sassy

I'm afraid that this has nothing to do with saving spanish greyhounds in France, but it does have to do with an already saved lurcher in England.  We have said lurcher, who was one of thirteen pups borne to an abandoned bitch in early 2005.  We are planning to move to the Bergerac area in Summer 08 with both our dogs(the other is a lab).  My question is : is it possible to purchase greyhound specific food in France because as I am sure any greyhound owner will know their fast metabolisms require a special diet to avoid extreme wind problems.  Well our one does anyway !! Any suggestions gratefully received. By the way the pictures of the Portuguese Podenco are beautiful.

Thank you Ac50 for your 'positive' posting.  I not so long ago dared to ask the question on moving a teenager to France and was very disheartened by the negative responses.  But we didn't let it deter us. We have now considered all our options and discussed them with the children and have decided that our eldest will stay in the UK to finish his education, whilst the rest of the family will make the move next Summer.  We have absolutely no doubt that the transition will be diffcult but feel that the benefits far outweigh the problems we may encounter.  And yes some might say that by leaving the 16 yr old behind, we actually payed heed to those negative comments, but we will still be emabarking on this journey with a 14yr old, 12yr old, 10yr old 6yr old and 3yr old, a mammoth task in itself.  I think what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad I posted the question in the first place, because it helped us as a family, to make an informed and considered decision.  I suppose someone had to play Devils Advocate !  But I can't help wondering if the negative responses are also a way of putting people off altogether, perhaps borne out of some, dare I say selfish, albeit unconscious, need to keep what they have to themselves !  Congratulations Ac50 to you and especially to your children, I hope that our journey into the unknown proves to be as succesful.  Perhaps when we have settled I too will let you all know how we are getting along and for those of you who have an aversion to people succeeding in the world, may I suggest you don't read my next posting, just incase it all works out !! 

Thank you to DZ for the link  (Im sorry you decided not to go) and to eveyone else who has replied so far.  It has made very interesting reading and has left me feeling thoroughly depressed and ashamed.  I had thought that our desire for 'a better life' would be of  benefit to us all. Not so! To think that embarking on a new direction could cause so much upheavel and misery to my children and has made me feel completely selfish and guilty. I have a very deep understanding of the commitment I made to my children by bringing them into this world, especially having gone through the turmoil of No4. being diagnosed with a heart defect prenatally and having to have life threatening heart surgery at 5 days old. I would in no way put their future or happiness in jepordy.  I was hoping for advise, no decisions have been made yet, just ideas and desires for the good of all, not just Mum and Dad.    Yes I can see the difficulties are very obvious ,but I now feel publicly admonished for asking the question in the first place.  A little oversesative maybe ?  Maybe it was not what I wanted to hear, maybe that's why I feel so disheartened, but is there really no positive thinking on this subject.

We have recently bought a property in the Bergerac area and have made the decision to move there permenantly.  We have six children ranging from 16mnths to 15yrs.  Our original plan was to make the move when No3. had finished his GSCES, which would be in 5yrs time. But now having made the decision to move, we are wondering what we are waiting for.  Most of the children  (those that can voice an opinion) are quite happy make the move from England.  Our biggest bugbear is our 15yr old son, who has enough trouble deciding what is next to eat without worrying about what he is going to do with the rest of his life !  We would not go until he had completed his GCSES which will be in Summer 08. One of the subjects he is taking is GSCE French and we are also having french lessons as a family, so hopefully we should all be able to converse at a reasonable level.  Can anybody tell me what the education options are for a bright, but reluctant, (16yr old) student?  Are the such things as vocational courses in France or perhaps specialised training, say in engineering ? Any info would be much appreciated.