A Scottish reason to stay at Le Petit Hotel Sumner.

A Reason to Stay at Le Petit Hotel

There are many reasons why travellers choose to stay at Le Petit Hotel, in Sumner,  and most of those relate to the genuine discrete French character and feel that Martine, my partner, has successfully imbued into the hotel’s seaside operation.

However, there is a genuine Scottish reason that many of our guests can relate to , and that is the presence of a  true Scottie dog….our beloved Kara who stepped into the big shoes of her kindred predecessor – Maggie,  10 years ago. In fact many of our return customers feel a connection with Kara as much as the hotel itself, its managers, and the French seaside accommodation offering.

But just as we humans have our own life health issues, Scottish Terriers have their share of troubles. It is very common for Scotties( and many other dog breeds) to be afflicted with cancer in one of its many forms, and so for the past couple of years we have been very focussed on her diet and also the use of what has now been globally proven to be a useful medication ( Denamarin) countering some of the by product (effects) of liver cancer.  We can also thank the antibiotic Clavaseptin  which we found to be very effective to dealing with pneumonia symptoms which hit her some months ago.

However , we are currently dealing with a sad development in that Kara is now diabetic and has become blind following the very rapid development of Cararacts in both eyes.  But we are looking at our options to try and help her.

It is at a time like this, I am reminded of the quote attributed to Anatole France: “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”

It is just so true.

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Scottish Terrier : Lessons from a dog’s life at Le Petit Hotel

A French philosopher whose name I can’t recall, once wrote that to understand fully one’s soul, you need to first love & understand a dog. I often ponder this view, as Martine & I move onwards with Kara, our new Scottish Terrier. Here at Le Petit Hotel, we look at our Juscot Scottie, her physical disability, and her ability to surmount the difficulties it presents her; and then ponder her unmistakable happiness at the thoughts which obviously flood her mind, when she anticipates being taken for a simple walk by either of us. It’s a constant reminder that the simplest things in life can & should be enjoyed.
And so it is with an American NY Times contributing writer Dana Jennings. Dana’s New York Times Health blog is an ongoing story of one man’s brave journey with cancer. It’s an exemplary human story of adaptation, courage, gratitude, resilience, and the ability of the human spirit to rise above adversity…and well well worth a read.
Lessons from a dog’s life ( See Dana’s posts about his 13 year old dog Bijou)

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Obituary: Maggie Whitfield, Le Petit Hotel

Maggie on watch
Maggie on watch

Le Petit Hotel’s well known & truly loved Scottish Terrier finally succumbed to liver cancer in the early hours of Monday 28th September 2009.

Although we had been expecting it, when the final hours came,  it was truly heart wrenching stuff. As the old saying goes, she died with her boots on. I let her outside at about 2am for a little slow walk. She came back into the hotel, sat down by her water bowl for about an hour,  with me beside her. About 4am I picked her up gently and made her comfortable on a rug on the floor, alerted Martine that the end was very near..and with us both beside her, after a few gasps, she gave up the fight……[ Insert: volumes of huge tears]….in her own way, her final parting gift to us…was for us not to have to call the vet.

Maggie was “huge” in spirit, determination, & courage; sensitive to all those who had the privilege of meeting her, and above all an unlimited giver to those humans she had bonded so well with. Maggie was a dignified, exceptional character, no bite dog, who took time out to smell the flowers, taste the grass, look at birds with interest, and who could always see a cat at 1000 paces. Her joy at going for walks knew no bounds until age limited her outings.

Maggie’s departure from this world has left a huge gap at Le Petit Hotel, Sumner, and irreplaceable memories with Bruce, Martine, Scott, & John. Bless her soul, Maggie was a dog apart, she lived happily with us, fought a good fight, and is at peace now.

Maggie Whitfield; a Scottish Terrier, Born 13 December 1995, Died 28 September 2009 at Le Petit Hotel, Sumner, NZ. Pedigree of Greenock Mallaig, Sire: MacPrain Mintmaster & Dam: Shortbread Briar Rose. Black with some Brindle, her breeder was Adele Willis, 97 Soleares Avenue, Christchurch, New Zealand. She will be remembered.

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