3rd May – 6 months old

Another 6 weeks and another big milestone. Now I am 6 months old, have lost all my baby teeth and grown lots of new ones. There are even more to come though, so making sure I keep them all in tip top condition is essential. I’m not sure about toothbrushes, but the dentix puppy sticks work a treat.  My teeth are still getting me into trouble though. I have chewed through my new travel bed, two duvets and a mattress. The picture is of the mattress, or what’s left of it!

Since my last blog I have put on another 4kgs although in the last few weeks this slowed down considerably. I’ve still got a long way to go, but I don’t think I’m going to turn into a giant overnight.

So, what have I been doing since we last met?  The most important thing is that I went back to see my friend Ann, had yet another injection and then collected my gateway to the world, my passport!  I had to have my picture taken for it and I don’t think it is very flattering, but they tell me that’s normal for passport photos.

I’ve also had a friend to stay. Maggie looked after me for a weekend whilst my owners were away. We had a lovely time going for walks, having coffee in the sunshine and lounging about on the sofa. Actually she takes a bit too much space on the sofa for my liking, so next time I’ll have to train her better.

I’ve been back to the river but still haven’t had that first swim yet. I have retrieved balls though and I love leaping about in the water to get them.  I’ve also got a new life jacket which I don’t mind at all, so even if I don’t manage that first swim here I know I will be OK if I jump in when it gets hot.

Last weekend we all went up to Grange for a couple of nights to stay with Twig, a Labrador like me and her owners.  I wanted to play with Twig all the time and sometimes she was OK but then sometimes she got fed up with me and started barking.   Then her owners told her off when it was really my fault, sorry Twig.

One night we went to the pub. I’ve never been to a pub before but they must be very popular with dogs as there were loads of them there. I sat by the fire watching and waiting. No dogs were allowed to play, but lots of people came up to say hello so I was happy with that. The only problem with the trip was that we had to go by car and I had to share Twig’s space in the back. She wasn’t really too happy about that so I made sure I kept as far away from her as possible!

By the next day Twig was a bit happier about sharing her space so I stopped flattening myself against the side of the car and made the most of her comfy bed.  We went for a walk around a pretty village called Cartmel. I can take or leave the scenery, but the whole place seems to be full of restaurants and I loved all the smells of food – even though I know I will never get a chance to taste any. We even bought some puddings from the local shop. They are in the fridge, so maybe, just maybe, I might get a taste.

I am still seeing Stacey for training and it continues to go well – most of the time!  I’m still not good at heel and don’t come back to the whistle when there is something better to do, but I am brilliant at sit, lie, stay and remembering where they have hidden my ball.  Next up is stopping me jumping up and I’m not looking forward to that.  I won’t see Stacey now for a while but I suspect she will want to see a huge improvement when I get back.

This is my last blog in the experiences section as next week we are off on our travels.  I have no idea what to expect and am a little bit apprehensive. So are my owners, but for different reasons. I am concerned I might not like it and will miss my garden to play in, they are concerned I might chew up the boat or fall overboard!  Time will tell and so will the travel section of this website.  Stay tuned….

23rd March – 20 weeks old

Bonjour mes amies.  In the 4 weeks since my last blog I have put on 4kgs, gained lots of new teeth, without necessarily losing my old ones, and grown even bigger.  My head doesn’t seem to change size much so I think I’m a bit out of proportion at the moment, though I’m sure it will all be alright in the end.

All these teeth are getting me into big trouble. I got a new cage last week and it is big and very comfy but as it is fabric it was made for chewing…  It was supposed to be my traveling cage but now I will need a new one.  That along with chewed skirting boards and door frames has meant I haven’t exactly been flavour of the month.

Talking about flavour though I helped myself to a raw potato the other week. I was so hungry I needed to find something and these were the only things on offer. Anyway, I can safely say that there is NO flavour in a raw potato so I won’t be bothering with them in future, however hungry I am.

The other day I went to a birthday party at Mattie and Amy’s.  It was Michael’s birthday and he was 91 human years old.  In dog years that is 637. Yes, 637!   In dog years I am nearly 3, so I can’t imagine what 637 feels like!  Michael had two big chocolate cakes, far more than he could possibly eat, but was I offered a piece? No chance – and I know it would have been tastier than a potato.

