Poor Marley and Busta :(

Marley's surgery was a success, but after 3 general anesthetics in the space of 1 month and several in his very short life time, I think when he got home on Thursday he really had, had enough!!!

He was totally comatose when he got home!

This is the length of the wound, it is on the inside of his leg and is stapled together!

He really wasn't himself when he got home which you think I would have been rejoicing about, but I actually didn't like it!!  Even now 3 days later he is perkier but not completely himself, he is mostly hopping on his leg but he is still on painkillers and will be for about 3 weeks so I expect it to start improving after that.

We had a potter around in the garden earlier (he's not allowed to be walked for 10 days (!!!!!!!!) but it completely whacked him out so he settled down for a rest with fat cat poppy who is the most pathetic pregnant lady ever!!!

BFF Emma then popped over and he was pleased to see a human other than myself, he managed a good waggle of his rear end and tail and had a little widdle on her husband's foot!  Emma came over to give me some owl printed canvas shoes that she got me earlier, I know they are not officially dog related but I cannot resist showing you a photo of them!!

Don't ya just love em!!!!

So onto Busta, the tart of our dog community!  As you know he went in on Friday to have his delicates removed and his eyelashes lasered (seriously!!!!!!!)  Neutering is a very straight forward procedure and I have never heard of a dog that I know having complications and when Marley has his done at 5 months, apart from being exhausted from the anesthetic, you wouldn't have know he had, had anything done!!  BUT this is Busta we are talking about!

So Belinda picked him up to be told by the nurse that he was feeling very sorry for himself.  THAT was an understatement!!!!!  I have never heard a dog crying quietly like a little girl, that was until I saw Busta last night!!!!!  He obviously wasn't in any pain, his tail was wagging and he had no problems laying on the floor, but he wasn't "talking" to Belinda or her husband Gary and lay making the most pathetic sound I have ever heard!

Busta whimpering and feeling VERY sorry for himself!

We decided that the crying was emotion and not due to any pain, and Belinda text me at about 10.30pm to say he had finally gone to sleep but was whimpering in his sleep!!!

So Busta is not allowed out for 10 days either, so Bee and I are feeling a bit housebound, it's weird not having the pressure to walk the dogs every day!!!!

I will leave you with a photo of Marley in his bed, which I dragged out of the shed, where I had put it away due to Dotty liking to use it as a toilet!  He is really comfy in it and he has a lovely view of the garden!

TTFN

The REAL Marley and Me xx

While Marley's away........

The cats will play!!!!

So Marley went in for the surgery on his leg yesterday and fat cat Poppy and Maisie decided they would make the most of the space and peace and quiet in front of the fire last night!!!  Dotty is funny though cause she pines for Marley when he is not there, so she was wondering around like a little lost lamb all night!

I took Marley over to the specialist's at 10am yesterday morning, we were a few minutes early so waited in the car.....

He is the most eager dog I have ever seen at a visit to the vets!!!  Natalie was saying the other day that when Flash goes to the vets, she does so with her tail in between her legs, sweaty paws and loosing fur profusely (a sign of stress)!  But no Marley was described by the surgeon (who did his previous operation on his front legs) as a "nutter" and very "keen"!!!

So there I left him, I never feel upset when I have to leave him there because he loves it so much!  I will however cry when I pick him up if they have shaved half his fur off which they did with his other op, he looked like he had been in a prison camp, it was awful!!!!!!!

Well I am going to enjoy my last day of peace and quiet, where I don't have to worry about the kitchen doors being shut, or food on the side!  Oh and the ninja squirrels are out in force this morning, probably arranging their plan of attack for when he comes home, so I'm glad he's not here at the moment because the torment would be too much for him to bear!!!!!!!!!

Oh forgot to say Busta is going in tomorrow to have his knackers chopped off and his ingrowing eyelashes treated!  So we've got Marley the loveable dumb dog, Busta the tart and Flash the grumpy old bitch, but how we love them so!!!!!!!!

TTFN 

The REAL Marley and Me xxx

A poorly Marley and a Pregnant Poppy!

Marley has ripped a tendon in his back leg!!!  he had x-rays under a general anesthetic last week to confirm and has been referred to a specialist for surgery on Wednesday...

Recovering from the general anesthetic in front of the fire last Thursday!

Poor Marley, I feel so sorry for him!  He has had such a rough time with his joints, his legs are far too long for his 40kg body which makes him lanky and awkward (and adorable) and the vet said he probably turned too quickly while we were out one day which ripped the tendon which now has to be replaced - not repaired!!

