It's a Dog's Life

I made a new friend

2011-06-14T12:49:00.001-07:00

Jez makes a new friend, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

I had a great day on Saturday. When I got home from my morning walk Eric was waiting at home. I really like Eric. Then, after lunch we went to a doggy festival, organised by Dorset Dogs. Max and I both belong to Dorset Dogs. Anyway, there were loads of dogs there and I had a great time making new friends. And I got to meet Jo, who used to be my trainer.
I was a bit disappointed that Mum took this photo of me in black and while - she says she forgot to change the setting on the camera - silly Mum!

A trip to Oxfordshire

2011-06-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

Somehow I always know when we're going to have a Big Day Out - it's all the rushing round packing things that Mum does. On Thursday she took me and Max out early for our morning walk, and then rushed around packing things into bags and then into the car when we got back. She explained that Dad had an important meeting with his publisher in somewhere called Deddington, not that we knew where that was, but she seemed to.

It was obviously going to be a long journey, so Max and I settled down for a snoozie in the car. After ages and ages we stopped at some rubbish looking place, and after a lot of faffing about Mum took over driving. It didn't look very inviting there, so I'm glad we didn't get out. But a little while later she stopped at the top of a big hill on something called The Ridgeway, which apparently used to be a road a long, long time ago. She told us that when she was a little girl she used to take her dog called Elsa there. So Mum & Dad had a picnic, me & Max had a ricebone, and we had a little walk. Here's a photo of me & Max on the Ridgeway.

I met a few people to say Hello to up there, but no dogs. It wasn't long before we all got back in the car and drove off again. Sometime later Mum pulled up and Dad got out of the car, and we drove off. Not long after Mum parked and we got out of the car at somewhere called the Oxford Canal. It's a bit like a river, but not so easy to get into, and there are lots of funny long, thin boats on it. This is me & Max investigating one of the boats.

And here's a boat on the canal. You can just make me out on the path in the shadows.

Even though it was more difficult, we did find some places where we could get into the water, which was good, cos it was a really hot day and I needed to cool down. You can see from this photo that it wasn't very easy for us though - there were just small gaps we could squeeze through.

We had a nice long walk, and met a lot of people and other dogs. One of them was this little cockerpoo called Gracie. Her Dad told Mum she was only 14 weeks old.

I enjoyed our walk along the canal. There were lots of new smells to sniff, and things like cows and sheep and ducks and geese along the way (although I couldn't get close to them). We even saw a pheasant, which flew off before we could get to it.

After our walk we got back in the car and went and got Dad, then we drove all the way back to the the canal so that Mum and Dad could have a drink in a pub there. We all sat in the garden, and Mum offered me some food, but I was too hot to eat.

Eventually we set off for the long drive home. Max and I slept nearly all the way. Despite that, I was worn out when we got home. It had been a long day.

Jez and Bruno

2011-05-30T08:23:00.001-07:00

Jez and Bruno, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

Here's a photo Mum took of me and my friend Bruno. We are both wearing our racing jackets. This was taken in somewhere they called The Paddock, just before the start of the race.

Mum decided to enter me in a race

2011-05-30T08:22:00.001-07:00

Jezebel was running in lane 8, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

I was running in the outside lane, which meant that I had to stop and say 'Hello' to everyone who was standing alongside my lane, including the man with the nice red starters flag. Consequently I came last. Mum says I haven't quite got the hang of this racing lark yet.
30 May 2011

Bruno

2011-05-30T08:19:00.001-07:00

Bruno, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

I met my friend Bruno there. We sometimes see Bruno when we go for walks on Upton Heath, cos we have to walk down the road he lives in to get there.
30 May 2011

Dog Derby, Poole Park

2011-05-30T08:17:00.001-07:00

Dog Derby, Poole Park, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

Mum and Dad took me and Max down to Poole Park this afternoon where they were holding a Dog Derby.
30 May 2011

Jez, Wareham Forest

2011-05-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

Jez, Wareham Forest, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

Here's a photo of me in Wareham Forest today. I knew you'd like to see it.
27 May 2011

Fencing in the Beale land on Canford Heath

2011-05-25T10:39:00.001-07:00

Fencing in the Beale land on Canford Heath, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

Look what we found on the Heath the other day. There were two of them when we arrived with men sitting in them, so I had a good sniff and did quite a bit of investigation of those big tyres.

Yesterday in the garden

2011-05-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Dad had a beer bottle and was making funny noises with it, so I went to investigate.

On closer insepction, it looked as though he'd not been cleaning behind his ears properly.

I went to check the other side, just to be sure, but he seemed awfully ticklish.

I couldn't see what all the fuss was about. It's only a little cold wet nose, after all.

But it was just all too much for him.

Finally, he stopped laughing and offered me a drop of his beer. I had a quick lick, but didn't like the taste. Anyway, I think I'm still too young to be drinking beer!

Jez, Wareham Forest

2011-05-21T04:59:00.001-07:00

Jez, Wareham Forest, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

Mum took this photo of me in Wareham Forest yesterday. It was taken with her zoom lens, so I didn't know she was taking it. I'm not sure that it's very flattering though, with my ears flapped up like that, and my tongue hanging out. I must have been running.
21 May 2011

Or maybe not so brave!

2011-05-18T08:25:00.001-07:00

Or maybe not so brave!, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

Yes, well, it made me jump when it turned around. And those are pretty big horns!

Look whose bottom I got to sniff today!

2011-05-18T08:24:00.001-07:00

Jez's day is made as she get's to sniff the cow's bottom, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

Result!

I hope you're all impressed by what a brave little dog I am.

Jez

2011-05-18T07:56:00.001-07:00

Jez, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

Here's me again, taken on the same day as the last photo.

Jez

2011-05-18T07:55:00.001-07:00

Jez, a photo by Julia Livesey on Flickr.

Hello again everyone. Sorry I've been away for so long again. Mum's suggested I might post more if I post photos of what I'm up to - a bit like Mum's photo blog. So this is a photo of me taken earlier this month, so that you can see what a big grown up dog I am now.

Since I last wrote I have stopped having my physio and my leg is all better now. But just before Christmas my back and back legs started to hurt. Mum took me to the vet and they did XRays, and they said I have something called Lumbo Sacral disease, which is a degenerative disease of the spine. I don't really understand it - I just know Mum gives me meds so that it doesn't hurt.
Anyway, enough of that. I'll get on and post some of my latest photos.

Life goes on

2009-11-22T03:20:00.000-08:00

I’m sorry! I’ve been such a lazy little dog and haven’t written anything here for ages and ages. I can’t even remember if anything much has happened since I last wrote. I think that’s because life goes on in a fairly regular pattern, so all the days roll into one. We have a walk in the morning, and then another walk in the afternoon, and with the nights closing in now I spend late afternoons and most of the evenings snoozing.

My leg is pretty much the same too, although I am going to see Rachael, my physiotherapist, less often now. Mum and Rachael say that my knee is better, but that I need to continue to build my muscles up in my bad leg. In the meantime my leg still gets very stiff and sore. One day a few weeks a go it was really bad and I couldn’t stand on it. Rachael said I’d strained my hamstring. But she massaged it for a long time and it was better after that.

Which was more than I was – I went down with Kennel Cough again 2 days later! I don’t know why they call it that though – I didn’t cough at all. But I had a lot of trouble breathing and kept sneezing. So Mum took me to the vet and he stuck a thermometer up my bottom again! I hate it when they do that. After that I had some antibiotics to take for a week, then I was better again. So perhaps it was worth the thermometer business after all.

Walks have been getting a lot better of late as I’m allowed off the lead a lot more. Dad always lets me off the lead, but even Mum has been letting me off recently! I’ve been trying very hard to be a good dog when I’m off the lead as it seems to mean that I’m allowed off more. But sometimes a little dog just has to do what a little dog just has to do, and I can’t resist the temptation to go and explore if I find somewhere new. Mum and Dad aren’t always very happy when I do that, especially if I explore around other people’s houses. But there are such good smells. I find out that it can get you into trouble though, when I got stuck in someone’s garden the other week and Mum had to come and open their gate to let me out.

And you can find such good things when you explore and let your nose take you where it will. Twice recently I’ve managed to find myself a dead pigeon!!! When I was with Dad I managed to carry it around for all of our walk, but when I was with Mum she was a real spoilsport and took it off me and put it in a rubbish bin where I couldn’t get at it.

Do you remember I mentioned my young friend Summer. Well she’s getting a lot bigger now, although I don’t get to see her very often. But just after I wrote the last time Mum managed to take some video of us. Summer is the pale young dog playing with me.

Then there are other times on walks when I’m just really enjoying myself and all of a sudden it’s time to go home. I don’t see why I should have to go home when I’m having a good time, so I’ve learnt that if I don’t go back when Mum or Dad call they can’t take me home and I get to stay out longer. But we were so late the other day when we were in Delph Woods that it started to get dark. At that point I thought I’d better go back to Dad in case he went off and left me in the woods in the dark on my own. I don’t think I’d like that.

Then this week we had a great walk – we went to a new beach! I was so excited. I love the beach and I haven’t been for ages and ages. It was a lovely sunny day, but very windy, and I had a great time chasing the ball. Max, of course, spent a lot of time in the sea – something I can’t quite understand. He always has to get in any bit of water we find – and then spends the rest of the walk cold and wet. And he must be getting pretty cold now as last week Mum cut all his fur off!!! But, back to the beach, here are some photos of us down there – you can see how happy I am.

From Blog Nov 09

I think we went to the beach cos it’s was Dad’s birthday the day before. The plan had been to go then but it was cold and wet, so we went the next day. I like birthdays – we get cake!

Since that day when it was nice and sunny it’s been really wet. Mum and Dad keep insisting on taking us for walks in the rain. What’s that all about? Who on earth wants to go for a walk in the rain? After the rain, yes, as there are all sorts of good smells around. But while it’s raining? There should be a law against it!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me

2009-09-16T04:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it was my birthday on Saturday. I was 2 years old and Mum says I’m a grown up dog now. I hope that doesn’t mean I have to behave like a grown up dog. I certainly don’t feel like one. Playing is still my favourite pastime – although sleeping in the sun comes a close second.

Anyway I had a really good birthday. I decided that as it was my birthday I didn’t want to go out for a walk in the morning, so Mum took Max over the Heath while I stayed at home and lay in the sun. After Mum came home I started to get really worried that I wasn’t going to get any presents or cake or anything. Mum was rotten and dragged it out until the afternoon before I had presents.

Max helped me open them too.

I wasn’t quite sure what the bottle thing was…

But as it turned out it involved treats (although I’m still not entirely sure how I’m supposed to get them out!)

As well as the treat bottle I had a new tug toy, which Max & I really enjoy playing with, and a rope toy.

Then after presents we had cake. Mum had made us some peanut butter muffins. She & Dad had a Victoria Sandwich, which I actually prefer (I like the buttercream) so I was allowed some of that too.
Later in the afternoon we all went for a walk up Delph Woods, where I’m allowed to run around off the lead. Mum took some video for my vet Ian to see how well I’m running about now. When we got to the pond we met our friend Doodles…

As it was my birthday I thought I’d decide when it was time to go home, and kept running off so that Mum & Dad couldn’t find me. So in the end we had a really long walk and were there for ages. When we got home Mum made me and Max chicken and pasta for tea, and then we had a bone. So all in all it was a really good birthday. Before I move onto other things, here are some of Mum’s ‘official’ photos of me on the 2nd birthday…

After all our exertions on my birthday all I was fit for the next day was just lazing around. I couldn’t even be bothered to burst the balloon…

I expect you’re wondering how my leg is now. I’m pleased to say it’s a lot better, although it’s still a bit stiff from time to time. Mum has taken a new video of me for the vet to see. Meanwhile I’ve been continuing to see Rachael, my physiotherapist. I really like Rachael and have been a bit disappointed that I haven’t been to see her this week. And I’ve sort of got used to all this massage stuff, although I can only put up with it for so long. Mum took some photos of me & Rachael last week so that I could post them…

Well that’s almost it. I have got a new doggie friend called Summer who I’ve met up at Broadstone Rec a couple of times. She’s only 4 months old, but we get on really well and our Mums let us play together. Mum tried to take some photos of us but her camera went wrong so they didn’t really come out. I hope we’ll meet her again soon though.

I’ll leave you with a photo of me relaxing – although not in the sun this time.

Getting better all the time

2009-08-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

Bet you’ve wondered where I’ve been. Well Mum’s PC hasn’t been working properly for a long time now and it was really difficult to type on it without making lots of mistakes. I know she’s had several goes at fixing it but now she’s finally managed it. It’s brilliant – I can type normally on it again (well, as normally as is possible for a little dog with paws and without opposable thumbs). She’s blaming me as it turns out it was all down to the mains lead she was using, and she wasn’t using the proper one cos I chewed through that when I was a young pup. Mum! That’s what pups do. You can’t blame me for that. I didn’t know!

Anyway, it’s been a month now and I’ve been going to see Rachael who is my physiotherapist every week. I really wasn’t keen at first as she kept trying to touch me and massage my leg and back, and I’m not really too keen on people touching me. But I’ve sort of got used to it. It actually feels quite nice and it’s made my leg ever so much better. And on the plus side Mum sits there and feeds me lots of treats and peanut butter.

Rachael has also given Mum lots of instructions about my walks. We have to do lots of walking uphill and along the sides of slopes (what Mum calls ‘slope-walking’ – she’s even got a little song for it), although we’re not supposed to go downhill much. And I’m encouraged to wade around in water. The bit I don’t like though is that I have to have a bandage on one of my back feet (it seems to vary as to which one) at the start of each walk. Mum takes it off after a few minutes but I don’t like it at all. And I have to stay on the lead all the time on walks. And not only that, but Mum insists that I have to wear my Gentle Leader too. She says it’s so that I don’t pull and hurt my poorly knee. But what fun are walks when you have to wear your Gentle Leader? You can see me in it in this photo of me and a young staffy puppy, Roxy, that we me on our morning walk. Roxy was 11 weeks old.

But, I am ever so much better. Mum took some video of me on Monday for the vet. It’s a bit boring, but you can see I’m walking properly again now.

So after we say Rachael this week Mum spoke to the vet and he was really pleased with how well I am too. He’s told her she can reduce my meds and then stop them. I‘ve still got to keep going to Rachael though, and I notice he didn’t say I could be let off the lead.

Last Sunday was a good day as Eric and Pat came over to lunch. I always love to see them. Here’s us sitting in the garden just before lunch. You can’t really see me – I’m hidden under the table.

A couple of weeks ago Mum took some photos of me & Max in the garden as well.

Well I don’t think there’s much else to tell you. I’m enjoying the summer and hope it stays nice like this for a long time. I love lazing around in the garden in the sun.

Hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray

2009-07-21T04:13:00.000-07:00

I didn’t have an operation yesterday after all! Of course, I got pulled around by the vet a lot, and given an anaesthetic, but at least I didn’t have an operation. Even being in the cage at the vets was bearable (and they’re nice big cages at that vet) as I had some really nice dogs round be. Mum seemed to know one of them’s Mum from the Staffy Club. Her name was Ruby (the dog that is – her Mum is called Pammy). She was a really nice dog, but a lot quieter than me. I was there for a long time though – all day. I slept all the way home in the car, and was a little bit confused last night, but after a good night’s sleep I’m fine again. Oh, and I got chicken and spaghetti for my dinner again!

Anyway, the vet said it wasn’t the same thing as on my other knee and that I’ve damaged something called the cruciate ligament. He says I’ve got to go on taking my tablets and that I’ve got to go and see someone called a physiotherapist. Somehow I have a horrible feeling that that is going to involve a lot more pulling me around, so I’m not particularly looking forward to it. I’m allowed to go for walks too, but the vet said I have to stay on the lead, which isn’t so much fun. And I don’t seem to be allowed to play with Max. Anyway, Mum has to phone the vet in a month’s time and tell him how I’m getting on.

Oh Poo, Poo, Pooity, Poo

2009-07-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

That’s all I can say. Now my other leg is bad. It really hurts most of the time and I can’t put it down properly (well, except when I’m playing cos I get excited and forget then). The vet has given me some different tablets, but it’s not any better. So now I’ve got to go back and see Ian Macqueen, my orthopaedic vet in Devizes. We’re going there on Monday and Mum says I might have another operation. I’m not looking forward to that. It’s bad enough having to go to the vet and being pulled about, but if you have an operation you have to have those horrible anaesthetic things, and you wake up in a crate in a strange place and can’t get out. And then your leg hurts like anything for several weeks. And you’re not allowed to go out for walks.

