The pond I made in my garden in Umbria was the subject of much dissent and criticism from the neighbours. “Nothing will live in that,” said neighbour’s son Marco, “it’s just a stagno – there’s no oxygen.” I pointed out the oxygenating plants nicked from an ex-pat garden up the road, but he wasn’t having […]
I’ve put some common dog and cat related words in Italian with phonetic pronunciation. The capital letters are the stress of the word. If you are at the vet’s and are not sure of the ailment try the English medical name as a lot of the scientific terms are similar in Italian and English. For example uterus – utero,
Here are a variety of useful links related to pets and also ex-pat living. I’ll be adding to this all the time. Please contact me to add any that you know of. ANIMAL CHARITIES and ORGANIZATIONS Great list of organizations and associations which help animals in Italy from Animali e Animali http://www.animalieanimali.it/entieassociazioni.asp Rome association
My animals don't need clocks – they have their own in-built ones! About two weeks ago the cats and dogs began waking (and as a consequence waking me too) earlier and earlier and for the last few days I have been letting them out at 6 am – an hour earlier than usual. I put
This is a YouTube video I made last year of one of the dogs, Maia, playing with the semi-wild cat Misha. Misha's mother and half brother have also inherited this trait so sometimes the poor dog is outnumbered! It's not the most brilliant film in the world but is my first attempt at both filming
For bringing pets into Italy from the EU: · Each pet cat, dog or ferret must have its own EU pet passport · The animal must be over three months old · It must have been vaccinated against rabies at least 21 days before travel · Each pet should be microchipped · Generally you
Sooner or later your love of pets will lead to your having to speak Italian. You might want to buy food, explain something to the vet or just wax lyrical about how marvellous your cat or dog is to your Italian neighbour. When you’re learning a new language mistakes are inevitable and don’t think that
Help! My Cat Needs a Hill and My Dog’s Chasing a Hormone. Read More »
It all began innocently enough with a simple conversation between me, my neighbour and my husband along these lines: Bruna: ‘You should get some geese, they’ll keep the grass down.’ Me. ‘That’s a really good idea.’ Alan: ‘No, it isn’t.’ GEESE FOR SALE The birds on the poultry stall were packed tightly into crates. Bought and sold by the
Living in rural Tuscany, I have been able to indulge my love of animals. The present count is two dogs, three cats (two strays and one of their kittens) and a hooded crow. The dogs found the crow almost two years ago in the field behind the house. She was badly injured, dragging a wing and
Benvenuti! My name is Fiona Tankard , I’m a writer and I have lived in Italy, first in Umbria and now Tuscany, since 1994 with my husband and a variety of pets. Over the years we have had cats, dogs, geese, a crow, fish, two pigeons and alpacas. I started this blog to help homeless animals in