Venus: Doggess of Love

Venus & Magnet

 

By popular request, Venus now has her own Facebook page (click here to access it), which was set up two days ago.  So far it features a few of her videos which, most recently, include videos of her and her new companion, Magnet, the baby chick.

V.V.V. = Venus's Vimeo Videos

Venus the Starlet from Venus on Vimeo.

Click here to see Venus's other videos on her Vimeo channel.

Thank You, Jasper. God Speed.

Jasper: Early 1998 - 3 September 2013

Dearest Jasper,

I've written so many blog posts about you ... but today's one will be short. No words can ever encapsulate who you truly were.

Wonderful Companion, Friend and Treasure Bringer. Thank You for all that you have been to me, my family and my friends who knew you in your time here with us.

I know your Soul is already enjoying its wonderful new adventure.

Love,

Elspeth

(Past blog posts including Jasper are here).

Seeking loving home for Ramona and Seal

Please click on image to enlarge.

Ramona and Seal are two adorable pups ("Tobago Terriers") who were found near Healing with Horses stables in Buccoo, Tobago. They are now at the Tobago TTSPCA. The friend who originally said she would take them can no longer do so due to unanticipated circumstances.

I would like them to be adopted together as they are sisters and are very close to each other. It would be a shame to separate them.

They are loving, playful, adventurous, curious, healthy, brave, well behaved, good with children and people in general. They will make great companions for their new owner and, I am sure, will be very loyal and protective. 

If you are in Trinidad and you want them & can give them a great home, I will bring them over for you on the ferry.

Thank you.

Elspeth
 

Jasper's latest

I was lying in bed in the dark after yoga. Jasper jumped out of the window. A few minutes later he jumped back in. As he landed on the ground, I thought "It's been a while since he's caught anything."

Lo and behold, I heard him scurrying with something on the ground. I leaped out of bed and turned on the light to see a baby dove, still alive, gasping on the floor near the yoga mat. I grabbed the bird up and cupped it in my hands. After a while of gasping, it calmed down and remained still, only blinking its eyes. I noticed a wound to the chest, but not seeing blood, didn't think it was serious. The dove's body felt strong and I thought it would survive.

However, shortly after, it suddenly began to open its beak wide, its body started to twist and contort and, within seconds, it curled into itself and died.

R.I.P.

New is necessary

Butterfly eggs on kitchen window

One thing the death of Hindi illuminated for me is that there are things, people, situations and ways of being which, even though current, can actually be considered dead.

Often, we habitually hold on to these 'dead' things without realising their time has passed. Comfort zones. Hiding places. A dead job, a dead relationship, a dead place, a dead habit . . . things we do, places we frequent and people with whom we associate who no longer serve us or contribute to our development.

Why do we hold on?

When Hindi died, I was holding her against me. I felt when the prana (life force) left her body.  Once prana leaves the body, we are no longer alive. Even if I'd wanted to, nothing I did could not have stopped or reversed the dying process. Likewise, there are things in life that we cannot resuscitate once their time has passed . . . even though we may try to.

In that experience I had no choice but to see letting go as necessity, unavoidability, opportunity.

The time is here. Let go of whoever and whatever no longer serves us.

Renew.

Be new.


For Sunday Scribblings (first time I'm doing it in ages)

A time to be born, a time to die

Today is mummy's birthday. Happy Birthday (again), Mummy.

Today is also the day that my beloved Hindi left this dimension and entered a new one. What can really be said? Her body was not her. Her Spirit is now somewhere else—romping, creating mischief, looking for holes in fences, breaking rules, eating everything in sight, courageously being Miss Independent and wagging her paintbrush tail while doing all of the above.

Hindi, you will definitely be missed. Thank you for the love and lessons you shared with me from the time we first met on the steps of the Temple in the Sea on Independence Day (or more aptly . . . Hindipendence Day) 1999.

May Dog Heaven find a way to keep up with you.

Pippa is back home

Pippa—aka Pip, Pips, Pippy, Pipsqueak, Pippy-Squeaky, Squeaky, Squeaky-clean, Squeakalishus—finally came home today.


When I went to get Pippa at Mt. Hope Vet Hospital this morning she looked traumatised, having had to stay there in a small kennel for two days after surgery. I had been waiting for someone to deliver a dog crate, since the vet had advised that she have strict confinement (to ensure minimal leg movement) for at least the first ten days until her stitches are out. Then, 6 - 8 weeks of continued confinement and limited movement.

