A trip to the salon

So today mummy took me to have my hair cut. I am not a happy pup. Not only did I have to endure three hours of bathing, blow-drying and trimming, I now look riduculous! Mum says it'll grow back, but how is a pup suppopsed to maintain her street-cred in such circumstances???

Help!!! My body has shrunk in the wash!

Christmas Fun

Just returned from a very pleasant few days celebrating Christmas with Granma and Grandad. I got lots of presents, including some yummy goodies to eat and lots of toys. Mum says I'm even more spoilt now. Photos will be posted soon!

Still, I did my bit to help the humans work off their Christmas dinner. On Sunday, I took them all to the beach for a bit of a run on the sands. It was extremelt chilly but we all got lots of exercise and it was lovely to feel hte sand beneath my paws. Grandad says we can go again...when it's a bit warmer! Had a bit of a traumatic confrontation with some large doggies in the beach cafe so I got in a bit of trouble for that but on the whole it was a very nice day!

Spent most of the rest of the time scrounging smoked salmon from Grandad - he is a bit of a soft touch for a large pair of shiny brown eyes :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and share my official Christmas photo with you.

Here's to lots of fun in 2010!

Weekend of Torture

Now as you know I LOVE the weekends. It means Mum doesn't have to go to work and we have lots of time to spend together. I was a bit disturbed on Saturday though when Mum started packing up all my stuff and putting it in the car. I sat by the gate to ask where we were going and Mum said we were going to the dogs home because I was such a naughty puppy! Thankfully she was only joking and, after a bit of a drive, we arrived at granma and grandad's house. I love their house because they've got a lush garden, with a big fish pond that is perfect for paddling. Unfortunately grandad isn't keen on me going paddling in his fish pond so I got told off pretty quickly. Also, the weather was rubbish so I didn't really fancy playing in the garden much.

On Sunday it was raining really hard so I was quite happy sitting on the sofa but mum and grandad decided I needed to go for a walk so it was on with my puppy parka and out in the rain. I had a lovely time but got absolutely soaked! Then they decided I needed a bit of beauty therapy so grandad got his scissors out and gave me a haircut. This was bad enough, but then I had to have a bath as well. I HATE baths. Granma kind-of made it up to me with a nice lamb dinner, but I'm not sure even that was worth having a bath for. Still, at least I smell nice now, even if my hair is a bit uneven :-)

Good news: Bad news

OK, so the bad news is first. The weather here is absolutely awful!! It's been pouring buckets down (raining cats and dogs my mum said, although I saw no evidence of these otherwise I'd have had something to say about it, believe me!)

Now for the good news. My brilliant grandad has bought me a very stylish winter coat to keep me warm and dry, so I've still been able to go walkies.

I think I look rather foxy in my puppy parka and mummy agrees. She says I look like I'm on the catwalk when I'm wearing it, but surely that should be the dog walk?

Nurse Daisy

Well, we were only back into routine for about a week when something strange happened.

Granma and grandad arrived again and said they were going to be staying for a while. Mum explained that she was going to have an operation, but I didn't know what this meant. Anyway, the next day, she left early in the morning and I thought maybe she had gone on holiday again. When she came back in the evening she was walking, very slowly, with two big sticks. Then she came in and sat on the sofa with her feet up and granma said I could give her a cuddle as long as I was very gentle. I kind of got the impression that mum was ill somehow and I had to help look after her.

This was a responsibility that I took very seriously, hence still not having time to catch on my blog!

In the mornings, grandad would come down and take me out for a walk so that I felt ready for my daily nursing duties. Then we'd come back and take mum up a cup of tea in bed and I would stay and watch over her for a bit. I'm not usually allowed upstairs or on the beds so I obviously had to have special dispensation to be there, but it was very important for me to look after my mum.

After a while she would come downstairs and I'd take her out in the garden to make sure she got a little bit of exercise, then I'd look after her while she lay on the sofa. Sometimes I would bring her a toy to play with, so she didn't get bored.

I have to say, mum isn't the easiest of patients to deal with. From time to time I would jump up on her to make sure she was OK, then I'd get shouted at for standing on her bad knees. And she didn't appreciate it when I tried to help her wash her face by licking it. Yes, it was a tough job, but I figured I owed it to my mum as she's pretty good to me really.

Why so dark?

