couple of exhausted lO0year olds.
As the days passed the fitter we became and were soon able to do almost double the work we had done when we first starred. This was our farm and if we wanted to survive we had to work hard, so that we could sow the first deeds at the start of spring. The winter was extremely cold this year and often we saw snow covering the peaks of the Magalisburg. If only it would snow here I said, at least then the snow would eventually soften the earth and make it a little easier to dig.
It took us three weeks of hard labor to clear the ground to Rick’s satisfaction but eventually it was done, now came the laying of the cement as a base for the tunnels. Foot by foot we mixed and laid the cement onto the Earth every day progressing a little further, with in two week se had laid the foundation for our first tuneful We had now been on the farm for nine weeks and already it was all falling into shape. It took us another five weeks to clear the other piece of ground and to cement it before we were able to think about erecting the bases for the tunnels, these were made of molded steel and as you can imagine extremely large, what we needed was a crane to lift them into place, but this we did not have, so we assembled them lying flat on the ground, then with the help of a rope tied to the back of the car, we eventually managed to get them erected into the correct position with their base which had to be firmly cemented into the base which had been laid before. We had some real fun and games erecting these tunnels as this was something neither of us had ever done before, not even seen done.
We wrestled and swore and cried and shouted at each other but; slowly got the job completed and finally we had two large empty shell looming like creatures from outer space on our farm. Next we had the job of placing the covering over them. This comes in lengths of fifteen feet rolls by 30ft each and had to be rolled carefully up and over the frame. We would fix the base of the mesh to the base of the frame, then tie a rope to tine other end of the unrolled mesh and again one end passed over the frame to be tired to the back of the car. Rick would then slowly drive the car away from the frame while I aligned the mesh in the right position over the frame. It was a difficult and dangerous. But eventually it was done and there were just the finishing touches to see to and our tunnels would be ready for the first seed boxes to be placed in. The earth that we had removed when preparing for the tunnels was then lay out and smoothed, furrows were made and it was here that we planted our first potatoes.
Inside the tunnels we concentrated on tomatoes Onions and cabbages, which when growing would supplement our own food supply as well as have enough to be sold.
These first three months on our farm was hard work, but as we look n we see that we have accomplished what we intended to. We had arrived here at the end of autumn and our farm was ready for planting by the end of winter. The short days and long cold nights had not daunted us; we had succeeded in what we had set out to do. Spring announced herself early one morning when the first tomato plant opened its first leaves to the early morning sunlight. Rick and I were thrilled, it may seem strange to you to get excited over a tomato plant but this was our proof of hard work and of an abundant crop to come in the summer, The chickens we had bought started to lay their first eggs and we were now able to tell the Roosters apart from the hens and were able to separate them into different hen houses. The hens would provide us with more- then enough eggs and we would slowly cull the roosters until we had a couple of the best left for breeding.
It was at this time that both our bitches came into season. The breeding of dogs was my job and their puppies were of the most importance to us, as they would boost our small1 amount of capital.
Now as most people know two dogs running together will most probably breed as any normal dog would, but with the Chow this is another story.
The days of their season must be noted carefully from the first day of heat or preostrus then they are to be watched carefully until the day of the first pink colored discharge. This then told me that they were now ready to mate. We were to use Leo as the stud dog. Now the problem with female Chows, is that when approached by the stud dog, you find that they will either flit down and play not interested, she may even lie down and roll on her back kicking her legs joyfully in the air. Well this is when you must take the matter in hand. The bitch must be restrained and kept standing; it may even be necessary to muzzle her as she may attempt to bite the handler or even the male dog. The dog is then brought in and allowed to smell the bitch. He is then helped to mount her in the right position, you will find many dogs don't know very much about mating and will mount the bitch in all positions but the right one.
Once mounted he must be helped by slight pressure to his rear end so that once he begins to thrust he will penetrate the bitch, during this time the bitch must stand still and steady all the time which can be very difficult. Once the dog has penetrated the bitch and a tie has been made you can then slowly let her loose and will find that they will now stand quietly until the tie is released. Never force the dogs apart once a tie has been made, as this could cause damage to both dogs. It is advisable to allow a couple of mating's to ensure puppies but I have found that after only one mating both of my bitches have produced a litter of puppies. Once we had successfully mated both bitches,
It was just a matter of waiting to see if they had both taken. It is usually about 4-5 weeks of pregnancy that the bitch will start to gain weight and will possibly look pregnant, at seven weeks she will either be or not, it could be a false pregnancy as well.
