Posted on by Cathy

Add a little love….

It was only February this year but seems a long long time since we stopped on our way home from Mildura to have a quick look at a recently painted silo in Nullawil.
Very different to others we’ve seen….yes a rural scene but not a native animal in sight.
https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/nullawil
A man and his dog – Darren the farmer and Jimmie the kelpie.
by Smug (aka Sam Bates)

https://www.widewalls.ch/artists/smug.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-02/new-hobart-mural-by-world-renowned-graffiti-artist-smug/9610294

We were late getting on the road so The Golfer said it was to be a one photo stop 😢


I found this video online which means I can visit as many times as I like now 😊

Sami hosts Monday Murals – why don’t you pop over and be astounded by all the street art others have found

Just as an aside….In the next month or two after that visit when ‘you know what’ became more noticeable and people were either laid off work or had to work from home because of lockdowns, the animal shelters had a run of adoption requests. It was as if everybody needed a new canine friend to share their ‘new’ life with. They wanted something to take their mind off the uncertainty – to add a little love to their lives – also a running mate to help with their new found obesity😊.

I’m sitting here with a very early cup of tea and wondering if everything turned out the way these new pet owners hoped. For their new ‘canine friends’ as well as themselves. Silly things like did the dogs settle into their new surroundings (hopefully well secured so they didn’t escape into strange territory) did they get fed up with being walked each day…..maybe even several times a day. Were they fed a healthy diet….not just table scraps as used to be the way.

But what I’m really wondering about is whether some of them….any of them….will be returned….handed back…..when restrictions are lifted…..businesses are reopened….people go back to work. Will the new owners still have the time……be willing and able…. to exercise the dogs. How will the dogs cope with being alone all day especially after being the centre of attention for weeks on end? I’ve been told lonely anxious dogs get up to all sorts of mischief.

I know it sounds daft for a cat lover to wonder about such things
what are your thoughts?

Linking to #MondayMusings hosted by Corrine (Everyday Gyaan)

29 Replies to “Add a little love….”

  1. not silly at all…I’m sure you’ve heard of the “kitten/puppy @ Christmas” which everyone falls in love with that ball of fluff/fur … come a few months later when kids are back at school and the animal is neglected OR the parents realise “just how expensive it all is”

    I hadn’t even realised how many dogs there were in my area until our lockdown and for that matter people out walking them, the kind of person who looked as if “they’d rather be at work”..now it’s quietened down, but yesterday I went “morning walking” and I saw a lot more dogs and people..not sure I want to share my walks with so many people BUT the weather has gotten a little hot at my regular time…

    I love those silos

    And also I’d rather comment here rather than scrolling through w/p reader..

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    1. The thought about’a cat/dog is not just for Christmas’ was uppermost in my mind when I also saw several of my neighbours with newly acquired dogs. And had my mind coming up with all those different questions.
      I saw your restrictions are being lifted further and wondered how you’d cope with more freedom but I’m sure you’ll work through it methodically the way you often do.
      Did you mean….comment via the email or on the actual post. Sometimes bloggers turn up in my stats and sometimes they don’t…yet I know they’ve been there because they’ve commented lol

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  2. We experienced the same phenomenon with dog adoptions. I think that they will stick since so many of us are going to be home for many more months given the terrible handling of the pandemic here.

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    1. Fingers crossed they all do the right thing Elizabeth. It seems Europe UK and the USA are really having a hard time with the case figures not going doWn at all….in fact soaring the way ours did when the 2nd wave appeared.
      Take care and stay safe

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  3. Love that silo. And thanks for the video link.
    Animal adoptions are soaring here too – and I have had similar thoughts.
    I really, really hope that they are not forgotten/ignored/returned when a semblance of normality is resumed. And fear that they will be.
    Our much love Jewel had been returned to the adoption centre when we got her – because after a day left alone in a flat she was needy and demanding when her owners returned. Their loss – and our gain. But definitely a loss and a shock for poor Jewel.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s a sad world when we doubt people’s intentions, isn’t it EC.
      Poor little Jewel- imagine being accepted then rejected- it was he4 lucky day when you walked her way!

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  4. I’ve read that many businesses have found “real” offices are completely unnecessary and represent overhead they can dispose of when they do start up. A lot of pets can still work from home.

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  5. The silo art is so good.
    I too fear about what will happen to all these dogs when owners return to work. Even existing pets will have become used to having their owner’s company all day and they will have to adjust. Sad to say, but I think we can expect a glut of young dogs up for adoption within a few months.

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    1. If the figures don’t drop the way we want them to Andrew the pets and owners are going to be around each other for a while yet.

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  6. When i saw that people were getting pets and *media was encouraging it*, my first thought was those animals will live 12 years or more and the pandemic might last a couple. f they didnt have a pet before, what is really different now?
    I guess sometimes I have a dim view of humanity and in this case i hope I am wrong. For all the bad pet/owner stories there plenty of good ones, maybe lots of people will never return to a pet free life?
    I love the silo and I had no idea there was a trail. A worthy road trip, methinks

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    1. I think there’s a lot of hoping we’ve got the wrong end of the stick Kylie. Would be good if they stay together.
      The Silo trail is worth the effort and the drive – as you saw in the link there are quite a few in Victoria and in NSW as well.

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    1. Thanks Iris – it was a fun one.
      We just have to hope we aren’t proved right where the returned/abandoned thought is concerned.

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  9. I never thought about pets and the pandemic, even though I do see people walking their dogs on occasion. Neighbors on both sides of me have dogs, but they had them before the pandemic, so I have no way to make a comparison. I DO know that both dogs are well taken care of, not left outside in the heat or the cold or at night. Both my neighbors to the south are essential workers, but three of their four children are distance learning and the youngest goes to school every day. That means the dog has constant companionship, whether it wants it or not! You can tell I own 2 cats and have since before Covid ever raised its ugly head.

    The mural on that silo is amazing. It’s a lovely shot and the video is beautiful, too.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s good to hear your neighbours are all responsible owners….I have some of each near me. One set of dogs carry on most days because of absent owners who never addressed their separation issues when they were pups whilst another are also ‘home alone’ but you don’t hear a peep out of them.
      Silo art is happening more and more these days, it’s become a way of attracting people to come off the main roads and visit small communities.

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    1. Yes Lee we all do but unfortunately having heard reports of hasty decisions and bad matches I think a few will be returned to the shelters.

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  11. Fantastic mural Cathy, what a great artist and subjects.
    I do hope people keep the pets adopted during the first months of Covid.
    Thanks for participating in Monday Murals

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I’m a dog lover and have been very involved with stray dogs and dogs for adoption especially during the pandemic. Your thoughts on this are pretty accurate. Just today we heard of an adopter who wants to return a puppy since it’s teething!! Thankfully, the pup should be in a new home by tomorrow. Don’t people research before they take on pets? It makes me so furious and sad too.
    Thanks for sharing that video. What a fabulous mural it is.

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  15. I think about dogs at home by themselves more lately because my neighbours have returned to work and their little dog barks a LOT – he’s bored and lonely – it annoys me, but I also feel for him stuck in a tiny backyard all day and no-one home until the evening. We have two cats – much less needy than dogs – and they’re happy to have us around all day (one of the joys of retirement) without needing to be walked or having a ball tossed for them.

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    1. We have working neighbours as well Leanne….who also have noisy bored dogs. When approached about the noise….by several other neighbours, their ( the owners) attitude was that they don’t want to leave the dogs indoors because they ‘make a mess’!

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