Not that I’m going out for many walks anyway, cos of my leg hurting. I don’t mind on the occasions when I don’t want to go, but at other times, like this morning, I want to go too, and Dad just takes Max and leaves me behind. And I know that he’s up the Delph saying Hello to all my doggie friends (or in Max’s case not saying Hello as he’s never particularly sociable).

It has been sooooo long since I wrote anything – I can’t believe how long it’s been. But there’s not been a huge amount happening. Most days it’s just going walks and playing with Max.

And Mum and Dad have been decorating, and that’s pretty boring. But I’m enjoying all the warm weather. Sometimes it’s been a bit too hot and I’ve had to spend 5 minutes in the sun and then move and lie in the shade for a while to cool down. We’ve had the paddling pool back in the garden but I still don’t like it. Max goes in it sometimes though.

Anyway, at the beginning of May I had a poorly foot. A red lumpy thing came up on my toe. Mum took me to the vet and he prodded it and it started bleeding everywhere. I bled all over the vet’s floor! So I had to stay there and have an anaesthetic (yet another one!). He said it was a wart and he did something called cauterising it. Mum came and got me later in the afternoon. Anyway, it’s all right now.

But we’ve been to two doggie shows. The first was the Waggy Tails Rescue fundraising day in Bournemouth (we went last year). But it was really got so I spent a lot of my time in the shade under one of the trailers.

But the really good thing about that show was that my friend Lenny the Lurcher was there. I hadn’t seen him for absolutely ages. I got sooooo excited and we had a good play together – well, as good as we could given that we both had our stupid leads on!

The next show was HUGE though. It was called Paws in the Park. And there were loads and loads of dogs there. I had a great time and Mum bought me a new bed which she was told would be good for my leg. So here’s me & Max & Mum…

And here’s me sort of sleeping on my new bed…

Then the week-end after that Dad went away. On the Saturday Eric & Maria came and visited us and Mum. It was really nice to see them again, and we spent all day just sitting around in the garden in the sun.

Then the day after that Mum too us over to see Eric and Pat. While we were there I spotted something on the lawn…

I told Max about it and he came to have a look too…

Mum told us it was a hedgehog.

I’ve never seen one before. I wanted to go outside to have a closer look, and Max nearly jumped through the window, but Mum wouldn’t let us. Spoilsport! But what a great week-end (although, of course, it would have been better if Dad had been there to – I have to say that cos I know he reads this and I don’t want to upset him or he may not give me any more peanut butter!).

This month I’ve not done a lot cos my leg has been getting wore. But yesterday was Max’s first birthday. I got to help him open his presents.

They were good presents. He had a sort of rubber bone that squeaks and holds treats…

And a big rubber ball on a string.

He’s got the hang of the ball: we can either play tug or chase with it, or you can shake it around…

But he hasn’t really worked out how to get treats out of the bone yet. I’ve tried to show him how to throw it up in the air, or roll it around on the floor with your paw, but he still doesn’t get it. And the very best way I’ve found is to take it half way up the stairs and then let it roll down them – that way lots of treats come out (although I have to be careful as Max gets to them and eats them before I can – come to think of it maybe he’s not that stupid after all!).

After we’d opened Max’s presents and played with them for a while, Dad gave us a blueberry muffin.

And then for tea we had chicken and spaghetti (my favourite!). And Mum had made Max a birthday cake, so we all had some of that too. It was a good day. I hope my next birthday will be as good.

So, while I try and forget that I have to go to the vet next week, I’ll leave you with a few more photos of me & Max from yesterday.

Walking back to happiness

2009-04-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous time we had yesterday! At first we couldn’t work out what was going on – we didn’t go for a morning walk. And then, just after lunch we were bundled into the car. When we stopped I was a bit worried – I thought we had to see the vet, especially when Mum & Dad took us inside. But when we got inside there were quite a few other dogs, and over the next 10 minutes more kept arriving. I thought I’d died and gone to doggie heaven!

Anyway, it turns out that we were all there to go for a walk together. Mum said it was in aid of a pets charity. What a great idea! We loved it! There were 24 of us dogs!!!! And we ranged from 12 weeks to 12 years. We had a really long walk – it took all afternoon. We went along the river, so there was lots to see and do. There was the river itself, and lots of fields to run around in, and cows, and cow poo! When we got to the where we were going we all sat around in a pub garden while our owners had a drink and a chat. I got to play with some of the other dogs, especially a really nice young Irish Setter called Scooby. Then we all walked back again.

So here are some photos Mum and Dad took on the walk.

Now, the more observant among you may be wondering why Dad hadn’t got any shoes & socks on at the pub. And that’s because Max went too far out into the current in the river and nearly drownded! Dad had to wade in after him – so his socks, shoes and trousers were soaking. Mind you, it was Dad’s fault – he was the one who threw the stick that Max went after.

But we had a really great time, and were gone all afternoon. All of us dogs got on really well together (although one was a bit nervous) and did lots of running around. Refreshments were available: beer & chips for the humans, or river water & cow poo for us dogs. I was a bit surprised that I was the only one who ran off to say Hello to the cows though – no one else seemed interested. And at the end everyone was talking about doing it again some day. I really hope so!

These boots are made for walking

2009-04-15T03:12:00.000-07:00

And so, onto the subject of walks. I really enjoy walks. What I don’t enjoy is having to have a lead on! So when it’s time for a walk I skulk and hide. If I’m not careful though Mum/Dad go without me – well, I think they’re only pretending, but I’m not usually brave enough to risk it, so have to give in after a while. What I want to know though, is how come Max gets to get in and out of the car without having his lead on? Ok, I have a habit of running off down the street to investigate other gardens, and that really nice little alley I’ve found down there. But it’s not as though I go miles! And there aren’t many cars down our road. But no, I have to have my lead on to stop me running away.

On walks I’ve got wise to when we’re getting near the end and the lead is going back on again – so I stay well away, or at least far enough away so that Mum and Dad can’t get hold of me. They’re sneaky though. Sometimes they wait until I’m playing with other dogs, or saying hello to people – and then they get them to grab hold of me (the people, not the dogs, that is). While Max’s foot was getting better Mum decided I needed some more training, so she only took me out on my lead – I didn’t get let off at all. And that wasn’t much fun, I can tell you – although she did make up for it with lots of tasty treats.

Anyway, the weather has been much better, so Mum has been taking the camera out on our walks. There are lots of photos, but so that I don’t bore you I’ve chosen the best of them. This first lot are from the Roman Road and over the Heath.

Then these are from Wareham Forest. First, before Max’s operation.

And then after, when Dad was with us as well.

Dad and Max…

Then Max showing off

Then we move onto ME!

(Oops, bit of an ear malfunction there!)

Look at me – I’m almost swimming!

Sometimes Max has just no sense. I had to give him a very wide berth or risk getting stabbed with a long pointy stick!

Then there’s me & Dad…

Well, that’s it – hope you like them.

Oh, and one last thing. Dad – stop moaning about the typos. Those keys on Mum’s laptop are a bit small for a little dog’s paws!

I caught you out there in the fray

2009-04-13T02:56:00.000-07:00

Oh no! Where did the time go? Mum forgot to remind me to update my blog and it’s been ages. And things have been happening. We’ve had two very nice men come round the house a lot. They’ve been doing work in the bathroom and kitchen. But they’re both very fond of dogs (well, I can’t really understand these people who aren’t) and so Max & I have enjoyed having them around. I got the impression that Max’s idea of helping them wasn’t their idea of helping though, so most of the time Mum tried to keep up out of the way.

I seem to have got lots of photos to share with you from our walks, which is strange really as Max wasn’t allowed out on walks for 2 weeks as he had to go to the vet for an operation to remove a lump from his foot. Which has been a real pain cos he’s had to wear one of those stupid Buster collars. I tried to tell him that he should have been like me and just left him stitches alone, then he wouldn’t have to wear it, but would he listen? So he’s spent 2 weeks bashing into me with the stupid thing. AND, it’s made it very difficult playing with him. First of all, it gave him an unfair advantage if he ran off with a toy, as I couldn’t grab it from the side any more. Then I couldn’t catch hold of his cheeks and ears when we play. In the end I devised a new strategy – I’d jump on him from behind and catch hold of the scruff of his neck and put my paws round his chest. That seemed to work quite well. Anyway, if you want to see how stupid he looked in that collar thing, here’s a couple of photos.

I think most of what I say has to do with walks, so I’ll leave that for a later post. In the meantime, we went over to see Pat and Eric a couple of weeks ago, which made me really happy. Here’s a photo of me in their living room.

And one of me with Pat.

And I’ll leave you of a few of Max & I with Mum on our walk round the duck ponds that afternoon.

Girls just want to have fun

2009-03-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

In fact I’ve been having so much fun I haven’t got round to updating my blog. Max and I spend a lot of our time going for long walks or playing. I particularly enjoy the playing bit, although Max only seems to know how to play fight. He’s not really got the hang of chase or tug yet, but I’m teaching him and he gradually seems to be getting the idea. As for the play fighting, well he gets a bit carried away and rough at times, but I usually manage to get the upper hand and put him in his place. Mum took some photos of us playing in the garden earlier on today.

Playing generally involves a lot of teeth…

But as I said, I normally manage to get the upper hand…

And get him by the throat, just to show him who’s boss…

And Mum calls this one ‘Watch where you’re putting your teeth!!!’

Oh, and in this one you can see why I’ve always got small bites on my cheeks and neck – that’s where Max likes to get hold of me…

Walks have been good as well recently, as I’m now allowed to go for proper walks again. Most days Mum takes us over the Heath in the morning, and Dad takes us to the woods in the afternoon. But sometimes we go down the beach as well, which we both really enjoy. Oh, and I’ve had all of my injections for my leg now, so I’m hoping that that’s the last I’ll see of the vet for a very long time.

Like I said, I’m gradually teaching Max all sorts of things. He didn’t like other dogs when he first came home – well, he was scared of them – but I’ve taught him that they are usually good fun to play with, so now he’s happy to go and say ‘Hello’ to all the dogs we meet. And I’ve taught him how good horse poo and cat poo are – which perhaps wasn’t the most sensible thing as sometimes he nicks my cat poo breakfast before I get up!

Mum says I’m teaching him all of my bad habits though. Like how to have attitude and be stubborn. I don’t think I’m stubborn though – I just don’t always want to do what Mum & Dad want me to do, just when they want me to do it. Take walking on the lead. I’m a big dog now. I’m quite capable of deciding when my walk is finished or of walking along nicely without a lead on (well, ok, I normally run a long way ahead so that I have plenty of time to check things out, but I usually come back eventually). So why do I have to go on the lead? I hate it! Mum says I have to cos I can’t be trusted not to run off, either into people’s gardens or across the road. Anyway, I’ve got to know when I’m about to have my lead back on, so I’m not coming back when I’m called. I make sure I hang back a long way, and if Mum or Dad try to come near me I run off again. And they can’t fool me by offering me treats either – I’m wise to that one. Mum caught me out today though. We’d been over the Heath and I didn’t want to go back on the lead, so wouldn’t go anywhere near her. So after a while she went and sat on a log and waited for me, but I still wouldn’t go near her. Then she started a short training session with Max – and I fell for it! I went over to join in too, and after a couple of treats she put the lead on me and bought me home. I’ll have to remember not to fall for that one in future!

Anyway, I’ll leave you with a few more photos of me and Max that Mum took in the garden today. The first two are of Max…

And this is me and Max…

And these two are just of me…

I'm so happy

2009-02-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

OMG! How my life has changed. Max (Patch as was) has come home to live with us. I am sooooo happy. We play and play and play. Ok, so it looks like fighting, but that’s how us dogs like to play. Of course, it’s not without its risks – Max has got carried away and one of his teeth has gone in my face twice now. He’s still a pup though, so I have to cut him some slack and teach him what is and isn’t allowed. Like trying to hump me is definitely NOT allowed! Mum says that the RSPCA told her that they don’t think that he’d been around dogs much. He was certainly frightened of other dogs when we first went out. All that’s changed now though, and I’ve shown him that other dogs are great fun to play with. We go and say hello to all sorts of dogs when we are out (although Max still isn’t too sure about the very big ones like the Rottie we met yesterday). In fact, come to think of it, he was scared of his own shadow when he first came home, but that’s getting better too.

Mum took some video just after she bought him home last Tuesday…

You can see that we get on really well. The only problem is that he wants to eat everything in sight – and that includes my food! Now I’m not a fast eater, so Max has usually finished his long before me, and then he tries to come and eat my food too – and if Mum doesn’t stop him he usually succeeds as I don’t like to tell him off. I’m learning though and now try eat my food a lot quicker. And I try and carry my biscuits and things off away from him so that I can eat them in peace.

The only other problem is that Max likes to be with Mum or Dad all of the time – usually Mum. He’s always leaning against her, or sitting on her or something. And he sleeps with her! And he doesn’t like it when I go over and try to say Hello to her. I was worried that I wasn’t going to get a look in, but Mum tells me I’m still her really special little girl and gives me lots of cuddles. She says poor Max is just worried as his last owner gave him to the RSPCA and so he’s a bit insecure. She says she’s sure he’ll get better – I hope so. I’m not the jealous type, but there are limits.

Actually, as well as eating everything in sight, Max is very different from me in other ways too. He likes to swim. And he’s got long fur that gets covered in mud, and so Mum often hoses him off when he gets home. He’s welcome to it – I’m not having that hose anywhere near me! Nor the towels! He gets towelled dry when he comes in too – I’m not having any of that and stay well out of the way until it is all over. Then, on top of it all, he gets brushed most evenings! Poor thing – I don’t know what he’s done to deserve that.

When it comes to playing, we both like to fight, as I’ve said. But we’re starting to play chase a lot more now. One of us will pick up a toy or a rawhide or something, and the other one will chase them – round and round the living room. We’ve even had the odd game of tug, but Max doesn’t seem too sure about tug, so generally I play that with Mum (cos she’s let me have my rubber ring back – yippee!).

Anyway, not only did Max arrive, but we had two lots of visitors last week. First of all Mum and Dad’s friends Eric & Maria came to stay the night. And then the next day we all went down the beach for a walk. I haven’t been down the beach for months and months, and it was really great to be back there. And after a while Dad let me off the lead so that I could run about properly. I’ve got some video and photos of us down there…

Mum doesn’t think Max had been down the beach before as he was scared of the waves at first. But he soon got used to the sea. Anyway, here’s the photos..

Then a day after Eric & Maria left Linda and Paul arrived – we were so excited. Mum says we got a bit carried away with our fighting, so I’m really sorry about that Linda. We tried to make up for it by behaving for the rest of the week-end. On Saturday we went back down the beach as it was a lovely sunny day. And Mum took even more video…

And some photos…

We had a great time as you can see. Oh, and just to prove we get on, Max and I always share the back of the car when we go out.

Walks are really good again now. Mum took me back to see the vet who did my operation just over a week ago, and he said my leg has healed really well and that my knee isn’t slipping at all now. I’m having to have some injections though, which I don’t think much of. I’ve got to have one a week for 4 weeks. But he says I don’t need to be kept on the lead on walks, so I’m able to have a good run round and sniff about again. And now Max is off the lead too. We’ve been over the Heath, and down to Ham Common and the beach there, and to the Country Park, and up to Delph Woods. It certainly wears us out – which I think is Mum & Dad’s intention!

Stay little Valentine,stay

2009-02-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

What a week it’s been! First of all Eric and Pat came over last Sunday, so I had a lovely day. I spent quite a while trying to jump all over Eric as usual, but he doesn’t seem to mind. And I really enjoy it. After all, how else am I supposed to show him how much I like him?

Then I’ve been back out on almost proper walks again all week. So I’ve been to Upton, over the Heath and to the Delph. It’s been wet and muddy but it’s been great to be out and about again. It does make my leg ache at times though, which isn’t so good.

We were supposed to be going to the vet who operated on my leg for a check-up on Tuesday, but Mum put it off as the weather was so bad. She said it was a good job she had as the road she had to take was closed that day cos it was flooded. So I’m going on Monday after all. I’m not really looking forward to it as I have to have another anaesthetic and I don’t like that. But I get the feeling that there’s no way I’m going to get out of it this time.

On Wednesday Mum and I went out for a night-time walk and she took me round to where I used to go for my training classes. There were lots of dogs waiting outside so we went and said Hello to them, and then waited around until they went in. And then Mum took me in too, to say Hello to my trainer Jo. It was really good to see her, cos I haven’t seen her for ages and ages. She couldn’t get over how big I am now.