As for new experiences there have been two that stand out, water and snow.  I love the snow especially when it is in big piles I can jump into and get lost.  It is cold on my feet but I don’t mind that, it just means I have to run around more.

Water I can take or leave at the moment.  I have been paddling in the river and wasn’t at all frightened but I didn’t want to go any deeper either as it was a bit cold and there were lots of stones under my feet.  I think they want to take me swimming before I go on the boat this summer and I’m not sure what I think of that.  I’ll let you know when and if it happens.

I have seen Stacey again for another training session and have to practice my lying, staying and coming back to the whistle.  I am getting better at lying, especially now I have new treats and I’m brilliant at coming to the whistle at home, but I’m not good when it means leaving friends in Spring Wood.  I love meeting people and other dogs equally and have to go and say hello whenever I see anyone.  My owners try to put me on the lead before I run off but I’m getting sly and know if I pretend I haven’t seem them I can get away before they collar me!  My next training session is in Spring Wood as apparently this needs sorting out. We’ll see!

So that’s all for now.  I’ll be going on my travels in May so will need to get my passport sorted soon.  I’m looking forward to the sunshine and to meeting lots french chiens (that’s dogs to you and me).  I’ll update you on my preparations next month. Until then, goodbye and be good.

 

22nd February – 16 weeks old

Bonjour (my French is improving all the time).   It has been 3 weeks since my last blog so I thought I better update you on my latest experiences.

Firstly, I am even bigger and heavier.  I need a weigh in this week but 7 days ago I weighed over 11 kg…..   I can still be carried though, which is just as well as sometimes all these new experiences can be overwhelming and exhausting!

I have had two training sessions with Stacey now and she is very pleased with me. She says I am very clever (although not clever enough to open that door into my food yet). I know how to sit, stay and retrieve my ball.  I not quite as a good at walking to heel and I don’t want to lie down. I can’t understand why anyone would want to lie down, especially on wet grass!

I have been on lots of walks and met lots of dogs. Not all of them want to play with me, but I always get plenty of attention from their owners.  Last week I met another golden Labrador puppy like me.  We had lots of fun playing but although she was only one day older she was much, much bigger!  I don’t think I am small for my age, so she must be going to be a giant!

I have also walked into Whalley from Mattie and Amy’s house.  This was supposed to be part of my experience training and I had to walk past cars, big buses and even bigger wagons.  I was really brave going past them all, but I didn’t like the big wheelie things – they are called prams – on the pavement.  I was frightened and wanted to run away, so had to be carried past them.  The people pushing them laughed at me, which wasn’t really very nice.  It was worth it though as I then went into a shop and met a huge golden labrador. We played a bit and he was very friendly and I really didn’t want to leave. In fact I tried to refuse to leave, but as I am still small enough to carry I didn’t have much say in the matter!  My new friend’s owner asked if we would go and see them again and of course we said yes, so I will brave the prams, buses and big wagons and make a return trip.

This week I have been visiting my friend Sheila at Mattie and Amy’s house. Sheila has had a big operation and so is recovering upstairs in her home.  Because she is upstairs, everyone goes upstairs to see her, leaving me, Mattie and Amy downstairs.  Mattie and Amy told me they weren’t allowed upstairs and I know I’m not supposed to climb them… but I wanted to see Sheila and I could see where they all were at the top….. so, when no one was looking I went for it! And stairs are easy peasy!  Then guess what. Mattie then decided he could do stairs too and that afternoon he also went to see Sheila.  I think I am in trouble for teaching him bad habits, but he is nearly 7 and I am only 16 weeks old, so I don’t think that is very fair.

That’s all for now, but check back in a few weeks for another update.  Until then….. Jusqu’à ce que nous nous reverrons, au revoir et bonne chance

30th January 2018 – 13 weeks old

Hi. Here I am again, two weeks older and wiser and now weighing nearly 8kg. I might be putting on weight, but I still feel I’m not getting enough food and I haven’t yet worked out how to get into that cupboard to find some more.