I have been quite confused recently. While granma and grandad were staying I had got used to sleeping in a bit in the mornings, so I knew it wold be a shock when I had to start getting up early to go for a walk before mum went to work. However, the first day after she got back from holiday she got me up in the middle of the night to go for a walk! It was only just light when she went to work. She came home for lunch as usual, but by the time she got home at the end of the day it was nighttime again! I didn't understand this at all. Mum says it's because it's winter and the nights are longer than the days, but that doesn't make any sense to me. It's also get really cold and rainy and I don't like going out in the rain - I don't think I like winter very much. Mum says it only lasts for 6 or 7 months - that's as many months as I've been alive, so like forever!!!

Long time, no blog!

Hello all,

I bet you were wondering what had become of me - over a month with no blogging! Perhaps you thought mummy and I had fallen out and I'd been packed off to the dog's home. Well, that's not the case. Mind you, mum does keep threatening it, but I think she's only joking :-)

So, what have I been up to, I hear you cry? Well, it's been an interesting few weeks. You will recall that I mentioned we had the builders in, which had seriously disrupted my daily routine. Well, they finished all their work and I was able to move back into my bedroom in the kitchen, which is now much nicer and cosier than it was before.

Then, something very strange happened. One day, mum came downstairs carrying a big bag and she said she still loved me very much but she was going on holiday. Grandma and grandad arrived and said they'd be looking after me for a couple of weeks. I was a bit perplexed and slightly worried about my mum leaving me, but granma always makes me nice dinners and grandad is quite a laugh, being a bit daft, so I wasn't too put out.

Of course, I wasn't able to do my blog during this time because granma and grandad don't really understand blogging - I'm not sure they're as "with it" as I am, being a techno-pup!

But I had a really lovely couple of weeks and it was nice to have someone around the house all day. I was still pleased to see my mum when she came back - I did miss her.

So then things got back to normal. Granma and grandad went home and mum went back to work and I went back to my usual routine. It took me a little while to adjust to having to time my toilet breaks to coincide with mum coming home from work but thankfully she was very understanding and we didn't fall out about the odd accident.

Hello Dog-Bloggers

Wow, what a long time since I last posted! Truth is, life has been completely hectic over the last couple of weeks and I've not had a chance to get near the PC. Mum has had some builders in to "do up" my bedroom in the kitchen, so I've had to move out into the music room for a while. This has up sides and down sides. On the positive, it means I've got to spend lots of time sitting on the back of the sofa looking out of the window and barking at people going past. On the not so good side, it means that whenever mum goes out I get locked in my box because apparently I can't be trusted not to chew the piano. Now, I have never attempted to chew the piano and only once have I had a go at the bookcase so I have no idea why she doesn't trust me. Still, grandma and grandad have been around a lot, so I haven't been left on my own very much.

Grandad has built a new fence in the front garden so that I can run around out there while the builders are out the back and that's proving to be lots of fun. There's always plenty or people / dogs / cyclists / lorries / birds to bark at :-)

Hanging out with Mike and Steve

My friends Mike and Steve came round today to take me walkies. We had a lovely time in the park, and there were so many other dogs. Usually mum and I are out early so we miss the rush but mum said we'd never get Mike and Steve round early on a Sunday so we were a bit later today.

After our walk they came back to my house for a drink. I was pretty tired but I did my best to be a good hostess and keep them entertained....

Oi, Mike, stop posing - it's me they want to see...

He's still posing, oh this is just too much!

Steve has a nice comfortable lap - I think I could sit here for a while...

Look, I'll have that tongue out if you don't put it away!!!

Walkies!

Went to Barbury Castle again tonight, which was nice. It wasn't quite the same, as there weren't any other dogs to play with - given that it was freezing cold and the football was on, I guess we were the only people daft enough to go walkies!

Anyway, we saw some sheeps, which mummy says are for looking at, not barking at. Apparently barking at sheeps is against the law - it's called "worrying" and it's a very serious offence and you can even get shot for it! Now, that IS worrying!

We went for a lovely walk over the hill-mound, where I could definitely smell rabbits but mum didn't seem all that keen to let me run off in pursuit of them, She did let me off the lead right at the end for a bit. She said it was all about "building trust in our relationship", but I think it was more like she knew that I was too knackered by then to run off!

Had the last of my free-range chicken tonight - it'll be tough going back to doggy-dins tomorrow.

Must get an early night tonight as I've got visitors again tomorrow. My friends Mike and Steve are coming to take me walkies. Mum was grumbling how no-one comes to see her anymore, they all come to see me. I keep saying she has absolutely no reason to be jealous - I'm happy to share my friends with her :-)

My top five things

So I've been doing a bit of blog-surfing and notice that a lot of bloggers write lots of lists about their top favourite things. So here are mine.

