Rufus

Chilli and the cow pond

2010-10-18T21:29:00.003+01:00

I took Chilli to my favourite cow pond the other day.

"Chilli, you have to keep very still then they won't see you"

" Good girl Chilli, good girl"

"Oi! Chilli, keep your head still!"

Swimming lessons

2010-09-15T20:58:00.004+01:00

I taught Chilli how to swim at the weekend. She's very good at swimming. Not as good as me but better than I was at her age. First I taught her in the shallow end, what to do. Left leg forward, right leg forward...

Then you have to run in really fast so it doesn't feel too cold.

Good girl Chilli, keep going...

Then splash around and have lots of fun!

Mums are always right

2010-08-11T21:37:00.003+01:00

Well it turns out Mum was right - I love my new sister Chilli. We play together all the time. She sleeps a lot but I lie next to her and watch her sleep, until she's ready to play again.

I get tired as well though and so does Lilah. Chilli is quite tiring to have around. Last night Chilli and Lilah played 'chase Chilli's tail' all evening.

Hang on a minute kids, where am I going to sleep??

The kids

2010-08-04T22:14:00.002+01:00

I forgot to tell you, I also have a new sister called Lilah. I LOVE Lilah but I don't know if she likes me. She keeps running up to me and hitting me on the nose. Next thing, she's chasing my tail.

Chilli has taken a liking to my bed. I'm having to put up with a lot since the new kids arrived.

Mum says I'm being very gentle and patient. Hey Chilli, is there room for me in there as well?

Chilli

2010-07-28T10:44:00.002+01:00

Well, a lot's happened since I last blogged. I had my 3rd birthday, I've moved house and I have a new sister.

I love my new house as there's a big garden and a back gate on to the Downs so I can run for miles. I'm not sure about my new sister, Chilli. Mum says once she grows a bit she'll be more fun and we'll be best mates but I'm not convinced yet.

Apparently she has the same (dog) mum as me but a different dad.

I've lent her gromit from when I was little and she loves him. She likes to chill on the sofa and have her tummy rubbed, like me. Perhaps she's not so bad...I'll let you know how we get on.

A boy's day out

2010-04-26T21:06:00.006+01:00

On Sunday I went on a Viz Whizz with 9 other males! Being all boys, we had to put a competitive edge on the day and it became the 'Men's Viz Whizz Games.'

Otto won the prize for 'longest tongue'.

Otto's Dad won the prize for 'biggest stick', (bet he couldn't carry it in his mouth though).

Raffy's been a bit more feminine since his 'op' and was in a category of his own for baton (stick) twirling.

We then bumped in to a girl called Indy and she tried to steal my prize for 'best flying dog' but was disqualified as she was a girl.

I wasn't allowed to enter the category of 'most dominant entire male' for some reason, so I stood by and judged. And the winner is...

Maybe next time some girls will come, if only to give Raffy a run for his money in the 'stick twirling' competition.

The winners' line up (l-r) Rubik, me, Oakley, Raffy, Bud, Mac, Otto, Monty.

Christmas at my Gran's in Dorset

2010-01-05T07:32:00.009Z

We went to Gran and Grandpa Pimley’s for Christmas again this year. I got some lovely presents. Uncle Peter bought me a frisbee, one of my great grans bought me a squeaky toy, and Gran and Gramps bought me a nice bone shaped hide chew. Here’s a picture of me holding it before I ripped the wrapping paper off.

At Gran’s there's no stairgate, so I can gallop up and down stairs and jump on the beds. Here I am with Mum and Dad on their bed at Gran’s.

On Boxing Day we went to the beach at Southbourne where Grampa took a photo of me doing a rather good impression of the Jaguar Cars mascot.

Here I am with Mum and Dad, hoping one of them will throw something for me.

Finally, here’s a picture of Gramps and me having a tug of war. I won after a few minutes because Gramps burst out laughing and let go of the rope.

I'm looking forward to my next visit to Grandpa's, in February. In the picture above you can just about see my smart new tartan collar, which Mum and Dad bought me to wear when I visit him, because he is Scottish :-).

The best Viz Whizz ever

2009-12-16T20:14:00.003Z

On Sunday I went on the best Viz Whizz ever. The reason it was so good was because there was a 'sheepzsla' on it and we were allowed to chase it! Mum said it was called a 'wire-haired vizsla'. I don't care what it was called - it looked like a sheep to me! The only thing that made me think maybe it was a dog was that it liked to chase sticks and I've never seen sheep do that.

Here's a picture of us chasing Oakley, the Sheepzsla.

I like Oakley. I hope he can come on every Viz Whizz!

Holiday in Dorset

2009-09-21T13:34:00.035+01:00

I've just returned from a fortnight's holiday at my Gran's in Dorset. As always, I had a great time there. Grannie and Grampa spoil me rotten. I've discovered that if I go up to their bedroom while they're having breakfast and lie down on their bed and pretend to be asleep, Gran doesn't have the heart to wake me up, and leaves me there when she goes off to work. Mum reckons I've got them right under my dew claw :-).

One day they bought me a big boney thing, called a knuckle. It was a bit greasy and smelly so I wasn't allowed to have it in the house. It was so big that they chopped it into four pieces, so I wouldn't eat too much in one go and have the runs. Here I am chewing it in the garden.

In the mornings Grampa and I go for a walk in his local field. The farmer has cut the grass and put it into big black sacks. Grampa likes to use them for target practice with my ball launcher. He's not very good at it, which means we spend ages down there while he practises, and then we have to rush back home when he realises he's going to be late for work :-).

Here he is taking aim -

... and here's where he threw it - way off target!

The weather was brilliant while I was there. Much better than it's been at home this summer. Gramps and I have been paddling and swimming and generally having lots of fun in the sea and River Stour. One day he lost my lead somewhere on the beach, and for the next couple of days I had to make do with a keyclip on the end of a piece of washing line. How embarrassing. I was half expecting to find myself on a street corner with him, selling The Big Issue :-(.

Here are some more photos -

Grampa's beach tent at Hengistbury Head

In the sea at Hengistbury Head

Posing at Hengistbury Head

In the River Stour near Longham Bridge

In the River Stour near Canford Bottom

Boys' weekend

2009-08-02T21:31:00.003+01:00

Mum and Dad were away this weekend so I got to hang out with Uncle Peter. We went in his cool sports car and met up with lots of other people who had the same car.

We weren't allowed the roof down as I don't have any goggles yet. Perhaps Uncle Peter will buy me some for next time.

It was very tiring hanging out in the sports car, looking cool. There's no bed for me to lie in so I have to sit up front. Sometimes I even try and help Uncle Peter drive as I think he must get tired too.

I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it.

2009-07-06T20:44:00.002+01:00

It's been ever so hot lately.

Do you like my new sunhat?

My 2nd Birthday

2009-05-25T19:59:00.006+01:00

I had my 2nd birthday on Friday and I've had a lovely weekend with Mum and Dad. They even took today off work to have a longer weekend with me.

