The most important person in the house...

Mike had two young hedgehogs in his garden a few years ago. We had to take them to a hedgehog rescue as they were too small to survive the winter. It was obvious there was a problem as they were coming out in the daytime. They were a nightmare to catch: we arranged to take them to rescue the following day and then they didn’t appear ( we weren’t going to be there for several weeks so they had to be caught that night). 8 , 9, 10pm and still no sign of them. Then, at 11 I heard them whistle. One was easy to catch but then the other one didn’t appear. Eventually I saw her and she was so feisty (I assume it was the little girl that was feisty!). I wish I’d contacted hedgehog rescue the following spring to see how they’d got on. We’ve got two hedgehog houses in the garden now. I do worry about them as badgers tend to turn over the houses and kill them. I’ll try to dig out the photos I took of them. Mikes DIL runs a hedgehog rescue in Leicester. They need to be fed chicken cat food I believe.
 
Not many realise that badgers eat hedgehogs. I have seen the remains often in this part of the country and it’s interesting since we have had a badger cull here, there has been a huge resurgence in the hedgehog population....not a co-incidence!

Love seeing them...we have a pair in our garden, one of which I think is hibernating in the barn. Have to be careful with the dogs as my greyhound thinks she can pick them up, prickles and all!
 
When I first lived in North London I was amazed to see a hedgehog in our back garden.
 
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Animals kill because they are hungry.i saw a post on facebook of a hedgehog eating whilst a fox sat waiting for his turn and then in another photo they were lay side by side.
Badgers and foxes are supposed not to get on but on another post they were playing with a ball together and one of the badgers was in the inflatable paddling pool.
I love to see posts like this.
The other day there was a video of a 2 legged fox who was walking on its 2 front legs.experts said it looked really healthy and was probably born like it.it looked like it was doing handstands.
 
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My father-in-law used to do a lot of beating and picking-up at shoots before he retired (has participated in hundreds as a gun too), and one of his best friends has been a breeder of quality gun-dogs for years.

Upon hearing we were on the lookout for a dog, he gave us Ash (pictured) for the princely sum of a bacon roll as he was dropping her off with us.

Ash has all the Kennel Club stamps, and had shed one litter before she came to us in May. Having never owned a dog before, I have to say it has been a life-enriching move.

Edit: we also acquired our first cat in February, but she’s a bitey little cu*nt, and undeserving of a photo, until she smartens up her act.
 
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Outsider said:
Animals kill because they are hungry.i saw a post on facebook of a hedgehog eating whilst a fox sat waiting for his turn and then in another photo they were lay side by side.
Badgers and foxes are supposed not to get on but on another post they were playing with a ball together and one of the badgers was in the inflatable paddling pool.
I love to see posts like this.
The other day there was a video of a 2 legged fox who was walking on its 2 front legs.experts said it looked really healthy and was probably born like it.it looked like it was doing handstands.
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I saw that picture of the fox. Couldn’t believe it. Foxes and Badgers share sets I believe. When it’s been raining I have occasionally seen a Badger on a nearby lane looking for slugs and I once saw a fox following it. I’ve seen both of them in that area so assume they live together. When I’m in Northumberland I often see a Badger on the village green. A few weeks ago I saw two Otters crossing the road late at night. I’m still buzzing about that!
 
I read up on Pine Martens and chickens and it sounded horrific. Probably more difficult to proof a coop against them to. Like most mustelids they’re highly intelligent. We have mink round here which is bad news for the local water voles. A thousand curses on the animal rights people that foolishly released them from mink farms. I rescued a weasel from the cat years ago. Put it in a bucket and took it to a nearby field to release. Instead of scampering away it turned round and ran straight at me. Feisty little things and very smelly. I knew straight away that there was something in the living room that shouldn’t be there. I did see a stoat dragging a road kill pigeon to it’s nest once. Pigeon was twice it’s size. I spent my childhood in the Birmingham slums: my playgrounds were bomb sites so as I got older I’ve found any interaction with nature quite magical. I was in my late teens before I realised that the picture on my mum’s packet of Woodbines was actually a beautiful flower that I could see in hedgerows.
 
We applied just before Covid to rehome a retired or out-of-training guide dog but obviously circumstances knocked all that on the head.

If we can't get to Spain a new option has opened up to us. Apparently the local guide dogs place is looking for fosterers for in-training dogs, looking after them weekends & evenings.

