Squeaky Clean!

Hi there!

So, staying on my topic of keeping hair clean, as  a hairdresser, I am extremely fussy on washing hair properly. To me, there is absolutely no point in even bothering to wash your hair if you’re not going to do it thoroughly. Because for one thing, it won’t get rid of the greasy smell and it won’t style well either. Which brings me to my pet hate, hair salons. Hair salons have not mastered the job of cleaning the hair first. Well, some of them. But there is nothing worse than going for a treat to a hair salon to have this new gentle massage washing, that does nothing but irritate the living daylights out of us clients and even the stylists as in my experience, it wastes a busy stylists time, when she has to send the client back to the basin to be washed badly again. Nobody wants to upset the young junior by being annoyed at her but on top of badly massaged washing, they also avoid washing another important part of the head, the back! Yes, we’ve all had that experience, so what did I do about it? I stopped going. Yes, something so simple made me stop going to the salon and handing over my hard earned cash for a job not done well.

So what’s the big deal? How does one wash hair properly?

Firstly, you find the right shampoo for you and that doesn’t mean expensive shampoo, that means are you sensitive to the regular sulphate shampoo? Which is in every bottle of shampoo unless it states otherwise as a non sulphate shampoo. Sulphate is a very good ingredient to remove the grease that builds up on one’s head between washes. The grease comes from the acid mantle that builds up on the scalp between washes which is the substance you want to remove in the first place. If this is not removed properly with each wash, it causes dry scalp, dandruff, smell and limp hanging hair! It gets a bit confusing here now as if you’re sensitive or allergic to sulphate, this can cause extreme itching and flaky scalp anyway! So there is absolutely no harm in washing your hair with an non sulphate shampoo because it will actually clean your hair and a cheap example is baby shampoo! Tigi products actually have a great smelling range of non sulphate shampoo, but are a little more expensive.

So, how does one wash one’s hair properly?

Well, to start with rinse the hair with warm/hot water. Add a dollop of shampoo and massage all over the hair to sud it up. Then like you’re giving your hair a good scratch all over but with just your finger pads, go at it. This is a strenuous movement and if you don’t feel strained, you’re not doing it right! Scrub every inch of your scalp for about 3 minutes and then Rinse. This first wash is removing the acid mantle but you’re not done yet! You need to do a second wash always! Add another dollop of shampoo and continue again with the same scrubbing motion for another 3 minutes, if you have long hair, you will need to scrub the flowing locks also for 3 minutes! Yes, it is a strenuous job to have clean hair!

Now, not everybody needs to have conditioner, especially if you have fine hair, but if you have thick course hair, the conditioners job is to smooth down the cuticles that have been roughened while being washed, especially with the action of a sulphate based shampoo. But if you do need conditioner, please make sure that it is rinsed to squeaky clean, because conditioner on lovely well washed hair will also cause to hang limply!

The jobs not finished yet! Another very important action is to brush the scalp completely and thoroughly for another 3 minutes! This removes any left over dead cells that can appear as dry flaky scalp!

This washing method will result in fresh smelling, shiny, light hair that will last you at least 5 to 7 days!

So, what are you waiting for? Jean xxxx

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Hair and Scalp Disorder's caused by Stress!

In today’s blog, I’m going to cover hair and scalp disorders such as;

Alopecia, which is a very common hair loss problem that occurs in patches around the scalp. There are other types of alopecia which I will cover in future blogs.

Psoriasis, which is skin disorder that forms multiple layers of skin cells that look like thick scales of lumpy white skin. They are commonly found on the scalp. When aggravated or picked at, they can become red, angry and sore.

Hair density loss, (Hair becoming thinner). Hair thinning is a big problem for all, when once thick heads of healthy locks, the hair falls out gradually leaving thinner hair that is limp and lack lustre.

These disorders effect all ages from young children to old people and can be a huge cause of low self esteem, especially in adolescents.