I got 2 new balls for my birthday - not the type I lost last year but even better, squeaky ones. Here are some photos of me playing with them.

Time for a spot of sunbathing...

Can I go swimming now Mum?

I like birthdays Mum. Any chance I could have one every week?

I also like to spend my birthday looking at modern art. There is a new sculpture on the Downs that looks like a giant mirror. Can you see me in it?

It's pretty cool, mostly because it meant there was 2 of me.

But the best thing about my birthday was that we went sea-kayaking with Raffy and his family. I really enjoyed this but didn't think it was fair that I should have to swim along side Mum and Dad whilst they relaxed. Especially as it was MY birthday. So I told them off and took my place as cox and told them which way to paddle.

I got bored with that as well though and decided it was much better to sit on Mum's lap and have a cuddle.

Raffy decided he preferred swimming alongside which was a good call as his Mum and Dad fell off their kayak.

I hope we can go kayaking again soon. Perhaps instead of a Viz Whizz we can have a Viz-kayak race!

Now we are six

2009-05-18T21:31:00.004+01:00

Today my cat sisters are six years old. That is 3 times as old as me. That means they are much wiser and clever than me. So Mum says.

Suki is the grey one. She is the boss. Coco is the brown one. She is second in command in the house. Then Mum, then me then Dad. (Dad thinks he is before me but I dispute that).

Suki is not to be messed with. She is a biker chick. I like Suki A LOT. When I first came to live with them she was scared of me but now we are best friends.

Coco is much more sophisticated and likes wearing Mum's pretty shoes and going on picnics.

I really like Coco as well but she's not so keen on me. I think it's coz Suki was her best friend and now I have stolen her.

Sometimes (in fact a lot of the time) I get really annoyed with the cats and whine non-stop. It drives me mad that they can get to places that I can't (or at least I'm not allowed).

Sometimes they pretend to be statues and spy on me. I guess they are cleverer than me after all. Perhaps when I'm six I'll be that clever. Happy Birthday Coco and Suki.

Birthday Invitation

2009-05-04T22:34:00.000+01:00

Viz Whizz 31st May 2009

In a few weeks I will be 2 years old. Mum has said I can organise my own birthday party so please join me on Sunday 31st May at 1pm at Nymans Gardens.

Here are some links to where it is

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-nymansgarden2

http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=RH17+6EB&countryCode=GB#map=51.05078,-0.19841|12|4&bd=useful_information&loc=GB:51.05059:-0.19841:16|RH17%206EB|RH17%206EB

Mum says it is just south of Crawley and is signposted off the M23 to the east. We'll meet in the car park at 1pm.

Hope to see you there!

Love rufus

Devils Dyke Viz Whizz

2009-02-28T19:07:00.007Z

Today my friends came to Brighton to go on a Whizz on one of my regular walks. There was (l-r) Bud, Mac, Raffy, Rubik, Me and Diva.

Rubik's dad was carrying a little person in a carrier like Mum used to carry me in when I was very little. I guess she hadn't had all her injections yet so couldn't go on the ground.

Raffy's human brother could climb trees, which is a very useful skill to have. We watched carefully to see how he did it.

We did some swimming in the lake. Here are Bud and Raffy waiting to grab the stick off me and pretend they fetched it, cheeky monkeys!

On all our previous walks I wanted to form 'relationships' with Rubik. However since my balls have gone missing (still can't figure out where they've gone) I don't want to have relationships with other dogs. Instead I just barked at Rubik and Mum kept telling me to 'Ssssh'.

Humans are strange. They like to walk in lines and take it in turns to bark very quietly at each other. Raffy's human brothers are much more fun. They ran up and down the slopes with us.

What a great day I had. See you all soon!

Tree Vizslas

2008-11-15T18:23:00.004Z

I've been staying at grandma and grandpa's for a few weeks as mum went to a place called Borneo. She went to see some animals...i can't remember what she called them but I think they must be related to us Vizslas. They have longer, wirey hair and can climb trees. They look a bit like a cross between a human and a Vizsla. Very strange. I think they must be called wire-haired tree Vizslas.

The hair is definitely the same colour and they have 4 legs. The poor things don't have as handsome a face as us English land Vizslas but I reckon the fact they can climb trees makes up for that. Imagine if we could climb trees...I could catch those damn squirrels then.

I reckon this one is waiting for his belly to be rubbed, just like I do. Perhaps mum will get one as a brother or sister for me then I can send it up the trees to catch the squirrels when we're out on a walk together. Anyone else ever heard of this strange species of Vizsla?

Viz Whizz round 2

2008-10-06T21:10:00.006+01:00

On Saturday me and my mate Raffy organised another Viz Whizz. This time there was me, Mac, Bud, Raffy, Rubik and Diva. Diva was the only girl and she was only 6 months old. We were all very gentleman-ly with her.

At first I made sure I gave Mac and Bud a good telling off again, for being so handsome. This time I woofed slower as apparently they couldn't understand my southern accent last time. But they still didn't understand me so I just woofed louder.

We ventured carefully in to the water. I'd heard an old trick that if you follow the scent of the bum in front, you won't get lost. Oi, Raffy, get back in line!

While Bud and Raffy had a drink, I paddled out to see what these 'duck' creatures are all about. They seemed pretty boring and none of us were interested in them.

Mac and Raffy were mesmerised by my impression of a carp.

Mac told me there was a lovely tasty fish just below the water but I think really he was just trying to push me in, to get me back for telling him off.

We all REALLY liked Rubik and chased him around all afternoon. Mac liked to play piggy back with him and I kept nuzzling his ears. He tried to scare us off with his robo-dog eyes but that just made us like him even more.

Here we are frolicking with Rubik in the long grass. Diva was trying to round us up like a sheep dog but unfortunately she round us right into Mum so the video ended there! I was very sleepy when I got home and spent all evening dreaming of Rubik.

A walk on the Downs and a week in Dorset

2008-08-26T20:26:00.050+01:00

Hi Everyone. Sorry I've been a bit quiet recently. I spent a week in Dorset and ever since have been trying to get Grandpa to help me do my blog. Here's our update, at long last.

Saturday 2nd August

I went for a 10 mile walk along the South Downs Way with Uncle Peter, Grandpa Pimley, and three of Grandpa’s friends who are going to Nepal with him in November. Oh, and two other dogs too, a labrador and a miniature schnauzer. I barked at them quite a bit to begin with, to show them who was boss! Here’s the team photo, and a picture of us setting off into the mist.

We walked from Ditchling Beacon to Devil’s Dyke, where Mum and Dad joined us, and then walked on to Upper Beeding. The first bit is my favourite walk, and I was able to show everyone the big lake and the doggy dip pool. Here’s another couple of pictures from the walk.

After the walk Grandpa told me they had their caravan close by, and asked me if I’d like to stay with them there tonight, and then go back to Dorset with them tomorrow and stay for a week. Cor, wouldn’t I just! As you can see in the picture, at the caravan I soon settled down on their comfy cushions with a cup of coffee and tot of whisky! At bedtime though, I was relegated to the back of their car, as it is only a 2 berth caravan.

