Dog training

Nepear and I just returned from an exhausting morning of dog training at the Lilongwe Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (LSPCA). The LSPCA is the only animal welfare charity in Malawi and was formed with the support of the RSPCA. They rescue mistreated animals and run spay and neuter clinics and rabies vaccination programmes. Every Saturday they run a free dog training session - Harry and Ginny appear to be slow learners.

I first visited their centre in July, when I travelled to Malawi for a familiarisation trip. I spotted Harry and Ginny, and asked if they could keep them for me until I returned in September. To my surprise, when I came back in September, they were still there. After a visit to my house from one of the LSPCA staff, to make sure they would have a suitable environment to live in, I brought them home. They've been living here almost as long as I have, and have settled in well. Most of their days are spent wrestling with each other and following Nepear and Joseph around the garden. By evening they've normally collapsed from exhaustion on their rug (or, increasingly frequently, one of the chairs) on the veranda.

Harry's around four months old now. He was being sold at the side of the road when he was rescued. He was being sold with his brother, and they were both starving. His brother unfortunately died. Ginny is around seven months old. I don't know her story. They've both got their own personalities, and seem to get on well. Jealousy is an issue, so everything has to come in twos.

I shampooed them when we got home, which is always a traumatic experience. So I now have two wet, tired, slightly disgruntled dogs.

Post-shampoo (Ginny near; Harry far)