Kramer is ill.

I have just learned that Kramer is ill. Apparently he had a stroke on Friday last. When my husband returned from work on Friday he found Kramer all wobbly with his eyes rolling in his head. He promptly took him to the vet. It appears that he has had a stroke! He is not a well boy. He is still at the vet - and the concern at the moment is that he is not eating. He is getting on in years now. Here I am in China while he is not well, and I am shedding a few tears already. I wonder what will happen to our lovely Kramer.

Kramer and the Robber

While I was in China we had a robbery at home. MM was mowing the lawns out the front of the house and a young man took the opportunity of sneaking in the side gate and entering the house via the back door.

Kramer was in the back yard.

When MM finished mowing and put the mower in the shed he looked around for Kramer. He was no where to be seen.

When MM went in the house he was surprised to see Kramer inside, and it was a short time later that he found that his wallet, camera etc had been stolen. He realized what had happened and called the Police.

We knew Kramer was not a good watch dog - but it seems that he was let inside the house by the robber. Probably made friends with the robber!

(Ps - Insurance cover the cost of the loss - new cards, money, wallet, mobile phone, etc, etc) and as far as we know the robber is still at large.

Kramer? He's still friends with everyone - he can't tell which ones are friends and which are robbers. Probably lucky he didn't give the robber a hard time as he might have been injured.

Two snorers

I'm not happy that Kramer is now sleeping in the bedroom - but how can I change it now? How can I make him return to his night bed of many years downstairs near the laundry? In the house, but not in the human's living quarters.

So I have to endure two snorers in the bedroom now! I really must put on my tape recorder and record the amazing sounds of these two snoring - not in sync, but creating a strange noise that can keep me awake. At the moment I am rarely home as I am house sitting. Not far from home, so I spend a lot of time with my two snorers, though luckily not much at night!

Kramer is losing his hearing - and so I can arrive at the house and walk in without him noticing. Watch dog indeed!

(We know he isn't a good watch dog. We still don't know what he did several months ago when a real thief entered our house and helped himself to MM's wallet, camera and other things! Probably slept through it all!)

Sure he is getting older, and no doubt his faculties are diminishing, but he's happy. Happy to go to get the paper in the morning (in the car!) and happy to laze around. When the grandchildren visit, he perks up a bit and makes himself comfortable with them.

Life goes on!

Kramer gets fat

I've returned from China - and as MM and major carer of Kramer while I was away, had also visited China so that we could return together so Kramer stayed in style with his carer at Manly.

We arrived in Brisbane around 9.30 am - very weary after 28 hours without much sleep (who can sleep well on an airplane unless they are travelling at the pointy end of the plan?) - and called in to collect Kramer early in the afternoon.

There he was lying on his back, on the couch with his carer who was gently rubbing his tummy, as they both watched a replay of the Wimbledon tennis singles finals from the night before. His tummy was bulging! Fat as........

He was so well cared for and spoiled he took a few minutes to register that we - his owners and carers for most of his life - had arrived. I think he had to consider his options at this point. Slowly he acknowledged us, and I picked up this huge "conjob" of a dog. He had apparently turned his nose up at his usual food, so rice was added, and then in the end, he'd conned the carers enough that he seemed to be sharing whatever they ate!!!!

And he had put on weight. His tummy was bulging!

He was too well cared for!!! Spoiled rotten. He even slept with the carers. On their bed!!!!

What a life Kramer has had.

Now, he's hardly neglected at home. While I have been away in China, he's slept all night in the main bedroom with MM!!!!!

Kramer hates kennels

One of the problems when one has an domestic pet is that they need care 24/7, 365 days of each year and it is a bit restrictive when one wants to travel from home.

So with me in China, and MM wanting to go to a conference on the Gold Coast the issue of Kramer's care arose. There was an advertisement for some dog carers who take care of the animals in their home, just like a boarder. The people had previously had their own pets, but were without them at the time and decided to care for the pets of other people rather than get another one.

So Kramer when there for a few days. I think he was very spoiled - in any case, he returned home safely and not as stressed as he usually does coming from the kennels.

A new solution has arisen. It is a little more expensive than kennels, plus we had to provide his food, but the conditions are much more personal. And he liked it.

In China

As I am in China now I have not seen Kramer for several weeks now - except on Skype. He has no idea that he is being held in front of a camera for me to see him. I do miss all at home - Kramer especially - but that is life as I learn more about China and teach English here.

I do not see many dogs here in China - but strangely a lot more than I expected to see. I saw two on a busy road on Sunday and feared for them, but I suspect that any dog that ventures on to a Chinese road is either very silly or very clever. I think though that most people would go out of their way to dodge them.

Surprisingly many of my students are afraid of dogs. Few have them as pets at home, so they are a little fearful of them.

I didn't bring a photo of Kramer - but one day when I work out how to use the AV at the school, I will show them some photos of him.

Check up on my exploits in China here.

The stolen tomato sandwich

Yesterday I made myself a tomato sandwich - and it was a good one with thick slices of tomato on my linseed bread. I had eaten half of it, when I suddenly remembered I needed to get something from my bedroom draw, so left my sandwich on it's place on the coffee table. I was gone from the room for only a minute or two, but when I returned Kramer was happily munching on my sandwich. He had somehow climbed up to the table - at least leaned up with his front paws and taken it and eaten the lot. I know I shouldn't have tempted him - and I know by the way he licked his lips that he enjoyed the snack.

Afterwards he went back to doing what he does most of the time - sleeping. He is going to miss me when I go to China. He's funny when I come home from one of my adventures - he "dumps" MM who has cared for him in my absence and becomes my very best friend.

Lazy Days

It is hard to get Kramer motivated. Perhaps it is the heat and humidity, or just that he is getting older, but it is hard to get him to do anything. In fact if we left him to sleep all day IN the house, he would be fine.

He has been very naughty and noisy - in part due to noisy neighbours I suspect - but he's barked at night. We know he only wants to come inside the house - and forsake his "bedroom" downstairs.

So I decided to take him for a walk. Walk? You can almost hear him protesting. He leaps up and around when the lead is produced and he helps to put it on, but at 6 feet from the bottom of the steps he stops. It is hard to know why - is he wanting someone to carry him on his "walk"?

Sometimes we have no choice - he just refuses to budge - but I insisted he walk. He'd walk a short distance and stop. And just sit and look around him as if he is on a sightseeing tour.

Until I "kickstart" him again.

It is so painful. No wonder we don't enthusiastically organise a walk for him as often as we should.

Wet and smelly

We have had constant rain for several weeks. Not always heavy rain, although there is widespread flooding in south east Queensland and northern New South Wales, and millions dollars of damage has been done.

Here we have had more rain than in recent times, but still are in "drought" officially as our water supplies are less than optimum.

The trouble with days of rain, and high humidity is that dogs (and cats, and other animals I guess) get to smell. Kramer is really on the bugle. Phew!

And guess what a dog will do when he/she has just been washed? Roll in the wet smelly grass. So one has to be well organised to wash the dog and get him dried quickly and inside. We do use a hair dryer to dry him, but he's often very challenged by the noise of the dryer. But he looks and smells so nice when he is nice and clean.

I think today is dog washing day!

Lazy Dog

Kramer's not done anything very strenuous lately. I know he is getting older - and the weather has been wet and windy, so he seldom goes outside. He stays indoors as long as he can and sleeps as long as he can.

Still cute. But lazy!