Sunday 3rd August.
I went back with G+G to their house in West Moors. To begin with it felt odd, being in the back of their car with the caravan behind. It felt like some lunatic HGV driver was about to run us down, but I soon got used to it, and settled down to sleep.

Monday 4th August
Grandpa and I went to visit a couple of his folk club chums. That was good fun. In their garden I found a seagull’s skull, and picked it up and pranced round the garden playing “Yah-boo, can’t catch me”, much to his friends’ amusement. It’s just as well I didn’t damage it though. Apparently it’s their pride and joy. Hmm, funny lot, you humans.

Tuesday 5th August
It was very wet in the morning. Grandpa took me for walk in the afternoon on a place called Ferndown Common, near where they live. He thought that was a good place to go, because the soil is fairly sandy and drains well, and so isn’t muddy. I thought it was a boring place to go, for the very same reason!

Wednesday 6th August.
Today Gran was at home and we went for a walk at Linford Bottom, where we’ve been before. This was more like it. Lots of muddy puddles here to splash around in! And a river to get clean in, afterwards, before getting back into the car, so everyone was happy.

Thursday 7th August.
Grandpa and I collected Gran from work at 3.30 and went to Hengistbury Head. Here’s a pic of Gran and me on the beach, and a pic of Grandpa trying to teach me to skim stones. Apparently even HIS Mum, who is 86, still likes to skim stones.

Friday 8th August.
Went to HH again, with Grandpa. He took his beach tent, and while he sat in his tent eating his lunch, I ran around digging big holes and flicking sand everywhere. We had a swim, and while we were swimming two men came along with two labradors. The men were throwing pretend dead pigeons into the sea for the dogs to retrieve. I wanted to join in and see if I could get to the pigeons first, but Grandpa said I ought not to, because the dogs were being trained. Huh, fancy having to be trained to fetch things back! What sort of dumb dogs were they!

In the evening I had a pleasant surprise when Mum turned up. Here’s a pic of me letting her share a bit of G+G’s sofa. I’m good that way.

Saturday 9th August.
We (Mum, Grandpa and I) went HH yet again this morning. This time, though, we met up with my half brother, Charlie, and his friend Radar. We did lots of macho barking at each other when we met. The weather today was wet and windy, but that didn’t stop us all having a good time. Here's a picture of Radar's Dad, John, throwing a stick for us, and a couple of videos.

This afternoon I came dashing down the stairs, with Mum in hot pursuit. No wonder, I’d pinched a £5 note off her bed, and was running round with it in my mouth. Ha ha! I teased them for a while, then let them have it back.

Finally, here's a video of me greeting Gran in the morning, and then lying on her bed cleaning my bum. If you look carefully you'll see that at one point it looks like she's scratching my testicles!

Mini Viz Whiz

2008-08-03T11:06:00.006+01:00

Last saturday me and Raffy organised a mini viz whiz near Raffy's home. There were 5 of us, from left to right: Rosie, me, Mac, Bud and Raffy. Mac and Bud are brothers and were from Scotland but now live in Surrey.

We weren't allowed in the big lake as there were things called 'endangered dragonflies' in there but the nice park rangers had made a 'doggy dip pool' for us to swim in. Raffy's swimming had come on really well since we last met. We had lots of fun swimming but recently I've become a bit obsessed by 'apple bobbing' with my ball. It's cool coz you can splash around lots and get nice
and muddy.

Mum thought Mac and Bud were really nice dogs so I had to tell them off and make sure everyone knew I was the boss.

Then, a black labrador had the cheek to try and join in our viz whizz so we had to chase him off.

We all enjoyed our day and mum says we can do another one soon.

On another note, mum met someone the other day that said that once you own a vizsla you never have to go to the toilet on your own again. Mum thought this was funny but i don't know why. She's always there when I go to the toilet so I'm only returning the favour, don't you think?

Summer fun

2008-07-20T21:12:00.008+01:00

Hi all, sorry I haven't been around for a while. Mum keeps forgetting to take the camera out on our walks. She took it today though and we've been meaning to get these shots for a while now. Up on the Downs, on my favourite walk, a nice farmer has grown some cool plants for me to run and bounce through. I LOVE it!

They're almost as tall as me so I can hide from mum. I have to keep popping up though otherwise I get lost. Where's she gone...?

Mum throws stones from the path into the field and I love bouncing around chasing them.

I'm thinking of changing my name to Tigger. Wee-heeeeee.

Or Dumbo...

You have to be careful the spikey bits don't go up your nose. A big sneeze afterwards should sort that out. I'm knackered now!

Happy Birthday

2008-05-22T07:29:00.000+01:00

Today is my first birthday! Mum says she can't believe I am a year old. I've heard the saying 'time flies when you're having fun' so I think she must mean the same thing. I've done a lot since I was born: been to school, made lots of friends, made a few enemies, learnt to swim and done some work for charity.

I've been reminiscing about my first year and looking back through some old photos and I've noticed something is not quite right. Can you spot the difference in these 2 photos?

The answer is a) My bowl has shrunk or b) My bowl has shrunk A LOT!

Perhaps Mum will buy me a bigger bowl for my birthday.

Happy birthday to the rest of my litter mates.

I do a Sponsored Walk with Grandpa!

2008-05-18T12:30:00.024+01:00

What a really lucky dog I am sometimes! Just over a week ago (on Thu 8th May) Mum and Dad went to Majorca for a short holiday, and had 5 days of continuous rain. I, meantime, went to Gran’s in Dorset, and had 5 days of wall-to-wall sunshine, with lots of long walks and swimming, and games of Chase-Grandpa-Up-and-Down-the-Stairs. This is a picture of me waking Grannie up in the morning and showing her my favourite toy, and below is a picture of me ripping up an old sponge :-).

On Sunday the 11th Gramps and I did a 16 mile sponsored walk, from Hengistbury Head to Swanage. This was for something called Water Aid, which provides fresh drinking water for people in Africa, so that they don’t have to drink water from muddy puddles and rivers. Odd, that! I actually much prefer to drink from muddy puddles and rivers. Much nicer than chlorine flavoured tap water! You humans have funny ideas, sometimes :-). Here’s a picture of me checking he’s got his laces tied properly.

Here's a pictue of us setting off, just after 10am. We walked along the promenade to Sandbanks, 10 miles away. I was supposed to be on the lead really, but I’m so well behaved these days that Gramps let me stay off the lead most of the way :-). It was a gloriously sunny day and at Bournemouth Pier the beach was heaving with people, and I thought of poor Mum and Dad in the pouring rain in Majorca :-(.
We reached Sandbanks at 1pm, and went on the ferry across to Shell Bay. That was exciting. I don’t think I’ve been on a ferry before. We walked for another half hour or so and then stopped for lunch on Studland Beach. There were loads of people there with nothing on. Grandpa went into the sea in the nude, but I was much more modest and kept my collar on! After our swim we sat at the back of the beach and I did some digging, thereby making sure there was plenty of sand in Grandpa’s sandwich!

