I was Invited to Judge an Art Competition

by my very special homeopathic vet Margot Hunter of Dunedin Veterinary Centres, in Tranent, East Lothian, Scotland. Phone (24hrs) 01875 613593.

I received these beautiful flowers as a thank you! But actually it is Margot that I want to thank!

I found Margot a few years ago as I frantically searched the internet for a homeopathic vet to treat my rescue rabbit Zai. Zai was unable to accept any orthodox medicine in his body due to his very weak immune system. He had been bought as a pet for a child - who became bored after a short while - and the parents couldn't be bothered looking after him, so he had been badly mistreated. He had been terribly sick when given antibiotics and I couldn't take any chances of making him sicker by using 'conventional' medicine. So I searched for an alternative medicine vet for nearly a month and after going to America and a few other countries I finally found Margot, only 10 miles away!

I can't say enough good things about Margot and if your pet has any problems at all you should consider trying the less invasive treatment of homeopathy. Margot is the only person I trust to look after Arabella and Wesley. She has such an amazing rapport with animals and treats them so gently and respectfully.

Zai lives on in my memory and heart :)

When the Practice first opened 15 years ago they had a lovely young dog called Pete and a kitten called Perky stop by in their first month. Here they both are to join in the celebrations.

Pete the handsome Cairn Terrier - who will be an amazing 18 in August, enjoyed lots of attention and head rubs! Here are their humans receiving awards on their behalf!

Perky the cat, at 15 , is content to stay in the carrier! Margot is on the left, and Chris at right.

Great to see them doing well - though when they heard they were going to the vets - they might have not been too happy at first!

I had the pleasure of cutting the ribbon to celebrate the 15 years of Margot and Chris at Dunedin Vets caring for the animals. Arabella, my own art-accessory bag, accompanied me - when she heard I would be surrounded by hundreds of little artists she was so excited! (plus she also wanted to receive admiring glances in the melee!).

To help celebrate there was also a raffle. All monies raised went to the Hearing Dogs and The Cats Protection. What deserving causes! Marion, who runs Howpark Cattery, volunteered for the Cats Protection. Marion used to do home checks on their behalf to make sure the cats got forever homes for ever! If you are considering adding a furry addition to your family please visit the Cats Protection and The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home. They have many very deserving animals looking for a forever home and endless love.

I donated Baby Hare Coco to go in the raffle! A small soft sculpture to brighten anybodies heart.

When Coco grows up she wants to be an animal communicator for all species. She has already read Amelia Kinkade's book Straight From the Horses Mouth and she has been practising on all the forest and field animals. No species is too small to talk with and she usually has small bees accompanying her on her appointments. She is now on a work experience placement at her local homeopathic vets and has been helping out so much by letting the vet know exactly how unwell the rabbits, dogs, cats and lizards actually feel!

and I also donated 6 of my Arabella and Baby Hare handmade art cards!

Helping celebrate was Dodie Piddock from Bee-Aloe to let all the visitors know about the great health benefits of the aloe vera plant - not just for people but all animals aswell. And it is not tested on animals! phone 07967 117841 (UK)

It was early last month when Margot asked me if I would like to judge an art competition in celebration of the Dunedin Veterinary Centre Practice being open for 15 years. All the school children would be drawing a picture and the winning one would be used on the booster reminder cards. Ofcourse I was flattered, delighted and honoured and accepted immediately!

To assist in the selection would be Practice Partner Chris Monk, a trained acupuncturist (great in alleviating joint stiffness in cats and dogs), Margot, my mum (a very talented artist) and myself.

For nealry 2 hours we discussed, looked, agreed, disagreed, swithered and looked some more over all these amazing entries!

Every picture was an absolute gem - every child who entered clearly showed a love for animals.

However, after a lengthy selection process and choosing a 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 3 age categories and finally making one of those choices the final winner - we happily agreed (with the help from two lovely staff members!) that this super piece of art by Holly would take overall prize!

just look at those delightful hearts surrounding the cat and dog! plus bones too! yummy! this drawing was in the 7-10 category and will look great on the reminder cards being sent out. Congratulations Holly!

An amazing siamese cat took 3rd place in the 7-10 category. I just love the black nose and brown legs and tail!and I was very impressed by this beautiful and serene cat - just look at that amazing pose and attention to detail with that tail across the front of the body and those pink eyes! Drawn by Archie in the under 7 category.

and this is the talented youngster who drew that gorgeous cat! Holding his super prize!

This picture of Honey the beagle by young Sam was Commended, and it really stood out (and got a double commended in my opinion) because it was on drawn on the back of the flyer that advertised the competition! What a bright chap Sam is by Reusing, and in such a creative way - and don't you just love how expressive Honey is with her wagging tail and red tongue!

This wonderful dog was drawn by Jodie, in the 7-10 category. What a great angle and usually a very challenging angle for artists too! well done!

Here are all the catergory winners - aren' they amazing!

and look at these two super little mice celebrating! This won first prize in the under 7's.

I want to say that every piece of art work was very special, there was so much effort put into every one of them and picking a winner was one of the hardest things I have ever done! To me every picture was a winner because I could see that it was drawn from the heart!

and finally, don't forget to purchase a ticket or two to be in the raffle to win my Arabella Bag. All proceeds go to helping the rescued rabbits at The Buckeye House Rabbit Society as they wait patiently for their forever homes.

Thank You!