Dora the Explorer

Dora's story is perhaps the saddest, yet most intriguing. Bought on a whim, Dora's previous owner underestimated the time and effort it would take to care for her. This is remarkable given that tortoises can live up to 100+ years! My big heart couldn't bear to watch her suffer, so I suggested taking her for the summer to get exercise and fresh air..... and I've had her ever since.

While I admit a tortoise was not a pet I would have chosen, she is a charming, fascinating little thing! My mum took a while to come round to her.... but now she has no fear of her scaly legs. 

I have had to spend a long time researching tortoises and caring for them, which was especially difficult since I didn't even know what type she was! Dora is two, and lives in a tank with a UV bulb so will not hibernate, or so I'm told. She is a fussy eater, and will only eat Dandelion flavour holistic food (which is not cheap!), lettuce and tomato. 

We've had a few mishaps with Dora. She likes to burrow and dig, so many a time we have had to call in a search party in the backyard to find her under a plant pot or at the very bottom of the yard. It is a myth that tortoises move very slowly! You can put Dora on the floor and within seconds she has disappeared! 

If you're looking to get a tortoise as a pet I urge you to think of the costs first! While my head nearly always rules my heart, it is from experience I urge this. Her UV lightbulb recently went out and it cost £25 to replace, and is going to need replacing every year. Because of the climate, she needs a heat mat to sit on, which is not cheap at £20. Furthermore her large tank alone was over £60, along with electric equipment to rig up the lighting. Finally her tortoise dry food is £6 for 200g! We'll not mention the time they ran out of dandelion flavour, so I got fruits instead and she didn't touch a crumb! 

I don't know how long I'll be able to keep Dora for, but one thing is for sure, I will not allow her to go back to her old owner if they cannot look after her properly.But for the mean time I try my best to look after her, and learn a new thing about her species every day!

Dora's likes: Dandelion food, getting into trouble/being naughty, the dogs' biscuits, being talked to.

Dora's dislikes: being left in her tank for long periods of time as she starts to try climb up the walls, being approached quickly (she hisses and hides her head in her shell), getting a bath

Squeak, squeak

Meet Scrappy (left) and Rocky (right). Both delightfully fluffy abyssinian breeds of guinea pig, and arguably the cutest! As I mentioned I have always had pet guinea pigs, so when Oxo died at the grand old age of seven, we knew immediately that the house was empty without the smell of sawdust and cheeky squeaks whenever the fridge opened!

Advertised in The Chronicle was http://www.northeastguineapigrescue.co.uk/contact/, which is an entirely self-run shelter by a lady named Layla. Luckily she lives just round the corner from us, so organised an appointment to go pick some new babies! Naturally once there I found it impossible to choose, each little piggy had its own heartbreaking story. Scrappy and his brother Bumblebee were tiny babies when given to Layla so luckily didn't do too badly, but poor Rocky on the other hand is a different story.

Rocky's age is unknown, but he was rescued with a large number of both male and female guinea pigs who were foolishly placed all in the same cage, and so while the female was fought over, Rocky wasn't so tough. His tiny ears have been bitten beyond recognition by the other male guineapigs, fighting for dominance and has left Rocky deaf.

It's been over two years since we adopted them, and while Scrappy has thrived in this loving environment, he is still very timid compared to every other guineapig I have owned. Rocky however is extremely cautious and timid. We bought a big igloo to fit inside their cage - which I'd highly recommend - and he peeks his nose out at dinner times, but other than that you rarely see him outside of it. 

My mum has been very creative and made them an outside play area (as you can see in the photo). Since we don't have a garden she buys a small patch of grass for less than a fiver from B&Q, surrounded it with a tiny picket fence and bought an outside cage which the boys can hop in and out whenever they please. We bring the cage inside for winter and secure the back room so they still get plenty of exercise. 

Scrappy and Rocky's likes: lettuce and cucumber! Sunny days to play out, their mum growing vegetables so they can climb in the plant pots and help themselves, Wagg dry food (they won't touch anything else!!)