Grandpa had set himself a challenge to be in Swanage before 4pm, and we actually ended up jogging most of the last mile or so to achieve this. He’s mad! Phew, I was glad to reach the finish and have a well earned rest.

On Monday I thought Grandpa might be tired, and stiff legged from our walk, but no, he was raring to go out again, so in the afternoon we went for a lovely 3 hour walk in the Christchurch Harbour and Hengistbury Head area. This is me posing by the River Stour at Tuckton, and, below, a video of me swimming further downstream, in the harbour.

Near the beach huts at Hengistbury Head we bumped into my vizsla friend Goulash, and she and I had a little game, and dopey Grandpa forgot to take a photo of us! After that he went into the sea for a swim and I did some more sandblasting of his rucksack and clothes. On the way back to the car I jumped into a really muddy ditch for a drink of nice muddy water, and got covered in mud, so I had to go back into the river to get cleaned up again. What a lovely day!

Mum and Dad came back from Majorca the following day, and we had a bbq in G&G's garden. Here’s a picture of Grandpa and me in the garden. After the bbq Mum, Dad and I went home. Mum and Dad went out to a concert in the evening. They felt a bit bad about leaving me on my own, but actually, I was quite glad. I was exhausted after my long weekend, and was looking forward to a quiet evening in!

Ruffy and Rafus

2008-05-05T22:12:00.004+01:00

Today I had a great day. Mum arranged to meet another Vizsla and we went on my favourite walk with him. He is called Raffy and he is also from Gunfield Vizslas. He is only 5 months old but was nearly as big as me.

I like being with another Vizsla coz it means mum and dad get confused about which one I am and I can get up to mischief for a bit longer than normal before they realise what's happening. All the humans kept getting us mixed up, then even started calling us 'Rafus' and 'Ruffy'.

Mum had told me beforehand that Raffy had never been swimming before and that I had to teach him to swim in my favourite pond. He was a quick learner and was not scared of the water at all.

At first he swam like I used to - with his front legs in the air and making lots of splashing. But then he got better and kept his legs below the water.

Is this better Rufus?

We were so busy concentrating on swimming that we both forgot how to fetch, so Raffy's human brother, Taylor, had to go in the pond and fetch the orange frisbee for us. He also kept his front legs above the water but didn't make so much splashing as Raffy did.

Then, Raffy returned the teaching favour by teaching me how to roll in poo properly. I love rolling in poo but normally just roll in small bits. Raffy showed me a whole new level of poo rolling by launching himself into a lovely squidgy cow pat that was nearly as big as him. As it was really warm today, the poo was lovely and smelly.

This is Raffy telling me how good we now smell. Look at what a poo rolling master he is - it's ALL over his back and legs.

Then we showed the holiday trippers how good we smelt by running over and rubbing ourselves against them. I think the guy on the end's thinking "Mmmm those dogs smell goooood".

I loved my day with Raffy and we got on well, teaching each other stuff and having fun. Hope to see you again soon Raffy!

Don't eat yellow snow

2008-04-06T20:28:00.008+01:00

Today I got to experience some Hungarian weather. It's very confusing because a couple of days ago, Mum was telling me that it was now summer and that it would be lovely and warm. Turns out she was lying as today it was so cold I had to wear my scarf and there was this strange stuff on the ground called snow. Where has the beach gone?

Everyone was building these things called 'snowmen' and all the dogs were helping by giving the snowmen yellow trousers. Here I am helping to make a 'snowman'. I wasn't allowed to post the photo of me giving him yellow trousers.

Also I have a new friend. She is called Zeab (pronounced Zee-buh) which means 'beautiful' in Persian. She has the same dad as Hamish and the same Mum as Ziggi. Mum thinks she's gorgeous and I must admit I quite like her as well. We had great fun playing in the snow together today.

I did have to tell her off at one point though as she tried to nick my snowball.

I like the snow. Dad never normally plays like this with me. I think the snow made everyone a bit mad! My friend Murdoch comes along at the end of this video. He is used to snow as he is a mountain dog. I was so tired after playing in the snow today, I'm off to bed now. I hope it snows again tomorrow.

2008-03-29T16:52:00.012Z

A Holiday In Dorset

I had a superb week’s hols with Mum’s parents in West Moors in Dorset the week before Easter, while Mum and Dad went off on holiday to do something called skiing and snowboarding. Uncle Peter went too, which is why he couldn’t look after me. The week went as follows.

Fri 14th – Grannie and Grampa arrived at our house late in the afternoon, and immediately came for a walk on the lawns with Mum and me.

Sat 15th – Grampa got up early and took Mum, Dad and Uncle Peter to a place called Gatport Airwick, where they’re going to do their skiing, so Gran had to take me for my morning walk. When Grampa got back she complained that I tug too much, and will have to be taught to do something called “walking to heel”. Hmm, wonder what that’s all about.
In the afternoon we watched some rugby on the tv. Grampa got very excited when Scotland scored. Then we went round to Mum and Dad’s friend Sue’s, where G&G spent ages looking at photos of somewhere called Nip All, and I pranced around chasing shadows on the wall. Then we came back and watched yet more rugby on tv, and this time Gramps got very excited when Wales scored.

Sun 16th – It was pouring with rain first thing, but Grampa still walked me to the far end of the lawns and back. That’s about 1½ miles. Hmm, I’m not sure whether this holiday is going to be a big adventure or a boot camp! After breakfast they put my basket in the back of their car and me in with it. I had to share the back with their suitcases and stuff, but there was STILL more room than in Dad’s car. Grampa must be very rich to have such a big car, or maybe he’s a furniture remover. Soon after we arrived at their house we went out for a walk again, to a place called Avon Heath Country Park. I was let off the lead most of the time, but put back on it while we walked past some young cows. One of them came up very close, and I was a bit scared, so I barked at it to make it think I wasn’t. Oh, and I also had a good bark at a big fierce looking Alsatian, which was quite safe as he was inside a big fenced garden .

Mon 17th – Grannie went to work, but Grampa’s got the whole week off, to play with me. After lunch we went out for a walk. We just set off from the house and walked and walked and walked. We were out for 3 hours and covered 7.5 miles. We went along a riverside, then along a lane, then struck out across a place called Holt Heath. We came to a marshy bit and the path went up onto wooden boards, and I went for an unexpected swim when I jumped off the boards into what I thought was a little puddle and found I was out of my depth! Then we came to a nice dry sandy bit of heath, and I had lots of fun digging holes and chasing leaves and bits of heather and stuff.

Then we came to a forest with very wet and muddy bits, and I got clarted with mud. I arrived home like that, and wasn’t allowed back in the house until Gramps had got a bowl of water and a J cloth and given me a wash!

