tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134793341434509662024-03-13T18:57:55.830+00:00The Diary of a Black LabradorHebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724964036040831681noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-5289063648499746302017-03-10T17:00:00.001+00:002017-03-10T17:00:26.204+00:00Hebe, 2007 - 2017. The final postI think this must be draft number 127!<br />
How do you put such a huge personality and vibrancy onto a page? Every attempt has been like a butterfly pinned in a box, dusty and faded in comparison with the real life version.<br />
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So start with the facts:<br />
One of the hardest (if not the hardest) losses but actually one of the easiest decisions to take, if the final decision can ever be termed easy.<br />
Something happened over the weekend and Hebe's ascites (abdominal fluid build up) was much worse we got an emergency vets appointment on Monday when got the blood results back from the full tests the week before. They weren't good showing that the disease was degenerative and progressive but the numbers were not disastrous, Laura (vet) had seen much worse. We came home reasonably hopeful with some new, differently acting, diuretics. Unfortunately they didn't work and we needed to get more protein in her to increase the albumin in her blood to try to stop the plasma leakage. Then she lost her appetite, the vets were still hopeful and we tried some appetite stimulants and any type of tasty food we could think of. She didn't want anything even turning her nose up at her all-time favourite tuna. Then on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning (yes, it really was only 2 days although it felt a lifetime) her poo was dark and tarry - she was bleeding internally. Meaning that there really was only one thing left that I could do for her. <br />
Our wonderful vets were fantastic and rearranged everything so Laura could come out. <br />
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Which means that:<br />
My Peter Pan of labradors has gone to Neverland.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High-speed bouncy puppy Hebe, most of her puppy photos<br />
are blurry unless she’s asleep! </td></tr>
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Named after the goddess of youth Hebe was the perpetual puppy, at nine she had only the lightest sprinkling of grey on her chin, still dark almost blue black coat and the 'pink thing' (tongue) frequently in evidence. She bounced around until the very end, enthusiastically greeting all visitors with a gift and if permitted once they were seated with an upwards clamber to thrust the proffered gift ever closer or perhaps to clean behind your ears! <br />
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She threw herself at the world and expected the world to catch her - usually it did. But on the odd occasion when things didn't quite go as expected she simply bounced right back up, sometimes with an 'oops', and very occasionally a look of embarrassment almost as if to say 'I didn't quite mean that' but either way she just kept on going. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What are you putting the oven Mother Bean?<br />
Can I help? I can, I’m sure I can, go on let me help.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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She was 'ever so helpful', always at your side with a helping paw or a encouraging pink-thing (licking tongue, which for some reason was always incredibly wet and quite slimy). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out in all weathers</td></tr>
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Always ready for an outing be it on wheel or feet, in all weathers; she did manage to sit still to allow a lead to be dropped over her head, although her bottom was more than likely not actually in contact with the floor, just hovering ready to explode off and out of the door. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas presents!</td></tr>
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Like all our dogs she loved Christmas but she was actually incredibly good about the tree and presents, although she did like to check out the parcels with a good sniff it was actually one time when she never stole anything however many times she arrived with piece of lametta or stray piece of tinsel decorating her ear! When gift-giving arrived she graciously let everyone open their own before grabbing the contents and hurtling off to destroy - sorry properly inspect - whatever was inside before coming back to play in the shredded wrappings. Assistance with lunch was compulsory and sprouts had to be tested, "one whole one, please" before cooking could proceed and her tea had a bit of leg, a piece of skin, a sausage etc. to be wolfed up with great relish, an annual treat! However, it turns out that she had a liking for Christmas cake as we found out one year - we hadn't quite closed the door and Hebe managed to get into the room where the newly iced cake was setting and consumed around a third! Icing, marzipan and all!! Clever girl ate the back so initially we didn't notice - good job all that dried fruit and alcohol didn't cause any problems... Next year we not only closed but locked the door - that way we could be sure the door was actually closed. <br />
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When wrote about Juno (read that one here: http://black-labrador.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/juno-queen-of-heavens.html) I wrote: " If I said to all three "Jump off that cliff" (not that you ever would). Hebe would dash to the edge and hurl herself over perhaps even with a "geronimo"." Which summed her up right until the very end. Although if I'm being honest I would be worried that she might dash over the cliff in her excitement not looking where she was going. She got a black eye once, charging full tilt looking over her shoulder to talk to Maia and ran straight into a hawthorn thicket! I heard a yelp but she came out OK and we carried on, it was only later when we got home and the eye was closing up that I realised what had happened, a quick trip to the vets and she was declared fine, bruised but otherwise uninjured and very lucky.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hebe and Cara snoozing</td></tr>
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Poor Hebes she had a bit of a raw deal, I think she probably came to us to too early, I'm not sure she was fully weaned, we had to split up her and Cara for overnight sleeping until their dawn chorus came to an end which grieved her greatly as she took Cara as her surrogate mum, curling up between Cara's incredibly long legs, using her as a pillow, cavorting around the garden at top speed until Hebe became too fast and too fly doubling back on herself at top speed meaning that Cara was in danger of turning one of those long legs and their race track antics were brought to a premature but safe end. She lost two wolfhound companions, needing herbal grief counselling after Cara died quite suddenly; Finn and Juno died in a short space of time and she was subdued for a while but ever the eternal optimist she was soon up and about again pleading to go for ever longer walks, chasing, and occasionally catching, rabbits - not really a good habit for a gundog but hey-ho she was unique. She loathed cats and I'm sure given half a chance she'd have caught and eaten one! She was also our rodent-detector-in-chief giving ample warning that there were mice, voles and sometimes rats around, you could tell from her reaction which it was and when her nose was down, stern up and a determination to return to the same spot you knew it was time to get out the rat-traps!<br />
Hebe was a running-mate for Maia when Juno's arthritis got too bad but poor Maia developed sacral nerve damage and Hebe became an only dog for outings until the dynamic duo arrived and then she was so bonkers that I ended up taking them all out separately so she didn't 'infect' them with her nutcase habits. I'm convinced that she was spayed too soon and that contributed to her never growing up.<br />
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The house is so empty, her irrepressible enthusiasm filled every space from the first day she came home her madcap tigger feet bouncing up and down in such joyous abandonment, yelping in delight at the faintest hint of a trip in the car (we never cured her of that one) not that she went anywhere special very often, usually it was just a trip to the supermarket or town and not getting out until we got back home again. Her naughtiness invaded nearly every facet of life, we no longer need an old flat iron on the pedal bin or a laggy-octopus-leg holding the lid on the outside dustbin; food can left on the worktops without needing to be pushed to very back or protected by crockery, we can leave a piece of cake, a biscuit, a packet of crisps on a low side table; plates go into the dishwasher, and stay dirty until it's switched on, no canine pre-washer any more. No need to hit mute on the television at the first hint of fireworks. <br />
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Her very own blog is full of her exploits and those of her pack (including occasionally her Beans), this will be the final, final post..<br />
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Her banana-brain, fruit-loopery kept everyone on their toes and the house is so much quieter, empty and much calmer. There are reminders of everywhere. Not least her seatbelt stuck in the catch on the backseat of the car.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hester, Hebe and Dido</td></tr>
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Through it all she was determined, individual, charismatic, understanding and, like all labradors, incredibly loyal and loving.<br />
There is a huge hole in our lives and we miss her every day.Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-71757445855326060522017-01-26T16:34:00.001+00:002017-01-26T16:34:17.760+00:00The last post.Although we've not posted anything for a long time we have one final update to make.<br />
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Hebe was put to sleep yesterday.<br />
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We've been writing on a new blog <a href="https://erraticallyharebrained.wordpress.com/">Erratically HareBrained</a>, when I can manage to write about what's happened I'll post it there first and copy it here as a final, final post. There are some details about what's been going on <a href="https://erraticallyharebrained.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/and-then-hebe-happened/">here</a>.<br />
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<br />Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-79533067883068011612013-11-04T13:37:00.000+00:002013-11-04T13:37:32.205+00:00A Series of Exciting Adventures, the firstIt all started with an invitation - to a party.<br />
A Puppy Party that is at the vets, there is a serious reason behind it, to let them explore the surgery and get used to the sights, sounds and most importantly the smells as well as a bit of owner education thrown in. But, "it's a PARTY!" and The Mother Bean really wanted them to have party frocks, we gently (OK, not so gently) explained that it's not that sort of party and really 'smart casual' (collar and lead) was much more the order of the day; she tried to push for pretty ribbons but there is no way Dido would ever wear a ribbon, especially out in society - she's just not that sort of dog and if Hester (who probably would have been quite happy with bows made from ribbons) tried she'd simply remove them, before destroying them in her own inimitable way - i.e. chewing them into shreds! Anyway, outfit choices made - black collar and burgundy lead for Dido, red collar and matching lead for Hester - off we went. They were very good about getting out of the car and walking through the car park, we parked at the top and by the time we'd got to the bottom they'd stopped cavorting and were walking in something akin to a straight line, we all waited by the kerb and crossed the busy road without incident. Into the waiting room to greet the other guests, Hester hung back a little whilst Dido launched herself in with a 'hello, here I am' type of bounce and grin on her face. I found a seat and Hester sat down nicely, Dido tried to bounce on everyone and when that wasn't allowed let her displeasure be known in quite vocal terms. When all the guests had arrived Head Nurse Anna talked a little bit about what was going to happen (Dido tried to join in), we had a tour of the practice and when we got to the operating theatre I was amazed at how small it was, I suppose for most animals and procedures it's fine but I had to ask how they'd managed with Finn - two tables and a bit of a tight squeeze was the answer, and his paws were nearly touching the ceiling! A quick trip to the kennels before going back to the waiting room for some more instruction and QnA session with Laura, as it was lunch time Dido wanted her food but was pacified with pieces of kibble and small chicken treats - which also did quite a good job of shutting her up, the whingy anna! Finally the pups could all greet, play and general cavort about before being certified and given their party bag; an hour had passed and it was time to go home - tired, educated and happy. They slept virtually all afternoon....<br />