This really appeals, especially if we can get a fella that looks like either of these (from the guide dogs site):

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Arthur.jpg

I'm late to this thread, but it's been a wonderful and tearful read at times! We get so attached to our little friends.

Here's Arthur. We live at 27, but he "lives" at 66. Except he doesn't - he lives with us. They might "own" him, but he has adopted my wife and I as his house companions. Luckily, we get on very well with 66, so we don't feed him, and he goes "home" to be fed. If we fed him, he would never go home, and they would never see Arthur. And we would, effectively, have stolen someone else's cat. So, we don't do that, and we pay half his vet bills too.

Funnily enough, I prefer dogs, but he has totally stolen my heart over the past four years. I have even stopped eating meat, because I love Arthur so much. Mental, I know. But that's what they can do to you.
 
Yes, I'm not a cat person but not long after we got married (1981) a neighbour's cat seemed intent on adopting us. His name was Tigger and he was a very affectionate wee fella. I got to quite like him but we moved away not long after. We'd never encourage him or anything. He'd just come along and sit on our kitchen window sill but if we ever opened the door or window he was in like a flash. He just seemed to want attention.

Mrs O insists I have some kind of connection with animals. For some reason they seem to take to me. In our last house a short-term - thankfully - neighbour had two devil-dogs with a fearsome reputation. One night they got out and were roaming the street. I'd left our side gate open and they'd got into the back garden where our rabbit was. Fearing for the wee soul, I went out to engage with the dogs as best I could, with Mrs O urging me not to. I managed to get them to come towards me in an unthreatening manner and they responded to my prompts to get them to follow me back to the owner's house. Fair play to the guy, he was very apologetic but it was an episode I wouldn't want to repeat.
 
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I can’t have cats any more. Lost too many and I’m paranoid about losing another. I tried having house cats for a few years but it didn’t seem right not letting them have their freedom. They had a pen outside but we couldn’t have windows open or open the front door without knowing where the cats were. One girl did get out when she was very young and was killed on the road that evening. I remember my daughter and I lying in bed that night crying our eyes out. They were Burmese and they have a habit of getting into peoples cars and being found miles from home. They have no road sense. We had to change all the door handles because one learned how to open doors. Another one was a sock eater ( they tend to do that). He once ate a hole in every one of several pairs of socks that I’d bought for the children. And an Arran sweater that my husbands mother had knitted for him). We’d lost the best cat in the world. Douglas, who my husband found as a tiny stray and brought back from the Isle of Man in a cardboard box inside his motorbike leathers. He arrived home in the early hours of the morning and presented me with the box. I’ve never forgotten this tiny black kitten getting out and chasing his tail. It was my fault that he died. I used to feed him the same food as the dogs and read years later that you shouldn’t do that.He used to sleep in our bed with his little head on the pillow. I’ve never forgiven myself for his death. He was only 10. He looked oriental which is why we decided to get a couple of Burmese kittens. But he was irreplaceable. I look on my Whippet as a cat substitute. DO: if you do go to Spain you may end up with a Galgo. The huntsmen just throw them out at the end of the hunting season and they dog rescues are always looking to find homes for them.
 
moehat said:
DO: if you do go to Spain you may end up with a Galgo. The huntsmen just throw them out at the end of the hunting season and they dog rescues are always looking to find homes for them.
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'Galgo' to me means 'greyhound' so I presume it is maybe just the general word for a hound. (Thinking back, I don't think I ever used/taught the word at school/FE other than when recounting my visits to the greyhound racing in Barcelona.
 
Galgos are greyhounds but bred more for endurance than speed ( according to Wikipedia). Then there are Podencos that are smaller and have very comical ears. I’ve seen quite a few rescue Podencos on my dog walks.
 
Desert Orchid said:
We applied just before Covid to rehome a retired or out-of-training guide dog but obviously circumstances knocked all that on the head.

If we can't get to Spain a new option has opened up to us. Apparently the local guide dogs place is looking for fosterers for in-training dogs, looking after them weekends & evenings.

This really appeals, especially if we can get a fella that looks like either of these (from the guide dogs site):

View attachment 2919
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They are gorgeous- do miss my goldie. You might be able to puppy walk for them as well DO - and that’s only a year I think, so your Spain plans might not be affected much?


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