Last Friday, when I climbed up onto Mum’s lap in the evening, there were dark mutterings from G&G about NOT BEING ALLOWED TO DO THAT AT THEIR HOUSE! However, I soon managed to turn that around this evening. They were watching a who-dunnit on tv, and when I tried to climb up they soon discovered it was much less hassle to let me come up than to try to keep me down! Hee hee .

Tue 18th – Today we went in Grampa’s car to West Moors Plantation. I remember coming here on Christmas Day. On that day we just went for a quick walk in the plantation. Today, though, we walked right through the plantation, then along an old railway line for about a mile. Then we went into a place called Moors Valley Country Park. We walked several miles through there till we came nearly to a place called Verwood.

On the way I had a bit of a rough and tumble with a dog that was a bit bigger and older than me. To begin with I had the upper hand, but then he got a bit too rough, and fortunately his Mum called him away. See picture. On the way back I saw some great big seagulls with very long necks on a lake. Grampa said these were swans, and told me not to even think of going anywhere near them, or they’d have my guts for garters. I wasn’t sure what this meant, but it doesn’t sound very nice. When we got back to the car Grampa said we’d walked 9¼ miles.

Now that the suitcases are out of Grampa’s car my bit in the back seems bigger than ever. There’s space for my basket and then as much space again behind that. It’s like having a bedsit! See picture. Dad, can we get a sensible car like this, please?

Wed 19th – Grannie was at home today, so we went for a bit of a girlie walk, and walked a lot slower than yesterday. We went to a place which is properly called Avon Heath Country Park South, but G&G just call it Boundary Lane. It was really nice here. There were woods and fields and hills, and nice sandy bits where I could dig holes. After a while, though, G&G thought I’d better stop, because the ranger might say I was causing something called erosion. Here’s a picture of me causing erosion.

In the evening, after we’d come back from my bedtime wee, I couldn’t find Gran, so I went to look for her. Here’s where I found her J. Hee hee. Going upstairs was another thing I was NOT GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO DO IN DORSET! Actually, Gramps used to egg me on a bit, and all week we had games of See Who Can Get Upstairs Fastest. He also used to play Chasing Me Round the Dining Room Table, Trying to Retrieve Gran's Slipper!

Thu 20th – Gran was back at work today, so Gramps and I went on a really long walk. Actually, a walk with Gramps is more like a route march. He doesn’t hang around much throwing sticks and things for me to chase. He says it’s too cold to hang around. Instead, he either walks quickly or else jogs. We drove to a place called Linford Bottom and started from there. I remember coming here once before, when I was only about 3½ months old, with one of Mum’s schoolfriends who had a dog called Molly. Mum’s friend, Alley, had a pushchair with her baby in it, so we didn’t go far that day, just a little walk along the riverside. Today though, for those readers with the OS maps, (Gramps has been teaching me map reading and navigation) our route was as follows. Starting from the car park at SU181072 (Linford Bottom) we went up the hill through Great Linford Enclosure onto Rockford Common, where I had a cautionary sniff at a couple of New Forest ponies (I’ve been warned not to get too close to them). Then across the road to Digden Bottom, across a boggy bit at Dockens Water, up onto Ibsley Common and along to Hasley Enclosure. Then across to Sloden Enclosure. At the far side of there we turned towards Holly Hatch cottage and started back towards the car. We’d come about 6 miles by then. It started to rain, so Grampa started running for a while. We walked through Holly Hatch Enclosure to Broomy Lodge, and then across Broomy Plain. From there we crossed over the road again into Milkham Enclosure. We walked through there to Red Shoot Wood, and thence into Great Linford Enclosure again, and ended up back at the car after 3½ hours and 11½ miles. Cor, what a brilliant walk.

Fri 21st – Today was Good Friday, and Gran was at home again. We went for a walk at a place called St Catherine Hill, near Christchurch. This is a lovely place for dogs. Lots of sandy bits and a few muddy bits. Big pine cones for the humans to throw for us. Rabbits to chase, etc. And a big deep pond too, but I was kept well away from that. Near there is where Uncle Peter got his blue motorbike.

Sat 22nd –It was very cold today. So cold that in the afternoon Gran decided to stay at home and make a dessert for tomorrow’s lunch. Gramps and I went for a brisk 8 mile walk in a place called Hurn Forest, near where he lives. On the way round we met four people on horseback and I impressed Gramps with my mature behaviour. I didn’t bark at them or chase them. I just came quietly back to him when he whistled. Oh yes, he’s got this clever trick of sticking two claws of his right hand into his mouth and making a sound like Mum and Dad’s whistle. I always came back to him when he did it, not just from a sense of duty but also because I was trying to find out how he did it. I can’t do that. But then, he says he can’t lick his willie.
Gramps gave me a pair of his old trainers to play with. Here am I playing with one of them.

Sun 23rd – Lots of exciting things happened today. The first was that instead of just going to the local field for our early morning walk Gramps took me to Boundary Lane, where we went on Wednesday. Today, though, we went for a much longer walk. We were out for about an hour. We were almost back at the car when Gramps found a big long rope hanging from a tree with a thing called a trapeze on the end. He grabbed hold of it and started swinging to and fro. I thought this was very odd and pranced around and barked at him. Then it started to rain, so we dashed back to his car and came home. The next exciting thing was that Gramps went off in the car and came back a short while later with HIS Mum, who looked quite like him but a bit older and smaller, and with more hair on her head. Gramps said I must be careful not to knock her over, because she’s nearly 12 years old in doggy years, and getting a bit unsteady on her paws.
The next, really, really exciting thing to happen was that Dad and Mum turned up. I was so pleased to see them that I bounded up to Mum to give her my most enthusiastic welcome. She said “Hello Rufus, oh, ow!” and winced with pain. Apparently she hurt her back while she was away, doing this snowboarding thing. Dad had hurt himself too. He’d fallen over and banged his shoulder. I wonder if he was trying to rub it in fox poo? Hmm, no, probably not. He didn’t smell of fox poo.
The final exciting thing that happened was that I had roast pork for Sunday lunch today. So did Dad. That’s a bit of a treat for both of us. Mum’s a vegetable, so Dad and I don’t often get real meat to eat. Actually, the fresh country Dorset air has really given me an appetite this week. No picking around with my food like I sometimes do at home. I've been wolfing down every meal straight away.
After lunch Mum, Dad and I went for a final walk in Dorset, to Boundary Lane again. Poor Mum was hobbling a bit, and Dad couldn’t throw sticks for me, but Gramps was charging round like a puppy, playing with me and rolling pine cones down this really steep hill for me to chase.
After the walk the humans all had a cup of tea and then it was time to go home to Hove. I wasn’t too keen on getting into Dad’s tiny car, but eventually condescended to jump in, and off we went.

What a great week it was. I hope I’ve behaved myself well enough to get invited back again. I think they’ve got a bit of a soft spot for me. Gramps says he’d like to take me caravanning sometime. I saw their caravan. It's a little house on wheels that you can take to nice places in the countryside, so that you can go for walks without having to get into the car first.
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Crufts

2008-03-08T10:24:00.006Z

Did anyone see this cool programme last night? It was called 'Crufts' and was all about dogs! I was glued the whole way through. I even saw a Vizsla and all of my favourite friends. There was a strange bit where the dogs were dancing, like mum does when she's doing the cleaning, but the rest of it was fab! Mum says it's on again tonight - I can't wait!