1. My mum - it might sound sickening but she's so good to me, even when I'm naughty, or I bite her or I have a dirty bottom.
2. Food - a bit of a catch-all I know. I'll have to write another list with my top 5 food choices later!
3. Licking grandad's ears - they're tasty!
4. Chasing birds in the park - I never catch them but I get lots of exercise in trying
5. Riding in the car - especially when the air-blowy things are on.

Just missing out on the top 5 are: watching football (any team will do really but if mummy asks, my favourite team is Arsenal), having my tummy tickled, meeting new friends, playing games, sitting on tne back of the sofa and barking at people walking past, and running upstairs when mum's not looking. I'm just a fun-loving puppy really!

Puppy posing

Went to see a puppy photographer today to get some professional photos taken.

Not sure why - maybe mummy is going to enter me for Britain's Next Top Puppy Model!

Tummy troubles

Hello dog-bloggers,

Well, it's been a bit of a difficult week. I've managed to pick up a bit of a tummy bug so have had what mummy refers to as "an unfortunate bottom" for the past few days. I was up half the night on Wednesday nipping out to the loo. Thankfully I've got mummy well trained to come and let me out when I bark at night, which is also proving useful for when I see the neighbour's cat walking across the roof and need to give chase urgently.

On Thursday we went to the vet as mum was a bit worried about me. The vet said I was fine, but she gave me some medicine to settle my tummy. She also stuck something up my bottom to take my temperature, which was extremely unpleasant and had a bit of an enema effect on me. Thankfully the lady who had to clear up the resulting mess in reception was very good about it. As we were getting ready to go, my friend Spencer arrived with his new puppy - it was a bit too small to bother barking at it, but I was very excited to see Spencer and left a bit of a puddle on the floor - cue the nice lady with the mop bucket again!

Since my tummy's been bad mum has been feeding me proper chicken (free-range!) which has really made up for being ill. I'm still looking forward to getting back to normal though.

And they say it's a dog's life...

Bank Holiday bonus

Well, what a lovely Bank Holiday weekend! It was so nice to have mum home for an extra day on Monday. We went for a really long walk in the morning and I met up with lots of dogs for some playtime. Mum's really happy when I play nicely with other dogs... but not so happy when I try to go home with them. I think she feels a bit unloved! Spent most of the day lounging around at home, which suited me absolutely fine to be honest.

In the evening, mum thought it would be a good idea to go for another walk, but I thought a nice drive in the car would be a much better idea. I like the car. I sit in the front with mum and I can put my feet up on the dashboard and look at what's coming our way. And it has these things at the front that blow cold air in my face when I put my snout up against them. I learnt pretty quickly that you NEVER try to climb on mummy's lap when she's driving so I keep myself entertained with these other things instead.

Mum suggested a compromise - i.e. we take a drive then get out and walk somewhere. Now, I don't like compromise - being a terrier I like getting my own way - but I figured I could always refuse to get out of the car at the other end so I went along with it to keep mum happy. When she stopped the car she said we were at a place called Barbury Castle. Now, I thought this sounded really exciting so I decided to get out of the car and investigate, only it turns out it's not so much a castle as a big mound of earth on top of a hill, with a sort of trench round it. Still, it was really high up and the wind was really strong and it was like being on top of the world. Mum kept complaining about how cold she was, which was a bit rich as it was her idea to go for a walk in the first place. I thought it was really ace. The only downside was that mum wouldn't let me off my lead - she said it was far too open and if I decided to run away I could be half-way to Devizes before she managed to catch me.

As if I'd ever run away!!!

Good fun though - bit shattered after all that! I hope we can go again. Mum says it depends on the weather because winter's coming now and that means it will get really cold and dark and rainy. I was born in March so mum says I've never seen winter but it doesn't sound like much fun!

Perfecting the art of innocence

Just having a little sniff....

and keeping an eye on the neighbours....

What!? I'm not doing anything naughty...honest!!

Oh right, I'm not supposed to be on the furniture - I remember now!

What, not the windowsill either?????

See I can be good!!

...when I'm eating!!

Grumpy mummy :-(

Hello dog blog followers,

It's been rather a mixed week really. Mummy has had a bad back so she's not been as much fun as usual and has been moaning and groaning quite a lot. I've tried to be as good as I can to help her out but I have to say it's not really been appreciated. Today, for example, she had a friend to visit and told me to go and play by myself for a bit. So I found a nice plant in the garden to play with, and that kept me amused for ages, digging it up and chewing all the roots and stuff, but mummy wasn't at all happy. Turns out if was a "New Zealand Flax" or something and was quite expensive and me chewing the roots probably killed it. Well, more than probably actually. It's a shame because now she's not speaking to me and I was so upset that I wet my new bed and this made her even more cross!! And we'd had such a lovely day at puppy training, where I was ever so good and I even got a certificate.

