My Writes
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July 2008 With the summer slipping quickly away, the housework is suffering greatly while we try to attend to some of the things that need doing outside. Long winter months always leave me with lengthy lists of chores for the good weather, while the actual time we have to accomplish them seems to be over in the blink of an eye. Foaling season was long this year, the first foal (which sadly we lost at birth) arriving in March, and the last on the third of this month. The sleepless nights are over for another year, and we are enjoying watching the little ones as they run and play together.
One of the locals named her Amina Mubaka (we are not sure about the spelling of the second half) which he told Randy means "beautiful girl". Amina, quickly recovered, and made friends all over the camp. Once again we have many to thank for helping to keep her fed until I could get puppy food and supplies to Randy for her. At one point Randy moved to another camp, and tells me that Amina is one of the few dogs who can brag that they have flown with their head out of a helicopter window. (with Randy's hand firmly gripping her collar!) Plans to get a crate to Darfur had begun to fall through, as one of the girls home on leave in Canada did not return after being told that everyone would be heading home for good in a few weeks. She had planned to carry one back on the plane. A second person offered to return from leave in South Africa with one on July 14, much to our relief, since by now there was no time to ship one from here. The relief was short lived however, as on Thursday, July 3, Randy was informed that he would be flying to Khartoum on Saturday July 5, and home to Canada on July 6. Amina had received her rabies shot and the necessary paperwork to travel to Khartoum, but she still needed her DHPP and a health check, and we still did not have a crate! Without that there was no way Randy could bring her out of the country. I got on the phone and called everyone I could get hold of at Lufthansa in Canada and Germany, trying to arrange to have a crate sent from Germany, but I met with one roadblock after another. A friend of Erinn's who lives in Dusseldorf, travelled on the train to Frankfurt and tried to buy one at the airport and have it shipped to Khartoum, but was told cargo flights were booked solid. Randy had a wooden crate with holes drilled in it to get Amina on the plane to Khartoum, but it would not meet the requirements for international travel, and I was having no success at my end. With hours to go, a welder tore apart a metal mesh bin and welded pieces together to make a wonderful wire crate with a tray in the bottom, however at the airport Randy was told it was too big for the small plane. Being the type who always likes to have a back up plan, Randy had taken the wooden crate along just in case, and despite the fact it was too small for the dog to stand up in, they allowed her to be placed in this one for the short flight. We still had no way to get Amina on the flight to Germany, and I went to bed on the Thursday night as distressed as I am sure Randy was. There seemed to be no way to get a crate there in time, however much prayer had gone up, and something told me to keep trying. I got up again and tried a phone number I had been given by someone at Lufthansa cargo in Frankfurt. I had tried the number repeatedly earlier in the day and had not gotten an answer. This time however I got through, and spoke to a cargo manager. He was going off shift but explained the problem to his colleagues, and they came up with the name and the number of Gradlyn Kennels at Frankfurt airport. After many phone calls and emails back and forth, a crate was purchased from them, and delivered to the cargo manager. He managed to get the crate loaded on the last flight into Khartoum before the 6th, and arranged for someone to pick it up and take it to Randy. Randy and Amina flew out on the same plane that had brought the crate in! We will be forever grateful to the cargo managers at Lufthansa in Frankfurt, as without their help, Randy would not have been able to bring her home.
Ryan, Hansie, Simon and Amina On the 6th I drove to Toronto to meet Randy's flight from Frankfurt. Randy drove home, and though Amina slept curled up on my lap, she had to have a nose or one paw touching Randy the entire time. She is absolutely devoted to him and just a darling with everyone. On the drive home she had Chicken McNuggets from McDonalds, and while she enjoyed those, she was not too sure about walking on grass, she had never seen it before! Arriving at the farm that evening, she met the family and all the other dogs, and Monday went for a checkup with our own vet. She is adjusting well to life here, and truly is a joy to have around. There are many people we owe thanks to for helping care for Amina and get her here. Tom, Ryan, Andrew, Johanne, Hansi, Patrick, Tony, Simon, Pravaka, Geoff, Nicole, Cathy, Youseif, Randy W, Erinn's friend Petra in Dusseldorf, Sandra at Gradlyn Kennels, the Lufthansa staff in Khartoum who got the crate to Randy and straightened out a booking problem with the dog, and two wonderful managers at Lufthansa cargo in Frankfurt! We thank God for you all, and appreciate your help more than you could possibly know. It is thanks to all of you that Amina was able to come home! Rebecca
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Namakula and Amina, they were only play fighting, the two girls had already become buddies.
I think Amina has made herself at home, now she just has some weight to gain.
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March 2008 Out of Africa
The first photos Randy got from a distance of some pups from the litter, not sure if Nyala and Namakula are among them.
