So where to from here?

[davefreer]

I find myself stuck in a depressing conundrum that I see no easy answers to. We have our visas - as yet we have no buyer for the house... And the hard part. The currency has strengthened some more and the cost of moving my animals - with the six month quarantine has ballooned to R150 000 - about 4 times our fare! I had budgetted R50K for them but I just don't have that sort of money... For a start I don't even know if moving them is the right thing to do. Six months in a kennel for the cats especially (3 of them have lived on the farm since they were little kittens. They've never been confined. Duchess- the 4th cat was an SPCA rescue and did come from a cage in town, but just hates even going in a catbox to the vet.) There is a possibility of re-homing them with a very good friend of mine across the hill - she's an illustrator who works at home on the farm, and her dogs and cats live like ours - underfoot, to hand, and are pampered and loved. They've lost a cat to old age and the other is just on the edge. But they couldn't take the dogs - they already have half the rescue animals in the district. I just don't know... Roland is 9. 11 is a good age for an Old English. Our last one lived to thirteen (our dogs and cats live to great ages, generally). The thought of giving him to someone else, and having his big old heart break thinking he was abandoned and unloved leaves me crying. The 'pups' are 5. They couldn't easily live in town, but they're loving friendly labradors and there is a possibility my best friend and Godfather to my son (who already has two much older pampered labbies that get on with mine) could have them if his planned move to the country comes off. But that too waits on selling houses. Buttons - the Maltese, is old - 17 - blind, deaf and has senile dementia (but still eats well, and is happy sleep 22 hours a day on a lap or on the bed.) She's been getting the abrupt sit downs and doesn't walk more than about 4 yards. Our vet said she had months on this earth - about 2 years ago. The first sign of physical distress and we'll have to take her for the long dream. 6 months in quarantine would kill her, and she basically needs 24 hour frail-care now. Not something you can ask someone else to do.

(sigh) So right now I am hoping the house doesn't sell, because then I don't have to make these decisions. That or sudden sale of movie rights or a NYT best-seller and large advance offers...

It's tearing me apart.