Calahonda Nature Trail

Ken and I had to go out in the car this morning and took Shula with us. We stopped off on the way back at a nature trail. It is a very pleasant walk and there are notice boards every so often with pictures of the local flora and fauna complete with descriptions in Spanish and English.

Shula now gets in the car on her own without having to be lifted in, but she was very reluctant to get back in after our walk. Finally after much coaxing and bribery (two biscuits) she got in. Shula is the only dog I have had that doesn't like the car, all my previous dogs loved going for a drive. We are hoping that by taking her every few days for a short drive, and a nice walk, she will begin to enjoy it.

Visiting Friends

Charini

Today was a very good day.

We went to visit some Friends in Sabanillas and took Shula with us. It was the longest car journey we have made with the dog, some 45 minutes there.

I would love to say she enjoyed it, but she didn't, anyway, she was very good the whole way. When we got there we took her for a short walk then up to the apartment. Everything was new for her, especially walking upstairs, with lots of encouragement we got there. Joe made a fuss of her and we took her into see Joe's wife Maria who is an invalid. Everyone was happy except Joe's cat Charini, we realised it was stalking the dog and growling. Shula decided to keep a low profile and lay down with her head on my feet. What a perfect dog, Joe was impressed.

Coming down the stairs was a first and we just went down and where we went she followed, not straight away, but my motto is, consistent, persistent and patience, in the end you get there, just some things take longer than others.

Calahonda Dog Show

This nice family had entered their dog, which was a rescue dog, in the Miss Calahonda competition. I didn't enter Shula in anything. Our main reason for going to the dog show was to get her used to crowds of people and lots of other dogs and I think this was achieved, she was very good.

A few people were taking advantage of the beer stall.

It was quite hot today 27° so everyone was trying to find a bit of shade.

Lots of dogs meeting and greeting each other and mostly they were all well behaved and friendly. There was just the odd one that was bit aggresive. I blame the owner, get the dog trained or stay away from events that can be spoiled by your dogs bad behaviour.

Little dog with a big name

Mamute

Mamute is Carmen's other little dog that I am looking after. He is the sweetest little dog. Carmen found him in a basura (rubbish) bin when he was a few weeks old. How anyone can dump puppies in the rubbish to die I will never understand, especially in this part of Spain where there are many animal rescue centres that would find a loving home for them. He was so tiny when Carmen found him you could sit him in your hand, so she gave him a big name. Mamute is a bit of a mouthful so I just call him Matty, he comes which ever name you use. He responds to come, and also ici, which is French for here. Carmen is from Belgium so her first languish is French and that is what she speaks to her pets. I find that it is more the tone you use than the actual words they respond to, except of course when you want to make them obey a command like sit or stay, then you really do need the languish they were taught in.

Grand Old Lady

Chispa

I am looking after my friend Carmens cats and dogs for a few days while she is visiting her sister. The little dog in the photo used to belong to an old Spanish lady, and when the dog was nearly twenty the old lady who had Alzheimer's had to go into a home. Chispa was taken to a rescue centre where my friend Carmen is a volunteer dog walker. The dog had major problems, she howled when she was left alone, also she was very aggressive and growled at the staff and wouldn't let anyone touch her, except Carmen. Nobody wants to home a dog who is that old, and as staying at the kennel was not an option, due to her aggressive behaviour and constant howling, the decision was made to put her to sleep. That is, until Carmen heard about it, no she said, she will come home with me. Two years on and this twentytwo year old dog is still living happily with Carmen and her other rescue cats and dogs. She is still aggressive to strangers but fortunately has given up growling at me, not that I would be bold enough to stroke her.

Nice to have a little helper in the kitchen

Not a good idea to leave the dishwasher door open with a little dog about. Fortunately this was before they were washed.

A Present for Shula

Some friends came to lunch yesterday and brought a present for Shula. It is called Pleasure Chewing and it certainly was for Shula. The leather bone kept her busy and happy for a couple of hours. I shall certainly be investing in some of them.

Smelly Feet

Shula must have the smelliest feet ever so we thought that if we bathed her it might improve the situation. I picked up a bottle of shampoo and Ken asked if it was okay. I think its for fleas I said.
Cachorros is the Spanish word for puppies and although I have been in Spain for years, one I had never come across before, or if I had, I hadn't taken note of. When I got home I realised Chapu Cachorros was Puppy Shampoo, why I thought it was for fleas I don't know. I have checked the dictionary and the nearest I can come up with is cucaracha which is a cockroach. Fleas are pulgas which I think is a really good name for them.

The bath was a temporary fix and after a few days her feet are starting to smell a bit. It is only noticeable when you are really close up, which I am a lot of the time so I would really like to find a solution.

Oliver

Oliver the Bandit

Oliver really belongs to our Spanish neighbour across the road but has been coming to our house since our own cats were six months old and they are nearly ten now.

I think it is only because he prefers our food. When we had the cat flap installed Oliver was the first to use it, he is quite a smart cat. He knew the sound of our car and when we came home he was straight out of his gate and across the road and was always waiting at the front door. He doesn't have a proper miaow but trills and will come to tell you if the food bowl is empty. When there is a cold snap in the winter he will often spend the night in.

