Merry Christmas

Hi everyone, it's Christmas!!! and mum has wrapped my present and placed it under the tree, she's so proud of her self for wrapping it without me noticing. Pft my nose knows everything, and I know it's a bone!, thanks mum can't wait.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Catch Up

Goodness it’s been a long time since I last blogged, and a lot has been going on. For one thing I’m 2 now, although I’ve aged, to mums relief I have not grown, and to everyone’s delight I’m sure, I haven’t matured either, my philosophy is that maturing is for cheese, not for dogs.

So back before my birthday a new kennel arrived in our back garden, it took the big’ns 3  days to construct it, but it’s starting to look like home inside it now, it has a sofa, carpet and some blinds. Pfft if you think I’m sleeping in it, I have a sofa and TV in the house, why would I swap. I think mum and I have come to an agreement that it’s mum’s kennel and she lets me in it sometimes.

I had a brief visit to the grandparents which was very nice, I had a chance to try out my new backpack mum made for me, I carried all my own stuff to Nana and Granda’s  but then on an outing when we got home, I managed to lose the Velcro fastenings in the river... take that silly backpack carrying own stuff thing!".

The next big event was meeting Nico, hmm, undecided on Nico, he seems nice enough but he  nipped my ears which I wasn’t too happy with. Besides puppies are over rated, ask mum, I’m just perfect.

Mum had a birthday and I got a present, not sure it's meant to work like that, but I'm not complaining. the present only lasted a week it’s now in bits and the stuffing is pulled out of the middle...next!

That’s it really besides accidentally hurting mums leg when I dropped a huge bit of wood on it, if she hadn’t shouted at me to stop digging on the sofa none of that would have happened, so squarely her fault I think. What’s the phrase, let “digging dogs dig” or some such thing. 

I’m currently seeing a girl – you know, on and off ,nothing serious, her name’s Mia and she’s also a black lab....and before you all go “ahhh” and put your head to one side the way humans do -  No there’s no chance of puppies! Were just good friends.

Looking forward to Christmas 

Grozny Dog Photo Shoot

Whilst mum was away on holiday (without me!) I was booked in for a photo shoot. I was very well behaved but didn't enjoy it much because I thought I was going to get to play with my ball, but I don't get the chance until it was all over. I have posted the images below:

FLEAS!

AHHHH! Yup that was mums face when she woke this morning and decided I had a small colony of refugees living in my fur. However on closer inspection, they had a bit of a population boom, and there was actually enough to fill a small continent. I can’t say I had noticed them except for the occasional itch behind the ear.

So I was quickly escorted outdoors, brushed and sprayed with flea killing stinky stuff which is not very nice, all of the house and contents were sprayed with de-flea-ing fumigating stuff too.

I’m now getting the silent treatment, I’m not allowed on the couch, In fact I’m not really allowed in the living room at all and every where I go mum follows me with a can of stinky spray stuff. Even my basket has been sprayed, nowhere is safe from stinky flea spray stuff.

Tonight was the final straw, mum decided that my fleas have evolved to be immune to flea spray so she bought a flea killer pill for me to take.,The pill  kills fleas in 24 hours. I don’t know what she intends to do with the pill, but I don’t intend on eating it. Earlier tonight there was a kerfuffle with the pill box, and then mum got the pork out of the fridge and gave me a bit. Apparently I have eaten the pill, yea right, I think she’s loosing it a bit, all I got was pork.

Anyway due to the lack of human affection I have taken to cuddling in with my ball at bed time, as I’m  not allowed upstairs either – stupid scratchy flea things pfft, their 24 hours are numbered!

Anything is better than a poke in the eye with a big stick

There is a saying around these parts, that anything has to be better than a poke in the eye with a big stick, well today, I tested that theory. I was minding my own business chasing my ball at the secret garden, when, unprovoked and from nowhere, a large stick monster jumped up out of the ground and attacked me, by poking me in the eye. unbelievable!

