Now to Love

Question: When leaving your house, always give your dog a pat and say goodbye. If you get your dog used to this and let them know that you are leaving they are less likely to get annoyed and curious about why they are locked outside. Answer: Matt Linney, via e-mail.

Question: Dear Julie, My corgi is 7kg overweight. Could you prescribe a diet for her to lose weight? John Gardner, via e-mail. Answer: Dear John, I’d be interested in whether you are comparing your corgi’s weight to an average chart weight, or whether someone has told you this. Either way, you are definitely on the […]

Stress is not funny – in fact, a recent study from the American Heart Association shows that mental stress constricts blood vessels and can therefore lead to a stroke. The simplest remedy for this problem? Laughter.

For a Brit, arriving in Australia is like arriving in a parallel universe where everything is better. The weather, the people, the cities, the food are all amazing and so much better than back home. I had always wanted to travel Down Under but never seemed to be able to get the savings together. But […]

Question: After an encounter with a cane toad one of my dogs was frothing at the mouth. I sat him down, poured three big handfuls of salt down his throat and gave him water to drink after hosing his mouth out to wash away the toad poison (point the hose towards the dog’s nose from […]

Question: We have a large, black cat who is usually very outgoing. Recently he has become afraid of everything, even the fridge door! He runs away and hides in any dark space. What is wrong with him? Kitty, via e-mail. Answer: Dear Kitty, If your “spooked-out puss” goes outside, maybe a new cat on the […]

Question: My eyes are puffy and small. Besides brown, what other colours would suit my eyes and how do I apply them? Yan Jackson, via e-mail. Answer: You can use any colour you want — the trick is in the application. To get a sparkling, wide-eyed look start by defining your eyebrows with a taupe-coloured […]

By Annette Campbell Amanda Logan has some wonderful news for those of us struggling with excess weight. “I’ve lost 20 kilograms … and it really was much easier than I thought,” she declares. “Honestly, I thought I’d have to eat almost nothing and run up sand dunes or something to shift this weight. “But I’ve […]

Ten years ago, after my first marriage had broken up, my self-esteem was in tatters. Not only had my husband spent 14 years putting me down by saying I was unattractive, but after having had three young children, my breasts looked like two shriveled-up balloons. I couldn’t imagine ever showing my body to another man. […]

Question: I have a Staffy who is a six-month-old female. What is the right age for her to be desexed? Rose, via e-mail. Answer: Dear Rose, If you’ve made the decision that you don’t want to breed your dog, then you can have her done any time now. She will have to stay in hospital, […]