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Certificates for enthusiastic participation - maybe a little too much in Dido's case.</div>
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So we have been really busy - and not blogged it all!<br />
We're going to post a series of adventures in installments, at least that's the plan....<br />
<br />Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-75405930358844330422013-09-15T15:35:00.002+01:002013-09-15T15:35:56.900+01:00Three weeks have flown by. In a haze of mostly office stuff, <a href="http://news.countryside-jobs.com/">see the office blog for that</a>.<br />The pups are doing very well although we’ve had a few setbacks, mainly a tummy bug. Dido was being picky with her food and I thought it was just the dish problem but somewhere along the line she’d picked up a bug which eventually resulted in a very messy yard and cage and of course shortly after Hester got it too. They were really quite poorly, very flat and listless, not interested in anything at all really. An overnight 18 hour starve (they’re not really big enough to do a full 24hrs) and small portions seemed to so the trick. They both recovered quickly but a couple of days later Dido had a relapse with explosive results! This time round I thought vet assistance was required, if only to ease my mind, there was some rebounding in her guts which were loudly gurgling and a small area of tenderness. One tube of puppy ‘calf paste’ and small bland meals every couple of hours for the next few days was the prescription. Dido was really good about going into the vets on her own, Hebe had come with us in the car but was left on guard. Small complication - the aga was out (that’s another story) so only a microwave for cooking. I picked up some cooked turkey and swiftly learnt to cook rice in the microwave. After 48 hours she was much improved and I started adding back in the Euk. A week later she’s so much better that she eats a load of cut grass which ferments in her tum resulting in all of her tea making a reappearance in spectacular fashion over the course of a few hours until the brown gungy, smelly mess appears and then she’s looking for food again - brown bread and honey for an extra supper and by morning she’s thin but ravenous! Even more so when I only let her have half her breakfast - well, that’s what happens when you eat things you shouldn’t.<br />So we lost a week’s worth of training but I don’t think it’s had a major impact, in fact being stuck inside we’ve been working on sit, which is coming on really well. They will both sit on command both verbal and hand signal with words and hand signal without words; Dido will sit at a distance of 2-3 metres (assuming no distractions) but Hester still comes towards me before her bottom makes contact with the ground. Hester is a more natural retriever and gift bringer and today we’ve started on wait before sending out. Dido is more inclined to take the retrieve and dash off with it, and on retrieve recall (different command from plain recall) will often drop it mid way back, in expectation of reward I think even though she’s never been given one after a retrieve - that brain of hers is sometimes too smart for her own good, you can see the problem going in, rattling around and off she goes with her chosen solution which usually involves feet or teeth!<br /><br />The upset tums made me readdress the feeding regime. The first brainwave was adding a splash of hot water to their dry kibble which is very sticky and requires lots of trips to the water dish. Since starting to add the water they’re both noses straight in and gone in one sitting. The second lightbulb moment was feeding times, we’ve always dropped lunch first giving them breakfast, tea and supper; however this wasn’t working this time round, our (or more precisely my) time schedule is different, there wasn’t long enough between tea and supper so supper was ending up at somewhere between 10 and 11 and I was having to wake them up for it and then keep them awake long enough to empty their tanks before bed; all in all not a good arrangement. So lunch went back into the routine and supper has gone without being missed at all.<br /><br />Poor Hester still keeps getting bad experiences when she’s out and about but now she gets over them faster so we’re building up some confidence there. Dido has had a few scary moments and although she doesn’t quake like Hester it takes longer to settle back down and carry on in a normal fashion; Dido is also much more bouncy and wants to bounce on the world which means that sometimes our progress is more a series of kangaroo jumps than a sedate walk. Hester trots along happily beside me being nudged back into place - until something scary happens! <br />They’re both coming along really well on their own; however, yesterday we had our inaugural two puppy outing and as an exercise in heel work it was not a success! I had to do it much earlier than I had planned because we’ve been invited to a puppy party at the vets next weekend and I need to be sure I can manage both of them; apparently the answer is yes, but they’re not exactly at heel! Oh well, it will come in time.<br />This week we’re going to start walks with Hebe, weather permitting taking it in turns to go for the morning paper which will reduce my walk schedule by one but also cut the length of Hebe’s morning outing - we’ll make it up with playtime after dark. At least that’s the plan but we have the builders starting work on Monday in the sitting room and Maia is at the vets on Tuesday for her second cartophen injection so things will remain fluid.<br /><br />Hebe has been a real revelation, she’s a perfect Big Sis, stepping in to break up raucous playtime, playing gently with tug toys, sharing chewy toys but sometimes keeping one for herself, firmly but gently. Watching at teatime (the one shared mealtime) and darting in to hoover up any spilt bits (she doesn’t know I’ve cut her ration to account for her ‘extras’!). Although sometime she does take advantage because apparently puppies make perfect pillows during a hard day at work.<br />
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<br /><br />The pups are also forming their own Job Descriptions, they taken over shredding duties and will even sometimes read the papers for us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I had read this one before Hester did...</td></tr>
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They are so different. <br />
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Chunky Monkey Dido has grown into a long legged, square headed girl; she has a week of growing up until she’s a real skinny-ma-linky-long-legs and then a week of growing out until she’s puppy shaped once again. Hester seems to grown all ways round although sometimes she’s a real plumpkin, her face is more rounded than Dido’s and she has much bigger eyes. Dido is curious about everything and wants to help - no matter what you’re doing - she also sleeps less and really quite vocal, grunting to be let out, a different grunt for a cuddle (which are few and far between she doesn’t like being smothered) and whingy series of grunting when she’s desperate to stay awake and play a little longer but is dead on her paws. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hester</td></tr>
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Hester in contrast loves to be cuddled and will tuck her head into your shoulder folding her legs in and doing a very good impression of a teddy bear, she too fights sleep but not as much as Dido, she needs more reassurance but contrarily is often the instigator at playtime and the one who has to be forcibly stopped for her own good. Hester watches what’s going on but only if you’re on the floor will she come to investigate - usually with a gift in mouth; she has only two speed flat out top speed ahead and flat out asleep with very little inbetween.<br /><br />So as Mr Robson says on GQT it’s onward and upward.<br /><br />(and I will get those photos online....)Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-49958452542465945372013-08-25T11:55:00.000+01:002013-08-25T11:55:17.254+01:00Out into the world - or not - and did you know dishes bite?<b>A whole new world</b><br />Dido has discovered that she can climb the stairs, all alone and unaided but she kinda gives herself away once she's reached the top by thundering around at top speed doing a lovely impression of a small herd of elephants on the rampage. Until Monday she couldn't get back down again. but she can go both ways we never know where she might be. Consequently The Board is now doubling up as an office door barricade during week days and a stair 'gate' during evenings and over the weekends. Hester sits at the bottom and looks imploringly, "I'm only little, pick me up, carry me and give me lots of cuddles on the way" or at least until Monday morning when Dido set off at high speed and there was no one around to assist her progress so off she took.<br /><br /><b>The big wide world.</b><br />Tuesday rolls around at last and we can set paw outside the gate. For weeks the road has been sheep free - until Monday night when a flock wandered down leaving a lovely trail of what Dido assures me are very tasty little raisins! Dido is fascinated by everything that's going on and is paying me little or no attention, Hester meanwhile is constantly checking with me that everything is fine. Gradually we've increased the distance and by the end of the week were getting out onto the main road with all the clamour of traffic and people.<br /><br /><b>Teeth</b><br />
On Sunday I noticed a small gap in Dido's upper front teeth (as she was lying her back laughing up at me - trying to grab my fingers), the puppy needle teeth are on their way out and consequently they are more chewy than ever, I'm clearing soggy cardboard confetti from the various floors at least twice a day. They're also partial to empty plastic bottles, the square ones are particularly good as the corner will crush and then can be chewed with satisfying crunchy noises<br /><br /><b>Tasty, tasty</b><br />For some reason the cracks in the yard are delightful, even better than pebbles. We’re not too happy about yard licking despite the very clean patches so the cracks have been liberally doused in washing up liquid, only one lick each and they’ve both back off. However one evening Hester was sitting on the step with green slime around her mouth (lovely!), she’s been yard licking again I thought and went to get kitchen roll to clean her up. The green slime was particularly difficult to remove and full of gritty bits, as I was swiping it off her nose she opened her mouth to reveal a slightly chewed slug (urgh). She dropped it on the step and it struggled to move away as it was now totally deslimed. Oh, puppies are such lovely creatures. So far no more slug eating adventures, phew. Although the verandah has another piece missing, bits of brick have turned up in the water bucket and there are a couple of chairs with suspicious marks which look remarkably like puppy teeth!<br /><br /><b>Dishes</b><br />Despite their choice of snacks meal times are not so plain sailing.<br />The pups had been fed with food loose on the ground, not out of dishes meaning their dishes were a novelty, a slightly scary one, and without the competition of eating as much as you can as quickly as you can from their litter-mates they feel no compunction to dive straight in. I made a mistake with their dishes, I got metal ones with deep sides - thinking about the quantity they would have to eat. The first problem was when Dido put a foot in hers, it flew up and cracked her on the head! After that she wouldn’t go near it and would only eat directly from the floor again. I eventually coaxed her to eat from a small, shallow, glass dish, however, two distinctly different dishes wasn’t working because if Hester ate Dido’s food Dido wouldn’t finish off Hester’s, *sigh*. Two small glass dishes it was - which was OK but they didn’t hold much so we tried going back to the big metal dishes but because they were so deep the metal D-ring on their collars would clink against the side. Not good. So I chalked it up to experience and invested in new dishes, shallow, un-tip-up-able style, still metal but with a rubber ring on the foot, smaller versions of the water dish in the cage. Initially they weren’t sure about the noise of the kibble in the dish so we broke all the rules and played with our dishes and our food, leaving the dishes (empty) down all day until Dido started picking them up by the foot and running off with them. Problem solved. However, even now when they eat tea alongside Hebe and Maia, they are easily distracted and have to be pointed back to food. They are getting the idea and anything not finished within 15 minutes is removed or if there’s only a little left Hebe gets to clear their plates - which is helping in concentrating their minds, Hester’s more than Dido’s. Despite this they’re growing well and seem to be thriving; we’ve dropped lunch and they’re on three meals, big breakfast and tea and smaller supper.