Spring is Sprung, the gras is ris, I wonder where the Jed blog is

Sorry everyone - still haven't written my holiday report or updated you on any news for a while. I have been very busy helping Richard in the garden. We've had to move lots of soil from the front to the back of the house. I've been in charge of rounding up the wheelbarrow and also digging up the earth once Richard's spent ages flattening it ready to lay the lawn.

I did take time out 2 weeks ago to go to Badminton horse trials with Wendy and Eleanor next door and my best friend Sandy. We had a great time in the sunshine and a very long walk. I got a new toy from one of the stands. We've named him Mr Giblets. I've included some pictures of our day out.


Me looking all noble


My friend Sandy


Me and Mr Giblets

Dog training classes have started again and I'm in the advanced class now - takes me about half an hour each week to get over the excitement of the car journey and other dogs before I start paying attention - I just want to play not learn. Have also had a one to one session and Wendy and Richard now have lots of things to practice.

My recall is getting better. Yesterday morning I was off the lead and a deer was about 20 feet from me. Wendy shouted 'stop!' (a new command) and I stopped just long enough for her to put the lead on so I couldn't chase the deer.

Garden is getting near completion - I've been banned from one area as it has grass seed on and the other area will be out of bounds too by the end of the weekend. I have to keep jumping over next door for a number 2 - luckily they're nice people.

I enjoyed the hot weather and BBQ last weekend and have no intention of getting in that swimming pool thing - I'm not a water dog.

Not dead

Hi - just a note to all my readers to let you know I'm not dead and have not been given up for adoption.

I've been really busy lately and haven't had time to update my blog. I've had a lovely holiday in Dorset and met all the Axford clan and went on some nice walks.

Will write soon with a backdated report of my holiday.

Went on a nice walk at the weekend to a place called Badminton where they have something called 'Horse Trials' in a few weeks. It was a big green park with some things called 'jumps' which we walked around and stopped and had a picnic.

I have decided to compile a list of things dogs shouldn't do:

Things Dogs Shouldn't Do - Item 1
Never, ever cock your leg and pee on a wire fence that makes a clicking sound. I made the mistake of doing this on Saturday. Apparently those clicking fences are electric and pee conducts electricity. Ow!!!! - did I yelp - kept checking my private parts were intact for the next half an hour.

This week I've been helping Richard in the garden - we've had 20 tonnes of topsoil delivered and Richard has to move it all by wheelbarrow to the back of the house. I'm being a big help by chasing the wheelbarrow and waiting while he loads/unloads it at the other end. It's easy this landscape gardening lark - not sure why Richard's huffing and puffing about it.

Good Dog, Bad Dog

Well it's been ages since I've written and a lot has happened.

Bad Dog

I'm in the dog house (literally) after a couple of running off instances over the last few weeks.

The first time I raced off after a deer one morning and would not come back no matter how much Wendy & Richard called me. Wendy had to call work and ask to work from home so she could wait for me to come back - I came back 2 hours later - wet, muddy and very tired.

The second time I was even naughtier and could have been shot so I'm told. I escaped from the garden and made it into the field behind where I chased some sheep. The farmer didn't see me and I didn't chase them for long (they had nowhere to go as it's a small field unlike deer who jump fences).

I'm now confined to staying on the lead on most of my walks which I don't like at all.

Wendy's applied for me to go on Dog Borstal to be sorted out and is also in contact with some specialist trainers to try and help me with something called recall.

Good Dog

On the plus side I had the last of my training sessions this side of Easter yesterday (starts again in May) and I was a real star.

We played games as there was only 4 of us and I was easily the best at all of them. However in the sense of fairness everyone got a prize so I got my prize for the position change game.

We had to do 'sit, down, stand' as many times in a minute as possible - I did 11 (that's 11 sits, then downs, then stands) - that's nearly a complete set every 5 seconds - fast or what? The 2nd place dog did 5 so I was streets ahead. I had a nice chewey stick thing that I really enjoyed.

We're off on holiday to Dorset for a week on Friday - hopefully I'll be allowed off the lead there - apparently I'm going to get a lot of training next week - not sure whether to be happy about that or not.

My First Shopping Trip

Tonight when Wendy got home from work, Wendy and Richard put my harness on, put me into the car and took me to the shops.

We went to Jollyes pet superstore as they had to get some food for Biggles and I. Dogs are allowed in the store and boy was it exciting. It smelt fantastic and I was like a Bisto dog walking around with my nose in the air.