So as I sat around this afternoon hoping for my watery swollen eye to heal, I saw a member of the household cleaning his teeth, and I jumped up to see what he was eating. Mum thought this was a great opportunity to introduce me to my new toothbrush. You heard correctly, (sigh) a toothbrush for dogs, worse, for me! Mum orders all kinds of things like that from a magazine I call 'mad-mans monthly' also known as the Internet.

So there I was thinking things couldn't get any worse, when she put on 'doggy toothpaste' yuk! I have never tasted anything so disgusting. I could see this was disappointing to mum, she was excited about the new toothbrush, so I took pitty on her and led her through to the kitchen, then eagerly pointed out a jar of peanut butter on the second shelf. (he he he). Yes we got on a lot better with peanut butter on my toothbrush. I'm not sure where the cleaning potential comes in, but mum mumbled something about conditioning, and slowly getting me used to it or something like that. All I know is I was fed peanut butter from a bristly plastic stick, and that's got to be better than a poke in the eye with a big stick.

Sliced paw

Outdoor wearing a protective sock (mums)

Indoor bandaged

I Went for a walk today and came back limping. I don’t know how I did it but I have sliced a large hole in my paw pad. since then I have been limping about the house feeling sorry for myself. I have told mum that the pain only goes away when I sleep on her seat of the couch, but she is not buying it. 

From now on I'm going to wear my shoes when we go to new places. I have been told to rest and try and keep off it , until it heals.

On a good note I won the basket blanket battle with mum (see last post) Mum brought back my stinky blanket and it is now inside the new cover she made. This was because I refused to sleep in my basket until it was returned. She's way too soft.

Spring Clean

Good times old stinky blanket

Last weekend we had some great sunshine, so mum started on a spring clean, like a woman possessed, everything that was fabric and wasn’t tied down was hauled with no mercy in to the washing machine, and blasted by sunshine outside to dry.

All was well I thought as I sleepily padded around the house watching people being ordered around. So up to the bedroom to strip the bed of sheets to go into the wash. As I sat in my basket watching the madness unfold, she marches over to my basket and gestures for me to stand up and move. “What?, oh no it’s ok, my bed’s fine thanks, you carry on. No really it doesn’t need done, honest” the next thing I knew she had hold of the corner of my blanket and was prising it out from beneath me. She pulled it out to one side, held it at arm’s length and indignantly said “that stinks!”  “Thank you” I said “it’s good isn’t it.” Mum threw it in amongst the other pile of bed linen destined for the washing machine and said “it’s going out, I will get you a new one”.

“A new one! but you don’t understand, my blanket is like walking through the kitchen of a fine dining restaurant, it’s full of interesting smells and flavours. You sometimes take a book to bed to read before nodding off, well I do the same, I read my blanket. It’s like a personal diary of all the places I’ve been and things I’ve done. I sniff my way around the blanket remembering good times, like the beach and the time I went through the stinky puddle with my shoes on, before I drift off to sleep, you can’t erase it!”

The next thing I know I’m gently bobbing along the floor sitting on the washing pile as it is being dragged towards the door, “come on mum, be reasonable, reconsider”. As we headed down the stairs I was now in a full blown belly flop tantrum, laid full length on my tummy, pulling on the washing pile as I sledged head first down the stairs towards the laundry room. Nooooo Please!

As the washing pile was dragged into the laundry room, the door shut in my face, it was over. I could hear her wrestling with my blanket behind the door, various clunks, and clangs as she forced it against its will into the erasing machine. At one point I saw the shadow of her walking past the door window with a wooden stick to beat it into submission before the machine door finally shut.

She then opened the laundry door to see me sitting there, “don’t worry” she said “I will replace it with something nice that’s much easier to wash in future. 

I’m in a huff, I’ll be upstairs on your seat of the couch, sulking, do not disturb. Pfft

Not long after that, she appeared again, this time with a tape measure, “what now” I grumbled, “I’m in a huff, leave me be”.

I’m measuring you for a new bed “she said.