There are lots of things that you can do yourself to help these disorders, as well as or besides the prescribed medications, like a healthy diet that would include essential proteins and vitamins and milder products on the skin and hair that wouldn’t irritate. fresh air and exercise will keep your circulation flowing to all the little nerve endings that feed a hair follicle! But one of the most important things that you need to do for these disorders is to be Stress Free!  Because Stress is The major trigger here! There’s no denying that there is a lot of stress in our lives these days but we really need to manage it by finding out what makes us stressed. And dealing with it, there and then. That’s not so easy. But unless we do, it won’t matter what treatment we use for any of these hair and scalp problems because the condition will not change.

So, how do we tackle stress? Well firstly, we need to identify our feelings. Are we Angry, Sad, Worried, Anxious, Resentful, Blameful, Judgemental, Unhappy with ourselves and Tired? More than likely we are feeling at least one or more of these emotions and it is causing us to be stressed. But we’re better off starting with one of them. Start by writing down one of these emotions, lets start with Anger. Write down all the things that are making you annoyed or angry and look at them. When you see them in front of you, you can start figuring out each one.

In my own case, many years ago on my road of self help, I was angry about my job, my relationship, my children, my personality. I didn’t like myself very much! So the first thing I had to do was accept me, well how I looked anyway! This was me, warts and all, so what else could I change about me, being realistic of course! The main thing that caused me sadness and guilt was my temper tantrums. If things weren’t going my way I would blame someone or a situation. I became resentful. This is a major cause of sadness within oneself. So I had to shake off all of this anger, resentment and blame. I had to accept my capabilities and my limitations and I had to accept my families idiosyncrasies also. This is not an easy job because I had to practice it every minute of every day to free my mind of resentments and negativities and fill my mind with acceptance and positivities. But This Does Work! I also had to forgive myself, I was doing the best I could with the knowledge of life I had. I practiced gratitude, which is an amazing gate to mental freedom!

Blaming someone else for things that drive you mad is just not worth it. For one thing, you’re passing on all that negativity to your child, husband, wife, sister, mother, father, teacher, the list is endless, but you get the picture. I had also forgotten one little thing about people, that we are all only human! Yes, each one of us has our limitations. Some might seem less than others, but that’s also another thing, don’t compare yourself or your children with others. If you keep the focus on your own issues, you shouldn’t have the time to look at others. And remember, they are humans too with their own set of life’s instructions!

Have realistic expectations for yourself and your family! Letting each individual be the person they want to be will give you lots of mind space! You may be just more particular about the way a household chore is being done or not done, but really, how important is it?And maybe your child is not fulfilling your academic wishes? Of course, he has to follow the basic rules of life, education and then job, being self supportive. Anything after that has to be what he wants, not what you want.  I had to take on my own responsibility here for causing a lot of my own stress by not listening to my family’s needs.

Worry is a big part of life.  The reason we worry is that we’re in a situation we can’t cope with. Debt is a big one for us adults. The thing to do here is little by little. For debt, deal with it head on. Pay off small regular payments. If you can’t talk to your creditors, write to them, explain things, there is always a way through. And don’t worry about tomorrow, just keep focused on the things you need to do today. If you’re in a panic mode and everything seems too much for you, try this; Make very small goals for yourself, for starters, don’t look at the whole big mess of life at once, just look at one thing at a time that you can do, eg.’I will load the dish washer in the next five minutes and then I will have a cup of tea,’ ‘I will hoover in the next five minutes after that.’ Take regular little rests in between each task. ‘I can now write a list of my outgoings and a list of my incomings;’ See where you can spend the least money and stick to it. Bring a calculator to your grocery shop! Divide your income to cover all your bills, no matter how small the payment is, it helps! Do the same for all of your other symptoms of stress, figure each one out, the why’s and how’s and what you can do about them.

