Bikes

The he boss keeps going out on his bike lately. He never takes me with him :( The she boss has taken me before now when she's been on her bike and it's good fun but not for tooo far. A long time ago, she tried to put me in the bag on the side of the bike but I was having none of that one. Grrrr. Apparently she'd seen someone else do it. What she think I got 4 legs for?
On the subject of bikes, the she boss was saying she saw lots of policemen on bikes all cycling very sensibly in line. Do you think they were doing their cycling proficiency test?!

Blue Tongues

I'm a bit worried about this 'ere Blue Tongue Disease. How do we know it won't come to dogs? After all, people get Bird Flu and they haven't got feathers. They say it only affects ruminants. Well, I ruminate on life and what I want from it frequently when left alone to gaze out of the window. Also, I eat grass pretty regularly. You just ask them in this house. So, should I be worried? I'm having a look at my tongue at least twice a day just in case and I keep showing it to the he and she boss for them to check at the back where I can't see

Yet more craziness

Just when I said we were back to normal, it all went to pot last night and what a night! First of all it was one of those nights when the she boss gets up again and she was downstairs for ages reading and drinking tea. She eventually went to bed and all was peace. For a little while.
We've got this man who comes nearly every night somewhere in the middle and puts bottles of milk outside the door. He often makes me jump so I do what all good guard dogs should do when woken and leap for the door to bark at him. Other nights, I hear him coming so just give a little bark to let him know I'm still there. Last night I heard him coming but he didn't drive off again. There was all this banging going on which was a bit scary then I heard the she boss call something out of the bedroom window to the man.
Next thing I know, she's down and opening the door for him to come in! She said something about half past four and even I know that's sleeping time. It was pouring with rain and very windy so I wondered if she just felt sorry for him but he used our phone then went out again.
We heard all the banging again but this time there was a big crash after the last bang. Then he drove off like he always does! I don't know what all that fuss was about but I hope he doesn't do that every night. I heard the she boss awake for ages again then after that. She must be tired; I know I was but at least I can go back to sleep in the day when they let me.

Craziness

This really is a crazy house I live in. Just when I think we've got some sort of routine her, it all gets blown away by something.
Today is Sunday which makes it Thursday when things all happened different. I thought everyone was going off to work. The he boss didn't but then he doesn't always. What was different was that he went out and came back in a completely different car that I've never seen before. Then at lunch time the she boss came home! She never does that when she goes to work. Not long after that, the friend Peter came. On a Thursday! Then everyone went out. I didn't see friend Peter again but the she boss came back VERY late - everyone else was in bed ages. Oh and Beth had arrived somewhere in the meantime.
Would you believe it, the she boss didn't go upstairs to bed. Instead, she slept on the camping bed downstairs. That was nice of her to keep me company. I did try sleeping by her but it gets too hot and anyway, I like my own bed better.
The he boss and Beth were up and out early on Friday and I didn't see them until really late at night, again when everyone else had gone to bed.
The she boss did all that stuff around the floors with that noisy, sucky thing on Friday instead of Saturday and then cleared off on Saturday as though she was going to work. The he boss went out to work as well on Saturday! Just what is going on?
One other thing that happened was that a new man came to see us on Friday and did some stuff to the big box on the wall by the outside door. I don't know what he did, but when he'd gone it had stopped dripping water everywhere and the house got warm again but I don't know how the 2 could be connected. Perhaps it's magic.
Today is Sunday and I think we're back to normal but you never know

Boys and little people

Back on 24th August I said I'd explain some more about me and boys and little people. Well, I used to live with another family for a little while before I came here although I was still only 6 months when the he and she boss chose me. :D Where I used to live, there were 2 children. The little girl was kind to me but her big brother was nasty and used to hit me when no one was looking. I learned to watch out for him coming and stopped trying to be nice to him. Instead, because I was scared of what he was going to do, I would growl at him and snap to warn him away.
Then I came here The trouble is, old habits die hard and I still tend to think that I'm going to get hurt when little people are around so I usually warn them to keep away. When I first came here to live, I was always on the look out and the he and she boss had to keep me very safe. I don't mind little people quite so much now but tend to just take myself out of the way. I think I'm very brave really

Food and especially grapes. Mmmmm

Have you heard the news? Apparently they're saying that grapes are poisonous to dogs!!!! Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous? I love grapes and don't think I could live without them. They're my most favourite treat. I even go shopping with the she boss and don't mind waiting in the car for as long as it takes as I know she'll have bought some grapes for us to share on the way home.
Anyway, this is what they say .......