Wendy and Richard said I could choose something special as a treat so I chose a 'Postman's leg' from one of the big bins.

When we got home, I was given my treat and it kept me quiet for hours. Richard took the main bone away for another day but I still had lots of bits to chew. I'm very tired now and hardly have the energy to chew any more. Perhaps they'll let me have some more tomorrow.

The New School - Week 2

Well we went to school again last night and Richard came too. The nice lady Jo was there again. There were 2 new dogs this week and one of their owners used to go to school with Wendy. The big white German shepherd was a bit hormonal and barky last night and kept going for other dogs. He's very big and is obviously too much for his owner and hadn't had a walk that day.

Wendy had 3 different tubs of treats - smoked sausage, cheese and smackos - boy was I a good job. I did pretty much everything I was asked to do and again became 'demo dog' - Richard said everyone was saying how good I was.

Last night we did

• Walk to heel (I was really good at this when Wendy had sausage in her hand and did this on and off the lead


• Sit and stay


• Lie down and stay


• Stand and stay (not so good at this one - I stand but then sit down again)


• Walk to heel, stop, sit at owners side, let owner walk on a bit while dog stays, call dog to heel, stop, lie down at owners side, repeat


• Retrieving - I was suprisingly good at this so for me Jo made it harder and threw the ball whilst telling me to stay and then we only fetched the ball when she was ready then bought it back (I'm still not good at this outside but now have some tips on how to help with this)

Was exhausted when we got home from all the mental stimulation so crashed out. Can't wait until next week - I am going to train towards my Kennel Club Bronze Good Citizen award now.

A Good Weekend

Well I had a nice weekend. My tummy is better now. Eleanor and Mike next door have 2 extra dogs staying with them so I went over to play on Saturday morning. There is a golden retriever who's quite bouncy and the two of us had a whale of a time running round and round the garden jumping all over each other.

My safety harness arrived which allows me to sit on the back seat of the car (on a blanket of course) and then be safely plugged into the seatbelt mechanism. I'm much happier on the back seat and don't get thrown around so much. On Saturday I was bundled into the car for a short journey to a place called Wick. We then did a 2.7 mile circular walk which was very interesting. We went through a nature reserve with lots of trails (so more to go back and explore later) - then we scrambled up a steep hill (quite short) up to Wick Rocks where we had a good view over the quarry. Then we walked across a small field where Richard threw the ring. He misjudged the wind and it landed in a tree. Funny how every time it lands in a tree it's a prickly hawthorn - tee hee. Richard had to climb the tree to get the ring back.

We walked down a lane for a bit past some nice houses and a farm then turned onto a footpath across a big field. There were 2 other dogs - an old English sheepdog and a fat German shepherd. The sheepdog was quite young and good fun - the shepherd was too fat to run fast though he'd have liked the ring - I think he was quite impressed with it.

All too soon we were back at the car and it was time for us to go home - Wendy and Richard went to see Emily, Jack, Ian and Kristine in the 37th Gangshow on Saturday night so I was on my own again so I just slept.

I ate some very strange dog treats on Saturday. They were orange and squishy and I took them from Wendy's bedside table. She says they were ear plugs - they didn't taste very nice - Wendy said I wasn't meant to eat them but as they're small and soft they probably wouldn't do me any harm.

A New School

My exciting weekend at the caravan has played havoc with my digestion. I've had an attack of the runs.

When Wendy came home at lunchtime yesterday I was nowhere to be found. She eventually tracked me down in the bathroom where I'd managed to shut myself in. I'd left a rather nasty poop pile on the floor for her to clean up (well I couldn't make it onto the loo).

Had a suprise trip out last night. Wendy put me into the car and we drove for about 20 minutes (I was good and not sick at all). We parked and Wendy took me out of the car and there were other dogs - it was a dog school.

The class was only 6 dogs - a labrador, a retriever, a cocker spaniel, a King Charles spaniel and a big white thing that looked like an albino alsatian - oh and me of course.

It was inside which was good (no sitting in the mud) and was taken by a nice lady called Jo. Wendy quickly found out where she'd been going wrong with my training - basically the wrong treats. Jo had sausage and cheese and for that I was prepared to do almost anything I was told. Several times she used me as the demonstration dog and said how good I was. Wendy had a pocket full of kibble so couldn't compete - she'd better sort it out next week or I'm going to live with Jo.