Now I'm not allowed to go in the living room to watch the x-factor with her and I've had my new smoky bacon bone confiscated. I think I'm officially in the dog house! Must be her bad back making her extra grumpy :-(

I love my mum!

Mummy says I'm not allowed on the furniture...

But I have to confess I'm getting mixed messages!!

More teething problems

I've got another wobbly tooth and it's really annoying because it just won't fall out. Mum tried to help me out by giving it a tug but it wouldn't come out and then she got all squeamish and said she felt sick. I'm not sure we was too impressed by the two teeth she found in the carpet yesterday or the fact that I got over the trauma of losing them by chewing her jumper - well it's not my fault I had a bloody mouth is it? I've never heard those words before!!!

Me again!

Hello loyal followers,

Sorry I've been absent for a while, but I've just been having too much fun. Mum had Friday off work so we spent all day together playing and going walkies. To be honest I think we got a bit tetchy with each other by the end of the day (or at least mum got a bit tetchy with me!) but generally we had a good day.

On Saturday I had to go to my new puppy class. Thankfully mummy remembered to bring the Pepperami so that kept me occupied while the other dogs were running riot. It was much better than the old class - the dogs didn't try to jump on me as much and we did more interesting stuff like running through tunnels and doing balance beams. At one point mum got me to walk round and round a traffic cone, which seemed a bit pointless to me but I got a treat at the end of it so I didn't object too much. Janet said I was a very good girl so I was quite happy.

Sunday was really exciting. We went to grandma and grandad's in the morning but they weren't there! Mum said they were on holiday and we had to water the plants to make sure they didn't die. While mummy was watering the plants I thought I'd check out the fish in the fish pond to make sure they were OK. I got a bit too close though and ended up falling in, which the fish found a little bit stressful (as did I if I'm honest). Mummy rescused me and towelled me down and I was OK after that. Then we went to great-grandad's house and he fed me lots of treats and said I was a very beautiful girl. I like him lots! It was such an exciting day I was really tired when we got home. I watched a bit of football with mummy but then I just fell asleep (I won't comment on whether I was watching Chelsea at the time). I'm kind of looking forward to mummy going back to work tomorrow so I can have a rest!

And enjoying the mud...

Who was it who said "mud, glorious mud"?

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Yeah, so I'm a bit grubby. And your problem is?

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Photos of me swimming (well, paddling)

In we go...

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Time for a little drink...

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Didn't you bring a towel mummy? Tsk, I'll have to shake dry then.

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Expelled!

Mummy told me she got an email from Janet (the dog training lady) to say I had been expelled from puppy classes.

I'm not sure if she expected me to be upset by this news but I couldn't have been more delighted. Although Mrs Janet is my friend and I like her very much I HATE puppy training. It's full of jumpy, yappy little dogs - and before you say it, I may be little but I am NOT yappy - I've got a really solid bark and I'm not afraid to use it. Not like this other Westie that goes there. It's got really long hair and it's really fluffy so it looks like it's been in the tumble dryer. And it has the most awful squeaky little bark - it sounds more like my squeaky duck than a dog. Gives the breed a bad name I tell you. And what's worse is that, while mummy tries to distract me from growling at all the other dogs by feeding me Pepperami, this Westie's owner keeps letting go of its lead, then it comes bouncing over and jumps on me, squeaking all the way. So who would blame me for reacting with a growl and a bit of a nip??? Well, everyone apparently. Not my fault - she started it :-(

Anyway, it turns out that I haven't actually been expelled - Mrs Janet thinks I'd do better in a smaller class with older dogs. Clearly I am far too advanced for "puppy" training :-) So we're joining the new class on Saturday - mum says I need to be on my best behaviour...hmmm, we'll see.

Paparazzi

Look, will you get that thing out of my face - I'm not Paris Hilton you know!

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Incarcerated!

Let me out mum!

No, seriously let me out. I'm not pole dancing here you know!

Ahh, relaxation

Went for our usual walk today and as it was such a hot day I decided it would be nice to stop for a little swim in the stream. So I wandered down the bank and had a paddle and a drink. I thought mummy might want to join me but she just said "you'd better be able to get out of there madam because I'm not coming in after you!". Well, of course I could get out - I got in didn't I?

Followed up my swim with a nice relaxing mud bath. Mummy pretended to be cross but she couldn't stop laughing so I knew she wasn't really angry. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed in the living room when I got home - mummy said I looked more like a scotty dog I was that dirty :-(

To bark or not to bark

I've just been told off for barking in the garden.