When I put Pip into the dog crate, she immediately fought and broke her way out of it, even though there was a lock on the door. The poor thing (understandably) hates small spaces. She's a very playful dog, accustomed to running and jumping all over the garden, which is quite big.

Driving home was a bit of a task, manoeuvering through flood waters with Pippa sitting on my lap (it was the only place she would go), squashing up under the steering wheel.

Now she is quietly resting indoors, tied on a short chain. The girl at the vet down the road said to keep her in the crate because if she bursts her stitches she will have to go through the operation again (as happened to another dog she knows who had the same op).

I'll monitor how she is on the chain, however, when Pip sees people she tends to stand up and get playful, so ... as distressing as it is to think of her being in the dog crate for extended periods, if that's what has to be done to ensure proper healing of her leg, then so be it.

. . . Unless I can find a small but spacious cage with lots of air and light coming into it.

Meeting interesting people at the vet

Pippa in the car on the way to the vet

One x-ray and a blood test later, Pippa's diagnosis is a torn knee ligament in her right back leg. She will need to have surgery, possibly later this week, followed by 8 weeks of recuperation and confinement. While I'm sure she'll be fine and will heal rapidly, our furry frisky friend is not going to be happy about (a) having to return to the vet (b) having to keep quiet as she heals.

At the vet hospital I whiled away the hours by observing the animal lovers who came with their pets. Humans don't own animals. Animals own humans.

There were two tough-looking Indian men who came in with one of them cradling a box for dear life. I asked him if the box contained puppies. He said: "No. A cat." Inside was a fluffy ginger-and-white feline who's belly apparently kept growing larger and larger whenever he ate food. The image of those two tough men and the fluffy cat was cute, if not incongruous.

Then there was the middle-aged Indian woman who kept telling me about "my Jesse" (her dog, also with a bad back leg limp). My Jesse this, my Jesse that. By the time it was "my Jesse's" turn to go into the examination room, she was calling him "Bobo."

There was the Indian woman who's dog had been knocked down and had its leg wrapped in a splint and bandage. She was juggling bringing the dog to the vet and taking the children to school.

There was the Indian man (most people there today were Indian) who had a small, fluffy dog, aged eleven, who had cataracts and couldn't see. He made up for his blindness by sniffing out anaesthetized Pippa's hind quarters as she stretched groggily across two chairs, awaiting her blood test.

There were the two thug-looking men who came in with a pittbull (without a leash). One man held it by its collar. At one point the dog began to release diarrhea—tons of it in a constant stream, liquidy like soup, all over the floor. The stench was enough to drive me and Joy outside.

Joy was the woman who struck up a conversation with me as she waited on her daughter. She had seen me walking up and down after Pippa was taken in for x-rays and asked me "How you pacing the floor so like a worried mother?" Joy bakes (from home) for a living and makes everything from mini cheese cakes to birthday cakes to wedding cakes at very affordable prices. I was amazed at how reasonable her rates were in comparison to what she told me of other prices. She told me to look for her Facebook page which her daughter had set up for her 2 weeks ago.

There's a camaraderie that strikes up among humans who bring their pets to the vet. "What happened to yours?" and "What's his/her name?" are the two questions which usually start up the ensuing conversations.

Pippa goes to the vet

Yesterday I returned home after having been away for four days. Pippa was on top of the hill looking down as I pulled into the driveway. I noticed she was holding up her back right leg and limping badly.

In 2005, when she was a pup, she had fallen from a step and injured that leg. It seems that the injury has recurred. I took her to the vet this morning—a new vet place on the Eastern Main Road near to the engine and underbody wash place.

Two young female vets were on duty. They were welcoming and professional. Since Pippa usually snaps at vets and strange people, I advised the vets to put a muzzle on her. However, she remained calm as I held her, allowing the two vets to stretch her leg, take her temperature, give her a full body check up, spray her—the works. She didn't even flinch when she received the worm-out injection which, as one vet warned—burns!

The vets suspect dislocation, so, to be sure, it's x-ray time on Monday. Hopefully nothing too serious. Meanwhile Pippa (being a frisky dog) has to be confined to a small space so she won't go leaping around on the leg, making it worse.

She's not too happy about her confinement.

