Where's Amnesty International when you need them?

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!!

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!

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?

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!

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?

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?

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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!