yvonne

oops that link isn't working try this http://cfcbb.free.fr/   cheers   Yvonne

Morning everyone !   ...and thanks again for all your thoughts on our plans - Cerise as far as the showing/breeding side goes we are members of the Club Francais de Chien de Bergere Belge (www.cfcbb.free.fr) and they have several shows and events held throughout France including two Championnats at Toulouse - they also hold a recommended breeders list where club members can sell thier pups ( not that we breed very often !). We have many friends in the breed in France and we have already shown and judged over there so are hopeful that we will be able to remain active  with the 'doggy'  side of our hobbies !.   I did have an idea about setting up a general dog club for the area where we could hold some fun shows and do a bit of agility/obedience training - do you think this would take off ? ....it might be a way of raising some money so that we could hire a coach and driver to take groups of show folk to some shows that are further afield. Just an idea !!!.   take care yvonne

Wow - interesting site ! - and some food for thought   I do understand the point about 'getting by' on a reduced income but that would surely be the same if we were retired in the UK ...our hobbies are breeding and showing our Belgian Shepherd Dogs and raising rare breed poultry as well as growing our own fruit and veg and painting and writing. ....when we have time !!!!.We could downsize over here but £20000 here in the Uk would only buy a bungalow or semi with an average sized garden - neither of which would suit our needs. We are not under any illusion that France is 'better' than the UK in any intrinsic way - simply that we are hoping to be able to live the life we want .....without having to work full time to achieve this !. Good advice to rent somewhere befoie we buy but.... we have 6 large hairy dogs ....how feasible would renting be LOL ! ...     Yvonne

Huge thanks Iceni - thats exactly what I was looking for - a 'warts and all' view of our plans.   In the Uk we would not be able to both retire and live on £18,000  one of us would have to continue to work pretty much full time because we have a fairly large mortgage to pay off - without the mortgage I guess we could live on this amount (with the 'rainy day' pot to fall back on for any unexpected emergencies). ...and it would only be for the first five years after which our annual income would increase quite a bit. Which region are you ? - I must admit your description of the climate is a bit disappointing - we have two big reasons for going to France - the first is so that we can both finally get off the treadmill of work, get rid of the mortgage and have more time for our hobbies and the second is to have more of an outdoors lifestyle - i.e more SUN !. ....We intend to use these two years wisely and a forum like this is a fantastic way of getting a realistic answer to some of our questions - I'll gladly swap rose tinted glasses for a clear vision of our future plans !     Yvonne

We will be talking early retirement in just over 2 years time and would love to retire to France. Our pension income at 55 & 60 would be £18,000 per year ( pensions) rising to £30,000 once we reach state pensionable age five years later.   We would have about £200,000 to buy a property outright ( something fairly small in good condition with no less than an acre of land and in the countryside ) this would also leave us with a 'rainy day' pot of around £30,000 - we have thought about buying a plot of land and building something to suit. How realistic would this be  financially ? and where should we be looking ? - we want good long summers but also  green countryside. we are going to look at the Lot region this summer but friends have also told us to look at the Auvergne and the Limousin -. Also what would be the likelihood of being able to work part time ? - I am half French and am a fluent French speaker - I currently work as a teacher for children with severe and profound learning disorders but have extensive general teaching experience so could maybe teach English in the local schools ? - I would appreciate your honest thoughts about how realistic our retirement plans are !.     Yvonne

ooops - perhaps I should have said 'female' instead - not swearing honestly !!     Yvonne

I would think alomost any of the Pastoral breeds would be suitable - these include:  Rough and Smooth collies Border Collies German Shepherds Belgian Shepherds Shetland sheepdogs Maremmas Pyrenean Mountain dogs Pyrenean Sheepdog Bearded Collies   all these breeds are quick to learn and have a natural tendency to circle 'their property rarther than run off. They tend to be intensly loyal and effective guards although some of them do reqiuire significant amouts of coat care and the bigger breeds will obviously eat more. I have Belgian Shepherd Dogs and they are fine with my chickens - regarding them as part of 'their' property and will herd them given the chance - two of them are also PAT dogs ( therapy dogs) which speaks volumes for their temperament- yet they certainly let me know if anyone is approaching our property...(.we live in an isolated farmhouse in the Lincolnshire Fens )   I would strongly advise your son to get a bitch rather than a dog and have her spayed - the bitches in all these breeds are markedly easier than the dogs and make wonderful companions and great workers. you can see my own dogs on www.simplesite.com/grondemon.   good luck Yvonne

Aboistop works with some dogs but I've known dogs simply close their eyes against the citronelle spray and bark continuously until the device is empty !. A good method is to get a small tin with some  pebbles in or any other small object that makes a sharp sound and each time the dog barks drop it near the dog - preferably so that he does'nt know where the noise has come from ( don't throw it at him no moatter how tempted you may be !!!) - say 'quiet' or another verbal signal  and as soon as the barking stops then give a reward ( bits of cheese or cooked liver are good.). If you can use a clicker to reinforce the reward then this will make the lesson even clearere - be consistent - you will need to do this every time he stops when you give the 'quiet' command.   Febreeze can be used on dogs and so can carpet freshner ( the foam type) -use it sparingly on the body area only - make sure it's not sprayed into their eyes or ears  interestingly tomato sauce will get rid of the most disgusting smells although you will need to wash the dog afterwards it will stop any nasty niffs from lingering - you can also use a diluted solution of bicarb of soda to swap down any surfaces that been in contact with a smelly dog - it will neutralise the smell !.

