Denied my Dinner!!!!

More long walks guiding Mum around Bournemouth. More grey scampering, jerky fluffy-tailed tree-climbers. More shopping. More human yummies that failed to fall my way.

Then we left Granny's and had another long car journey. This really was a long one because the zoo my road was a creepy crawly road with loooooooads of cars all close together and going so slowly, I could have run faster most of the way. All this meant that I was dying of starvation! My dinner was over two hours late! I finally got to eat it in the entrance area of the giant puddle where Rosie works. I got some mega fusses there too!

We then left Rosie at work and drove to her flat, where Mum did choppy-stirry-steamy stuff in the kitchen. A bit later, Rosie and James arrived and human yummies tormented me yet again! I got my revenge with my new squeaky turkey leg! It has a really good loud squeaker! Heeheehee!

Yorkies & Boots.

I took Mum on a nice longish walk this morning to explore a bit of Bournemouth we haven't been to before. I would have loved to have gone further and explored more, especially the bit Mum said is called a chine. I could have enjoyed a good freerun there with some other doggy pals I spied a way off. Alas though, I didn't! Boo! Mum said she had to get back to the kitchen. I have that place logged in my satnav now though. I shall have to find a way to direct Mum there again sometime.

Back at Granny's I found a corner to hide in and snooze while Mum clattered about in the kitchen and Dad took Granny out. When they returned I endured the agony of starvation while the human yummies were devoured. Again, not an atom of it came my way! I am wasting away while they feast! Huff!

This afternoon included a good long walk, via a little freerun in the cliff top park area. There I met a pair of Yorkies. We only sniffed and greeted, no play, because one of them had a very sore face, with a sort of zip-like stripe. His human said that the zip was a line of stitches from being attacked by a nasty dog. Poor boy! Still, it was nice to sniff and greet. At the end of the park, Mum harnessed me up again and we went off down the steep slope to the stick-outy-platform-over-the-sea, then I had to 'find left' on through the parky bit where the gigantic go-up-in-the-sky ball is. There were oodles of those funny little grey scampering, jerky fluffy-tailed critters who scurry up trees when I get near them. Looooooads of them! Mum said I was a mega good boy for not chasing them. I made sure she backed up the praise with edible reinforcements! Actually, I would have loved to chase them, and the couple who came really close did make me emit a bit of a squeak of excitement! But I resisted temptation and remembered my job. I'll get those live toys one day!

We couldn't follow our usual route into town because a bit of the park was in a cage, so I really had to step up and take Mum a different way. That meant that we arrived into town in a new area, so Mum had to ask someone for directions to Boots. (It seems that the arrangement was to meet Dad and Granny there). Even following those directions wasn't easy because we couldn't go the way Mum thought the man had told her. I sorted it out though! I guided Mum around all the obstacles. We arrived at Boots and I stopped at the door and gave Mum my most triumphant waggytailed look to point out how clever I was! She then got the message that we were actually at Boots! She hadn't realised! I got a superb ear-rub and mega fuss and praise for that - and treats! Heehee!

I have to be very patient when I'm walking with Granny with her wheelie frame. We had a bit of a wander around Boots, then went to a talkybone shop for Mum. We had to do a lot of sitting and waiting in there while Mum got to play with a couple of new talkybones. I got a few fusses from admirers while that was going on. Mum didn't come out with a new talkybone though. Something to do with costing too many shiny disks!

Back at Granny's I had a good game of tug with Mum before my eyelids needed internal inspection. Then my tummy needed internal refuelling.

A nice long walk with Dad has rounded off the day very pleasantly.

Granny's

All change again! 

Now we are at Granny's. So, of course it has been a day of car journeys, human yummies place, and shopping. The car journey was OK. I have taught Mum now that I need edible proof that I am a good boy for jumping in and settling down on my bed! Finally she got the message! The human yummies was no good; not a morsel came my way! I maintained vigil under the table but to no avail. Not a crumb! Huff! I showed how smart I am when it came to the shopping! Dad did the slow bit with Granny, while I guided Mum off all around the huge Tesco's. She needed to get some bits of her own. I guided her to the various different aisles, then she asked me to 'find Granny'. Well, of course I found Granny! No problem! And again twice more, after further trips off around the shop to get other bits. 

I did think all my birthdays had come at once when Mum dropped a whole load of huge carrots on the floor right in front of my nose! In fact, one of the biggest ones donked me on the noddle as it fell out of the bag! My tongue went into overdrive, licking my chops in anticipation of such a delectable feast! But Mum was a serious spoilsport! 'Leave' was the command. I gave her my bestest 'But Muuuuuuummm!' Look, accompanied by the most pathetic squeak I could muster......it didn't work! All I got was a load of praise and a tiny treat for being a 'good boy to leave'. It did little to make up for the disappointment but I accepted it and did my 'find a Granny' duty yet again!

I did take Dad for a lovely long walk this evening while Mum was doing choppy-stirry stuff in Granny's kitchen.

Annie Ver-Sary

Happy day! Mum says today is our anniversary. Something to do with qualifying three years ago today.

Well, I can't say that really means anything to me. However, what means a lot to me is that we had cuddles this morning, then we went to Pets at Home, then to visit Nanny and Papa, then we went for a fantabulous freerun with James's dog, Bailey. She is a 17 month old Lurcher X Labrador. She has sandy coloured fuzzy fur and she is FAST! We had superb fun running and chasing, especially as it included sploshing in acres of thick gooey black stinky mud, and swimming in the stinky river too! Yep! Absolutely awesome freerun! 

Of course, it meant the frothy warm rain when we got back to Rosie's flat. That was OK though! I convinced Mum successfully that I had to have plenty of treats in order to survive the ordeal.
That was followed by dinner wearing my bathrobe, then, after a bit of a snooze, Mum gave me treats! Yippeeeeee! A squeaky turkey leg toy, a chewbar and a rawhide ring! This is looking like a promising evening!

Two photos of me with my anniversary treats.

A closeup of me lying down with the white rawhide ring standing up between my paws

Me lying down with Mum. I am choosing the chewbar first!