Scrappy and Rocky's dislikes: loud noises, people putting their hands into their igloo, Ollie trying to paw them (we're working on trying to get Ollie to accept the guineapigs, Miffy has never had a problem with them)

The new baby... 

This is Ollie, or 'Shmol' as he has randomly been nicknamed. We had been looking for a friend for Miffy for a while and as fate would have it, along came her little mini-me. Ollie was also advertised in the local paper, but this time we were careful. He came from a divorce, and his owner was unable to care for him properly, so he sensibly decided to re-home him, 

Ollie is a pedigree, though we have no desire to put him in shows or breed him, his pedigree name 'Magnolia Barney' always raises a few laughs. I personally don't notice any difference between him and the supposedly non-pedigree Miffy, except maybe his fur is finer. Like introducing any new pet to your current ones, Ollie was not liked by Miffy for a while! But after Miffy's dramatic walking out of the room every time he came near her, she soon allowed him to lie within a metre of her, and now they cuddle up together!

Ollie is a delightful little dog. He is intelligent and eager to learn tricks, he is the softest, most lovable little baby when he wants to be! He seems particularly taken with my little brother, so maybe it is true what they say - that bichons pick a certain person to follow. 

Ollie's likes: playing, ALL OF THE TIME. Everything is a game with Ollie, which means you come home to find your belongings strewn across the stairs. Ollie love socks, and likes to carry one around in his mouth whenever he can. Unlike Miffy he absolutely loves getting his hair brushed (the girls at the groomers are especially fond of him!)

Ollie's dislikes: having nobody to play with, having his food in his bowl and not all over the floor, being kept on his lead during walks, losing at playing fetch with Miffy. 

  Miffy Mouse?

If I'm honest, Miffy has a very special place in my heart. She is the most loyal, beautiful, lovable little dog you could ever meet! Miffy was put up for sale in the local newspaper with a litter of puppies who unfortunately had been over-bred by an untrustworthy breeder, but since she was our first Bichon, we had no idea. 

£550 later and no pedigree papers, Miffy came home to us, bedraggled, dirty and terrified of her own shadow. They say bichons take to one person in particular, and for some reason Miffy became my little sidekick. Cute at first, she soon refused to leave my side, to the point where I had to let her sit on the bathroom floor with me while I bathed! 

We have recently found out that Miffy has a degenerate disease called 'hip dysplasia'. As a result she has snapped her cruciate ligament, and is currently very poorly. We're trying our best to keep her comfortable and resting, and fingers crossed she might not need major surgery! If any readers have any tips or experience of this, please share, I'd love to hear them! 

 Miffy's likes: her beloved toy hedgehog, bacon treats, playing chase with a ball, getting spoiled, cuddles from her mum, her new big fluffy bed, long walks to the beach or the park.

Miffy's dislikes: getting her hair washed and brushed, having to share her bed with Ollie, when her mum has to leave the house, being by herself, nervous of other dogs 

Hi there,

My name is Chloe, I recently turned 21, I am currently an undergraduate at Newcastle University, studying English Literature. I love it. I've always wanted to start a blog, but never knew what to write about... so I've decided to combine my two loves: writing and animals!


For as long as I can remember I have adored animals. Brought up with guinea pigs that lived for seven years + (true story!) and hamsters who escaped from their cages and of course the 'family dog', I am known in my family as the 'animal lover'. I guess that is why I feel so strongly about helping animals in need, particularly ones who need a home. In fact my mum has threatened to kick me out if I bring anymore poorly animals home... 


So who's who? 


Miffy - 6 year old female Bichon Frise
Ollie - 1 year old male Bichon Frise (the latest family member!)
Scrappy - 2 year old Abyssinian guinea pig 
Rocky - sadly his age is unknown as he was part of 9 appallingly neglected rescue guinea pigs (also Abyssinian)
Dora - 2 year old Russian tortoise 


Let me introduce you properly...