And Children worry too! Performing in school is a big one for children. Being part of a big social scene can be very worrying for an adult. Can you imagine what it’s like for a child? Even though your child may be able to talk back to you with all the answers, he is still a child with no life experience. You need to deal with their little anxieties from as early as they start. They may not be able to tell you their problem, but if they start to wet their pants, pick at their skin, wash their hands a hundred times, behave badly in school, begin to lose their hair in patches, get psoriasis, hair thins, you know they are not coping with the situation they are in, ( When a child cannot verbally express himself, this is actually when these scalp/hair disorders begin. The hidden worries have to come out some way!)  You may not be able to change their situation but someone wise once told me, ‘Make their home a place where they can be themselves with no pressure. Comfort them, cuddle them and reassure them. Listen to them.’

So now we know how to prevent the stress that causes havoc in our mechanics and has a direct effect on our skin, scalp and hair, what actual treatments can we use?

For the treatment of Alopecia? Well, inside the scalp, beneath the hair follicle, blood has stopped flowing to feed the follicle. Scientific evidence is trying to prove that the body thinks the hair follicle is a bacteria and is fighting it off, especially when it’s total alopecia, which is when all the hair falls out. And that might be one reason, but look at it this way, when you are totally stressed out, your blood flow is all array anyway, possibly not reaching the hair follicle beds, if you’re regularly worried and stressed out, the hair follicle is consistently losing too much nourishment to survive and dies off! It makes sense.

My personal favourite for hair loss/thinning is ‘Special Liver Formula’ capsules from Tony Quinn stores. This is 100% freeze-dried liver which is very high in iron which is also a very high protein. Some reasons for people’s hair loss is because of medication they may be on or age and hereditary baldness. There are some topical products that are aimed at stimulating the blood flow around the hair follicle bed and have some good success. If your reason for hair loss is that your diet is poor with little protein, you will see a marked improvement in hair returning to it’s former glory with the liver capsules. They also help your nails too! The cost is about 50 euros for 500 capsules which is not bad. You’s also be surprised how little protein children are eating today and it’s a much needed source of food for brain growth and development! This product can be given to kids too but if they can’t take capsules, my other favourite iron tonic is Floradix, which is available in every chemist and most stores and it is about 20 euros for the full size bottle.

I remember one of the worse cases I saw of scalp Psoriasis in my very early years of hairdressing. The man’s head was covered in unsightly lumps, some which were angry and red looking and some were seeping puss, which describes the multiplication of cells on the skin. But I had started cutting his hair, so I just carried on. The man was really embarrassed and in obvious discomfort. Although I had known what Psoriasis was, I was inexperienced in the condition, so I couldn’t offer much help. A couple of years after that, I had also come across a young child of about seven with Psoriasis all over his legs, face, arms and even his finger nails. It looked liked sores on his skin and unlike the layered lumps on the man’s head. The mom reassured me that it was just psoriasis and I continued cutting his hair. She told me that her son was a nervous boy and seemed to be afraid of everything. She didn’t realise then that the boy’s anxiety’s and inability to express it was the cause of his uncomfortable sores. But I was beginning to see the connection with Psoriasis and various clients stress levels.  So again, the first thing you have to do is figure out whats going on inside of you!

Sailcylic acid is a popular ointment for Psoriasis. It works by shedding the scales of the sores. Coal tar and steroid based creams are good too. And warm sunny weather is also very good for ridding the skin of the sores, but figure this, two weeks relaxing on a sun lounger reading a book! Get the picture? You are in a relaxing environment, no stress!

Jean xxx

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Hair Talk!

The Myth about Nits

2h ago

In my 2017 Blog posts, I’m going to talk about lots of things that I have experience in. As a qualified Master Hairdresser, I will be able to give you lots of hints and tips in hair problems and solutions;

Today’s problem is all about nits. As I’ve just spent the whole of December (and the first week back in school)  treating my 12 year old daughter’s massive head of thick hair for head lice, I want to clear up a common myth. Head lice is not only attracted to clean hair, it is attracted to any hair, but it most likely can gain Easy entry to dirty, smelly, unruly, tangled hair and not smoothly brushed Clean hair!