I don't get it.

Dogs bark, right. We always have. We always will. (Unless someone genetically modifies a dog without a bark-box!)

I don't tell mummy off for constantly shouting "no", "off", "down", "come here" etc

So, why do I get told off for barking?

Me in full bark-pose!

Long live the weekend!

So it's the weekend and apparently this means that mummy doesn't have to go to work. And this means that she's much more chilled out. I don't think work is very good for mummy - I must have a word with her boss about it next time he comes to visit me.

I've been very good this weekend - we've been on lots of long walks so I've not had much energy left for digging. Also, mummy has had me helping with the chores again (more taking socks out of the washing machine, and a bit of vacuuming too) so I've really been a busy pup.

As I've been such a good girl I've been allowed to spend more time in the living room. This is great, because I've worked out that if I climb on the sofa, then up onto the arm and then onto the back I can reach the window sill. Then I can see everything that's going on outside. The only bad thing about this is that "technically" I'm not allowed to do this so I have to time it carefully for when mummy's not in the room.

Tooth update.

Well the good news, loyal followers, is that my wobbly tooth has come out.

The bad news is that I swallowed it. No tooth fairy for me. Mummy said she'd give me a special treat anyway :-)

Tooth fairy beckons

I have a wobbly tooth... which wouldn't be so bad if mummy didn't keep wobbling it.

And then she tells me off for biting her! It's not fair.

Caught in the act (again)!

Having a bit of a dig...


Not sure even my best innocent face is going to get me out of this one!

More football!

Check me out playing football in the park!!

(Mummy says she sounds particularly "West Country" in this clip but I hadn't really noticed.)

The beautiful game

Grandma and grandad came to see me again today and brought me another present! A brand new football. Eat your heart out Theo Walcott!

A girl just can't have any fun :-(

Mummy and I aren't really speaking - she really annoyed me tonight. I was busily trying to dig a chrysanthemum out of a pot but every time I got some soil out mummy kept putting it back in - it really was very frustrating. Eventually I had to pretend that I'd given up on the idea until she went inside - then I was able to have a proper good dig. It went a bit wrong when I accidentally pulled the pot over and mummy came back outside and was very cross. I tried to give her my best innocent "I didn't do it" look but I don't think she was buying it. On the plus side I managed to get the chrtsanthemum out, but on the downside the pot got confiscated. Sometimes she does seem hellbent on ruining my fun :-(

Oops - caught in the act - time for my best innocent face!

What do you mean "it had to be me?" I challenge you to prove that accusation!!!

One sleepy mummy

I woke up early this morning because I really needed a poo. I tried to hold on as long as I could but then I really needed to go so I gave my special "I need a poo" bark.

Mummy came straight down to let me out, muttering about how it was only 6 o'clock in the bloody morning and how she'd swing for me one day. Honestly, my mummy is so nice - she's always offering to do things for me :-) She did look a bit like death this morning though - I wonder if she's getting enough sleep. She could really do with giving work a miss sometimes and catching up on her sleep during the day like I do. Then she'd be less grumpy in the mornings I'm sure.

Trip to the vet!

Mummy rushed home from work tonight and bundled me into the car. I thought we must be going somewhere really exciting - like grandma and grandad's but no, we were off to the vet! It was a bit scary, with lots of new smells and things but when we met the vet she was a lovely lady. She patted me and told me I was very good - I'm afraid I got a bit excited and had a little wee but she didn't tell me off. Not like mummy!

First, she put me on a special weighing machine and said I was a little bit small for my age but seemed to be very healthy. She put a cold thing on my tummy to listen to my heart and said I was a very fit little puppy. Then, just when I was starting to feel comfortable she stuck a big sharp thing in my neck and I squealed. Mummy said it was a good thing and now I have a special computer chip that will help her find me if I get lost but I wasn't tremendously impressed. I was well grumpy and took it out on a big ladrabor I saw in reception. Mummy wasn't very happy about that but then she should try being stabbed in the neck and she if it doesn't make her a bit grumpy!!!

Later on we went social walking again with my friend Janet (the puppy trainer) and her big dogs. This time we went on the whole walk, even though I'm just a puppy still. I got a bit tired and mummy had to carry me part of the way but when we got to the big field and I got let off my lead I had a lovely time playing with the other dogs. They were all much bigger than me but I definitely showed them who's boss.

Now I'm home and ever so tired - just time for a chew stick before bed...I think I'll sleep well tonight......at least mummy hopes so!.....zzzzzzzzzz.....

Phew - I'm pooped!!

Big yawn!!!

Ah, a tummy tickle - just what I needed :-)

What do you mean I'm not allowed on the chair?