When we first moved to Treherne Farm in 1994, a good friend (who knew us well) gave us a lovely gift of a doormat that had cats and dogs on it, and which proclaimed "Always room for one more!" Though we have not intentionally set out to adopt so many animals, some have just found their own way into our lives one way or another, the thought expressed on that long since worn out doormat is the sentiment we share when it comes to our furry family members. Each time a new one arrives, everyone moves over and makes a little room. Two new little ones will be arriving at Easter, Randy who has been in Africa, is on his way home shortly with two adoptees. Nyala and Namakula were part of a litter of pups born in the camp he is at, and at several weeks of age, the two decided to wriggle through the fence where the tents are, and make friends. It didn't take long for them to figure out that Randy was a soft touch who would give pets and scratches, and share bits of food with them, so the two puppies were frequent visitors, however early one morning, after another group of adult dogs had attacked and fatally injured one of their siblings, Randy grabbed the two, determined that they would not suffer the same fate.
Like that of many people in Sudan, the lot of most animals there is not a good one, and despite the many difficulties in arranging to bring these puppies home, the minute Randy took them in, a way had to be found. Though the trip was several weeks away, the planning and preparations began immediately. Phone calls galore were made to airlines, making sure that traveling with Randy as excess baggage, the pups would be on all the right connections through Europe and Toronto. Items that we in this part of the world normally go and buy for a new pet are unavailable in Darfur, so Randy's resourcefulness was put to work. A friend, later to become known as the pups "Aunty Cathy", supplied a large metal mesh storage bin, which when turned upside down made a perfect and roomy improvised crate with a door. Belts bought in the marketplace and made shorter would make collars until proper ones could be sent from here. Dog food is pretty much non existent there, but between Randy and several friends, the dogs were well supplied with meat, rice and other things to eat, and after buying a box of Twinkies at the local market, Randy discovered that the dogs adore them, so every time he ate one, the puppies had to share one too! I packed boxes with puppy food, small dog biscuits (I can't imagine how mundane they will find those after Twinkies!) chew treats, nylabones, leashes, collars, tags with their names and our contact info, blankets, towels and flea shampoo, (And a few things for Randy too!) and sent them through a friend. Airline approved dog crates were needed for the flights and with no way to purchase these in Sudan, they had to be sent air cargo at a nauseating cost! They should be arriving shortly, and Randy will begin to accustom the pups to them before the trip. On one of his visits to the marketplace, in addition to the usual purchase of several soccer balls to throw to groups of children outside the camp, Randy managed to find two small squeaky balls, which the pups briefly investigated, before returning to their preferred toys, his broom and slippers.
Nyala (named for where the pups came from) and Namakula (meaning "precious gift" in Ugandan) are quick to catch on to things. They were pretty much housetrained and walking on leads in a few days, but the savaging of Randy's slippers continued, and the broom has far fewer bristles now than when the pups first moved in! Because Randy and the pups will change planes in Frankfurt, they must meet the requirements for entry to Germany as well as Canada, and shots, though difficult to arrange due to the scarcity of vets, are not impossible to get. The pups have already had their rabies shots, and will get their DHPP shots in Khartoum before they leave. The trip itself, not including the flight to Khartoum which will be a few days prior, will take 24 hours. They will fly to Frankfurt, then to Toronto where they will clear customs, then to North Bay. I will be glad to see all three arrive safely, and will have sweaters ready for the pups, who will have to suddenly adjust from daytime temperatures of up to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, to the sometimes below freezing temperatures of a northern Ontario spring. Rebecca
The puppies are here! The crates were supposed to arrive with two weeks or so to spare, however delays held them up and Randy eventually was able to pick them up with literally ONE day to spare! Way too close for comfort! Nyala and Namakula accepted them with no difficulties, and were ready for the first leg of their journey, to Khartoum on March 15. They left for Frankfurt and finally Toronto on March 20, where Randy and the pups cleared customs and then took the last flight to our local airport on an unseasonably cold first day of spring. I met them there, dog sweaters in hand. They had traveled well and after 24 hours of flying and waiting in airports, were ready to play. We got their sweaters on, loaded the crates and Randy's backpack into the car and set off. They had by now become more familiar with riding in vehicles and sat calmly with Randy for the drive home. They had never seen snow, or rain, or puddles, but they took each new experience in their stride.
Meeting all the other dogs in our home must have been one of the most stressful parts of the whole experience for them, but it too went surprisingly well. After the introductions the pups were given food and water, and a chance to stretch and exercise, and then tucked in for the night. The next day was sunny and a bit warmer, and Nyala and Namakula began to meet some of the other animals on the farm. They strained at their leashes to meet the miniature horses through the fence, but were not so sure when Casey the Percheron came trotting up to the fence, shaking the ground! Nyala and Namakula are wonderfully sweet. Everyone who meets them comments on how gentle they are considering their start as basically wild dogs, including our vet when they went for their boosters. Many people have asked about them, noticing immediately that they are something different, and are fascinated by their unusual story. They appear to have adjusted well to all the changes and are already part of the family. The appointments have been made for spaying and neutering, and the dogs continue to investigate this strange new place. In a few weeks they will be playing on green grass, something else they have never seen. So our family is a bit bigger once again, and no slipper in the house is safe with puppies on the prowl, but all in all, everything went far better than we could have hoped, and two little desert dogs from Africa, now call Treherne Farm home!
