Croquette

Look who I met amongst the sunglasses in the pharmacy. Don't you just love Airedales that are fluffy like this...

Meet Croquette who is 4 years old and lives in Menton. She was born on the 07/07/07 which I'd think is very lucky, wouldn't you?

Low-Maintenance Pets

While many families opt to have a dog as the family pet, they are not always the best choice. Between working, going to an east coast law school and my husband in a full-time nursing degree program, we needed a pet that didn’t require a lot of attention and didn’t mind the cold weather. My kids begged for a dog, but when we presented them with much “cooler” options, they were happy to oblige.

Here is a list of the top five low-maintenance pets:

1.      Snakes- Snakes are fairly simple pets to keep. They stay in their cage all day, unless you want to take them out, and are quite easy to maintain. If you are squeamish, however, you may want to avoid them as you most likely will have to feed them mice. Snakes are definitely not for everyone, but can make great pets for those who are well aware of everything that goes into properly taking care of them.

2.      Spiders- While some people are scared even at the mention of spiders, these creatures can make great pets. They require small cages, easy cleaning and simple maintenance. You definitely want to keep them in their cage, and they are more for just observing, but many people love having them as pets. Tarantulas are great because so many people are fascinated by them and are fairly inexpensive.

Be sure to buy spiders from reputable pet stores or breeders.

3.      Birds- From parakeets to love birds to cockatiels, birds are wonderful pets that are great alternatives to dogs. The biggest task with birds is cleaning their cage, but other than that, they are simple to care for. You can train them to repeat what you say and even sing songs on demand.

Some birds can even be very loving and nestle into your neck!

4.      Turtles- Turtles are fun pets with low maintenance needs. All that they require is making sure its habitat has enough light, shade, moisture, clean water, a basking lamp, and of course, food. The lamp is very important because they generally require 12 hours of sunlight, and using the right UV lamp will help the turtle get the amount of vitamin D3 it requires to stay healthy.

You can buy turtles that are very small and live in an indoor cage or even bigger turtles that can live in your backyard.

5.      Iguanas – Iguanas are the most popular type of pet lizard and for good reason. They are very fun animals to have and do not require much maintenance. Like turtles, they must be supplied with the proper basking light so that they can soak up the Vitamin D that their bodies need. They tend to stay in their cage all day to absorb the light, but can be taken out to be played with as well.

One advantage of these pets is that they don’t make any noise and won’t become a nuisance like a barking dog might.

Pocket in a Bag

We all get older and here's a Yorkie sitting comfortably in his very own carrying bag. Meet Pocket who is 12 years of age and was in Menton on holiday from his home in the Tarn.

Fanny

Meet Fanny who is 15 months old and lives in Menton. See how tenderly how owner strokes her.

No need to mention that it was a windy day when I took these photos. Isn't she adorable!

Happy St Patrick's Day !!

Don't forget to wear something green today.

- Jonny " Leprechaun " Justice

Know more about El Cid Sales Practices

El Cid Sales Practices are often used to promote several remarkable products to customers. The company actually sells memberships and timeshares that basically provide the travelers an all in one getaway experience to some of the world’s best beach resorts. Through the sales practices of the company, customers will have the unique experience when it comes to tour packages. Thus, it can be considered as an advice as well as recommendation to those who want to greatest escapade of their life. 

Even non-members can enjoy the experience and eventually prefer to have a timeshare of their own to practice the rights of the official members, thus, you can also get an access to the three well known El Cid resorts in Cozumel, Mazatlan, and Cancun or Riviera Maya. On the other hand, members can also get unrestricted access to other partner resorts and venues of El Cid around the world. Other than that, members have the chance to earn points which they can use to purchase vacation stays which can be used for the next year in case the opportunity is not used. Nevertheless, you should not be afraid the reliability of the sales practices because these are conceptualized and administered by tough sales and marketing experts.

With El Cid Sales Practices, you can have the experience of a lifetime to beautiful beach resorts in collaboration with the company, thereby offering the members a grand vacation with lowest price possible.On the other hand, not only the members of the El Cid club programs can benefit from the excellent services of the company.

Rouky

Walking home from the Fete du Citron I saw this lovely dog asleep under a table. He posed with his special training lead but later his owner removed it for photo but then he wouldn't keep still. A lovely dog and active like many Brittany Spaniels.

Rouky is 2 years old and was on holiday in Menton from his home in Belgium.

Building an Outdoor Dog House

If your house is not spacious enough to accommodate your dog, you can think of building an outdoor dog house. As the owner, it is your responsibility to ensure your pet’s security and comfort. Your pet may not live peacefully if it doesn’t have a spacious, safe and weather proof shelter. Many dog owners feel that building an outdoor dog house is an expensive affair and it takes a lot of effort as well. 

In reality, building a dog house is not as difficult as you think. It is neither so expensive that you can not afford it. With a little planning and some useful tips, you can easily build an outdoor dog house.

Let us have a look at the outdoor dog house options.