This school was much better than my last one. We were always doing something - here's what we did:

• Sit


• Down


• Stay - in sit, down and stand


• Walk to Heel with direction changes


• Socialisation - walking round the room and then being good and sitting/staying quietly when our owners stopped to talk to each other


• Walking though doorways - letting owners go first and only coming through when asked

Jo also checked all our leads and collars were safe and on properly and that our identity tags complied with the law. 5 out of the 6 of us had wrong tags. By law they have to have your owner name, address and phone number - mine just had my name and phone number.

So we're all on the way to our first Kennel Club award and I think I'm going to enjoy this class as Jo is very nice and helpful.

Now if I can only do something about the runny tummy. I got Wendy up 3 times in the night and needed to be let out so this morning I had to have the special vet food for upset tummies. Wendy said she can't wait to go home at lunchtime today and see if I've left her another pressie.

My First Holiday - Day 2

Boy was it cold last night - even though the caravan has heating and double glazing I was a bit chilly so when Richard was asleep I snuck up onto his bed for a bit of a snuggle. I know I'm not really allowed on the bed but I was clean and I had a good excuse and I helped Richard keep warm too.

I woke up at my usual time of 7.15 wanting my breakfast so Wendy begrudgingly climbed out of her warm bed to feed me. I was desperate to go to the loo after all the excitement so Wendy took me for a walk around the camp and up to the sea front. We'd just got back and Little Nanny came out of her bedroom all dressed up to take me for a walk!!!

So Wendy had a cup of tea and then the 3 of us went out again. The sun was up but it was still really cold. We went down to the beach and the sea had disappeared but there was lots more sand. I had great fun for about an hour chasing the aerobie ring - there was hardly anyone about.

Then we went around to the farm shop to collect a paper and back to the caravan for breakfast. After breakfast we climbed into Baggy's car (I sat on the back seat with Wendy and Little Nanny) and we went to somewhere called Horner. I was very good in the car and wasn't sick.

From Horner we walked up through the woods for ages - the smells were fantastic and I had an excellent time running all over the place. Richard and Baggy kept teasing me by throwing rocks into the undergrowth so I'd think it was an animal. A couple of times I ran off on the trail of a fresh scent but always came back. After about an hour we climbed out of the trees to a place called Ley Hill which was open moorland. It was time for the ring then and I had lots of fun hiding behind the gorse and bounding over the heather.



Then we walked on, down a lane and then alongside a small river/stream for ages. Richard threw the ring into the water to see if I'd fetch it. I really wasn't too sure but knew I had to save my favourite toy so went an put my nose in - boy was it cold. Richard nearly fell in the river too - that was funny!

I got onto the hot scent of some red deer and ran off for a while but the rest of my 'pack' waited for me. Finally we made it back to the car and I jumped in without a grumble and slept most of the way back to the caravan.

We had a rest for about an hour then it was time for us to head home in the car. I sat in the back and fell asleept with my head on Wendy's lap all the way home and wasn't sick at all.

I had a lovely weekend and really like 'holidays' although it was nice to be home last night - I even missed Biggles. Apparently I'm going on another longer holiday in about a month - I can't wait.

Tonight I'm off to a new dog school to try and become a Kennel Club Good Citizen - more news on that soon.

My First Holiday - Day 1

Well - what an adventure. I've just come back from my first holiday to Little Nanny and Baggy's caravan in Blue Anchor near Minehead.

We went down on Saturday morning and again I nearly made it all the way there without being sick.

A caravan is like a small house. It was very nice but I wasn't allowed on the sofa and there wasn't room for me to run around inside and throw my ball like there is at home.

The best thing about a caravan is that there are lots of people in it to make a fuss of you and it's really easy to see when anyone goes to the kitchen so you increase your chance of being able to pilfer some food.

Another good thing about caravans is that they tend to be near places called 'beaches'. Beaches are lovely big parks with no grass and something called sand and pebbles Sand is lovely to run on and very soft on your feet. The only problem with sand is that it doesn't taste very nice and sticks to your tennis ball and aerobie ring. At the edge of the beach is something called the 'sea' - the sea is like a big river but it tries to jump and grab you when you run near the edge. The sea is also rubbish when you're thirsty - it looks like water but it's all salty.



On Saturday afternoon Wendy, Richard, Little Nanny and I walked along the beach to Minehead (about 4 miles). Baggy was lazy and stayed in the caravan to sleep and watch football. It was a great walk - we met lots of other dogs and I ran and ran.

When we got to Minehead we went to somewhere called a 'station' and bought some tickets including a special 'dog ticket' for something called the West Somerset Railway.