Forget it, I ain't movin'

Me and grandad playing football

I think that was a handball, grandad - where's the ref?

The adventure garden

Yesterday mummy must have told grandma and grandad how tired she was (after I got her up at 5.30am I suppose) so they suggested that we both come over for Sunday lunch to give her a bit of a rest. The premise being that I could play in the garden and she could kick back and read the sunday newspapers. Now mummy and I both knew that the day would not pan out like this. For starters, grandma and grandad have an amazing garden and it's full of exciting places to hide, forbidden things to eat and naughty things to do. So a mischievous puppy like myself requires a fair amount of supervision in such a place. Still, we thought it would be nice to see them, and grandad does do a lovely barbecue (apparently - I wasn't allowed to have any) so we accepted their kind invitation.

Grandad did his very best to keep me occupied - he found me a football to play with, which I enjoyed greatly...until it unfortunately got punctured :-(

And even then it was good fun to chew...

But I still managed to find some naughty things to do. Grandad, it turns out, had a fish pond, which I can't believe I didn't notice on my last visit. It has a net over it to stop cats from getting the fishes, and you can kind of walk on the net to cool your paws down in the water without falling in. I also spotted a very tasty looking frog, but unfortunately he was a bit quick for me. Mummy came along to get me out of the fish pond so we had a lovely game of chase round the garden - she was running after me shouting, but I was much faster than her, so I think I must have won!

Grandma and Grandad's garden is full of strange noises - lots of things to bark at but then mummy said the neighbours would be having a fit (don't know why) so we had to go home. Still, I had a lovely time - more piccies to follow.

Restricted practice

Mummy has bought a new baby-gate to put on the stairs. This means that I can no longer run upstairs when I fancy it, which has really spoiled my fun. Mummy was laughing when she saw me trying to go upstairs, which I thought was a bit spiteful, so I weed on the carpet instead. Who's had the last laugh now :-)

A long day

It turned out that puppy training wasn't nearly so much fun as I thought it was going to be. I was very excited to be going back to my friend Janet's house (she's the doggy trainer in case you haven't been following) but when we got there, there were lots of other dogs there. Some of them were very tiny puppies but there were also some labradors and a huge great dane. I found all this quite stressful and thought I'd better growl at them to make sure they knew I was no pushover. Mummy evidentally didn't like this and kept telling me off but she obviously didn't understand how stressed out I was. Eventually she burst into tears, which I thought was a bit of an over-reaction, but I tried to behave as she obviously didn't like my growling. Janet said things would get better but I'm not sure I'm looking forward to next week very much :-(

I was very tired when we got home and went to sleep - well, I had been up since 5.30am. I accidentally sat on my squeaky duck and it woke me up - I shall have to tell mummy not to put it in my bed tomorrow night.

Off-leading

So yesterday I had my first walk "off-lead". Mummy said she was only letting me off because grandad was there to help if I ran away. Not sure he could catch me if I did run away. He must be very old -his beard is whiter than mine!!

Anyway, it didn't take me long to work out that mummy had a pocket full of doggy-treats so I stuck pretty close to her, which she seemed very happy about. I did see some other dogs playing ball on the other side of the park and started to make my way over to join in. But it's a pretty big park and I got a bit tired half way over and mummy was calling me over for a snack so I had a little bark then headed back over. This seemed to make mummy happy too.

I think this off-leading thing may be catching on, because I was let off tonight too - even without grandad there. Feeling a bit shattered now though - think I might have overdone it!

Puppy training starts tomorrow and I'm very excited! I'll be sure to let you all know how I get on.

Howdy!!

Hello loyal readers.

This is just a little post (because I'm far too busy chewing mummy's furniture to spend too much time blogging) to say hello to my new followers in the US of A. That's right - mummy says I've now gone transatlantic - how exciting!!

Nothing like a good read!

So last night mummy was messing around on her computer - don't know what she gets up to on that thing! Apparently power cables aren't for chewing so I found myself a nice magazine to read. That wasn't terribly exciting, especially as I can't read (I'm a dog!) so I decided to have a go at ripping it up instead. Mummy wasn't very happy. She said she hadn't seen anyone rip paper so ruthlessly since her niece and nephew at Christmas!

Anyway, I got a bit bored of that after a while. What are you looking at me like that for? I'm not clearing it up!!

Dig it

Just found this photo that mummy took after I'd been digging my hole. I don't think she approves of my hole-digging. Doesn't she know that a girl needs a hobby?

Social Walking

Tonight when mummy got home from work we didn't do for our usual walk. Instead she said we were going to meet some other doggies for a walk. Great - I was up for a fight!!!