For pet owners living in and around St. Augustine, check out this new vet place—D Animal Clinic. I was pleased with their loving handling of Pippa, the cleanliness of the space and the bill at the end of it all was reasonable. They even give both pet and owner a goodbye treat.

Hindi's 5 star Canine Restaurant

Hindi
(Years ago, I had done a series of these animal images & quotes
to raise money for AWN)
*

I met Hindi in 1999. She was a ratty little pup, sitting on the steps of the Temple in the Sea, wagging her tail at me and saying "What took you so long?" She then proceeded to follow me as I walked around the Temple, wagging her tail, gazing up at me and claiming me as hers. I named her Hindi and, because it was Independence Day, the day became: "Hindipendence Day."

In the above shot, she was about five years old. These days she is eleven - i.e. approximately 77 in 'human' years (according to whoever decided that you multiply a dog's age by 7 to get the human equivalent).

In her later years she developed an allergy, resulting in thinning hair and severe itching and scratching (also causing little patches of bleeding skin).

Many things recommended by the vet were tried unsuccessfully: soaps, shampoos, creams, change of dog food. The only thing that ever "worked" was when the vet put her on a short course of steroids - but this only masks everything. As soon as the dog is off the steroids, the symptoms flare back up.

Lately I've taken her completely off of commercial dog food and have been preparing her meals from scratch. She gets a mix of of pearl barley (sometimes potato, sometimes yam), with sardines and finely grated, sometimes slightly boiled vegetables (like carrot or pumpkin). Sometimes I will also add a cooked egg. She loves her new 5-star meals and goes wild with excitement when it's time to eat - leaping, twirling, barking and wagging her tail non-stop. Her hair and skin have improved and the itching appears to have stopped.

In the course of changing her over to completely home-made food the vet prescribed a short course of steroids, to quell the itching while she adjusts. Now that the steroids are done, I will see if the cooked food is actually responsible for her improvement - and that the allergy won't flare back up.

Then, just a few days ago when I was wishing we had holistic vets and holistic dog food here, I unexpectedly met a man who is a distributor for a new holistic dog food (!) called Earthborn (the Ocean Fusion variety). Its basic ingredients are white fish, sweet potato and barley or rye. He said he will deliver to the vet this week - and both he and the vet agreed that the brand would be ideal for Hindi. The ingredients are about the same as those I use in the food I prepare for her now. I wonder if she'll like it as much.

What lasts?

Stone found on ground after releasing Sat Nam the turtle

When I am cleaning out and I come across old letters and cards, I am reminded that the past was once real, but no longer is. We have experiences that can never be repeated - or even if they are, they will never be experienced in the same way. People come and go, relationships transform, we lose touch, we become closer, we part ways and reconnect again - anything can happen over time.

There is an ebb and flow in all of life - the coming and going, shedding and growing. Thinking of it this way, I wonder why we (humans) hold on. The tree doesn't grasp at the leaf as it falls to the ground to serve another purpose. The river water doesn't stop and cling to the pebbles it passes over on its way to the sea.

This morning I woke up at 2:30 a.m. and decided to sleep for another hour before rising for yoga. At 3:30 (usual yoga time) Jasper woke me by pressing his paw into my heart, then lying on my chest, facing my face, purring. I could feel the vibrations running through my chest. He has done that about two or three times (press and purr into my heart). I remember in particular he did it once on a Valentine's Day and once on a Christms day. He definitely senses things - and that must be his way of opening the heart or saying "I love you".

This morning as I finished yoga, a clear question flew into my head: What in life has meaning?

The immediate clear answer was: Only Love has meaning.

National Jasper Geographic

Click here to see the wild cat in action.

Beware of the Chicken (to those who have dogs and eat chicken)

Hindi's nose sniffing at the camera on the drive to the vet

I'm sharing this story just in case:
(i) your dog has similar symptoms and you don't know what's causing it
(ii) you have a dog and you're feeding him/her a chicken-based dog food

For a long time my dog Hindi has had very itchy skin, causing her to constantly scratch. This results in her skin bleeding in the aggravated areas and her hair being lost in patches. It looks like mange, but it's not. The vet tested her for mites. Negative. It turned out to be an allergy. She (vet) put her on a course of steroids (twice). Both times it helped relieve her discomfort and the hair grew back, but once the course is over ... back to square one.