I was then let into a strange room which was a bit like a caravan but there was no kitchen just seats. About 5 minutes later there was a jolt and a rumble and the room started to move!!! In no time at all we were at another station and imagine my suprise when I left the room to find we were back at Blue Anchor - it was magic. Apparently the moving room is called a train.

By the time we got home it was time for tea and then I just slept for the rest of the night.

Tanks and Plains

Well it's been a while since I've written and what a lot's happened.

On the 9th February I had the longest car journey I'd had since I came over from Ireland.

Wendy and Richard took me to a village in Wiltshire called West Lavington. We did walk number 6 on this website http://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/site/things-to-do/activities/walking.

It was a lovely circular walk and there was woodland and open plains. We could hear tanks firing in the distance but didn't see any soldiers even though I tried to hunt them out.

It was a lovely warm sunny day and on the 6 mile walk we hardly saw a soul. I saw a deer which I chased (as per usual) - Wendy and Richard apparently saw 2 other deer which I'd flushed out bound away over the plain but I didn't see them.

I think Richard may have broken the world record (0.25 miles) for throwing of the aerobie ring. I had such fun chasing it.

I nearly made it all the way to West Lavington without being sick in the car - literally was ill in the last 5 minutes. I was so tired on the way back though I just fell asleep on Wendy's lap in the back of the car and didn't wake up until we got home.

It was a lovely day and I hope we do lots more like it.

Oh deer I'm in trouble

Well since writing last, Wendy and I have had a bit of an adventure and I'm in trouble.

The other morning we were doing our normal walk and I was off the lead and running a bit ahead having a good sniff around (as us dogs do). Imagine my suprise when I went around the corner and ran smack into a small deer. The deer was as suprised as me and rather than running just sat down. Wendy came around the corner and thought the deer was maybe injured but that thought went out of her mind when it saw her and took off.

Of course I thought that was part of the game so ran after it. Through the barbed wire fence, down the hill, across the cow field, through some brambles. Several times the deer stopped seemingly exhausted and I just led down next to it. Then we'd be off again - me barking at the top of my voice. Now I didn't want to hurt the deer - I just wanted it to play with me and my favourite game happens to be chase.

Meanwhile Wendy's trying to track me down. She's calling and whistling and can hear me barking but I won't come back (sorry Wendy but you just aren't as interesting). So Wendy gets on her tummy and crawls under the barbed wire fence - makes her way through the brambles and catches up with us almost in Swineford - both sitting on the grass. As Wendy draws closer the deer runs off again and I go too. At this point Wendy gives up. She had to go to work and figured I'd come home when I was hungry.

Rather than go back through the brambles and barbed wire she thought she'd make her way onto the main footpath. All she needed to do was make her way through a muddy gateway the cows often congregate in and then she'd almost be there. So in went one foot (in a welly boot), then a second step, then a third.....oh no Wendy couldn't make a third step because her foot and welly was completely stuck in the mud. So she tried to move the other foot - same problem. She tried using both her hands to tug her foot and boot out of the mud but still no luck. Eventually she had to resort to taking her foot out of one welly, putting her socked foot in the mud and pulling out the stuck welly. With one foot on slightly firmer ground she managed to get the other foot out. Not wanted to put the muddy sock inside the welly she removed her sock and put her bare foot in the welly. It was at about this point that I showed up to help (Wendy stuck in the mud became more interesting than the deer).

So we headed home having given up on the idea of trying to get to the path we had to go back through brambles and barbed wire fencing. Wendy's wellies (a bit big anyway) were rubbing the back of her heel. We eventually arrived home much later than normal and Wendy had to rush to get ready for work. She literally looked like she'd been pulled through a hedge backwards. Bits of twig in her hair, mud on her feet, hands and face, bleeding legs from the brambles and a bleeding heel from the wellington boot. All her clothes had to go straight in the wash and she was not best pleased with me.

Still - I'd had a great run which I don't normally get in the morning and slept the rest of the morning away dreaming about what a good time I had.

Playing Truant

Another week gone by - doesn't time fly when you're having fun.

My friend Sandy is on holiday this week so I've mostly been walking on my own. On Saturday morning as we set off, we met Fiona who has a lovely golden cocker spaniel girl called Hetty. Fiona was going to the shops and taking Hetty with her. When Hetty saw we were going for a walk she wanted to come with us and wouldn't get in the car. Wendy said we'd take her with us so I had a new lady friend for that walk. Hetty was a bit fussy for me - she doesn't like getting wet and muddy something I excel in.