Car Journeys

Cor! That was a day and a half! Three hours car ride, then lots of greetings and fusses, with a bit of workywalkies in the middle. Then the bestest bit: a Guide Dog puppy in training came! Yippppeeeeee! Junior is a mini-me! A black Labrador! The best! He is 10 months old and slightly taller than me. Oh! Wait.... That means he can't be a MINI-me! Hmmm! Oh well, we had some great fun anyway! We went to a nearby field where we both got that magic command of 'go play'! Well, we had to oblige didn't we? It was superbly wet and muddy in there and, between us, we succeeded in a very good job of decorating Mum's fur-substitutes! Heee-heee!
Back at the building, we had to 'behave' while loads of humans did oooooooodles of yacketying and human-howling and more yacketying. We did to have a few good kanoodling sessions though! Mum called me a right hussey just because I taught Junior how to roll on his back and display full glory! I taught him some hoovering techniques too!
This was all finished off with another huuuuuge long car journey ending at Rosie's home! This was all very exciting. I raced up the stairs and may have had a bit of a squeak at the door. I rushed in expecting to find my mate Pilot. But he isn't here! I found his toys and food box though! I can't get the lid off this food bin! Most miffing!

Me (left) and Junior

Re-arranged!

Oh my goodness! Now what's going on?

We've cruised all day in the soggy yucky leaky sky stuff. We've moored up in a big giant puddle with lots of other boats in. A man called Nathan came aboard to do some yacketying with Mum n Dad. He left and now the inside of the boat is all rearranged! Loads of stuff has been taken out of the cupboard behind the squawkybox, and around that area. Mum packed it into bags and put them, and other stuff under the table. Then she packed some fursubstitutes and other things into the big black bag that usually means we are going away.......Next, the table was put down as it goes to make a bed when guests come to stay. But it isn't a bed. It now has the sofa piled up on top of it! That means I will have to sleep in my own bed tonight! Huh! Well..... We'll see...... I don't think Mum has noticed yet that I am using her back paw as a pillow, on the bottom of her bit of the bed....... Maybe if I keep still and quiet........

Told you I wasn't Porky!

Mixed feelings about today's work:
On the downside, Mum and I got absolutely soaked going to the human vets this morning. Mum got given some kind of flappy markysheet by the lady behind the counter. Then we walked on around to the other end of town where I had to 'find Boots' for Mum. In there, I then had to 'find the checkout' at the back of the shop. Except it wasn't exactly a checkout, but I knew what Mum meant. She handed over that markysheet and the man there swapped it for a little box. Apparently that box contains lots of the white disks that Mum swallows when her eyes are ouchy. So that was that job done. The next command was 'find the way home'. Well I did ..... OK, maybe it was a tad slowly and maybe I didn't respond overly well to Mum's 'Huppup' or 'Let's go' commands! Well, it was very soggy. I really don't like working in the leakysky stuff!
Then, when we got to the towpath near the boat, Mum added to the 'downside' stuff: When we got to the bit where I like to rinse my paws (and belly, and tail, and.... well .... all of me really!), I gave my very bestest 'Pleeeeeease Mum' look. It didn't work! She just said 'Nope. Not today. You're quite wet enough already!' Well, it wouldn't have made any difference then, would it? You see..... that kind of water is nice water....when I can go in paws first ..... of my own volition .... nice and cold and muddy and fishy. Not like the nasty water that falls from the leaky sky.

The upside was that it was a good long walk. Also, it was confirmed by a very nice lady that I am NOT porky! She said that I am delightfully BEEFY! I LIKE that lady!

Porky? Moi?????

Harrrumph! I woz conned! I thought we were going for a nice walk. Mum mentioned the word 'park'. Off we toddled. Yes, OK, it was a nice walk. Quite a long walk. Not to a park though. It seems that the park was just part of the directions! We walked all the way on road-routes! Huff! That meant I had to work on harness all the way. Well, OK, I admit ..... I do love working guiding Mum...... but when park is mentioned...... hmmmmm!

Anyway, where we actually went was a Vet's! Well that was OK while we were waiting outside the little room. There was a couple of other black labradors to meet and greet. Then a nice vet man came out and called my name. That was great - nice happy greetings, fusses and waggy tail stuff. Then he put that funny tube thing into his ears and came at me with the terrifying other end, with the disk on it. I did my best to dissolve into the floor to escape that thing but to no avail. He got me with it. He prodded it against my chest and my tummy. Thankfully, he didn't get away with doing anything else with it. Mum says he wouldn't have done anything else with it anyway. Too bloomin right he wouldn't! I made sure of that! I rolled over on my back, put my paws in the air and rumbled and snorted my biggest protest!

That bit was over and we were friends again. More fusses and a treat! That's OK then. I thought.

I thought wrong! He came at me again.... this time with a shiny spike in his hand! Aaaaagggghhhhhh! I remembered that those spikes get stabbed into my neck, so I did my very bestest to roll over again. It didn't work. He got hold of a big handful of my neck and stabbed me - while I was lying on the floor trying hard to press down into it! Well.....I have to assume he stabbed me with it anyway..... I can't say I actually felt anything.........but..... just the thought of that spike was enough!

Mum says that is me now protected from nasties for another year. Hmmm!

I let her know of my disdain for her deceit and for the atrocity that she took me to; I plodded as slowly as I could possibly manage all the way back home to the boat! That'll teach her! She can call me Ploddypaws, Sulkysocks and Grumpalump as much as she likes but it will take a lot of treats to make up for this!

Oh! Hang on though...... she said something about less treats AND a bit less food coz my numbers were too big on the big shiny mat. Mr Vet man said that 33.5kg is my absolute upper limit. I must not get any porkier! Porky! How DARE he?! He says that because I now have a weetabix in every meal, I need a little less kibble. I really don't think I like him! But then...... he did say I am nice and muscular...... well that is NOT porky is it?!!! Mum..... please don't starve me...... please?!!!!

Calendar Work

Not a lot to report today - except that a one-eyed-clicky-box man came and clicked at me and Mum. Apart from that and a couple of nice walks, it has been a chill-out day for me, and a day of ooooooodles of clicketyfingersing for both Mum and Dad.

This has been good clicketyfingersing stuff though - it is all to do with MY CALENDAR. 

My CALENDAR is taking shape!
We will be offering a choice of format;
A4 spiral bound wall calendar (£10 +p&p) or
A5 spiral bound desk calendar (£8.00 +p&p).
Each month will have a picture of me, plus a clear calendar page, showing key dates including Bank Holidays, and space for you to use your own markystick to write your important appointments etc on.
All profits will go to Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (UK), via my fundraising account.
There will be an online ordering facility on my website -www.guidedogoakley.org.uk

We will need orders to be placed and paid for before Friday 13 November. Expected delivery time will be before the end of the month.