Yesterday I took her to another vet nearby to seek an alternative to steroids, which (as this vet said) make the issue worse after each course. She said her dog had had the same thing and is now looking and feeling great. Hindi received three injections - one for worms, one antibiotic and one was vitamins. I have to bathe her twice a week for about a month (the vet told me to use Head & Shoulders Shampoo, but the people in the pet store gave me "Neeles" sulphur shampoo for dogs, cats and horses). After the bath, I wash her down with a solution of Ecotraz 125 and allow it to dry naturally. Once dry, I then rub her down with a cream called Endovet Cream. I've also changed her diet to Lamb & Rice dog food.

Many (not all) dogs are allergic to dog food that has chicken in it. It is advisable for them to eat dog food with lamb or beef. The adverse reaction to chicken is as a result of the hormones and chemicals being used to 'grow' chickens. So whether or not the dog is allergic, best to give him/her beef or lamb-based food.

Imagine what eating this chicken is also doing to humans. Another reason to be vegetarian or vegan.

Furry multipurpose office equipment

Brand name: Jasper

Papershredder

Paperweight

I hope you fall in love with Sally and adopt her

Photos courtesy Kristen Alcantara
"Sally" was the name on the yellow vet card hanging on the gate of her cage
*

On Saturday four friends and I met to discuss how we, as artists, could best use our creative talents to support local animal organisations and speak out on behalf of animals. It was a short, sweet meeting. We each have various talents which we've agreed to offer gratis to necessary projects.

Sally comes to give a nose kiss
*

After the meeting, Patti dropped three of us (me, Kris and Kim) back to the TTSPCA to get our cars. Before leaving, we went into the back to see the animals (cats and dogs) some of whom are boarders, some lost (waiting to be found), some strays (in need of homes) and some puppies/kittens (up for adoption). As much as I hate to see caged animals, I was impressed by the clean, spacious spaces in which these animals are kept. Children have painted bright, colourful murals on the walls, large pet bowls are filled with clean water and ample food, the tiled floor of each little 'apartment' is freshly mopped and clean (except for the odd 'load') and the smells are pleasant. These animals look comfortable and well cared for, unlike the TTSPCA of yore which would have made even a hater of animals feel depressed.

I already love you
*

There are so many lovely and loving animals at the TTSPCA. Sadness comes only from the realisation that you can't take each one home or find him/her a loving owner immediately. We walked along the corridor of cages, playing with each dog (except for the one whose card said 'aggressive') and eventually got to the 'puppies for adoption' section.

It was there that I saw and immediately fell in love with Sally. Take a look at those photos Kris took of her. She's a million times more cute in real life. I reached out to play with her and a nearby TTSPCA volunteer instantly said to me in a kind but firm tone: "Did you see the sign? Did you wash your hands? Puppies can easily pick up germs and get sick." I was impressed that she cared enough to ask me if I had washed my hands. It shows these animals are being looked out for even on that level of hand-washing-before-playing-with.

If I could have, I would definitely have claimed Sally, there and then, without a second thought. But I won't be able to. My sincere hope is that someone (in Trinidad/Tobago) who sees this post will fall in love with Sally and go to see her in real life. Whoever you are, you won't be able to leave TTSPCA without claiming this special puppy as your own. Before you can take her home, the TTSPCA will come and check your premises to ensure that they are suitably fenced, etc for Sally ... and then everything else will be organised accordingly for her to move in with you.

So go to the TTSPCA asap and ask to see 'Sally" in the puppy section. You will not be disappointed. In that short space of time, I could tell - she is a gentle, loving, playful, respectful animal who would LOVE and be a totally loyal companion for you, her new owner.

Thanks in advance.

Tribute to a Kindred Spirit

Jasper
*

This morning I was up early as usual. I sat at my computer in the glow of the lamplight, working steadily and with focused determination on something important. After what must have been a long while (because by the time this happened, the sun was up ... and I hadn't even realised), my concentration was broken by Jasper, who jumped onto my lap, purring.

The way he jumped was not steady. He tottered a bit before settling. I squeezed him tightly, recognizing in that moment of tottering that he is 'getting on in years'. He is now ten. I got him in 1998. He was born to a tabby cat named Lily (ironic, since that's the name of the novel I started writing a while around then) who lived under a friend's house. He was so small when I got him and on the drive home he sat perched on my shoulder like a bird.