Pre-planned dog house: Giving a shelter to your dog is not enough if the shelter is so small that your dog can not move freely. You should have a pre-defined space in your garden or yard where you can build the dog house. Measuring this space will help you to avoid buying excess material. You can also buy a pre-made dog house depending on the measurement. An ideal shelter should be 20-30 feet in length and 10-20 feet in width.

Dog House made of Nylon Panels: Nylon is one of the most cost effective materials you can use for your dog house. You can build the walls as well as the roof with nylon panels. It is an ideal material for weather proofing. Moreover it gives your dog an airy living area since nylon is breathable.

Affordable Materials: Building a dog house with iron or steel can be an expensive affair you can opt for some alternative materials like wood, chicken wire and PVC to build nice and sturdy outdoor dog houses.

Setting up a dog house is not very difficult. You can do it yourself instead of hiring professionals. This will save you a good deal of money.

Pepsi the Ratter

Pepsi has been fixed to a post alongside her owner whilst the family watch the Corso (parade) at the Fete du Citron in Menton.

She's ten years old - her owner told me she's a good ratter. She lives in the Luberon, a beautiful part of Provence.

Emmie at the Corso

Two year old Emmie was having a lovely time at the Fete du Citron parade on Sunday. Lovely alert Yorkie and proud owner.

They come from a village in Normandy called Sainte Mere Eglise. The village was made famous by the paratrooper John Steel and by the film "The Longest Day". John Steel managed to land on the church and his chute caught on the steeple. He hung there for two hours while the fighting continued on the ground before being cut down by the Germans, taken prisoner and later released by the Americans.

Real-Life Examples of Pet Insurance Claims

Heather Reynolds is a pet lover and internet journalist at Trupanion, North America’s fastest growing pet insurance provider. Trupanion offers a simple, customizable pet insurance policy with no payout limits and 90% coverage of veterinary bills. Enrolled pets receive lifetime coverage for diagnostic tests, surgeries, and medications if they get sick or are injured, with no incident, annual or lifetime limit.

 

The fact is that one in two pets will suffer from a major healthcare crisis in its lifetime and with veterinary medicine becoming more advanced every year, it is getting more and more expensive to treat these health issues. We must figure out a way to pay for these healthcare crises, and if disposable income is lacking, pet insurance can help.

Unfortunately, too many times, pet owners bet on the hope that their pet will be one of the lucky ones, and only look into pet insurance once their pet has developed an emotionally and financially draining condition. At that point, it’s too late to insure against that condition, as it would then be considered pre-existed. Insuring early and before any health issues arise is the most beneficial time.

Still not convinced? The best way to see the value of pet insurance is to learn about real-life situations that have benefited from the pet being insured. The following are some cases we have seen here at Trupanion, a pet insurance provider.

Coyote Attack

Evan, a 4-year-old Whippet had an unfortunate run-in with a coyote which left him with many wounds. He had to undergo surgery. The total veterinary cost was $1,150.26. After the exam fee (which Trupanion does not pay) and the 10% co-pay, Evan’s owners were reimbursed $947.93.

Hit by Car

Coffee the Sheltie was hit by a car, which resulted in a broken pelvis and a ruptured bladder. He had to visit his veterinarian several times for treatment, which included surgery. The total veterinary cost totaled $8,111.63. After the exam fee and co-pay, Coffee’s owners were reimbursed $7,075.47.

Pheumonia

Colby, a 6-year-old Siberian Husky, made a trip to the emergency veterinarian due to persistent pneumonia. He received radiographs, fluids, medications, and anesthesia for an endoscopy. The total veterinary cost equaled $1,651.36. After the co-pay (the exam fee was waived by the vet), Colby’s owners were reimbursed $1,486.22.

Osteochondritis Dissecans

This condition occurs when the cartilage of the joints becomes detached from the bones. Reggie, a Chocolate Labrador Retriever, was diagnosed with OCD on his right leg. He received treatment that included surgery, medications, and a sling for recovery. The total veterinary cost was $2,516.57. After deductible and co-pay, Reggie’s owners were reimbursed $2,245.11.

In each of these instances, the owners of these pets were able to quickly agree to expensive veterinary care without worrying about the cost. None of these pet owners intended for their pets to become so sick or injured, and many of the conditions couldn’t have been prevented.

The best intentions to keep our pets safe can only protect them so much. Chance and misfortune sometimes intrude. Pet insurance can help guard against these intrusions.

Do you have pet insurance? What has been your experience?

Foxy Roxy

Roxy is only eleven months old but already knows how beautiful she is. In the main photo she looks as if she's hatching a plot to steal all the dog biscuits - but of course she wasn't. She was quite shy with the big dogs until she got used to them but later shared a bed with a Labrador.

Roxy lives in Monaco.

Niky

Look at this adorable confident little Pomeranian. He's called Niky and he's 4 years old and lives in Monte Carlo. I met him walking along by the yachts in Port Hercule.