Yes, it’s easy for a lice to jump heads while close to another child, but it’s the tangled hair that it gets to grip onto! So, even boys who have a good head of hair can get them, if their hygiene is not up to scratch! Yes, people are basically being nice to avoid any embarrassment, so now you know!

So, what works? I tried the natural home remedy first which is really good, dose the hair in vinegar, leave on for twenty minutes, (whilst in the bath is really good) and then shampoo as normal. You really need to have a fine comb for the next step. Lucky you if your child has fine hair, but if your child is like mine with thick, long, flowing locks, this is going to take you about an hour to thoroughly comb through and rid the head of lice. And also, if your child has sensory issues, this is going to kill her and you as the smell isn’t great. But it is a very good home method as it is easy and inexpensive. You should also do this treatment the following week also.

Mayo-naise is also very good, but the trick here is to smother the hair in thick mayo and then fine comb the nits and lice out, it’s very messy and again, time consuming but worth it! Again, it needs to be repeated the following week.

There are many chemical products on the market for around 14 euros and my favourite is Lyclear. This works really well but I did find that I had to repeat it the following week and despite the added expense for parents, it is quite harsh on the scalp leaving it dry and flaky and itchy!

So, why did it take me so long to finally rid my daughter’s hair of lice if I had been doing all of these methods? I’m going to be very honest here, I’m nearly fifty and even with my glasses, it’s very hard to see these little critters and the nits (which are the eggs) so I wasn’t a hundred percent sure if I was getting them all. The nits can look like dry scalp! So I totally understand if busy parents can’t see these little bugs and the kids do also have to stay still for at least five minutes so that you can actually check the hair properly. And we all know how difficult that is! (The best place to check your child’s hair is in natural sunlight!) I also feel that this particular strain of lice are quite resistant to the chemical treatments that I have used. There is a theory that they have become used to the chemicals and are not been killed by them and I believe this. And the other thing is, my daughter was also catching them again by other class mates. And that is just the way school is. Kids mix and huddle. And you can’t stop that and you don’t want to either!

So, what I would say to all you nurturers out there, just pick up a bottle of vinegar in your grocery shopping for three weeks in a row and dose each of your children’s hair with vinegar, before normal washing. And simply fine comb the bad guys out. You will be surprised at what you find! But please don’t let squeamishness put you off. xxx Jean

Christmas once again! Thank you God!

Ok, I know it's the most stressful time of the year for Mam's and Dad's! There is so much to do, so many presents to buy and all the bills still have to be paid, but if we're still wrapping presents, we are still here able to do it. And that's got to be a good thing?
2016 was a tough year for all. I personally found since January 1st till now a challenging year. There were so many things that I had to focus on doing well these last twelve months, being a kind Wife, a patient Mother, a trusting child of God, a loyal friend and family member and a good neighbor. And all this with the added stresses of everyday living with health and financial challenges, like you all out there. It was a slippery slope of learned behavior I can admit! Because that is what life's about, making mistakes and learning from them. We all know when we do something awful, we cringe and think, 'I'll never do that again!' And you don't, because the guilt kills you! My own conscience is my strict teacher!
Many friends and family have passed away this year and last, some way before their time. I lost my two dogs Skye and Sully who I miss every day, so I can only imagine the pain of losing a child or a partner for ever.
I think of my own Dad who was powerless of his own demise ten years ago so he surrendered to God, even though he wasn't ready. He was just beginning to enjoy life. He hadn't made all his amends. But his time was up. So, I look at his life and try and learn from it. He may not have thought that he had achieved much in his life, but he did. He was a Dad, so he was a teacher. And he gave some great lessons!  I like to think of him now enjoying Christmas in Heaven in a forever peace, which is a wonderful state of mind to be in, Peace.
One of the best things that I did this year? Was organizing the Carol service over in the horse stables with all of the children happily singing carols in aid of the homeless. Another mammy who helped me  had so recently lost her own daughter, yet she finds comfort in helping others.
The kids were so happy to do their bit in raising toiletries for the Simon Community who will now be able to provide sanitary items for the people who live on the streets. It's not going to save these poor people but it may just save the kids who sang for them.
To teach your child to give to others is such a valuable thing. To help others without question.
So maybe Christmas is coming faster for a reason? At Christmas time, people make more effort in giving and after January rolls in, then February, it's all about us again and holidays and living.
And there's nothing wrong with that either! Life is for living.
My Mam says all the time to me and my sisters, 'Be positive, be grateful!'And she's right, it may not change your circumstances, but it will help your state of life and mind.
Life is hard work for everybody but I suppose if it was easy we might get bored. I have never been bored! I sometimes look to the sky and shout, 'Can I be bored please for just one minute!?"
But I am beginning to laugh at myself. I am funny! I do stupid things alot!
I think that is the biggest mistake I made so far in my life. That it is a serious life.
It's not a serious life and it's not a joke either,
'It's a wonderful life!'
Jean xxx