To enable us to guage how many calendars to have printed, please comment below to let us know if you would be happy to pay up-front and how many calendars you would like. As soon as we have sufficient commitment here, we will go live with the online ordering system. This will show a thumbnail of the calendar designs.

Stinky....

Phhhooooooeeeeee! It's a bit niffy around here!
Mum says it is something to do with the big bone I was gnawing on yesterday. I really cannot begin to work out what she means. All I did was to thoroughly enjoy stripping all the yummy stuff off the outside, then I broke apart the big beastie lump and gnawed on the hard stuff. How on earth can that possibly have anything to do with the smelly air today?

I did have some great fun today: Mum and I were getting ready to go out. My harness was on and we were about to step off the boat. Then there was a toot-toot from another boat that was coming along beside us. I looked out the waterside of the bowdeck and what I saw made me all squeaky! What I heard made me even more squeaky! I spied my human pals Pete and Chrissie on the boat, and I heard my bestest doggy pals calling to me from inside that boat! Heeheeheehee! My tail went all blurred!
They used the boat's leads to tie it onto ours, Mum took my harness back off again and it was party-on-the-towpath time! Yaayyyhayyy! Shadow, Tizzy and I had a fantabulous reunion, running, chasing, twirling, twisting, jumping and chasing again! Shadow is getting a bit too senior for so much frivolity, but He watch Tizzy and me and joined in as much as he could.

Tizzy had very kindly left some of her breakfast so I had to go and make sure I didn't turn down her generosity. Whilst on board their boat, I also discovered a huge box of dog food. Sadly though I couldn't get into it. The lid was too firmly secured! I did try very hard but to no avail. I shall have to leave that for Shadow and Tizzy to work out.

After a great fun time while the humans did the inevitable vast amount of yacketyyacking, it was time to return to normality. They had to go on in their boat, and I had to switch back into work mode. So, it was on with the harness and off into town guiding Mum. We left Dad behind. First of all I had to 'find the post office', which of course I did! Then it was off to find the human vets. This I also did without fault! Well, it was only a few weeks ago that we went there! Mum did some yacketying with a lady behind the counter, then we set off back into town to 'find Boots'. I remembered exactly where that was too! After a bit of boring waiting while Mum squinted at the shelves to find what she wanted, she asked me to 'find the checkout'. I headed straight towards the door. Well, that is usually where I find the checkout! Not in this shop though! Sorry Mum! I shall remember next time that it doesn't even look like a checkout. It is a zigzag course through some shelves laden with highly sniffables! I nearly got away with trying a sample! Only nearly though! Huff!

Once back home, it was time for a well earned snooze while Mum and Dad did some clicketyfingersing. Then a man came who disappeared into the big hole in the back deck. That's a scary big hole. A huge rumbly monster lives in there and this man not only stood in there with the monster, he also put his paws in there! I watched from a safe distance! Then meany Mum realised I was out on the towpath and hoiked me back inside the boat! I sulked on my bed for a bit! Harrumph! The monster-tamer man did a lot of yacketying with Dad then left. Dad said something about that was the annual check up. So perhaps the man was a rumble-monster-vet?

This afternoon, I had to pose for Dad's one-eyed-clickybox. First of all beside the boat, then in a big pile of crunchy leaves. This was to do with something called a newspaper, and for my calendar.

Work is underway on my calendar. Watch this space for news in the next couple of days. This is going to be to raise more shiny disks for Guide Dogs

Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon!

Ooooo! I like this kind of Sunday!

A nice leisurely walk to church. Friends, greetings, fusses, and a bit of hoovering there. Freerun in the big park on the longer route home. Then a yummylicious bone to while away the afternoon!

Photos of me on bowdeck of boat with my big bone. Taken from inside the boat, looking outwards onto the deck, with the doors open.

Sit and look (me in a 'sit' position, looking longingly at the big bone in front of me)

Sniff and lick (bum up, head down)

Chomp! The bone is as big as my head!

Super Good Boy!

Hmmmm.....perhaps I forgive Whiskery Peter for his lessons yesterday. Mum has been putting them into practice today. At first I was a bit miffed at not getting away with my tricks of pulling her around and ignoring recall. Once I concluded that Mum meant business though, I found that the praise and calmness, plus the extra yummy treats for being good were worth the surrender!

There was plenty of time and opportunity for practice as we covered 9.2miles, 10 locks, 4 swingbridges & 1 liftbridge today. We cruised some of it and walked quite a lot of it. This included a fair amount of narrow towpaths that needed me to practice my 'Go ahead' technique of guiding Mum.

We are now back in Newbury and, once we were all moored up, Mum gave me the biggest carrot she could find - and it was a very big one! A yummy reward for being a super good boy all day!

Meeted & Greeted

After they had all gone, a flat-coated retriever called Bee came along with her human, named Peter. Peter has big whiskers on his face, and he is a boater. Even though Bee is 10 years old, we still had a good play together. It turns out that Whiskery Peter is a dog trainer! Uh-oh! I got some lessons! Or, perhaps Mum and Dad got some lessons! It seems I am no longer going to be allowed to greet quite so enthusiastically. Nor will I get away with something he called 'lunging' or tugging on lead to greet or investigate while Mum or Dad is off-guard! Hmmmm...... I shall let you know how things develop! I am not too certain how much I really like Whiskery Peter! Mind you, he did mention something about big chunks of chicken for recall practice...... I may come to like him a lot more!

Mum says that today really was the final event of our fundraising. She says the overall total of all the shin disks and floppy rectangles we've collected adds up to over £8,000. She says that is a fabulous achievement. She asks me to say 'THANK YOU OODLES' to everyone who has supported us and made donations. It all means that we will be able to choose the names of two puppies to be trained as my colleagues. One will beI am well and truly meeted and greeted! And kanoodled and chewed and tussled.

It has been a great day! We have been at the Aldermaston Tea Rooms all day. Rob and Jo from The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (UK) were with us, plus a couple of Guide Dog Puppies and their humans too. Marco, the black lab and Hughes, the golden lab-retriever, both about 9 months old, are both bigger than me! Nevertheless, I needed to teach them a thing or two about being a Guide Dog! Of course, it is essential that they know the art of hoovering, plus enthusiastic greeting skills, kanoodling, and most importantly, how to be a complete hussy by rolling onto one's back to display full glory in the process of serious kanoodling! I think they learnt well from the master!