<br /><br /><b>Stairs again</b><br />Dido can now hurtle both up and down the stairs. Hester can go up but needs lots of encouragement to come back down and if either of them need to go out it’s still better to carry them - Hester simply takes too long and can’t really hold on long enough to get down the yard, although verandah step is good enough; Dido gets distracted by everything and thus also can’t get down the yard in time.<br /><br /><b>The big wide world is a wonderful / scary place.</b><br /><i><b>It’s wonderful:</b></i> Dido is enjoying going out and will nudge the leads asking to go, she’s been up to the shops, in the post office, round the block, buses and coaches are surprising large, met Sue and Ali and their dogs Kim and Minty, been down to the crossroads, been terrified by a motorbike and then worried by cars but we’re over that now, up the incline, the hand driers in the public loos are very noisy and scary, met Linda and Moss (Moss is wonderful and he thinks Dido’s pretty great too), today we met Denis and Ollie (who doesn’t like black labs but didn’t recognise Dido as a lab, she’s not big enough yet!), talked with lots of visitors, learnt that it’s ok to puddle and dump outside, sheep are worrisome but their deposits are very tasty (no they’re not Dido, grr, ah-ah, leave) but apparently not on the menu.<br /><i><b>It’s scary:</b></i> Hester on the other hand is having problems but then she’s not had a smooth ride. To begin with Hester was much better being focused on me and not what else was going on however I’ve found out that she’s frightened of dogs especially small ones and barking terriers turn her into a quivering wreck; some people are scary too. She was the first to venture off our road and into the village, unfortunately two runners came thundering past from behind us, they made me jump so poor Hester was very wide eyed but a little sit and she was OK and on we would go, not 5 metres on and a pair of badly behaved Charlies on a double lead pulled their owner across the road snarling at us. It’s a good job her collar was tight otherwise she’d have slipped it and been away, no option but to pick up and walk back towards home; back onto the Mill Green and I put her down again, she tugged most of the way back and panted for quite a while. Next day we’d go early before the visitors arrived, she set off very well but only half way down the road we met Marian and Jill (soft as washing old Border), Hester hid behind me before trying to bolt for home again. We walked on a little way to let Marian get out of sight before finally coming back. We will not be defeated so that evening we would try again, this time she was keen until we got to the gate and then she didn’t want to go out. Oh-oh I’ve got a little agoraphobe! Poor little pup what a series of frightening experiences. A day off from leads completely and then back to garden walks to get over that one. Next up was to go in the car to somewhere new - top of the village to walk across the green and around the church, which was fine but talking to a tourist who wanted directions was enough make her quake again, so we called in at the Post Office on the way home, she walked across the road very well but started backing off when we saw people; I decided to carry her, that way she has the security of being in contact with me, at head height (not foot), she can’t escape what’s going on but I don’t need to reassure her (which would ‘reward’ her behaviour) leaving her to deal on her own. It’s working, she’s been to the garden centre, the craft fair in the hall and back to the shops, carried for all and although some people still make her shake she gets over it much faster - funnily enough children, even tiny ones, don’t bother her at all. Yesterday we went back up to the church end and this time Hebe came too! As an exercise in walking to heal it would have been a disaster but in confidence building it was a triumph - there were lots of things that made her start and had she been on own would have bolted but she looked at Hebe who simply carried on and thus so did Hester. The plan now is confidence building outside, heal work in the garden and in a couple of places which should be worry free.<br /><br />Their <b>development</b> is different that if I didn’t know I’d think they were from different litters, different ages. Hester is still a puppy whilst Dido is a little dog, there’s about 2-3 weeks difference in the physical and mental development. Dido has been hopping in and out of their cage for 3 weeks, Hester has only started doing it on her own this weekend, Hester still bunny hops up the stairs, Dido walks. Watching them grow is fascinating - apparently we should ‘write a paper on it’! (I’m sure there are lots already....)<br /><br /><b>Why so much in one chunk?</b> <a href="http://news.countryside-jobs.com/2013/08/strange-week.html">Well see the office blog for reasons....</a><br />
Photos have got as far as the server but not online yet.Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-22057938138608734282013-08-25T10:58:00.001+01:002013-08-25T10:58:27.988+01:00Inheritance.When you have a series of dogs over the years you accumulate various pieces of paraphernalia.<br />Maia has Bramble's dish, you know which one was hers because she carried it around and one day dropped it at the top of the steps, it bounced on the concrete yard with a resounding clang and ever since has a 'ding' in the side. Hebe got Bracken's, the matching pair to Bramble's but without the ding. Juno was the third dog of the tribe (with Bracken and Bram) and consequently needed a new dish, hers has a different rim on it and will be Dido's or Hester's in the fullness of time. Leads are not quite as long lasting as metal dishes but they too have been passed down. Dido is already using Juno's slip lead and Hebe's long puppy fixed lead, Hebe has a smart new fixed lead to go with her posh town frock (a leather collar with an engraved ID plate). As we usually have only one puppy at a time Hester has her own all new fixed lead. Bramble never had a slip lead so Maia had her own but it's too heavy for the pups so Hester has a new one waiting on the hook, because of her huffing (and general naughtiness) Maia no longer uses her slip lead and only goes out with a leather collar and short fixed lead. Until I dug out Juno's lead Dido was using Hebe's which was actually Bracken's originally - it no longer has a stopper on it but that doesn't bother Hebe.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TZ0KROTwhv4/UhnT1LV6aII/AAAAAAAABu0/gmllRf3xjNQ/s1600/H_Lead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TZ0KROTwhv4/UhnT1LV6aII/AAAAAAAABu0/gmllRf3xjNQ/s1600/H_Lead.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hester with Juno's lead, a little big yet!</td></tr>
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Toys are generally short lived however we have a few which have been around for a long time, we have Cara's giant Wolfie-sized kong, Hebe's 'flying saucer' also made by Kong, Maia's green nobbly, previously squeaky, ball but the oldest is a Ty rainbow snake called Wormie and he was Juno's we have a photo of him being washed before Maia arrived in 2000, apart from having his 'black feelies' (don't ask) chewed he's still in fine shape. Until last week we had Juno's 'very, pleasant, Christmas present, pheasant' (again best not to ask), it was a little worn around the edges but a puppy tug of war allowed its stuffing to see the light of day and he has finally left the toybox. <br />
I wonder what Hester and Dido will pass on.<br />Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-66111717494344313082013-08-12T16:51:00.001+01:002013-08-12T16:51:17.796+01:00Whisper it, but it's still going well Gosh, three weeks already, sometimes it feels as if they've been here forever, and my how they've grown. They can now walk up the steps onto the yard and when they arrived they couldn't even bounce up and down them.<br />
<br />They're both confident little bodies not bothered by thunder, low flying aircraft, big wagons on the back road, steam trains hooting, wind, weather, car alarms however on Monday evening something terrified the life out of Hester. They puddled, came in and ate their tea whilst I prepared some potatoes, once they'd come to the boil I realised the timer was in the sitting room and by the time I returned Hester was all of a quiver looking like a beaten puppy. I hadn't heard anything and although she initially seemed fine Dido was a bit jumpy too. No amount of cuddles or distractions perked her up and my happy, waggy Hester was a shaky, frighted pup so I let them put themselves to bed in the cage, Dido draped herself over a still big eyed Hester; Hebe kept going out to check on them and coming back looking worried. They did cheer up later on in the evening and ate their supper as usual; by morning they seemed back to normal. I've kept an eye on them and they are definitely worried by certain barking dogs especially terrier type barks fortunately Hebe and Maia barking at the door has no effect on them neither does that bark that is supposed to tell them to stop behaving like lunatics. They've greeted all their visitors with a smile and a wag, except on Wednesday Yvonne called in and Hester immediately backed off, ears down, a few treats and lots of cuddles and she was prepared to make contact but not like Dido to demand attention. I can see that Hester is going to need more socialisation than Dido and to meet many more people in lots of different places.<br />
<br />Tuesday was their trip to Pickering for their second jabs and they were brilliant, travelling all the way in the back of the car with Hebe and Maia on the back seat. They were weighed again and they've both put on around 2kg, no wonder they're large puppy-lumps! <br />They are small monsters of destruction, having dug out one side of the verandah and caused a small sink hole to appear they've now started on the other side and my sitting room floor is a morass of cardboard confetti, but better cardboard than furniture. They're also label hounds - no not dedicated followers of fashion (although Hester very might be given half a chance!, oh and human) they have an avowed intent to remove labels from everything. It started with the label on a toy, then another toy, next a dog bag, then off empty plastic bottles, and from more toys, then the dog towels and now it's simply anything with a label.<br />
<br />Their training progresses steadily. Hester still trots along beside me on her lead with a piece in her mouth, she is slightly more easily distracted now that she's gained some more confidence but comes back to heel quite readily. Dido is another matter, the fixed collar and lead is providing no negative feedback and it's far more interesting to sniff the flowers or eat the grass than it is to walk along beside me. So we've progressed to a slip lead and the change is remarkable, just that slight tightening is enough to stop her in in tracks and with verbal encouragement back to my heel before we set off again. Although we'll all be ready for pastures new come Tuesday when we're finally allowed outside, there are only so many times you can walk around the garden before everyone is bored and want to lie down (yes, that includes me too!). Recall is still good, they'll come in from the yard through the dog house and into the kitchen handbrake turning every corner and all from out of sight. They're doing so well that we now have two levels of treats, kibble for standard returns but little puppy training treats or tiny pieces of schmako for recall from really tempting things like breaking off mid-play, leaving a really interesting sniff etc. Our play in the back garden has been curtailed by the activities of a sparrowhawk which has left three piles of feathers, one blackbird, one blue tit (I think) and something else small (maybe a house martin) and heaps of feathers are one distraction too many so as soon as the gate is opened they head straight for the feathers, dive in and refuse to leave; I'm not going to let them fail or struggle to get them to return so for now we'll simply avoid the feathers until they've gone / lost their smell but they are quite useful for ensuring focus is on me for lead work, we can walk through the blue tit and almost past the blackbird without any sideways tugs.<br />
