Pets Magazine July 2021

July 2021, FREE

My Pet: US Singer Songwriter Lucia Cifarelli and Cookie

PET Trusts: Why it’s a good to have one

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& much more inside…

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My Pet

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Bond: Lucia and Cookie

UR My Pet stars this month songwriting and performing as a are Lucia Cifarelli and her child; ‘Girls Like Me’ is the rst single miniature Chihuahua Cookie. from her forthcoming album ‘I Am

Lucia is an American musician, best Eye’. We discuss all things dog and known for her work with industrial especially Cookie -related when we band KMFDM. She was formerly the caught up with Lucia, recently. vocalist for the band Drill, and also performed in KMFDM o shoots MDFMK, KGC, and Schwein.

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hat breed is Cookie and why did you choose him?

I chose him because I’d never had a dog

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Born and raised in Long Island, Lucia before and I gured a smaller dog would be a developed her love of singing, good start for my family.

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ow long have you had Cookie?

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hat di erence does Cookie make to your life?

We’ve had Cookie for three and a half years now Before having a dog, I had no idea the impact he would have on my life other than being an enormous responsibility. He’s oes Cookie come with you to work? brought so much love, joy and support to my family's day to day life, imaging life without him is agonizing.

Since I primarily work from home Cookie is always by my side. In fact he follows me Because he’s so small he wants to be on my wherever I go. We should’ve named him lap all the time. He loves to snuggle and be

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close. He de nitely makes me slow down and enjoy the simple things more.

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Shadow!

likes to stay close to home and parade around familiar stomping grounds, where he can bump into friends and have a good chase, however we do plan to bring him to Spain this summer. It's the kind of trip we think he’d really enjoy.

New sights and smells, boat rides and swimming.

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hat are the best holidays

you’ve taken with Cookie?

He also has a way of making anxiety magically disappear. He’ll stare at me with his Yoda eyes and before I know it, I’ve forgotten what I was worried about. His spirit is delicious and he’s changed my life.

He’s a little earth angel.

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o you take doggie-friendly holidays with Cookie?

We’ve actually never taken him on holiday before. Because he’s small and skittish, he

The best local holiday is to the beach. He loves the water and running in the sand. He smiles the whole time. We have to be careful though because if he drinks the water, he’s usually at the vet the next day.

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o you take Cookie with you to restaurants and pubs?

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s there anything you feel strongly about regarding pet welfare?

Loads! Where does one begin. The We have taken Cookie to a couple of indignities and violence against animals is restaurants and I’m always amazed by how endless and it breaks my heart. From well behaved he is. He doesn’t jump around animal testing to farm factory industry, the table or make a fuss. He’s very social domestic neglect and cruelty, hunting, and well behaved. poaching etc.. The mistreatment and abuse of animals is rampant worldwide and its atrocious. The general concern for animal welfare falls far below the bar. hat are Cookie’s favourite things in the world?

Advocacy is as vital for animals as it is for humans.

Cookie’s absolute favorite thing in the world is being invited for dinner at the neighbor's house. All the children play with him and he chases them through the WEB AND SOCIALS: garden and gets to share everyones dinner and he also loves a playdate with his https://luciacifarelli.com/ girlfriend Daisy. He’s known her since she Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ was a puppy. Daisy goes crazy when she lucia.cifarelli.75 see’s Cookie and the two of them race Twitter: https://twitter.com/luciakmfdm through the meadows like turbo charged Insta: https://www.instagram.com/ dogs luciacifarellio cial/?hl=en

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oes Cookie have any tricks or special character traits?

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Sometimes he likes to put on a show and twirls around on two legs like a circus dog.

He’s a real character!

Makes Sense

In the US, 'Pet Trusts' are now mainstream, but the concept of having a legally binding document to care for our pets after our

deaths is, worryingly, not one that's commonplace in the UK...

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Remembering to include a precious pet in your will could be the best decision

By MARIE CARTER-ROBB

In the US, so-called 'Pet Trusts' are now mainstream, but the concept of having a legally binding document to care for our pets after our deaths is not one that's commonplace in the UK.

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Worryingly, people over 60 are the least likely to make speci c provisions for their pets, according to research by over-50s specialist rm Saga.

But what happens if family or friends decide that taking on a pet is too much for them?

The average lifetime cost of owning a dog is estimated at £17,000 according to a recent survey, and almost a quarter of people who inherit a dog would re-home it or have it put down.

No exact stats are available for the percentage who would consider euthanasia, but the very fact that some people do means the stakes are so high that it's vital pet owners make proper provision for their pets.

As well as wills, there is something called a 'discretionary trust' which gifts a set amount of money to the trustee, the new owner, which expires upon the death of the pet. Any money left over would then be given to a named

bene ciary, who could be the original trustee It's certainly worth thinking about and planning for the kinds of bills that the average pet will accrue during its lifetime and making set provision for these. Think about vets bills, pet insurance (if applicable), food, medical history, and dietary requirements. Cats Protection has very helpfully produced a list of useful that can help pet owners. It's a useful checklist that will help anyone worrying about what to do if their pets are likely to outlive them.

Even if you're t and healthy, it doesn't hurt to take a look, and,

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if you have a will already, to owner. The difference between consider setting aside provision Pet Trusts and discretionary for a pet. trusts is that the former has no human bene ciary. In theory, The RSPCA also offers a free unscrupulous trustees could service to pet owners which spend money left to them in a nds a new home for a pet after discretionary trust on other the owner dies: http:// items. www.homeforlife.org.uk Pet trusts are much tighter and We're a nation of animal lovers trustees are held much more to but many people die and leave account for how they spend the no provision for their pets. How money left to the pet. In the US, many times have you seen lawyers with a specialism in rescue centres seeking new 'pet law' are increasingly homes for pets whose owners mainstream. The typical have died? amount set aside in a pet trust is around $25,000.

