Competition Time! -Covid Pet Stories

Cherry Blossom

Hello folks,

This is one of two competitions we will be running between now and Christmas in A&PI.

We want to hear your Covid Pet Stories. Maybe you have an animal hero living in your midst or you have lost a beloved companion during these long Covid months or just have an extra special furry sharing your house that you want publicly recognised. This is a creative competition. Your Covid pet story can be fictional or factual, can be in the form of a story or poem or even an original piece of artwork such as a drawing or painting depicting your pet during Covid. Basically any sort of artistic expression is allowed. The only rule is that it must be your own original work.

The winner will be announced on 22nd of December with the winner being the post that receives the most thumbs up. There is no official closing date for entries but the sooner you get your entry in the longer the period will be to collect votes. The winner will receive a surprise goodie box for their pet/s.

Best of luck to all and let’s get those creative juices flowing.

CB. X

Followed! This is a great idea. Really looking forward to seeing what people come up with!

Graces7

Great idea! A welcome distraction

As they say. watch this space!

NB is there a time limit please?

Cherry Blossom

Entries will be accepted right up until 21st December.

SillyMangoX

I’ll bite and post a little story!

I had to close my grooming parlour through the first lockdown (and again now). I used the time off to set up the place for contactless drop off and collection of dogs. I work from a mobile home, so I cleared out one of the back rooms and set up a playpen type crate for the owners to place the dogs in. It is flexible on the sides rather than rigid so it can fold up or I can change the shape of it easily.
So I finish up a groom on a small fluffy crossbreed dog, text the owner that he’s ready and when I hear their car outside I pop him into the pen. After this I step outside through the farther door to have a chat with the owner etc. When she walks into the parlour, she’s really confused because neither the dog, nor the pen, are in the collection room.
I look in through the window and discover little Houdini has somehow managed to squeeze himself and the crate through two tiny mobile home size doors to get back into the main grooming room and was sat staring up at me wagging his tail, delighted with his antics! :pac:

Im closed again now but I’m looking forward to having him back when I reopen to see what his next escapade will be

Bells21

Well these Covid months have certainly been eventful in our house. Bella, our mini schnauzer, was attacked and mauled towards the end of the summer. We honestly thought that night as we handed her over to our vet that we wouldn't see her again. Our vet promised that they would do everything for her once they had gotten her stabilised. I didn't sleep a wink that night not knowing what would happen. The following morning the vets phoned to say she had survived the night and they were going to operate to repair the damage. The internal damage was more extensive than originally thought, she had huge tear in the muscles and lost quite a bit of it, as it had been shredded when she was shaken. She arrived home after a few days with some drains and lots of bandages. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it was a dog bite, necrosis set in in some wounds so she needed more operations, daily wound checks and packing. Over the course of about 2 months we went from daily visits, to alternate day visits, to twice weekly visits. The vets always commended her on her excellent behaviour, so much so, that they didn't need to sedate her to change the packing after a few days. In the middle of her recovery we got married and she was there in all her glory(cone, bandages the works!), happy to be fussed over.
The photo I'll attach shows her in her wedding bandana, it arrived the day after the attack and I remember worrying that she wouldn't get to wear it. Her hind quarter now bares the scars of that day but the incident hasn't changed her personality at all, she is still as sassy as ever!!

Christ Bells, that's a tough read. I'm so sorry your poor little Bella experienced that. What amazing courage and spirit she must have to come through all of that AND maintain her happy nature. She's incredible. I hope the trauma of it all hasn't left too much of a mark on you and your OH either (congratulations on the wedding btw). I had some form of minor ptsd after my dog was attacked (nothing like what happened Bella) and for a short time I had real fear and jelly legs whenever I walked her.

She's beautiful in her wedding bandana btw.

Bells21

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Christ Bells, that's a tough read. I'm so sorry your poor little Bella experienced that. What amazing courage and spirit she must have to come through all of that AND maintain her happy nature. She's incredible. I hope the trauma of it all hasn't left too much of a mark on you and your OH either (congratulations on the wedding btw). I had some form of minor ptsd after my dog was attacked (nothing like what happened Bella) and for a short time I had real fear and jelly legs whenever I walked her.

She's beautiful in her wedding bandana btw.

I hope your dog came through it all too, a horrible feeling. Yes, the fear is still very real but I'm taking a leaf from her book, chin up and bushy brows forward(after another lockdown my brows will give hers a run for their money lol).
Thanks for your kind words, she has just been so so good natured through it all it's unbelievable.

volchitsa

Bells21 wrote: »

Well these Covid months have certainly been eventful in our house. Bella, our mini schnauzer, was attacked and mauled towards the end of the summer.

