A trip to the vets

Yesterday I went for a drive with the boys to the vets to meet Huggie the vet. As I have nearly been adopted for five months Ali felt it was time to get me use to these visits, in the hope that I will be calm when I really need to be seen for some reason. Now I'm not to sure about this, I am very healthy thank you very much.

In anticipation as Ali knew the old boys needed to go for a health check she brought me a special collar, it's a Adaptil collar that gives off a replica of the pheromones my mum would of given off to help me feel happier. Its a bit pricey as it only last for four weeks to Ali is hoping to cram as much experiences in before the four weeks are up. So did it work? well I still managed to throw up there and back  in the car (it could be Ali's driving).

Now Ali has read as I don't like the car to make journeys positive and rewarding, like going for a walk when after a short drive so i will think the car gives good experiences - yeah right. So we had a bit of a walk before going into the vets. We had to wait outside for a while as there was already a couple of dogs waiting and Franklin being very vocal barks - a lot when he thinks his waited long enough for his appointment. A few coming and going people made me a little nervous but nothing like my flight response I usually show.

Inside the vets I was left to walk around the room, Huggie could see I was a little nervous so left me well alone this time and concentrated on Franklin and Tyser, Franklin had his tumour looked at and have his blood sugar level tested for his diabetes a small needle in his ear - boy did he complain. His lost a bit of weight and his ribs have expanded which means there may be another growth but Huggie was happy with his blood so his insulin has been reduced a bit. I will go back with him in a fortnight to have it checked again.

Tyser has lost another 1.5 Kg on his diet. Huggie felt his joints and pulled his back legs a bit as his finding it a bit difficult to get up and walks very stiffly plodding along. Sadly due to old age his joints are giving him pain, he has a dodgy hip and a bad back. Ali is increasing his rose hip dose and looking into alternative remedies as it could end up be a bit expensive with pills from the vet.

I was given a couple of treats, which i obligingly took from Huggie so I was a good girl and even better I was happy to wait in the waiting room while Ali paid, more can be said for Franklin who had to leave as he started barking then wanted to sniff the kitten there while Tyser sniffed the owner Ali put us all in the car before embarrassing things happened with the whole dog v cat hate thing.

A stranger came to visit

Just before the weekend there was so much busyness going on here it made me so tired. Starting Wednesday my friend Anita came to peel lots of food sadly it was only potatoes and onions so nothing exciting to eat. Then Ali went a bit bonkers and started stuffing bits of clothes with hay which she sewed together, resembling a big rag(ish) doll it didn't phase me as it sat outside. Not until we went for a walk past the drive and wow what was that in the field. I had to warn everyone barking like a banshee I kept on looking back as we past him, he was still there on our return, que barking.

All was forgotten until people arrived Friday evening, que barking. We had to stay inside but the rawhide chews made up for being left. It wasn't until we went out for our last night time wee when I saw the red fire in the field, now this really freaked me out,  it was the quickest wee ever just enough time not to wake the neighbours up from my barking. Why Franklin or Tyser were not phased I have no idea, I guess there just too laid back.

Windy day

Today has been really, really windy. All day the wind has blown. We went for a wind blown walk up to the plateau along the main road and down through the woods. My hair blew in all directions as did Ali's. She couldn't take any photos as trying to control one full of energy jumpy dog (me) and a slow old boy who keeps needing bribes to get him to walk (Franklin) on our flexi leads and at the same and time over seeing Tyser who seems to be going a bit senile in his old age while expecting a tree to land on us was too much.

Our walk was going well, considering  when the wind blows in makes us animals a little bit bonkers ( Ali says I can't get any more bonkers than I am already). As we progressed down through the track in the woods we all got a little bit faster as round the bend was our mate Blackie and his new mate who turned up at our neighbours and ended up being adopted by Blackies owners. She is a young collie pup who is full of energy, as is Blackie but his a lot bigger and stronger. Now the wind made us all a bit jumpy enough that leads got tangled with lots of running and jumping and Ali falling to the ground swiftly being jumped on by that young pup.

After we all calmed down we had to say good bye as we went down and they went up. It was defeanatly not a training day today as I just didn't seem to be able to hear instructions. Franklin was in trouble when the door to downstairs blew open which enabled him to go downstairs for a self service of dog with a bit of cat thrown in. He found the opened cat food tin took it up stairs,
managed to eat most of it including putting his teeth through the metal can a few times. Ali is amazed he didn't cut his gums. he would of finished it all if it hadn't rolled under the coffee table.

My faux pas this afternoon was finding a dead large mouse by the barn as we were dropping Franklin back from our walk (he didn't want to come any further). I proudly kept it in my grasp by holding its tail then just as we were about to go in the garden I dropped it Ali swiftly pulled me back picked it up by its tail and threw it up the bank what she didn't see was being a rubbish thrower it fell opposite the gate, where on our return I sniffed it out to snack on when inside the house. Only Fizz was waiting at the door and distracted me. The mouse is now in the bin so I had to make do with a raw hide chew.

chestnuts are tricky things

We had a lovely Autumnal walk this morning over the woods with our friend Anita, I'm getting quiet friendly with her now maybe its because we are both blonde.