Barking mad

2008-03-05T21:16:00.000Z

Now that I'm nearly a teenager I'm into things like rioting and protests. The council in Brighton want to ban dogs from the beach and make us walk on the lead in most other places! This is quite clearly barking mad.

On saturday we went on a 'protest march' or a 'long walk along the beach'.

Mum says there was about 100 dogs there - I'll have to take her word for it as I can't count that high yet. Apparently that is a 'good turnout'. I thought a 'good turnout' was something else - more to do with why the council wants to ban dogs from the beach...

We walked all along the seafront in the lovely sunny weather.

As we are still really puppies at heart, me and louby lou had a 'who can pull the funniest face' competition.

Come on louby lou, we don't want them to think we're not serious about this.

Power to the Puppies!

If you would like to join the petition, you can sign it at http://www.petitiononline.com/BRIGHTON/

Peter and Poo

2008-02-15T20:15:00.000Z

Yesterday I had a great day. I went out all day with my Uncle Peter for a long walk. I like Uncle Peter coz he lets me roll in fox poo. At least, 'lets' may not be the word...I don't think he realised till it was 'too late' what I was doing. Hehehehe.

I really really smelt good although Uncle Peter didn't like the smell and knew that mum wouldn't either if he took me home like that. So unfortunately we had to go to his house and he gave me a bath. Luckily he didn't have any doggy shampoo so the water alone didn't do anything! Yipee!

I was taken back home still all lovely and smelly to see mum. I was shoved in to the shower and scrubbed with my doggy shampoo but it still didn't make much of a difference! That must have been some good poo.

Fox poo rules.

Cows and The Enchanted Forest

2008-02-07T22:33:00.001Z

Today some strange things happened on my walk. We were up on the Downs (still can't work that one out) and I found a really nice swimming pool to practice in. Just as I was getting in to it some strange animals came to watch me. Mum said they were called 'cows'. They looked a bit like horses but were fatter. Anyway, turns out I was swimming in their drinking bowl and this probably really annoyed them.

Mum told me to stand very still so that they wouldn't notice me.

Once I'd sneaked out of the cows' drinking bowl we continued on the walk and met another cow. However, this cow I was allowed to say hello to and even kiss. It was smaller than the other cows...maybe it was a baby cow.

Then we went to The Enchanted Forest where more strange things happened.

Dad found a stick that was tied to a tree. He hung on to it and flew around in the air whilst mum giggled incessantly. This was quite scary and just wrong. How are you supposed to chase a stick when it is tied to a tree? I wuffed a lot at Dad and tried to rescue him.

Whooooooooooaaaaaah this forest is making me feel queasy.

Still, managed to find time for the obligatory photo shoot pose. Maybe this forest isn't so bad after all - it seems to provide a good backdrop for poses don't you think.

Fishing

2008-01-28T19:25:00.000Z

Hey guys, look what I found on the beach today. Mum says it is called a Doll Fin. I've been telling everyone that I wrestled it out of the water then killed it for my supper but really I found it washed up on the pebbles. Don't tell anyone though.

Also there's been a lot of wood on the beach this week. Mum says a ship sunk and there was lots of wood on it which has landed on my beach. Unfortunately they are too big to be sticks.

My First Christmas

2007-12-30T17:35:00.000Z

Hi all, sorry I haven't been around for a while. I've been away doing something called 'Christmas'. Christmas is really cool - it means mum and dad stay at home with me all day and we go and stay at Grandma's and eat lots of food and get lots of new toys to play with. The new toys are wrapped up in paper and you have to open them as quick as you can. Here's me with one of my presents.

Yipee, it's one of those tennis balls in the shape of a ring that my friend Lucky has, which I like to steal from him.

Aaaah, aaaah, I can't see......

Blimey, Christmas is tiring sometimes. I love my new scarf though - it's what everyone will be wearing next year, don't you know.

Best of all, I got some of those Robodog eyes I've wanted for ages.

Also at Christmas you get much better food than normal. This is called a 'Christmas dinner' and it's full of yummy things like duck, carrots, potato and gravy. I tell you what, now I know what duck tastes like I'm gonna make more of an effort to catch one.

At Christmas you go for much better walks than normal. The beach near Grandma's house is really weird - the pebbles are really really tiny. They kept going up my nose when I did digging and made me sneeze.

Then we went to a forest which was good for photo shoots. It looks like I'm posing for the camera but really I thought I'd seen a duck. No such luck though.

Happy Christmas

2007-12-10T22:33:00.000Z

Sometimes I am so thoughtful and considerate, I think I should have been born a girl. Last Friday night mum and dad went out on a christmas do. As a special treat I thought I would make the lounge look all lovely and christmassy for when they got home. The inside of a cushion made a fantastic snow scene although it didn't quite give me enough snow to cover the whole floor. I think it created the desired effect though. When mum and dad got home they loved it. Well...mum did. Dad didn't seem so keen but I think he was really annoyed that he hadn't thought of doing that for mum. I am such a good pet sometimes.

My sister, Bean

2007-11-26T19:15:00.000Z

Today was possibly the best day of my life so far. I was down on the beach having my normal afternoon walk, when who did we bump into but my litter sister Bean! Mum says she planned it as a surprise for my 6 month birthday.

As soon as we saw each other, we recognised each other. We did none of the polite 'sniff each other's bums first' nonsense - straight into a good ol' rough and tumble. Which lasted over 2 hours.

I tried to get Bean to come into the sea but she hadn't brought her bikini.

The mums tried to get us to sit for a photo but I was having none of it! Here's me telling Bean to stop being so obedient and get back to playing.

Time for a quick drink at the local cafe.

A second attempt at the 'sit' photo but I was too amazed that Bean had some of those Robodog eyes that Hamish had recently. I really must get some of those, they seem to be all the rage lately.

Then before I knew it, it was all over and we had to say goodbye. I loved my afternoon with Bean and really hope to see her again soon. I'm knackered now, but managed to wake up to pose for the camera. Then back to sleep, woof zzzzzzzzzzzz.

New Forest Viz Whiz

2007-11-05T20:52:00.000Z

This weekend I got to meet lots of other Vizslas again at the New Forest Viz Whiz! There were 11 of us, all different sizes, shapes and ages. There were even 2 other dogs who liked my name so much they thought they would steal it. I don't blame them - it's a cool name.

This is us all lined up. I'm the one doing the best sit, 4th from the right.

This is Charlie blowing raspberries on Ditto's tummy, which she seemed to enjoy. Not half as much as Charlie did though. I don't blame him, Ditto is very pretty but mum says I'm too young for 'that sort of stuff'.

The next day we went to somewhere called Aldridge Hill near Brockenhurst - Charlie you should get your mum to take you there, it was great! Dad seemed to think it was some sort of photo shoot - Redgirls you would have been proud of me.

