Malherbe Street Menagerie

Our menagerie currently (March 2018) consists of two dogs, two cats and two humans.  

Every now and then, something remarkable happens - sometimes good, sometimes sad.

Midwinter Mayhem

Saturday 17 June 2017

Our young neighbours are away for the weekend, leaving three dogs (two bull terriers and a labrador cross) bored and unsupervised except for when someone pops in to feed them.

We didn't know it, but these dogs were working on the fence that their humans had left unrepaired for more than a year (planks need to be nailed back on their side, and we even gave them a packet of nails, which they have never used).

The dogs finally got through into our garden last night, and all hell broke loose between them and our two. It's a part of the garden where there are no lights, so we could hear all the noise but couldn't see what was happening (who was at whose throat), but Gail turned the hose on all of them and this seemed to help make their fur more slippery and eventually they miraculously let go and we got our two into the house. Huge gratitude to the neighbour on the other side, who came to help us get the neighbour dogs back through the fence and then carry some slabs of concrete to block up the hole.

We took our dogs (still very damp) to the vet in the middle of the night: Gemma is unscathed, but Cosmo has multiple wounds, with three staples now holding one of them together (where his leg was almost bitten through) and lots of medicine for the next many days. The dog-feeder for next door apparently went round and cleaned many wounds on the male bull terrier, but no vet and no medicine as yet on that side.

Lots of learnings all round! I won't labour the point, except to pass on one thing that the vet told us: if you can get near enough to a dog that has locked onto another one, stick your finger up its bum, which will usually surprise it so much that it will release its hold.

And a big thanks to whatever was watching over us last night: that we happened to be at home at the time, that the hose was right there and Gail used it to best advantage, and that the dogs let go.

 

After many messages of support:

Thanks, everyone! We now have two lines of defence - the concrete hole cover, plus a makeshift fence that prevents our two from getting into that area of the garden. Gemma (aka Houdini) has got through it twice, though, so we keep having to strengthen it. Here is version 1.

Final version (hopefully). The crate is attached to the fence with cable ties. 

The downside of all this: we also can't get into that half of the property at the moment.

Cosmo's leg healed well, and Gail and our gardener hammered many planks onto the fence to reinforce it.  The neighbours didn't do much of anything, other than say that they wanted a new fence but couldn't pay towards it.

Gemma the Shero

Thursday 8 March 2018 (while I was on my way back from Cape Town):

 

The neighbours' dog did it again. The neighbours didn't notice(!) that he was chewing through a plank on their side (see photo), and this morning he burst through and attacked Gemma. She has major neck wounds, and immediately had to have an op to stitch her up and insert drains. I'm not going to insult Gemma by posting a photo of what she looks like at present.

It seems that the only thing that will stop that dog is a concrete wall, so we either have to build one or leave, as the neighbours are determined to keep him.

Gail added to the above, on Facebook:

“Let's give you some perspective on this, and why we'd consider ourselves lucky to get half the bill paid … at the first inkling of a dog fight I had rushed out of the house, in panties and hardly a full-length old t-shirt, grabbed the hosepipe and started spraying the dogs … to no avail! The neighbours' bull terrier had latched on to Gemma's neck and had no intention of letting go. At this stage I started repetitively screaming the neighbour's name, and after thinking he couldn't be there started screaming for 'help'… still directing the jet of water at the dogs! After what must've been five minutes since the dogs started fighting, the neighbour suddenly leapt over the fence into our yard in his full army uniform including laced up boots and said he'd been busy getting dressed !!!!!! Don't think I need to say more....other than give thanks that Gemma survived, and will hopefully make a full recovery. I'm also echoing Yvonne's thanks for the support.”

We had two very anxious nights, with Gemma in the bathroom and Cosmo in the kitchen (their usual sleeping spot) and the kittens in the bedroom (they don't yet spend unsupervised time with the dogs), and Gemma vomiting each night, but the vet said that she was doing well - simply abreacting to the antibiotics.  Gail changed her feeding regime and she started to perk up and be her usual bloody-minded self.  In general, Gemma is an absolute champion!

Tuesday 13 March 2018

Gail suddenly noticed that Gemma's drains were missing! We think Cosmo pulled them out when we shut the two of them in the yard while some people came to quote for a new wall (about R30 000 😮 - we're going halves with the neighbours on this). So it was off to the vet again, as soon as the afternoon consultation opened! To Gemma's credit, she didn't mind at all that her drains were gone ... but we did!

The vet agreed that the drains had vanished, said that there wasn't anything to be done about it, and asked us to keep an eye on the wounds.

Sunday 18 March 2018

Gemma had to have further work done on her wound on Friday morning.  She spent Thursday and Friday nights at the vet: luckily she views the vet as her personal hotel.  The procedure went very well - she now has new drains and further stitches - all very neat and clean and BIG. She was very perky by the time Gail fetched her yesterday morning. One or both of us is always with the dogs during waking hours, to ensure that Cosmo leaves the wound alone. The new wall is going up at the end of the month, and until then we are keeping a beady eye on the existing fence and on the dogs next door.

The dog-cat introductions are on track again, at last, and are going well.

Huge appreciation to everyone who has sent support and good wishes, and also to the vet for doing the procedure and the overnight stays at no charge!


Monday 26 March 2018

Greetings on this beautiful autumn day (Pretoria style), with miniature flowers from the garden. Gemma is doing very well indeed, with a lot of help from the most fantastic vet. (The wall goes up next week.) And I continue to do well, too! I hope all of you are flourishing, and will enjoy Easter / Pesach / whatever you are celebrating at this time