<br />Dido has turned into a bit of a Grunting Gertie, there's the I'm tired but don't want to go to sleep squeaky-grunt, the let me out I need to go down the yard deep grunt and the wingey grunt meaning i want to play but everyone is ignoring me. Hester doesn't grunt (and doesn't seem able to ask to go out, she waits for Dido) but does squeak when she's tired and barks at Dido to get her to play and they both growl at each other, and at Hebe, when they're playing big teeth.<br /><br />Small problem with the photos - my computer is not recognising the card reader but all is not lost because the laptop is, so another slight delay.<br />Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-72338367076643920722013-08-03T13:56:00.000+01:002013-08-03T13:56:09.859+01:00The Dymanic Duo, week two<b>The importance of the right 'bribe'.</b><br />Although the pups were responding well to commands and beginning to follow and come back when called they weren't in the least bit bothered about the little pieces of kibble I offered them and to be honest big fusses and cuddles were just not doing it - they get those pretty much all day, not quite on demand but almost so that's not a suitable reward / bribe for good behaviour. All of which meant slower progress than I would have liked. Dido and Hester were on Alpha sporting puppy food when they arrived and we kept them on it, it seemed fine. We also got vouchers for free Eukanauba puppy, my lot have always been Eukanunba girls so of course I filled in the coupons and sent off for two lots of free food. Two big boxes arrived on Monday with measuring cups, storage bins (for 3kg) and bags of food. That evening they tasted euk for the first time and boy did they like it! Fifteen minutes of come hereing with a piece of kibble for each successful recall and what a turn around. By Wednesday I was tripping over them and now they follow me everywhere and will even break off from the middle of rough and tumble to come for their tiny piece of euk. One 15kg sack promptly ordered, Alpha is £20 (no VAT) for 15kg, Euk is £55 (£43 by ordering online) - you get what you pay for and we've started changing them from alpha to euk.<br />
<br /><b>Personalities coming through.</b><br />During our individual play time and training sessions I can seem them even more clearly than when they're together. Dido is definitely the more independent and curious as well as the larger puppy - latest nickname: Chunky Monkey. Hester is softer and more affectionate and thus she's Happy Hester. For Hester I'm the main thing in her life, which is wonderful, Dido has fixed on Hebe, which is fine as I'm the main Bean in Hebe's life, Dido will take her cue from Hebe and I'm really pleased that they're bonding with the rest of the pack rather than fixating on each other. Hester likes to cuddle and needs something or someone to lean on to go to sleep. Dido is quite happy to flop out in the middle of the floor and is the first to come and find out what you're doing and to offer her assistance. Hester likes big hugs and smothering cuddles, Dido prefers to sit on your lap and be ruffled and has learnt that stooping down probably means she’s about to carried somewhere and if she’s not up for a hug will scamper away, whilst Hester sits on your feet and asks to be picked up / cuddled.<br />They're both bundles of mischief, well they're puppies I wouldn't expect anything different. <br />
<br /><b>Training progresses well</b>, Hester is walking along really well on her lead and I thought she was going to be trouble cavorting about like a pony; however, she likes to carry a piece of the lead (as did Bracken and Juno) and as long as she's got her lead in her mouth she trots along like a good'un. Dido is more interested in the rest of the world and as long as she's not distracted will trot along happily but as soon as something catches her eye (or nose) she just has to go and investigate so we were spending a lot of time standing still, Dido with a muleish expression on her face, mine one of resigned patience until she settles and off we go again. However, with lots of short sessions she's getting better and is beginning to show some inclination to lead carry too. Hester is now on circles and the first figures of eight at varying speeds, Dido can circle and will change pace but on the fast walk pace tends to start gallumphing so "ah-ah" and we slow down again. We're using two different training grounds and practising going in and out of different doors and gates (they're not quite sure about which way they open yet and are often between door and wall) both on and off leads.<br />We've not been out in the car as much as I would have liked, it's too hot; however this morning it was cool and we’ve been as far as the Fox and Rabbit and back with pups in the back and Hebe on the back seat. A little squeaking but I think that was because they were tired more than anything else but they soon settled down so our trip to Pickering on Tuesday will be fine.<br />During play they both chase and retrieve but Hester seems to be the one (so far) who's more interested in fetching things back for me to play with or to throw again, I think Dido's independence means that she's quite happy to play on her own and doesn't need me so we're having to be a bit more determined and using more slightly more structured play with her which is showing results, she's carrying things back in my general direction - I mug her on the way past!<br /><b> </b><br />
<b>Going to work.</b><br />Puppies visited the office to meet everyone and get a sniff during their first week here, however this last week they have been coming to work every afternoon. Mornings they spend helping the Mother Bean with household chores and mostly sleeping in the kitchen. They were introduced to the CJS readership last Friday on the office blog.<br />
<br /><b>Time for bed</b><br />It’s been so hot I’ve been leaving them in the kitchen / pantry / dog house during the day, I usually find them under the duckboard on the cool concrete. Although after supper they’ve taken to putting themselves to bed. They’re learning ‘in your bed’ and Hester will hop in (not always but mostly), Dido looks at me and usually has to be lifted in, the door goes down and they sit waiting for their kibble. Every morning they go back to bed with Maia so Hebe and I can go for a walk and collect the paper.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Au pair Hebe</b><br />Hebe has accepted that they’re here to stay and is now stepping in stop their play fights / rough and tumble when she feels they’re getting out of paw and it’s usually just as I’m thinking it’s time to call Time Out (they’re learning that too). Sometimes after bed I hear Hebe having a grumble at them, just a gentle rumble or a quick sharp bark and then nothing from any of them until morning. She is feeling a little left out though and I’m trying to find time (I could do with a time-turner) to spend with her on her own, it’s mostly while we’re busy doing other things such as clearing bits of the garden, our morning walk and at least once in the evening a 10 minute hug and snuggle session.<br />
<br /><b>The troublesome twosome strike fear into the fabric of the building.</b><br />They're doing a very good job of investigating every nook, cranny and crack - of which we do have rather a lot. The cracked floor tiles in the kitchen have been nosed, licked and thoroughly checked out. However, it's the verandah that's bearing the brunt of their archaeology. First it was the slightly rotten part of one of the upright posts which was chewed and then its foundations were removed piece by piece, it's now a stalactite. But on Friday morning they excelled themselves. There's a crack where the original floor has shifted a bit over time, somehow one of them managed to remove a small pebble from the crack destabilizing the lot and an area the size of a dinner plate collapsed inward like a sink hole, three largish pieces broke away, one of which was removed - no doubt for chewing later, and then noses, teeth and feet have excavated quite a large proportion of the substrate. There's now a large rock covering the hole until I can get some aggregate and cement to patch it up. <br />
<br /><b>Brave little dogs.</b><br />We had a thunderstorm yesterday and they didn’t ruffle a hair at the thunder claps or the bright lightning flashes.We’ve had jets practising over head and a heavy helicopter following the railway line and again they’re not bothered in the slightest. The only thing that gets them running to me (and it’s nice to know they come to me for succour) is a barking dog and even then only certain dogs or tones. <br />
<br /><b>Names</b><br />Dido definitely knows her name, today Hester was already elsewhere so when I went to collect Dido I called Hester’s name first, no response but when I called out “Dido” she came running from the dog house before I even got to the “come here”. I’ve not had an opportunity to run the same test on Hester yet.<br />
<br />Considering they’ve only been here two weeks it’s amazing how much they’ve learnt, how well they’ve settled. And how they’re growing,they must be at least half as big again as when they arrived.<br />Photos will follow next week sometime when I upload them, however, there are not as many because I’m busy doing rather than observing and photographing.Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-88613005045139744842013-07-31T15:17:00.002+01:002013-07-31T15:17:22.031+01:00Well, that was a surprise.A while ago the Bean arrived home smelling all funny, I rubbed myself all over her to make sure that she smelt of me so that was OK. But then...<br />She came home smelling funny again and this time brought two small dogs with her, they have the funny smell. They're not like my terrier friend Moss although they're about the same size, they're little mes with squeaky barks and sharp teeth and I'm not really sure about it, I'm always the 'Smallest'. They've taken over the house and monopolized my Bean. It looks like they're staying so we'll have to get things sorted. But I'm not standing for it, when they get too running about I bark at them and tell them to stop no matter how much I'd really like to join in because Bean says I can't and if that's what she says then... And it doesn't matter that it's hot I have to lie on my Bean because I want big, huge hugs to let her know that I'm still here and she says that I'm her best dog, and calls me beautiful girl, so that's alright then. Now she has a pocket full of lovely euk and when the little'uns are called in I go too because I get pieces of euk as well. So there are some good things about them too. Now I might be imagining it but they seem a bit bigger now so maybe they'll be as big as me, or Maia one day - that would be good 'coz then maybe I could play with them, you never know.Hebehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724964036040831681noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-29180930485194691722013-07-27T15:13:00.001+01:002013-07-27T15:13:58.968+01:00A week of firsts<br />
<b>First car ride</b><br />
On the back seat sitting on and beside me and even attempting to mountaineer over my shoulder and through the dog guard for further exploration. Dido watched out of the window fascinated by the world whizzing past. Having been swathed in and lying on a, not dirty but not washed, dog towel and having been hugged for the nine miles over the moors the two little bodies were beginning to smell of 'us'. All in all a successful journey without any calamities and once home the pups went into the sitting room with Mum whilst I let the big girls out of their dog house.<br />
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<b>First meeting with Hebe and Maia</b> <br />
Hebe and Maia sniffed me all over and got big hugs in return before venturing into the sitting room to greet the new arrivals. Pups sat still and cautiously lifted noses to sniff muzzles whilst larger noses snuffled them all over. Hebe's never really met a pup smaller than her - Finnegan, even at 16 weeks, was almost as big as she is, her ears went back and her eyes became very large before she sat down in stunned amazement. Maia, you could see, was going through the “oh, no another puppy” thought processes.<br />
<br />
<b>First night</b><br />
Was simply amazing. Admittedly they were exhausted after a very busy and probably stressful day - not that that put them off their food, well they are Labradors after all. Puddles after supper and by 11 they were settling down so it was bed time. Big girls went out to empty tanks whilst I put pups into their cage, it's huge (for wolfhound pups), so there's vetbed and towels as bedding at one end and a stack of newspaper at the other along with an un-tip-up-able bowl with water. The towels they'd come home with went in along with an old t-shirt that had been worn a few times but not washed (nice and smelly - lovely!). They went in happily and snuggled down whilst I sorted out the mattress and beds for the girls. Maia and Hebe came in and hopped up waiting for their biscuits, two bonios handed out and small handful of kibble to distract littles. Lights out and off to bed we all went. I think they slept better than I did with - one ear open for cries, starting at every noise. Not a whimper, all night. I went down at six and I don't think they'd even moved, the girls heard me and were standing up so the pups were stretching out. The cage was dry with one little hotspot in the middle of the bedding heap. Everyone went out and puddled immediately. And it's stayed that way, although we did need new newspaper on Tuesday after Dido in her excitement to see me sat in the water dish! We're now going to bed at 10.30 and getting up at 7. Although last night they put themselves to bed in the cage after supper, so it was early bed for everyone at just after 10.<br />
