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National Pet Month

It’s Friday night so I thought I’d do a fun post especially for pet lovers. Cats and Dogs regularly make appearances on garden blogs. I have never really been a pet person myself but do appreciate that so many people are. So, when I spotted an article in a gardening magazine showing photos of guinea pigs and the title National Pet Month above I was drawn to read it and knew I had to post on this.

Regular visitors will know that I have tried to keep this diary as a garden watch. First thing in the morning I open the curtains and look out to my plants and to the birds running around them. Lately I have been looking for signs of the blackbirds collecting material for nests. It’s funny to watch how much they can collect in their beaks. Over the last couple of days I noticed starlings start collecting and today I was delighted to finally see the first blackbird female collecting material too. Now, I will have to keep an eye out for them going towards the blackbird Nestbox in my pergola!

Although the birds running around catch my attention when I open the curtains at the moment I am firstly looking out for the latest spring-autumn visitors to my garden. The two young ladies in the video below are called Dora (grey) and Elisa and they are my Daughter’s guinea pigs. They have been kept indoors for the winter and last weekend they moved outside into their new two-story hutch.

Dora & Eliza, video 0:54with background music, try 480p quality.

Now I have two helpers with my garden watch! The guinea pigs also watch the birds as they feed on the ground under my Acer tree. As I walk around the garden I know I am now being watched too – the guinea pigs wait in the hope that I will bring them a handful of fresh grass or dandelion leaves. So I now also have two small, environmentally friendly, grass cutters whilst my lawnmower is being repaired! Oh yes… and a reason to grow dandelions.

Joking apart here in the UK the aims of National Pet Month, which runs from April 5th to May 5th, are to:

“Promote responsible pet ownership”
“Make people aware of the benefits of pets for people and people for pets”
“Increase public awareness of services available from professionals who work with animals”
“Raise awareness of the role, value and contribution to society of working companion animals”

To find out more and get details of events and fund raising in your area go to the website in the link above. There are also details of the National Pet Month photographic competition too.

Finally, I have to admit that I am becoming quite fond of our guinea pigs and like all pets/animals they have their own individual characters. Wherever you live I wish you a good weekend both in the garden and with your pets.

The video above was taken in my garden on April 18th 2008.

5 thoughts on “National Pet Month

  1. Shirl, I would imagine that you would come to love any animal that you are around. Lets face it you are an animal lover. This is a wonderful thing because animals add so much to our lives.

  2. It’s no surprise to me to learn that you are beginning to love the guinea pigs, Shirl…an animal lover is an animal lover, whether indoors or out 🙂 …and you are certainly an animal lover 🙂

    Fancy a Hokey cokey? You do? Bring your wiggly tail.. 🙂

  3. Hi again Lisa & Wildlife Gardener 🙂

    Lisa – I agree that animals can add so much to out lives. Yes, I do enjoy wildlife but I suppose I look at it in a different way than pets. But I agree an animal is an animal be it pet or wild 😀

    Wildlife Gardener – Yes, I agree with you as I have said above. I suppose I never really thought about in that way before. Well… that is some Hokey cokey you’ve got going in your pond! I do envy you the space for good sized ponds 😀

  4. Hi there Mel, thanks I really enjoy playing around with music in the videos 😀

    Yes, I know that in France they also eat guinea pig – I didn’t know that some people in Peru did too. Are they bred for food or do they live in the wild? I would have thought it would be too hot for them in Peru.

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