I was living with my then house mate Frances who absolutely hated cats ... but somehow she accepted Jasper. Maybe because at that time we were living in a huge house and Jas spent his time in my room (which in itself was almost the size of a small apartment) and the balcony which ran along the length of it, which he used to access the great outdoors. From the word go, he was very loving and attached to me.

Standing at the sink brushing my teeth, if I happened to have on track pants or jeans (anything long), I would feel little claws climbing up me, as if I were a tree, from my ankles to my shoulder, to perch like a bird, where he would sit looking at us reflected in the mirror. Playing my keyboard sitting cross legged on the ground (as I used to play it then), the little claws would clamber up to my back to my shoulder and sit perched, watching my fingers on the keys.

The clambering had to stop when he got bigger and heavier!

I remember him once upon a time approving a friend of mine, V. We had fallen asleep and she was awakened in the night by something cold and clammy in her hand. When she checked, there was a dead lizard placed neatly in her upturned palm, with Jasper sitting nearby purring. To this day we laugh at the memory of that.

Over the years Jasper has moved with me three times and has never strayed or run away. Wherever I am with him, that is home. He has been an affectionate, loving, protective and understanding companion over these years. We have a silent understanding of each other. Those who don't have cats will not understand ... but there is a special and indescribable bond that exists between the feline and its human companion.

There are times when Jasper will wake me up in the morning by pressing one of his paws into my heart chakra, as though to activate it and/or say in his own way "I love you". Amazingly, he does this on Valentine's Day and Christmas Day and sometimes on out of the blue days, like yesterday. Instinctively, whenever I am embarking upon the menstrual cycle, he presses his paw into my stomach and massages it (those who have cats will know the cat massage), before I myself even know what is to come.

Whenever I am coming home, he is either sitting at the gate waiting for me or is at the door to welcome me in. He will run out to sniff my car ... to smell the stories of where I've been.

Sometimes he's a huge lion, hunting for prey, chasing neighbour's dogs out of the garden and down the road, attacking strange cats that enter the yard. Sometimes he's a frightened kitten ... scared of thunder, loud noises, workmen and one of the strange cats that might, on occasion, overpower him.

When he jumped onto my lap today and I felt his age, a wave of sadness passed over me - but it quickly passed as I felt my heart literally open up in great appreciation for having this special spirit companion in my life. Our animals are sent to us. In many ways he's still young, playful and very healthy, still gets up to mischief ... and I'm sure he has a long way to go.

There was something about today, the way he jumped onto my lap ... I knew that he knew that I was working on something important ... and that he was saying: "I'm here with you while you do it ..."

Thank you, Jasper, for being.


Sunday Scribblings: Listen up, this is important

In Loving Memory

I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.

- Jules Verne -


I'd taken this pic a few days ago, when I still had Synchronicity
*

Pandy (short for Pandora), my parents'/sister's cat was put to sleep today. She was getting on in years (about 16, I think) and was frail and ailing. Putting an animal to sleep is never an easy decision, but sometimes it's the best decision ... for the animal's sake.

You had a great life, Pandy ... and a peaceful passing. We know you're now up in pet heaven frisking around with all of the other pets that have been in our family.

Cindy (golden labrador retriever) - my first ever pet, my birthday gift for my 1st birthday
Gobberlina (cat)
Mehitabel (cat)
Tuptim (cat)
Tarzan (dog)
Zola (dog)
Kizzy (dog)
Kiku (dog)
Sheba (dog)
Martina (dog)
Patch (dog)
Tarka (dog)
Misty (dog)
Daisy (dog)
Bijoux (no longer with us ... but hopefully still alive and well in a home that loves her)

I think that's it. Hope I havent missed anyone.

R.I.P.

Nurse on Duty

(The latest episode of "Nurse Jasper" is dedicated to my sister Kathryn, his #2 ... or maybe #3 fan).

I'd better look like I'm busy patrolling this ward, lest the Doctor happens by and sees me.

Wait! Hold on! Just thought of something ...

An Apple a day keeps the ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Paging Nurse Jasper ... Nurse Jasper, you're needed!

My night nurse

Meanwhile, later that evening ...

Yaaaaawn. Ohhh, I'm on duty again tonight ...

But I'll just relax for a while and listen to my theme song before I get to work.