Then on Thursday on my walk we met my old friend Bailie, who is a spaniel-collie cross. Bailie is a couple of months younger than me, and we used to play a lot whenever we met, and run around and get all nice and muddy and things. Mum let me play with Bailie for quite a while, although she didn’t let me off the lead – she says I’m still not allowed. It was really good as I hadn’t seen Bailie since last summer where I’ve not been allowed to walk over the Heath.

On Friday instead of going for an afternoon walk Mum and Dad took me back to the RSPCA shelter that they got me from. It was really nice to see all the people up there, and I could hear all the dogs and got excited. Dad took me for a short walk while Mum stayed behind, and then they introduced me to a lovely Springer Spaniel called Patch. He’s only 6 months old and he needs teaching some manners, but we had a nice play together for quite a while. I was worn out when I got home and slept all evening.

And today we went back to see him again! This time we were allowed to go and play in the big runs and we chased round and had a good old rough and tumble. Then we went out in the woods for a walk. Patch doesn’t walk very well on a lead and kept getting told off cos he was pulling so much all the time. Dad said I was walking really nicely and setting a good example. Mum took some photos in the woods. This is Patch…

And here’s some photos of me and Dad and Patch…

The only problem was, as I said, Patch hasn’t got any manners, and he kept trying to climb on top of me. I wasn’t very impressed and told him off in no uncertain terms. Mum says its cos he’s only just had his operation to stop him having puppies, and she doesn’t think anyone has ever told him that he mustn’t do that. After all, they haven’t taught him how to walk on a lead!

I think we are going back to see Patch again tomorrow. Mum has asked me if I would like him to come and live with us. I think I would, just so long as he gives me some peace and quiet once in a while. He has so much energy! But it’s nice having a dog to play with and to go for walks with. Mum also says if she adopts him she will try and change his name. She doesn’t think Patch suits him, and wants to call him Max. I agree, that’s much better.

But now I’ve got to go and get some sleep. I’m worn out again. And my leg hurts as I was allowed of the lead to play with Patch, and we ran around a lot.

Snow!

2009-02-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning and it was all white! We’d had snow. I haven’t really seen snow before, so had to go and investigate. Mum took a bit of video as usual.

The trouble with snow is, so I’ve discovered this morning, if you sniff it, it goes up your nose!

Anyway, Mum and I went for a walk round the Ponds fairly early (well, early for me – Mum says most normal people & dogs have been up hours by the time I get up). You can see what it was like. This was the footpath by our house…

And here’s where people feed the ducks and where those horrible swans are that hiss and flap their wings at me…

You can see the young corgi I’d just been playing with in the photo – he’s a couple of months younger than me.

Then, of course, Mum took some more photos of me…

This afternoon I’ve been out for a walk with my Dad IN A BLIZZARD!!! It was a white hell! We could have got lost and wandered round and round in circles and starved to death before anyone found us! Well, ok, we were only up the Delph and walking along the Trailway, so I don’t suppose we’d really have got lost. And Dad didn’t seem too worried about it, so perhaps it wasn’t that bad. But there were lots of great big snowflakes falling.

The trouble with this cold is that it makes my leg ache. It does seem to be getting much better. Well, it was until I went to see my vet Duncan last Monday. And he pushed it around and kept making the knee come go out of joint, so it hurt for a few days after that. I’d had to go to see him for my booster injection – Mum says I have to have it so that I don’t get any nasty illnesses. I didn’t mind the injection though – it was all that pushing about of my bad leg that I objected to.

It doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as it used to, though, and I’m not even taking any painkillers now. And I’m going for much longer walks to nice places like the Heath, the Country Park and the Delph. They are all really good as I usually meet lots of other dogs there. But sometimes the walks are a bit long and they make my leg ache afterwards. It’s difficult for me to tell Mum & Dad that I don’t want to go out as it’s making my leg hurt – normally I just try and run away when they go to put my harness on me. I don’t normally manage to get out of it, but sometimes I think I just have a shorter walk.

I’m really looking forward to this weekend. Mum says Linda and Paul are coming to stay as it’s Mum’s birthday (I hope I’ve got her a present as I’ve had to leave that up to Dad to organise). And then on Sunday Eric and Pat are supposed to be coming over as well. I’m getting excited already.

Ouch!!

2009-01-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

I had a little accident yesterday. I slipped and fell awkwardly and really hurt my bad leg. I couldn’t stand on it afterwards. Mum gave me some more painkillers and it’s a lot better now, although it still hurts if I stand on it. Unfortunately she also noticed that I’d managed to break her table in the process, although she didn’t tell me off for it.

And on Tuesday I was a poorly little dog. In the morning I kept being sick. Mum kept following m round with kitchen roll trying to wipe the drool off my mouth, which I didn’t think much of. Eventually I stopped being sick, and after a little sleep I felt much better.

I had a really good day Sunday though. Eric and Pat came to lunch. I hadn’t seen them since before I had my operation, so I was really, really excited. And Eric spent a lot of time making a big fuss of me.

Otherwise my walks are starting to get a bit more interesting. I’ve been to the Country Park a few times. It makes a really nice change to just going for walks round here. There are lots more interesting smells there, and lots of dogs and people and squirrels and peacocks! I saw a rabbit last week as well. We’ve been there today (Mum took be out to the boardwalk for the first time in months!), so now I’m pleasantly tired out.

That reminds me. I spend a lot of time chasing the birds out of my garden – filippin’ cheek! I usually ignore the little ones, but definitely make a point of shooing the big ones, like pigeons, off. But one day last week there was this HUGE bird in the garden. I worked myself up into a right state over it. It was a one of these…

Dad says it was a heron. Well, it had the sense to get out pretty quick once it saw me, I can tell you!

Lastly, Mum has spoken to my vet/surgeon today. He says that she and Dad can gradually take me out for longer walks. So that will be really good. But I’ve got to go back to see him in a couple of weeks, so I’m not really looking forward to that. I’ve got to have more XRays, which means another anaesthetic.

Still limping, but getting better

2009-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

I’m getting told off for not having updated my blog for a long time – people keep contacting Mum & Dad to find out how I am. So, here’s an update for you. I can’t even remember when I last wrote.

Anyway my leg STILL hurts and I can’t use it properly. It’s a lot better than it was though. And Mum says part of the reason is that I’m not taking as many painkillers as I have been for the past few months. But the good news was that vet let me start going out for short walks at New Year, so I didn’t have to wait the full 3 weeks like I’d been told. I started off on 10 minute walks, but now I’m allowed to go for three 15 minute walks a day. Sometimes I only have two walks though, and today I haven’t had any as its horrible and wet out. Apparently Mum has to speak to the vet again later this week.

So, what’s been happening? Well, not a lot as I’ve been indoors most of the time recuperating. We did have Christmas though and although I wasn’t allowed to have all of my presents I did have quite a few, as you can see from this video of me from Christmas morning. (If you get this update via email, you will have to go to my actual blog to see the video).

Mum too some photos of me too.

I particularly like my octopus – he’s rather fine, and all of his legs squeak.

And that blue thing is good, cos when I knock it over I get treats out of it!

Then after Christmas came New Year. I didn’t think much of that. There were lots of those horrible firework things, and I had to spend the whole time on high alert. I nearly went hoarse with all the barking (the barking was so that Mum & Dad knew they had to be on alert too, just in case).

The big news is that I’ve got a Facebook page now, where I can keep all of my friends updated on my progress and post photos and things. And I’ve got a lot of friends from all around the world. They keep sending me hugs and things. But if any of you are reading this, much as I appreciate the hug, food is what I really like! These were some photos of me that Mum took for Facebook.

And this was me trying to get a bit of sleep.

Although it’s raining today it’s been very, very cold here. Every time I went to get a drink from somewhere, either in the garden or on walk, it was all frozen, and I had to be careful that my tongue didn’t stick to it. It also seemed to make my leg hurt a lot more. But one day Mum let me have a little go at skating on the ice as the big ponds had all frozen over.

Well I don’t think that there’s much more to tell you. So I’m going to leave you with my horoscope for the coming year. It looks like I’m going to get a lot better and have a really good time.

VIRGO (AUG. 24 – SEPT. 23)

SYMBOL: The Virgin

Like the Lion, 2009 is all about you, Virgo. But the next 12 months are about keeping your body and spirit in sync. And it's the year that you get it together solo with the assistance of your devoted guardians. Yes, you critters can behave like you're cool and calm but deep inside your nerves can be frazzled. You've got to learn how to cope better without letting life's stressors get to you from head to paw, claw or fin.

SEASONS AND YOUR SUN SIGN:

Winter: That big, bright Full Moon in January or February may be just what your vet ordered to keep you healthy and happy during any changes in your body. You may get a job if you're a dog, cat or bird and that means no more boring days and nights. Or, you may hook up with a pet pal that will keep you on your paws or claws. Stay aware because the change is most likely a positive one.

Spring: Pre-springtime is a time for you to get closer to a pet or person. This may be a turning point for 2009 so look for cues. When you get a sign-don't be reserved like you can be. Let go and reap the rewards of a good for you relationship.

Summer: A New Moon this summer-not sure which month it will be-will bring you welcome surprises. Keep your intuitive instincts in working order and you will discover something new and it will make your summertime go by fast and be unforgettable.

Fall: Ah, the New Moon at the year's end is going to give you even more novelty. Yes, changes on the home front or workplace-if you have a job with your humans-may be in the works. Even your own space could be expanded or improved. Enjoy the change.

PLANETS AND PETS:

Thank heavens you are the relaxed personality at home because everyone else has been climbing the walls, tearing their hair out and upset with everything during 2008. Somehow you know the tensions will ease gradually during the first six months of 2009. You may look like you're not interested but you have the sixth sense like all Virgos so you know this New Year will prove to be a good one for you and your humans, right?

Where's Amnesty International when you need them?

2008-12-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

I’m being tortured here – hasn’t anyone told them? Between Mum & Dad and various vets I’ve been subjected to pain and misery!

On Friday Mum drove be back to see the orthopaedic specialist in Devizes. We had a nice journey – I had my duvet in the back of the car and it was nice and sunny. It was even good when we got there as I met a very nice dog with his two owners who made a big fuss of me. Then Mum handed me over to the nurse and left.

They said I had a very big operation on my leg. It certainly hurts enough! I’ve got a bigger scar than ever now. And it turns out that the vet has cut through my thigh bone and taken a chunk out. And the bone is now held together with metal plates and bolts. This is supposed to be a good thing. Ha! The vet should try having it done to him. It’s really painful, I can tell you. AND they’ve shaved my leg yet again – just as the fur was starting to grow back nicely. And as if that’s not bad enough they’ve shaved away a rectangular patch of fur on my back. So now I look like some weird sort of punk dog. Mum took a photo of me before I had my dressing and morphine patch removed so you can see what I mean.

It was really not nice after my operation. I had to stay at the vet’s overnight and although the nurses were nice and very kind to me, they weren’t my Mum and I just wanted to go home. But Mum & Dad came and got me on Saturday afternoon. I hadn’t wanted to eat anything the nurses gave me, but Mum had bought me a bowl of chicken & pasta which I ate before we left to go home. When we got home all I wanted to do was sleep as I really didn’t feel very well at all.

I’m gradually feeling better, and am almost back to normal today, other than my leg still hurting. I am doing my best to use it though. And I heard the nurse tell Mum I had to stretch it, so I try and do that too. And the good news is that I’ve finished my antibiotics, as they were upsetting my tummy.

BUT – I’m not allowed out for 3 whole weeks! And if I go out in the garden I can only go out on a lead. Which means Mum or Dad have to come with me so I can’t really stay out very long and can’t have a good sniff around. And today Mum has even put paper up over the patio doors so that I can’t see out.

So, first they inflict lots of pain on me (for the THIRD time) and then they keep my under house arrest and don’t even let me see out of the window. And that sounds pretty much like torture to me. Mum’s even saying I can’t have all of my Christmas presents! It’s not fair! What have I done to deserve all of this?

Well, anyway, I hope you have a nice Christmas, even if I’m going to be deprived!

Oh Poo!!

2008-12-18T07:24:00.001-08:00

I’m really grateful to Gypsy for teaching me that phrase. It’s a really useful phrase. And this is an Oh Poo Week. Monday I got carted off to see this specialist vet – it was miles and miles away. I seemed to be in the car forever! Talking of which, I’m refusing to get in that car now – I’ve worked out that every time I do end up at the vet being pulled about.

So, we get to the vet and waited around to see him. There was a nice black lab in there, but he didn’t seem to want to say hello to me, so I kept persuading Dad to take me outside for a sniff around while we waited. The vet was very nice – we were with him ages while he talked to Mum & Dad and looked at the photos of the bones in my leg (people take photos of the strangest things, if you ask me – I mean, who would want a photo of the bone in my leg?). Then Mum put me up on his examining table and he pulled me around again. And it really, really hurt, I can tell you.

After that Mum & Dad left and the vet (who’s called Ian) took me through to their hospital, where I and to wait around all day as I was the last dog he saw. Anyway, not content with the photos he already has of the bones in my leg, he took some more!!! Which involved yet another anaesthetic. Hey! Hasn’t anyone ever heard that too many anaesthetics can be bad for a little dog?

Well, I thought I was going to have an operation, but when I woke up I was just the same. Turns out that agreed with Mum & Dad that they would take me back on Friday. Apparently my operation might turn out to be bigger than he thought.

So tomorrow, I’ve got to go through it all again!!! I don’t suppose I’ll write anything for a little while now while I get better, but I’ll try and let you know how I get on before Christmas.

Otherwise Mum took me over the Heath for a walk yesterday. I haven’t been there for months. It was so good, and it was nice and warm and sunny too. And I met a really nice young dog that I was allowed to have a bit of a play with. I was pretty tired and my leg hurt when I got home though. Still, it was worth it.

I got a present!

2008-12-11T08:36:00.000-08:00

I had a present today – it came all the way from America, especially for me! It was a really, really tasty dog biscuit in the shape of a bone. Mum opened the parcel, and as soon as I smelt it I went over and pestered her (oh, well, alright then – jumped all over her) until Dad took it off her and let me have it. Mum had wanted to wait until Christmas until she gave it to me!!!

Anyway, it was an extra special yummy biscuit, as you can see.

And even the packet it came in was really tasty…

So thank you very much Audrey. Plus there was a really nice picture of a horse in with it from Mari (cos I really like horses – I nearly got to see the ones on the Heath the other day, but I couldn’t quite get to them, and they wouldn’t come over to see me).

The other big news today is that Mum says she’s had something through the post from this specialist that I’m going to see. The vet had phoned her yesterday to say we had an appointment on Monday. But Mum says she has to leave me with the specialist all day, and that they might operate! I wasn’t expecting that. I thought I’d have to go back later. This afternoon Mum took me with her when she went to the vet to pick up my Xrays, and they confirmed that the specialist normally operates the same day. I’m not looking forward to that again. But it would be nice to get my knee fixed. It’s been hurting more a lot recently, especially as Mum is now giving me less meds at night. And it would be really, really nice to go for a proper walk again and to be able to run around and play with other dogs.

How much is that doggie in the window?

2008-12-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

I’ve got a new place to sit! (although I’d better not be for sale)

It’s great – I can lie in the sun there and look out the window. Which means that I can see what those pesky cats next door are up to. Usually it involves them strolling around the drive like they own the place. Sometimes they stop and take a drink from a puddle just to wind me up! I tell you, one of these days I’m going to find a way to get out there – then they’ll know it!

Anyway, back to my window. It’s always been there, of course, but I’ve never been able to get up there. But Mum has let me back up on the sofa’s this week (she’s made me a step so that I can get onto the sofa in her sitting room easily). From there I go onto the arm of the sofa, and then onto the top of my crate (which kept bending down, so Mum has put a board over the top of it for me, and then onto the window sill. You can see what I mean in this photo.

And not only that, but I've been allowed to sleep on the sofas at night too. How good is that?

This last week I’ve had a whole week where I haven’t had to go and see the vet. My leg hurts quite a lot sometimes though – Mum thinks it might be the cold weather. Then at other times it doesn’t seem too bad. But the good news is that Mum & Dad have taken me for a few short walks. I’ve mainly been to the Country Park, and once we went to the heath (where a very rude spaniel bit me on the nose!). We don’t walk anywhere near as far as we used to, but I get to see somewhere different and there are lots of good places to sniff where we go. It tires me out though, so I tend to sleep quite a bit afterwards. I think that’s why Mum takes me.

I still don’t know when I’m going to see the specialist. My new vet had to wait for my Xrays, and the old vet never sent them. In the end Mum went and collected them herself then took them to the new vet. I don’t expect I’ll get my leg fixed until after Christmas now. If I get it fixed at all that is. Mum has seen a new picture that she wants, and Dad said it was that or getting my leg fixed. When he asked me what I thought I voted to get my leg fixed.

