kmkagle

An Uruguayan Gaucho - For Polenta.

http://www.thinkdraw.com/picture.php?pictureId=48247

marius

I am sure no doors in Uruguay look like this - except in my imagination!

http://www.thinkdraw.com/picture.php?pictureId=48306

polenta

I've never seen a door like this here.... but if some Malaysians came to live here they could begin this trend. Maybe we shouldn't be so conservative and "boring" and begin to color our doors this way. LOL
As for the Gaucho. I'm so glad Kmkagle took the time and the effort to draw one. Gauchos (probably like cowboys) are known for being free and even lonely people in the middle of the country. It is said they didn't speak
too much but they had a heart of gold. We still use the word "gauchada",
that is something a "gaucho" does with the meaning of "favor".
If you do someone a favor, you do him a "gauchada".
IF ANYONE NEEDS A GAUCHADA THEN, I'M AT YOUR SERVICE!!!

Login

Polenta, you are a very generous person. I have made a mental note to do you a gauchada one day.

polenta

You are right, everybody should do a gauchada a day.
Something good every day.... at least not to be rude and hurt other people. I liked what was said here.
IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL.
Thanks Login.
Login, by the way, I was told that there are few dogs in the UK or in London because it's very expensive to own one. Is it true?

Login

I've never heard it said, polenta. It is compulsory to buy a dog licence in UK, but the maximum anyone would have to pay would be £5 per year.
I have noticed that in many cities around Europe, where occasionally buskers or beggars are seen, many have a dog as a companion. I've seen that in London too, so I would say it's a myth.

Login

There are very many dogs in UK. Strays are a rarity. Broadly speaking, the British are fond of animals, especially dogs, cats and horses. Horses are very expensive to keep and few own them.

Login

Of course, dogs with pedigrees are expensive to buy. Veterinary bills are high for any animals, but there are relatively cheap insurances to cover such costs. There is also a charity organisation called Blue Cross, who administer to sick pets whose owners can't afford a vet. In my experience, even the poorest in any UK community have a dog.

polenta

thanks Login for your kind information.

Dragon

That's funny Login, in Canada Blue Cross is a supplementary health plan. A lot of employers offer Blue Cross as a health benefit for their employees.

Also, as someone who works in a Vet Clinic, I highly recommend Pet Insurance to anyone who has a dog (or a cat for that matter). These insurances are realitivly cheap and sure come in handy if you need them. We've seen several pets whose owners would not be able to afford emergency treatments if they didn't have it. In fact we have a puppy with Parvo in the clinic right now and they have the luxary to say do whatever you have to because they got Pet Insurance for her right away.

Qsilv

High among my favorite memories of England are ones involving dogs. Here are 3--

The sign on the door to Fortnum & Mason's elegant tea-room:
NO DOGS ALLOWED
---unless carried.

Signs all over the steep escalators to the "tube" (underground railway), encouraging you to carry your pet rather than chance its catching its paws in the stair-treads... clarified by simple line drawings, understandable no matter your language, showing a slender woman lugging a HUGE dog in her arms!

The voice of our enormous milkman (a burly fellow who essentially worked out with liquid-filled weights 9 hours a day), suddenly rising from baritone to an oddly sweet squeakiness as he asked his equally solid-muscled German Shepherd, did she want to "go walkies??"

;>

Login

That's a very apt description of a Brit dog owner. You'd swear the dogs understand every word.

polenta

It's funny, here in Uruguay I've heard that there is an institution, I think a medical one called BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD. I've heard some of their commercials on the radio. Could it be the same institution?
My neighborhood is "crowded " with dogs and it's an area of buildings. It's a pity for the dogs because I think these pets need gardens and empty spaces and not apartments . When the film about the "101 Dalmatians "was on, dalmatians became very fashionable. It seems breeds people choose depend on fashion as if they were dresses. LOL

Login

Mmm ... I know what you mean about fashionable dogs, ploenta. I also feel that all animals should have a reasonable amount of green space to run / roam around in. However, there are some people, less fortunate people than others, who have no choice but to live in flats. Often they are elderly and alone, and a dog or cat can be a comforting companion. Fortunately, it's a dilemma that I have not yet had to face.