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Remembering Ripley I know. I wrote about him last year at this time. He's been gone for nearly two years and frankly I don’t think I'll ever really get over him. I won't do it again next year. I didn’t know him as a puppy but Michael did, of course. I’ve seen pictures of him then, more apricot than white. He was a cross breed, yes a mutt, but he was mostly poodle. I’ve been told he was a cheeky pup, loved to run around, nip (often and hard, my big giant Husband says), and was rather bossy. Ripley came into my life when I met Michael. I’d never really thought about pets. When I was young, my father had made it clear, there wouldn’t be any. After my father threw me out, well pets were the least of my worries but I did meet a few street dogs, poor skinny flea-bitten things, which had been starved and beaten, but still responded to a kind word and hand. There is a special kind of look in a dog’s eyes. It’s that love of humans that so many of us just don’t understand. What do they see in us? The street took its toll on me, on my spirit, the way I looked at things and it was hard to sort of become normal, once I was off them. When I met Michael, I was still sort of this wary, nervous wild thing. Michael saw past that and so did his dog. Ripley adopted me, gentled me, and showed me how to behave. He loved me and taught me what real love and acceptance is. He helped me love my husband better. Ripley was a character, like all dogs I think. But he loved sirens, loved to watch the fire engines and screaming police cars go by, he listened to them from the TV as well. He was a connoisseur, enjoying foreign sirens as well. He wasn’t bothered by thunderstorms or loud noises, but his hearing was fine, he could hear you open the cheese from a dead sleep. He loved to nap on my knee and could be flat out but if at my bedtime I said, want to go to bed? Ripley would be on the floor and ready to go. Ripley loved the outdoors. Being a poodle he was a natural retriever and when he was younger would bring you his ball and we’d head out to play catch or chase. He always brought the ball back and dropped it at your feet. We never taught him that, he did it naturally. Another favourite game was pine cone soccer. There are a lot of pine trees around us here and we often kicked the cones across the grass for him. He'd bring them back. And if he lost it in among the other cones, you couldn't trick him. Nope. He wanted that cone back, not the foreign one you just picked up because obviously you are much too lazy to find the right one! Wait ... why was I looking ...? We sat up with him the night before his final morning and as we waited the sun came up and I hoped the beautiful bird song brought him some comfort. Michael called the vet who agreed to come in early to put our sweet boy out of his misery. I couldn’t go, Michael and Peter, our nephew, did. Peter said he just slipped away quietly. Maybe I'm over emotional, I don't know, but I can barely still bring myself to talk about him, without getting choked up. I can barely write this…but nothing really seems to help. I'm not sure I want it to. Thanks for reading.

It’s nearly a year since the first animal I ever shared my life and heart with passed. Michael took him to the vet and our sweet dog was released from his pain. I feel some guilt for not having gone, but I couldn’t … not that day. Ripley was Mike’s dog. His mom gave him Ripley when Michael lived on his own. It was hard for Mike because he was a young constable then, single, and looking after a puppy in addition to a busy life was hard. Luckily he had a good friend that helped. I guess Ripley was about 5 when I met him. I’d never had a pet. When I was a kid my father didn’t believe in keeping animals. They were a waste of money and time according to him. My brother Joe and I often asked but eventually we just stopped. Ripley was a poodle mostly, not a purebred but you’d never have known. I remember Mike telling me he had a miniature poodle. That surprised me because he is such a big man and Ripley was such a small dog at 17lbs. But in his heart, that dog was a giant. Once I started spending a lot time at Mike’s, Ripley sort of adopted me. He’d sit with me, follow me, and he’d sit and watch me. He showed me what living was, he greeted each day with a sense of joy and he loved everyone. Ripley just accepted me as part of his pack. I’d see dogs when I was on the streets but they weren’t pets. People mostly abused them, poor things. Maybe it’s weird that I miss Ripley like I do, that I love him like I do. But he was a big part of my life for nearly seven years. He knew I was a mess when I came into Mike’s life; we kinda fell in love with each other. I could tell him things I’d never uttered aloud before and he didn’t hate me for it, or judge me. We’ve been talking about adopting a dog. I think Ripley would like that. Mike’s been to see a couple at the Humane Society, but he doesn’t take me. He said, “It’s because I know you’ll look at them with your heart and some of these dogs need more help than we can give them and it wouldn’t be good for them or us.” He’s right. I would bring them all home. The house is quiet and it’s times like this when I’m alone that I look for Ripley. He was my friend, and a comfort, and he made me smile. And I miss him. I wrote a lot about this difficult time during the NoPoWriMo 2016. This poem was one of them. It makes me cry, but I smile too. A Prayer for Ripley Lord listen to my weeping heart The time had come for us to part Keep him safe in heaven above Lots of bones and plenty of love Pure and simple is the love of a dog Ours deserves a special epilogue He taught me love, acceptance and joy Ripley was our very best boy. I miss his spirit, his was great In his world, there was no hate He lived now and loved his people Ripley will be a terrific angel. Please ignore his naughty moments And don’t forget the fire hydrants Give him lots of jobs and things So he can earn his angel wings. So my lovely darling pup Our time here isn’t yet up Your spirit now is beyond our ken But I know that we’ll meet again. R.I.P. July 2005 – April 16, 2016

Researchers in the UK believe that dogs can be trained to detect COVID-19 even before someone is showing symptoms. Scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine claim the illness gives off a distinct smell in humans, which can be picked up by a trained dog. They are already being used to detect cancers and can detect malaria with greater accuracy than the tests approved by the World Health Organization. We've all seen these excitable little mutts sniffing around our ankles and bags at airports. There may be a lot more of them by the end of the year. These dogs could prove to be the most effective weapon so far in the battle against the pandemic, and the benefits are obvious. One dog will be able to test thousands of people a day without any inconvenience to the general public, and the results will be instantaneous. You won't even know you're being tested. The ability to immediately detect and isolate a person who is infected with the virus at such an early stage will undoubtedly be a massive game-changer. Imagine what a difference it would have made to have had these sniffers at airports in February and March instead of handing out flyers advising people travelling from China to self-isolate. That really worked, didn't it? Everything is easier with hindsight, but as a dog lover, I've always believed our canine friend's abilities are criminally underused. Humans often place more trust in religious doctrine and old wives' tales than the supposed dumb animals that share our planet. While my dog sometimes makes me laugh when he barks at the coffee machine, no human can compete with his extraordinary sense of smell, so why not get them to help. It's possible that the eventual lifting of the current quarantine restrictions could coincide with the introduction of these hyper-sensitive COVID sniffers at airports and border crossings. If successful, they could become common features at entrances to sporting event, conventions, train stations, even shopping malls wherever people gather en-masse. The cost of saving the human race; other than the training and the dog handlers, amounts to nothing more than a few treats and some well-deserved love and affection.

This cat is the most amazing pet I've ever seen. This cat drove away an attacking dog, and it's amazing. I laugh every time I watch this cat attack and chase away the dog, but I love this awesome cat. If you find similar videos of pets protecting their family and homes please post them here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI867wz93Lw