Because school wasn't good last week, this week Wendy and I played truant and didn't go. Wendy and Richard are going to check another training school out tomorrow night but they're not taking me. They think it would be good to watch some sessions at other training clubs before deciding on where to send me.

Little Nanny came up yesterday and the four of us went for a nice walk up in the woods. It was lovely weather this weekend although the ground is still quite muddy. Because the weather was a bit better, Wendy and Richard spent some time in the back garden at the weekend - that was good for me as I got lots of 'bonus play' because they kept throwing a tennis ball for me. I had a few mental setter moments this weekend too - that's when I just go mad and run around a lot.

Wendy and Richard say I'm a lovely dog and can't believe how much I've changed since they originally got me less than 3 months ago. I've put on a bit of weight and filled out but there's not an ounce of fat on me - I'm just a muscly boy from all the running and jumping I do.

I'm really good at commands in the house now - sit, down, stand, come, stay, wait - I can do them all. It's a bit of a different story outside - there's so much more to distract me!!!

Still have a tendency to want to chase cars which I need to grow out of. I also don't like getting in the car still but did have 2 short trips in the car last week without being sick so that's a bit of progress.

Raindrops keep falling on me Jed

Well it continues to rain, I continue to get muddy and Wendy dispairs of every being able to keep the kitchen floor clean. I'm finding this wet weather very tiring as is Richard. Check out this snap Wendy took on Sunday - I opened my eyes just at the wrong moment so there's a bit of flashback but don't the 2 of us look sweet?

I'm still getting lots of nice walks despite the rain. This week in the woods I bought Richard a present - a nice, maggot ridden deer head complete with antlers. Now obviously I didn't kill the deer myself but you'd have thought Richard would have been a bit more grateful!!!

Went to school on Saturday but it really wasn't very good. The class was far too big and the field very muddy and it was raining. I got very bored waiting around for my turn and the lady instructor gives little/no help or advice. Wendy was also not happy so is going to arrange for me to go to a new school - we have 2 to choose from but Wendy and Richard are going to observe some classes first. First thought Wendy and Richard are going to get me some help from the TTouch people at Tilley Farm as I'm still really sick in the car and don't like getting in at all. http://www.tilleyfarm.co.uk/

When we got back from school on Saturday, Wendy took me for a walk (Richard was at a band practice) and then when we came back we both had a hot shower. Because it was so horrid outside, this time I was allowed to have a shower in the bath itself - boy was I muddy and did I make a mess of the bathroom!!!

2 days later and I'm muddy again - hey ho!

Water, Water Everywhere

Well what a wet horrid week it's been.

Wendy & Richard went to take me to owner school on Saturday and we couldn't go through Swineford because the road was blocked by the river Avon overflowing!!!

The journey there and back is 40 minutes when we can't go through Swineford so I was late for school.

It was a bit of a rush and I was a bit unsettled when I got into the class. I'd been promoted from the group I was in last week and the dogs in the new group were bigger. Because I hadn't had a chance to sniff the dogs before the class, when it came to the walking to 'heel' bit of the class I was a bit too interested in the other dogs.

I did very well on the 'sit', 'down', 'stand' work this week although I still won't do 'down' just on the voice command - only when Wendy actually bends down and tempts me with a treat. Well come on - what do they expect - would you lie on muddy wet grass without some kind of incentive?

I was good on the 'stay' this week and stayed put while Wendy walked around the square and came back to me.

I was OK on the 'wait' when Wendy walked to the other side of the square but not so good on the recall. Wendy called me and the trainer needed to give me a bit of a nudge to make me move.

The journey home seemed very long and I really don't like the car. I was very sick and was foaming/salivating at the mouth when we eventually arrived back.

The vet said I have to keep going on short journeys and also have some time sitting in the car without going anywhere. He thinks I'm stressed rather than motion sick. I have to get used to the car as we're going on something called a holiday in 2 months and that's a long way away.

Walked down to Swineford with Wendy, Richard and Sandy the dog from next door on Saturday. The field we normally play Aerobie Ring in wasn't even there any more - the river had overflowed and it was a lake!! Had a good run in another field and met a nice man with a pointer. The pointer and I had a great run chasing each other all over the field - could have done that all day. Sandy's a nice chap but he's still overweight and older than me so is a bit slower.