After they had all gone, a flat-coated retriever called Bee came along with her human, named Peter. Peter has big whiskers on his face, and he is a boater. Even though Bee is 10 years old, we still had a good play together. It turns out that Whiskery Peter is a dog trainer! Uh-oh! I got some lessons! Or, perhaps Mum and Dad got some lessons! It seems I am no longer going to be allowed to greet quite so enthusiastically. Nor will I get away with something he called 'lunging' or tugging on lead to greet or investigate while Mum or Dad is off-guard! Hmmmm...... I shall let you know how things develop! I am not too certain how much I really like Whiskery Peter! Mind you, he did mention something about big chunks of chicken for recall practice...... I may come to like him a lot more!

Mum says that today really was the final event of our fundraising. She says the overall total of all the shin disks and floppy rectangles we've collected adds up to over £8,000. She says that is a fabulous achievement. She asks me to say 'THANK YOU OODLES' to everyone who has supported us and made donations. It all means that we will be able to choose the names of two puppies to be trained as my colleagues. One will be a black lab like me and will be named Raymond, after Grandpa. The other is yet to be decided.

I have simply loooooooved all the walking, all the fusses, all the meeting and greeting...... Actually, I just love being me - doing my job!

Photos of today.
1) Me and Marco on our leads. Mum holding mine and Marco's PW holding his. We are on the towpath, between the boat and the Tearooms, having a 'sit' moment in between kanoodling sessions.
2) Marco and Hughes greeting, with their PWs and Rob
3) Meeting and greeting, and just generally doing our PR stuff in the Tearooms gardens

4) Mum yacketying with Whiskery Peter. Me on lead with Mum after Peter had taught her how to get me to stand patiently on a slack lead, Bee looking straight at Dad's one-eyed-clickyboxa black lab like me and will be named Raymond, after Grandpa. The other is yet to be decided.

I have simply loooooooved all the walking, all the fusses, all the meeting and greeting...... Actually, I just love being me - doing my job!

Photos of today.

 Me and Marco on our leads. Mum holding mine and Marco's PW holding his. We are on the towpath, between the boat and the Tearooms, having a 'sit' moment in between kanoodling sessions.

Marco and Hughes greeting, with their PWs and Rob

Meeting and greeting, and just generally doing our PR stuff in the Tearooms gardens.

Mum yacketying with Whiskery Peter. Me on lead with Mum after Peter had taught her how to get me to stand patiently on a slack lead, Bee looking straight at Dad's one-eyed-clickybox.

Soggy Doggy!

Soggy Doggy! That was me all day today!

We've cruised, we've walked, we've worked locks and swingbridges, and most importantly, I've played with a couple of pals: one was Billy, the little whippet X terrier that I first met last year, then again a couple of days ago. This morning I had a fab game of chase with him, just after we first set off. I taught him how to bark at hissing featherballs too! Well......it had to be done......the big white beastie started it! The other play pal was a passing labradoodle that I met at a lock. That was a great game of chase too!

Now that we've moored up, the sky has finally stopped leaking! I took Dad for a walk this evening to get him out of Mum's way. While we were out, she obviously launched a major attack on the floor, using whiskersticks and wet frothy wiping stick. When I got back she attacked me with a towel! It seems she didn't appreciate my additional splatterings and pawprints!

A Day Out

Surprise surprise! Late last night Rosie and James arrived! Yayyyhayyy! They stayed the night too. That meant I had company in my room for the night! That always makes me a happy boy! And I must admit that I really do rather super love Rosie and James! I mayyyyyy just have got a smidgen carried away with my greetings! Apparently the table-made-into-a-bed wasn't meant for me! Oops!

This morning, I had a super special breakfast - Rosie fed me! Then, after human breakfasts, and a brief wander around the big puddle and back along the towpath, we all got into Rosie's little car, with Dad driving it. Rosie and James were in the back seat and I was in the boot. I sat there for a while watching the world whizz by, then I decided that was enough of the separation, so I climbed over to join Rosie and James. Well, I guessed they wouldn't be with us for long, so I wanted to make sure I got maximum possible time having cuddles! They both shoved as far over as possible to the edges of the seat so I could snuggled down between them! Much better!

We drove for quite a while and eventually stopped in that huge London place. This was an unfamiliar bit of it though. We were at a huuuuuge human vets place, and I had to work hard weaving around gazillions of people, guiding Mum a long way around the place, then up lots of stairs and through lots of corridors and doors. We were there for quite a while, a lot of the time just waiting. I got some lovely fusses from lots of people, so that alleviated boredom!

After all that, we found our way back out again, and to the car, then drove a little more into the town area. After a bit more guiding work through busy streets, we found Debbi! Another mega-waggy-tail reunion! Happy days! This was soon followed by a time of torture/snoozing/hoovering in a human yummies place.

The next bit was good though! We were all walking down the street and I successfully steered Mum into a fabulous shop. It was a pet shop! My strategy worked beautifully! Mum bought me a big bone. However, she told me I couldn't have it until later. I needed to sort out this injustice. I seized my opportunity perfectly: Mum's attention was nicely taken up checking out some collars for Debbi's hissing furballs. Beside me was a big box of irresistables, just waiting for me to make my selection! Well, I just had to didn't I? I managed to get a few moments chewing it before Mum rumbled me! She didn't seem very impressed with my deftness. The shop-man took it off me. He made me 'drop it'. Mum kept saying "I am so sorry" and "how much do I owe you for that?" But the man said "Please don't worry about it". Then he put my selected treat into the bag with my bone. Mum was still saying "Sorry" when we left.

We then said bye-byes to Rosie and James before spending a bit more time in some shops with Debbi. Then the bye-byes time came for her too.

We then headed off in the dark, to the train station and I got my dinner while we waited to get on a train. It was really crowded on the train so Mum and Dad had to stay standing and I had to squish myself against Mum's legs. Eventually though, lots of people got off and we were able to find seats and a bit more space to lie down for me. That was much better.

After a fair while in the train, we then had a little walk begpfore getting on a bus, followed by a good long walk home. As it was completely dark, I had to take super good care of Mum and she was really pleased with me. So pleased in fact that I got my 'stolen' pig's ear to enjoy once we were back aboard the boat. Yummmmmmm yummmm!

Conned!