Talking of Christmas, Eric and Pat came for an early Christmas lunch yesterday – I was soooo excited. Although I wasn’t quite so excited when I found out that Eric had forgotten my Christmas present. Mum says I’m the little dog Santa Claus forgot! And after I gave him a present too!

And hasn’t it been cold? It was all frosty here over the week-end (we didn’t have any snow). I didn’t think it was very funny when I found that my big drinking bowl in the garden was frozen. Every time I tried to lick it my tongue stuck to it! Dad took the ice off it for me, then the next thing I knew it was frozen over again.

Well that’s about it. I had a walk earlier so I need to get back and have a snooze now, especially as Mum has put the heating back on.

More new toys!

2008-11-30T03:28:00.000-08:00

I know I only wrote yesterday, but in the afternoon I got even more new toys, so I just had to let you see them. I had lots of fun with them yesterday. But first, Mum took a photo of Hedgie posing in my bed…

Then this is Doggie…

And here’s me and Doggie…

He’s not supposed to be for little dogs to play with, but Mum says he’s good as I can’t run round the room which him as he’s so big. Instead I have to drag him around, which is tiring, I can tell you! Last night his back came undone and I had great fun pulling all of the stuffing out of him. Mum & Dad took him (and the stuffing) off me then, but this morning Mum has mended him and he’s as good as new. You can see him here in this photo taken with my other new toy, Giraffe…

As you can tell, Mum’s not very original when it comes to naming my toys: Hedgie, Doggie, Giraffe – to go with Lion and Kitty and Tigs. Thank goodness she didn’t name me! I might have had to go through life with a name like Puppy!!!

Just a couple more photos from this morning of me having a bit of a stretch.

Dad says it’s just not fair – you try and get up in the morning and have a quiet stretch, and next thing you know there are the paparazzi shoving their cameras in your face, giving you no peace at all!

Unfortunately my new toys weren’t the only things Mum bought me yesterday…

As you can see, I wasn’t very happy about that! Can’t a little dog have any dignity?

How many more operations?

2008-11-29T07:52:00.000-08:00

It’s not fair! My leg hurts a lot again, and I can’t really walk on it properly. It’s gradually been getting worse all week. So last night Mum and Dad took me to see another vet, and he says I’ve got a very poorly leg indeed (after he had poked it and pulled it around a lot). He said far from being better I need to have ANOTHER OPERATION on it! How many more do I have to have? What’s wrong with getting it right the first time? Mum was very upset about it, but if she’s upset, how does she think I feel? AND, at last I’ve finally found someone who’s managed to work out that my other leg isn’t very good either. But I have to use one of them, so it has to be the one that hurts the least. The vet says I will have to have an operation on that leg too. Well, all I can say is they better make pretty certain that it’s only one operation this time, and not three!

Actually, I think the new vet seemed quite nice, but he was a vet, and I’ve definitely gone off vets. He’s sending me to see a specialist to get my legs fixed, so now Mum’s waiting to hear when we can go and see him.

As I can’t really walk properly, I’m spending a lot of time in my bed. It’s nice and cosy, and I can get really comfortable in it. Plus it means I’m getting spoilt. Last night I was given a chicken wing, and I haven’t had one of those for several days. And today Mum bought me another new toy. It’s a little Hedgehog with a Santa hat on, who sings and vibrates when you press his side. So I pick him up and run round the room with him, and shake him well until I manage to kill him, and then I take him back to my bed with me. He’s good fun, although I don’t quite understand how he keeps managing to come back to life after I’ve killed him. Mum took some photos of me with him earlier.

Other than that there’s not really too much to tell you, as I don’t really do a lot or go anywhere these days. But Mum & Dad have been cutting the big hedge out the front, so they’ve taken me out with them on a long lead tied to a stake in the ground. It’s made a change, plus I’ve managed to get to meet people and other dogs as they walk along the footpath. I saw my friend Traf, the Rottie, the other day. He’s had his bad leg fixed too and had his leg shaved. Apparently he’d had to have something called a cruciate ligament fixed, which Mum says is pretty serious. And then a couple of days this week I’ve seen Eric & Pat. So that was really exciting, except they didn’t stay very long.

I’m still not happy about the food I’m getting. Mum seems to have stopped giving me chicken wings and keeps giving me dog food. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good quality dog food, but it’s not chicken! So I’m not eating a lot. Mum says it won’t hurt as I’m putting on too much weight where I’m not getting any exercise. Yeah, right – it’s not her that’s going hungry!

What happened to my crate?

2008-11-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

One minute it was there, where it’s always been, and the next minute, all that was left were crumbs!

Actually I know where it went. It would have been hard to miss it there was so much banging around went on. Mum moved it into her sitting room. I’m not sure why, but actually I think I quite like it there.

It seems to feel more snugly somehow. Leastways, it didn’t take me very long to settle down in it and fall asleep…

Talking of crumbs, what is with this vacuuming lark? Not only is the vacuum cleaner noisy (and deserving of the occasional attack), but when Mum’s finished all of the crumbs and leftovers that I’ve left strategically around the house have gone, never to return. Mum! I’m saving those! Ok I rarely come back and actually eat them, but you never know when a little dog might get hungry and be in need of a little snackette.

The other big news is that I am now allowed out in the garden without my lead on. Lots of pots seem to have appeared all along the wall though, so I have to go all the way round the back to get up onto the flower bed. But at least it means that I can now get round behind the bamboo again – I like to get in behind there. And when I was out in the garden earlier Kim from next door bought her baby Luka to see me, although they didn’t come in the gate.

I’m also feeling an awful lot better. My leg has hurt a bit this afternoon so I’ve been limping. I don’t know what I did to make it hurt, but it seems to be getting a bit better now. I’m hoping Mum will take me out for another walk later.

I've got a new toy!

2008-11-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

I think Mum must have felt guilty for taking all my other toys away, as yesterday she went out and got me a new toy. It’s great fun, as it involves lots of treats. It’s taken me a little while to work out how to get my treats out of it, but I think I’ve got the hang of it now.

So here are some photos of me with my new toy. You can see the scar on my leg in that middle one. That’s the newest, smaller scar. You can’t really see the much longer scar from the first operation I had.

Mum has also taken some video of me with my new toy. The only thing is, as you will see from the video, she’s suddenly put some little pegs in it which stop me sliding the things around, and I haven’t quite worked out what to do about those yet.

I’m feeling a lot better now. Mum took me out for 2 walks yesterday and 2 more today. They are only short walks round the ponds here, but they make me quite tired, so I have to have a bit of a sleep afterwards. Anyway, she took some photos today as it was nice and sunny. If you think I look a bit miserable that not because I don’t feel very well – its because I hate wearing my Gentle Leader and like to make my opinion known. Mum says I have to wear it, though, while my leg is getting better as it stops me dashing around and pulling so much.

Oh, and have you noticed that Mum has added a slideshow of photos of me in the bar on the side? She tried to add videos too, but I get her’s as well. She tried to delete those, and it won’t let her so I’ve tucked them away down the bottom for now, until Mum can figure out how to get rid of them.

Anyway, I’m off to have another little snooze. All this walking and playing with my Twister has worn me out.

All of my toys have gone!

2008-11-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven’t written anything here for a long time, but I really haven’t felt very well.

I had my second operation nearly two weeks ago. Caty took the old pin out of my leg and put in two new ones. And this time round I had stitches. It wasn’t nearly as bad as when I had it done the first time though, and I was soon walking about on it. But when Mum took me back for a check up after 2 days Caty said the pins had moved a bit and I had to be kept very quiet so that they didn’t move any more.
And that’s what’s caused the problems. Caty keeps giving me different tablets, and they make me feel really, really ill. They are like when I have an anaesthetic and I come round and everything is really scary. And with the last lot, I couldn’t stop pooing either. I was really pleased when Mum finally persuaded Caty that I needed something different. So on Friday Caty gave Mum some valium for me. It still makes me feel a bit odd, and it makes me sleepy, but its not horrible like those other tablets.

I’ve also had two week-ends where either Mum or Dad has been away. The first week-end Dad went and I stayed at home with Mum. Then this last week-end Mum went and I stayed with Dad. He was the one who gave me the valium. But since Mum’s come home I haven’t had any more. Mind you, the weather is horrible, so I’ve spent a lot of time sleeping.

The other thing is that I’ve not been allowed to have any walks at all cos of these pins in my leg. And I still have to go out on the garden on a lead, and am not allowed to jump up onto the flower beds or go up the steps and go behind the pond. So it’s been really, really boring. And ALL OF MY TOYS HAVE DISAPPEARED. All I seem to have left are things to chew. One minute they were there, and the next they had gone. I keep going to my toy bucket, but they’ve not re-appeared. I think someone must have stolen them.

And then, I’m not allowed on the furniture either, so I can’t snuggle up on the sofa. Dad did put some cushions on the coffee table the other day though. I thought he’d put them there for me, so got up and had a lie down in the sun. Mum wasn’t very pleased though.

It’s really not fair at all.

Today though, Mum has taken be back out for a little walk, even if it was wet and horrible. And she’s let me have a little game with my treat ball. And this being ill lark does seem to involve a lot of peanut butter and chicken, so it can’t be all bad.

Lastly Mum says I should say Hello to Judy who’s been reading my blog. So Hello Judy. I’m pleased you like it.

Another operation!

2008-10-27T06:55:00.001-07:00

It’s just not fair! After the vet pulled my leg around last week it got a lot worse – so bad, in fact, that I couldn’t put it down again. As Mum said, I was worse than I was before my operation, and that can’t be right. So on Thursday we went back to the vet yet again! And he pulled it around even more! But the good news was that he said he thought it seemed better than it had been on Monday. He gave Mum some other tablets for me to take and sent me back home again.

Over the week-end my leg has gradually got better. The bad news, though, was that I wasn’t allowed to go out for walks. Now there’s only so long a little dog can stay cooped up inside a house, so I had to find ways to amuse myself. Fortunately Mum has some plants around the house which seemed to need a good chew. Needless to say, Mum didn’t agree with me over that, and I wasn’t very popular. By Sunday Mum said she could stand it no longer and took me out for a little while. We didn’t go very far but it was good to get out. Plus I got to meet a couple of people.

What wasn’t so good was the way the new tablets made me feel. I didn’t like it at all. It was a bit like when I’ve had an anaesthetic, although not quite so bad. But by Saturday night I really wasn’t very happy at all, and my crate seemed really scary again, so Mum & Dad let me sleep upstairs with them. Mum realised it was the new tablets, so she never gave me one last night, and I felt a lot better and was able to go to bed as normal.

Today we had to go back to the vet. We saw Caty this time round. Mum pointed out a lump on my knee to her, and she says that’s the pin in my leg. And apparently that is almost certainly why my leg still hurts. So tomorrow I have to go back in so that she can operate on my leg again and sort the pin out. I’m not looking forward to that much though, as it’s going to involve another anaesthetic. But Mum and Caty have promised me that this is a much smaller operation than the last one I had. Oh – and Caty said there is something called a Morphine derivative in both the anaesthetic and the tablets, and that it’s most probably that that makes me feel bad.

There is good news though. Caty was really pleased with my knee this morning. She said it’s a ‘little bit crunchy’ (but that that goes back to before the operation), but that my kneecap isn’t moving at all anymore. Mum is really pleased, as this should mean I don’t need another big operation, and that after the pin is sorted out it should get completely better.

Meanwhile I’ve got to go and have that other operation tomorrow. I’m not looking forward to it, but if it makes me better then it will be worth it.

Meds, frogs and cat poo

2008-10-21T07:53:00.001-07:00

Oops – sorry about the length of time since I updated this. Somehow I haven’t got round to it. Not that I’ve been doing a lot as I’ve had to spend a lot of time resting. I don’t get to go for proper walks any more, although I do get taken out to the footpath by the house so that I can have a good old sniff around and see what’s been going on. And there’s always lots to smell as there are cats, other dogs, birds, squirrels and foxes get out there. Mum took me for a bit longer walk this morning – we walked all the way round the pond!

My leg still hurts despite the painkillers Mum gives me. I had to go and see the vet yesterday and he kept pulling it about in all directions. Then he kept pressing it, and it really hurt. Mum said I was a very good dog though, for standing there and letting him do it, and she gave me a nice chew when I got home. But he told Mum that it’s not better (which I could have told him if he’d asked) and it should be. He said to see what it’s like in 2 weeks time, and if not I will have to go and see another vet somewhere else who is some sort of specialist. No doubt he’ll want to pull my leg around and make it hurt too!

I must say I quite like having to take my meds. Me & Mum do Meds twice a day, but it’s really good as it involves peanut butter, and anything that involves peanut butter is ok by me.

There’s not really much else to tell you, as I haven’t seen anyone much. Even if we’re out I’m not usually allowed to go and say hello (Mum says I get too excited, can you believe), and I’m certainly not allowed to go and say hello to other dogs. We’ve got someone here this morning fixing the heating though, so that’s made a nice change. I keep going and offering to help him, but I think I just get in the way, so I’ve given up and instead went and had a nice lie in the sun.

Oh, and Mum’s been clearing up the garden, which means that she has cut back all the plants in the places where I like to go and sniff around and lie. Plus she’s cut back the plants where I usually find the frogs, so they’re not there either anymore. It’s just not fair. But, the good news is where she’d dug over the flower beds the cats can come and poo in there again, so I’m ok for breakfast!

Nobody told me there'd be days like these

2008-10-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

My leg hurts! I can’t put it down, and I struggle to get comfortable. No one told me it was going to be this bad. Look what they’ve done to me!

They’ve made a huge cut in my leg, and then stuck it back together again. Mum says they’ve taken away some bone, moved something called a ligament, tightened up some muscles and put a metal pin in there!!! And they’ve shaved off loads of my fur!!! Talk about a bad hair day! How am I supposed to be seen in public looking like this? Is it going to grow back? I hope so – I don’t want to be stuck looking like this for life. And what about the scar? Am I going to have a great ugly scar on my leg?

To be honest I can’t remember much of Friday when I had my operation. But I know I came round in a cage at the vets and they wouldn’t let me out. I didn’t like that at all. Eventually Mum and Dad came and took me home, but I didn’t feel very well and everything seemed very scary. I couldn’t settle down at all and kept crying. Mum says that it is the anaesthetic that makes me feel like that. At least my leg didn’t hurt too much on Friday as the vet had given me painkilling injections.

After being stuck in the cage no way was I going to get in my crate when I got home. When bedtime came Mum and Dad didn’t try to force me, but put my duvet in the hall. I wanted to go upstairs with them, but they won’t let me go upstairs any more. I couldn’t stop feeling scared and I just kept crying. Mum came downstairs to be with me but it didn’t help much. I did eventually get to sleep just as it was getting light though.

By Saturday morning the painkillers had worn off and Mum started giving me my usual medicines again, plus I’ve got some things called antibiotics to take. I still wasn’t very happy, though, as you can see from this photo.

But the sun came out so I had a little sleep in the sun and started to feel a bit better.

The big downer is that I’m not allowed to go out for walks, and I’m only supposed to go out in the garden on a lead. Sometimes Mum and Dad let me out without a lead on, but they always come out with me. I’m not allowed to jump up onto the wall anymore though, and Mum won’t let me go up the steps by the pond. Yesterday Mum took a bit of video of me in the garden. As you can see, I can’t really put my leg down as it hurts too much.

And after I ran after a squirrel yesterday Mum says I can’t go out in the garden without a lead on any more. I don’t think much of this at all.

As each day passes I start to feel a lot better. Today I’ve finally gone back into my crate. Mum didn’t try and shut me in, and it was nice and cosy sleeping in there. And I‘ve had quite a few of my toys out to play with this morning. Oh, and the good news is Mum keeps feeding me chicken and doesn’t seem to try and feed me much other rubbish (although she made the mistake of putting rice with it), so something good has come from all this.

Apparently I have to go back to the vet this afternoon for a check up with a nurse. Then I have to go back and see the vet who did my operation next last Monday. So I’ll let you know how I am later in the week.

The squirrel vanishes

2008-10-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

Well the weather’s still rubbish. I tend to spend all of my mornings sleeping.

And sometimes I just snuggle up to Mum – although I wish she’d put that laptop down – it’s not very comfortable.