<br />
<b>First words</b><br />
They're learning quickly. So far they respond to their names although I don't think they know who is who yet as they react to both names. ‘No’, ‘a-a’ and ‘ha-hum’ in a growly voice all bring heads (and teeth) away from whatever they were investigating. ‘Good girl’ gets little bodies full of wags and wriggles. ‘Busy-busy’ (the puddling command) is used much but I’m not sure they’ve connected the two yet. They’re hearing ‘give’ a lot too and are quite happy to let me rummage around their teeth to find the latest piece of fluff, tiny pebble, leaf, twig – whatever, not that they’re given a choice really!<br />
‘Come here’ with happy voice and down on knees with open arms gets them hurtling towards you to throw themselves on whichever lap, leg, arm is nearest - I think that's more body language than words but it's a good reaction especially when they’re not looking at you.<br />
<br />
<b>First ask</b><br />
On Monday Dido wandered to the door and squeaked, a quick trip down the yard and yes she really did need to puddle. Tuesday evening she wandered around squeaking but it wasn’t until she started circling on the tiles, nose down and tail up that I realised she needed out – as soon as she was put down at the foot of the steps she dashed down to the bottom of the yard, found the best place and dumped. Clever little girl. We’ve had a quite a few more asks from Dido but not really any from Hester, maybe I’m not picking them up as quickly or perhaps she’s not needed to as when one goes out so does the other. However, apparently you can scratch at your collar and puddle on the mat at the same time!<br />
<br />
<b>First jabs and first meeting with our favourite vet (and second car trip)</b><br />
I hadn’t had time to introduce them to travelling in the car ‘on the dog shelf’ and nine miles across the moors to the Pickering seemed a rather extreme introduction so they were once again chauffeured and travelled on the back seat. They sat and behaved themselves in the waiting room with everyone wanting to say hello. Their turn came and Katie bounced out of the consulting room to gather everyone up in a big hug, the other clients were a little surprised but it was Mum’s first return visit since Finn so it was quite a momentous occasion. Anyway, they were checked over (lovely little pups was the conclusion), weighed (5.1kg for Dido and 4.9kg for Hester) before finally the pin in the neck and the first jabs were completed. They slept pretty much all the way home.<br />
<br />
<b>First lead</b><br />
It’s been too hot for much of anything, even going down the yard they sensibly stick to the shaded areas so only a couple of trips each, just five minutes or so walking round the garden, or more often standing still until they stop cavorting and look at me again. So far Dido wanders along beside me mostly “following the feet” the lead loose until a sniff catches her nose and then a little dart to investigate. Hester is more of a prancing pony, cavorting along beside me; we have lots more stops and sometimes our walk around the garden is little more than the length of the back lawn - already, I can see she’s more determined than Dido and is going to need a little ‘persuasion’. We use the same ‘come on then’ and similar to get them to ‘follow feet’ either with or without the lead (we’ll worry about heel commands in a week or so, for now they need to get used to the weight of a lead and the little bit of constriction).<br />
<br />
<b>First trip in my car on the ‘dog shelf’</b><br />
I had intended to get them ‘car ready’ before their first jabs, but we decided that jabs were more important so on Thursday evening they went out for the first time in the tailgate with Hebe. We only went up to the roundabout at church and back but they were very good, hardly any squeaks but a few scrabbles as they try to find the best vantage point to look out and one growl from Hebe as someone tried to sit on her shoulders! We’ve been out again today, this time up to the Pickering junction lane end and back, and they were just as good, so I think by the time their second jabs are due (a week on Tuesday) they’ll be fine to go in a proper fashion.<br />
<br />
<b>First puppy inflicted injury</b><br />
A long scratch from a claw down the inside of one leg caused by an over enthusiastic greeting. Note to self: if you’re sitting on the floor / ground and calling in a hyperactive pup probably best not to wear shorts! They are very soft mouthed and although my right forearm is just the right size to be grabbed as they’re being carted around so far there’s I’ve only picked up one tooth mark which is smaller than my recent horsefly bite (and far less annoying). In fact I have more bruises from the big girls (Maia particularly) being determined not to be left out of the morning puppy pile. <br />
<br />
<b>Things remembered</b><br />
When cleaning up puppy puddles to put the bowl of clean water between your knees that way they can’t knock it over / jump in it.<br />
The remarkably small space a puppy can manage to get into – but not necessarily out again.<br />
No matter how many I’ve already removed they are pebble seeking missiles and are still able to find yet another one. <br />
And who needs a fitness programme when carrying 10kg of puppy up and down stairs (my office and sitting room are on the first floor) and lifting them up and down the back steps onto the yard.<br />
How to behave like an idiot when clowning around while persuading a puppy that I really am the best (most daft) thing in its life.<br />
<br />
<b>What a first week.</b>Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-62001066185560435982013-07-22T17:09:00.000+01:002013-07-22T17:09:48.560+01:00Meet the New Arrivals!Yes, plural! Having taken it under advisement and after much thought we've decided that we're up to managing two.<br />
<br />
So why two? We've always had pups as singletons before but this time I decided to chance my arm (and I realise I very well may live to regret it) and double the 'pack size' in one fell swoop rather than with two lots of disruption within a short time span. I really wish they could arrive at five or six months old when I can really get into the 'proper' training but you would miss so much of their development and the opportunity to shape them from the start so small squidges must be dealt with (and they are kinda cute when they're good - for good read sleepy!). Although we now number four as Maia is now an old lady of thirteen and her injured back is making her ever less of an integral team member which means that I'm really only dealing with three and that was one of the main forces in the decision. With a team of three I can work with one whilst two are company for each other and when working with a pair (Hebe plus pup) for a short time the other has a chance to be alone and develop some independence, this started from the day (well the day after) they came home. Each pup is an individual with her own personality and will have her own training schedule and handling regime although they all sleep together in the dog house, pups currently in the huge wolfhound cage (sorry crate), big girls on the mattress they should all be sharing the space by late autumn and the cage can go back in storage come spring - well that's the plan.<br />
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<br />
So will you all please welcome Hester and Dido.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S67j2b6fLfM/Ue1X_m8jPEI/AAAAAAAABs8/ghKDkWVTF2k/s1600/D+H.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S67j2b6fLfM/Ue1X_m8jPEI/AAAAAAAABs8/ghKDkWVTF2k/s1600/D+H.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Hester on the left wearing the very fetching red collar, Dido on the right with the very smart black collar)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/101600138927942214778/DidoHester?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLz01YfLkuei-gE&feat=directlink"><span style="font-size: small;">Lots more photos added to their album, click here.</span></a> </span></div>
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Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-10388756865527639832013-07-18T14:25:00.000+01:002013-07-18T14:25:16.152+01:00Preparations.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">After losing Juno and Finnegan last year we decided that 2013 would be the year in which we got a puppy. By a strange fluke of chance we were in contact with Mittenhills (origin of Juno & Maia) who, as luck would have it, were planning a litter in the spring. Wonderful, we put our names down for a bundle. Eventually Jess came into season and everything was looking good she was positive she was having pups and so were we - but the five-week scan showed it was all in her imagination; sad faces all round. And so the search began. I found a lovely looking lot but the breeders were sending their pups home at six weeks, way too early. The search continued. Some things are meant to be, Eastgate didn't have enough of Maia's pills in stock so I got half and would pick the rest on the next Saturday, when I called in their file had just been updated with information on a new litter, just around the corner - literally.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">As soon as I got home I phoned and went to have a look a day later. Wonderful we've found our puppy! I reserved Queen's Drive who will be known as Dido (Queen of Carthage), but they were only six weeks old and their personalities were not really developed although they are wonderful bouncing bundles, <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/101600138927942214778/DidoHester?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLz01YfLkuei-gE&feat=directlink">click through for some pics</a>. I returned a week later and picked my pup; we collect her on Saturday - eek!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Puppy cage and baby gate have been liberated from under the spare bed, the girls are getting used to less space in their doghouse. Box of puppy paraphernalia dug out of the cupboard, lots of collars, leads and a few puppy sized toys. But the smallest sized collar is missing, ah yes puppy number four was one too many and the soft leather split. And what in the name of all that's holy has happened to the puppy dish? One word: Finnegan! more chewed plastic than dish, a new one is in order.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">Time for a shopping trip.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;">New collar, lead, dish and a small heap of toys plus 15kg of puppy food and we're set.</span></div>
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Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-29667200858661904532013-02-13T13:54:00.000+00:002013-02-13T13:54:29.881+00:00Problematic resolutions.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=813479334143450966" name="_GoBack"></a>OK the food resolutions are proving a
little tricky. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First the new food every month. Not managed one
yet. I'm struggling to find something new and untried (and edible)
in our little corner of the world, there are few artisan shops offering unusual
delicacies. Not helped by the weather meaning we've been
relying on the store cupboard and asda deliveries. I think I'm going to
have turn to the internet, but that means I have to decide what to try and
search for - kind of takes some of the fun out of it. </div>
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Brand new recipes are somewhat difficult too. Over the
weekend I was reading a wonderful recipe for chocolate mousse cake, fantastic
picture lovely ingredients it all sounded great until I got to the middle
of the mousse instructions, "whip the egg yolks in the cream and
boil" that's it, as they say on Dragon's Den, "I'm out".
Same problem with an almond chocolate cheesecake. Thought we'd try potato
gnocchi, deep frying could be troublesome on the aga but I was willing to try,
however in the recipe - yes, you've guessed it, bind with egg - argh!
Next one, what about a cobbler? Cobbler scones are made with yoghurt, no
that won't do either. </div>
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The weather and time constraints did ease up and I was able
to source some almond nut butter for the almond cookies. The nut butter
was rather strange, oil on top to be mixed with the stiff nut paste
below. The biscuits themselves were easy to make although the raw mix did
taste a little odd. 12 little rounds sitting on the baking tray (and yes,
I forgot the photo again), 25-30 minutes said the recipe, um, well. 10
minutes in soft and expanding, turned them round, 15 mins in beginning to skin,
20 minutes in and they're black, charred offerings worthy of King Alfred.
