Keeping in Touch

We have been having an adventurous time recently.  Usually, you know, we go to the same place to walk, day in and day out.  I'm not complaining, in fact I feel quite comfortable with routines, makes me feel safer.  But, sometimes I do like a bit of variety.  So 2 or 3 times a week Diana takes me somewhere different.  

This week, for instance, we went to a place I remember from when I was a pup.  It's called Lambton Woods and it's a big forest with lots of birds there and tons of squirrels.  I used to run after the squirrels but now when we go I have to be on my leash because  we'd get fined a lot of money if they saw us.  I notice that some people don't care about it because they let their dogs run everywhere  off the leash.  I guess those people have lots of money to pay fines!  I don't really mind because I don't run much these days just as long as I am allowed to sniff everywhere. Diana tells people, "Oh Mimi is just interested in the smells!"

Just going to get my supper.  I will tell you a story when I come back.

I'm back from the Woods

Apologies for being away from my blog a while. 

Truth is we were out of the city and without internet access.  It is very nice where we were.   At least the humans like it there, they like to walk the trails in the forest and make ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ sounds at the pretty colours of the trees. 

They ask me to come but I am rather nervous when I am outdoors. I don’t mind walking up the lane but when it comes to the forest I know that there are lots of different animals there, some pretty scary to a small dog like me, and I can smell their smells.  I guess the humans’ noses are not as good as mine!  Like Diana was outside the door planting some pots and a bear walked almost up to her and she didn’t realize until something made her look up and see him coming down the trail.  Of course, when he knew she had seen him he turned around and walked back but I would have smelled him from a long way off.  Diana was actually pleased to see him and wished she had had her camera!  People do take some getting used to, especially Diana the way she’s nuts about all animals and sticks up for them whenever possible.   And, of course, I am glad she does when you consider how I was rescued. 

She has just joined a group of Vegans who are protesting conditions of farmed animals.  She would like to take me along to their protests just to show how rescued animals turn out, but she knows how sensitive I am to the pain of others. Some time ago I got Transgeminal Neuritis due to stress. It was awful and Diana wants to protect me from ever having a recurrence. People say I’m 'empathetic' because, with my superior senses of hearing and smell, I pick up vibrations and frequencies from all animals, including people.  

Like I can tell if Diana is upset and I stay really close by her side, or if she's mad and talking loudly I keep myself out of the way.  I can tell if Diana and Chris are going out and I shall be in charge of the house and I can tell that this is different from when we are all going out together and then I get excited, and stay close to the door.  

These good Vegan people are empathetic also, and I'm sure they suffer stress, but somehow they are able to get out there and witness the cruelty, organize protests, and inform the public with videos and leaflets.      I am so glad that they are doing this.

Reaching Out

I have been so impressed as I sit with my companion, Diana, to read the emails that arrive from people like those at PigSave and other sensitive, caring souls. So much that I asked Diana to set up a blog in my name. I understand that this is a popular way you humans have of communicating.

The way I got my name is as follows: I was smuggled into a Teachers' Residence in China and kept very quiet for a  while, so as I was a 'secret' and the local word for 'secret' was 'mimi' I was called 'Mimi' and the 'Jingba' I got as this was the local word for dog.  So, Mimi Jingba I became. Got a nice ring, I think .

I came here at a few weeks old in 2001 so have been here 10 years. So, in what humans call 'dog years' apparently, I  am now a very big word, ie. septegenarian, (is that correct spelling?)  This is around the time that people start thinking of writing their biographies.   So I am thinking of making this blog autobiographical (wow, you people and the big words!!!) as well as topical.  We'll see how that works.

I'm going to share lunch with Diana now and then for my afternoon nap.  See you later.

Where I came from and how I got my name

                                                                              

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I know that I came from China but my eyes were barely open and everything is a little fuzzy and upsetting; we believe the following is the beginning of my tale   :

The roly poly little puppies slept soundly snuggled together against their mother’s warm side. Suddenly the cold light of dawn struck them as the door to the shed was opened.  As the puppies blinked at the sudden disturbance, rough hands dragged them away from their mother and dropped them, crying, into a stinking sack, reeking with the odour of fear from previous occupants.  The sack was then tossed into the back of a ramshackle three wheeled truck amidst the bags of potatoes, cabbages and other ‘produce’ for market.  Then they were bounced from side to side, barely able to breathe in the stench of diesel as the truck drove to the village.  When the bouncing stopped their sack was lifted out and the string untied as the same rough hands reached in and put them inside a small cage.  There they sat, sad and scared, exposed to the beating sun and with a sign on their cage that read “Puppy meat for sale, soft and sweet” .  From time to time customers would come and look closely at them; sometimes the rough hands would lift one out and allow a shopper to poke and prod to see how much fat was on them.  Sometimes one of these people would give the farmer some money and take the puppy away in a bag until all but one of the puppies were gone, and he was really  scared. 

But then a different kind of person came who did not poke or prod but bent down and talked softly to the one remaining puppy who responded by edging closer to the bars of the cage and sticking out a tiny tongue to be touched by the kind person, who quickly  gave the farmer money and took the puppy in her arms and held him so close he immediately felt warm and safe and that made him think of his mum, especially as he could detect  the regular bump of a heartbeat beat against his cheek.

At some point,  the puppy was aware of going up some stairs, through a door, and then being on a soft floor and able to waddle wherever he wanted, but he just wanted to stay as close as possible to  this person who said to him, “now little puppy we must give you some food” and she sat down on the floor with him in her lap and tried to get him to drink from a bowl.  But the little puppy didn’t know what a bowl was and just looked up at her with questioning eyes.  She understood and said to herself, “Oh the poor little things weren’t even weaned”.  Brushing a tear aside, she stuck a finger into the bowl and offered this to the puppy who quickly got the message and started to suck ravenously.  This went on for some time until, with a nice feeling in his tummy, the puppy fell asleep. 

The rescuer felt she should give the puppy a name and after much consideration, and since his being with her was a ‘secret’, she decided on the local translation of ‘secret’ which was ‘Mimi’ and, as the locals called dogs 'jingba' the name of the pup became 'Mimi Jingba" (so, secret pup).

After food, Mimi’s  most favourite time was when they slept together in the big, warm bed; sometimes he slept so well he even snored! 

Then came another change in Mimi’s world.  One day his ‘person’ started taking things out of drawers and putting them into suitcases.  And she even had a small case for him that she let him try out for size.   This worried him a bit and he remembered  being put into the sack. ‘Oh dear,’ he thought, ‘what is going to happen now?” and he was glad to get out of there.  But his case was left on the floor, open, so that he could practice getting  in and out of it; even a couple of times he actually fell asleep in it.  And nothing bad   happened.  So, it wasn’t like the sack at all.

Some time later his person picked up the case with him inside and holding her other case as well, she got into a car and they went to the airport.  After that he was put, in his case, under seat in front of her.  There was a loud, roaring noise, and soft hands reached down to lift him out of the case and onto a warm lap with a blanket wrapped around him. At some point after quickly falling asleep, he awoke back inside his case to quietness and his case was picked up again and together they walked down the steps and into another airport.  Then another car ride and another soft, warm carpet and nice people all around him, kissing him, cuddling him, telling him how they loved him.  Phew, that was exhausting and he fell asleep again and when he awoke, everything was just as nice and has been good ever since, even though he has had some adventures along the way.  But more about that next time.