Sweep says goodbye and more kittens arrive.

Sweep collie has left us today, his new people having cut short their holiday to take him home. Cariad is fostering a new dog, a young labrador which has proved to be too much for her owner to handle.I love labs, my first dog was a yellow labrador and I have a soft spot for them though they can be very lively and destructive when they are young. One Christmas when Sasha was only 4 months old, I popped out to the shop and when I returned Sasha had pulled over the Christmas tree and was munching her way through the chocolate decorations,(my fault for not realisign dogs can smell chocolate)there was tinsel and fake snow all over the floor.I could have wept.In fact I seem to remember that I actually did! So I know what they can be like but she made up for it with her loving affectionate personality and I broke my heart when I lost her at the age of 13 years. As the famous poem goes "Why give your heart to a dog to tear?"The answer has to be because they offer so much companionship and loyalty, the like of which can never be matched.(well certainly not in my own experience!)

More kittens have been admitted, there seems to be no stopping the steady flow of these now but where are all the people who wanted one? They have already got what they wanted and no longer have a home to offer. We have so many gorgeous ones too, this year there seems to be a wealth of grey or grey and white kittens, we have 3 at the moment which is quite unusual, all from different litters too.One tiny kitty (grey and white)was taken in to our Vets and when Gail went to pick her up, two more had been taken in , a grey and a tabby(shown here)
Rhian has left early today to go to the Vet where her elderly dog Kiri has had an operation to sort out a mouth abscess. Both she and husband Steve are very worried, Kiri is the 12 years old German Shepherd which gave them so much worry a few years ago when the sides of her face appeared to cave in and she very nearly did not survive.Rhian will have to explain what the illness was because it is too far back for me to remember the name of it.I will ask her to do a short piece on it later.

The sheep have been shorn this week and wouldn't you know it - the weather has changed from hot to rainy and cold. Poor sheep, they have to be done every year or their coats will become too heavy and dirty and it can be dangerous for them if flys lay their eggs in the coat. At least they have a shelter they can use if they feel too cold and I hear that we are due for a scorching weekend! I will believe it when and if it happens but for their sakes alone I am hoping it will be true.Pictured are two of them - Jacob and new girl Mary(whose coat is not developed enough yet to warrant shearing, her turn will come next year.

Just a reminder about our Open Day, if anyone can download a poster from our website and put up in their village or town I would be very grateful.Also if you live near a caravan site perhaps you could take one in to it,most have notice boards where local events are advertised.If you do this let me know which ones you have targeted so I dont send another to them.