Always take the positives out of the situation

Hi Pitman

Pets can be so important. I am sure your dogs have been a great comfort and that they have loved having you around. 

I know for me, my cats really helped during difficult times. Especially during chemo and when I felt low- having the routines of having to get up and feed them etc did help. Also plenty of time with them snoozing with me and following me around. I think they understood. 

Jane

Hi Jane , thanks for the reply .

You are so right about the way our pets seem to understand our feelings and your comment about snoozing with them has been such a great comfort to me . When I am in the house alone with them as other family members have gone to work I will say to the dogs "shall we feed the birdies?" and they are up in an instant and we go into the garden and put out the bird food then retire to the sofa , one dog either side of me and await our feathered friends .

We then sit and watch for a while and have our own little competition as to who can fall to sleep first . It's a very even contest !!

But yes you are right , they are so important to us , and the comfort and love they show to us cannot be measured on any scale .

take care

Peter , my real name .

Hi Peter.  You are so right I have four dogs and they are the reason I get up and walk them every day.  They keep me going and I so enjoy walking them in the woods.  I believe you are going back to work through Access to work or something similar, how did you get on with your ESA claim?  I have taken ill health retirement now so can spend all days with the dogs.  I also love feeding the birds (and the squirrels) ha ha.  I also feed the foxes every night.  Glad to hear that you are getting comfort from your dogs.  Big hugs.

Lee xx

Hi Lee , apologies for taking so long to reply . There has been so much going on but that isn't a valid excuse really .

I applied for the Access to Work scheme but as yet have still not heard from them . I have tried phoning on a few occasions but it just means spending too long in a queue so I give up .As things are I may be able to return to work in September but ongoing health issues may be a deciding factor in that . I have been trying to do a bit more stuff to prepare myself for a return to work and am beginning to realise how much the last 11 years of fighting cancer have taken out of my body and some days are very difficult . It's quite frustrating as I have always worked in jobs that are pretty active .

Regarding the ESA I did eventually get that sorted but do lose some money due to taking my Mineworkers pension when I first got diagnosed with cancer in 2015 

My dogs are still providing much happiness in my life as are the birds in the garden . And oh to have a fox visit . That would be heaven as I absolutely adore wildlife .

I hope things are going ok for you ?

Peter xx 

Hi Peter,  nice to hear from you.  I hope you can go back to work in September if that is what you would like to do.  I am much slower in the mornings now and take a while to get going.  Our foxes come every night and I watch them on the camera we have in the front garden.  We are also getting ring neck parakeets come into the garden every day now.  There are a lot of them living wild now.  I love the wildlife too.

Big hugs Lee x

Hi Lee ,

Thanks for the reply . I hope you are doing ok ?

I am so envious of your foxes . Well actually , you , not the foxes :-)

I am now getting a bit anxious about returning to work as I am wondering about the physical side of my job being too much so may have to give it some serious consideration . I have always loved my job but I am thinking I don't want to completely tire myself out after years of ill health . At least I don't have to make a decision yet .

I'll keep you informed .

Big hugs right back to you 

Peter xx

That’s really lovely. Dogs have such a way of making difficult times feel a little softer. Spending that much time with them must have been a real comfort.