I think that Oliver doesn't like dogs which I find surprising as our Spanish neighbours have always had a dog. Since we have had Shula Oliver is no longer waiting at the door when we come home. He still comes to eat but now prefers to have his food on the window ledge with Tich and Tommy. He hardly ever uses the cat flap and I wonder if he will bother to come in when the weather gets colder.

Shula is the sweetest dog and loves the cats and would really like to play but even our two female cats Chia and Pippa just tolerate her. Pippa chases her down the garden if she gets too close, but Shula thinks it is all a game.

Resting in the shade

This was all a new thing for Shula, driving to the beach, walking on all that sand, a lot of excitement for a little dog who was smart enough to rest in the shade.

Getting her back in the car was something she did not want to do, hopefully we will convince her it is all fun, once you get there.

We are back home and she is flaked out, all those new things, all that excitement, we are so lucky to have this little dog. I hope we can make her confident enough to enjoy trips in the car.

Sitting down on the walk

It is really hard work walking on all this sand and as we are not allowed on the actual beach we have to stick to the sand dunes. This beach and sand dunes are part of a nature reserve and also a naturalist beach, so we have to be very careful where we point our camera.

First Beach Walk

This is our first visit to the beach. Shula is still not happy in the car but really likes the walk when we get there.

Cork Trees

There are several cork trees in the green zone where I walk Shula and they look as if they have been harvested in the past. I can't think there were enough to be profitable, but maybe someone thought it worthwhile.

Throughout the urbanisation there are hundreds of pine trees. When I first lived here gypsies came once a year to knock down the green pine cones. They were gathered up and put into sacks and taken to various points on the coast where a representative from a disinfectant factory would collect them. I don't know if the practice continues. Perhaps there was a similar setup for the cork.

In The Shade Of The Palm

Shula still lays in the shade of the palm tree, but now it has been trimmed the shade is in a different place. I dont think it is quite as comfortable as when she could lay under the tree on the grass.

Palm Tree

The palm tree looks really smart now it is all peeled. The Palmero did a good job.

Palmero

I waited in all Friday but the Palmero didn't arrive, I was a bit fed up, and thinking this is typical of workmen in Spain. When he arrived lunchtime Saturday he explained, he had taken his family to the ferrier in Fuengirola on Thursday evening, where his seven year old son had got too close to one of the horses and it kicked out and caught his leg. The Palmero asked a man next to him with a mobile phone to call an ambulance but the guy refused. I asked him was it 'el hombre ingles', no he said 'espaniol'. I was glad it was not an english man who had refused help but one of his own country men. I guess there are some not nice people everywhere. Eventually someone helped and the child was taken to hospital. He said when he finished the palm tree he was going home to shower, then straight into Malaga where the little boy was due to have an operation on his leg. I think that will be one ferrier they will never forget.

Half a Job

Yesterday a guy came to trim the palm tree, he got half finished and then went home. He also wanted to be paid for half the job, with the promise he would be back at ten this morning. It is now 11.30 a.m. and he still has not arrived which is not unusual in Spain. The one good thing is, he left his tools behind so we know he will be back sometime. I have spent the morning clearing up the mess, not just the palm peelings next to the tree but also the ones Shula stole to take round the corner to chew.

Favourite places

One of Shula's favourite places is under the palm tree, except when she is chewing something she shouldn't, then it is round the corner out of sight.

Panic

Ken and I were busy again today continuing the job of running in our new water pipes. Shula was in the garden and I pulled the wrought iron garden gate to. Instead of pushing the gate open she thought she would climb through the bars. Half way through, the gate swung open and she paniced and struggled and yelped. Ken and I rushed to get her out, she wasn't hurt but was very shaken. I cuddled her for a while and she calmed down. Ken and I had a cup of coffee to calm our nerves.

Shula and Bobby

Sunday was a very nice day, the weather was perfect. We took Shula with us to the club for an hour or so before lunch, she was very good and lay quietly.

After lunch I took her for a long walk and we met up with her friend Bobby and his owner. Later we met a Spanish guy with three dogs. Shula is getting a lot more confident with other dogs and loves to play.

Our sit training has gone very well and she now sits on command. I think next it will be the down command but I wont start that until later in the week.

Resting under the Palm Tree

We had two long walks today. The first one not very eventful, but Shula was chased by three Yorkshire Terriers on our second walk. I should be grateful she is not aggressive but it looked funny her being chased by three dogs that together were not as big as she is. We did meet a man with two friendly dogs, and on the way back passed the lady with the Yorkies. I put Shula on her lead and the lady managed to keep her dogs under control by hanging onto the one which obviously was the ringleader.

Chia

Pippa's sister, Chia

Big drinking bowl

Every day I change the water in the drinking bowls for the cats but they all prefer the pool.

Tearing up Barbara Taylor Bradford

You can tell Ken and I were very busy this morning, we were trying to run in a new water system and dog was getting into all sorts of mischief. Tearing up paperback novels is a tiring business, fortunately it was not one of the authors best. Oh well, lesson learnt, don't leave little dogs unatended with temptations like books lying around.