 “I don’t want a new bed, I want my old bed back”. Sure enough later that day a new pillow arrived for my basket. Fleece on one side for the winter and water proof on the other, and yep it has a removable washable cover. Life stinks! or rather it doesn’t anymore.

Emperors new clothes

I have been away for a week visiting the extended family. I had lots of fun, we went for a hike on Sunday morning which was fantastic, lots of running around off the lead, and I got to go swimming too. My uncle took some pictures of me swimming, but I havent seen them yet, hopefully I wll post them when I get them.

Today mum started on designing me a jacket, she gets things into her head sometimes, and there is no negotiating. I don't like clothes at the best of times never mind standing still to be measured and have pins put in. (repeatedly ...sigh )
The jacket was made from an old pair of walking trousers, and the finished result is really smart, it kinda looks like you could have bought it, if you half close your eyes and dim the lights a bit.

So below are some pictures of the finished jacket and me wearing it - (bribed with biscuit.)

Grozny's Secret Garden

As promised I have shot a short video tour of my secret Garden, I have also included some activities that I get up to in there too. Enjoy!

Good times and My own Adventure Playground

So a bit of finer weather appeared weekend before last . Mum and friend went to Roslin for our usual walk. I was charging up and down, trying to expend some pent up energy when they took a detour and headed towards the pub, we haven’t been to the pub since September. This was unexpected but enjoyable, I got a small piece of Ham sandwich for being a good boy. On the way back we walked up the closed road, the road is closed because the workmen are working to fix it. I stepped in an open pot hole and got my front paw covered in cement. I didn’t mind, it didn’t bother me, I still ran around like a lunatic. When we got home mum wouldn’t let me in the living room until I had been in the shower, so I trotted wearily in and waited for mum to fetch a towel ready for when I came out of the shower. By the time she returned I had settled down in the bottom of the shower and fallen asleep. That extra bit of walk had really worn me out.

The most exciting news this week is that mum has a friend she knows that owns a bit of woodland at the back of their house. Mum has asked, and got permission to use it whenever we want. More than this mum is going to build me my very own adventure playground, with jumps and tunnels to play on, just like agility but all made out of the natural environment. We went there to check it out on Monday and it was fabulous, it even has a river for swimming, I’m so lucky. Mum rocks!  She says she is going on Thursday to get started on clearing some paths; I’m going to go too, just to run around and get under her feet. I will keep you posted on how that goes.

Last weekend we went away on holiday again, mum wasn’t sure if I would remember the holiday house, and I didn’t at first, but then I couldn’t believe my eyes, in the front garden, just where I left it, was my piece of round wood. If you see any of my holiday videos from last year you will see that I was chasing and retrieving a small piece of round wood, and there it was, wow, mum couldn’t believe how excited I was to see it, it was as if the floor was electric I was jumping up and down so much and running round in circles chasing my tail.

Slightly disappointing this year, because the sheep weren’t in the field so no ‘baa baa tv’ this time.  However there were two partridges which provided much amusement for quite a long time.

I spent the holiday doing lots of walking, sleeping and swimming. The river was amazing, so clear and just the right depth. Mum took some video of me swimming after my ball, normally they just throw it in straight across the river, but this time they were waitng for me to swim out across the river and then throwing the ball far away from me, down stream, man did I have to work hard.

The major new experience of the holiday was encountering the sea for the first time, this was strange, and the salty taste did not go down well. Mum didn’t take my ball so there was nothing to chase. They threw in stones to get me to swim out, as you will see from my video I tried to retrieve the stones by sticking my head under the water and trying the see them, I came out with something strange that tasted yucky, mum said it was sea weed, it must be a weed alright with a taste like that. A good time was had by all. I have added lots of pics.

 

 

 

This weekend mum has been working in the woodland and i'v been helping, mum says I’m not much help, but I think I am. Mum cuts down sticks and twigs to create paths and open areas and as she tries to drag them away to the spoil heap she keeps turning round thinking they have got caught on other shrubbery, but they’re not, it’s me tugging the other end and trying to play with them, he he. Today we went there and built a wall of branches along the steepest part of the river bank to stop me from falling in, it’s quite impressive, but she had help, of course.