Oh that's horrible Bells. I'm so glad she survived it, she's such a cutie!
I hope she (and you) are not too traumatised by it. I can't imagine how you start to go out again as normal after that. I'd be in bits.

Graces7

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

Entries will be accepted right up until 21st December.

Thanks. mine is almost ready.. proper poorly I am as they say in Lancashire..but ... Will have to send as a file as this machine will nto copy/paste for me. scuse typos

Cherry Blossom

What sort of file Graces7? Is it a Microsoft word document?

Graces7

Cherry Blossom wrote: »

What sort of file Graces7? Is it a Microsoft word document?

Yes. Hope that is OK? Although I just managed to transfer the half I have done to email somehow!

Cherry Blossom

You can attach a file directly to a post on boards if it is 300kb or less in size. You can also copy by selecting the text, hold down Ctrl and press ‘C’ to copy then to paste click on where you want it, hold down Ctrl and press ‘V’ on your keyboard. If you are stuck though you can pm me and I’ll try to see if I can find a way to post it for you.

jellybear

I hope I'm not jinxing myself writing this!!:D

We have spent a good chunk of 'lockdown' working with our gorgeous lurcher, Milo. Many here know he's quite a reactive dog. He was attacked by an off lead dog 3 and a half years ago and since then has been a nervous dog. We welcomed our son in August 2019 and Milo has been an absolute star. He adores him and is so good with him but as our little boy gets older and more mobile, we wanted to make our home as safe and comfortable as possible for both of them.

We got a recommendation from our vet and did a 2 hour zoom session with an amazing behaviourist. We had done training with Milo before but it just never seemed to click for us and he never improved. We asked tons of questions and gave as much info as possible about our situation. We were given a tailored plan and we haven't looked back!:)

I am so, so proud of Milo and us. It's been tough work but he's honestly so much more content and I can see his confidence growing. I honestly thought he would never change and that walks etc would always be stressful but he's just gone from strength to strength and it's so lovely walking our little family together. At home, he gives our little boy space, the odd lick on the back of the head, and honestly he's our son's favourite thing in the world!!

I think he's definitely proven the saying wrong...you definitely can teach an old dog new tricks

Bells21

jellybear wrote: »

I hope I'm not jinxing myself writing this!!:D

We have spent a good chunk of 'lockdown' working with our gorgeous lurcher, Milo. Many here know he's quite a reactive dog. He was attacked by an off lead dog 3 and a half years ago and since then has been a nervous dog. We welcomed our son in August 2019 and Milo has been an absolute star. He adores him and is so good with him but as our little boy gets older and more mobile, we wanted to make our home as safe and comfortable as possible for both of them.

We got a recommendation from our vet and did a 2 hour zoom session with an amazing behaviourist. We had done training with Milo before but it just never seemed to click for us and he never improved. We asked tons of questions and gave as much info as possible about our situation. We were given a tailored plan and we haven't looked back!:)

I am so, so proud of Milo and us. It's been tough work but he's honestly so much more content and I can see his confidence growing. I honestly thought he would never change and that walks etc would always be stressful but he's just gone from strength to strength and it's so lovely walking our little family together. At home, he gives our little boy space, the odd lick on the back of the head, and honestly he's our son's favourite thing in the world!!

I think he's definitely proven the saying wrong...you definitely can teach an old dog new tricks

What a lovely story. Well done you for never giving up on ensuring he is content and happy in life. That's such a cute picture you paint of Milo and your little one. 😊

Graces7

Ellie could not sleep.

Again.

It had been like this for weeks.

Since the second "lockdown" started.

Oh she knew and understood the reasons for the restrictions and agreed with them wholeheartedly,
But living with them, day after day, week in, week out, was a different matter altogether.

It had been spring, then summer, in the first lockdown. People had been fresh and zealous.

And the help that poured in was fresh and zealous!

You had only to lift the phone if you needed anything and it arrived, left at the gate with a cheery wave by a masked volunteer!
There was still help of course, but folk were jaded now with no end in sight.

Ellie had spent the days and weeks tending her beloved garden. Which was a picture now of order and neatness, ready for the winter,
And she had gone walking along the quiet lanes in the early summer mornings.

Before anyone else was up.
And before the world became agonisingly aware of what it was up against with covid-19 aka the plague.

This second "lockdown" facing winter, was so much harder. They knew this time what they were up against and they were jaded.

It had become a weary routine now, lacking that sense of challenge earlier. A certainty they had had then that this would be defeated soon. If they tried hard enough.


Ellie sighed and lay back. feeling defeated and exhausted at the thought of another day, another week , of this endless isolation.