Well! That was sneaky! I set off this morning, first of all for a nice wander around the big puddle, then Mum harnessed me up and we set off, with Dad, for a nice steady walk along the towpath to Morrison's again. I thought it was just a normal, everyday stroll. Oh no! When we got to Morrisons, a lady appeared behind us. She was a Guide Dogs lady. A Mobility Instructor! Otherwise known as an Obey Me Or Else (OMOE)! I didn't know I was under scrutiny! OMOE had been following us all the way! Watching my every move! She spotted me trying to have a sneaky sniff from time to time. She spotted me trying to snaffle a snack. She spotted me pulling to greet a fellow guide dog we met along the way. She spotted me reading and leaving weemails.

Having said all that, she also noted that I was a good boy. That I stopped at kerbs for Mum, that I guided her around obstacles, that I took her to the crossing places, that I stopped at the stripey road crossings in the car park.

She declared me a good guide dog! Yayyyyyy! She did seem to do a lot of yacketying with Mum and Dad though and, from what I heard, it seems she was giving them some tips, ideas and instructions to 'deal' with my 'not-so-good' bits! Gulp! I think there were things like 'stop and sit' and 'short lead' mentioned in connection with rushing to greet other dogs. Hmmm! Not too sure I like the sound of that. Mind you...there was also mention of treats and rewards..... That bit I do like the sound of!

She was a very nice OMOE. She made a nice fuss of me before she left. She also gave Mum a new handle so I now have a smart one on my smart harness and a scruffy one on my scruffy lock-working harness. I heard new jingle bells too so I think I will now have a new shiny one of those on both my working collars, as well as my play collar. This is just like I used to have before they broke and lost their dingaling!

The rest of the day has been spent snoozing off the hard work of this morning, followed by a nice leisurely walk along the towpath this evening.

.... and RELAX!

Well, that was a rarity! A remarkably uneventful day! 
Long walk on harness to go shopping. Long walk around the shop. Long walk back home. Long snooze. Longish walk this evening before dinner. That about sums it up! 
Time for bed now. Night night!

I jingled on the radio!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p034rmn4#playt=2h41m36s

Coooooeeeee! What a day!

It all started with a very short walk up the road, followed by waiting on the street corner. The air was all fuzzy and the grass was white and crunchy. Then, after a couple of talkybone sessions, a car arrived and we got in. Mum says it was a taxi, I thought it was a car. We rode to a huge house with huge gardens (which I didn't get ot explore! How rude!). We went inside and a man came to meet us. We followed him through lots of doors and corridors and into a little room with lots of techystuff in it. In there, we met another nice man who sat behind all the techystuff wearing big black bowls on his ears and talking into a big red lollipop. Mum and Dad both also had to sit down and talk into lollipops (Mum's was blue and Dad's was yellow). I just settled down for a snooze on the carpet. After all the talkystuff was done, I had to pose for a one-eyed-clickybox session.

Apparently all this was called 'being on the radio'. Well, I don't know what a radio is, but I wasn't aware of being on anything but the floor!

After that, we rode back in the taxi/car (whatever it is called -humans seem to have so many words for the same thing!). We only had a few minutes back at the boat before setting off on a long walk along the towpath and then on busy roads, to go to church. I got a good portion of nice fusses there and a chance to snooze off the long walk while all the human howling and banging and twanging was going on.

The walk back was via a big shop called Morrisons where I had to work hard guiding Mum round all the crouwded aisles and trolleys. Once we got back to the boat I was rather glad that Mum and Dad had left the big bed down for me! (What do you mean, Mum, that it wasn't left like that FOR me? Of course it was! It gets me out of your way while you put all the shopping away!). I do like snoozing on there when they leave it down, not least, coz I can watch out for doggy pals passing by the window!

After a good snooze it was time to take Mum and Dad out again for a very pleasant afternoon wander around the big puddle (apparently it's called a nature reserve) beside our mooring, then along the towpath. I was ready for my dinner after that! In fact, I am sure I was well overdue for my dinner! I think I heard something about the tickydisks being changed - I hope that doesn't mean my dinner will be late everyday from now on!

Now......that bed needs warming up again.......

My fame is spreading yet further!

http://blogofdogswithjobs.tumblr.com/post/131685992443/welcome-photo-guide-dog-oakley-smiles-at-the

Favourite Mooring

Yippee! We're back at one of my favourite moorings! The one by the freerun place - the one Mum says is called Fobney Lock Nature Reserve. I like it here! I don't have to wee on lead! I am allowed to just hop off the boat in freedom! I'm hoping I can make maximum use of the freerun opportunities too!

This is all after a day of hard work, guiding Mum along the towpath and working the locks and swingbridges.

I met Rupert again while Mum was pressing buttons to open one of the bridges. Rupert was the big Gordon Setter puppy that I played with a few days ago. Sadly we didn't get to play today. I was on harness and we were right by a road so we had to put up with the limitations of just greeting, then going in opposite directions. It was nice to sniff though!

I also met some nice mini-humans too. There were a couple at our firts lock who made a nice fuss of me, as did their big human Dad. Then there was another mini-human called Kyle who we met at another lock, which was followed immediately by a swingbridge. Kyle helped Mum to do the pushy-pully stuff on the big lock beam, then he pressed the buttons on the swingbridge for Mum. I sang him a song while we waited for all the clunking and whirring to happen with the bridge.

Nobody Loves Me....

Bacon....sausages.....eggs......toast......umbrella slices......parp-pods.....etc etc..... all seriously mouth-watering stuff...... and what did I get? Not a crumb! Nothing! Zilch! Haaaaarrrruummpphh! And after all my hard work guiding Mum along the towpath, working the swingbridges and locks! Right! That's it! I'm going on strike!

Well, actually, I don't know what a 'strike' is so I'll make do with the sofa!

The mouthwatering torment was in the nice cafe called Aldermaston Tea Rooms​, where Mum says we will be next Friday 30 October from 11am to 3pm, along with some fellow Guide Dogs and Puppies to play with. Maybe I could find a morsel then to make up for today......

Come along and love me..... please.....pretty please? The more of my human friends that come, the better chance there is of a crumb or several getting dropped!

Fame Again!

Oooooo! Fame again! Well, apparently that is to come soon.
We have had Dan the One-eyed-whirry-box man and his pal Chris with us all day again today. Mum says it was the final film session for 7 Families. I say it was fun but odd. I really like Dan and I may have greeted him ever-so-slightly overenthusiastically! Oops! The odd bit is because, when he and Chris are pointing their one-eyed-whirrybox at us, we have to keep stopping and starting, then sometimes going back to do it all over again! Weird humans! Never mind. I got to have a good walk, on harness with Mum along the towpath, including doing a heavy swingbridge - and back again. I also got ot hoover some yummy cake crumbs from under the table!