The woods and roads are covered in chestnuts and their spiky shells. Franklin doesn't like walking where there are chestnut shells as they spike his feet but he does like eating them. This has rubbed off on me as I'm rather partial to a chestnut but would prefer it peeled first.

Ali and Freya collected lots of chestnuts to make soup for Bonfire night when we were on a walk the other day it was a bit of a pain really as I had to hang around by the chestnut tee but there was so many smells I needed to investigate it meant Ali didn't end up with  as many as she had hoped for.

As she hasn't made any soup yet the chestnuts are waiting to be eaten what she doesn't know is Franklin and I have been sneaking a chestnut or two from the pile of them although she did find out today when she caught me with one in my mouth which stayed there for longer than I thought it might. I walked from inside and out with it in my mouth for quiet a long half hour until Ali saw it and wondered why I wasn't eating it. it was impaled in my canine tooth that's why stuck there so I couldn't eat it if I tried.

Thankfully once it was pulled off my mouth felt much better, i did bite it a bit but I'm now thinking i may of gone of chestnuts a bit.

The great dog bake off

It was Fizz she's hiding under the chair

Ive been a bit busy the past few days. After Franklin got busted here I have thought about baking.  Ali promised to make some doggy biscuits but has been a bit busy with a poly tunnel so I took things into my small paws. First I got caught with the butter in my mouth, it was a slippery fight but Ali won and the butter landed on the floor minus about 50gramms (yes she did think could she get away with putting it back in the dish but there was a few too many hairs so it went in the bin).  The butter dish is now up high.

Then yesterday while we were left for a couple of hours I managed to find the hidden flour sac under the work bench, it was quiet hard pulling it out but i managed it notice the footprints left on the blanket they are just like the ones on the mat that doesn't fit under the door so is waiting for a home. Oh and it took ages to get that flour out of my beard, Now when are we going to get those biscuits.

A chilly morning walk

Its turned a bit chilly here in the Aveyron with the first morning of frost which made for a very noisy walk for me as there were so many smells. We took Ali's friend Anita in the car to the walk we made with Jamie the other day.

This time in Ali's car where Franklin fights for front seat I thought maybe I should try this as well as it might cure my car sickness and hey what it did - no throwing up. We did think about asking Anita if she would mind sitting in the back with Tyser but that wouldn't really be polite so we squashed Anita instead with Franklin whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

Tyser was in big trouble for running off and not returning, we had to go back a bit to see if he was waiting for us but he wasn't. We continued along the path and through a field where we caught sight of him running along. he came back for a short while before nipping off again. This time Ali said we were not waiting and he would have to find us. Of course she couldn't leave him so we boringly waited while he meandered through the woods popping out onto the road.

By the time we walked back the mist was clearing and the sunshine appearing. I managed to get front seat lap on Anita on the way back although I don't think she was impressed with my bedraggled looks and wet dog smell. She was lucky I didn't throw up on her, maybe I'm getting use to this car travel.

Rule no 3 -I must not go walking on my own

Me,not looking my best tonight

Ali was in big trouble on our evening walk. We went up the top of the road and along the field. This isn't Franklin's preferred walk so he stopped and said 'no', which he does quiet a lot these days, usually being coaxed into walking again with a treat but he really said 'no' tonight.

Franklin and his no stance

 So Ali gave his lead a tug and you can guess what happened his collar came off. As I was ahead on the end of my lead I was pulled  back to sort him out but I don't like going back once I have gone forward so I said 'no' too and Ali pulled my lead as she needed to get to Franklin. Well you may of guessed what happened next my harness came over my head and hey presto I was free. Now Ali had a dilemma does she go for the dog that has so many issues (me) or for the blind, diabetic dodgy legged old boy (Franklin). She went for Franklin figuring the odds were against him more and have been AWOL a couple of times and came back. Figuring I also have 99% scent hound in me I should be able to get back on my own so long as I don't cross the road.

Well I stood still for a few seconds then thought hey what's that smell and well I was off. At least heading in the right direction along the line of woods. By the time Ali, Franklin and good boy Tyser, who does what his told (most of the time) had got to the top of the slope I was not to be seen. They carried on along the way thinking I might smell them I hadn't got as far as them at that point as I was taking in all the smells so I didn't see the deer at the top. It did run off once seen leaving its scent. Ali saw me, called me and thought amazingly I was going to run to her, oh she was so wrong I past them and followed that deer. Off I went howling away with Tyser now following Into the woods between our fields and the one we were walking along. Ali thought this was OK as she could walk along the top and I could follow her scent as she could hear me in the woods. I caught up with them at one point then left again pretty quickly before I could be caught.

So rather than taking three dogs out she walked one. Tyser found them as they headed down into the woods but I preferred to stay in the amazing scent filled woods at the other end of them. Then Ali thought I had found the pigs as I made such a noise, Now they have a electric fence around them and I have been zapped once thank you very much and made a big noise that time so Ali only prayed I didn't freak the pigs out or end up being zapped again in bolting into their enclosures.

Once the others were walked back Ali came to look for me in the top field, I did really good hiding so she wondered back down the field passing the sows and poly tunnel where I was running along the road to home. She was really pleased when she called me to come. I thought I better oblige this time and ran to her. Apparently work needs to be done on my recall.