Desperate Dog. Please help!
Does anybody out there know what I can do? Any and all advice will be put into action immediately. In the alleyway behind our house there is a dog. She is owned by a man in the street behind us and has been placed in the alley as a guard dog. Although she has shelter, food, water and shade she has no contact with people or animals. That is her life. And she cries all the time.
I have had the SPCA inspector out here on at least three occasions, but because there is no sign of abuse or neglect on the dog there is nothing that they can do. DARG, TEARS and pro-life animal rescue can’t help at all; they are by law not allowed to have inspectors working for them because of their pro-life policy. Everybody has suggested that I wait for the municipal bylaws to change and then I can complain about a noise disturbance to the police. That is hardly the point. I am also feeling desperate in my helplessness. I have no access to the dog since our back door into the alley is sealed shut and our walls are very high. All I hear is her constant, sad crying. It is unbearable and heartbreaking. Please tell me what to do.
Oh, I forgot to add that this man who owns her is an absolutely aggressive, mean, nasty piece of work and is totally unapproachable. Everybody is scared of him. He has a reputation for being a gangster and for taking revenge on those who complain.
Small Furries
Every now and then there is an amazing animal moment in our house. We have just had one. I ‘needed’ mash for supper tonight and Big Friendly obliged. He is one good mash maker. Mash done and had, there was still some left in the bowl so I took two glomps in each hand to give to the dogs. The cats heard the action and came running! Then began the ritual of dogs first, then cats, eating mash off my fingers. Annie’s back paws were on the dining room table and her front paws were stretched out on the chair back, Chassie was between my legs and Bayla and Gally stood lined up for their turn. It was a hilarious, ‘please can I have some more’ performed by dogs and cats. Love it.
cat in bed
all is good in the world.
Small Brown Friend
It hasn’t been a great day. I have been a bit laid low with stomach pains and have spent the day between bed, chair and couch. On one of my couch trips I put my hand in my back jeans pocket, felt something a bit ‘dried leafy’, and was about to take it out when it moved. In an alivish sort of way! I was off that couch in a flash, and I was squirmy. I was convinced that something had been in there, but there was nothing to see. Big Friendly thought I was having a Myprodol moment.
I kid you not, five minutes later one of those big, brown, winged cockroaches came scurrying across the floor. Then I screamed! Big Friendly had to cover it with a cup, slide a letter under it and take it outside. That damn thing had been in my pocket! I had grabbed it with my hand!
So this is obviously what had happened. I had left my jeans on the bathroom floor last night, after I showered, and the cats must have chased the cockroach into the bathroom, where it hid in my pocket.
I have learned my lesson. This time I put my jeans on the wash basket. Out of reach. I hope.
The Week that Was
It’s Friday morning and I’m about to go and walk the old ladies, Bayla and Gally, try and get to the damngym (I have been making a bit of an effort this year) before rehearsals, then rehearse, then perform a TheatreSports gig at a pre-barmitzvah thing in somebody’s lounge tonight. And it looks like the weekend will be full of work stuff too. And Big Friendly and I are going for a romantic 2020 game at Newlands on Saturday night!
But I thought I would take a couple of lines to reflect on the week that was.
TheatreSports had good one, with that fab show on Tuesday night, and a really successful corporate performance yesterday. We performed for a company that I had first performed for 16 years ago. They were our first corporate client! Love it.
Rehearsals for my industrial theatre project are going really well. I have been working for the same client for five years now, creating plays, based on the same characters, that go on a country wide roadshow, and I love it. I love my team of actors, I enjoy the process which we have honed into something easy and painless, and it’s the one sure gig I have that pays the rent! it is also the one kind of theatre that I know reaches its target audience, who love it.
I am irritated with our Prez and the country in general. Come on guys, this guy was voted in with a completely public track record of sexual expediency and polygamy! It’s not new news. I’m just irritated that because he is the most important public servant, we taxpayers have to pay for this all. I am irritated that a red carpet was laid for the opening of parliament. I am irritated by the predictability and insincerity of our politicians, and the fact that their promises are totally empty and meaningless; a series of random placatory and warning words strung together and haltingly read out.
I am depressed that I seem to be enjoying pop music again, at my age. I catch myself with Lady Gaga as my earworm of the day. I am dancing to hip hop at my hip hop classes at the damngym!
I am delighted, and this should have been higher on the list, by the Proteas, who mafferated the Indians, on their home turf, by more than a total innings! I can’t wait for the next test to begin on Sunday.
Lots to reflect on, but it’s getting late and the dogs are milling about!
Two Owls
We often walk our dogs in Rondebosch park, and in the holidays we go there a lot and early because there is no traffic. So, yesterday morning we were stumbling around on our normal route, at about 7 in the morning, when I saw a woman waving to us. We approached her and she pointed out two juvenile owls, sitting in the tree, almost close enough to touch. The one had his golden eyes firmly on us, while the other slept with eyes tightly shut behind his sibling.
The woman told us that she had been part of the team that had ringed them when they were still in the nest. She was a glowing and proud mom. We stood in absolute awe and wonder, looking at these miracles while feeling the eyes of the unseen mother on us.
We left, with huge thanks to the woman who showed us, as she spoke gently to them, asking them to be good and safe over new year.
Home
It’s unbelievable. We went out to walk the dogs really early this morning and came back to this. 
Annie had climbed back into bed!
The Wonderful Wiggle-Waggle Walk-a-thon
At about 8.50 yesterday morning Big Friendly, Bayla, Gally and I joined the masses of two and four legged walkers in Tokai for 567 Cape Talk and SPCA’s little 4.5km stroll through the neighbourhood to raise money for the SPCA. Omigod!
I have never, ever seen so many dogs of every shape, size and description, alongside people of every shape, age and description. Manic Huskies dragged their owners along on short leashes. Yappy Jack Russels went round and round in circles. A few, more timid brakkies panted and stood behind legs. Dalmatians, Alsatians, Golden Retrievers, Pekes and Poms, Scotties, Schnauzers, sausage dogs. There were dogs in bows and dogs in dresses, dogs in bandanas and sparkling bejewelled collars. And there was a lot of dog poop.
When Soli started the walk and we all charged past the starting line Big Friendly and Gally looked a little panicked. It was all too much for them. But soon it settled down and we stomped from watering hole to watering hole, stopping off for sniffing, peeing and checking out moments in the shade, for spray offs from hoses, and little runner blue plastic water for people.
Before an hour was up the whole thing was done and we were making our way back to the car. All four of us had the best time. We’ll be back next year!
Backyard jungle cat
Mountain
There’s a lot I love about living in Cape Town. There is a lot that makes me nuts about it too, but the things I love make up for it.
There is a howling South Easter out there this morning, so we decided to walk the dogs in the park instead of on the beach; I don’t love whipping, stinging sand blown by ice cold air. Of course, when we got to the park on the other side of the mountain, there wasn’t even a breeze to be had. That’s how it works. we had a great stroll with our two old ladies, who ran, sniffed, rolled, weed, jumped in the stream, chased and said hello to all the other dogs.
But it was the sight of the Wildebeeste on the side of the highway that made my day. The huge, green mountain and her slopes offered up these weird and wonderful creatures this morning. And they were so close I could see their funny, hairy tails. Gotta love this town.
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Randomness