I think it was the high fat content from the nut butter and the
butter-butter. It's not put me off so I will try again (once I've got
some more ingredients!) and this time tinker with the heat settings and
timings. </div>
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Which all means that for now I'm stuck with the tried and
tested - although last night's pancakes were delicious!</div>
Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-52194420549926087032013-01-14T15:50:00.000+00:002013-01-14T15:50:00.142+00:00The cookery yearHas begun. New recipe trialled this weekend was for a pineapple and almond cake. Fresh pineapple and brown sugar in the bottom and the cake mix on top, the strangest cake I've made; it's more like a butter cream held together with a little flour and ground almonds. It rose up like a souffle over the top of the tin. The only problem was trying to keep gas 4 (180 C) for 40 minutes and the edges got a little, shall we say over brown! Anyway it's served with the bottom on the top so slicing off the brown bits didn't matter. It was lovely served hot with whipped cream and even better cold with a drizzle of pouring cream, only a couple of slices left. So that's one for the book but with the cooking instructions left in pencil pending further attempts and some fine tuning.<br />
(note to self, take some photos <u>before</u> you eat the results...)Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-72526205847717381282013-01-07T21:22:00.000+00:002013-01-07T21:22:17.227+00:002013 will the year in which I…<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Do you make resolutions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t really, at least I haven’t not for years but when I was a child
my family had a list of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">19xx will be the year
in which I…</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were always
positive things, not negatives, so no giving up something or promising to lose
weight or even to get fit, they’re things to be done and experiences to be had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve sort of carried on, at least in
discussions – yes, usually on or around New Year and rarely got any
further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this year is different because
I’m at least putting some them down on paper (even if it is an electronic
version).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<br /></div>
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Here’s my list:</div>
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Try a new food every month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was going to be a vegetable but I thought that might be too easy because
we eat most veggies and I try any new fruit on the shelf and thus contrarily it
might also prove a little difficult getting hold of 12 new untried vegetables,
so I’ve opened it up to food meaning it could be a new cheese one month and a
new type of sausage another.</div>
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Sticking with the food theme, number two is to try a new
recipe each month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again this might not
seem that difficult, I’m a sucker for a new recipe so to make it challenging it
has to be something new, not a variation on an old favourite, it has to include
new ingredients or novel combinations and new cooking methods are very
welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve got two already! A new
beef casserole with prunes and rosemary (novel combination for us) and a new macaroon
biscuit made using nut butter, I’ve not used nut butter before except the
peanut variety in muffins!</div>
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A one off now for number three, still with the food. To experiment
with steamed puds in the microwave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
an aga cook and a microwave is useful for – well, not much; but aga’s struggle
with genuine steamed puds, having the lids up for the length of time it takes
to steam drains all the heat out, yes you can oven them but somehow it just doesn’t
cook properly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m reliably informed
that microwaves make excellent puddings, so this year I’m going to find out for
myself.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Getting creative now, number four is to practice my drawing
with all the lovely new art materials I got for Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One Labrador paw already underway.</div>
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Number five is creative too, to get to grips with my camera at
last and make it behave as a true SLR – or else I might just have to revert to
film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No photoshopping and editing
afterwards won’t do, one shot – one picture and no tinkering.</div>
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Six is more of a threat than a promise! To get my cupboards,
shelves and storage in order. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
some kind of system behind what’s in each (really there is, honest) but as they’ve
filled up they’ve spilled over and some are now quite mixed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus I need some space for all those artist’s
materials and photographic equipment and prints.</div>
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This one is a reawakening, over Christmas I’ve been catching
up on my mountainous piles of magazines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>2012 was rather hectic and the newspaper got a cursory once over, my interest
magazines had the headlines read but not much else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well I’ve been catching up and rediscovered
how wonderful it is to sit and read about different subjects, skimming some
taking time to delve into others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll
always have my book at bedtime (even if it’s an electronic one) but somehow to
sit and read a book during daylight hours is a sybaritic pleasure for holidays
and days out of time but an interest magazine is permissible (don’t ask me why
it just is.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Number seven is simply to
read.</div>
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An inherited one to finish, Dad always said this will the year
he would walk from the Battery to Sandsend on the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He never did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I threatened it a few times but Juno ate sand and Maia set off for
Denmark so we stopped going to the beach because it was more trouble than it
was worth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meaning that Hebe has only
once set foot on sand, she’s walked along the cliffs in howling gales watching the
rollers and not been bothered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So maybe
this year I’ll complete Dad’s list, there again maybe not and it will still be
on the list next year!</div>
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And last but by no means least, not one for the list but
2013 will be year in which we meet Dido / Storm / Saxon / Hecate – our new Labrador
puppy, as yet un-named (also not yet born, we’re looking at a late spring,
early summer addition).</div>
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Here’s to 2013, may it be a year of new discoveries,
rediscoveries and a completed list…</div>
Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-8980908214670766892012-12-14T15:25:00.001+00:002012-12-14T15:25:14.202+00:00It's never simpleSo, nearly nine weeks ago Mum did a wonderful (not really) impression of a felled tree and broke her pelvis. Since then it's been slow progress but at last she's walking - ish, very ish and readily transforms into Lurch from the Adams Family or occasionally a demented kangaroo. A non-walking person can't drive so I've been taking her volvo for 'exercise' but on Sunday's excursion it refused to start. Flat battery, or so we thought. Organised a new battery and then called the AA to get it started. Everyone is struggling so call out time was two hours, they then phoned to announce that an 'approved garage' was on route (damn, should have specified a patrol, never mind all we need is a boost and the immobilser unimmobilising) and would be here in half an hour, 45 minutes after the original breakdown was logged. Designated arrival time came and went, still no mechanic, garage eventually phoned, stuck on another job would be here soon. Finally the van arrived nearly two hours after the original call, he'd come all the way from Darlington. Fortunately he knew how to boost a car when the battery is in the boot next to the spare wheel (I know very lucky to have one of those, but really, who puts a battery at the opposite end from the working section of the car? Those strange Swedes), unfortunately every time the booster pack was unplugged the car died again. Not just battery but alternator too.<br />
Our AA membership is roadside and home start not relay but little man said he could organise transport, only to return and say, you're not on relay so they won't take - did I not say that, is it not on the membership card you have in your hand? - your best option is to upgrade and then sort it out and off he went! :0(<br />
Shortly after the AA phoned to enquire how well the service had gone - not well at all was the brusque reply. Half an hour later (thank goodness they phoned us), several bouts of lovely musak and they are organising a flatback, free of charge, to our nearest garage, which is Blue Bank. We would usually have gone to Chapmans for serious mendings but that would be over £100 just for transport before we even contemplate battery, alternator, mechanic hours etc..... so the new car is being trusted to Donald to put right. Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-22902749460940887482012-10-10T16:03:00.000+01:002012-10-10T16:03:03.966+01:00Epilogue: Finnegan, our Goonish boy (27/3/10 - 5/10/12)An Irish Wolfhound takes over your house, your life and your heart. They are huge in body, heart and personality, once they've adopted you they will follow you to the ends of the earth ignoring the rest of the world.<br />
For an extortionate amount of money we 'rescued' Finnegan aged just over four months. He had spent his early days in a concrete and wire compound being trained to the show ring but he was going to be too big - yes he really was that large.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w3znn7REklM/UHQjCJY1W0I/AAAAAAAAAUs/jNRVtuRsXkU/s1600/Finnegan+10wks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w3znn7REklM/UHQjCJY1W0I/AAAAAAAAAUs/jNRVtuRsXkU/s320/Finnegan+10wks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is him with his breeder aged 10 weeks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ltwlNGL3avg/UHQkGvPQW5I/AAAAAAAAAVM/w7SditfxQ8s/s1600/idle_hound.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fyzL-icV-5w/UHQjb31OeHI/AAAAAAAAAU8/yJ9P1Hx1bQM/s1600/sleeping+buddies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
When we got him home he didn't know what the television was, why hair dryers made all that noise, why radios talked, and he never got over his fear of the snake (the cable) that followed the noisy blowy beast that sucked things up off the floor (the hoover), although The Mother Bean says he followed it around watching it intently to make sure it didn't attack her. It took months to get him to accept the car although evenutally he would walk in as soon the tailgate was opened. With patience and lots of gentling he gradually grew used to life in a house. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X7JXCvIM7oQ/UHQjM2QweaI/AAAAAAAAAU0/7bs71nhqu2I/s1600/Finn_baby.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X7JXCvIM7oQ/UHQjM2QweaI/AAAAAAAAAU0/7bs71nhqu2I/s320/Finn_baby.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puppy hound on his bag in the sitting room.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And he loved 'his girls', Juno tried to teach him his manners but didn't really have the patience and was slightly worried about being knocked over so she did pull her punches; etiquette training fell to Maia who on more than one occasion came away with a mouthful of ruff. Hebe just adored her big mate and together they would cause chaos, careering around the house and garden chasing each other, 'mulberry bushing' around the dining table as we're trying to eat until someone (usually us but occasionally one of them) would call a halt and Finn would lie flat out whilst Hebe would curl up and lean against his belly with his hips acting as a pillow.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fyzL-icV-5w/UHQjb31OeHI/AAAAAAAAAU8/yJ9P1Hx1bQM/s1600/sleeping+buddies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fyzL-icV-5w/UHQjb31OeHI/AAAAAAAAAU8/yJ9P1Hx1bQM/s1600/sleeping+buddies.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let sleeping dogs lie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We started to introduce him to the outside world which was even more scary. It took all of his first summer with us and into the autumn to get him used to cars, buses and motorbikes although he was always wary of them especially if a noisy one approached from behind. We would saunter up into the village and stand and talk with Kevin on the car park until Finn got fed up and lay down letting the vehicles pass him by without shying away every time one moved.<br />