I’ve just been out for a walk with Mum now that it’s finally stopped raining. We only went round the lakes, but I was on squirrel alert. There seem to be lots of squirrels around at the moment. Like at the start of our walk – there it was, on the path next to a garden fence, right in front of us. I tried to run after it, but it’s a bit difficult when you’re on the lead, although to be fair Mum did run with me. She just didn’t run fast enough though. Bit it was the strangest thing – the squirrel just disappeared. It didn’t go over the fence, and there was nowhere to go under the fence. And it didn’t run across the path. One minute it was there – the next it was gone. I hunted everywhere for it, but couldn’t find it. I think Mum was as confused as I was.

Round by the lake today I found a big branch in the water, right at the edge. It was great – just right for chewing. Mum stood there and let me have a good old chew. Let’s hope its still there tomorrow.

What else? Oh yes, have you been watching the TV at night? There’s a programme on all about Big Cats that Mum watches it. I think she watched it once before when I was a puppy. Anyway, I quite like watching it with her, although I’m not exactly sure just how big these cats are. Mum says they are a lot bigger than me, which is a bit scary really. Last night there were lions and some animals Mum said were called water buffalo. I didn’t think much of them trying to come into our living room, so I stood and barked at them. Dad said that wasn’t very sensible given how big and fierce they are. He said I should have run and hid, not drawn attention to myself. I’ll have to remember that next time.

Finally I’ve found something else that I like to eat. It’s called Cheese Straws. Mum made some for me and Dad today. I think they’re yummy.

Oh well, time for another little snooze.

Well, it's about time!!!

2008-10-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

At last ! Mum and Dad have finally worked out that I don’t want to go for long walks cos my leg hurts. It’s only taken them oh I don’t know how many months. And it wasn’t as though I didn’t drop enough hints. Anyone with even a modicum of intelligence would have worked out that there was a reason why I used to run off and hide under a bush when it came time for my walk. Hello!!! How else was I supposed to tell them I really didn’t want to go?

Anyway, now we’re only going for very short walks – normally around the small lake next to the house. But I don’t mind, as I’m allowed lots of sniffing time, so we can be out for ages while I just sniff about and try and figure out what’s been going on, and who’s been there. Sometimes I see a squirrel and try and chase it, but I’m on a lead nowadays and they always run up a tree before I can get to them.

The only downside is that I don’t really get to play with other dogs anymore. Sometimes I’m allowed to go up and say ‘hello’ for a short time, especially if we bump into Tanny. Tanny is an Irish Setter who was in my first obedience class. She’s the same age as me. And she’s got a friend, Charlie, now, who’s about 5 months old. But there are some very strange people out there. Yesterday a really nice dog came bounding over to say hello to me, and we were just getting to know each other when his owner started shouting at my Dad that she (the other dog’s owner, not my Dad) didn’t have her dog under control. Now what was all that about? I was on my lead, and we were saying hello nicely, and then she comes along and spoils it. I don’t think I’ll ever understand humans.

Take food. I like chicken. I’m quite happy eating raw chicken wings. In fact, apart for treats, I don’t want to eat anything else. But Mum will insist on trying to feed me other things, like this all-in-one dried food and other canned dog food. Mum! I don’t eat it cos I don’t like it much (well, not as much as chicken). I like chicken! What’s wrong with just feeding me chicken?

And then there’s my bones. Mum given me a bone and it’s all fresh, and not nice and smelly at all. So I carry it around for a few days, and just as it gets to the stage where it’s nice and stinky and ripe for eating, she goes and throws it out!! Excuse me! I’d just got that how I like it. Who cares if it’s covered in maggots? You want me to eat something other than chicken don’t you? Well maggots are something different, and I’m sure they’re good for me. See, I start out with just a bone, and I end up with a bone and maggots – that way it goes further! Especially if the maggots crawl all over the living room carpet (that was a joke, by the way!).

There! Now I’ve got that off my chest I feel better. Time for a snooze. After all, the weather’s rubbish, so there’s not much point in doing anything else.

Visitors

2008-10-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

We had visitors yesterday – Ann & John (Dad’s parents) came to see us. I thought something was going on as Mum got up and spent a lot of time in the kitchen and then got out the vacuum cleaner while I was still in the house. I’m not very keen on the vacuum cleaner, and normally Mum uses it when Dad takes me for a walk. If I’m at home though, I just take myself off to another room.

Anyway, Dad went off in the car and came back with Ann & John. I was really pleased to see them. I’ve only met them once before when we went to the Isle of Wight to see them. I got a big fuss made of me. I was a very good girl and was on my best behaviour. Then in the afternoon we went down to Poole Quay for a while. Ann, John & Mum went in a shop, but I had to wait outside with Dad – Mum said I couldn’t go in. Dad eventually took them back to the hotel they are staying in later that afternoon.

That was the second time I’ve been down to Poole in two days. I went the day before with Mum and Dad. We didn’t walk very far, and most of the time I had to sit quietly in some bank. They insisted on putting my head collar on me so I just sat there and sulked a bit – just to show them that I really DO NOT LIKE my head collar. But I did get to go in the pet shop down there which was good. I tried to go back in there again yesterday, but Dad wouldn’t let me.

Today I have had to go back to the vet cos my leg is not any better. It hurts and I have to limp most of the time. The vet felt it and then had a chat with Mum. I’m not sure, but I think I’m going to have an operation on it. That’s what Mum and the vet were talking about. I don’t think I want an operation on it – it doesn’t sound very nice. And anyway, if I have an operation, won’t they have to send me to sleep again? I didn’t feel at all well last week after they sent me to sleep to have my XRays taken.

Since we’ve come home Mum has been talking about taking me swimming in some special swimming pool. Only problem is I can’t swim. She says I will have water wings though. But I won’t be going until after my operation. Apparently it’s supposed to help my leg get better.

Oh Poo!!!

2008-09-28T09:46:00.001-07:00

That’s what my cyber friend Gypsy had to say to me when she heard my news. Oh Poo! And I had to agree with her.

My leg still hurt last week and I was limping most of the time, so on Tuesday Mum took me the vet. Not that I mind going to the vet – I quite like it there. But the vet leg felt my legs, and knees and hips and it hurt and wasn’t very nice. She told Mum I had something wrong with my knee and that it was moving about or something. I didn’t know exactly what was wrong but had to go back the next day. Mum took me there and then left me! So they did some blood tests, and made me go to sleep while they took some Xrays, and then I had to have an injection. Mum and Dad came to get me in the afternoon and spent quite a while talking to the vet. Apparently I have very slight hip dysplasia (whatever that is) in one hip, and my right knee keeps slipping out of its socket, which has caused something called arthritis. That’s why I keep limping. The vet gave Mum some tablets for me and said I had to go back next week. Apparently I might have to have an operation on it at some stage. Mum says that might be the best thing as it will stop my knee slipping. In the meantime she’s also giving me strange medicines called Glucosamine and Green Lipped Mussel. But they’re quite tasty as she mixes them up with peanut butter for me.

As we left the vets though, who should I bump into but Tyson and his sister. I was so excited (but not as excited as Tyson who wee’d on the floor). They’d been to the groomers.

I felt really strange when I got home and didn’t feel very well at all. I couldn’t settle down, and kept crying. And everything seemed to be really scary. I didn’t like it at all. Mum says it was caused by the anaesthetic that they’d used to send me to sleep. It took me ages to get to sleep that night, and even then I kept waking up. I was allowed to sleep on Dad’s bed though, mainly cos I was to scared to sleep in my crate.

On Thursday I slept late and still felt a bit odd when I woke up, but after a while I suddenly felt a lot better. Mum seemed to think she had to spoil me. The only thing is that I’m only allowed to go for short walks. But as my knee hurts I don’t want to walk very far. I was a bit confused by the fact that Dad spent the whole day in bed. Mum said he didn’t feel very well.

Then on Friday, just as I thought we were getting back to normal, Mum went away, so I’ve had a week-end with Dad. That’s been ok, cos I can twist Dad round my little toe. So I got to sleep on his bed with him. And even though I’m only supposed to have short walks on the lead, Dad took me up to Delph Woods yesterday. We had a short walk, then, just as we were going back to the car, I heard my friend Lenny, and went dashing off to meet him. We had a good old run around (Lenny is a lurcher, so can run really, really fast). I’ve paid for it since though, as my leg is really bad again today. I don’t think Mum was very pleased with Dad for taking me to the woods and letting me play with Lenny.

I’ve missed Mum though, and was really pleased when she came home this afternoon. So I’m just hoping that things are going to be back to normal now.

I don't understand

2008-09-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

There are lots of things I don’t understand at the moment. I’m a very confused little dog.

Take last night. Strange things happened last night. First of all Mum got all dressed up and went out – and she didn’t take me! I wasn’t very happy about that. Ok Dad stayed at home with me, but that wasn’t the point. I didn’t see why I couldn’t go as well. So I spent some time letting Dad know how unhappy I was about it. She came back later on and I thought everything was back to normal. But then Dad put me to bed, AND DIDN’T SHUT THE DOOR TO MY CRATE!!! And he and Mum went to bed and left me downstairs. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, so I stayed where I was for quite a while. But then I went upstairs to investigate. All the lights were out and they were in bed. What was that all about? I went into Mum’s room, but she seemed to be asleep, so then I went into Dad’s room and got on the bed. I stayed there for a long time and dozed off for a while. Then I got up and wandered around again, and had a bit of a bark. At that, Dad got up and got my duvet from the lounge and put it on the floor in his bedroom. So I slept on that for a while. But eventually I woke up, and then of course, wanted a wee. Dad let me out, but then put me back in my crate and shut the door this time. I knew what was happening then and what I was supposed to do, so I went off to sleep for the rest of the night. But why??? Did he just forget to shut me in the first time? And if he did, why didn’t he just take me back downstairs and put me to bed when I first went up to see what was happening. You can see why I’m so confused.

Then there’s this agility class. I was finally supposed to be starting it tomorrow. The weather has been nice, so we all thought it would go ahead. Then Mum got a phone call today to say that it was moving to a new, improved place. Which is really good. But that means there is no class tomorrow, so now we’re starting NEXT week! Am I ever going to start this stupid class??? Personally I don’t see what’s wrong with a bit of mud, but Mum says I might have hurt myself. And how am I supposed to hurt myself in mud? It’s soft, for goodness sake!

Actually, while I’m talking about hurting myself, one of my back legs hurts again. I seem to be stiff all over, especially if I’ve been asleep for any length of time, and don’t seem to be able to get going. And my right back leg keeps hurting and I can’t put it down properly. It doesn’t help that Mum keeps trying to feel it, and massage it and pull it about. So I’ve been steering well clear of her for the past couple of days. I’m hoping she’ll eventually get the message. Today she fed me something called Cod Liver Oil which she seems to think might make it better. And she keeps talking about me resting. Ha! She’s got to be joking. I’m a year old Staffy for goodness sake. I don’t do resting.

Have you noticed Mum has changed the photo of me in my profile. She took some new photos of me at one year old yesterday. I’m rather proud of them. Here’s a little selection of them for you.

Lastly I’m going to leave you with something Mum found on the Staffy Bull Terriers forum. I can relate to this – it’s my way of thinking exactly!

Staffie Property Laws

1. If I like it, it’s mine.
2. If it’s in my mouth, it’s mine.
3. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
4. If I can take it from you, it’s mine.
5. If it looks like mine, it’s mine.
6. If it’s mine, it must never be yours.
7. If I saw it first, it’s mine.
8. If you have something and put it down, it’s mine.
9. If I chew something up, all of the pieces are mine.
10. If it used to be yours, get over it.
11. If it’s broken, it’s yours.
12. If it’s edible, it’s always mine.

I'm a big girl now

2008-09-13T05:05:00.000-07:00

Or at least, that’s what my Mum keeps telling me. It’s cos I’m 1 year old!!! How cool is that???

Yesterday was my birthday, and we had a really nice day. First of all, Dad took me for a walk to Delph Woods in the morning, where I met quite a lot of dogs to play with. We were there for ages and ages. Then no sooner had we got home than Eric and Pat arrived, so I got all excited as I love to see them. And then the humans all had a glass of sparkling wine and I got given lots of presents!!!

This is my Dad helping me to open one of my presents…

And here’s what I thought of Mum shoving her camera in my face…

I had a Big Mean Kitty and a Real Mad Cow, and something called Hurl a Squirrel, which Mum seems to want to throw for me but which I think is best suited to chewing. Anyway, here’s me with by Big Mean Kitty…

And with my Big Mad Cow and Hurl a Squirrel…

There is also some video Mum took of the occasion…

As well as my presents I was given my favourite chicken for lunch, and a nice big bone. Plus I had a box of cheesy shortcake biscuits for dogs. Mum had made me some chocolate chip muffins (although she says to tell you they weren’t really chocolate but carob) and I also scrounged some of Dad’s Victoria Sandwich (which I love). So all in all it was a pretty good day.

Today we have been back to normal. Mum has taken me over the Heath and that’s where she took that photo of me that I put at the beginning. It was supposed to be my first agility class today, but it has been cancelled again as the field is too wet. I don’t think much of this – I’m waiting to get started!

What else have I got to tell you since last time? Well, Mum wants me to mention a really nice dog called Bobby I met in the week. He’s with a lady who’s fostering him at the moment, but is looking for a home. You can see Bobby here. He really is a very nice dog.

And then I managed to get inside my duvet again the other day. I was all nice and snugly, so Mum took a photo. She’s says sorry it’s a bit blurred.

I need to have a bit of a snooze now before the sun goes in again, so I’ll leave you with one last photo of me on my birthday…

Disappointment

2008-09-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to be starting agility classes today, and was going to tell you all about it, but Mum says it’s been cancelled cos it’s so wet. It’s been raining lots and lots here. We’ve been lucky though – we’ve hardly been rained on at all on walks. It’s ever so muddy and wet everywhere though, and today there was lots of water in the stream. I tried going in it, but it was rushing past my legs so fast I didn’t really like it, so came out again.

Anyway, now I have to wait a whole week to start my agility class. I hope I like it – it all sounds a bit energetic to me. But there will be other dogs there, so it won’t be all bad.

I’ve had quite a good time since I wrote about Tyson. First of all walks have got a lot better, as most of the time I’m allowed to run off the lead now. Mum and Dad say I’m getting much better behaved off the lead, so they let me off more and more. Mum lets me off more than Dad. If I find something interesting to sniff then I tend to get left behind and have to run after her, but she never goes too far away. We’ve also been for much longer walks across the heath. I’ve been quite worn out when I get home. There was one place though where there were two big GSD’s in a garden along the Roman Road, and they barked and barked at me. They weren’t very friendly at all and I got scared.

The best walks recently though have been when I’ve met Bailey. She’s a couple of months younger than me and is a border collie / spaniel cross. Last Saturday we’d just got to the heath when we met her, and we were allowed to play together for over an hour! We had great fun dashing around, going in lots of boggy places and digging in the mud. We were so dirty we had to go to the stream in the end to wash all the mud off. I met her again in the week but her Mum was in a hurry so we only had a short play that day.

I’ve been over to Eric’s as well, and we went out walking on a different heath. So this is me up on Burton Heath.

Then on Wednesday this week Eric came over to lunch. I was really pleased to see him. In the afternoon he came with me and Mum for a walk at Upton Country Park. And I heard Mum invite him and Pat over next Friday cos it’s my birthday! I don’t know if we’re having a party but I hope there’ll be cake. I like cake.

Tyson comes to play

2008-08-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my new friend Tyson, who I met on my walk last week? Well Mum found him chasing a cat in our front garden today, so asked his Mum if he could come in and play. And his Mum agreed. We had a great time! Even if he did eat most of my food! And keep biting me on the ear and cheek and trying to pull me along! Mind you, I gave as good as I got.

So this is me and Tyson.

Isn’t he a beautiful dog?

And here’s a bit of video of us playing…

I heard Dad tell his Mum that he was welcome to come and play any time, so I hope he comes back some time soon.

More Music

2008-08-26T02:14:00.000-07:00

Another damp miserable morning. Mum took me to the Country Park for my walk. There were lots and lots of people there, and quite a few dogs. Mum had me practicing sitting and waiting while other dogs walked past. Now where’s the fun in that???

In the afternoon we went back down to the Park for the Music festival. I was pleased to see that there weren’t quite so many people as yesterday…

In fact, there was sometimes even room for a little dog to stretch out and get a bit of piece and quiet.

Mum had also remembered to take some chews and things down to keep me occupied. Although I didn’t need them that much – there were so many people who wanted to say hello to me. I was a lot more comfortable with all the attention than I was yesterday, although Dad obviously felt I needed a drink to help me relax a bit. As you can see, I declined – I’m still far too young! I don’t want to turn into one of these teenage binge drinkers.