We had to go in the car and because I am such a good girl mummy let me ride up front. She said I was ever so good, which I thought was a signal to climb on her lap for a cuddle, but apparently it's not a good idea to do that when she's driving. When we got to the place for the walk there were loads of dogs there and they were all quite big. Mummy said they were Great Danes and Labradors but I reckoned I could take them on so I had a good growl to let them know I was well tough.

Unfortunately they were a bit tougher than me and I was a bit scared when they barked at me. So, after that I decided it was best if we all tried to be friends and we had a lovely walk. I couldn't go all the way because I'm just a puppy so we came back early. Mummy said she was really proud of me and I was allowed to sit in the living room with a nice chew stick. But then I got a bit excited and started eating mummy's feet so she chucked me out in the kitchen again. Life is so full of ups and downs :-)

Some more photos of me with grandma and grandad

I'm back

Phew, had a really busy couple of days so haven't had time to update the dog blog. Had a lovely weekend - grandma and grandad came to stay so I had lots of people to play with. Grandad has brilliant feet for chewing and he lets me lick his ears, which are very tasty.

Meeting the dog trainer

So today mummy said we were going to meet a dog trainer. I didn't really know what one of those was but we went in the car and arrived at this big house in the country. When we went into the garden I was met by a very nice lady and a HUGE dog - she looked like a big sheep, she was all woolly. I gave her my customary growl to warn her off but she didn't seem too bothered and when mummy let me off my lead we made friends. Mummy sat talking to the nice lady while I wandered round the garden. It was very big with lots of exciting places to explore. When I got bored I went to see the lady and she gave me treats every time I sat down. When we left mummy said we'd be going back there lots to teach me how to behave like a lady. Not sure I like the sound of that!!

Playing with my toys

Monday

Had a fabulous day on Monday. Went for a nice walk in the rain in the morning - mummy really seems to love being out in the rain. After that I was exhausted so was quite relieved to have a few hours peace and quiet while mummy went to work. She seems to forget that I'm just a puppy and I need my sleep. More walkies in the evening, when I went out on my new "retractable lead". This means that I can walk at my own pace and not have to wait for mummy to catch up when I want to chase some pigeons. Mummy said I'd been a very good girl and could sit in the living room for a bit. But all she wanted to do was watch television which I thought was very boring so I thought I'd spice things up a bit by chewing her toes. She didn't seem overly impressed with this and pretty soon I was back in the kitchen, still savouring the taste of socks :-)

More rain

Monday morning and mummy drags me out in the rain again. Honestly, what is wrong with her. I'd be just as happy chewing the sofa...

Sunday...cont...

Lots of fun to be had on Sunday. Some chap called Uncle Mike turned up to take me for a walk. We went an awful long way and by the time we came back I could hardly keep my eyes open. Had a little snooze in my box while mummy pottered around the house, then I had plenty of energy for the rest of the day's entertainment.

Spent all day with mummy, playing and having fun. Mummy did get a bit cross with me at one point for weeing on the kitchen floor, but what did she expect? It was pouring down outside!!! Mummy must like the rain though as she came outside with me and stood there for ages saying "Come on Daisy - be quick!" I had no idea what she was talking about so I went back to the hole I've been digging - it's getting ery deep now. For some reason mummy wasn't tremendously impressed when I emerged from the hole a little bit dirty. Well, you're bound to get grubby when you're digging aren't you. Then she dragged me out on a long walk in the rain. We went to a big field and I faniced a run, but instead of letting me off the lead mummy ran round the field with me. Honestly, anyone would think she didn't trust me. And I thought she was going to have a heart attack by the time we'd finished.

Still, I was shattered when we got home and retired to my box for a nap. Not sure mummy could believe it actually. It was quite late when I woke up but we still had time for a little game of tug before bed. Sunday's are fun.

Sunday Chores

So on Sunday I slept in until 7am when mummy came down and woke me up. She said we were having more visitors today so I had to be on my best behaviour - aren't I always?

She also said that Sunday's are for doing chores so I had to be good. I'm not sure what chores are but we had lots of fun and I was very helpful. First I helped mummy to load the dishwasher - I thought giving the dishes a lick would give them a head-start. Then I helped mummy make breakfast by chewing on her trousers while she put some toast on. Next we did some washing which was great fun. How it works is that mummy puts lots of socks into a big white machine, then I take them out again while her back's turned. This game went on for quite a while and mummy seemed to enjoy it, until she found some socks I had hidden in my basket after she'd switched the machine on and I don't think she was very happy about that. Finally I helped her water the flowers in the garden, although she did say it would be more helpful if I wasn't trying to chew a hole in the hosepipe while she was doing it. Well, I Was just trying to be useful!