What Dyspraxia means to me

I ran a marathon in my house this morning, or at least it feels like that. My twelve year old daughter woke me up at 5.30 this morning. It was a cold dark morning and I really wanted to stay snuggled up in bed to finish off my lovely deep sleep. Instead, I go into her room and get in beside her, lest she wakes up the whole house and to hopefully keep her in bed for another hour at least. But she's a scratcher. And the minute she's starts scratching and squirming about, I know we're up.
This will happen all the way to Christmas time because the minute she wakes, she can't help feeling excited about the festive season. And she wants to be awake lest she misses anything relating to the same.
She loves Christmas!
Probably more than Santa and the Elves themselves!
So, I take the opportunity to groom her. I'll need two hours at least so this works grand this morning before school, Friday, the last day of the week.
She is just in the middle of her third period and there is blood everywhere. She coped quite well on the discovery of a period beginning at age twelve because she knows it happens to all girls. This makes her the same, not different, which she is happy enough about.
I had noticed her body growing and changing rapidly this year and I was praying that she would be older when her period came. Although she has the same body as other twelve year old girls, her organization and management skills are still aged seven. She has Dyspraxia.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a 'poor pet' story.
 Under her heading of Dyspraxia, she has comprehension and learning difficulties and hyper active behavior but because she has had a lot of help from Dyslexia teaching, Occupational therapy, Speech and language support and pony lessons since an early age, she is doing really well.
I am pretty sure that she can reach her milestones like any other child, albeit a little later than most.
So, I looked at my daughter this morning. I'm going to de-lice her hair again for the third week in a row, pretty confident I'm going to get the last of the nits that have been lurking about. She has a massive thick head of hair which is why it took as long to treat the little devils! I'm using the home remedy this morning of smothering her hair in Mayo and some extra vinegar to be sure. I have used the chemical the week previous, but this method is quite good also. It takes me about 45 minutes to fine comb her whole head which is not easy at 6.30 in the morning especially with the cries of pain from my daughter, oh yes, she has sensory issues too which is the biggest pain in the neck for me and for her too, I know. She hates the feeling of water or soap or anything on her skin. Wonderful.
Her face has the usual puberty spots and blackheads so I've found this lovely t-tree mask in the body shop and gently spread it over her face, she doesn't like that either.
Her nails are long and are caked with dirt so I trim them and her toes to her squeals of torture. I then get her pretty little pink shaver and groom her bits below and underneath her arms. She finds this very funny. (I tell her, I'm the only person who can do this for her) What next, oh yes, she has braces in and because she doesn't like to use the little interdental brushes on them I do them for her once or twice a week. This is the worse pain of all for her but as I said to her this morning, 'It's just as well that I don't fall for the crocodile tears because you would be left scruffy!'
I'm not sure I made the right decision for braces. This has added torturous work onto myself!
She also has sinus problems, but because we do a salt nasal wash each morning, she needs less antibiotics! She's pretty good at this because she knows it really helps!
So then to the shower! I scrub her thick hair twice then rinse and condition through torturous screams and then we're done. I cover her wet skin in silcocks base and then dry it off. This reduces her itchy skin.
I brush out the tangled hair adding the wonderful revlon detangling spray which really does work and she's wrapped up in her cosy dressing gown in the warm sitting room at 8.30 just in time for a good breakfast, of brown bread toast, cheese and chicken and a fresh fruit smoothie, which also helps keep her bowels regular each morning before school, which helps her feel comfortable for the day. If she's comfortable, she's able to concentrate a bit better!
Good nutrition is really important for children with learning difficulties and coupled with her omega 3,6, and 9, she's off to a good start.
I then get myself ready and pack her lunch while sipping a coffee. I have a clean uniform ready for her as because she has now started to smell, so has her clothes! By 9.10 we're all set to go to school which starts at 9.20, (after changing her pad twice and making sure it is comfortable!) I pack some wipes and pads for changes which I'm sure she takes about 20 minutes each time in the school toilet! She has a new male teacher and I'm sure he thinks she has a very weak bladder or bowel!
I do have to remind her to check the toilet seat for blood when she's finished and to make sure she wraps her old pad up and puts it in her bag. I know she will get this eventually.
She is organized and managed.
The school will then look after the rest.
I get back home and can now tackle my house, my dogs and spend some time with my other daughter who is off from college today and needs me to do a few errands with her and maybe have lunch.
And my day is gone.
I think I used to have more hours in my day when I was working full time. Or maybe I just have more things to do now that I'm close to fifty. Life seems to be busier.
I admire the women who can work and take care of their children also.
Being a mother is not for the faint hearted!
Jean xx