Hi Jacqueline - of course I will be happy to answer any questions - just ask away ! -   Yvonne

Hi   Just a thought - but perhaps something you might consider, I breed and show Belgian Shepherd Dogs ( Groenendael)  - here in the UK the current gene pool is small and we do have a significant  problem with inherited epilepsy so last year I bought a puppy bitch from one of the top kennels in the breed in France - she is beautiful and comes from  4 generation epilepsy clear lines so should prove very useful to the breed in this country. However I did not want to put her through quarantine and knew she needed to stay in France for her 6 month wait as part of her Pet Passport -( rabies regulation). I found it really difficult to find someone that would take her for the 6 months - raise her as a part of the family - socialise her and do  a little show training as well if possible. Eventually after a frantic search I found a lovely foster home in Normandy who treated her as one of their own dogs - took her ,along to the local market and made sure that she was well socialised with people and other dogs. I paid around £ 2,000 for this service ( comparable to quarantine costs her in the UK)  and it is perhaps a gap in the market that you might consider filling ?. I am not the only breeder who imports from other European countries and many of us will not consider placing young pups in the  6 months solitary confinement that is quarantine - why not try an advert offering the service in one of the UK dog papers ( OUR DOGS or DOG WORLD ). As this type of work would not require kennels or indeed large numbers of dogs at any one time I would imagine that the kennel regulations may not apply ? - we visited 'Bijou' several times over the 6 month period and it would have been good to stay in a gite 'on site ' - another income producer perhaps ?. the total cost of importing Bijou came to over £3,000 - sounds like madness - but then her pups here in the UK will sell for £1000 each - and we already have 6 booked by fellow breeders. There is an untapped market for those able to provide the show world the kind of personalised service I got for my French girl !!!.   Yvonne

what an interesting thread - we are beginning our search for our future retirememet home in France but instead of looking for the typical English dream of an old stone place that needs or has undergone renovation we will be searching for the perfect building plot - somewhere out in the country of at least 1 hectare and with stunning views. We then aim to have a house designed and built for us  - I love light airy rooms and so many of the older houses are just too claustrophobic with their heavy beams and stone walls - I have in mind a style like the traditional Maison de Maitre with lots of big french windows , tiled and wooden floors and cool paint washed walls - and little or no maintenance !!!.     Yvonne

we called our French bred Belgian Shepherd dog 'Bijou' - meaning Jewel - and she is !!! (that's her on my Avater )     Yvonne

Hi Phil why not try a compromise ? - like yourself we wanted to change our lives - but we had two children who were already  settled and doing well in the education system here  in the UK - and to my mind the diffference between the two education systems is too great for most kids to cope with (unless they are just at the start of primary). So we did move - but within the UK - we moved right out to rural Lincolnshire - house prices were (are) lower than most of the rest of the UK- we got a Victorian farmhouse and 2 acres of land for the same price as our small bungalow near Basildon, Essex. So our kids got to grow up with ponies and dogs - kept their own chickens and ducks and had endless space to roam about in. Jobs were difficult to come by and wages far less than in Essex - I worked in a local school but my hubby had to commute daily to London - not great fun but worth it for the wonderful life we had in the countryside. ...and now ? ..now we are are on the brink of realising our dream of retiring to France - the kids have grown up - have good jobs and have flown the nest ..we will have good pensions to live on and the house will sell for a good profit giving us a much sounder basis for our new life. you CAN live your dreams but in a different way ...just look at other alternatives.     Yvonne

  Thanks for your replies - we are not looking for a large English community - in fact we would like to integrate as fully as possible into the local community. I am half French and understand and can speak it fluently - my hubby's French is a work in progress but improving daily !. We thought that this year we would explore the area around Cahors and next time we're over we would look at places around Pau - we have a couple of years yet before early retirement and will be visiting as often as we can to keep our options open.   We have now booked a B&B - thanks for the help   Yvonne

Hi all   We are planning to retire in France in a couple of years time and are the research stage at the moment - - later this year we will be visiting the Lot/Quercy region to get an idea of what this is like - I'm wondering if any of you are currently living there and can advise of the good/bad aspects of the region. Also we would like to stay somewhere near Cahors in a B&B type of place can anyone reccommend a place to stay ? finally we are thinking of buying a plot of land and having our own house built - has any one on here done this ?- does it make financial sense ? any info would be most gratefully recieved !     Yvonne