However.................life with Marley when he cannot be walked properly (3 times a day) is UNBEARABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Seriously I am at my wits end already and I read online that the recovery for the surgery could be 14 weeks FOURTEEN WEEKS!!! He paces, and he barks and he runs to the end of the garden full throttle like there's a mass murderer out there every time I open the door and he scavenges for food!  WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Basking in the sun on the sofa!

On a  more positive "spring is on it's way" note, Poppy is up the duff!!!  It's weird when cats are pregnant because overnight they suddenly expand and that's how you know!  I just love little kittens and they are not too hard to look after, as long as they are in a room shut away from Marley they are pretty self sufficient!  The problem comes when I fall in love with them!  I just know that if there is a tabby one or a black and white one I will want to keep one but I MUSTN'T, three is enough!!!

Poppy the pregnant roast chicken!

So it's all go here, I feel utterly miserable about everything, I just need some proper sunshine to blow the blues away and then i'll be fine!!!  Before I go I want to leave you with some photo's from my parents house, I was there the other day and all 20 of the chickens were being allowed to roam free in the garden and were having a whale of a time...

Oh and I must introduce you to my parents' dog...

Molly the danastiff (great dane / bull mastiff)

Molly was a rescue dog and is the best, she doesn't steal food and absolutely adores my Dad!!!  She is not quite as tall as Marley but is twice as strong as him which I didn't think would be possible!!!

Oh one very last thing, Natalie text me with an hilarious story about Flash.  She said she let Flash out in the garden last night and she was sick for no apparent reason so she let her back in and noticed that she was walking funny, when she took a closer look she realised that she (flash!!!) had a pepperami wrapper hanging out of her bum LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!  I once had a king charles spaniel who chewed a handbag of mine and a few days later had the strap hanging from the same orifice!!!!!!!

TTFN

The REAL Marley and Me xx

My weird but wonderful cats!

Marley has had a quiet week this week due to a dodgy back leg!  He has arthritis which doesn't normally give him any trouble but he has been hopping on one of his back legs this week, I'm not sure if it is related so he is going for his booster jabs at the vets tomorrow and I will ask her about it then.  So his week has been pretty uneventful apart from stepping on my brand new boots..

grrrrrrr......

And enjoying his new bone...

As did Busta when he came over to play yesterday...

So I thought I would talk about my 3 cats, who are all weird in their own wonderful way!

Lets start with Maisie...

Maisie is 17 and has an anxiety disorder - as diagnosed by me!! It started when she was very young and was terrorised by a neighbours' tom cat who used to come inside our house via the cat flap and spray all round my house NICE!!! I had to throw my toaster away because he sprayed inside it ewwwww and a load of handbags that were in my room!  He once broke in via the locked cat flap which resulted in having to have a new door and cat flat fitted!  His owner was extremely defiant but eventually realised that he had mental problems and had to give him away!  So since then she has rarely ventured outdoors of her own free will and loves to go to the toilet indoors.  "Get a litter tray" I hear you cry, which I have tried but seriously if she wee'd in there just once whilst I am at work she refused to go in their again and then just go next to it on the carpet!  Now I have learnt that I have to put her outside at night, which she seems to have got used to now, and then she sleeps quietly and without needing the toilet all day!

Then there's Poppy....

Poppy is nearly 3 years old and is just WEIRD!!!!  This is how I often find her asleep....

Can you see how she bends her front legs back?  She looks like a roast chicken!!

Poppy is fiercely independent and rarely seeks you out for a cuddle, but I love her all the same and she is VERY toilet trained which is always a bonus!!

And then along came Dotty...

Dotty is 9 months old and a complete nutter, I would even go so far as to say EVIL but in a very loveable way!  She was part of Poppy's first litter than she had last year and I can't resist showing you the kitten photos...

Dotty in the middle, Tiger (on the left) and Simba (on the right)

Tiger and Simba went to very good homes and Dotty had been reserved for Natalie who then had a pang of sensibleness and decided against it!  I advertised Dotty for sale but had not even an enquiry so I took pity and she joined our zoo!

Sooooooooo cute!!!

Dotty has been challenging from day one!  She ALWAYS had a dirty face from the minute she was born, it didn't seem to matter how much her Mum or I cleaned it she was always grubby!  She was the first one of the litter to scoff her face with solid food and absolutely the most playful, she certainly gave the 2 boys a run for their money!

Now that she is a permanent feature you will often find your feet being attacked from underneath the bed when you walk past, she torments Marley no end (he does adore her though), but she is so toilet trained that when she needs a wee she comes to find you to tell you and she just loves a cuddle!!!!