Depression

When you're in depression, you look too bad for the world to see you. You don't go to the doctor to tell him because he can't help. Talking doesn't help. Your mind has a flu that prevents your body working and it has to try heal itself and replenish. That's depression.

Man's best friend

A lover of dogs all of my life, our family has always had one or two around us. And I have to say, they were a wonderful addition to our life. As I grew over the years, I learned more about having a dog as a pet and I was able to give them more of what they needed, love, exercise, food and plenty of family interaction. In return , I received loving, loyal pets.
When we brought our first husky into our home nine years ago, we called her Skye because of her beautiful blue eyes. She also had a sandy coloured coat. Skye was a very good puppy from the start, she house trained really well and behaved like a Royal lady in our home. She was so regal. Skye was to be the leader or Alpha female of our other dogs. She would take all their food first and all of their bones and toys. She would want the first hugs from us as she came into the kitchen each morning. She loved playing with Pongo, our King Charles, because he was clever enough to let her be boss. She constantly picked on Buster, our West Hiland terrior, because he was dumb enough to try to hold his own corner. Sadly, five years ago, those two little guys passed on and Skye had sole rights over her kingdom.
She was really cute. She loved rubber balls, to eat. It was the strangest thing, she just loved to eat rubber! Every squeaky toy or ball would soon be demolished by Skye. She would be all excited at the thoughts of her delight.
Thinking she might need a pal we brought home Storm, a seven month old huskie with one blue eye and one brown. He had a black and white coat. His owners were a young couple who were emigrating and they had given him lots of love. So we had no worries about bringing this guy among our own seven year old daughter. Storm was so funny. We definitely thought that he had ADHD because he was so hyper and anxious. He almost talked to you in a moany type howl, to let you know what he wanted. He needed lots of exercise and runs without a lead. He was so happy to be given the luxury of regular runs by the beach, in the mountains or whereever we went, that he rewarded us with    great loyalty. He always checked if he could see me on our walks.