Everyone who saw him wanted to say hello but he would back off, we had to explain that he was only a baby and to approach him carefully never putting your hand over his head. Eventually he did learn to stand there and let people talk to him all the while looking at you with a "must I really" expression on his face.<br />
He was a real mummy's boy and 'whiffled' up your face to say hello. He loved having the office in the house and would greet everyone with a sniff, a waving tail and probably a soggy beard! If the door was closed he would batter at it until he gained entry but after a quick head count and a check of the tops and recycling bin to see if there was anything worth stealing he would return to the house and his life of leisure - Finnegan was only ever a reluctant, occasional office hound although he did have to check every package that arrived.<br />
<br />
Poor boy never really stood a chance, in hindsight we can see that his problems began when he was just over a year old when his skin broke out with pyoderma which we treated with Katie's herbs after an allergy test came back negative for everything except a slight sensitivity for rice. Then he ate the bottle top (which we now think might have been the first flare up in his guts). He had a dodgy tum and would pick up whatever bug was going round, regularly got the 'splats' which he mostly did down the yard thank goodness, we went through several kilos of slippery elm and multiple jars of honey. He struggled whenever he'd had a good run, getting windy and more splats.<br />
<br />
He didn't help himself being an inveterate thief, everything (and I mean everything) had to be above head height to be out of wolfhound range, all kitchen worktops cleared, nothing left on the table, even the mantlepiece in the sitting room was within range and, according to Finn, fair game. He could smell a tissue in a pocket from across the room and became a really good pick pocket. Ash trays were to be inspected and the contents to be snuffed across the room. The office recycling bin was checked and any little shredding or post-it was carefully extracted before he skipped off to munch, giving himself away in the light, delicate skip out of the door! The notice in the office kitchen read "Think Finnegan, Description of a Wolfhound: legs like a giraffe, the reach of a not so small elephant, the digestion of a race horse and the appetite of alley cat." As if a long neck was not enough he had no clue where his feet were and as for his tail, well, it was light years away and would clear low table (or even dining tables) in one long sweep, Finnegan would turn round at the noise of the tea cups hitting the floor with an expression of "what did you do that for?" and then a keen eye for anything vaguely consumable (not necessarily edible). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p_AmlZARubw/UHQju3p-d4I/AAAAAAAAAVE/_XPN6LoUxnY/s1600/kangarooney.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p_AmlZARubw/UHQju3p-d4I/AAAAAAAAAVE/_XPN6LoUxnY/s320/kangarooney.JPG" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upside down was a favourite sleeping position: <br />
kangarooney hound</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
He found the outside world fascinating, if a little scary, and would spend hours watching out of the window barking at those turtles that walked by (people with rucksacks), waving his tail at friends (not that they could see it although he wasn't aware of that) and leaving great streaks of wolfhound tongue and nose prints. He bounced up to greet everyone at the door and promptly backed off when they spoke to him. His house, garden and road were to be protected against all invaders and his people even more so with his great baying barks rattling the rafters, on a clear day when he was in conversation with dogs further down the road you could hear him when standing outside the post office.<br />
<br />
Hounds are well known for not being as bright as Labradors (well, who is? asks Hebe) and Finnegan must be the only dog to have been run over by a stationery car, <a href="http://black-labrador.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/oh-finn-only-irish-hound.html">read this chapter here</a>.<br />
But for all that he was not as green as he was Irish looking and was quite capable of working out how to get at the food, the scraps he wasn't allowed, how to nick Hebe's toys (and destroy them when no one was looking!). If the kitchen water dish was empty or the contents not to his liking he would head off into the office kitchen for a drink, opening doors and nudging curtains aside to get there. Some things fascinated him. When he was a young hound in attempting to take a dropped ball back out of the water dish he discovered he could blow bubbles. After that, for quite a while, he would approach the dish as if he was going to drink but then pat the edge with a foot to make ripples and small waves which he would then bite before finally taking a deep breath and plunging his whole muzzle into the dish and blowing out of his nose making bubbles which if he blew hard enough would explode over the side of the dish to soak the floor. If the bubbles weren't flooding the tiles enough for his liking he would deliberately tip up the dish with a foot. However, he didn't like water, either puddles or rain. He would stand on the back step under cover looking at the falling rain and turn with a "must I really go out there?" expression or if it was particularly heavy a "you must be kidding, I'm not going out there, no way, no how" before returning inside until finally his 10gallon bladder was too full even for him. Upon his return he would dry himself off on the furniture, the girls, the floor, people anything but the nice warm towel which was waiting over for him the aga rail. <br />
<br />
Despite all that he was a typical wolfie - in other words bone idle! He took over the four-seater sofa and claimed it as his. It's ever so empty now.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ltwlNGL3avg/UHQkGvPQW5I/AAAAAAAAAVM/w7SditfxQ8s/s1600/idle_hound.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ltwlNGL3avg/UHQkGvPQW5I/AAAAAAAAAVM/w7SditfxQ8s/s1600/idle_hound.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, it's such a hard life being a hound, it's exhausting!</td></tr>
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<br />
Sleep well our foolish, goonish boy.Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-76069943954585460952012-10-08T14:16:00.000+01:002012-10-08T14:16:11.515+01:00Finnegan: the final chapterIt was too good to last. <br />
Last Monday evening Finnegan went down hill rapidly; at tea time he was throwing bags around and trying to chase labradors but by the end of University Challenge he was in pain, after a phone consultation we tried easing his symptoms with some metacam but it didn't work so we had a swift dash across the moors (in the dark and pouring rain) for stronger meds. He had a very restless night (and so did we, I don't do well with sleep deprivation!) and on Tuesday we saw Katie for the next phase of more meds including a quick refresher course on injecting dogs so he could have painkillers every four hours, although these took the edge off he was still uncomfortable and would not stop pacing. He was admitted for sedation and 'knock-out' drops to get him over the hump. These did seem to work and before long he was up and about again but not really eating properly so he stayed in Pickering for a little while longer adopting Katie as his personal attendant. By Thursday he was looking for us, towing Katie around the garden and the waiting room and generally wanting to come home again. He was delighted to get back home and see his girls, going down the yard to mark it again with large wolfhound sized puddles and several dumps, he spent most of the day looking for food and gazing out of the window. Friday morning he started with the stretching and belching, another phone consultation and I was belting off into town for buscopan which did the trick and he settled. He had a lovely peaceful afternoon dreaming about I know not what but it involved nose wrinkling and feet twitching. Unfortunately, something happened at just before five and he went into shock, another dash to Pickering where a couple of tests to try to find a possible cause came back within normal ranges while the poor boy was going downhill with every passing minute. We took the decision that enough was enough and he shambled into his own Room 2, lay down on his bed and went to sleep.Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-63504726602331001872012-09-29T15:41:00.000+01:002012-09-29T15:41:00.801+01:00Hound updateFinnegan progressed well, started playing with Hebe again and I never thought I'd be pleased to see him try to pick up a labrador by a back leg! We increased his food and steadily added more eukanuba. But Finnegan's tummy really doesn't like eukanuba. Over the weekend his ear starts flooding again and by Monday 24th and he's yawning and stretching, both clear indicators of tummy pain and then we notice he's licking his front leg which is red - his skin's flaring up too. I gave him a full dose of prokinetics which helped, Tuesday morning he seems quite bright and happy but we decreased the quantity of euk however an hour later he's unhappy, stretching, yawning and flat. More prokinetics. He's hungry for lunch but we decide no more euk, meat, some left over potatoes and fish only. I phone Eastgate and Katie agrees that we'll get his allergy tests done as soon as possible, we don't want to risk it any longer but not today, it's the middle of the autumn storm and the roads are awash - and we'll go back to bland food. All Tuesday he's clingy, in pain but still interested in the world and food, Tuesday evening he's being a lapdog. Wednesday dawns and Finn's a bit brighter but we're not taking any chances, more pills before heading across the moor for his latest blood tests - which proved slightly difficult, he's fed up of being stuck with pins but we did manage to extract the required red stuff, good job he's such a big dog otherwise he'd have run out by now! We have the results of the first battery of tests, his b-vits are normal which means that although his guts are inflamed they are actually working; his thyroid is normal too, so that's double phew. We invest in some ZD to add to his winalot instead of the euk. He's eating well but by Thursday morning we're now reaching the 24hour mark since he last did a dump, his guts have slowed down again and that filling is causing him pain. At lunch time a saunter round the garden and he decides that perhaps he is overfull and getting rid of some might be the right idea and a large deposit is made on the lawn, he's much happier after that.<br />
We've now reached Saturday and he's full of beans today and most of those are bad ones! We're happy with his progress, he's eating well, he's happy and at last beginning to put on some weight.<br />
The sun is shining, the dog is happy and Tigers are winning (even Hebe has gone to sleep in the sun and not hidden away from the oval ball). What could be better?Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-37478538798930351462012-09-23T16:26:00.000+01:002012-09-24T10:49:45.230+01:00Finnegan has lost a few more of his lives.I don't know how many lives a dog has, nine like a cat? or more?<br />
However many it may be Finnegan is now short of a few more. <br />
<br />
About two months ago we began to get a little concerned about the hound, he seemed to be panting a bit more than we thought he should but it was hot so were not too concerned. But then he seemed listless and a bit down and was he loosing weight too? So an appointment was made to visit Katie for a checkup, we queried heart and possible lungs, perhaps Maia bronchitis was contagious? Upon examination Katie couldn't really find anything, maybe a faint hint of a heart murmur, maybe his lungs were working harder than they should. With his family history we all decided that an x-ray of his chest would be a good place to start and an appointment was made for the following Tuesday for Finnegan to be the guinea pig for Eastgate's super new digital x-ray machine.<br />
But Finnegan took things into his own paws. On Sunday he was really down, flaked out on the sofa and then he turned his nose up at his tea. Now, he may be a hound but he thinks he's a labrador and not eating is seriously not good. Then at just after nine he was sick, bringing up his breakfast which was very sour having been in his stomach all day. He didn't want his bed time biscuit and was sick again overnight. Consequently at 8:30 on Monday 3 September we were on our way to Pickering with a very poorly hound. He was booked into his private room, initial tests again showed nothing in particular. Last time he'd been like this (last year) fluid therapy got him through it so that was the initial treatment along with blood tests for cardiac enzymes and a heart scan. We'd see how he went and then maybe x-rays, but we were all thinking he'd eaten something and got it stuck. No significant improvement but no marked deterioration either, the heart scan had shown that his cardiac muscles were doing what they should and functioning well. X-rays on Tuesday to see if there was anything obvious.<br />
<br />
There was.<br />
<br />
But not what we thought, the lower part of his guts were full of gas. Katie phoned at lunchtime to say he was on his way to theatre and she's let us know how he was doing later that afternoon.<br />