Dan wanted some whirrybox pointing of me playing - well, I most certainly didn't object to that bit! Heehee! It was a good game of ball-launcher fun!

It has all been rounded off nicely with a lovely long walkies along the towpath - just to unwind. Now, Mum seems to have made the sofa bigger by pulling out the bottom section. That means there's oodles of space for sofa-snuggles! Yayy! A perfect end to the day! Well, it would be rude not to accept the offer wouldn't it?!!

Gorgeous Girlie

Today has been soggy outside. So, apart from taking Mum to a little shop this morning, I've had a snugly snoozy day inside! 

The walk to the shop was a good one - we've never been there before. Mum did something on her tippetytap toy (I think she calls it her eye pad, but I never see it on her eyes!) that apparently showed her which way to go. Then we set out around all the puddles and along the very narrow pavement. The shop was tiny and the lady got everything for Mum instead of her having to find it for herself. The lady talked to me too! She said "Well, hello gorgeous girly!" I forgave her such insult when she made a nice fuss of me! 

I've enjoyed a good time gnawing on a marrowbone this afternoon, but I did have to present it to Mum and ask her to get the last bit of marrow out of the middle. My little tongue just won't reach far enough in!

This evening, after watching loads of that noisy flat box thing on the wall, Dad finally accepted my big brown eyed invitation to go out for a stroll and a one-eyed-click box session. I had to do quite a lot of 'sit and wait' practice while we were at the station. Several big noisy long trains came by. The photos are on NB Sola Gratia.

It's a Tough Life!

The result of a day of hard work/play! 
Photo of me zonked on the sofa with my head resting on the arm of it and my left ear dangling over the edge. (Unlike most Guide Dogs, I am allowed on the sofa because space on our narrowboat home is limited). 

Boris wore me out! Boris was great fun! Boris's human mum was nice -she did my job of walking with Mum all the way along the towpath, doing all the locks, while I got to freerun all the way with Boris for company. Boris is a ten-year-old Golden Retriever, whose boat was going the same way as ours. So our human Dads drove the boats while our Mums did all the walking and windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully stuff, and Boris and I did all the hard work of playing chase, swimming, sniffing....... It's a tough life!

Happy Days!

Woohoohoohoo! Visitors + biccies + freerun + swimming = very very happy Oakley!

We did a little cruise first thing this morning and moored up. My heart sank a little when it seemed that was the end of the day's excitement, such as it was. So I settled down on the back deck for a good sulk. Then I heard the zip go up on the front deck. Visitors arrived! Wonderful visitors! Come-again-please visitors! They brought me a big bag of doggybiccies! Yummmmmm! Their names are Rob and Helen and they are something to do with this thing Mum says is called 7 families. After a bit of inevitable human yackety-yacking, hot brown water and yummies, I heard a magic word: 'Out' and another magic word: 'Walk' !! That made me scoot out from under the table! And it made my tail go a tad berserk too!

Of course, I had to go through the agonising and frustrating wait while all the humans fuffed about putting paw covers and coats on. (I just don't get this palaver. My paws and fur are perfectly adequate as they are. Why can't humans just go as they are too?) anyway, eventually they were ready and, after posing for Dad's one-eyed-clickybox, we finally set off. No harness! Not even a lead! Yippeeeeee! Freerun! And a good longish one at that! Along the towpath, past a couple of locks and through the woods. I found a huuuuuuuuge stick to play with. It was so big I couldn't actually carry it until I broke a big bit off. I felt I had to entertain everyone! It worked! They all laughed at me trying to run with half a tree in my mouth! It was a good game but I left it at the second lock so I could enjoy a bit more running and sniffing. I picked it up again on the way back though and resumed the fun!

There were a few places where the canal bank sloped down to the water and dragged me in for a paddle and a swim! There is no resisting the pull of such places! The water just won't let me go on by without going in! I got in a couple of good showers of the humans when I did big shakes. Heeheehee! Always a bonus!

Overall, a Good Day!

I think I may have learned a valuable lesson today: If I eat lots of the little brown yummy disks that I found in a blue bag lying on the floor by the riverside, Mum and Dad get a bit miffed with me - and with the person who left them lying there, but, when I get home to the boat, I get lots of biccies! Double bonus! Mum said something about chocolate buttons being really bad for me. She then gave me loads of the little black biccies to 'absorb' the chocolate.

I found the yummy disks on the way back from church this morning. Dad thinks they were left by perhaps a fisherman. There was a whole bag of edibles but that was the only thing I got to sample before I got hoiked away!

We had a lovely long walk to and from church this morning. When we arrived, we sat outside for a while because apparently we were a bit early. Once we got inside, I got loads of fusses - that was great, except that I ended up surrounded by mini-humans! There were gazillions of them! Well...... about 6! It was terrifying! All I could manage to do was to roll onto my back and offer them my belly to be tickled! One of the very little ones grabbed my doodah though! That made me jump! The big human in charge of that particular micro-minihuman apologised and moved the offending tinyperson away! Phew! I really don't understand why so many of the other minihumans found it so funny! They giggled something about the baby grabbing Willy. I don't know who Willy is or what he had to do with it all, but that baby sure had a strong grip!

The hoovering duty afterwards made up for it all. I found a lovely big chunk of biscuit on the floor. Well..... I couldn't leave it there for somebody to tread on could I?!!

This afternoon we did something we haven't done much of for a fair while: We cruised - together! All of us aboard the boat! Since we started the MegaWalk we haven't done this. It was great - Mum and I hopped off at each lock and swingbridge to do the windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully-stuff. That meant that I got to enjoy quite a bit of freedom and relaxation!

A good day overall methinks.

Bad Eyes

We've had quite a relaxed, lazy day today. It started with a bit of a lie in. Dad said the numbers on the tickydisk were 9.30 when I squeaked 'I need a wee and I'm starving too'.

Dad then did some sizzly-stirry-yummy-smell-making. On days when we aren't cruising Mum and Dad sometimes don't fold their bed away. Today was one of those days, so, when jDad told me to 'go bed' I gladly obliged! Well, he didn't specify WHICH bed did he?!! The problem with this was that his sizzlying made the loud bleeper go off - and that is right abover Mum and Dad's bed! It scared me and made me run to the other end of the boat and out onto the front deck. Huff! Such a noisy intrusion into my comfy snoozing!