Many, many thanks to all the people in Africa who helped Randy feed and care for these pups and arrange to get them here, and I hope I don't miss anyone...Cathy, Nicole, Gafir, Hermes, Chris, Andy, Shijo, Binu, Roberto, Youseif, Randy W. and also to Ed in Florida who took a dog home in 2006, and who helped us locate the vet in Khartoum : ) |
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February 2008 "Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace." Albert Schweitzer 1875 -1965
Winter hit early and hard this year, with heaps of snow in November, that made me worry we would not be able to move if it kept up. The plowed heaps loomed over the barnyard at monstrous heights, and the minis were quickly confined to the area around the barns and a couple of trampled paths that looped out and back, which they would trot along in single file, kicking up their heels when they felt like having a silly half hour. Even the large horses had to really pick up their feet to move through the drifts, and preferred to keep to the paths they packed down. It seemed as though this would be a long and very bad winter, but shortly after the holidays we were suddenly experiencing a warm spell, and one week into January it began to rain. The snow went down rapidly, and except for where the plowed piles of snow were, now greatly reduced in size, bare ground showed everywhere. This was a surprise indeed, but nothing compared to looking out the kitchen window on January 8, and seeing a garter snake moving across the yard! I could not believe my eyes, the garter snakes never appear much earlier than late April here, but I was not seeing things. Wherever it's burrow was, it must have filled with water in the downpour. I was about to go out and pick it up, when Morgan raced past me to the door. She adores reptiles and amphibians, almost as much as her beloved cats. The snake although sluggish was awake enough to feel threatened and assumed a defensive posture, warning her it would bite, but Morgan carefully picked it up and it immediately realized she was not going to hurt it and curled around her hand. Unsure what to do with it, I suggested letting it go under the shed. Our pot bellied pig is housed there for the winter, with a thick bed of straw, and a heat lamp for warmth, so although it was cold underneath, the ground should not be completely frozen. Hopeful that the snake would be able to finish out it's hibernation there without freezing, I sent Morgan to release it. When the snake was placed in a gap under the shed however, it did not slither off to seek a space to sleep, but curled up on the cold ground and refused to move. What were we to do now? We could not leave it there to freeze, so into the house it came. Although we like snakes, we have never owned them, as we refuse to keep animals that require feedings of live or frozen mice, rats or other mammals. It does not seem fair to us, to sacrifice any living, breathing, feeling creature to another pet, so much as Morgan would love a pet snake, this was not something we had ever had to care for. Housing was not a problem, an empty fish tank with a lid was found and set up, but feeding was another story. A quick internet search was done, and it seemed that worms or pieces of freshwater fish made good food for Garters, and since no worms were available at this time of year, small thawed strips of frozen fish would have to do. We are waiting for spring to release our temporary houseguest, named "Neggie" by Morgan, but in the meantime are enjoying this close up look at this fascinating creature. I would never have guessed that a snake might develop a relationship with a human, however Neggie definitely seems to have bonded with Morgan. He (she?) will calmly slither over any of our hands, arms, or even our heads, but when he is with Morgan he curls up in her sleeve or the warmth of her neck under her hair, and is content to stay there for hours. It is an amazing thing to see. He is so interesting to watch in his tank as well. We have never before seen a snake drink water, but he slurps it up like a dog drinking from a bowl, and one of his favourite places to sleep is often curled up right in his water dish.
It is beyond me how so many people can be afraid of or hurt these wonderful creatures. Harmless, and so very beneficial to gardens and the environment, they are fascinating and beautiful animals that have a place and a purpose on this earth. It is perhaps not everyone's cup of tea to actually handle them, but live and let live is still to me, a very relevant thought with regard to even the smallest of animals. A person's fear or dislike of any creature is simply not a good enough reason to harm or do away with it. We are certainly enjoying this brief experience and when spring comes and Neggie is set free to be on his way, I hope it will be only into the gardens of caring people he goes. And if he decides to stay and live in ours, that would be just fine with us! Rebecca |
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Randy
has returned again from Sudan with another addition to the family. After
managing to get Nyala and Namakula here in March (who by the way have
now been spayed and neutered and have really grown and put on weight) he
had no intention of bringing another dog home, however out on a run
around the camp, a friend spotted an injured puppy and mentioned it to
Randy. The young dog had been caught in a razor wire fence the day
before and her lower right front leg was split wide open. Now the leg
was very swollen, the wound dried and full of sand, and she had a fever.
The man who had the pup was unconcerned about the wound but allowed
Randy and Tom to take the dog, so off they went in search of Ryan, the
medic. The pup's leg was cleaned but was too swollen to stitch, so it
was bandaged for the night and she was started on antibiotics. The next
day they were able to get her into town to a vet, who used local
anesthetic and was able to stitch the jagged wound together. The young
dog settled down to sleep on a blanket in Randy's tent, and I was duly
informed that the Ashworth family had a new member! 