That’s about it really, other than a nice photo of me and my Dad…

Oh no! I forgot. When we got home Dad took me out for a short walk. But I discovered a little bit later that he forgot to shut the back gate when we got home, so I was able to get out of the garden and go looking for next door’s cats. I didn’t have much success – they ran away from me. And then Mum heard me barking and called me back in – and I was a very good little dog and did as I was told.

Bye!

More fun and a 'bad ear' day

2008-08-25T04:38:00.000-07:00

Well I don’t think much of this weather – where has that thing called ‘the sun’ gone? It only seems to pop out every now and then, and instead we’ve had clouds and rain. Which has meant that I’ve spent a lot of time lying in bed, although I have given in at times and actually gone out in the rain. I’ve discovered that it’s a really good time to find slugs and snails and frogs. But the weather hasn’t stopped me from having fun this week.

Mum has been taking me over different parts of the Heath, so I’ve been able to have a good look around and run about. And sometimes I meet other dogs there that I can have a good play with. The best day for that was last Friday, when we’d almost finished our walk and met another staffie out with his Mum. He’s 15 months old and called Tyson and our Mum’s let us play for ages and ages. We had such a good game – I didn’t even notice when I scratched myself on the barbed wire fence – and he is such a nice dog. We got on really, really well together. He lives near us, so I’m hoping that I’ll meet him again.

Then on Saturday, after another good walk, we had visitors come to see us. I really liked them, especially the two boys, Marcus and George, who were with them. I spent a lot of time showing them how well I could sit and lie down and things. Mum wasn’t too happy when I jumped up to George and knocked him over though. But Saturday was a day when we had lots of sun, so we spent a lot of time in the garden…

Sometimes it just got a bit too much though, and I had to just have a bit of a lie down…

I was really sorry when they had to leave, but hopefully we’ll see them again sometime soon.

Yesterday morning I had what my Mum called, a bit of a ‘bad ear day’. I personally couldn’t see what was wrong, but Dad couldn’t stop laughing at me, which I thought was a bit cruel. After all, a dog can’t control what its ears do all the time – and I bet Dad can’t control his ears as well as I can. Just because they got a bit stuck in a flapped back position after I’d been lying on my back in the sun. I didn’t think it was particularly fair of Mum taking photos either…

Yesterday afternoon was a new ‘first’ for me: I went to my first music festival. Well, actually it was something called Poole Park Fest, where they have all sorts of stalls of people selling things and a big music stage with lots of live music. We went down towards the end of the afternoon but there were still loads and loads of people there, as you can see.

First of all we walked round the stalls, which was a bit boring until I found a white staffie to say hello to (Dad wouldn’t let me say hello to any of the other dogs we saw). But then I met a really nice staffie who I think was called Silas. Our game was a bit restricted as he was tied to a fence, but we did the best we could. I heard his Mum tell my Mum that he hardly ever gets to play with other dogs, which I think is a real shame. I felt really sorry for him. Still, I did my best to make up for it.

After that we went and sat in a big crowd of people while Mum & Dad had a drink and listened to the music.

Personally I found it all a bit boring, but I did get to meet lots and lots of people, who kept walking by me and saying hello and stroking me. This is me with two little girls I met.

After a while we moved forward, and I got to meet a whole new bunch of people, some of whom were really nice. After that it all got a bit embarrassing as Mum decided to dance to the music. When the music finished we came home again. Apparently we might go back down there today if its not too wet. If we do, I hope they take something to entertain me, like my chew. After all, there’s only so much sitting around doing nothing a little dog can take.

Last of all I’m going to leave you with a new photo of me that Mum took the other day.

Oh No!

2008-08-18T12:28:00.001-07:00

I got swallowed by the duvet again!

Visitors

2008-08-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

I’ve had a good week. If you remember at the end of my last blog I was about to go for a walk with Dad. Well, we went to the Delph (as usual), but also went up on the Trailway. As Dad had let me off the lead I was exploring, and guess what I found – something called a golf course. It was great – lots and lots of nice grass to run around on, and people hitting little balls all over the place! Dad didn’t seem very happy when he came to get me back though, and he hasn’t let me go there again. Then on Monday we had visitors arrive. I wondered why Dad took me out in the morning while Mum did lots of cleaning. But Mum’s cousin Linda and her daughter Lucy came to stay. You may remember they came once before back in May. Monday afternoon we went down to Sandbanks beach and I had a really good time. This is me with Linda, Lucy and Dad on the beach…

I went into the sea…

And did a bit of digging…

And here’s one I dug earlier…

No – not really – that was a bit hole that we found on the part of the beach dogs aren’t allowed on. Here are some more photos of me in the hole…

On Tuesday afternoon we all went up the Delph. Here’s a photo of me with the new toy Linda gave me…

And this is me and Mum…

I also found a really nice little spaniel to run around with up there. Linda took some video of me with it.

And then we met a really nice young dog called Chester, so we had a good play…

Back home, Linda took some nice photos of me…

It was a shame when Linda and Lucy went home on Wednesday.

Since they’ve gone home I’ve got back into my usual routine. But I don’t think Mum’s been very pleased with me, as I got a bit carried away on a walk when we met other dogs, and wouldn’t do what she said. She’s been making me walk on the lead up until today, when she let me off again when we went to Upton and walked along the shoreline. It was really windy, as you can see from this short video clip of me…

Fun dog show and a 'snake'

2008-08-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

What’s happened to the sun? And where has all this rain come from? I had to stay in bed all Tuesday morning it was so wet!

Anyway, back to my girlie week-end. I’m still not too sure what one is, but Mum and I had one last week-end. I think it means that Dad wasn’t around so me and Mum did things together. Saturday is worth a mention: in the morning we went over the Heath and when we got to my favourite bit of stream we met another staffie. He wasn’t very interested in me, but kept trying to dig underwater. I didn’t get the point personally, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. And then every now and then he would stick his head right under the water to pick something up. In the afternoon we went to the Country Park and I met another nice staffie in the car park. But we couldn’t really play as there were cars around. On the front lawn though I met a golden retriever that was the same age as me. We were let of the lead and had a good play with each other. I was very hot and worn out afterwards though, and had to lie in the shade for the next 10 minutes to recover.

On Sunday Mum took me to a fun dog show, which wasn’t really much fun. For a start the weather was a bit miserable. And there weren’t many people there as you can see.

And there was one very nasty lady who moaned at me and Mum cos we were watching the dogs practice their agility. Mum was telling me I was going to be doing this soon, so I could watch and see how it was done. Mind you, having seem how high the dogs had to jump I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do that. I can jump high, but not that high! Anyway, I don’t know where we were supposed to stand. Mum was standing and I was lying down at the edge of the arena.

Then there was the fact that not all of the dogs were friendly – some of them didn’t seem to like me and growled at me and tried to bite me – and all I wanted to do was say ‘Hello’. But I did meet some very friendly Weimerarmers. Mum took a photo of them for me.

On Monday I was very brave. I thought I’d found a snake in the garden, and so I barked and jumped about a lot, and tried to show Mum where it was. I got a bit nervous when she put her hand down and moved the plants to see what I’d found. I kept trying to push my nose in, but not too far in case I got bitten. Anyway, it turns out I hadn’t found a snake, but a HUGE caterpillar. Mum says it was the caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk Moth. But I can be forgiven for thinking it was a snake. Firstly it’s supposed to look like a snake. And secondly, Dad thought it was a snake when he saw it. So, this is what I found.

Today Mum took me down the beach this morning. I enjoyed being on the beach, but didn’t really feel like going in the sea. On the way home we went into Pets at Home and Mum bought me a really nice rawhide donut.

Mum’s just taken me out into the front garden to meet one of next door’s cats. But he was making a low rumbling noise in his throat and I got a bit scared. I don’t think he was being very friendly, so I didn’t get too close. Mum says I’m a big wuss. Now I’m waiting for Dad to take me out for a walk.

No one told me I had to wag me tail !!!

2008-08-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a week I’ve had! Saturday was a pretty normal day for me, but on Sunday after Mum and I had been for a walk we got in the car and went over to Eric & Pat’s. Mum and Dad were having lunch there. I really like going to see Eric & Pat – Eric is one of my all time favourite people, perhaps because I’ve known him since he came to see me when I was still in the RSPCA home. I’m certain he really, really likes me too. He always spoils me and gives me lots of pats and things. After all the humans had eaten we went out for a walk. There is a nice area with a pond near their flat and I was allowed off the lead once we got there. So I got to poke about in the reeds and generally explore, which is something I like doing a lot. Mum had taken a ball for us to play with, but I decided that it was far too hot to run around chasing a ball so I sat in the shade and chewed it instead. There wasn’t much of it left once I’d finished. Once again I don’t have any photos for you, cos Mum forgot to take the camera. I’m going to have to find a way to remind her.

Then on Tuesday Mum took me to Hamworthy and I got to play on the beach. It was really good. I met 2 really nice retrievers and I played fetch in the sea with them for ages. Then a little collie puppy came along, but she was really scared of us and kept making high pitched yelping noises even though we were only being friendly. I went off to see her on my own after a while though, and she was happy playing with just me. She was only 6 months old, so we had a good game. Mum took me back to the car via the lake there, so I got to wash all the salt water and sand off in the nice clean water.

Wednesday was the best day though. I knew something was going on when we got all got in the best car as we only use that when we’re going somewhere special. Anyway, we went to something called the New Forest Show. It was so exciting. There were so many people – I’ve never seen so many in my life before. And lots of them had taken their dogs as well, so there were so many new people and dogs for me to meet. There seemed to be lots of sort of shop places, and sometimes we’d go into a big tent (but they were a bit hot for me). Even some of the shop places had dogs for me to play with…

Mum and Dad said they were taking me to see the cows, and I was really pleased as I like cows. But they were in a big tent, where there were lots and lots of people. And some of the cows were just HUGE – and I got scared, even though Dad was with me. And then a cow started making a horrible loud bellowing noise, and I didn’t like that at all. So Dad took me outside where I felt a lot safer. No way was I going back in there!

Mum and Dad then went to the beer tent, which was ok cos it was nice and big and cool inside. Dad offered me some of his beer but I’m far too young to drink alcohol!

After the beer tent we went to see some ducks (which I couldn’t reach), and then we went to see some sheep and goats. I’ve never seen sheep close up before, so I was really pleased to be able to go over and say hello. This is me with the sheep…

And this was just the tiniest little goat…

Mum says it was a Pygmy Goat, which I think means that it is a very small goat, but I could have told them that without them having to give it a fancy name!

We also went into a really nice wooded area which was nice and cool for me. I found a horse there to say hello to…

And some dogs…

After that we went back into the showground and stopped in front of a sort of stage area. That was good as there were quite a few dogs there so I got to play with some of them…

The owners were taking all their dogs up onto the stage, and eventually Mum took me up…

I wasn’t too sure what was going on, so as you can see I was a bit nervous and kept my tail firmly between my legs. Turns out it was a waggy tail contest! Well, someone might have told me!! How embarrassing is that! I can wag my tail for England, and the one time I get the chance to impress someone, I keep it between my legs. Mind you, it could have been worse. That boxer was only 6 months old, and when his owner took him up onto the stage he was so scared he threw up!!!
We kept walking on round and it was very hot. I kept trying to find bits of shade and when I did Mum would let me lie down and cool off a bit. Sometimes you had to be pretty inventive to find somewhere to cool down though…

At the end of the afternoon we ended up at a small arena where Mum and Dad watched a display by police sniffer dogs. I was so tired by then that I just flopped down on the grass (making sure that there were some nice people close enough to sit and stoke me) and dozed. I woke up when there was a display of birds of prey though, as I really like chasing birds. These were bigger than any birds I’ve even seen before though. One of them was an eagle and it was enormous with a great big beak and huge claws. I’m not sure that I’d want to tangle with him!

After that we came home – well we’d been there nearly all day. I was worn out! Dad had taken some nice photos of me while we were there though...

That’s about it really. Oh, apart from the fact that yesterday I found some of my favourite fishy smelling poo to roll in, and managed to smear it nicely round my neck – until we got home and Mum washed it off! I had to endure the hose again, only this time she used shampoo too!!! Personally I thought I smelt better with the poo.

It’s now Friday afternoon and I’m at home with Mum. Dad’s not here – Mum says he’s gone away for the week-end, so me and her are having a girlie week-end (whatever one of those is).

Oh NO!!!

2008-07-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

This week, and especially today had been going so well. I’ve had some really good walks this week. I’ve been to all the usual places, but Mum has been letting me off the lead more. I really like it, as I can sniff around wherever I want. But I find it’s quite stressful – I have to keep an eye out for where Mum is all the time in case I lose her. And sometime she walks in the opposite direction – just as I’m trying to run off to see something. Then at other times I want to stop and go back, and she just walks on and then I have to run to catch up.

This week Mum has taken me over the Heath, and to the Country Park. I met a new little dog at the Country Park – a Jack Russell which is just one month younger than me. And Mum let me off the lead to play in the stream with her. But after a while she started to snap at me. I didn’t like that much, so I left her alone after that. I don’t understand why some other dogs want to snap and snarl at me – and it’s always the ones that are much smaller than me. A lot of the time now I just avoid them. Mum and I also had a really good game of fetch in the woods up at the Country Park yesterday.

Today, though, Mum took me along the Trailway to somewhere called Broadstone – and she let me off the lead all the way along it, both there and back! It was really good. And then this afternoon Dad took me up to the woods and we went on another bit of the Trailway with some of my friends, and he let me off the lead too!! I was having such a good time. But then I ran down a bank too quickly and couldn’t stop and ended up in lots of mud. It was thick and black and was all over my legs, stomach and throat.

When I got home I wasn’t allowed in the house. Instead Dad put a lead on me and put me in my big drinking bowl in the garden (Mum & Dad call it a paddling pool) and Mum GOT THE HOSEPIPE AND HOSED ME DOWN!!!!!!!!!!! What was that all about??? I mean, what’s wrong with a bit of smelly, black mud? I hope that’s it and she doesn’t try to bath me as well. I only had a bath last week – I don’t need another one for 3 months. At least she had the courtesay to have a game of ‘ring’ with me afterwards. But now I’m worn out and need to have a bit of a sleep.

Whoo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-21T05:41:00.000-07:00

I have been so to such a great place and had a really good time.

I had an inkling something was up when I was taken back to Hairy Hounds (my groomers) on Friday afternoon. That was ok, but I’m really not keen on all this bathing business – after all, what’s wrong with a bit of dirt and a nice doggy smell? But no, I had to have a bath with what these humans think is nice smelling shampoo, and then I was sprayed with some other fancy smelling stuff, and I had my nails trimmed!! And then they brushed me too. But I like the two ladies there, and there were other dogs that I was able to run round and say hello to. I was pleased to go back to my Mum when it was all over though.

Saturday morning I really knew something odd was going on. Mum kept getting out bags and putting things in them, and then she took my bed apart! Dad took me round to the cashpoint and by the time we came back it had gone! I started to get a bit worried about where I was going to sleep. Although I have a couple of other beds around the house, they’re not the bed I sleep in at night where I feel nice and safe. But Mum was taking lots of stuff outside and putting it in the car, and organising food and things.

Eventually we all got in the car. I was in the back seat with Mum, along with my duvet. It was a bit cramped for my liking – I like to be able to stretch out. But the duvet meant that I was sitting up nice and high, and could see well out of the window, and stick my nose out from time to time. I didn’t think much of the journey though. It went on for ever. We didn’t stop for nearly 2 hours. When we did Dad pulled into somewhere called Savernake Forest for a picnic lunch. Apparently Savernake is over 1,000 years old – which is really, really old. There were lots of other people and dogs there, either walking around or cooking barbecues or playing ball games. We didn’t stay all that long though, and I didn’t get to have a walk.

The next bit of the journey was a bit shorter, and eventually we pulled up at some place called a Travelodge. Mum went inside and then came back out, and she and Dad took lots of the stuff out of the car and put it in a room there. I was allowed to go inside. I’ve never been in anywhere like that before. It was all really, really exciting, as there were lots of different smells and places to explore. We didn’t stay very long though and soon left and got back in the car – AGAIN! I’d had enough of the car by this time.

This was only a very short journey though, and we soon drove down a lane into a really big garden where we all got out and went in the house. It was a much bigger house than I’d ever seen before – there were lots of rooms and seemed to be quite a lot of people around. And best of all, there was another dog, called Max, there. Max is an 8 year old Labrador who’s a bit on the tubby side. I’m told he’s on a permanent diet, but steals food – like ¾ loaf of bread! But anyway, as soon as I met Max they let me off my lead and I was allowed to play with him as much as I liked. So I played with him lots and lots. Max seemed to think he had to keep trying to prove he was top dog, but who cares. He can be top dog if he wants – I just wanted to play.

