dogs

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Doggy Sleepover

My parents have gone away to celebrate their anniversary so Emmy, my canine sister, has come to stay for the weekend.
Not only are she and Tobias lucky enough to get to sleep on my bean-bag, they also get wrapped in my childhood duvet cover.

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Eight Below

(Second favourite movie of the Pigalina’s dog Tobias (After Beverley Hills Chihuahua).

Eight Below is based on a true story of eight(!) huskies that get left behind in the Antarctic after everyone is ordered out in the wake of a big storm. Paul “Fast and the Furious” Walker is their handler and snozzle kisser who is so T.O to be told that he cannot go back to rescue them. **Possible Spoiler** – Warning – all eight may not make it home. 😦
I now want many, many huskies (and my little fox terrier) and will sleep in a living nest of them each night, curled in a ball.
The poor things endure at least 175 days and nights out in the blasting snow while the humans are all tucked up in some base, resigning themselves to the fact that the dogs will freeze to death. Red tape hampers the rescue efforts and the eight dogs are left chained up with no food and water in freezing conditions. Luckily most of them manage to get loose and adventure (and some sadness) follows.
Their handler (Paul Walker) wants those dogs rescued as quickly as possible. Anyone that has a dog (let alone eight) would hate to leave their furry buddy behind so will know how he feels.
He eventuallly sets off to rescue them, after many months, from “Christchurch” harbour; which they made look as rumpy and backwoods as they possibly could and had Australian accented people as New Zealanders – Yeah, we can tell the difference you know! Though, to be fair, most Americans (the intended viewer) would have probably have required subtitles if New Zealanders were used – my English Grandad pretty much needed a translator upon meeting Mr Pigalina.

I know I have probably ruined it for you already so I will say that the film is rather bittersweet. A tear of happy and a tear of sad pricked my eyes on various occasions. Overall a very enjoyable film, though I usually prefer my animal movies to be 100% happy.

(Live blogged for your enjoyment)

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Chalk Up Another Place I Can Never Return To

Took my dog to get his claws trimmed today. He is very adverse to it and I told the vet so. She seemed in a bad mood at my not having an appointment and also the fact she was being asked to do the duty of a lowly dog groomer. For some reason she chose not to use the muzzle…
How he wriggled as I, his untrained owner, tried to hold him still while keeping his head out of the way. On the third clip he squealed and nipped at her finger. She tried to check that she hadn’t cut him – she hadn’t – and he bit her again making her finger bleed. She was quite angry with me then and told me to leave and that if he needed his nails trimming again he would need sedating and that they weren’t actually that long. (The fact that he keeps catching them in the carpet as he walks makes me beg to differ). He has had his nails trimmed so many times in his two years while putting on a huge perfrmance yet he has never gone so far as he did today. I am NOT paying for a general anaesthetic every time my dog needs a manicure. I can now never show my face at that place again.

I can also never return to is my waxer. When I mentioned making another appointment she said “Just make one when you feel you need it” rather than jumping at the chance of getting more of my money. She didn’t seem to be very happy that I had turned up with pink eye.