After all that hard work I was exhausted. I managed to lure mummy onto the floor with the promise of a game of tug, then I climbed into her lap and had a little sleep. I wanted to be at my best for the visitors!

Lots of fun at "grandma" and "grandad"'s

So on Friday night we stayed over with my mummy's mummy and daddy and what an exciting time I had. my Auntie Vanessa was also there with her little boy and girl. We had lots of fun chasing each other round the garden - they're a bit closer to my size than mummy is so they were easy to catch. The garden was very big, with lots of bushes to hide in. I did have a scary moment when I was digging a hole behind one of the bushes and I couldn't find my way out again. Thankfully mummy had got my squeaky toy and squeaked it so that I could find her. I was very pleased to see her, but she didn't seem too happy about my muddy paws and snout.

On Satuday we had even more excitement when we went to see mummy's grandad. He was very old but he made lots of fuss of me and said that I was just like Angus. I wasn't sure who Angus was but apparently it's another dog that he used to have lots of years ago. It was nice to be made a fuss of. I liked his garden too but I wasn't allowed off my lead because there's no fence and his next-door neighbour has lots and lots of cats. As if I would ever chase them ;-)

I was so tired when we finally got home that I had a nice little sleep in my box. I think mummy was tired too because she disappeared for a bit and when she came back she said she'd been for a lie down. What an exhausting day for us both!

Friday fun

On Friday, mummy didn't go out in the morning and I thought we were going to have lots of fun but she said she needed to do something called "work" and she sat at the kitchen table not paying me very much attention at all. I tried chewing her toes for a few minutes but apparently she doesn't like this and she told me off so I went to my box and chewed my toys instead. I decided to ignore mummy for most of the morning and spent my time playing with my toys or barking at the pigeons in the garden. (Apparently mummy isn't too keen on me doing that either.)

In the evening mummy said we were going for a ride. She put all my toys in a bag and put me in the car in my box. This time I went in the back but mummy had to put the roof down on the car to get me in. For a minute I thought we were going to drive with the roof down but mummy said I'd get a cold so she put it up. I had a nice sleep in the car but we were in there a long time and I was starting to get a bit anxious by the end of the journey. Where on earth were we going? Then mummy said we were going to see her mummy and daddy and I thought that sounded like fun.

A traumatic incident

Well, Thursday was a very eventful day. We were going on our usual walk and we were nearly home...when my lead broke!! I was just chasing a car and for some reason mummy was trying to hold me back and suddenly I was free. I didn't realise for a minute and I wasn't sure what to do. Then I felt a little bit scared because I'm only little and it felt strange not to have my mummy holding on to me. Mummy was very upset and was calling me to come back and I decided that maybe that was the best thing all round so I went back to her. She was very pleased with me and gave me lots of treats and cuddles. I think I like my new mummy :-)

My first day in my new home

So Thursday was a very interesting day. My new mummy came down early and gave me lots of praise for sleeping right through the night. Well, what did she expect? After all the excitement of coming to a new home I was exhausted!

We went for a little walk, which I really enjoyed. I'm not sure mummy enjoyed it as much though - she didn't seem to like it when I wanted to chase after people, and bikes, and pigeons, and cars... Doesn't she know that dogs are supposed to chase things?

After our walk we played with a ball in the garden but mummy was really silly and kept throwing it away and I had to go and get it for her. In the end I thought she needed to learn not to throw it away so I stopped bringing it back to her and took it into a corner to chew it instead. Hopefully that will teach her. She does need some training, my mummy.

After we played ball I was quite tired so I didn't mind too much when mummy went out. She came back really soon and we had another game. She's very playful - I hope she realises that I need time to get my beauty sleep!!

A new beginning

So there I was on Wednesday evening, just sitting around at home when the doorbell rang. It was a very nice lady who had apparently come to see me. She was obviously a doggy person - us dogs can tell - and she patted me lots and gave me a lot of attention. She talked to my mummy for a while and I was put in my box-bed as I was jumping around quite a bit - well, it was very exciting!

Before I knew it the lady had picked me up and put me in her car! My box wouldn't go in the back seat (I don't think convertibles are designed for dogs) so I had to sit up front and I saw lots of exciting things as we drove through Swindon. I wondered where we were going (hopefully not to the vet's!) and was quite surprised when we pulled up outside another house a couple of miles away. The lady carried me out in my box and put me down in the kitchen. "Welcome to your new home, Daisy" she said. So it turns out this lady is my new mummy!!!!