What has become our traditional annual event is at our usual venue, Salle de Fete, La Bigottiere on Sunday, 4th December. There will be lots of bargains that you have come to expect and a full contingency of our benevoles happy to welcome you.
We have beautiful handcrafted goods unique to Grande Daze and specially made by our supporters. All through the year it’s been a hive of activity with our benevoles making dog blankets and cosy linings/beds and coats to keep your pets warm, plus many other articles.
Our refreshment area will again have delicious cakes and hot beverages and even mulled wine to give that special feeling of the Christmas Season.
Bangles, Brooches and Beads
We have lots of baubles, bangles and beads at bargain prices for that colourful stocking filler and a collection of special silver items some set with amber.
A very emotional time for me personally and the the mogs. Sadly I lost my Mum at the beginning of August just days before the Covid restriction were lifted. Then there was a 5 weeks delay before we could hold the funeral. During these weeks I lost my oldest residen, Vicki, (mummy cat). So, no more grey cat in the house, except, along came a cat called Fish, a beautiful silver grey kitten. Fish was a stray and the couple who fed her couldn’t keep her, so, home with me! She was quarantined in the spare bathroom and then we waited to see if we could find her a new home. Sadly the only person looking for a kitten didn’t want a boring grey one. There is absolutely nothing boring about Fish. She got her name as the couple had called her Silver and I grew up with Silverfish living in bathrooms. Silver became Fish, which she answers to and has a brilliant recall. The Vet thinks her mum had a chance meeting with a British Blue, so, another counterfeit cat!
In October I went with Anita to visit another refuge to see if she could help a very sad, frightened and almost totally deaf Mudi. Needless to say, after several visits the Mudi joined Grande Daze and Mili, an old lady feline, with arthritis following pelvic and hind leg injuries which had no treatment, came home with me. (look out for Shota”s (pronounced Show-ter) story next month).
Mili is semi long haired and, in her prime, would have been a big cat, probably a rag doll cross. She had been found in the street in very poor condition. However, she hadn’t lost her attitude and greeted me with a very raucous meow and hugged my neck with her front paws. Her chances of being adopted were very slim but, me, I’m a soft touch! After several visits to the vets, to get her arthritis treatment sorted out, there’s been no looking back. She now has a monthly injection and when she wants to she can get a good turn of speed on and good jumping abilities, but only if she thinks you’re not looking! Her favourite meal is boiled chicken and the others don’t get a look in. She doesn’t put up with any nonsense from other cats or dogs and will tell me where to go if I persist in grooming or moving her. She kindly lets me share my bed with her.
Co-habiting – enjoying the sunshine
Once again the house was full, as Splodge decided winter 2021/2022 sleeping indoors made sense to him. Thugly became a house-cat, “Thank you very much but don’t touch me human!”. Feeding several village residents continued. The arrival of spring saw several new faces on the block; plus Splodge’s brother, looking very much worse for wear. There was no chance of getting hold of him but over this autumn he has picked up again. After making inquiries and finding no owners three more stray cats have been neutered and let go to continue on their merry way. The most beaten up of this mottley crew decided to hang around. Enter Grey a very uninspired name for a grey tom cat. Anita thinks he should now be called PudWud. After being neutered and the vets kindly sorting out all his knots and bumps while under the anaesthetic, he got bolder and bolder. In the fine weather the door stays ajar, so, in he came and mooched about if he thought you weren’t looking. He put on good weight and grew back a soft fluffy coat, which always looks untidy. The only worry was his wonky eye; the vets had looked at it and didn’t think it was causing him any problem. The eye had either been a birth defect or an injury, as it was sunken in, small and milky with the third eyelid permanently across it. This caused the eyelid to became very red looking at times and after several episodes of weepy, gunky discharge and consulting with the vets, out it came. What a changed fella, never made any attempt to rub or scratch the stitches, did wear a donut collar in the beginning. Took his pills like a gentleman and has adapted so well, much more at ease and sure footed around the house. He is totally indifferent to the other cats and I don’t think he has a mean bone in his body, though he did take some time to stop hissing at the dogs if they got too close. He doesn’t go in for cuddles but likes to be around me and sleeps in doors now. At his last weigh in he was 5.5 kgs, another big boy in the house, a very sweet boy. Well that brings us a full year in the crazy cat lady household, and with it some highs and lows. We also lost my lovely brother in law in June; he and my sister had been visiting in 2019 when we found Mischief on our last walk before they returned home to the UK.
