Vicky Halls Cat Behavior Counseller

After living together for four years one of my cats aggressively turned on another three months ago, and then started attacking her every time they crossed paths.
The situation briefly got better before getting so bad that Jazz (the victim cat) ran away for three days while I was on holiday.
Upon my return I started researching all possible solutions and frantically tried them all as the bullying got more and more intense.
Eventually Weasel (the aggressor) needed to be locked away from Jazz in the lounge, and my time at home has since revolved around the cats and making sure they both get an equal amount of time outside without crossing paths or being in the same room.

Concerned for all three cats well being (including the super laid back fence sitter, Batman) I looked into getting a cat behavior expert and got referred to Vicky Halls through the Feline Advisory Beureau.

Vicky has since come to visit the cats and has written a report along with instructions on how to get the cats tolerating each other again.
Reassuringly, my understanding of why the cats are behaving in such a way was quite accurate. But her guidance in how to bring them back together should prove to be invaluable.

She has an excellent reputation and her newsletters are well worth reading if you're a cat lover.

The Pheasant Story

Whilst dog walking in Ashton Court yesterday a very funny thing happened that I would like to share. (I hope it's not a case of 'I guess you had to be there!')

Part of my pack was a large golden labrador called Posey and a vizsla called Bella.
Posey had decided to bring a stuffed toy pheasant with her from The Paw Seasons and proceeded to run around with it in her mouth at the start of the walk.
Bella, being incredibly competitive, decided that she wanted the pheasant and swooped in and stole it the moment Posey stopped for a scratch.

After much chasing and tug of war Posey reluctantly gave up and carried on with her walk, leaving Bella to carry the pheasant.
Fourty five minutes later Bella dropped the pheasant (dry mouth or suspected jaw ache?) and Posey was on it in a milli-second. She ran ahead with it in her mouth and went down a slope into some long grass.

When I caught up with her, there was no pheasant to be seen anywhere!

So myself, my friend and the pack all started looking for the pheasant amongst the long grass (dogs love a good hunt, even if they don't really know what they are hunting for!) and after about ten minutes of re-tracing our steps I announced that Posey had lost the pheasant and that we had to forget about it.
We all set off to finish our walk and I glanced over my shoulder to see a brown labrador bounding over the hill with the pheasant in its mouth and a look of sheer joy on its face, as if to say: 'Look what I found!'

Sadly, it was not a case of 'finders keepers' for the lab who swiftly had the pheasant taken off him upon my request, much to his (very obvious) disappointment and the amusement of his owner.

The pheasant made it back to the car safely and will no doubt embark on another dog walking adventure another day!

Great dog shop in Bristol

My attention has recently been brought to a shop in Bristol called The Dog Hole (near Temple Meads).

http://www.thedoghole.co.uk/

It has been open since March 2010 and is a fantastic shop for all things doggy! It's definitely worth swinging by and checking out. All dogs are welcome and you can both become Dog Hole members too!

If you can't get down to the Dog Hole then why not check out http://www.dog-online.co.uk/ which is jam packed full of more doggy goods!