We brought our third huskie into our lives two and a half years ago. He had been on tv3 from dogs    
trust looking for a home. He was the only white one of the liter and he was deaf in one ear. Of course
we had to have him and we fell immediately in love with him. We called him Solas or 'sully' for short. He was the most adorable little guy.
 Skye took to him like he was her puppy and Storm was happy enough to have a new pal to play with
In the first few months, it did appear that he was deaf as he didn't seem to here us, but Yasmin and Sarah spent all their time playing with him and loving him and then it seemed he was able to here as he was able to follow instructions in the house or outside. He would here a biscuit wrapper open instantly and I was amazed as I knew he had a great eye sense.
I figured in the last while that he only had one deaf ear as they lay flat on our walks while the other stood up always on the alert.
Three huskies are very strong to handle on walks but it didn't deter me. I took them everywhere and ran them freely in the fields beside me. They loved running in the fields and chased each other around playfully. I just had to be careful they didn't knock me down as they ran back and forward around me.
They're strength would be the same as a motor bike if they hit you on full speed!

Skye was the boss and young Sully would chase her everywhere. Unfortunately he chased after her  this past January into the main road from the far end of the field. I heard him Yelp in pain and I initially thought he had ran into a trap of a sort as I didn't realise they could get out into the road, but my heart ached when I walked towards his squeals and saw him hobble back into field with his leg dangling. Once he realised I saw him, he stopped where he was in obvious pain.
I had to run into the road and get him help as I couldn't carry him myself and a lovely old man and a young chap came to help me. I was devastated that my little guy was in so much pain and I feared that he would lose the leg. But thankfully, although the vet told me the leg was smashed, he did a great job in an operation and had him as good as knew in a few months. He was so cute with his bandaged leg and relished all the extra attention from Yasmin if that was possible as she loved him already so much. We left him sleep in the kitchen from then on because we didn't want the other guys to rough play with him. Each morning I came into the kitchen and he would be there wagging his tail
waiting for his hugs. I would say, 'where's the baby? Where's the baby?' He would stand up beside me
and hug my legs. When I let the other two in, they would all run for a place at my legs, delighted to   see me and get a hug.                                                                                                                                    

We realised in the past couple of years that Skye was a hunter. She liked to catch rabbits, cats and other small animals and one time while I was walking her in the fields, I saw her grab a baby calf into the ditch. She was just about to go at it and Sully was right behind her and Storm came too, but I let such a racket the dogs left her and the calf was able to escape unharmed. I talked the the farmer after that and he kindly told me to just keep them away during calf season. Once the calves were big enough they would be well able for the dogs.
I was very grateful and did what he asked.
I had been walking them on the lead for a good while and a lovely lad from our road also walked them fro me. They loved to see him coming. They knew he would have treats for them after their
walk.
I went back to the field this past Wednesday. The dogs were so excited and ran into the field excitedly and then that's when two of my dogs prescious lives ended.
It all happened so quickly. Skye ran off ahead of me with Sully at her heals. Storm was running and jumping rough the growth playfully. I followed the other two into the patchy field behind the secondary school. It wasn't ideal for a long run, but it was better than a walk on a lead.
I knew Skye and Sully would be way ahead me now, possibly looking for pheasant or wild rabbits. To my dismay, I saw a sheep. There had never been sheep there before and my dogs had never been in an area where there were sheep, but I knew Skye had gone for one. I could here branches breaking in the bushes before me but I didn't have the guts to in after them. I thought if they had a sheep in the last four minutes it would be too late. I took Storm home and called for help. I knew if my dogs had a sheep that they would have to be put down . But I wanted it done quickly humanely.
Instead, the farmer hit my dogs with a shovel and sent them running off scared. And it was a couple
of more hours till they were actually put down , but I know my dogs knew that something bad was going to happen to them.
I am actually an animal lover and sympathise with the poor sheep also. I explained to my heartbroken
children that unfortunately, we couldn't have our dogs if we weren't able to control them and they had become wild. And acts like that from dogs scare people. Would they turn on a newborn baby?
But, it is the saddest thing.
I feel that I failed my dogs in giving them so much freedom. The only comfort we have is knowing that while they were in our family, they were so loved and cherished.
 That every moment of their life was happy and fulfilling and they gave us so much love.
Jean xxx