I am a bit annoyed with Mum, she didn’t take any photos of me and Max for you. But she did take some of the house and the gardens. Like I said, it’s a big house with lots of garden and no fences to keep me in. Not that I wanted to run off – there was far too much to interest me and anyway I stayed pretty close to Max most of the time. So here’s the house and the gardens…

I even found a duck in the garden, but Dad wouldn’t let me investigate it, and took me away again. And I saw some cats too, but they kept running away.

As time went on more and more people arrived. Late in the afternoon Mum and Dad took me off to the front lawn and played ball with me, and fed me. Mum said something about giving Max a bit of a break. I can’t think why he’d want a break from playing though, so I don’t really understand why she was so mean to him. There was a trampoline out there and Dad put me on it. I know a lot of dogs like them, but personally I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about.

After a while someone came with another Labrador. This one was only 15 months old and seemed to want to play. But after a few minutes they put him back on the lead. We all went inside the house again and I went back to playing with Max most of the time. A lot of the humans were swimming in the indoor pool, but as I can’t swim yet I stayed away. This is the pool.

I did find a basket with some inflatable arm bands in it and was glad that no one tried to put them on me. I was a bit disappointed when the other young Labrador was put back in the car, as I didn’t see him again. I didn’t understand why he had to stay in the car all the time – he could have run round with me and Max. I was glad Mum didn’t put me in the car.

In the end there were lots of people and children at the house, and a band, and lots of food. I liked the lots of food bit – people kept giving me bits of sausage and chicken. And they kept wanting to stroke me (which I’m not really too keen on). I tried to play ball with some of the children, but Mum came along and told me to give them their ball back.

When it started to get dark I got a bit more nervous, as I was somewhere I didn’t know and there were lots of boundaries to patrol (I make sure I patrol the boundaries at night to keep out anyone or anything that shouldn’t be there). And I was getting very tired. I’d heard a lot of people telling Mum that they wanted to take me home with them as well, and was a bit worried she’d let them. In the end though, Mum and Dad realised I was tired so we all got in the car and went back to the hotel. Dad took me for a last walk before bed, then we went back to our room and I was able to get into my bed and go to sleep at long last. Here’s a photo of my bed in the hotel room, so that you can see where I slept.

The next morning Dad got me up and took me out for my morning wee and poo. Then I curled up on the bed and had a bit of a doze while Mum and Dad packed everything up.

We left the hotel and went back to Becky’s house (where the party had been) for a little while, so I got to play with Max again. Then we got in the car for the journey home. We stopped at Savernake Forest again on the way home. There were even more people there than on Saturday. We had our picnic, and then went for a walk in the woods.

After that we came home.

I was quite glad to be home, even though I’d enjoyed myself, as I was so tired. I slept most of the rest of the day, although I did wake up when Mum gave me some of her spare ribs from her Chinese takeaway.

Today things seem to be back to normal. I’ve been out over the Heath with Mum this morning, and met some really nice Labradors that I was allowed to play with. And Mum let me off the lead again for some of the time on our walk, which I really like. Time for another doze now, I think.

Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!

2008-07-13T05:30:00.001-07:00

I’ve done something to my back leg. There I am, walking or running about and all of a sudden it hurts and I find myself hopping about on 3 legs. It’s been doing it for 3 days now and doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Sometimes it hurts a lot. But if they see me hopping about Mum or Dad come over and give it a bit of a massage and that seems to help.

Mum took me to the vet yesterday and she pulled my legs all over the place, including in directions I didn’t think they were supposed to go in. She told Mum she thought I’d most probably strained a muscle and that there was nothing wrong with the joints.

And then she told Mum I had to rest for a week!!!

Fortunately Mum’s idea of me resting is not quite the same as the vet’s, but I don’t think I’m allowed to run around with other dogs. This morning Mum and I just walked around the local ponds, where I was able to have a paddle and a good old sniff around. This is the Ponds from the air.

Mind you, I was lucky she took me for a walk at all. I got told off by Dad this morning. I’d been asleep on his bed, and got bored, so I started playing with the sheet, and somehow it tore. Apparently it’s a new sheet, so I’m not very popular.

What else? Well, I seem to have a new toy in the garden – at least I think that’s what it is. Dad put it up the other day.

I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with it though, although I’ve noticed that it seems be collecting rainwater nicely.

Talking of playing, Dad took some photos of me playing when we went to the Delph the other day.

And today Mum took a couple of photos of me in the garden.

Hope you like them 

My Story Continues - June to date

2008-07-08T04:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry – haven’t got round to bringing this up to date. When I’ve done this I’ll be able to write about everything that’s happening to me on a more regular basis.

I liked June. It was nice and sunny, so it meant that I could spend lots and lots of time out in the garden, just generally lounging around and chasing the ants and spiders. And the days are much longer too. What’s all that about? I go to bed at night and it’s not completely dark. But the downside is that sometimes I get very hot and thirsty when I’m out, especially if I am playing with other dogs.

Talking of other dogs I have a new friend whom I meet quite a lot when I go to Delph woods with Dad. His name is Lenny, and he’s a lurcher. He’s quite a bit bigger than me but he’s great fun to play with, and we chase each other round and round for ages. Of course, I meet other dogs too, but I meet him most often. I must try to get Dad to take a photo of me and Lenny together.

And Mum’s started taking me to new places to walk sometimes. First of all we went to somewhere called Wareham Forest. It was ok, but a bit boring, although I found lots of boggy bits to play in. But I met a nasty little black dog that bit me on the nose and made it bleed. And I hadn’t done anything – I only went over to say ‘Hello’. How rude is that????

Then we went somewhere called Arne, which I really like. We’ve been there a couple of times. It’s really good cos there are woods and a beach. Not only that but there are deer in the woods. I hadn’t seen deer before. This is a photo Mum took of them on our first walk there.

The only problem is they won’t let me get near to them to say Hello, which is really frustrating. After all, it’s not like I want to hurt them or anything.

Then the other place we go sometimes now is called Ham Common. Mum says this is somewhere were lots of really old people called The Romans used to live. All I know is that there is a really nice lake there and a beach. So I get to go in the water twice.

This is the lake…

And this is me in the lake…

I’ve got photos of me on the beach as well. Mum says the beach is quite ‘scuzzy’, whatever that means, but I like it. There are hardly any waves (which I don’t really like), and it is nice and shallow so it's great for chasing sticks.

So here’s me and Mum on the beach…

And just me on the beach…

Sometime in June we went to another fun dog show. It was soooooo exciting with all the other dogs there. Mum and Dad said I got over excited. But I met lots of other Staffies, which was nice, as well as lots of other dogs. Here’s me and my Dad sitting quietly and having a bit of a rest.

Those ropes are cos they had something called Ferret Racing. I tried to get a good look at the ferrets, but wasn’t at all sure about them. They seemed a bit scary to me.

Anyway, Mum entered me for a couple of competitions, but I still didn’t win anything. I’ve got some photos of her and me though.

Let’s see, what else has happened. Oh yes, Mum’s dad came for lunch one day, and he and Pat have been over since. I always like seeing him. And I don’t travel on the front seat of the car anymore. I used to sit next to either Mum or Dad, but now Mum has got a dog guard and puts me in the boot. I didn’t like it at first, but it’s a lot more comfortable, and I can have lots of sticks and chews in there. Mum wasn’t very pleased when I decided to pull the covering off her back seats though. Oh and then there are the ticks. I’ve had two of them on me now. Mum took me to the nurse at the vets to get the first one removed, but she took the second one off me yesterday. Nasty little things.

That pretty much brings me up to date. Mum went away this week-end. I didn’t like that much. I didn’t know where she’d gone, and then she didn’t come back for two days. I was getting quite worried and missed her quite a bit. But she came home on Sunday and took me out for a nice walk. I got to play with some other dogs in the big pond on the way back. She let me off the lead to play which I like. Mum and Dad are letting me off the lead more and more, especially to play with other dogs and to play fetch. But Mum let me off the lead for most of our walk over the heath today. I hope they’re going to do that more often.

Oh, and one last thing. Mum tells me we’re going away in a couple of weeks. Apparently we’re going to a party, and we’re going to stay in a hotel, whatever one of those is. I’ll be able to tell you all about it when I’ve found out.

My Story Continues - May

2008-06-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

So I think I’ve got up until May – I was 8 months old in May. Mum and Dad keep telling me I’m a big dog now. Although I have to admit I don’t feel like it – I’m still really a puppy at heart. After all, who wants to grow up too soon?

In April I started on my second training course: Intermediate level. There were only 4 of us on the course but I really enjoyed going nonetheless. It was great to meet up with other dogs, including Lizzie from my Beginners class. We always get really excited whenever we see each other. But I was always so excited I forgot what I was supposed to be doing – after all, aren’t these training classes so that we can meet up and play with other dogs? After a while Mum got upset cos I wouldn’t do what I was told, so after that Dad used to come along as well. It was nice having both of them there as it was somewhere we could all go together each week. I did get better towards the end of the course though, but I think Mum’s going to make me go again when I’m a bit older. But I got a very nice certificate and rosette at the end of it.

Oh no! I’ve just remembered, there was something back in April that I missed. I had a bath!!!!!!! Mum took me to the groomer, and they washed me. I wasn’t very impressed with that at all, although the two ladies at the groomers were very nice. But who needs a bath? Mum said I was a different colour afterwards, and kept telling me that I smelt nice. But I still don’t like anyone brushing me. I’m not having any of that. They keep trying to sneak up on me with my Zoom Groom, but its pink so its easy for me to spot it and I dash away. And if I don’t spot it in time to run away, I struggle so much they have to give up. Anyway, I have got a very short coat, so it doesn’t really need grooming, does it?

One nice day early in May we all had a day out. I wrote about it in Mum’s blog at the time…

“Yesterday was my BIG DAY OUT. I knew it was my BIG DAY OUT cos Mum kept telling me it was. I thought something was odd when Mum came downstairs all washed and dressed in the morning, before I’d even bothered to get up. Then she fed me straight away. And bags appeared, and there was lots of ‘goings on’. And then we got in the big car and off we went.

I thought I knew where we were going when we got there, cos I’d been before. We’d arrived at Mum’s Dad’s flat. So they took me in and I got all excited cos I like them. And then after a little while we all went out again, and got in a different car. I was squashed up in the back with my Dad and Pat, which I didn’t think too much of. I’d have liked a bit more room, and it was very hot. So off we went again, and next thing I knew we got out somewhere where there were lots of cars and a big boat. Then we got on the boat!!! Mum says it was the Isle of Wight ferry from Lymington. There were lots of people on there anyway, so I got quite a fuss made of me. I think I might have given one bloke a bit of a shock though: he was gazing out to sea, and I licked his bare leg – just to see what it tasted like – which wasn’t of anything much.

So we went across the water, then got back in the car and drove off again, and there I was cramped up in the back again with Dad and Pat. We had to stop at one point cos I’d got myself stuck in the footwell between the seat and Pat’s legs! Then we finally arrived at some hotel in a place called Sandown, which didn’t allow dogs in, and met two other people. It turns out these were my Dad’s Mum and Dad. Mum says they were on holiday.

Anyway, we all said hello, and then went for a walk into town, where all the humans got some lunch. Mum says I was very good, as I didn’t bother people while they ate, and sat quietly most of the time. It was worth it though as I kept getting bits of tuna sandwich, prawns, ham, cheese and baked potato.

After that we went down by the beach, but I didn’t think much of it. Dogs can’t go on any of the beach there at all, and it was so hot, and I so wanted to go for a paddle. We all had an ice cream though, although I didn’t eat all of mine. And then we went back to the hotel again where I stayed near the car with my Mum most of the time while the others went inside and had some tea. There was one odd moment, where I was asleep on the steps minding my own business and some weird bloke came and started moaning about me, and called me a ‘vicious beast’ (whatever one of those is). No-one seemed very happy about it, but Mum kept laughing and asking me if I was her Vicious Beast.

Then we got in the car and came home again. I sat with Dad and Eric on the way home, but was really tired. Then it was back on the boat, only there weren’t so many people on there as going, and eventually we all got home. I was worn out.

Today I’ve been recovering and have spent most of the day in the garden, where it’s really hot and sunny. Every now and then I have to go inside and cool down though. Mum took me over the Heath this afternoon, but I wasn’t allowed to go and see the horses, or to really play with the other dogs.

Anyway, this evening is training, although Dad’s told me I can’t go as I pulled the sheets off the line and dragged them round the garden earlier. I’m not sure whether he’s serious or not. I hope not!”

So, this is us on the ferry…

And me and Mum by the beach (not on it!).

Then no sooner had we been on my Big Day Out than we had visitors come to stay. I thought that was great. I had lots of people to play with me. And the weather was really nice, so we went down the beach, where I practiced my digging in the sand.

Then the week-end after that there was even more excitement, as Mum and Dad took me back to a Fun Dog Show at the RSPCA centre. It was great. There were loads of other dogs there, and I got to meet some of the nice people who looked after me while I was there. Mum entered me for a couple of events, so here are some photos of me in the show ring.

I didn’t win anything though. But this is me and the dog who did win – as you can see we got on very well.

Dad also took me round a small agility course they had there. I didn’t quite see the point of having to jump over all of those fences. And I didn’t like that scary tunnel thing – no way was I going through that. But I did get to enter the last race (a sausage and spoon race) with Dad. But it was all a bit humiliating as we got beaten by all the kids.

I had another day out in May as well. Mum took me to meet Eric and Pat and we all went off to see some gardens at a place called Exbury in the New Forset. To be honest I found it a bit boring just wandering round the gardens. But we had a picnic and there were lots of new smells, and I met some very nice friendly people who made a big fuss of me. Here’s a photo of me in the gardens with Eric and Pat.

Coming home we stopped by a lake in the New Forest and I went to see one of the ponies. I wasn’t very impressed when it tried to kick me though. After all, all I’d wanted to do was to say ‘Hello’.

Before I finish with May I’ll share a few more photos with you. This is me in one of my beds (the one in my Mum’s sitting room).

And this is me in the garden, showing off my nice long tongue.

The others are of me in the pond at the Country Park. I was chasing sticks, but the water was deeper than I thought, and my head went under. I wasn’t very impressed - I could have drownded!

My story continues

2008-06-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

I thought my Mum would never get round to using her PC for more than 5 minutes at a time again. I’ve had to wait all this time to continue. So today I’ll try and bring you pretty much up to date.

So – last day of February, and I got taken to the vets FOR AN OPERATION!!! I didn’t know that was why I was going of course. And they were very nice to me while I was there, and there were lots of other animals around, but I was all very groggy and a bit sore when I woke up. Apparently now I can never have puppies. Mum came and got me and took me home in the afternoon, and although she’d bought me a new duvet so that I could recover in the living room, I decided to stay in my bed and slept most of the day. I didn’t even have anything to eat until late at night, but Mum had made me chicken and rice, and I couldn’t resist it.

The next day Mum came home from Tesco with a new t-shirt for me, which was supposed to stop me licking my stitches. Mum had put me in an old one of hers the previous night, but it was too big for me. This was a nice pink one which said ‘Too Fabulous for Words’. I liked the sentiment, but didn’t think much of having to wear the t-shirt and kept trying to take it off. This is me wearing it.

Although my scar seemed to heal quickly at first (I had internal stitches and the outside was ‘glued’ in some way) I wasn’t very keen on the fact that I was only allowed 10 minute walks. And I kept having to go back to the vets as it started to swell. And I had an upset stomach. I wrote another entry in my Mum’s blog about it.

“I’ve been a poorly little dog – what my Mum calls ‘icky’. I didn’t feel very well when I woke up, but ate my two mueseli bars when Mum gave them to me. And then they came straight back up again. I thought that was it, but my tummy really wasn’t right, and after a little sleep I couldn’t seem to stop being sick. So Mum whisked me off to the vet. I saw my favourite vet Rachel. Well, she was my favourite vet until she stuck something she called a thermometer up my bottom while Mum held me. It wasn’t very nice, and I really don’t think I know her well enough yet for her to take those sort of liberties. So she said there didn’t seem to be a lot wrong, but that I had a slight temperature, and for Mum to keep an eye on me. Oh yes, and NOT TO FEED ME!!! And there I was thinking Rachel was a nice lady. She did say I was a beautiful little dog, though.

So we came home but I really didn’t feel too good, so I spent the rest of the morning sleeping. After that I started to feel a bit better. I wasn’t very happy when Mum started cleaning and got that horrible machine of hers out. But I did at least manage to kill and dismember her fluffy duster for her.