It didn't look good, his colon was distended and virtually black and the whole GI tract was in stasis. No foreign object was found and biopsies were taken. He came through the surgery well and began to recover. We went to see him on Wednesday taking boiled chicken and pasta (we're old hands at this). He didn't like being at the vets and wasn't really eating properly, sulking Katie called it. Thursday afternoon he was deemed fit enough to come home. He was delighted to see us and pleased to be coming home. He couldn't settle and paced back and forth until we thought if you don't lie down you'll fall down. He has so many pills he should rattle, this is just one dose!<br />
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Nearly two dozen across three doses in one day. Now he was home he was eating well but hadn't done a dump yet.<br />
His first check up was on Friday morning with another booked for Saturday morning. Friday morning he was up and about again, quite bright and interested in life, he left a lovely deposit on the car park and Rob declared him well enough not to need to come back on Saturday but we would be back on Tuesday for Katie to check on his progress, stitches and hopefully have bloods and biopsy results. Huge sighs of relief all round.<br />
<br />
Once again the blasted hound took things into his own paws. Saturday morning he ate his breakfast and seemed to be doing OK but by 11:30 he wouldn't take his pills in juicy chicken morsels and I ended up putting them down his throat. By three he was burning up and radiating heat. Emergency call to Eastgate, Helen would come and look at him. His temperature at half past three was 40.4 (should be 38.5). We would trying bringing his temp down with cool damp towels and fans, he had a shot of loxicom too. It didn't work, at five his temp was still 40.1, this was relayed to Helen and as expected once again we were back to Eastgate. Helen and Laura met us, Finnegan slouched into room two and lay down on his already prepared bed. It was decided that they would open him up again there and then. We hugged him and once again said our goodbyes. Helen phoned at around nine to say he had come through the surgery well; it was, as we'd feared, peritonitis, the colonic biopsy had come apart and was leaking. They'd cleaned him up, checked the rest of his guts which were pink and looking healthy (one good thing), repaired the leaking biopsy site and double stitched it back up (I think they would have superglued and stapled it too if that would have helped) and left him with a open drain - in other words only partially sewed him up again to let all the foul smelling the fluid leak out. When he was running the extreme temperature his scrotal skin had become inflamed and damaged so we'd agreed to a castration at the same time as the surgery, as being the quickest and easiest solution. Because Laura decided on using the open drain technique it was thought that a surgical wound so close to the 'grot' was not a good idea so Finn was left intact (for now). The next 24 hours were critical. He was left in peace with IV fluids, anti-everything and painkillers. His dressings were changed every two hours (even through the night). Helen phoned early Sunday morning to say he was still with us and looking a little brighter, he'd been out in the garden and done a puddle but they weren't going to offer any food yet. She'd phone again later with another update, which she did at just after six. He was improving, looking much brighter and had taken a little turkey, everyone was very pleased with him. Once again she'd phone in the morning. Monday (10/9) the improvements continued, the drainage fluids were decreasing in volume, looking much cleaner and no longer smelly. Tuesday morning Katie's back on duty and takes over Finnegan's case again. The bloods have come back and he's in the lowest risk group for cardiac events, you can never rule it out but it looks unlikely. The biopsies are back too showing that he has Irritable Bowel Disease but throughout the whole GI tract, she didn't take a sample from his stomach but looking at how far up the tract the IBD is showing it seems likely and sensible to assume his stomach is affected too. In addition the gut is highly reactive, so he's allergic to something. As if that's not enough on the microscopic level he's got 'leaky guts' meaning that proteins (including the allergens) escape his digestive system and infiltrate the whole body. On the positive side there is no evidence of any tumours or any markers either. And even better they're planning to sew him up again and do the castration. He came through this latest surgery well but by the evening his ear is pouring with green pus, it wasn't yesterday or this morning but now...<br />
All things being equal we can collect him on Wednesday.<br />
Wednesday (12/9) lunchtime Katie phones to say he's raring to come home. No poo yet but he's eating well and although he's listening to classic fm is just lying around being bored and she thinks he'll recover better at home. Needless to say we're there within an hour and he's home. Which so far is where he's stayed giving Mum her favorite birthday pressie of a normal dump on the yard (well she's strange, plus she's his official poo monitor, I deal with pills and gunky ears!).<br />
<br />
He's steadily improved, eaten more, gained more energy, shown more interest in the world and is even trying to play with labradors again. We had a watchful 48 hours after he started dumping again but he came through without any further disruption. He had his stitches out on Thursday, having healed well, and more bloods taken because now we start trying to work out the root cause and look at future management - Dr House is in the house! We're weaning him back onto his normal euk and bonios so that in a few weeks when all the usual proteins are back in his system we can do an allergy test. We're all hoping it comes back for something easily excludeable, like wheat, easier for dogs than for people.<br />
And yesterday's light bulb, <a href="http://black-labrador.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/and-what-do-you-do-on-saturday.html">OMG moment with the plaster</a> may have a role to play or there again it could be a complete red herring.<br />
<br />
Watch this space...<br />
<br />
<br />Kerryn Humphreyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09349669043255005721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-9569466480165205762012-09-22T16:13:00.000+01:002012-09-22T16:13:02.147+01:00And what do you do on Saturday?I'll bet it wasn't to chisel plaster off two walls!<br />
<br />
We think Finnegan may have been eating the ancient plaster (and 1910's paint - eek) in his dog house - there goes another one or three of his lives.<br />
So today I've taken all the loose, damaged and scratched plaster off two walls and painted over other dodgy looking bits and where the original green paint is showing through.<br />
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<br />
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Hebe is so excited, "look, Finnegan, it's PINK!" and "Oh, and so am I - oops."<br />
<br />
<br />
It's not pink just for Hebes, it was the first colour I found that wasn't green or white and we want to see if the hooligan tries to munch any more and to stop any attempts to lick the (probably poisonous) green paint.<br />
<br />
Oh yes, and meet our resident Porpoise - it gets cross, swims off its
wall and gets into the middle of conversations. (take that apart and
put it back in a different order and....). This wall has been used for years for laying off brushes, thus the odd collection of colours and somehow one of my blues took on the shape of a dolphin; having got the head the tail wasn't entirely accidental.<br />
Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-5741711109816958512012-08-30T11:49:00.001+01:002012-08-30T11:49:48.440+01:00We're not singing in the rain anymore OK, enough is enough. We're fed up now. Even Hebe is wondering when it will all stop.<br />
<br />
It's not a glorious feeling and although we might still be singing, we're not happy about it and certainly no longer dancing in the puddles, even small black is carefully walking around the edge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gsSRxxnLkMo/UD9DH02ddCI/AAAAAAAAATI/CUUBSvpTxAc/s1600/Soggydoggy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gsSRxxnLkMo/UD9DH02ddCI/AAAAAAAAATI/CUUBSvpTxAc/s320/Soggydoggy.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I'm wet enough now, Bean.<br />
Do we have to go out again?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ecZF8Tzzv_s/UD9DIoZaxEI/AAAAAAAAATM/LL8cYnnvynU/s1600/WetHound.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ecZF8Tzzv_s/UD9DIoZaxEI/AAAAAAAAATM/LL8cYnnvynU/s320/WetHound.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a hound, I don't do wet.</td></tr>
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Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-62859791619021002322012-08-29T17:22:00.003+01:002012-08-30T11:38:55.697+01:00He's only done it againFurther adventures in the life of Finnegan the Foolish Hooligan.<br />
He's caught the top of his tail on something. It's oozy, gooey and gunky, nice. And now has been clipped to expose the damage for cleaning and treatment.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One raw, gooey patch - not for the faint hearted!</td></tr>
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Now for the rest of his medical bulletin (oh, yes there's more); he's got an appointment with Eastgate's new toy next Tuesday - they're getting a digital x-ray machine. Katie has booked his private room out because he'll need a spot of tranquillizer to lie still for long enough, we're looking at his heart and lungs and being such a huge beast one shot doesn't cover the whole picture - it could be three and possibly a scan too. Like Maia he's huffing and puffing, but unlike her he's only two and is also a little lethargic, plus his bloodline isn't too great on cardiac matters. Fortunately Laura has just finished a cardiac course so he'll be in the best of hands, with his very own Mandy to soothe his furry brow and stop him destroying the door!<br />
Oh, you stupid boy - who'd have a hound?Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-82471871298284319452012-08-17T14:59:00.003+01:002012-08-17T14:59:44.693+01:00Dur, what? Don't bother me...Hebe's feeling a little 'zonked'. <br />
There's a party at the other end of the village tomorrow evening and they're having display standard fireworks, the whizz-bangs will bounce down the valley and echo off the hill in front of us. So the anti-firework herbs came out of the cupboard yesterday, three doses in and she's rather sleepy.<br />
Finger's crossed she stays that way until Sunday morning!<br />
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Our wonderful herbalist vet describes it 'Noise Phobia' (but can't spell Humphreys, oh well can't have everything) here's Hebe's 'script, mostly lavender plus four more. We start two days pre-event with two doses, and depending upon her reaction two or three more the next day followed by a full day's knock out on the day of the fireworks. It's warm so we'll have the windows open meaning that she'll hear more than we'd like but the distraction of being allowed to play with a tennis ball in the house usually does the trick. fingers crossed.<br />
There's another one (party that is) in a couple of weeks time so we'll do it all again then.<br />
<br />Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-813479334143450966.post-69971046349717169462012-08-03T11:13:00.000+01:002012-08-03T11:13:16.883+01:00Finnegan and the balesFinally it stopped raining which meant that the Mill Green could be cut. As usual the outside strip of good, dock free, grass was cut, turned and baled first. Finn wasn't sure about the tractor, a shiny new blue one, but it trundled past and went away, and then did it again. He decided it was was OK and settled down in his usual flat out "couldn't care less" pose. The baler was also greeted with equanimity leaving only a single bale from the cut strips in front of the house. However a couple of days later when the machinery returned to cut, turn and eventually bale the main middle section Finnegan was not happy. The tractor went down one way turned round and came back, turned again and trundled past again, and again. Couldn't it see that this was most out of order, Finnegan had to watch each pass, his huge head swinging one way and then the next, how he didn't get Wimbledon neck I don't know. At last the cut was finished and he could relax, only the next day another tractor came and did it all again (turning the grass this time) and again had to be watched every step of the way. Next up was the baler, which Mum swore blind looked like a guinea pig regurgitating the big round bales, I'm not sure who found the baling operations more interesting the hound or his owner. Anyway finally everything was cut and baled.<br />
<br />
But then...<br />
<br />
Thief in the day time. And then a low down yellow bellied thief came and stole all Finnegan's bales!<br />
<br />
As the loader trundled around gathering up the bales and putting them on a flat bed trailer Finn was most put out, it was stealing and it was stealing HIS bales. He had to tell it to leave them alone and as he was inside and the thief was outside he decided that high volume was necessary otherwise it wouldn't hear him. Every bale that was 'stolen' was a cause of great concern. 30 or so later he finally began to realise that they weren't coming back and that the 'thief' wasn't listening - or maybe they were simply beyond the area he considers his but for whatever reason he stopped barking, much to everyone's relief.Kerrynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00773805717887113509noreply@blogger.com0