Mum is having a 'bad eyes day' today. That means that she swallows lots of white disks and she is extra messy when she is eating! Whilst I don't wnat her to suffer of course, I can't say I can complan aoubt the messy eating! I rather enjoyed the hoovering duties this morning! Sausage, bacon and toast came my way! Yummmmm! I didn't like the funny little umbrella-shaped slice thing though!

We then went on a lovely relaxed longinsh walk around the nature reserve next to where we are moored, and then along the towpath for a bit of a way. I got to have a bit of a play iwht a big chocolate Labrador who was scared of me, and a gobby couple of little terrier crosses. They weren't allowed off lead though because apparently they do a disappearing act!

Back aboard the boat, Mum and Dad were busy clicketyfingersing while I resumed my occupation of the bed - simply to keep out of hte way of course!

This evening, I took Mum on a bit of a harness walk along the towpath, the opposite way to this morning's route. Shee needed a break and a breath of fresh air. Of course, I was quite happy to help out with that! And I made sure the air was truly fresh when I did a doggy download for her! We didn't go far - maybe a mile or so, but as it was getting dark, Mum really couldn't see anything so I had to work hard for her. She did insist ofn stopping for a while to listen to the clicky-screechy flying things that were whizzing around. That gave me a nice opportunity to have a sniff around for a few moments - to cathc up on all the local weemails!

A Friend called Rupert.

After this morning's battle with the yogurt pot, I had to hoover up the toast that Mum threw on the floor! Soooooo many chores! I needed a snooze after all that hard work, so it was good that Mum and Dad had some clicketyfingersing and talkyboning to do.

Fully rested, I was then able to guide Mum (with Dad as SatNav) on the two mile hike to do some shopping and back. At one point in the shop, Mum and Dad were focused on choosing some meat. If it wasn't for my bloomin' noseband, I could have chosen a huge juicy lump of beef that was right there, by my nose, on the bottom shelf, just begging to leap into my mouth...... But, the blessed noseband won't allow me to open my mouth wide enough to tackle such delights! Huff! It also gives Mum more control over my head so I wasn't able to help a man to clean the floor of a huge puddle of that lovely white stuff that comes in cold bottles. Huff again!

Just as we got back to the lock where the boat is moored, I found a friend. His name was Rupert. He was a huge two year old Gordon Setter. His humans were bringing their boat through the lock and we were allowed a bit of a play! That game of chase was a very welcome end to my hard work!

When the shopping was all unpacked I git a yummy surprise treat: Mum had got me a gloriously fantabulous fresh marrowbone! That kept me happily occupied for the rest of the afternoon. This evening I had to give in though - I just couldn't get that last bit of yummy marrow out of the middle. I had to present it to Mum and ask her to use a shiny flat thing to dig it out for me. She does love me after all!

Saved You, Mum!

It's OK Mum. I destroyed the yogurt pot that attacked me and spattered my face! It won't ever do it again!

Photo of me with yoghurt splotches on my nose and bits of yoghurt pot on the floor.

and that is the well and truly shredded offender!

Weemail Time!

I rather like this mooring! No roads means no lead when I go out for a wee! That means extra weemail opportunities - both sending and receiving!

We are in the same place we were when Andy and Roly came to play (with my first Mummy and Daddy - Sue and Mike, my PuppyWalkers). It was MUCH more fun with a playmate of course, but it is nice today too. I haven't had to work today coz Mum has been fully occupied with choppy-slicy-stirry-sizzly stuff. I did help to work one lock, but couldn't help with the other one; I couldn't walk in the nasty landing stage. It was made of lots of rectangular holes with the angry sloshy water underneath. Those rectangles hurtied my paws! I tried going down on my elbows and walking all lowdown but it was too scary and ouchy.

So I turned around and got back on the boat. I then sang to Mum from there while she felt her way up the steps to do the windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully stuff. Then, when the boat got high enough in the lock, I was able to jump ashore and run the help Mum. As soon as I got to the big beam where Mum was waiting for the water to get higher in the lock, I spotted two big evil white monsters. They were on the bank on the other side of the lock. I rushed across the plank on the lock gates and gave them a good shouting at! They fluffed up their huge white flappers, hissed at me and sploshed into the water. That told em! I didn't want them hissing at my Mum!

Curiously though, Mum didn't seem entirely grateful for my heroics! She told me I was a bully! That they weren't doing anything to invite my wrath. I dispute that! Just being there was quite enough to invite my wrath!

The rest of the day has been wonderfully relaxed. Human friends came. Pete and Heather are nice. They saved me from the hissing furballs that used to torment me when we lived in our house. They kept them so they didn't come with us onto the boat! Phew! I am sure Pete and Heather have saved me from many more bloody noses! I also like them because they let me take them, and Mum & Dad on a freerun around the area beside where we're moored.

Now..... That's Dad satisfactorily evicted from my sofa...... So ...... Time for night-nights methinks!

... And RELAX!!!!!

Home again! After two free runs in the cliff top park, a long walk into Bournemouth guiding Mum to meet up with Dad and Granny, a snooze in a human yummies place, a long drive, dinner in the car, shopping, a bit more of a drive, and a nice walk with Dad. Now my bed beckons.......

Just call me "Bankfinder.com"!

It seems I have yet another name: 'Smartypants'!

That was what Mum called me this morning as we were walking around a bit of Bournemouth where we've never been before. Dad had given Mum something called directions so he stayed at home with Granny while I took Mum to the shops. It was quite a long walk but we arrived without taking any wrong turns. Once we reached the street where all the shops are, Mum was doing something she calls 'nattering' to me. She thinks I'm not listening. She says she is really only thinking out loud. Well I proved I was listening! She burbled quietly 'Oakie, I need to get some cash out before I can do the shopping. I wonder if there is a bank around here'.

Well, we carried on walking and she was doing her best to look at all the shops as we approached them. It was a 'bad-eyes-day' for her, so she wasn't doing too well at working out what was what. I just carried on doing my job and steering her around all the things she would bump into without me. Then we came to a doorway. I slowed down and hesitated, then looked at Mum and back again at the doorway, asking her if this was where she wanted to go. Then she got the message! It was NatWest Bank! I rather liked the super fuss and kiss she gave me! She told me what a clever boy I am! Well, of course......I know that! But it is nice to have the fact reaffirmed once in a while! Ahem! Haha!

