GONE TO THE DOGS - ZERO FOOD WASTE

Well, that's another Christmas down, and fridges around the country are groaning under the weight of all those family dinner leftovers (in fact there is a food advisory ad campaign doing the rounds here right now to warn people of the dangers of food poisoning from tidbits that may have sat around in the summer heat for a little too long).  I didn't make it though the month completely guiltless despite my zero food waste efforts - I can own up to 1 cucumber, half an eggplant, quarter of a pot of yoghurt and a bunch of mint. So I'll wrap up the year with another quick couple of suggestions before coming up with a different personal challenge for January (but including a resolution to come up with a better food plan system from now on).

Anyway, now might be the time to indulge your pets a little if you do have more food than you can handle on your plates. That glib remark that I made in my first post about never having leftovers if you have a dog was based more in fact than humour. My dog, the first dog I've owned, is a little over 7 years old now and he has been instrumental in keeping my food waste to a minimum since he arrived -  puppy size -  into my life.

SLEEPY SUNRISE

My dog isn't a bed sleeper per se, but every morning at about 5.30 he hops up for a morning cuddle and will loll around for as long as he can get away with it (or until he gets hungry). It's quite a sweet ritual, so I'm pretty indulgent... (i.e, a sucker)

DOWN BY THE CREEK

I'm continually stunned that there is such a beautiful freshwater river system running through what is mostly a suburban area. I often see kids swimming and playing in Rapid Creek while I'm walking or cycling through the surrounding parks. My hound also has his own favourite plunge pool along the way;

CANAL

water! the horrors!

One of the advantages of having a brand spanking new puppy to try and keep trained and/or exhausted is getting to know some local scenery. I walk down by this canal near our apartment a lot, and the enclosed pathway has been very useful for teaching the pooch a bit of off-leash training and recall. It's quite a pretty walk and great for keeping watch on the unfolding spring season...and I imagine that without the persistent prod of a pooch that wants some outdoors time, I would never even have found out about it.

EVEN MY DOG HAS A CHIROPRACTOR

I've never had a dog before. In fact, I've only very sporadically had cats and have never had the occasion to take any of them to the vet. However, being as I am a newly responsible, mature and adult dog owner (read 'wallet on legs') I have had a couple of recent visits for booster shots and the like. This last visit came with a singularly bizarre witch doctory chiropractic session where my fairly confused and generally overexcited dog was treated to some reiki style micro manipulations from the local vet who, as far as I could tell, appeared to be casting out localised stresses with dramatic flourishes of her wrist.

Oh well, he's no more or less insane than usual.

SOCIALITE

It appears that owning a dog in France is like obtaining an open pass to converse with any and all strangers you meet on the street. Whether you want to or not...you have little choice in the matter. While his little cocker eyes don't fool me for a second (well, apart from that bit that saw me forking over a bunch of cash to buy him), they seem to work wonders on all passers by that either have a dog, had a dog, want a dog or are quite simply insane. Being, as we are, in France, this figure is somewhere around the 98% mark.

TOUTOU

Mr Francais, master of the poorly thought out idea, lived up to his reputation this weekend and decided the best way to repair the most recent bout of relationship strain was to get a puppy. I didn't really have the energy to argue the point but wasn't really expecting that we'd find a suitable canine candidate so was happy just to wander around and look at fluffy things...until I met my canine kryptonite; a cocker spaniel.  Well, there's zero preparation in the apartment, shoes and cables and dvds lying about as we leave the house with no intention of getting a dog...and come back a lot poorer with an armful of canine...(well, I'm poorer at any rate, somehow I ended up paying for all of this).

To be honest though, I could do with the company (and the exercise).