At over 70, she had still been so active. And she missed her three days a week helping at the Charity Shop more than she could bear thinking about .
Missed the company and chat of the other helpers; missed (carefully) opening the bags that came in, missed the customers seeking a grateful bargain.

Missed baking scones for their breaks... Still she baked but only this week had had to donate several to the birds as they were too many for her to eat. And how fast they had vanished !Although seeing the bushes move, she had had s sneaking suspicion that there was something bigger than a bird in need out there.

"May as well get up!" she muttered, " Nearly five o'clock and a nice cuppa..."

Dressing gown on and to the kitchen!

Light on and reaching for the kettle.,..

THEN!

An ear splitting screech pierced and shattered the utter silence.

And Ellie dropped the kettle with a great clatter.

"Jesus and Mary and Holy Saint Joseph!"

The ancient imprecation sprang unbidden to her lips. Although it could barely be heard above the thudding of her heart...

She froze.

Then hear a small wail and a scratching at the door.

Ellie hesitated - then it came again, A universal cry for help that Ellie could not resist.

Slowly, carefully, she edged the door open, inch by inch .

"Oh my! "

Shivering on the step was a small, sodden cat.

Ellie had never had a cat and knew nothing about them. But this small critter was crying and shivering, a universal appeal for help.

She crouched down, talking baby talk, and stretched out a gentle hand. slowly. And gasped as she was greeted by the biggest, brightest green eyes that ever saw day!

And a wary nose stretched forward and touched her fingers oh so lightly.

And that was that! Love at first sight! Smitten! No turning back!

A match made in heaven!

Quickly Ellie reached for the kitchen towel. then frowned. The cat was sodden but there had been no rain for days.... She thrust the thought aside in the need to dry it.

And smiled at his markings. A white face, black nose, black ears and a body with unusual but symmetrical markings.

He was rail thin, almost skeletal..
"What can I give you? " she pondered,, then remembered a tin of tuna at the back of the cupboard..

She scooped just a little onto a saucer... Not too much if her was starving..."Oh MY".. that hit the spot.. And Ellie chuckled, the sound unfamiliar to her ears these days.

" I will order cat food from the shop, " she promised, and could have sworn he winked at her..

Then it lay at peace and compliant on her lap as she sat by the fire with a welcome hot drink

The grocery box she lined for him was wasted effort. All that day the little cat followed close at her heels and she chatted to it; showing it round the garden, explaining what everything was. And the little cat listened, head to one side, eyes on her all the while

Ellie had always thought cats were aloof standoffish creatures - but not this one . They sat by the fire together. And he was so good! Ran to the door when he needed to go out!

The day flew by; the day Ellie had dreaded, as she lay sleepless in the darkness just a few hours earlier.

And as she prepared for bed, she realised she had not listened to the news one. Not once! Usually she was all but glued to the radio, hearing of illness and deaths. And she had not missed it, not once.

This little cat, who clearly had not had a safe or happy life, had come to her seeking help and food and caring. And had given her more than she could ever give him

And that night, as her new companion lay purring on the bed at her feet, Ellie knew a peace like no other in her life.

To be needed met and healed her own needs.

Whatever lay ahead in these uncertain times would be easier now.

Demonique

Nothing much happened here pet wise during lockdown, in the weeks running up to the first lockdown I had been travelling up to dublin on the train once per week to get frozen mice for my young mexican black king snakes, california king snake and tricolour hognose snake as the local pet shop that were an appropriate size for the snakes (pinkies were too small for them but small mice were too big), after a few weeks of doing this my father said he'd drive up up with a cooler box so I could get several weeks worth of food. After a few weeks it was time to one of my twice yearly bulk orders of rodents (I have 13 snakes in total) from the north.

About two weeks ago I had to go up to dublin again on snake related business. The heat bulb in my florida pine snake's viv had gone and the local pet shop didn't have any in a suitable wattage so I rang Reptile Haven on fishamble street and asked if they had any suitable ones. They did so I went up the next day.

Oh and I didn't fasten the lid correctly on my female mexican black king's tub so she was on the lam for a week

borderlinemeath

Warning! Long post ahead!