"Bloody hell if you can't get info from them then I suspect you're not well liked."     LOL!!!!! ...trouble is that every person I ask reccommends their own region - my Provencal relations are adamant that we should move down south and our very good French friends in the Mayenne  think the North is best. I'm looking for some  reasons why you lot chose the areas you did. Although my mum is Provencal born she has lived in various parts of France (now lives in the UK) and she too has her opinions on the best areas. it's such a big decision and France is such a big place  that I'm trying to get as much info as poss BEFORE we take the plunge .[geek]   Yvonne

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Hi again Many thanks especially to Cerise- a good point about the North being more accessible for our proposed little business - we have persuaded our son to come and dog/chicken/duck etc sit (yes we have a veritable zoo here !) whilst we go for long weekend in the Languedoc region this Spring and I will try and get over again  this year on my own to visit friends near Le Mans so can do a spot of research then - I think the best thing is if we get this place sold then rent somewhere central whilst we have a good look around - how feasible would it be to rent a place that would accept 6 large hairy dogs though ??? [:-))] perhaps a farm ???. I do understand the point about thinking ahead to the time when we are too old and decrepit to cope with being lost in the countryside - but think we might then just swap our rural idyll for a swish apartment somehwere by the sea LOL - we are very used to rural isolation being presently 'out in the sticks' in the Lincolnshire Fens with no near neighbours , no mains sewerage  and 30 minutes drive  to the nearest town - it works for us here and I'm hoping it will work just as well for us in la Belle France.     Yvonne   P.S. Ian I have'nt recieved your message - was it an e-mail ?

thanks for your replies - and 'oops' about the funds available it should read 300,000 euros not 300 !!. As far as finding something to do in our retirement - at present we breed and show Belgian Shepherd Dogs as our hobby and have already shown in France on several occasions ('brag' -  got the CACIB in Toulouse this year -:) ) - this is how we have got to know many of our French friends -( through the dog show circuit.) We are intending to carry on with our hobby once we have retired full time and also perhaps run a little business looking after pups that are being imported into the UK but have to wait out their 6 months pet passport requirements in Europe- we have imported from France ourselves and know just how difficult it can be to find someone who will raise a show pup in their home , socialise it well and train it for the show ring - we also thought we would have their owners staying as paying guests so that they can spend their holiday with their pup - obviously we know that this would not bring in enough money to live on but should be an interesting way of bringing in a little extra - we will have our Teachers pensions to live on ( around £25000 per annum ) - does this all sound do able ? ...in any event we will have PLENTY to keep us occupied LOL Yvonne

Hi everyone and a very happy New Year ! - I'm just looking for your thoughts on the best place to start our search for our retirement home in France. We will have a budget of around 300,00 euros and for this ideally we are looking for a home ( old or new) that does not need renovating, is right out in the countryside and with a minimum of 1 acre of land - we also want to be able to enjoy more sunshine than we have in the UK We will not need to earn a living ( yippee !!) and would prefer not to be in an English 'enclave' or very touristy area. My Mum who comes from Marseilles originally reccommends the Pays du Loire region as she says the climate is temperate and the scenery stunning but French friends who live in Provence suggest the Languedoq Roussillon region - we have also visited and like the Mayenne region (but would this be too similar to the UK in the winter ?). I speak and understand French fluently ( thanks mum !) and we have a good net work of  French friends and relations already - mainly in the Provence area around Aix any thoughts ???      thanks Yvonne

Hi - thanks for the info - we only breed when we want something to keep for ourselves ( only 4 litters in over 20 years of owning the breed !) so have no plans to go into breeding 'commercially'. I am half French - my mum comes from near Marseilles (too hot !!) and I speak fluent French so should have no problem with the exam should it be required - we did think of offering a puppy fostering service for those English breeders that want to import European lines but need somewhere to place their pup whilst it's waiting out the pet passport requirements - we imported a dog from France last year and had great trouble finding anyone who offered this service and were experienced enough to show train the pups they fostered - so think there is a bit of a gap in the market there. Mostly however we are looking to retire in the Mayenne region and will not be dependent on earning an income out of our hobby- we already have a good network of French friends in our breed as we regularly show and judge over there so will just change our frantic British lifestyle for (hopefully) a more relaxed way of life in the beautiful French countryside !. thanks again Yvonne

Hi all - We are planning to relocate to France within the next year and are thinking about renting somewhere initially while we either hunt down the right property or build our own. At present we have a small kennel of show dogs - (seven BSD's)  - you can see them on www.grondemon.co.uk and would need a place that would be suitable for them - something out in the countryside or perhaps a small farm would be good. Has anyone relocated with this number of dogs and how did you do it ? - it all seems a bit daunting at present many thanks Yvonne