Sunshine and Lilly

A frosty start this morning but by lunch time the sun was out and shining bright. Due to the good weather I had a surprise visit from Lilly ( the mini sheep). The parents took us to the park for a mega run around all afternoon. The kids had a football and I chased it until I could barely run another step. It was great fun. I had my tennis ball in my mouth and I was trying to pick up the football at the same time. It took me a thousand tries but to every ones surprise I managed it, and boy did they work hard to catch me, once I got it.


Yesterday was also a nice day, and a little bit eventful. I went to agility class as usual but there was a fire in the field behind ours, just as I arrived, so we got to watch the firemen put out the fire. I growled at them mostly, but mum enjoyed the view. Once the smoke had cleared, we got down to business. Things have stepped up a few gears since I last posted about agility, I now do courses, which means I do lots of obstacles together in a row. I'm really good, top of my class, which is not hard since there is only three of us left.

It came to my turn to do the dog walk, that's the long thin plank you have to walk, when I say thin, I mean thin, like less than 12 inches across, when I get to the end of the ramp I am meant to stop and wait until I am told to move on...but I'm just so excited to do the next bit I keep forgetting. The other dogs get lifted back on if they don't stop, but I'm too heavy, so they just send me back over it. To every ones surprise half way back the other way I managed (somehow) to do a ballerina pirouette on the thin board , 360 degrees and go back the way I came. Astonishing! for a dog who has one paw wider than the board, let alone 4. All I can say is I obviously have superior natural balance, that's what my tail is for.

You may remember towards the beginning of the winter mum taught me to open doors, well I can now close doors too (video coming soon , I'm sure) I'm so good I can even close cupboard doors..pfft piece of cake. I would do it for a piece of cake actually, if anyone is listening :)

Long time no squeek

Did you miss me? I’m not surprised I haven’t blogged since before Christmas. Quite a lot has happened since then. I got some great presents for Christmas not least a 4ft raw hide bone which was given to me by my grandparents.  Whist I was visiting them I met my Great Aunties and Great Nana. That was an experience. Let me tell you about great nana’s eye. Great nana, the legend has it, is said to possess a special look that she gives naughty children, that turns them to stone in an instant. I was like, yea right, she was a softie when I met her, but I was good as gold just in case, I didn’t want to chance it, no more walkies for a stone dog.

After Christmas I hit the January sales and bought myself a new backpack ready for camping and hiking in the better weather, I would have a picture of me sporting it, but the weather has been miserable so I haven’t really been out in it.

Due to the adverse weather conditions mum decided in her wisdom that it would be a great idea if I learned to use the treadmill (running machine) so I have been on that a couple of times, nothing very strenuous as yet, I have found that if I kid mum on that I need to be introduced to things slowly due to my delicate constitution that I have to work less during each training session. For example, during the first training session I was rewarded for just touching the treadmill with my nose, then in the second session I was rewarded for just being in the same room whilst the treadmill was running (I might be afraid of the noise you see...yea right.... free hot dog slices and cheese more like...mum's such a mug).

My newest talent is fetching mum’s slippers, for months now I have been able to fetch one slipper, but then she would say ‘where is it’ I would be like, ‘it’s on your foot you silly woman’ then yesterday the penny dropped, she wants the other one that looks just like that one, so I fetched it, but she had to chase me around for it, whilst wearing only one slipper – such a YouTube moment, where was my camera.

So in essence that’s it really, I had great holidays and now the rain is making me miserable, still nothing can be worse than the day I came back from a run-around in the park at nanas and I was so muddy I was refused entry into the house, so they hosed me down outside using the freezing cold garden hose! The indignity! I have a warm shower when I get in like any civilised person, I don’t get hosed down! To make up for it they chucked a bucket of warm water over me at the end. Charming!

Anyway I was soon in the house and dried with a towel and all was forgiven, for a bit of biscuit.