I used to go out with a guy who had a strange phobia of fish. Not sharks or jellyfish or anything dangerous attacking him. He would be quite willing to go into the sea on holiday and he would eat all kinds of fish. The phobia was a weird one where if he was eating at home (or anywhere else), we would have to remove the goldfish and its bowl from the room because he thought the fish was watching him eat and he couldn’t concentrate. This is the funniest thing i remember about this ex boyfriend and it makes me smile whenever I see a goldfish in a bowl. To have a phobia of one of the most un-scary animals is just hilarious.
When I was a little girl, I used to dress my cat up in my dolls dresses, put him in my dolls pram and push him up and down the road I lived on. There are many pictures of me dressing up the cat, playing with him in front of the fire and even colouring his nose in with a purple felt tip pen. I was a terror to that cat and he never lashed out once. Bless his little cotton socks. Yes, I did used to put socks on him too. It is strange how many stories I hear about pets lashing out at people and each other considering my pets have been completely lovely. I did get bitten on the thigh by a dog when I was 11 and still have the scar to prove it. Vicious beast. It just goes to show that animals have personalities of their own and just like people, some animals are lovely and some need help!
It is so strange for me to think that my best friend would sacrifice her beach holiday this year because she has a new dog. She is so completely in love with this new pet that she is now refusing to leave it for two weeks and therefore we now have to go on holiday in the UK so it can come with us! I’ve never experienced this before, however when my cousin emigrated to Australia, they had to have their dog put in quarantine for a month when they got over there and they went to visit it for an hour each day, even though the quarantine was an hour away from the house they were living in! Pets equal responsibility and for now, I very much prefer my pet free lifestyle!
This weekend was lovely. Really really lovely. And I have been ill in bed with a massive cold. The only thing I have done is watch DVD’s, watch the Grand National and watch people walking their dogs past my house in shorts and vest tops, soaking up every second of the shining rays. I don’t think i’ve ever seen so many dogs being walked in the space of a couple of hours, it was like a parade! It makes you think, where are all these people who were out walking their dogs at the weekend when it is not sunny? And are these dogs just being walked properly when there is a lovely day to walk them in?! Or is it the case that people are borrowing other people’s dogs just so they have an excuse to go for a walk in the sun!?
One of my friends was telling me recently that they have a work associate who has a dog in their office and posts pictures of the dog on their website! I think it would be very strange to have an animal wondering around in the office but I guess it is different in different environments. It would be very odd to see a cat wondering around an office block in the centre of a city; however it is common to have a dog in a country pub or local village shop as far as i’m aware. Does anyone have an instances to tell me about where you have an animal in your workplace or have seen this and been confused by the presence of an animal when you’ve been to anyone else’s workplace?
Here are some general Guinea pig handling tips to make sure you have the most content and happy pet guinea pigs.
Food: – Guinea Pigs need vitamin C daily. However buying a brand of guinea pig food with added vitamin C is not sufficient; your guinea pig will need fresh food too. Fresh food they like; carrots, cucumber, celery, peppers, baby sweet corn, apple, grapes, melon, cauliflower leaves, and romaine lettuce. This is in combination with the dry general guinea pig food.
Checkups: – Make sure you check your guinea pig’s ear, eyes and nose daily. The ears should be warm, and eyes and nose should be clear and the eyes bright.
Teeth: – Guinea Pigs need to have a constant supply of fresh, non dirty hay to help them grind their teeth down. A hay rack is advisable so the hay is not on the bottom of the pen. If their teeth overgrow they will not be able to eat and a tell tale sign of this is saliva round the mouth.
Nails: – These will need trimming regularly. I suggest you go to the vets for this.
Grooming: – Some people groom their pigs daily (especially if they are long haired guinea pigs). Sometimes a quick coat trim is required if it is hot. Also a bath is required when your pig get smelly.
The lives of seals in Northumberland are being threatened by fisherman. The clever seals have learnt that to take fish from the nets of the fisherman as an easy meal, but the fishermen are claiming that this is costing them thousands of pounds every year. So, if they have a license, the fishermen are allowed to shoot the seals. This law applies in England, Scotland and Wales but in places like Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man it is now against the law. A row has broken out as people believe it should be made against the law everywhere. However it is being reviewed in Scotland so with any luck if it becomes against the law in Scotland it might set a president for the rest of the home nations.
Someone call the Animal Rights Groups, or at least Trading Standards.
A zoo in Gaza City, in the Middle East has decided to dye its donkeys! After the zoo’s zebra past away the cost to replace the zebra would have been £20,000. Due to strict rules the zoo would have had to smuggle them in so instead they decided to dye a couple of donkeys instead.
I don’t suggest trying this with your own pets though, the zoo had to use masking tape and black hair dye as the paint (!!!) they used the first time didn’t work.
Apparently the children don’t know any different and believe they are zebra, therefore leaving the zoo happy.
Sexuality in animals has often been debated – if humans can be straight or gay then it is logical that the differences can also appear in the animal kingdom too. However a zoo in Germany came under attack this week from Gay Rights groups. The zoo had discovered that three of its penguin couples we same sex couples (all males) and had taken a decision to introduce 4 female penguins in an effort to create mating couples. The Gay Rights Groups protested against the experiment claiming that the zoo was forcing the couples to part.
In a statement to the Major of the German city the Gay Rights Group were protesting against;
the organised and forced harassment through female seductresses
The zoo has now abandoned its plans for the penguins and now says;
Everyone can live here as they please
Bees aren’t strictly pets but they can make a great hobby for an animal lover.
Bees are great pollinators so are useful for your garden. You will obviously also benefit from producing your own beeswax and honey. Bee populations are on the decline in the UK so keeping them is actually helping the environment.
You don’t need a huge garden to keep bees but you should make sure that your neighbours are ok about it before you invest in any equipment.
There is an abundance of beekeeping advice to be found in the internet and there are also many books available on the subject. You may find that there are bee keeping clubs and associations in your area so have a chat with them before you take the plunge.