Entertainment.

[Samsmum]

Hi there!
I so enjoy reading everybody's anecdotes about their dogs!
It is so entertaining, they get up to so many things. I feel a teeny bit jealous, as our lovely Sam seems quite boring by comparison. He is great, but since he got over growling at every man who came into our house, he has never put a foot wrong. He is so loving and so obedient, that sometimes I wish he would do a bit of something different (apart from writing books!). The only thing I can complain about, is that when we go to the seaside, he dashes into the sea and comes straight out and shakes himself all over us before we can take cover, and we end up just as wet as him!!
I am sorry to say that Sam won't be writing a book this year, but maybe next year he could do one about other Retrievers'
exploits!! I'm thinking about it.
Looking forward to the Fun Day, and praying for a nice sunny day!
I thought I caught a glimpse of a Golden in the last few for Toto in Wizard of Oz. I was doing something at the time, but just looked up quickly. Was I right? If so, it really ought to be a walk-over!!
Best wishes to you all - Samsmum (Joyce).
Best wishes to you all - Samsmum (Joyce).

[lynn wise]

Oooh Joyce aren't you the lucky one.

So far this morning we've had...5-15am....woof it's breakfast time.Not long after, dance, woof, it's out time. Walk along the canal..anything dead to eat...dirty boy. Any morsel I might find..Willow. Not realising that she had also pinched Davids lunch rolls before we set off. Home to do some housework, woof, you haven't put the clean bed out yet.
Is there a smilie that says...STIR FRIED mother!!!

[Cobi and Ginnies Mum]

We get that Lynn in our household as well. Glad that you too have a thief, I've got two. Your avatar shows two 'butter wouldn't melt' goldens with their Mum.

Cobi is the 'chopsy one' and always tries to have the last word..... Ginnie just accepts everything in life, unless it's stopping Cobi from taking a toy off her.

You first get the 'Cobi' look..... Do you not know what time it is, my stomach is growling ? where's my food !!!
Or the 'Cobi' treatment if the vacumn comes out.... I'm off and up onto the bed.. or being ignored totally, complete with back turning and no acknowlegment whatsoever and wanting to lie outside on the lawn, even in the dark !!!
But later on you get the 'rap' I'm talking to you again and I want to come up for a cuddle NOW

[marianne]

You are lucky do you want to swap ?

Jasper might not be perfect but he is perfect to me.

My teenage son does say he doesn't want Jasper to be perfectly trained otherwise he would be boring.

Mind you if you have seen Marley and Me , Jasper seems like an angel.

[lynn wise]

Reading our stories reminded me of something that happened quite a few years ago with Holly and Lucy.

We had just bought our first caravan and decided to go to Glen Trool in Scotland. We had a lovely pitch, bordered by a burn at the back. Probably because it was a new adventure, the dogs weren't too enthralled in the van. They decided their bed needed to be in the awning. So, come bed time, all checked and battened down ( or so we thought ). Early hours of the morning I was disturbed, so got up to investigate. Horror of horrors, NO dogs. The awning zip was up about a foot, oh gosh. Thankfully a moonlit night and hastily thrown on track suit, out I ventured. Now have you ever tried to sound authorative in a whisper, not good for the throat.
Well 2 happy dogs appeared from the burn, Holly had been enjoying the water whilst Lucy was wet through but covered in mud. A quick recky the following morning proved she had been digging along the forest edge. Also she had rubbed up her nose opening the zip. Another one like Willow, very sweet and appears not to notice what goes on, or so we think!!!Lucy from there on in was a dab hand at zips.
Needles to say, they didn't sleep in there again. Lesson learnt.

[Ellas mum]

Arn't there some lovely stories on here at the moment!
I'm afraid, like Sam, Ella isn't notorious for her escapades. She barks when anyone approaches the house and that's about it. A quiet little soul is our Ella
That'll be the day when I can catch her on camera in Cobi or Ginnie mode, up to the eyes in it.

Talking of entertainment, I took your tip Lynda, and stuffed a bird feeder with Ella's hair trimmings and hung it on the tree. Wonderful to watch the birds taking it to line their nests. Trouble is, it's running out fast and she's not moulting at the moment

[Cobi and Ginnies Mum]

Jean, I've just used my last saved bag of 'hair' in the bird feeder and the great tits, blue tits and goldfinches are flying blindly into the air with moustaches by Ginnie and Cobi, we have several bird boxes up and when the dogs go out into the garden and mooch about for any length of time the blue tits fly into a rage chirping away until they come back inside.
I didn't brush Ginnie very much after she'd had that large wart removed incase the stitches (12) pulled, and Gin is supplying big quill type tufts at the moment, nothing coming out of Cobi.



You can see just where Ginnie's harness band crosses her body there is a shorter patch of hair which has grown very quickly since February, I took this one of her this morning after her long walk, we hoped that she wouldn't make a bid for freedom and find the water (which is 3/4 mile away) while she was walking along side us.

Bunnies 2 Cobi 0 this morning, double points for chasing a black one, he must have had a turbo jet pack strapped to his back, I've never seen one run that fast with Cobi in full flow. Someone must have let out a tame one a few years ago.

