Wishing our clients Past, Present and Future

a Very Merry Christmas

and a Happy and Peaceful New Year

from Tracy and Della at Chez Vous

click on the link below to see the show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-0WVfj76bo


Instead of sending out Christmas Cards this year we have sponsored a puppy. Click on site below to see what the clever dogs do.

http://www.caninepartners.co.uk/

Shropshire Good Life

October saw us in the rural surrounds of Shropshire, looking after a small holding with horses, sheep, chickens and cats.

Where space allows, folk seem to be coming back to the idea of self-sufficiency, even if it is just to keep a few hens for eggs.

This lifestyle was recently relived in the BBC2 programme 'Giles and Sue live the good life.' In this series they recreated the efforts that Tom and Barbara Good went to to be self sufficient. It turned out to be a lot more labour intensive and time consuming than they thought.

Their set up was perhaps a bit too self sufficient for most people. On our sits we do find that elements of self sufficiency, whether it be a veggie plot or just some hens, do feature.

The work and dedication involved in looking after animals and tending veggies, in our opinion, is well worth the effort. We always get a kick out of the fact that we are eating food just picked from the garden. We find looking after and tending to animals very relaxing and rewarding, even if it is pouring with rain, and freezing cold when the horses need bringing in and the hens need shutting in their house for the night.

At the end of the day, with flora and fauna, you reap far more than you sew.

Ass you like it... Donkey days in France

A number of our clients have pets that have come from rescue centres. Sophie, a lady who we sit regularly for, has 6 cats, two dogs and two chickens, as well as two donkeys. They all have their issues brought from previous lives, but are now comfortable together, being given a second chance to be loved.

Here in South West France there are a lot of donkeys. They are good for keeping down the courser vegetation, like brambles and thistles. They will eat bark from the trees though, which is not good for the trees.

They require a shelter as they don't like to get too wet. Their coat takes a long time to dry out if they are without shelter.

These donkeys are very tidy and have a particular area for their bathroom. There is always plenty of 'help' with all the chores around the grounds.

They need the same care and attention as horses, daily brushing, picking out their feet, summer and winter routines.

They are very mischievous, nosey and playful, and are great fun to look after. They are a great alarm call if you happen to be late getting up.

They need company and make great companions for other animals.

Links to Donkey sanctuarys in France and UK:

http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/
http://equinerescuefrance.wordpress.com/

RIP Maxwell & Serioja

We had sad news back in the summer that two of the pets, we looked after the previous year, had passed away, in Keri Keri, North Island, New Zealand.

Max the dog, was a very sweet boy, although he had trouble getting about he always found his inner-puppy on a daily basis, when he knew we were going to take him for a walk or play with the ball. The energy didn't last for long, but he enjoyed himself.

If he disappeared for a short time we always knew that he would be off visiting his friend George, for a dog with mobility issues, we were always amazed at just how fast he got to George's house.

Whilst he was in our care we were charged with the task of putting him on a strict diet, which slowly, but surely began to show in his physique. We had the whole neighbourhood behind our cause, noting the progress Max was making on his daily walks.

We progressed from a slow amble to an almost sprightly jaunt! Hopefully this all helped to make his last days on Earth more comfortable.

We will always remember this big imposing-looking dog hiding under the study desk as the 'low battery' warning sound on the fire alarm went off. For days after he looked warily at the ceiling.

Serioja the cat was also very loving and very close to Max. The two were never very far apart from each other.

As with all of our 'foster pets' they both have a special place in our hearts and minds.

We know Max will be enjoying his new found freedom with Serioja by his side.

African Grey Parrots - South of France

Having got caught up in the flight disruptions caused by the Icelandic volcano, we are glad to be back in France on our current house sit.

We are in a small village just north of Carcassonne, looking after two small dogs, an elderly cat, an aged Camargue pony, 7 chickens and 3 African Gray parrots.

Our current house is a converted windmill on top of a mountain with 360 degree views over the surrounding countryside, giving us superb sunrises and sunsets.

This is our first time looking after African Gray parrots. We have been looking forward to getting to know this beautiful bird.

