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
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.
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.
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!
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.