[superjazz]

Our Jazz has been unable to go out for most of this week. It started towards the end of last week when he did not appear to want to go for his afternoon walk. Then he started limping, which got progressively worse. An examination showed a severe swelling on his front left paw. By this time he could only hobble on three legs . It took three people to carry him into the vets. Two on a towel around his chest and on at the back. It turned out he had an abcess between two toes. He is nearly 12 and the combination of a pain killing and anti biotic injection knocked him back for a couple of days. We could not get Candy to go out now, she wanted the full pack or nothing. She would sit with him and give him a wash now and again. Though if he left any food she would dive straight in. Jazz is walking again now and nearly back to his old self. We still have a few more days of stuffing large pink antibiotic tablets masked in low fat cheese triangles to go yet though.
P, S J & C

[lynn wise]

Oh dear, poor Jazz. Glad to hear he's on the mend. You'd think with all the salt water he wouldn't get those problems. Was it ingrowing hair? That is extremely painful for them.

As a child, we had a little Cairn and she used to get them. Dad would bathe her foot with warm /hot water with bicarb in, it would make them burst, then salt water. Did the trick.

Get well soon Jazz


Oh and our 2 today so far.
Duck poo,sheep poo. rabbit poo and the odd dead bird. YUK

[Cobi and Ginnies Mum]

Big hugs and kisses for Jazz,
Sorry to hear about his abscess, those big pink tablets sound like the sort Ginnie had in November when she has an abscess under her ear, tablets about the same size as steradent tablets, they were supposed to be palatable (fat chance with Gin) about £1.50p each !!! We get the pack syndrome here and if they are not together it's sulks from Cobi, that's lovely Candy washing Jazz, Gin wouldn't like it from Cobi though.

[janrobinson]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all your stories. I have non to match any of yours.

I am pleased to hear Jazz is on the mend. I bet that was sore between his toes. Big hugs for him and Candy from Tess & Duke.

[Molly's Maid]

Poor Jazzy baby! So glad it's getting better.

Is anyone coming to my beach this weekend? I'm here and mum says I can come out to play all day tomorrow.

Love from Molly xxx

[Ellas mum]

Hi Pat & Syd,
Glad to hear Jazz is on the mend, that must have been painful for him, hope he's back trawling the water soon.
Hugs for Jazz & Candy from us and Ella

[superjazz]

Jazz says "Thank you all for the kind messages". Just about back to normal now, but no water walks yet.
On Vets advice the paw needed bathing in warm salty water at regular intervals. This proved to be a difficult task as he would go and hide under the dining room table.
We also try to stop him scratching at things. I wont say we have lawns but there are what could be called areas of some grass with plenty of moss ( Well it is green ). He loves sctratching up the moss to make a comfortable bed to lie on
P, S ,J & C

[Samsmum]

Hello there!
Been away for two nights, but couldn't take Sam with us and he couldn't go to his holiday home next door as Harold is in Cyprus, so we put him in the kennels where he used to go before Harold offered to have him a couple of years ago.
He trotted in quite happily, and trotted out and passed us as though we weren't there, straight to another couple waiting for their dog. I thought - dammit, doesn't he know us after two days, or is he looking for pastures new?
Well, we called him, and he turned round and trotted up quite nonchalantly. Nothing seems to phase him at all.
So glad to hear that Jazz is on the road to recovery - it's awful - they can't tell us how they feel, and it's quite upsetting to see them under the weather.
As to giving tablets - Sam is so funny - he stands there, let's me open his mouth and push the tablet down to the back of his throat; then a stroke his throat and he appears to swallow. Second later he spits it on the floor, and I pick it up and the whole process is done again - and again - and again! He doesn't try to run away - he just waits for the next attempt, and eventually the tablet goes down. It just takes patience!! Bless him, he is so compliant.
Do hope you all had a good Bank Holiday - we went to Rhos-on-Sea for a very short break, but we managed to go round the veteran vehicle exhibition (a very large field full of all types of vehicle - wreaked havoc with my legs, I could have laid down there and then on the field, but I don't think David would have been impressed) all Saturday afternoon, had tea and went to see a Rock and Roll Show "That'll Be the Day",
for a rest (very good it was too!)
Then Sunday we went to the Victorian Weekend at Llandudno, looked around watched the parade, went over to Conway but couldn't find a parking space anwhere so went to Llandudno Junction to see what films were on (to give our legs another rest) and then went for dinner, and returned to see "The Last Song" with Miley Cyrus. It was O.K. a bit of a syrupy family drama type film - but at least our legs got a rest.
Sunday morning we went to the Promenade Charity Day at Rhos, and promenaded up and down looking at the stalls and sideshows, had a coffee then staggered to the car and set off for home, turning off to the Wrexham Road, where there is a nice pub where we had lunch. Then off home, and then to collect Sam. And that was our weekend's rest!
We are off to Paris for four days in three weeks time, so I shall have to get the legs tuned up again for another rest!!
Best wishes to all - Samsmum (Joyce).