blague du jour

J'adore ca!

CLAW

I found out about CLAW (Community Led Animal Welfare) in 2009 when I saw a picture of a Whippet // Chihuahua cross on Barking Mad. I’d just come back from my summer holiday and had fallen in love with a Whippet // Jack Russell cross at the Lodge where we stayed. The former little dog had been rescued in a township in Roodepoort after a tip-off was received by a member of the community that a group of school kids had stoned a dog, put her in a plastic bag and tried to drown her in a nearby river. The CLAW inspector arrived just before their sick entertainment succeeded. And so, Dinah was welcomed into the family and a really important and life-changing relationship with CLAW was initiated.

CLAW was established by Cora Bailey (the bravest and most inspiring woman I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting) in 1999 and provides desperately needed veterinary and hospital services to dogs and cats (and monkeys and pigs and sheep etc), as well as vital animal care education to pet owners in 39 informal settlements in the Johannesburg area.  It focuses on educating the public on basic health care for their animals, spay and neuter programs, vaccination and deworming programs, as well as the rehoming of unwanted dogs and cats (and pigs etc.)

In 2010, on New Year’s Eve, Ric brought home a tiny “surprise” puppy with a damaged front leg that Saskia, the resident vet at CLAW, had asked us to foster over that weekend. The puppy had been brought in for treatment by its owner after its mommy allegedly sat on and injured her arm. We ended up “fostering” Cassidy for  a week, following which she became incredibly ill for the next month. She couldn’t take in any food and anything that was taken in became liquid on the other end. She was literally dying. After many tests we discovered that she had Addisons Disease (the earliest onset of which the vet had ever seen). She needs to be on medication for the rest of her life but nonetheless has made an amazing recovery. And so the second, unplanned CLAWbie entered our home.

Last year Ric and I moved into our own place with our three hairy-fairies (Lua, Dinah and Cassidy). Although we already had a lot of dogs, we had a discussion and decided that, although it would be a mad-house, we could afford to bring another member into the family. Enter (confiscated) Albie who I saw one Saturday while volunteering at CLAW. He was skin and bones and incredibly scared. Everytime I tried to approach him he would growl and sneer in an effort to defend himself. He was in really bad shape but I knew instantly that he was the latest  member of our ever-expanding, ever-absurd, ever-alternative family. We got him a week later, after which he too had to be hospitalised with pneumonia. The first night at our place was spent coaxing him out of the bushes (where he had probably only ever slept) and trying to get him to stop eating his poo (which was probably the only sustenance he had ever received). He has made a crazy recovery and is the happiest (as in slightly-brain-damaged-special-needs-happy) dog I’ve ever seen.

I’m passionate about CLAW and the work it does. I’ve seen the most amazing recoveries and resilience from CLAW’s patients and residents (read: confiscations) and have been taken into some of the poorest and most desolate areas in our country. I’ve witnessed despicable cruelty and neglect but also incredible over-coming and compassion. CLAW has tempered my biases and taught me that you cannot generalise, however convenient that may be. Above all, CLAW has taught me that “those problems” and “that abuse” is our problem and our abuse. These NGOs need all the help they can get- perhaps consider volunteering at your local NGO, whatever your preferred cause may be.  



Dinah

Cassidy Canine

Albie (Sachs)

Visit CLAW's adoption site at: http://www.clawadoptions.org/adopt-now.php



alt.portraiture

Urlaub

I’ve just paid the deposit for our trip to Oyster Bay later in the year. We didn’t really get much of a break over the festive season so I’m looking forward to this trip so much. I’m used to having a family beach holiday at least once a year but since I’ve started working, (very) regrettably I haven’t been able to adhere to this custom. I’ve never had the opportunity to go to Oyster Bay but I already feel as if I know the place since my mom spent so much time there on holiday as a teenager. We’ve found a great pet-friendly place right on the beach (which should be quiet and empty after high-season) and I cannot wait to read, spend my days walking the beach, (probably) save-dogs-from-getting-swept-into-the-sea and spend some quality time with tookey. I think it’s so important to have things to look forward to and I’ve resolved that this will be the year where I start experiencing more than I consume.   

“Do you know a cure for me?"

Why yes," he said, "I know a cure for everything. Salt water."

