2016

Howdy, how're you going?

For those of you who are joining us for the first time - welcome. And to returning friends - welcome back! Well, it’s been a busy month with Great Dog Morning Teas in support of Save Kiwi Month, Pet Expos and all manner of animal antics. It is great to get up close and meet and greet the people and animals that we create products for and connect with the wider community.
 
On the Save Kiwi Month, it's not just an initiative that lasts a month, this should be something that is front of mind all year round. Our kiwi is the icon of New Zealand and unfortunately is incredibly susceptible to predator attacks, so with Christmas approaching and travel on our minds be sure to check out where kiwis are prevalent and ensure you keep your dog under control in these areas when traveling...

Howdy, how're you going?

Being a dog-friendly office, we had had quite a lot of Poppy time at work over the last couple of weeks much to everyone’s delight. I notice she has a ritual when we arrive in the mornings: a quick scoot around the desks and offices to check out who's in the house and (no doubt) who has left a tasty morsel in their rubbish bin. Then it's laying in wait for each person to arrive whereby they are greeted with a lashing tail and bum wiggle with the expectation of a pat and a cuddle. From there, Friday's pie day so there are sad brown eyes and chins on knees everywhere trying to scab a tiny morsel of pie crust. If I can’t find Poppy in my office she is generally trying to score a titbit or has managed to find a sunny spot by a window - uncanny how they manage to do that.

Welcome to the Jimbo's July Newsletter. Here we are deep in the heart of winter, mud puddles everywhere and soon-to-be daffodils and ducklings gracing the landscape.
Given that it's winter and the chill is on, Poppy the dog is Pyjamafied every night before bed and it’s always a little of a battle. It kinda goes like this:

Dad: “Okay bud, time for bed, PJs on and piddle and poo.”
Poppy (mind bubble): “Oh but Dad it's cold out there and scary and wet and the fire's sooo warm and do I have to...!?”

My Mum and Dad have a pocket rocket; that is to say they have an energetic wee scally-wag of a dog named Molly. She’s what some would call a miniature Foxy, she’s what I would call a fart in a jar waiting for someone to take the lid off. When they do, woohoo, it’s like I’m only little but I have the energy of something twice the size that’s powered by Kryptonite and I’m going to show you just how exciting that is all in one simple movement that involves my whole body wriggling and accelerating at close to the speed of sound while dodging most things in my path while circumnavigating the space that I currently occupy. Just the thought of it makes me tired, add to this explosion of energetic excitability my old girl Poppy, and the whole situation intensifies to a point of a black, white and brown blur defying the laws of modern physics, gravity and all canine logic and sensibilities while causing distress, hilarity and genuine concerns for all personal and public safety for all people in the near vicinity.

The Cat that was named CC, an $8 purchase from the pet store up the road, purchased at a time when there was some sadness at home due to a family bereavement and a bouquet just wasn’t going to cut it. So, a kitten to brighten up our lives. Small, black, inquisitive, playful and hopefully-very-cuddly soon grew into, large (like "look at the size of him" large), free-ranging, self willed, hard-arsed and staunch. That was my CC. Every now and then (twice in 18 years) something would get the better of him, and the second time it was life itself. He was a cross between the Fonz, Barry Crump and Joseph Parker I guess. He made his own rules, set his own schedules and slept wherever the heck he wanted to thanks very much. He let us reside with him for 18 years and never asked for much, just moseyed on in when he felt like it and made his presence known. We still have a cat - a little black girl named Ono. She's a very different cat in many ways to CC, but only having one seems a little empty... It might be time to re-populate. They are going to be hard paw prints to fill. I’ll keep you posted on how we get on.