The canine ability to deliver Silent But Deadlies never ceases to amaze me.
I attribute the peeling wallpaper and flaky paint in Baskerville Manor to the deadly emissions released by The Elder Statesman (bless his stinky little back end, and hoping that farting is welcomed in doggy Heaven), Princess Chloe the First, The Diva and The Big Guy over the years.
From Off the Leash
Duby the Shitzu is a regular guest at Baskerville Manor. Whenever he visits, he likes to hang around with Izzy. Height-wise, he is about knee-high to Izzy when he is standing on his tiptoes. When they both have their full coat and he is tucked up beside her, he practically disappears into the background of her luxurious tresses.
Typically of his breed, he is quite the little Napoleon and does not seem to realise exactly how diminutive he is compared to the full-time residents of Baskerville Manor. Poor Shiloh gets quite fed up when Duby stands his ground instead of moving politely out of the way, because the big guy simply sees him as a tripping hazard.
While Izzy is a very sweet-natured lady, with seemingly endless patience, Duby’s been known to demand that she back off from her dinner. He does this by standing right in front of her as she is dining, and barking at her with his tiny head practically inside her mouth. Anybody who has an Old English Sheepdog in their life will know that they have an impressive voice, and Izzy is no exception. On one occasion, it all got too much, so she drew back, took a deep breath and let out a deep, powerful, basso bark that could have done duty as a foghorn. The force of it was such that Duby’s ears blew backwards and he sat down with shock. Still barking, of course.
Michelle’s Weekly Pet Challenge
The story of why Mr Kit-Kat and Little Jet-Black came to live with me can be found in Why Cats Came to Baskerville Manor.
After I made the decision to adopt cats, the questions I had to ask myself were:
So, with two adult cats on the shopping list the next task was to find out what they would need. Much Google activity and repeats of “My Cat from Hell” later, the list had extended to cat trees, food, beds, bowls, litter boxes, toys and baby gates. My plan was to follow the wisdom of the internet and house the cats in the attic for the first few days because the dogs don’t like the stairs – to allow them time to settle down, let them have their own space, and so on. The baby gates were for the bottom of the main staircase and the staircase to the attic, so cats could escape enthusiastic dogs if necessary.
Next was to find a pair of adult cats. There are so many animals needing a new home out there, it’s heartbreaking. What I couldn’t do was bring traumatised cats into Baskerville Manor which is already full of special-needs dogs, especially when I had no previous feline experience, so true rescue cats were not an option. I answered an ad from a family who needed to re-home their cats. Their reasons are their own and very valid, suffice to say that the two boys were cared for, healthy and well-adjusted. Bonus: they are proven mousers.
After several conversations with the owners, a date was arranged for their move to Baskerville Manor. The Baskerville Beasties will relate their individual impressions and experiences on their own blogs over the next while, if you are interested, the related stories will all be labelled “The Arrival”.
To complicate the arrival of Mr Kit-Kat and Little Jet Black, Duby is still at Baskerville Manor. Duby’s mum and dad were involved in a traffic accident abroad and will not be fit to travel home until some time in November.
True to his feisty Shit-Zhu personality, the strange things going on in the attic have resulted in him beating a wastebasket to death and also taking a slipper hostage.
Today we have a blind date set up for Princess Chloe The First and The Diva. They don’t know it yet, but they will be meeting their new brother, The Big Guy. To be sure of a nice peaceful meeting, I brought them along early and gave them a good walk along the causeway to Bull Island, so they have used up their energy and feel nice and relaxed.