Salt water?" I asked him.

Yes," he said, "in one way or the other. Sweat, or tears, or the salt sea.”

 

― Karen Blixen, Seven Gothic Tales

Unearthing

This morning I received a link from my (one and only) vegan colleague at work to the blog, Carciofi Rosso. One of its posts lists most of the vegan products available at our local Pick ‘n Pays. It’s astounding what an on-going educational process being vegan is, but in a really positive, reversal-of-expectations way. For example, today I learnt that Coco Pops (yes Coco Pops) and Strawberry Pops (yes Strawberry Pops) are vegan! I’ve never even bothered looking at the cereals' ingredients, simply assuming that it would have some form of dairy as an ingredient.

Admittedly it’s a small joy but accumulatively these unearthings keep proving that it’s so much easier to be vegan than I thought and serve to keep reminding me that being vegan requires on-going proactive enquiry. 

I then stumbled upon two further blogs which are incredibly interesting. The first, The Vegan Stoner, is a uniquely personalised take on the vegan blog. It’s super creative all around with great recipes and humoristic illustrations. The recipes look delicious but also simple and accessible (ingredients-wise) which is really vital to Ric and I with our long working weeks. The second blog, Vegan MoFo, is a really interesting concept which dovetails with NaNoWriMo, in the sense that you write as much as you can about Vegan Food for the month of November (but it seems to span across November). It’s an useful Vegan database with masses of information, ideas and blog-links. Although not everything is relevant, with our being situated in the “overseas” and all, it’s still pretty useful. I’ve fallen in love with the Vegan Sugar Skulls and am determined to create my own set sometime soon.

Another item on the weekend-menu is The Vegan Swedes’ Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream Sandwiches…*heaven*.

Thought for the day

Born to Die

I've been hearing a lot of buzz about Lana Del Rey and as a result, took the decision to ignore the said buzz, assuming she was just another commercially manufactured, synthetically (and accoustically) enhanced bimbo.

But, the other night, when I was all alone at home and a bit bored, I happened upon her "video games" single on Youtube and thought "what the hell".

Oh. My. I do admit that I have a crush. 

I've subsequently heard whisperings that she can't deliver on live performances, but I find her refreshing all the same.  
Like her music, like her style,

love her looks and her sharp-tongue. 

Pretty edgy.
Darkly commercial.
Old school but novel.  

Love. It.

Tookey

Today is our 4 year anniversary.

Thank you tookey- its been the most incredible double couple of years with you.

I couldn't have asked for a better friend, lover, father-to-the-hairy-fairies, partner-in-crime, spiritual and social role-model, geek, comedian, coffee-and-smoothie-maker, gamer (ahem) and general pick-me-upper if I'd tried.

Boy, did I LUCK out.

I love you.

Cold Fact

The other day at my parent's house I stumbled upon the

Rodriguez- Cold Fact CD.

I've been told that he was really big in South Africa during the days of Apartheid in that he was probably one of the few "controversial" artists who managed to slip through the staunch Apartheid Censorship Board.

So Rodriguez provided the musical accompaniment to the weed-smoking, counter-culture, hippie-intellectualist crowd of the time.

Chanson du Jour (Bow-wow-ie)

Je t'adore

It's pathetic and so schoolgirl-ish but I adore this man so much. All the more so because he advocates animal rights and has a pavement-special, named George, who rocks the most awesome mohawk. Lua is getting a shave this weekend a la George.

"Last month, Hollywood hottie Ryan Gosling made the Hollywoof Reporter: Travel Edition when he was spotted carrying his dog, George, around LAX. Gosling...and George have been spotted together again, this time on NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Gosling told Fallon why he brought along his pooch: “He’s more interesting than I am, so I thought it would be helpful.”

George, who munched on a green apple during the interview, was sporting a mohawk, er, “furhawk” hairstyle along the top of his body. “He insists on it,” Gosling said, adding that his pooch has rocked the fur-hawk for 10 years. “I shaved a mohawk just for the summer. And then, every time it started to grow out, he turned into a total jerk. And then, I’d shave it back and he’d turn into a nice guy again."...

When Fallon asked Gosling what kind of dog George is, Gosling replied, “He’s some kind of Muppet.”