Hoping I can send through a picture of Marley.

[Saskia]

This is Marley our other rescue dog. We adopted him last year from a local rescue centre. He was 10 months old and came from a family where all the children ( there were several, all over the age of 6 ) were taken into care by Social Services. The social worker stated that the home wasn't fit for the dog. When we got him he didn't know how to eat out of a bowl, bless him. We think he must have lived on any scraps of food that fell to the floor. He is absolutely food obsessed and vacuums up every crumb he can find! I love him to bits. He is the one who knocked over the Christmas tree the morning after I had put it up!

[Fibrofoggiest]

Awww Saskia he looks lovely a,z does he have Alsatian in him, he looks like he might have. I can imagine him being quite boisterous. Both he and Jessie are very lucky to have a wonderful mum like you

Foggy x

[Saskia in reply to Fibrofoggiest]

Thanks Foggy. This pic took quite a while to go through, so I went through the procedure again and it worked 2nd time. I am not sure why this should be so but I think computers have a mind of their own and they can be very stubborn sometimes! I think you are right about the Alsatian in Marley. He was listed as a border collie but when we adopted him the vet's assessment said Border Collie/??cross. The vet who assessed him is the one who gives Jessie her acupuncture. The vet we go to is the practice that looks after the animals in the Raystede sanctuary. They are very caring there and never put a healthy animal to sleep. They have some permanent animals in their care, such as horses and donkeys, who have sadly been so badly treated that they are too traumatised to ever be adopted. They also have quite a large number of parrots and cockatoos and parakeets etc etc who will never be adopted. Some still pluck their feathers out and so they have to wear little woolly jumpers until their feathers grow back properly. They put a lot of emphasis on education and welcome children and families every day. The lady who started the sanctuary was a teacher and she very quickly realised that the best way to prevent animals being neglected or cruelly treated was to educate the up and coming generations, so she put a lot of effort into developing education programmes as well as caring for the needy animals. She was well into her 90's when she passed away a few years ago. She was an amazing woman. I hope you are feeling reasonable today and not in too much pain with your neck and back. I sympathise as my neck and back and left shoulder can be very painful sometimes. This damp weather doesn't help does it?! Take care and give your doglets a cuddle each from me. Hugs Saskia XX

[anbuma]

He is absolutely gorgeous! my older dogs previous owners says he always ate from a bowl in the kitchen.ever since I have had him he wants to eat outside with his food on the path and he has to play first-barks til I toss him a chunk of food to catch.

[Saskia in reply to anbuma]

Thanks anbuma. They are so funny aren't they with their quirky little ways! Obviously your boy likes to make a game of it. We fed Marley and Jessie before we went out and again when we got in ( just divided up one meal each) ..then they both scrounged a bit of our lunch ( we can't resist them!!) and Marley is still sniffing round everywhere in the kitchen and the dining room in case there is a morsel left somewhere. He can't possibly be hungry. It is just a habit. Unfortunately he is a little bit overweight ( about a kilo and a half ) and the vet wants us to get his weight down to 24 kg which is the top end of a medium dog. I think he should be more the bottom end of a large dog because, as Foggy has observed, we are fairly sure he has a bit of shepherd in him. It is the big pointy ears that are the give away as well as a very deep woof which comes up from his paws!! Have a good day. Hugs Saskia. XX

[anbuma in reply to Saskia]

i would have said he was GSD X COLLIE.

my annie only eats her food before she goes for her walk and as soon as I mention the word "walk" all her toys come out of the box..she also sits by the fridge when she wants some chicken roll I have to buy for her.(normally 2-3 times a day).lately she will eat busters food -ive just put him on senior food .they both sit by me whilst im eating my dinner hoping for whatever they can scrounge.when ever Annie goes to bed -be it mine or her own she likes to rearrange the bedding.lately when Buster comes upstairs when I sleep in until I can encourage him to come down.i know he can do it on his own as I left him there when I went out once and expected to still find him there when I got home but he was at the door to greet me.i also have two budgies and the only time they "sing"is when eastenders comes on and they sing the tune.

[Saskia in reply to anbuma]

Thanks for telling me all about your dogs and your 2 budgies. How amazing that they can sing the Eastenders tune. How clever. I had a budgie when I was a little girl but she never learnt to talk. She did chirrup away though. I adored her. Our pets are such a great comfort aren't they? Hope you are having a good day. Hugs Saskia XX

[anbuma in reply to Saskia]

thanks Saskia.actually am having not -a- bad day.had 2 longish dog walks and managed to eat a small meal and a sandwich today!!and had 2 hours sleep this pm(with 2 furry friends).expect it wont be the same tomorrow.