I'm becoming a bit of an impressionist. This is me doing my Tyrannosaurus rex impression.

This is me being a show jumping horse.

This is me trying to be an autumn leaf.

And this is me doing my blue steel pose.

Finally time for some play with my favourite pink ball - mum you must stop buying me pink things, it's ruining my street cred.

Can you still see it's pink if I hide it in my mouth?

Ding dong kong

2007-10-27T16:15:00.000+01:00

This one's for you Ziggi - where are you Zigana? Anyway thank you for telling my mum how to use the kong properly and giving her some ideas of things to put in it. Once we had got rid of the silly 'kong' biscuits that just fall out, I'm having much more fun with it. Sometimes it gets filled with bits of carrot, sometimes scrambled egg and last night we tried melted cheese which was sooooo tasty. If anyone has any other good ideas of what to put in it please let me know! (Mum says any type of animal poo is not allowed...boo)

Sheep Herding

2007-10-16T19:50:00.000+01:00

This weekend we went off in to the country again. I've begun to realise that going in the car means going somewhere nice so I'm beginning to like it. I'm happy to sit in the back now in my basket and also I have a nice big window to look out of and check where we're going. I'm still car sick though so Mum brings my breakfast with us and I eat it when we get to our destination which seems ok by me. Apparently 'normal' dogs eat their own sick but I don't like doing that, apart from once when I was very young.

On this week's walk there were these things called 'sheep' which I had heard about from Bella. Apparently it is a game where you have to get all the sheep in to their pen.

This seemed pretty simple to me - within a few seconds I had them all running in to their pen but I didn't manage to close the gate which is the sign that you've won. Now why would I want to close the gate so they couldn't get out again??

That all seemed a bit boring so I was really pleased when I found out that next on the list of activities was swimming. I like swimming in rivers - it's much warmer and muddier than the sea. Also the river didn't try and move up the grass towards me before I'm ready, like the sea does.

I did lots of retrieves from the river and Mum says my swimming technique is getting better as I keep my legs below the water now. This was my favourite part of the day and I was quite upset when the humans said we had to go now for lunch at the pub. I put on my best sad face but it didn't work so off to the pub we went.

Time for a quick kip and a chance to catch some rays. I must remember to tell Bella how boring sheep herding is and get her into some proper sports like pointing at flies or water retrieves.

New Girlfriend

2007-10-07T21:58:00.000+01:00

The last few weeks I have been hanging out with a nice black lab called Louby Lou. I think she is my new girlfriend. I get really excited when I see her and we love rolling around together and biting each others ears. Bella is a bit jealous I think especially as she introduced us. Bella goes to school with Louby Lou.

Bella says we keep leaving her out and we 'only have eyes for each other'. I don't know what she means, Bella is still my 'other' girlfriend. Mum says it's not the done thing to have 2 girlfriends but my dad Grant seemed to have plenty so I don't see the problem. I have told Bella she is also still my girlfriend and that Louby Lou is just a friend but she said something about 'the camera never lies'.

Then, later on we met up with mum's friend from work and her Doberman called Echo. She was also nice and I liked taking her for a walk. She said she would drop me a line sometime.

On Sunday we went to the south downs again (cow pate land!) which was great. Mum got us lost so we ended up walking a bit further than we should but it meant I got to eat even more poo than I would have done. We stopped at a pub midway and I got the leftovers of a 'sunday roast' which seemed pretty nice, although not as good as cow pate.

Then on the way home we met a lovely chocolate brown GSP who I had a run around with. She was extremely fast at running so most of the time I just stood still and waited for her to come back to me but here I am running alongside her.

Her name was Luca...She was my sister

2007-09-24T19:24:00.000+01:00

In the mornings I go to the park with Dad and we see another Vizsla who runs round the park with her Dad. Sometimes she stops to play but not often as I think she and her Dad are pretty serious about this running business. My Dad says he doesn't run with me as I'm not allowed to do much running yet but Mum is not convinced by this story!
Anyway, to cut a long blog short, one day when they stopped to talk and wuff to us, the Dads got chatting. They reckoned we looked really similar and had the same characteristics (errr come on Dad, we're both Vizslas...). However, turned out they weren't so stupid after all and actually we have the same Dad - Galfrid Grant of Gunfield. Luca came from Dorset though (I think Grant gets around a bit) from the Ulurudawn Vizslas. So she's my half sister, living right here in Brighton! This made me like her even more and now when we see each other she always stops for a play.

Although she's very pretty, I don't think she sits very ladylike. I must give her some lessons in 'sit'.

Vizslas are like...buses

2007-09-11T19:49:00.000+01:00

I have just had the best weekend ever! We went to stay with mum's parents in Bournemouth and on the Saturday I met up with 8 other Vizslas on a beach called Hengistbury Head. It was almost like being back with my litter mates but they were all different sizes. Radar was the same age as me and we had a good play together. Goulash was only 9 weeks old but she was great fun as well. Best of all I got to meet my half brother Charlie. Here we are playing the Hokey-Cokey. You put your right leg in...

Knees bent, arms stretch rhaa rhaa rhaa...come on Charlie!

Goulash, being a typical girl, was fashionably late and made an entrance to catch every one's attention. The lucky pup arrived in a boat! We all thought this was great and barked and jumped around on the shore to welcome her.

Welcome ashore Goulash!

After all that excitement things got back to normal. The girls (Ditto and Hazel) played whilst the boys (Dexter and Herbie) ...well, I'm not sure what they're doing but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Then, that evening, I got to enjoy a dried bull's penis. Mmmm yummy. I think I have to thank Charlie for this as he recommended them when he met my mum's mum at the meat shop. It was lovely. Mum kept trying to come near me, probably so she could have a taste herself, but I made it perfectly clear that this was mine!

On the Sunday we went to the New Forest with one of mum's friends and their Labrador called Molly. I liked the New Forest. Instead of cow pate there was horse pate which was just as yummy but a bit dry.
.
I played fetch in a stream which was much nicer than the sea and you could drink the water.

I went in on my own without Mum having to come in with me.

This is me and Molly. She was great and loved to play fetch with her ball, which I kept stealing off her.

What a great weekend - are we going back there again next weekend mum??

School v Hog roast v Girls

2007-09-03T19:31:00.001+01:00

Seriously. How on earth do they expect me to concentrate at school when there is a giant hog roast being cooked 30 metres from me. Can you see it - to the left of the house. If that's school dinners then I think I'm gonna like school.

Also there are some nice girls at school that I've got my eye on. There is Roxy the rottwieler and Fleur, a lovely boxer. Here's me during playtime showing Fleur my best side. I think she was impressed.

Cow Pate

2007-08-30T21:39:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit busy lately so haven't had a chance to get online. I've been practicing this swimming thing and even went in on my own for the first time today!
I've also experienced a few more new things. At the weekend we went to somewhere called the South Downs. This was a great place - grass and hills for as far as I could see. However, the best bit about it was there was these yummy things to eat dotted all over the place.