"If your dog has ingested large quantities of raisins or grapes, (s)he will immediately begin to vomit repeatedly, and will become extremely hyperactive and jittery. After about 24 hours, the dog will become lethargic and depressed. (S)he may experience abdominal pain and may stop urinating, drinking, and/or eating. (S)he will also become dehydrated. Both his/her vomit and feces will contain partially digested raisins or grapes. His/her breathing may become irregular, and (s)he will also become hypercalcemic (high calcium concentrations) and hyperphosphosphatemic

Ultimately, without treatment, the dog will go into renal (kidney) failure, and may die a horrible very painful death. Of the 10 reported cases, only 5 dogs survived, & these only with early, aggressive, & long-term treatment"

eeeargh! I don't want that but it does say LARGE quantities. I better make sure the bosses see that so they won't leave large quantaties out to tempt me. I did eat the whole week's worth of the she boss's grapes for lunches once when she'd made the mistake of leaving them down by the door with her bag. She didn't notice for a while cos I made sure the bag was still neat and tidy and I left all the stalks in there hehe

Something else I found ......
"An increasing number of cases have been seen of raisin and grape poisoning in dogs. From available evidence, as little as seven raisins or grapes can be toxic. If you suspect your dog has eaten raisins or grapes, get him to the vet straight away. Signs of toxicity including vomiting, food refusal, diarrhoea and lethargy. Untreated, a dog will develop acute kidney (renal) failure and die."

Scary. As little as SEVEN grapes. They must be pathetic little dogs, that's all I can say. Not REAL dogs like me

Exciting things

What I said last time about taking it all back I take back again. Does that make sense? I was fed up with this lot here as they'd left me on my own at home all day for 2 days but after all that, they took me on holiday AGAIN!
We went to where Buzz used to live (see end of 6th Aug holiday blog). They've got a new dog to keep Bob company. His name is Max and he's not bad. He needs keeping in order a bit though by a more mature dog like me. We had some pretty good fun together once he'd got used to me being in his house. I don't think I'd be keen to have another dog come in my house so well done to him.

There's some really good walking from where we stay and I took Max for a walk one of the days with the she boss. I was careful to make sure he didn't take any liberties thinking he could get too close to my she boss though. There was a stile we couldn't get over without her help and I did let her pick him up.
We went to some nice places and especially to some pretty interesting gardens with very friendly people who all liked me. I made friends with a little robin at one place. He came right up to my nose!!



When we came home, Beth was here waiting for us which was exciting. She keeps turning up unexpectedly. Does she live here or not?
I wonder when my next holiday is?

Grrrrr

All that nice stuff I said last time about living here being great, I take back. TWO days now I've been on my own all day until tea time. I think they must all have gone back to work or something but I've been SOOOO bored.
Having said all that, I did have a really good walk last night chasing rabbits and things in the dark so I think the she boss must have realised it had been a long day

Bizarre happenings

You just never know what's going to happen next in this house. It's great. All sorts of people have been to see me - the usual like Beth, friend Peter, Candice, etc but yesterday we had a real unexpected visit.
The she boss was in the kitchen cooking all sorts of nice, unusual smelling things and, as it didn't look as though she was going to drop anything at all even though I'd waited ages, I went and had a lie down. She suddenly started shouting (not like her at all) and ran out the back door. I followed her out of course and there were all these boys walking up our back garden!!! Cheek of it. They walked all the way up to the back door and I had a good bark and didn't particularly like the look of the last one in particular so had a good growl around him. I don't think these were the ones the she boss was cooking for as she didn't tell me off for growling and kept shouting at them. She let them walk right through our house and out the front door!! Well, I've never seen anything like that before. The she boss was phoning someone and the he boss went off down the garden and was talking to someone in the field.
Not long after, we had 2 more visitors who were very strange. They came in this car with fancy lights on and were both dressed the same even though they obviously weren't twins. Very odd. THEY came through the front of the house and all the way down the garden but then left back through the front. They were alot more friendly and I thought they were going to stay and play with me.
It was all happening, cos not long after they'd gone, 2 ladies came especially to see me. I wish the she and he boss wouldn't keep getting in the way and talking to these visitors when I'm talking though. It would have been much more fun. It seems like they were the ones who all the nice smells in the kitchen were for. They didn't drop any bits for me either. I think they had names like Wendy and Janet or something but I do know they kept talking about my friend, Jane who smells like she's got a rabbit and guinea pig but who I haven't seen for a long time. Perhaps they know where she is. We had a nice time anyway and I hope they come again.
While they were here, some of the boys who had walked through our house came back and did the strangest thing. They talked nicely for ages to the she boss and gave her some flowers! I just don't understand what's going on but it's certainly been interesting.