There is an organisation for older pets called The Oldies There are some interesting Club. There are lots of dear cases at the top end. In 1993, older dogs whose beloved tobacco heiress Doris Duke left owners have died and left their $100,000 to her dog Rodeo, a pets with no provision.

Shar-Pei. A will written by Pets, particularly dogs, are actress Betty White is reported sentient creatures and will to have left all of her $5 million struggle with the loss of their estate to her pets.

Dusty Spring eld's 1999 will speci ed that a bequest for her cat Nicholas be spent on a lifetime supply of his favourite meal of imported baby food.

These are, of course, extreme examples, but the point should not be lost that it's so very important to make speci c provision for pets. This should particularly be the case if the pet is older or has a medical condition(s) that will make it more dif cult for them to be rehomed if the pet owner dies rst

Coming up to Scratch...

Retired vet and author of Pets Aplenty MALCOLM D. WELSHMAN on a problem pooch that left him scratching his head for a diagnosis...

‘I’m afraid your next A raised client is likely to be voice, rather grumpy,’ peppered with confessed Beryl, exclamations, pausing to look up announced the from her computer. arrival of the My receptionist lady in twisted round on her reception. ‘I stool and subjected really don’t me to one of her see why I had customary hawkto make an Malcolm and Dora eyed stares. ‘It’s Mrs appointment.’

Beresford-Smythe. And she’s definitely not in a good mood.

‘Extremely inconvenient.’ Ming gets so distressed.’ All spoken Oh dear, that’s all I needed for as if through a mouthful of my first consultation of the day. pebbles.

What was upsetting her? I wondered. I was soon to find Ah I thought Beryl had out. obviously insisted the lady make an appointment as was practice policy these days

rather than have a house visit.

And when Mrs BeresfordSymthe stormed into my consulting room her face said it all. A brazier full of glowing coals couldn’t have done better.

Okay. Time to swing into action with my best bedside manner in an attempt to placate the lady.

‘So what can we do for you?’ I said brightly.

‘You can’t do anything for me.

It’s Ming that needs seeing to,’ she replied tartly.

I felt my face starting to glow as hair loss down the dog’s back well. Calm down. Calm down. and, where the skin was exposed, several raw spots.

‘Yes, right.’ I looked down at the pekingese she had firmly ‘He’s been under our yew tucked between her right elbow hedge,’ she said. ‘That’s what’s and waist. done it.’

I was momentarily puzzled.

Long enough for Mrs Beresford-Smythe to spot my uncertainty. She gave an exasperated sigh. ‘He’s so itchy ‘Of course. You don’t need to be he’s been rubbing his back on a vet to see what’s wrong.’ Mrs the lower branches.’

Beresford-Symthe twisted Ah, there we had it. Just to sideways and lowered the peke verify the fact, I tickled Ming’s on to the table. Indeed, it was flank and immediately his back clear. There were patches of

‘So what’s the problem with Ming?’

‘It’s obvious.’

‘It is?’

leg swung up in a vigorous scratch reflex.

Okay. Now I needed to find out why he was so itchy. I had one obvious cause in mind. It was the commonest one that resulted in this type of dermatitis. As if reading my mind, Mrs Beresford-Symthe huffed, ‘It’s not fleas if that’s what you’re thinking. I brush Ming regularly and haven’t seen any. Not that I’d expect to.

I pride myself on keeping him up to scratch.’

Uhm. An unfortunate turn of phrase to use under the

circumstances. But it was precisely what I was thinking. If the itchiness was due to fleas, I just needed to confirm the diagnosis.

So, I started to carefully examine Ming’s back, parting the fine hair at the edges of the lesions. I was looking for black flecks.

The idea was for me to then transferred a few of the flecks on to the consulting table, squeeze some water from a wet lump of cotton wool over them and wait for tiny red streaks to appear. This would be digested blood from flea dirts. Proof that Ming’s problem was due to fleas. But to my dismay, I couldn’t find any.

Come on, I thought to myself, show you have some grasp of the problem. So in as an authoritative voice as possible I explained that the itchiness and consequent dermatitis was allergic in origin. Even one flea

Uhm… Okay.

Point made Beryl.

Time for me to eat humble pie. Just hope I’m not allergic to it.

bite could set it off. So an antiinflammatory injection and some follow-up steroid pills should help to ease the itchiness and calm the skin down. I didn’t add that I hadn’t any real idea as to the cause.

But it seemed to do the trick.

Least according to what Beryl told me a few weeks later.

‘Mrs Beresford-Smythe phoned through to say Ming’s fine now.

No scratching. And the hair’s regrowing.’

Mrs Beresford-Symthe’s antennae were quickly at work again, fine-tuned to my uncertainty. ‘You don’t know what’s causing it do you?’ she ‘Really? I was unable to keep queried, her lips twisting to one the surprise out of my voice. side.

Beryl nodded, a mischievous glint in her eye.

‘But then, before she left, I did persuade her to try out one of our new dietary ranges. Well it was on special offer. I suggested the low protein one.

You know, the one that’s good for allergic skin conditions due to diet.’

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Malcolm D. Welshman is author of Pets Aplenty published by Austin Macauley Publishers 0207 038 8312 at £7.99 Kindle version 99p www.malcolmwelshman .co.uk. *****************************