My new Aerobie Rings arrived from America last week and boy do they fly!!! I'd chewed the last one so it didn't fly very far but the new ones go for hundreds of yards. I'm not entirely great at bringing them back yet - I enjoy the chase far more but Richard's getting lots of exercise picking them up.

Anyway - I think that's about it for now. I'm a bit muddy so need to look all forlorn and unloved (best abandoned rescue dog look) and maybe Wendy will take pity on me and give me a nice brush - she falls for it every time!!!

First Day at School

What an exciting day I've had. Wendy took me for a short walk this morning then at lunchtime Wendy & Richard put me in the car and took me to the vets. I'm still not very good at travelling and was sick in my dog bag again.

Anyway, when we got to the vets, instead of going in we went to the field behind. There were lots of other dogs and I discovered I was going to 'Owner School'. Wendy and I were put into the middle of 3 classes. The first thing I did was teach Wendy to say 'sit', when she said that I sat down and trained her to feed me a treat.

Then I trained her to say 'heel' while I walked very close to her left hand side. The trainer made Wendy stop every now and then and I had to sit every time she stopped without her saying anything.

We did some weaving in and out of other owners and dogs. Some of those dogs got sooooo excited but I'm used to other dogs so walked without taking any notice.

Then we did some 'stay' - basically this involved me sitting down and training my owner to walk round a big circle of other owners and dogs and come back to me. Wendy was quite good at this but a bit slow so while I sat at the beginning, I got a bit bored and went to meet her a few times.

Finally we did some recall. That involved me sitting (again) while Wendy walked away having told me to 'wait'. I was very good and stayed put. Wendy then called me with a treat in her hand and I started to run to her but then there was a really interesting smell in the grass so I got a bit sidetracked. I think I probably failed that test and need to do a bit more work.

Wendy and I have homework to do before next week. We need to concentrate on 'down' and 'heel'.

We were so good that we're being moved into the top class of the 12.45 group next week. Once we're good at that we can move to a different time.

After class we went down to the river and I had a good walk and run. Very tired now so will have my tea and then a long nap.

New Years Resolutions

Well - here's the shot you've all been waiting for. Biggles and I have made a new years resolution to try and get on with each other better.

Am I earning brownie points or what?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Well - apologies to my regular readers as yet again it's been a while since I wrote.

Wendy's been off work for 11 days for something called 'Christmas'. I have decided I like 'Christmas'. 'Christmas' seems to be comprised of:
- Lots of walks with both owners
- Visitors who want to play with dogs
- A big roast bird called a Turkey which tastes very nice
- Presents and toys for dogs
- Afternoons watching television and sleeping off morning walks and treats

Unfortunately 'Christmas' also seems to be a time for humans to catch something called a 'cold' - it's not like catching a rabbit - the only thing that runs is the human's noses. Wendy and Richard both caught colds for 'Christmas' - they say it's not very nice.

I have had lots of presents including:
- The Dastardly Book for Dogs which is full of good tips like how to escape from the garden and what's good to chew
- A whole bag of tennis balls (I go through them quite quickly)
- A tennis ball launcher - the ball now goes much further
- A chewy ring for fetching or playing tug with

As a dog it's good to hang out around peoples feet at 'Christmas'. People aren't allowed to feed me treats or tidbits whilst they're eating. There is however no rule about me being quick off the mark should they drop something. Wendy and Richard say they're going to rename me Jed Grrr Hoover (apparently after someone famous).

I had to go to the vets during 'Christmas' for a kennel cough vaccination so I can start school on Saturday. The nasty man at the vets stuffed something up my nose!

Have had some nice walks in some new locations. I am a bit sick in the car at the moment (I don't know what the fuss is about because I clean it up myself - I think it tastes better second time around). The vet says I need to go on more journeys to get used to it so Wendy and Richard have been taking me for short journeys. I wasn't sick yesterday.

Richard lost me the other day because I ran after a man on a mountain bike. Well he came past us so quickly I had to chase him. Luckily he rode the bike back past our house and when I got that far I decided to give up. Nobody was home though so I went next door to call for my new friend Sandy.

Sandy and I have become firm friends - he's a rescue dog like me only a bit older and fatter. Richard is going to get him slim and fitter by taking him out on walks with me. We've had several walks together now and it's lots of fun. I go round and call for him and he has also taking to escaping and coming to find me.

Wendy has today gone back to the human kennels that she calls 'work'. She says she has to go to the kennels so that she can pay for my food and schooling. It looks like 'Christmas' is over and I have to wait a whole year for another one.

Oh - I wish it could be Christmas every day.