[Hidden]

He is beautiful!

[Saskia in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Mary. Hugs Saskia XX

[Brightside]

Marley is a very handsome dog! Thanks Saskia for sharing this lovely photo. I have two dogs, both from the Dogs Trust. Belle is a collie cross and Sam is a terrier cross. They're wonderful companions and I'd be lost without them. My partner walks them every day but I always feed them. If I have energy for only one task, making sure they eat well is always top of the list. My dogs give me so much joy, it's the least I can do for them.

[Saskia in reply to Brightside]

That's lovely Brightside. It is good you have a partner who is able to walk your doggies for you. Unfortunately ours are a bit of a handful and it needs 2 of us to be together with them Sometimes we meet a chap with a lovely young lab and they have a great time together, and I feel much more relaxed knowing that they won't be quite so inclined to rush off after anything else which might move! Talking of energy….the walk takes most of my energy particularly as we walk in the woods where it is very muddy and slippery, so I have to be very careful not to fall over. I use a stick but I think because the walking isn't straightforward it takes more out of me than a walk on flat ground in good weather. Unfortunately, we are on a hill and walking them round here is hard work as they have to be on a lead. Jessie, the older one, is a nightmare on a lead because she pulls like a steam engine and also she is so very nervous of so many things..motorbikes, white vans, hoodies to name but a few. Marley can walk quite nicely on a lead once his initial excitement has worn off. They are a handful but we love them to bits and I would rather use up all my energy on them than not have them. I really have to push myself to get anything else done. I have managed a bit of vacuuming today but now I am paying for it as my back is bad!!! There is so much to do and I can only do a very small amount at a time which doesn't really touch the surface! My OH is very good and cooks and he will do vacuuming if I ask him. Otherwise he doesn't seem to notice that there is cleaning to be done. I notice it and it worries me!!! Would you be able to share some photos of your dogs? I'd love to see them and hear more about them You can always message me if you'd like to. Hugs Saskia. XX

[Brightside in reply to Saskia]

Hi Saskia

I'm writing on lovely new present of an iPad and I haven't uploaded photos of my dogs yet. I agree with Pugwash too. I don't know where I'd be without my dogs when I feel really down. Cuddles with them always cheer me up.

On good days, I love going out for walks with them too. My Other Half tells me they behave very differently when I'm walking with them. We always let the dogs go off lead in our local woods, where they love hunting around for the rabbits and squirrels they never catch. When I'm there, our collie cross, Belle, stays nearby to make sure I'm okay. Sam hangs around too, keeping his wandering terrier instincts under control for my sake. When OH walks them alone, she hardly sees them from the start of the walk until she calls them at the end. They're lovely dogs.

[Saskia in reply to Brightside]

I shall look fwd to seeing photos once you have loaded them on to your iPad. What a lovely present. It is funny how dogs are different with different people. Marley realises I am slow as I walk with a stick so he tends to hang back and make sure I am OK. Bless him. They are so sensitive to our needs aren"t they? I am pleased that you are able to get out sometimes with the dogs. Going to the woods is so uplifting and being out in the fresh air. I like it when the woods are quiet as I am always a bit on edge when there are lots of people about as neither of our dogs were trained or socialised when they were young. We have done some training with both of them but they are far from perfect! Neither of them would hurt another dog but they are quite boisterous and, having collie in them, like to round everyone and everything up which isn't always appreciated….lol…! Ours chase the squirrels but I know they wouldn't hurt another creature. I don't like them hassling the wildlife but usually by the time they have spotted the movement the squirrel is way up the tree and they just stand at the bottom looking up all bemused! They are so entertaining. Thank you for telling me about your doggies. They sound lovely. Gentle hugs Saskia XX

[pugwash80]

What a lovely dog. Sorry I'm new and not sure if this is the right to do say I'm this bit but I have two dogs and if I didn't have them I don't know where I would be on my bad days. They keep me going till the kids come home from school then my attention moves to them. Helps me out of my bubble a bit. X

[Saskia in reply to pugwash80]

You are so right pugwash! I feel that my 2 dogs and 2 cats keep me going and give me a reason to go on living as I have to take care of them. Of course I love my OH as well and I really do not know where I would be without him. He is very good to me. We both love our pets. Animals just have a way of comforting us and they do not judge us or talk about us behind our backs. They don't care whether or not we have managed to have a shower or wash our hair. They just love us for who we are. I do understand exactly how you feel. Hugs Saskia XX