Not actually one of my pets but just at the end of lockdown there was multiple reports of a stray dog running loose on a busy road close to me. He was first seen on a Sunday evening, he was a black greyhound type dog, who was very nervous, kept well out of reach of humans who had stopped to try and catch him and had a habit of walking in the middle of the road.:eek:

Fast forward a day and another post up saying he had been spotted (walking down the middle of the road!) I said that I would go out and take a drive about. It was a lovely Monday evening and I just grabbed a slip lead as I was heading out the door, thinking I'd be back in half an hr. Lo and behold I saw him as soon as I got to the area he had been spotted in but he slipped into a nearby field. I rang my husband and told him to bring one of our dogs down to try and encourage him out. I rang the local rescue and soon we had a good few volunteers and dogs trying to herd him up! He led us a merry dance and we were running/climbing/driving around a fairly big area trying to catch him. At one point we had followed him down to the beach and he was up against the side of my jeep, I was hanging out the window trying to get the slip lead around his neck but he just managed to get away. Finally we went home when it was too dark to see.

The following morning myself and the local rescue coordinator went down with a trap, we set it in a field where he had been seen multiple times crossing but no sign of him. Went back that evening and sat and waited, and waited. When it started to get dark we packed up but instead of heading straight home I said I'd take a spin around, and of course there he was standing in the middle of the road right beside the field we were in! I rang the coordinator who doubled back - we set up the trap again - while he stood there watching us! It was practically dark, so he disappeared off and we packed up again:o

Wednesday...We left it until the evening and set up the trap and I had my jeep in the field so we were down in a far corner. He appeared after we were there after only 15mins, but paid no attention to the trap, or the cooked chicken in it and traversed across the field to the far corner. So I got into the jeep and followed him down, he had crossed into the next field, so I followed. I drove alongside him, throwing treats out and he eventually realised that they tasted good. (At this stage it was 4 days since we knew he was straying so at least that long since he had a meal, bar scavenging, and he was rake thin, even for a hound) I got out of the jeep and started throwing treats all around and he was lapping them up, at one point I was lying down and he was so ravenous he was eating out of my outstretched hand but there was no chance of getting a lead near him. The co-ordinator had crept up at this stage armed with a big blanket and a catch pole but he was too skittish and eventually trotted away.

Thursday... We drove to where we had fed him and he was actually hanging around in the same place. We set up with lots of tasty meat and wet food (and coffee for us!) and fed him at his own pace. He wouldn't come too close, so we just aimed to make him comfortable in our company and a full belly that evening. He was comfortable enough to sit down and rest about 10ft away from us when he was finished eating. The poor fella was literally skin and bones, with a bit of a limp and cuts visible on his legs and a big callous on his belly.

Friday...We went back again, but there was no sign of him. Anywhere around. None of his usual fields, or on any of the roads he frequently trotted down. We went home after a few hours of looking. We left a big bowl of food and water where we had fed him previously. I was trying to be positive but the rescue coordinator was worried something might have happened such was the regularity of his appearances over the course of the week.

Saturday...The plan was meant to be similar to previous nights, but it was a lovely warm day and my daughter wanted to go down to the beach. We were on our way down and I asked her would she mind if I checked to see had the food and water been touched from the previous night. I drove down to where we had been feeding him and he popped his head out of the bushes! I had a few treats and also a very large crate with me so I set it up and threw the treats into it. We went back home for more food and fresh water and when we got back the treats had been eaten. So I set up a bowl of mince in the crate and lured him in with little bits. I had tied an extendable lead to the door so I could stand a distance away and pull the door over when he was fully in. I couldn't believe it. Finally we had him. My daughter was delighted as well, she had been out on the first night we were looking for him and from a 5yr olds perspective she felt as if she contributed somewhat:pac:

He was treated by the vet for his injuries which seemed to be minor enough, although he was exceptionally nervous and particularly skittish around men but a few months in foster helped with his confidence somewhat. The rescue put out a poll on social media for their followers to decide on his name and Laoch (Hero) was the winner. Recently he was taken on as a foster with a view to adopt by the local vets receptionist and has come on leaps and bounds. He now sleeps on her bed, curled up with a cat. He's even started to approach people looking for a bit of affection which is remarkable given his initial shyness with humans. I'm delighted the year is coming to a close with him finding a lovely home to call his own.

Cherry Blossom

Just a week left on this everyone. Many thanks to those who have contributed so far.

Cherry Blossom

I’ll officially announce the winner at midnight.

Cherry Blossom

And the winner, with 20 thanks is Bells21’s account of poor Bella’s dog attack and her subsequent recovery.

Congratulations Bells21 and thanks to everyone else for sharing their COVID Pet Stories with us all. I have enjoyed reading them all.

Cherry Blossom

Bells, if you could PM me the following please.

Your name and address for postage.
Details of all your pets including likes/dislikes
Collar sizes (if possible to measure in cm please do as makers have different sizing methods)
Colours, if you pets have particular colours that they wear.
Also if there is anything in particular that you want or don’t want.

If you are quick enough I will make it to a physical shop before lockdown starts up again.

Thanks and well done!