Wild Dogs of Africa

well I am off! One very heavy rucksack packed, small rucksack and the determination that I can carry this to the bus and to the airport! It is heavy because I ended up packing my DV camera as well as two smaller digital cameras. I was really torn to what to pack in terms of kit as I will be mainly roughing it. I just didn't want to miss out on filming any dogs or filming something if it comes up. I may regret taking this much though (and probably in about an hour or two)

I am heading to Nairobi, Kenya first then I will be hopefully joining an overland down to Cape Town (or at least that is the plan!) I am going to try and see as many parks as I can so I have the chance to at least spot one or two wild dogs. They are so incredibly rare now and sightings are even more rare. I have been in touch with a few people who work with conservation groups in Botswana and Namibia where they mostly are protected (or as best as they can) It will be a real challenge to get information as well as sightings. I am not a wealthy tourist and I don't have the means to fly into some very remote parks so the overland is my best budget option.

I will be on email (hopefully) so blogging and emailing back people. I have no idea what's going to happen and I hope and pray that I have luck and God on my side.

Watch out for my blogs in the coming weeks. I will defeintely be looking out for all kinds of dogs as well as animals!

The Dog Reporter ©
www.thedogreporter.com

Oh to walk a dog in France!

Sorry for the LONG delay in blogging. I am revamping my website www.thedogreporter.com as well as looking into switching my blog to Word Press. The word is that word press is a bit more flexible for what I want to deliver in content this coming year.

I have also been in France the past week staying with friends who live just above Grenoble in the mountain region of Vercors. It is stunning. I feel like I am in God's cradle up in the mountains with the mountains, trees, forest and wild flowers nestling me to sleep every night.

I am lucky to have friends in France as it is one of my favourite places to visit. My goal is to move here by end of the year if it is in God's plan. (Let us not forget that God is Dog spelled backwards.)

I finished my work at the Kennel Club last month. My producing of the Kennel Club YouTube Channel sadly came to an end in April due to severe budget cuts. It was a great beginning for the Dog Reporter© and I will always be grateful for the opportunity I had in setting up some new media for the Kennel Club. Everything has gone digital and my mantra for the past few years has been digital down baby! It is so great to see the KC now so immersed in all the new social media to engage, promote and market their key messages towards "making a difference for dogs."

Like many of you I have a lot of fear of the unknown and I can worry a lot about the future. I had taken some time out these past couple of weeks to ponder my next step towards my quest for positive dog reporting. My questions range from the mundane of "how will I pay rent and survive?" to the pinnacle of my being which is "how can I make money by doing what I love?" It's just not that simple for me to just go back to corporate life or my old life which was not really me after all. I have committed to following my purpose which is promoting positive dog stories from around the world and being of service. I love dogs, I love to travel and I really enjoy helping people who are less fortunate than us in the western world. Just in case there are any prospective employers, benefactors, sponsors or dog and travel related entities out there - I am happy to meld what I do with you! I will still continue to fulfill my vision which is simply this:

"To enlighten, share and promote the beauty of the world through DOGS." by Heidi Hudson 2009 © This is it in a nutshell. This is all I want to do now.

Sometimes I am very slow to accept change as being part of the plan but eventually I come around.
I always try and do my best to accept change as part of God's way of opening up other doors in my life. Just hoping they are some large french double doors!

France has been a wonderful break and time to reflect on what is really important in my life and what I really want - I think it is important to always ask yourself this time and time again. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
I have always been a very goal oriented and driven person but today my life isn't driven by attaining huge material gains or career movements (believe me not too long ago it was pretty much all materially based!). My life is so different today in so many ways! Being in such a beautiful place where I have had the opportunity of walking a beautiful Chocolate Labrador every morning in the forest up in the mountains of Grenoble has been a real back to basics moment for me and allowed me the opportunity to reflect on "WHAT DO I WANT?"

What makes me happy is being in nature, being with dogs and helping people. And guess what? I have been doing this every single day here in France land but it took me a few days to settle in and really appreciate where I was and the goodness of everything that was presented to me in every waking moment.

Why I am in France now. A while ago my good friend who lives here in France with her partner asked me to dog sit their lovely dog "Dodi" while they went on a family holiday to Italy with their new baby. Just a couple of weeks before I was due to fly out to Grenoble I spoke to my friend who said there was a change of plans as a close relative was in hospital from a brain tumour. I was asked if I could still come out and help with the dog AND the baby while my friend's partner went on to Italy to be with his family. I didn't have any hestitation in continuing my trip to France albeit a 3 month old crying baby and hectic household awaiting me!

What France has been on this trip. A huge blessing. It has been such a gift to be with friends and be able to help out a small way by walking and training their dog and of course taking loads of photos.

Dodi the Chocolate Labrador is probably the most photographed dog now in my dog photographer's portfolio. He is cheeky, goofy, sweet, mischevious, food obsessed (what lab isn't?), a bit dopey at times and still bouncy like a puppy even though he is fully grown. He is huge for a lab (almost like a little bear cub), a stunning pedigree dog and perfect in my eyes even though he has his moments.

This time in France has really been what it was supposed to be on this trip or this time in life: a time to reflect, a time to decompress, and time to enjoy a dog as a daily reminder of being in the moment.

I have at times mistakenly called Dodi, 'Josie,' as Dodi and Josie do sound a lot like at times. (Especially if you are calling to get a dog out of something they are not supposed to be sticking their nose in!) Josie was my beautiful Weimaraner whom I lost a few years ago and whom I still sorely miss to this day. Dodi has been a lovely reminder of all the silly things that Josie did on our walks and at times I felt Josie was walking along right beside us.

Dogs are blessings in our life as they teach us patience, kindness, compassion and the simplicity of what is good right in front of us now. Whether it be good food, companionship, chasing after butterflies, sniffing wildflowers or long walks in the forest - it's all about enjoying the moment.

I will keep you posted in the week about my updated website and blog. I leave for Africa on May 19th to begin my dog quest and book "In Search of Dog©" more on this upcoming trip later.

Enjoy the moment!

The Dog Reporter©
www.thedogreporter.com