Little Dude the cat, welcoming new visitors

From around the World

Part XV

Today we are in the USA, Northern Ireland and China

Muttville

In San Francisco, there is a senior dog rescue organisation called Muttville. Now I freely admit to having a very soft spot for old dogs. Sadly, these old-timers are very often ignored by prospective adopters, a situation that leaves the elderly canine stuck in a shelter permanently and the humans missing out on adopting a delightful dog. Yes, you have fewer years, but the advantages greatly outweigh this issue. My own view is that adopting an older dog is like watching a film but fast-forwarding to the best bit.

It appears that many folks who are considering adopting a dog already have a cat in the household, and the very understandable concern is the obvious one. Is the dog cat friendly? No point in bringing in a new dog only to see the cat disappear and, in turn, end up in a shelter.

Muttville have a system that goes a long way to solving the problem.

Enter Little Dude

The idea is simplicity itself: Little Dude, wearing his uniform yellow vest, awaits the arrival of a dog on a lead. The volunteers monitor the reaction of the dog to being close to a cat. If the dog merely sniffs, rubs noses or just ignores the feline, it is considered to be cat-friendly; however, a negative response tells the volunteers all they need to know.

In the past, it was almost impossible to answer questions regarding the cat-friendliness of a dog, but a volunteer many years ago had a cat called Moustache who was exceedingly comfortable around dogs. This was the start of this rather unique programme, and Moustache then spent time teaching Little Dude. This has led to hundreds of successful adoptions being carried out much more quickly, leading to lasting friendships between hundreds of cats and dogs.

Maddie, the Golden Retriever, with her cuddly toy

The Bin Men

I’m sure that the bin men won’t mind me saying this, but let’s face it, it’s not the most glamorous job in the world. It is, however, an extremely important job; without the bin men, things become very unsavoury.

Over the years, these very important workers have had a variety of names: ‘bin men’, ‘refuse collectors’, ‘garbage men’, and more recently more politically correct ones like ‘environmental health operatives’ and ‘sanitation specialists’

As I write this, the consequences of failure to have regular bin men operating are now being shown in the UK, when the bin men went on strike in March 2025 in the city of Birmingham, and as of August 2026, it’s still going on!! The garbage has piled up in the streets, rats have appeared, and the smell is horrendous.

So do you have a favourite day of the week? The most common one is Friday, obviously, with the weekend to look forward to, and for one wildly enthusiastic canine it’s also Friday. Why? It’s Bin Men day!

Maddie

In Castlereagh, East Belfast, Northern Ireland, Maddie the Golden Retriever has installed herself as the designated official meeter – greeter on the road where she resides and is particularly delighted to show her soft toy to the bin men

Apart from the fact that Maddie is an extremely happy dog, there appears to be no logical explanation for her enthusiastic greeting of the bin men other than they always make the time to pet her. I should point out postmen (mailmen) also receive an adorable greeting.

For the bin men this interaction with them Maddie is the highlight of the day a welcome distraction from the mundane task of emptying bins. There are reports that there is competition for a place on this particular crew.

With a huge following on social media, Maddie shows no sign of getting bored with meeting her bin men friends, and in order to fit in, Maddie now has her own high-viz jacket emblazoned with her own name.

The Goose and the Puppy

The real story behind that iconic photograph and a lesson to us all.

The photo that showed a puppy sheltering under the wing of a goose that went viral on social media in 2019 indicated that it was taken in Montana, USA. Incorrect

If it had been then, a date, place and other details would have become known. As Montana had endured a particularly cold winter, often referred to as a polar vortex, it appeared to be a convenient location.

In some reports, the puppy was frozen to a pole. Incorrect.

It was claimed that the puppy was a newborn and abandoned by its mum. Incorrect.

The photo clearly shows that the puppy is not a newborn.

The goose saved the puppy’s life due to the freezing climatic conditions. Incorrect.

The photo is AI-generated or photoshopped. Incorrect.

So what is the truth?

As far back as 2017, this story was circulating on Chinese social media, namely the platform NetEase, where the truth was freely available for anyone who took the trouble to find it.

Again, as we all know, a goose and a canine have no real connection at all. There is virtually no evidence of any real empathy between the two species; however, the truth is that both the goose and the puppy are Chinese and are great mates!!

The maternal approach of the goose is fascinating, and this act of friendship transcends species barriers as both the goose and the puppy provided each other with companionship. Yes, it might have been cold, and the goose may have provided warmth, but for the most part it was just two mates sharing some quality time together. Just as simple as that, no drama, no mystery. Most importantly, this is a lesson for everyone not to be so easily conned into always believing what is on the internet.