Once the bank bit was done, we headed off further along the street to find a greengrocer followed by a butcher. Both of those shops are torture. The first one had some superbly huge carrots within my reach. Of course I wasn't allowed to select any! I even tried doing my best 'sit' and sweep the floor with my tail when the nice man picked some of the carrots for Mum. It didn't work! The butcher shop was even worse torture. I pressed my nose hard against the little gap in the see-through cabinet. I savoured as much of all those smells as I could but - the smell was all I got! Huff! It's not fair! The man in front of us was buying steak and chicken for his dogs. I want to go and live with him!

Shopping done, it was time to 'find the way back to Granny's'. Of course, I found the way faultlessly. However, Mum then said I was 'Sulky-socks' and 'Ploddypaws'. Well, a genius shouldn't be hurried!

I enjoyed a snooze while Dad took Granny out, and Mum was occupied doing choppy-slicy-sizzly stuff in the kitchen. After all those human yummies had then been eaten (after Dad and Granny came back), we set off to do more shopping - this time in a big shop at Granny pace. I really don't know how Mum has the audacity to call ME Ploddypaws! I don't think Sulky-Socks can be applied to Granny though! Super-Senior-Sandals perhaps?

Summer (?) Holidays!

Bournemouth! BEACH! Loads of doggy pals on beach to play with! Wooooohoooooo! Bestest day ever! 
Zzzzzzzzz........

.... And - RELAX!

Haaaaaaa! A lovely quiet, largely lazy day today. Just what a sleepy dog needed!

We did set out to go to church this morning, but after sitting at a bus stop for a while, and no bus coming along, we gave up and wandered through town for a while before returning to resume snoozing.

I took Mum and Dad for a nice gentle little freerun this afternoon. I tried to do a good job of cleansing the park of all the snacks left luring around, but it seems my efforts were not appreciated. My lead went back on! Huff!

Oh well, I did eventually get my dinner, so I think I need to snooze that off now.....

MegaWalk 2nd Leg Day Seven: Fobney Lock to Reading

2.7 miles, 2 locks.

WE DID IT! We finished!

This last day of the walk has been THE BESTEST! It started with with a fantabulous surprise! My first Mummy and Daddy, Sue and Mike, my Puppy Walkers came! With Rowley, my old buddy Springer Spaniel, and Andy, the Guide Dog Puppy! We had a riot of a time on the towpath this morning, Andy fell into the canal, and we just generally chased and chewed and rolled and chased again! Wayyhayy! It was fun!

Then came the serious bit, when Mum harnessed me up. I had to show Andy what he will soon have to start doing. We walked the 2.7miles along the towpath together. It was fab to have company on the walk. Then, while we're working the final lock of the whole journey, Mum disappeared inside the boat and came back wearing different fur substitutes. She said something about not liking wearing goose poo!

We then left Dad to take the boat to find a mooring and we all walked into town. There, we met loads of other Guide Dogs and their humans. After a little walk to find a hot brown drink place for humans, and a chance for Andy and I to do some serious kanoodling on the pavement, we then spent the rest of the day in town. Dad rejoined us and helped Mum with collecting lots of shiny disks and flappy rectangles in a big bucket. All I had to do was be fussed and loved and admired by gazillions of humans! Such a chore! Of course, it had to be my irresistible gorgeousness that helped to get all the shinies and flappies!

Sue, Mike and Andy went off somewhere else up the street to do the same, but we did get a few more opportunities, on and off, for more kanoodles. Humans seem to find it highly amusing when we chew each other's ears and sing to each other!

After a long hard day of such admiration, we were both starving - and our dinners were late! Such neglect we suffer! We just about managed to survive long enough to make it back to the boat for our well earned meals, then we were off again. This time to a human yummies place. By this time we were both absolutely pooped so quite happy to snooze while the humans ate and yackety-yacked!

All too soon it all came to an end though, and we had to say our goodbyes. But not before a final kanoodling session on the towpath beside the boat.

Now, some serious sofa snuggles time is needed. We did it! Mum and I have walked the length of the Kennet and Avon Canal! All 75 miles and 99 locks of it! Whew! Mum, when do we start the walk back?........

MegaWalk 2nd Leg Day Six: Theale to Fobney Lock

4 miles, 4 locks, 1 swingbridge

The air was all fuzzy when we first set off this morning. That made everything smell different. Not that I got to sniff much of the news - Mum put my dreaded noseband on! Hufffffff! She muttered something about sniffing is NOT part of my job. Well I dispute that vehemently! I think it is very important that I read all the weemails along the way. Surely she needs to know if there is a beastie around? Well.... apparently not! Noseband means I simply can't sniff because Mum has way too much control over my head. I can't even snatch a tasty mouthful of grass as I go past! Harrrrumph!

Oh well, it was a pleasant walk. The fireball was in the sky, the featherballs were all tweeting and twittering and there was quite a lot of squelchy mud to walk through in some places too. Mum's paws were slip-sliding all over the place. I just trotted on with no problem at all. Further proof of the supremacy of four paws

While we were at one of the locks, a little tiny red ball with black dots landed on my nose! It then crawled up my nose and tickled! I tried ever so hard to watch it, but it made my eyes go funny! After it had sat on my noseband for a few moments, it flew away and I missed it when I tried to catch it!
Some of the trees were throwing things at us - some fluttery things of all sorts of shapes and sizes and some round hard things that hurt when they donked me on the noddle! One was a prickly green ball, another was a little shiny brown thing in a green cup. I didn't like walking where all the prickly green balls were - they hurt my paws and made me dance! I don't think that was the most ideal movement for guiding Mum but she laughed at me and we got through it.

Our very first stop this morning was the swingbridge. Mum didn't actually get to press the buttons today because another lady was already there. She was pressing buttons but nothing was happening. Apparently the bridge was broken and it wouldn't close across the canal to allow cars across again. there were lots of cars and vans queued up and I had to guide Mum along the line of them to tell the people inside that the bridge was broken down. All except one said 'thank you' to Mum for letting them know, then they turned around and drove back the way they had come from. One man though was nasty and he shouted at Mum! I gave him my bestest evil glare and a little growl. I wasn't going to let him get away with being horrid to my Mum! My growl must have worked - he turned his big van around and sped off too!

There is a nice big field with a lake in it beside where we have moored up - now I wonder if I can persuade Mum and Dad to let me out to go explore.......Right .... let's give it a try.... chin on lap.....big brown eyes.....a little whimper........