By the time eight weeks was up. I started counting the days until my first litter was due, as the bitches were to whelp with in days of each other. Monique being a couple of days before Lady, Both bitches had been kept separated from each other during their season and pregnancy, to avoid any fights, or unpleasantness. It was Monique’s sixty first day of her pregnancy when I noticed she was starting to make her nest, It was now that she would need all my love and care to see her through her labor. Slowly the hours progressed with Monique tearing up mounds of Newspaper. Night came and a hurried dinner for Rick and I, He lucky fellow then retired to bed telling to call him if necessary and I returned to Monique’s Kennel. It was a cool spring night the moon was full in the dark sky, the distant planets cast their light like shining diamonds. For hours I sat with Monique, waiting, and talking to her, reassuring her and rubbing her back when I could see she had pain, then suddenly she started to push and with one almighty scream she gave birth to the first puppy, I tore the membrane from its little body and held it up to see what *Censored Word* it was, A lovely black male, just like his father, I then passed the puppy to Monique to clean and to tie off the umbilical cord from the placenta. After the first puppy she gave birth every half-hour until she had produced seven healthy puppies, all sucking from her breasts happily away. I tidied up the kennel and disposed of all the dirty newspaper, I cleaned her and gave her a drop of milk to drink, then I lay my pillow down near to her and covered myself with a blanket, It was after midnight and we were both exhausted. I slept 1like the dead nothing would have woken me if Rick had not come the next morning to see what had happened to me, and found me lying with my head inside the kennel and my body out on the cold cement only covered by a blanket, with Monique lying peacefully next to me nursing her lovely babies. He gently woke me up and said he had never seen such a devoted pair of mothers, but it was time that I went into the house, and cleaned myself up before he made breakfast.
Twenty four hours later Lady also went into labor, and again I sat with her and slept next to her until it was all over, and she had given birth to also seven lovely puppies, between the puppies we had twelve dogs and two bitches. For the next six weeks my time would be taken up caring for the new arrivals and their mothers, making sure that all were alive and healthy.
During this time Rick was left very much to his own, on the farm. Only depending upon my help when I was not busy with the puppies, the vegetables were coming on and slowly the tomatoes were turning red. We had already eaten a few and found that they were very sweet, Hydroponics farming is not at all simple and it takes a lot to care for, Special food must be supplied to the plant, to enable it to grow twice as fast as it normally would, and the so lout in must be fed to the roots through an irrigation system, Which causes the solution to be recycled every day.
It was during this period that we decided to by a cow. We had never in our life attended a cattle auction, and this was a new experience for both of us.
It was a cold morning when we climbed in to Rick’s old combie, and set out along the dusty roads to the nearest cattle auction station near us. We arrived there not really knowing what we were expected to do, so I suggested that we go and look at the cattle that were to be auctioned and see if any of then took our fancy, There were brown cows and black and white cows, some were very young and others looked matronly, we spotted a very pretty one with brown and white markings, she had the loveliest brown eyes set in almost a heart shape facial markings, Rick spoke to a farmer that was standing near by and asked him if the cow was to go on auction that day, Yes he answered, telling us that he was the owner and that the cow was pregnant with her first calf, by this time I had already fallen in love with her and was rubbing her mussel with my hand, and whispering sweet nothings in her ear, she was a friendly thing and she was the one I wanted. Rick tried to reason with me saying that we would not get any milk from her until she had calved, and would I sit up with her to help her to deliver her calf when the time arrived, I could see his point, we needed a cow that could give us milk now, so we said no more, and went to the stand around the ring in which the cattle would be presented, I never told him that I had brought my own money and that I intended to by that little cow. The auction started and soon Rick was bidding for a good milkier amongst the rest of the farmers, and as the bidding slowed down suddenly his hand shot into the air, the price was two hundred Rand, and the hammer went down. Rick almost jumped in the air with joy; he had bought his first cow and had been guaranteed that she would give at least 20 Kg of milk a day. He went off to arrange transport for her to the farm leaving me sitting alone in the stands. The little brown cow came up for auction and the bidding started again I just could not let her go to any one else so I pushed the bidding as far as I could, and was thrilled when the auctioneer said Sold to the little lady in the back row. I had got my cow and soon we would also have her calf, I knew Rick would be mad at me, but so what it was my money and what better then to by my own cow. When I told Rick about my purchase He never said much, but just looked a little sad and a lot angry, He knew that when I set my heart on something come hell or high water I would get it,
There was no use arguing, and left it at that. Hear ranged transport to our farm with the farmer that we had spoken too earlier, and were promised that the cattle would be delivered the next day.
When we arrived home from the auction Rick set to and made a shed to house the two cows in. They were like over built dog kennels, but they were solid and we then laid newspaper in the bottom of the sheds. We had not thought of food for them so off he went again to the farmer near us and asked him what would be the best feed to give to them, He cam home with a truckload of Lucerne and hay, that was given to him by the kind hearted farmer. Who he said had a good laugh at our buying two cows and not even knowing what to feed them when they arrived. We now knew that while we left the cows to roam about the farm we would have to lie out an area of land in which to grow Lucerne for them, so as to see them through the winter months. The next day they arrived, and when they were off loaded onto our land, the farmer asked to see where we were to keep them, He laughed at out giant size dog kennels and said that they would most probably do until we were more settled. But that cows needed a lot of open ground and that we were to be careful that they did not make them selves in at home in our tunnels. He left us chuckling to himself about the ideas of novice farmers and oversized dog kennels. The first few days we had our cows were relatively easy until one morning I awoke to a pity full mooing outside my bedroom window, looking out I saw Rick’s brown cow tossing her head to and fro in the morning sun, "Rick" I called him, "your cow seems a little distressed, you had better go and attend to her". Rick looked at me and said that he had forgotten that cows must be milked every day and that he had forgotten to do it since he had bought her. Well I offered to do it my self, and he quickly agreed that it would be a