Since the last time I sat down to update my blog I have been very busy. Another trip to the vet to get my final injection means that I am now safe to venture into that outside world. I am still very young and my bones growing, so I can’t do too much, but I have been out and about. I have also been on a sleepover.

I have just spent nearly a week staying with my new friends Mattie and Amy whilst my owners were away. I like Mattie and Amy and I think they like me, although Mattie can gets annoyed if I want to play too much. It is a bit of a cheek really as when he wants to play with me I don’t get much choice in the matter! Anyway I had a lovely week, met lots of people, had lots of cuddles, played in the big garden and even went on my first walk!

 

Since then I have been on a few more walks and met lots of different dogs. Some were a bit big and I actually preferred their owners, but others were little like me. I even met another puppy the same age and colour as me. We really wanted to play but weren’t allowed off our leads to run about, which wasn’t very fair.

At home I am getting braver and venturing further into the garden on my own. The pheasants and squirrels are still eating all the bird food, but now I have worked out where it is kept. Every time I go out I make my way to the summerhouse door, just in case, but as in the kitchen I haven’t yet worked out how to open it.

Next on my list of life’s experiences is school, or training as they are calling it. I’m not sure I am looking forward to it but it might mean I meet more friends. I am told this period of my life is all about socialization, which is just a posh word for meeting up and having fun. I can’t wait.
I’ll update you all in another few weeks and let you know how my training is getting on. Until then, Au Revoir, that’s French for goodbye. As I am going there in the summer I thought I better practise the lingo.

 

14th January 2018 – nearly 11 weeks old

Hi. I am now nearly 11 weeks old and have been at my new home for more than a week. I like my new home as it is warm and cosy ( I slept outside in Upton) and I get very spoilt. Sometimes, when I get too excited and do something naughty I get told off and I don’t like that, so then I have a sulk and go to my cage for a while. My memory isn’t to good at the moment though, so after a few minutes I forget I am supposed to be sulking and venture out to play again.

 

By my bed there is a glass door so I can sit and look out into the garden. I have seen lots of cheeky squirrels picking up bird seed – which is very frustrating as I like bird seed, but whenever I go to check it out there’s never any left. There are also big brown birds, some of them with green heads. I am told these are called pheasants. They are real scaredy cats but I hope they will play with me when I am bigger.

I now weigh 6kgs, half a kilo more than a week ago. I must be growing very quickly and I am starving all the time. I really don’t think I am getting enough food, but however long I stare at the cupboard where my food is they don’t give me any more. I am watching though and if they ever forget to close that door properly I will be in there….
Sorry, not too much news this week as my life is still very confined….but you all just wait… the outside world is coming soon, very soon….

 

 6th January 2018 – nearly 10 weeks old

On Thursday 4th January 2018 I left my home in Upton to travel across the Mersey (or underneath actually it via the Wallasey/Kingsway tunnel) and into Lancashire and my new home in Whalley.
So here I am at nearly 10 weeks. I am used to being on my own as all my brothers and sisters had already left Upton before me.  I can’t wait to meet other dogs but before that can happen I have to have my injections. So yesterday we went to see my new friend Ann. Ann checked me over, listened to my heart and stuck a small needle into me. I was very brave (actually it didn’t hurt, but I didn’t tell them that). I have to see her again in two weeks and then the world is my oyster (or at least the UK for the time being) and I can go out and meet whoever I want.

I have been out in the car a few times but as I have still not finished by injections I can’t go out to meet other dogs yet. But I have met lots of human people. The other day I went to the Audi garage in Blackburn and although I wasn’t supposed to get out of the car, I had too as they wanted to take it away somewhere. I was carried into the showroom in my crate and so many people came to say hello I think I might be their new mascot! They were all very nice and even posed for a picture with me so I can remember them for next time.

In the meantime I am happy sleeping in my big new bed (or not so happy in my not quite as big cage). I have toys to play with and lots of people coming to see me. I am trying to be good, but I have to wee ALL the time and my new teeth need something to chew on.
This blog is about me and my travels. I believe I am going to travel a lot when I am a bit older and have my passport, but until then I will keep you all up to date on my life here in Whalley.