It’s the end of the summer and our sales team have done a wonderful job. The support from all those who have purchased or donated goods has been awesome. All of our animal friends have benefitted greatly from the events. Recently we have had a more unusual addition to our rescues. He is a year old billy goat (Hamilton) who became too frisky for his owners. Hamilton now lives next to our sheep and is proving to be a lively character indeed! He has been given the once over by our vets, been neutered and given a good grooming. Hamilton is curious and interested in the goings on in the sand-school and often disrupts the work of the benevoles when they clear out the vans and sheds. We’re all on a steep learning curve!
Look out for the advert for our Christmas event!
A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WITH A SPECIAL MENTION FOR STEVE AT MANGES TU? !
We all enjoyed this event and have some lovely memories.
ANITA’S REPORT OF A WONDERFUL VISIT TO JERSEY
Fleur with Denise
Hera
Kodie
Luke
Roxane
It seems only right that I start my report with our Rescue Dogs, Fleur and Luke.
FLEUR – Denise and her late husband, Alan Belson, gave Fleur, a Terrier Cross, her forever home. So as not to be out done by Denise’s other dog Pip, she began her agility career as soon as she was in good health. Fleur, who is approximately 9 years old, has gained many awards here in France and came up trumps with a 1st, 2nd & 3rd at Jersey.
We are so proud to have these veterans on our team . They prove to people what can be achieved with a dog who had a really bad start in life. She wasn’t an easy dog to train but Denise has never given up on Fleur. Well done to both of them . Above all, we run agility for fun – winning is a bonus! The Experience of Competition and the story of a Rescue dog
LUKE – the 7 year old Fox Terrier was given his forever home by Helen. It hasn’t been easy training for this pair as Luke was afraid of verbal commands. To gain his confidence we used a clicker, which proved very successful as communication and enabled Luke to overcome his shyness. The see-saw was the greatest challenge and as you can see, with Helen’s patience and encouragement, this particular piece of equipment is now no obstacle! Helen and Luke have worked very hard to gain their Agility Pass (here in France you have to pass a test before you can compete). It was fitting that this pair should go to Jersey. WOW – did they do well! Every day Luke gained 2 awards and some days he bagged 3! This is a magnificent feat and I, for one, am very proud of them. You can read about Luke here THE PROGRESS OF LUCKY LUKE aka MR. FOX
Knowing rescue dogs the way I do, understanding the pain and fear they may go through worries me greatly. Seeing these 2 dogs achieving so much lifts my spirits and they go to the top of the class. Well done!
OUR YOUNG DOGS
As I explained earlier, to compete in France requires passing a test, but how do you get the ring experience that is needed? – be lucky enough to go to Jersey.
ROO, the 18 month old Poodle, is owned by Helen and the pair gained their first ring experience in the huge Jersey Boot Camp! Helen was brave enough to run Roo as well as Luke. Roo got round all of the Agility Courses and now eagerly awaits the 2023 season when he can gain his Agility Pass. I wish them success and a wonderful, happy agility career together.
BLAG is a Collie Cross Terrier rescued street dog who is about 2 years old. Blag joined the little canine family of Nadège a short while ago. He is at the very start of his training and Boot Camp was a great adventure! The pair have put in some wonderful work and now look forward to gaining Blag’s Agility Pass in 2023. They too are wished happiness and success in their agility adventure.
KAYOUS – My young girl – what can I say? Like all of our team and many of you, we missed time due to the pandemic. Boot Camp was wonderful for Kayous; she made a good effort and enjoyed her time in the ring. We have serious training to do but we will have fun and enjoy learning – that’s all you need.