After lunch a man came to test the alarm system. Mum originally shut me in the living room, but I heard him say that he had 2 staffies, so she let me out to see him. He was very friendly and so I helped him test the alarms. I tried to tear up the papers on his clipboard for him, but Dad stopped me.

After that, as I seemed a lot better, Mum took me for a walk round the ponds. It was quite a good walk, and I had a bit of a paddle, and a good old sniff round in the woods. But she wouldn’t let me play with the friendly black Labrador that came over to see me.

Well we’re home now and I’m starving. I’ve tried to tell her every way I know how. She’s sort of relented and has cooked me some rice and chicken. But she’s only given me a tiny bit of it. Well, I ate that in about 5 seconds flat. I even took my bowl into the living room in the hope that she’d get the hint, but she doesn’t seem to have done. We have just had a good game of ‘Duvet monster’ though.

Well, there you are. Time to go and have a sniff round in the garden and see if I can catch any spiders. I might do a bit of pruning for Mum while I’m out there (not that she seems to appreciate it). Or perhaps I’ll just play with my plant pots.”
After another week I had to go back to the vet for my final check up. I wasn’t happy though, as I explained in my next blog entry.

“Rats! It’s just not fair. Mum and Dad said I was better and could go for proper walks (off the lead, decent length of time, playing with other dogs) from today. So Mum took me to the vet and they said I couldn’t. I’ve got to be ‘rested’ for another week. What load of old rubbish is that? Can’t they see I’m fine? Just cos that lump thing is still there and is hard when it’s not supposed to be. I heard the nurse tell Mum they thought it might be an allergic reaction to my stitches. Why don’t they just ask me how I feel?

AND the weather isn’t very nice. Its really windy and keeps raining hard. And the back lawn is flooded. Its ok for Mum & Dad – they get to go to the toilet indoors. Me, I have to squat down out in the wind and rain! See, I told you it wasn’t fair. And then there was thunder and lightening again, and then we had more hailstones. Mum did manage to walk round the ponds with me when we got a bit of sunshine. And there’s another thing – I’ve not even got any sun to curl up and go to sleep in! I suppose the only good thing was that I did find a big branch in the garden to chew.

AND Mum bought another one of those horrible vacuum machine things into the house when she came home from Tesco. This one is smaller than her other one, and she said it was cos I make so much mess. I just got on with playing with the packaging.

Then last night there were lots of dogs. I thought they were in the house at first when I heard them barking. I wondered what was going on. Of course, I had a good bark back – well I had to let them know this is my house and they should ask permission before they start barging in uninvited. But then I realised they were on TV. Mum said it was a really big dog show and kept telling me to watch so I could see how I was supposed to do my obedience. And she showed me the agility which she says I’m going to do later in the year.

I’m waiting for Dad to take me out now, but he’s working. And I’m a bit worried that he might not take me as some sort of revenge for the fact that I bit him in somewhere called ‘the bollocks’ (whatever they might be) this morning. Well, how was I to know? I was just jumping up and playing. Mum thought it was really funny.

Oh well, better go and have another snooze. Not much else to do today.”

My long walks didn’t last very long though, as a week later I was back at the vet again as my tummy had got worse. Turns out I was allergic to the stitches and it had become infected. So I had my temperature taken YET AGAIN and this time I had to have an injection, which hurt quite a bit. Mum said I was a very brave little dog about it though. And then after that I had to take antibiotics for a few days which finally cleared it all up.

I was starting to grow into quite a big dog and lost a lot of my puppy looks. This was me in the garden towards the end of March when I was 6 months old.

Life now had settled into more of a pattern. I have walks in the morning with Mum, and in the afternoon with Dad. Mum takes me over the heath, to the country park, to the local recreation ground, or sometimes down the beach. Dad takes me to the woods, to the country park or to the recreation ground. I have some photos of me along the shoreline by the country park.

And one day I found an eggshell, although something had eaten the insides.

But sometimes we do something different.

In April Mum took be back to the RSPCA rescue centre that she got me from, and I saw lots of the people who’d looked after me there. They seemed really pleased to see me, and it was really exciting.

I also saw snow for the first time in April, albeit only briefly. I didn’t think much of it – it was cold and wet. As soon as some landed on my nose I decided that going out in it was not a good idea so watched it from the warmth of the living room.

I also met cows and horses for the first time. The horses are over the heath. They don’t seem very interested in my though, although I try very hard to be friendly. I like the cows though, and they like me. They give me lots of kisses. Here’s some photos of me with some young calves that Mum took in May.

May was a really interesting month as we did lots of new things. But I think I’d best tell you about them next time. Meanwhile I’ll leave you of some photos of me at around 7 months, which were taken in our back garden.

And a couple of videos:

My Story Continues - February

2008-06-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

So we’re up to February. Generally things went on pretty much as usual in February. I had my walks, and managed to meet lots of nice dogs and people. I particularly enjoy my beach walks, as there are normally lots of other dogs around for me to play with. I’m still not too keen on those waves though. As I’ve got older, however, I get braver and go in deeper and deeper. But not and deeper than I can easily stand in. Mum took some more video of me down the beach towards the end of the month.

As you can see, I was still allowed off the lead at times back then. Nowadays I’m hardly ever allowed off. And I hate being on the lead – I run and try and hide when it appears. Mum says that I have to stay on the lead as I won’t come back when I’m called, but if I come back they usually put my lead back on – which I hate. I don’t see why they can’t just leave it off all the time and let me go and say ‘Hello’ to whomever I want.

Mum says that during February I kept going from little angel to devil incarnate, often in the space of a few minutes. I call it having a good time. Just because I like to pull her clean washing off the line and drag it round the garden, or try and find things in the house (like the carpet, sofa and Dad’s chair) that I can chew. That’s what being a puppy’s all about, isn’t it. Personally I can’t see what’s wrong with it. But I can be really good as well, like when Pat and Eric came to dinner. I was very well behaved then.

My obedience classes also continued and I really enjoyed them. I used to look forward to them each week, and practically drag Mum there. But the classes finished at the end of the month which was a shame. I got a certificate though, and a rosette for Most Improved, as you can see. Mum was very proud of me.

Mum also took lots more photos of me. Here’s a few of them. Firstly some of me playing…

And then some of me posing…

And this is me asleep on the sofa…

There’s also another couple of bits of video of me…

The end of the month was NOT NICE. But I’ll tell you about that next time.

My story continues

2008-05-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

January and February continued pretty much the same. I went to classes once a week, and each day we’d go for walks. Generally Mum takes me in the morning and Dad takes me in the afternoon.

On 21st January I took over my Mum’s blog for the first time. This is what I had to say.

Hi, it’s Jez here today. I thought it was about time you heard things from my point of view.

It’s this walking lark. Why? Twice a day they wake me up and drag me round places on a lead. Ok, there are some good smells out there, and I get to meet other dogs (which is really good – especially if they’ll let me play with them), and other people (which is quite good – and I’m really fond of children). But it wears me out! Can’t they see that? Doesn’t the crashing out on the sofa for a couple of hours afterwards give them some sort of clue?

So yesterday I decided to rebel and let my Mum know that I was not in the mood for a walk. I tried hiding at the top of the stairs as soon as I saw her put her coat on and get my lead. And I think it would have worked, but she tricked me by calling me in a way that sounded as though she had some food for me! Next thing I knew she’d put my car harness and lead on me! Not to be outdone, I headed back for the top of the stairs again and this time flatly refused to budge. Mum took a photo of me so that you could see just how much I didn’t want to go out!

Then Dad appeared and between then they persuaded me down the stairs and into the car. Not to be outdone, though, I thought I’d show my displeasure by playing up for the first 20 minutes or so of my walk. I pulled like mad if I saw another dog, I would not walk where my Mum wanted me to, and I kept just sitting down and refusing to budge no matter how much she coaxed me. That will show her! In the end it was all too much like hard work though, and we were at the Country Park, which I normally like, so I eventually gave up and was really good for the rest of my walk. And it was worth it, as I met lots of nice dogs, and got nice and muddy into the bargain!

Today I wasn’t quite so obstinate, but I did put in a token protest when she went to put my harness on. But I got in the car ok, and boy, was I pleased I did. We went to the beach, which is my #1 favourite place (after Pets at Home). And when we got on the beach SHE LET ME OFF THE LEAD!!!!! How fab was that? I’ve never been let off the lead before. I could run around wherever I wanted, although I didn’t like getting too far away from Mum. After all, she did have Tangy Cheese Dorritos in her pocket! And she’d taken my Wubba, and kept throwing it for me. I had such good fun running and getting it. Mum took some photos of me to show you what a good girl I was.

Of course, I couldn’t let her have it all her own way. Sometimes I had to put in a token protest…

I did pose nicely for the camera though.

Mind you, by the end of it I was absolutely worn out. I slept in the car all the way home and wasn’t particularly impressed when I had to get out at the other end. Why not just leave me sleeping in the car? Once indoors I dragged myself up the stairs and just crashed out on the landing. But it was such good fun, and I enjoyed myself so much. I’m hoping that if I’m a good girl Mum will take me again.

And lastly before I go, Mum bought a book yesterday called ‘One hundred ways for a dog to train its human’. I thought she might have bought it for me, so ran off with it and gave it a quick chew – but she came and took it off me. But there are some good pointers in it (I’ve heard her reading them out loud to Dad). For example:

“When your human throws a stick ask yourself 3 important questions:
- Is it a stick you particularly want?
- Can you be naffed to go and get it?
- Does your human look stupid enough to go and get it if you don’t, only to throw it one more time in the hope they might encourage you to go and get it this time?
If you answer ‘No’ to the first two and ‘Yes’ to the third, just lie down on the ground and watch your human tire themselves out.”

This is the best advice in it though:

“Master or servant? Just remember who shovels whose poo up. There’s your answer.”

The next day we went down to the beach again – twice. Dad came with us in the afternoon, and so there are even more photos of me.

Someone might have told me how deep that pool was in the last one – I could have drowned!!!!

At the end of the month, Mum went away for a couple of days: something about going off to act on a Murder Weekend. I didn’t think much of it though as I missed her. Dad did his best to entertain me, but at the end of the day he’s Not-the-Mummy. I don’t like it when either of them go away though – I like having them both here with me. That way I know where they are, and know I’ve got nothing to worry about.

My story continues

2008-05-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Christmas was a good time. Christmas Eve we did something I’d never done before – we went to the beach. I had great fun running around, and there were lots of other people and dogs. But I wasn’t sure about the sea itself. Not only was it cold and wet, but the water moved and kept coming towards me in waves. Mum and Dad tried to tempt me in, but I was having none of it. They must think I’m daft! Anyway, Mum took some video of it, which you can see here - but only if it will work, which it doesn't seem to want to at the moment :(

I enjoyed Christmas day – I got presents! And lots of wrapping paper to play with!!! And cookies, and turkey!!!! This is me on Christmas day, enjoying my new Mad Kitty toy.

The next day, Boxing Day, we went down the beach again, and there were more people than ever. It was great – as you can see.

So good I decided I didn’t want to go anywhere else to walk. I used to dig my heels in, and Mum used to try and drag me along. After a few days I gave up – after all, any walk is better than no walk. I’ve got a few more photos of me from early January. As you can see, I was allowed on the stairs by then.

With the Twiglets carton…

Mum gave me a carrot, but I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with it, so I chewed it up…

This is me asleep on the sofa…

Mum finds it funny that I sometimes sleep like that, although I can’t see why. She calls me her little tartlet.

The new year was all change. First of all Dad went away for a couple of days. I couldn’t work out where he’d gone, so was really pleased when he came back. Then a strange man came to the house and started replacing all the doors. Mum tried to keep me out of his way, but I did my best to help where I could. And he kindly left his shoes in the hall for me, although Mum kept telling me to give them back. Then I got a new bed. It’s a large cage that Mum set up in the corner in the kitchen and put my bedding in. Then she put a blanket over it. I was a bit worried the first time she shut the door, but after a while I got used to it. It’s my own little den that I can go off to when I want. And I sleep in there at night.

Last of all Mum started taking me to obedience classes. I liked that. There were 7 other dogs there that I got to meet each week and could occasionally have a play with. I had a great time, even if it did mean that I had to learn things like sit, down, stand (I don’t like that one), wait, and stay. Mum also taught me to rollover. Or rather I found out that if I rolled over Mum would give me a treat. Good one, eh?

My story continues

2008-05-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

Ugh! It’s raining again today. I hate the rain. And what I want to know is why do I have to go outside to the toilet? Mum and Dad go in the house. Me, I have to go outside in the garden – in the rain!!! Dad took pity on me this morning though, as I was obviously bursting, and came and held an umbrella over me. Quite right too!

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, I’d just arrived at my new home.

This was really different to anything I’d been used to before. I had a nice snugly bed and was given lots of toys to play with. And I got lots of cuddles from my new Mum and Dad. There was also a nice big garden for me to explore, which, I soon discovered, had lots and lots of good things in it to chew. Not that my Mum appreciated me chewing them much, as they were all her shrubs and plants, but I had a great time. Indoors I was only allowed downstairs to start off with, and had to stay in the same room as either Mum or Dad. I was a bit lonely when they put me to bed the first night as I had to sleep downstairs in the kitchen on my own. I’d never slept on my own before, but Mum got up and came to see me if I cried – which I only did twice. Then in the morning she came downstairs and let me curl up on the sofa with her and have a little snooze, so I felt a lot better then.

The second day home Mum took me out for my first proper walk. I had a nice new red collar and lead and was very proud of them. We live next to some ponds, which apparently were once old clay pits, so there were lots of places to explore, and lots of new people to meet. It was all really exciting for a little dog. So exciting, in fact, that I slept all afternoon. But not before Mum had managed to take a few photos of me.

Next day Dad came for a walk with us too, and they took some more photos of me. This is me in my new collar and lead…

..with my Dad…

…and with my Mum…

Sometimes I was just a little bit too eager…

What I wasn’t keen on though was the car. I had been sick on the way home, and didn’t like going in it. It was really strange, and I didn’t like the way it moved, or the way everything rushed past. Of course, I’m used to it now but back then I found it really scary.

But it was all made up for by the fact that I just had to look at my Mum and she’d spoil me. She kept feeding me nice stuff (like porridge and scrambled eggs) and she kept buying me toys and treats. I get a lot of treats. If I’m doing something I’m not supposed to be and they tell me to stop they give me a treat if I do. Of course, I go straight back to doing whatever it was I wasn’t supposed to do, so then they tell me to stop and I get another treat. I soon sussed that one out. I can keep that little routine going for ages, and get lots of treats in the process.

One thing Mum bought me which I didn’t appreciate was a coat. I understand the sentiment – it was cold and wet so she bought me something to keep me warm and dry. But she didn’t honestly expect me to appear in public looking like this, did she???

Oh well. I’ll leave you today with some more photos of me from that first week home.

My story begins

2008-05-27T02:36:00.000-07:00

Hello. My name’s Jezebel, or Jez for short. I’m an 8 month old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or at least, I think that’s what I am. I’m not 100% certain, but the nice people at the RSPCA centre told my Mum that was the case. I don’t have ‘papers’ though, to prove what I am, so we just have to take their word for it.

I thought I’d start by telling you my story.

I was born sometime last September (2007). My adopted Mum was told I was one of 6 puppies. As we don’t know my real date of birth, Mum has chosen 12th September – I’m hoping that’s so that I can be spoilt and have lots of presents and nice things to eat when my birthday comes around. Anyway, I digress. I don’t remember much of my early life. I do know that my real mother’s owner didn’t like having us in the house as we made too much mess, so we got put outside. And then 3 of my brothers and sisters went to new homes. When we were 9 weeks old the other 3 of us (me, my sister and my brother) were taken to the RSPCA centre. The people at the RSPCA centre called me Polly, and this was me when I arrived there.

The people at the RSPCA were very nice to us there, but we weren’t allowed to play with the other dogs as we hadn’t had our injections. Soon my brother found a new home and that just left me and my sister. But then my Mum came and saw us, and then she kept coming back to see just me, and would sit and play with me. One day my new Dad came with her too, and on another day Mum’s Dad, Eric, came along to see me. I liked having all these visitors. But they didn’t take me home with them. But that was cos they were waiting for the RSPCA to make sure that they were good enough to be my new Mum and Dad.

At last the big day came, and Mum and Dad arrived to take me home. By now I was about 13 weeks old, and all ears. One of Mum’s friends told her I’d grow into them, but they’re still quite big. Personally I think they’re rather attractive. So here are some photos of me as soon as I arrived at my new home.

That’s me and my Mum in that last one.

I’ll leave you there for now (I have to go out for my walk), and will pick up my story later.