We are looking after 3 African Parrots.

Cookie is a male bird caught in the wild. He was initially very shy with us, and stayed in his nesting box just poking out his head. Gradually, day by day, he has got braver, sings us a lovely tune and bobs his head up and down. By the end of the week he was staying out on his perch when we entered the aviary.

Sugar is a female bird and was raised in captivity. She is much braver with us, and from day one she had stayed out on the perch, gradually coming up to us to take a peanut from us.

Baby is the offspring of Cookie and Sugar, this is a rare occurance, and was not expected by the owners. He/she is now about 6 months old and the gender is not yet known. He was very shy of us to start with, growling when you approached his nesting box. At the end of the first week, he was getting braver, staying out on the perch and singing to us.

We sat in with the birds to start with, just chatting to them. We had a pet owner's manual to give us some background information and what to look out for in terms of behaviour and what it means.

These birds are extremely intellegent and we wanted to learn how to communicate with the birds, in order to build their trust. The first thing we learnt was not to look at them directly to be less intimidating, and we sat down in the aviary to make ourselves smaller.

Our first breakthrough was reading that when a parrot wants to gesture to another parrot that he wants peaceful contact he rubs his bill (whetting) against a branch, by rubbing our fingernails againgst a branch or on wood, this sends the same signal. The first time we tried it Sugar came right up towards us and started whetting his bill, mirroring our gesture.

We were also told that parrots may try and peck your hand, but this does not necessarily mean it is being nasty, we were told not to flinch away from the peck, or scream "ouch!" as this will shake the bird's confidence! Sugar has pecked Della a couple of times, and she managed not to react or pull away each time.


More info on African Gray Parrots

Aloha Hawaii

We have left colder climes for the sunny and warm island of Hawaii. Land of volcano, waterfalls and lush rain forests. The flowers and birds here are very colourful and the sea is blue.

Our latest assignment is looking after two rescue dogs called Freda and Sadie. Both dogs are female and 12 years old.

Freda a mixed breed.
She is a very sweet girl, a bit arthritic but loves playing with a frisby. Is a bit of a sun worshiper as well, a good pass time in Hawaii.

Sadie an Australian cattle dog.
Sadie loves to herd anything that is moving, and will nudge you along on your ankles with her nose. She is very active and follows us everywhere, offering her help. The link below gives some more background information on the breed.

http://australiancattledog.rescueme.org/uk

Vancouver Island

We are in our final week of house sitting in Qualicum Beach,Vancouver Island. The time has passed very quickly, and we making sure we catch up with everyone before we leave.

This time of year brings the Brant geese, in their hundreds to the area. They are migrating from Mexico on their way to Alaska to mate. They stop off in our neighbourhood to feed and restore some of the weight they have lost on their journey so far.

Their migration co-insides with the herring spawn. There has been a great deal of activity all along the coast with sea lions, harbour seals, fishermen and tonnes of sea gulls. They are all waiting to have their fill of the herring, which spawn in their thousands before heading back out to deeper waters.

The water colour is black at first with the number of fish, and then it goes a turquoise colour when the eggs have been laid. The sea lions can be heard barking all night and they compete for the fish with the gulls in a feeding frenzy.

Where we are house sitting we have had a ring side seat throughout all of these proceedings. Since the first day of Spring, the weather is gradually getting warmer, the frogs are croaking in the pond and the ducks are beginning to pair off. The Bald Eagles, having finished nest building back in February, are now staying closer to the nest, perhaps the young won't be long arriving.

The cherry trees are in blossom and the daffodils and crocus are blooming. We arrived as the trees were losing their leaves back in November, and we will be leaving with signs of new life all around us.

On this house sit we have made many new friends and we will keep in touch with them from now on, via the Internet. We have had some marvelous experiences with the SPCA and ETRA, and helping out at local charity events around Christmas. We have met many of the neighbours in our street, everyone making us very welcome, and part of the community. We feel like locals.

We will be leaving Angus in the capable hands of his owners. He has been a pleasure to look after, and we will miss him. We have loads of photos to remind us of the fun the three of us have had.