Now to the novices of our team, ROXANE and Maryse, who made it to Boot Camp. The pair could be forgiven if they had been overwhelmed by the event; but they took it all their stride and gain a 1st and 2nd. Not a bad result for Boot Camp Guys! It’s wonderful, well done! The Experience of Competition and the story of a Rescue dog
HERA and Nadège are, like Fleur and Denise, an experienced pair in our team. Now 10 years old, Hera was bred by Nadège and is a true working Jack Russell Terrier. It is not easy to train a working terrier for agility but Nadège, along with Peter and myself, has spent many hours patiently guiding Hera’s hunting instincts into a fun time of agility. This duo did not disappoint and came up trumps with many firsts, making the Final and winning! A magnificent result! We are proud to have both of them in the Grande Daze team. Congratulations!
FINALLY
My boy KODIE
I have had the privilege of many wonderful dogs in my life. I have trained and “rehabbed” many many dogs.
Having enjoyed Agility for 38 years and watched the sport get FASTER AND FASTER, I have trained Kodie to work away from me – distance control. I have very bad arthritis in my legs now and wish that I was 20 years old again!
Kodie put in some wonderful rounds at Jersey; good enough to gain a place in the Final. All courses are numbered, 1-20, and you have to work your dog round with no faults. What a wonderful round – Kodie did all I asked and more. Then, handler error! I forgot NO 10, so, this year we didn’t win. Click to read about Dear Kodie!
Most of all I have the wonderful pleasure of working my dog with expert Judges looking on. Read A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE
Thank you one and all for a Super Four Days.
We all enjoyed this event and have some lovely memories. I hope that you have enjoyed reading my report and that it has given you an insight into what we try to achieve here at Grande Daze.
Over the years we have had many articles about people and their dogs. We are adding to those contributions to the website with 2 more stories about the experience of competing in the Jersey Agility Festival. One piece is by the newest member of the Grande Daze Team and the other is from a long-standing, seasoned participant in agility work.
The Novices of the Team – Maryse and Roxane
“My agility baptism in Jersey with Roxane These 4 days were intense and rich in emotion! Indeed the 15 courses, jumping and agility combined brought me an unparalleled experience, whether it concerns the memorization of routes, the management of the stress and unforeseen situations, dog handling techniques, all in a competition situation! For this premiere, I am proud of Roxane’s performances, even if I am aware that we have still many points to improve.” Maryse
Our seasoned veterans – Denise and Fleur
“Fleur came into my life nearly 8 years ago. She was at deaths door when Anita and I found her at the local refuge; she was riddled with mites that were eating her from the inside. This tiny bundle had no hair and was so small she fitted into the palm of my hand. We dressed her in two dog coats and placed her beside a radiator, it was early December and very cold. Anita could see what the problem was and returned the next day with a pipette of medication at the princely cost of 9 euros. Fleur then spent Christmas with one of the helpers from the refuge before coming to live with my late husband and I. It was necessary for her to be given another pipette of medication 1 month after the first by which time her coat had started to sprout.
It took almost 2 years to get her back into reasonable health. Now Fleur has to have a special diabetic diet and occasionally has minor epileptic fits which can be quite frightening. The mites had damaged her pancreas.
We started agility to strengthen her muscles and for fun. She has taken to the discipline and enjoys it on her terms which can be unpredictable at the best of times. Her enjoyment of agility has been displayed very recently at 4 day Jersey Agility Festival where she went from winning a 1st,2nd, and 3rd places in the show to being completely dumbfounded as to what an agility course was. The only answer is ‘she’s a terrier’, but as my husband said, nobody else could love her as we do. Fleur and I regularly compete in agility competitions here in France which entails passing tests before you can enter shows. I hope we can keep going for a few more years before she retires and joins Pip on the sofa.” Denise
We thank everyone who donates anything to help us care for the rescues but this particular donation seems to have made everybody feel happy.
Ann Taylor advertised spare wood and fencing on Facebook. Alan Morpeth answered the advertisement and agreed to Ann’s proposal to give a donation to Grande Daze instead of paying her. Ann was happy that her spare goods had been collected and Alan was delighted to have the wood. All the animals have the benefit of this deal and everybody is happy!
Thank you for your generous, thoughtful and rounded way to fundraise.
grandedaze.com 