So there they are, all weird but all wonderful in their own way, and as much as I moan about all my animals I would never be without them.  Animals are definitely good for the soul!

I will leave you with a few more kitten photos because they are just too adorable!!!!!!!

The three little piggies!

Dotty and her dirty face!

I could just eat them!!!!!!

Poppy the doting mum (although she hates Dotty now!!!!)

Sorry this is such a long post peeps but I hope you enjoyed all the photo's!

TTFN

The REAL Marley and Me xx

Everyone needs a Marley

I felt really blue and fed up when I got up yesterday morning.  I had, had a fab Saturday with all 3 of my best friends - lakeside shopping with Emma in the day and bingo (yes bingo - such fun!!!) with Natalie and Belinda (and our other friend Lorraine) in the evening, so felt a bit flat on Sunday.  Anyway I sat in my pj's on the sofa having a coffee, watching TV and feeling sorry for myself (the boys were at their dad's for the weekend) when Marley jumps up for a cuddle......

Just look at that face!!

and those eyes!!

How could I feel fed up after a cuddle like that!  So Belinda rang and off we went to the meadows......

Which is now a lake!!

I cannot believe we went from this last week...

to this......

Marley gradually started to enjoy the water so long as there was a stick to chase, Busta on the other hand was not so keen!  Luckily half the meadow was high enough not to be affected by the water and so Marley and Busta had a fab time playing their favourite game of tug of war!

It was such a beautiful day yesterday, a welcome relief from the snow and wind and rain and the sunshine was so warm, albeit short lived now that we are in stormy weather again today!

I will leave you with a photo of Marley playing his favourite indoor game, which basically involves putting a tennis ball in my lap and waiting for me to throw it off for him!

TTFN 

the REAL Marley and me xx

The face of innocence!

This is the face that greeted me when I walked into the front room earlier

and this is what was on the floor next to him.......

A very chewed up tealight!!!

I've had two tealights on one of my side tables for weeks with no problem and then I caught him eyeing them up this morning and warned him away but when my back was turned this afternoon he just couldn't resist!  I will so look forward to waxy poos over the next couple of days!!!  He once ate a WHOLE bag of sugar that he dragged out of a kitchen cupboard, and his poo's ended up looking like green jelly!!!!!!

So the snow is hanging about and I am not enjoying it one little bit!  I have been lighting my fire for coming up to 3 months now and am just about sick of it (oh how I long for central heating!!!), Marley loves it though....

I don't think the cats are enjoying it either, they are spending a lot of time indoors snuggled up somewhere warm and I feel so heartless when I have to turf Maisie out of a night, but if I don't (which I didn't the other night) what greets me in the morning is deposits of poo and vomit NICE!!!  Poppy and Dotty seem to be very toilet trained but then they are only 1 and 3 I suppose and Maisie is a granny at the ripe of age of 17 if only they sold incontinence knickers for cats!!!

Poppy curled up on the sofa next to the fire

Poppy coming to see me in bed last night!

The other thing Maisie does if you let her stay in overnight, is that she insists on sleeping on my pillow right next to my head!  I have on many occasions woken up to her looking at me nose to nose breathing in my breath, it is seriously a very frightening experience!!!

So onwards we go in the horrible weather!  I have been trying to cheer myself up with the thought that by the time the snow goes we will be in February which is nearly March and April and we can hopefully start looking forward to some warmer weather....well we can hope!  

I think I will leave you with a nice summery photo to warm your cockles!!!

How lovely to see a bit of green!!

TTFN 

The REAL Marley and Me xx

It's Snowing!

Happy Snow Day from Hazel Cottage

 that is the actual name of my house and purely a coincidence - it wasn't named after me!!

So it arrived today in full force!  I am not a lover of snow, not the actual stuff which can be quite fun, but the chaos is causes.  If I can't travel, I can't work and I don't get paid!  Still having made it to work this morning at least and with the kids home from school early I decided to make the best of it!

Marley LOVES the snow!

Marley behaves like a dressage horse in the snow, he loves it and so does flash she was doing a good job of chasing snowballs in her garden this afternoon!

So because I am such a fun Mum (!!) I dragged the sledge out from the back of the shed, wrapped us all up and headed on over to Natalie's, which is 2 streets away, for a cuppa!!  I left Marley at home in the warm with a lovely chew, I didn't think I could handle him on the lead whilst pulling the sledge!

Bobby

Bobby and Charlie

So whilst I have made the most of the snow today I am not looking forward to it tomorrow or the next day!  Please let it thaw Sunday night so that normal life can resume on Monday!

TTFN

The REAL Marley and Me

xx