Pattaya seems to teem with vigorous women and men with a great tale to tell. Especially Brits. Geoffrey Doody, in partnership with his wife Kathy, has just published his three-part humorous story of the amazing cattery and kennels they ran back in Newport Shropshire market town. With purpose-built accommodation, they started in 1983 with 22 dogs and 30 cats before ending up in 1999 with several times that total. Popular from the beginning because of the luxurious and hygienic organization, innumerable domestic animals had the time of their lives whilst their owners were on vacation or otherwise absent.
The trilogy is collectively named Thank Goodness They Can’t Talk and describes innumerable and amusing secrets from one of the largest pet hotels in UK. Cats are actually more fearsome than dogs, we are told, because felines have five sets of weaponry, starting with their teeth backed up by four sharp and hooked claws on each foot. Dogs, by contrast, have only one weapon: their teeth. If you want to know more about animal psychology and what makes domestic pets tick (whilst their owners are away), there is no substitute for a perusal of these three entertaining tomes. There are numerous photos as well as a selection of caricatures illustrating the funny interaction between naive humans and their four-footed betters.
Born in Newport, Geoff had an early interest in animal life. By the age of 10, he knew the name of every British bird and remains a staunch conservationist to this day. “My hero is David Attenborough,” he confirms, “and my writing has themes similar to James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small” in his books and the popular TV series. Geoff was a career businessman in his early adult years ranging from shopkeeper, restauranteur, sales rep, gamekeeper and builder. His energetic wife Kathy has been very successful in partnering his business activities via her many years of experience as a senior manager in Barclays bank.
Geoff moved to Spain in 1999 carrying with him “a horse, a wife and a cat named Mouse”. But a holiday in Thailand caused them to fall in love with the country which became their permanent home in 2007. They live “surrounded by jungle” by Mabprachan lake. Here they maintain their long-established and remarkable keep-fit lifestyle which includes sailing, hill walking, golf, cycling and most other desirable activities you might mention in a list of activity holidays. “We both fell in love with the climate, the food and especially the friendliness of the local people,” says Kathy. Their affection for Thailand is just as powerful as when they arrived.
Interested buyers can purchase the books from Amazon by typing “Thank goodness they can’t talk.”