Mum said they were called cow pats but I think she means cow pate. It was soooo tasty and would have been great on a bit of toast. Mum must be mad though as she kept trying to stop me eating it. Perhaps she wanted them for herself. I don't know...anyway there were so many of them I managed to sneak in a few mouthfuls. Mmmmm mmmm.

Then we saw this really odd thing where people were getting inside a giant ball and rolling down the hill in it.

How odd - why get in a ball when you could chase it?? One lucky dog was getting to chase the balls. Apparently his owners were inside one of the balls. This was very odd. Perhaps there was something in the cow pate that made me see things. Anyone else ever seen this?

Then the next day I went on a 'picnic' in the park. This seemed to consist of lots of humans sitting on rugs on the grass and eating. No sign of any cow pate today though. I found it all a bit boring and took the opportunity to catch up on some zzzzz's.

Mum this grass is very clean and boring. I want to go back to cow pate land!

Running and swinging

2007-08-19T19:52:00.000+01:00

I've developed a new skill. Running. I just want to run everywhere, especially to and from my walks. I know the way to the beach now and also my way back home and I know which house is mine (although sometimes I get confused and think I live next door but hey).
I have also developed a habit of bringing a 'trophy' back from every walk. I've gained a cuttle fish, an apple, bits of plastic, a bit of carpet, paper coffee cups, in fact any bit of rubbish and also the padding from someone's bra which was my favourite.

I've also been hanging out with my neighbour, Bonnie, this weekend. She also likes to run and I chase her up and down the beach. I don't understand it as she has shorter legs than me but can run much faster. This is us playing 'swing your ears'.

The King

2007-08-16T09:16:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Bella and I were busy play fighting down on the beach when all of a sudden a giant 'me' appeared! I couldn't beleive my eyes - I thought I'd been transported back to Leicester to my daddy! He was called Elvis and was about 14 months old. He was very barky and energetic and wanted to play with me and Bella but he was a bit big for us. Bella got a bit scared and ran off with her tail between her legs but after a while she was confident enough to have a little play. I tried to have a play but he was just too big for me! I managed to bark at him a bit though. His owners said he was small for his breed, but he was bigger than my parents. Mum says she hopes I don't get that big. He recommended a puppy training class which I'm gonna go to on Saturday, then he left, so that me and Bella could get back to flirting with each other. Hope to see you again soon Elvis, perhaps when I'm a bit bigger!

My first walk (and swim)

2007-08-12T22:36:00.000+01:00

Well, what can I say. Being 'on the ground' is just the best thing ever. I went to the beach in the morning and met Bella and also a dog that looked like Bella but was brown. We had a good ol' rough and tumble on the beach and I was even allowed off my lead as I was being so well behaved!

Then, my neighbour asked if I wanted to learn to swim. Before I could even say 'wuff please' I was being carried out to sea then, without any briefing or instructions, plonked in it! Brrrr it was quite cold but I swam back to shore and gained my 5 metres swimming badge. Mum said I swam like a true professional.
After all that excitement I was knackered so had a nap on the beach.

Then, in the afternoon we went down to the beach again as Mum wanted me to work on my swimming technique. She must have been kidding - I was so tired I just wanted to relax and work on my tan. Not sure about the pink towel though Mum - can't you get me a blue one?

Then, today it was back down the beach again in the morning (no swimming this time - not before breakfast!) then in the afternoon we went to a 'park' which was a huge open space with interesting things to chase like plastic bags (apparently called 'rubbish'), pigeons (loved them!) and a little pond which was odd...this water looked different to the sea so I didn't recognise it as water and tried to walk on it. This appears to be impossible though - I'll know for next time. Beware - water comes in many different disguises! I'm gonna sleep well tonight - this was my favourite weekend ever!

Summer Evenings

2007-08-07T19:50:00.000+01:00

This evening we sat on the beach as it was lovely and warm and sunny. I'm still not allowed on the ground so we all sat on a rug which I tried to tear to pieces. I saw lots of other dogs who were all splashing around in the sea and having soooo much more fun than I was. Apparently I'm allowed 'on the ground' on Friday so I am very excited about that. I cannot wait to get in the sea!

My new bowl

2007-08-02T10:10:00.001+01:00

This is my new bowl for when I'm bigger. I thought I better try it out - it seems to work ok but I can't imagine I'm ever going to be that big am I?? Mind you, if it means I get more food, that's just fine.

Lazy Sunday

2007-07-30T13:10:00.001+01:00

Today was an interesting day for me as I got to experience a typical 'lazy sunday'. I've outgrown my baby carrier already so I now travel in a rucksack. Late morning we went to Mum & Dad's favourite cafe for breakfast and to meet some of their friends. We sat outside and I was very good - having a sit on everyone's laps. I didn't even bat an eyelid (because I was fast asleep by that time) when everyone's full english brekkies came out, even though there were sausages AND bacon on them! I then went home for a nap, then in the afternoon we went to somewhere called a pub and sat in the 'beer garden'. It was a bit different to my garden - there were lots more people and everyone had these huge glasses with a drink in which was the same colour as me. Very wise I say. I wasn't allowed one of these though but instead had a champagne cooler full of water. It's good going out - everyone wants to stop us and say hello and have a cuddle. No-one seems to know what breed I am though - most people think I'm a blood hound, a 'wrong' coloured weimeraner and one guy even had the cheek to ask if I was a red setter! I'm much more intelligent than them!

Mum - are you sure I don't fit in my baby carrier anymore?

Growing up

2007-07-26T22:33:00.000+01:00

I've been doing a lot of growing this week and look much more like a proper dog than a puppy. Mum even thought I'd grown in the time she'd been at work today. (Yeah right mum!!) I'm a bit worried though as one of my legs seems to have grown much longer than the other. I think I'll have to change my name to Tripod...

New friend

2007-07-25T06:45:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I met a new friend - Bella, a 16 week old border collie. We had lots of fun bouncing and wrestling around the lounge. She was much bigger than me and managed to pin me down quite a lot but I gave as good as I got. Mum says she can come round anytime as for the rest of the evening I was fast asleep! Mum thinks the photo is funny as it looks pornographic but I'm not sure what that means?? I only understand words with 2 syllables....

Meeting the neighbours

2007-07-24T12:28:00.000+01:00

The day after I moved in I met our neighbours. They have a Basset hound called Bonnie and a little girl called Kitty. I am a bit confused by this as apparently there are also 2 'kitties' that live with me but I haven't seen them yet. If they are like her though that is fine as I liked Kitty. She also liked my crate which helped me think that maybe it wasn't that bad after all.

Settling in

2007-07-24T11:50:00.000+01:00

I arrived in my new home on Sunday 15 July 2007 after a long and scary car ride home. I was sick 3 times on the way home and howled pretty much all the way but once home it seems nice! I have lots of toys to play with and this is me unpacking my new bed.

Mum bought me lots of new toys from the pet shop but I prefer her toy dog and snails from the garden.