That's what I call a Great Day!

4.46 miles workywalkies, a good catch up on weemails in the Clifftop Park, a long snooze under a table in a human yummyery, a good bone-munching session, a big juicy carrot and a leisure walkies to round it all off. It's tough being me! :D

Calendars Awayyyyy!!!

Mission accomplished! Workywalkies into town, to Wilko then on to the Post Office. I was allowed to 'hup' my front paws onto the counter to supervise the nice manhuman who was tippetytapping his pawpointers on his little clickysquares, then sticking rectangles onto the pockets containing my calendars. When he had finished doing such important work, he came out from inside his cage and made a lovely fuss of me! Of course, I was happy to greet him and tell him he had done a good job!

The workywalkies continued on through to the other side of Newbury where I had to take Mum into a yummyery to get a big cup of hot brown stuff to warm her up. Then Daddy came and picked us up in the car.

We are now back at Granny's flat in Bournemouth and I have some serious work left to do on my bone.

Thank you to those who have ordered calendars. Here again, is the link for those who would like to click to order - and please do share this link among your friends too! ALL PROFITS GO TO GUIDE DOGS UK VIA MY FUNDRAISING TO SPONSOR A THIRD PUPPY IN TRAINING WHO WILL BE NAMED IN MEMORY OF MY GRANNY

https://www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

Front of my 2017 Wall Calendar.

Butt Sniffing....

Bone bum! That's what Mum says I have had today! She says that is what she meant about a bone being good for both ends. She also muttered something about taking out shares in poobag manufacturing companies..... It seems that six bagsful of concrete conkers is a generous offering for one day. Well, I am happy to be generous! At least it gave her something to do! Better than aaaaaaalllll the waiting around in the human vet's kennelblock. That has taken up the biggest part of the day; waiting around for something called a follow-up check-up for Mum, after her stay in that bendybed last week. In the end, it turned out that none of all that waiting was necessary at all. Something about a communication breakdown. Oh well, it got me some fusses and admiration!

Next came some welcome workywalkies around Reading to find a shop full of those strange double bowls that ladyhumans have for their chesthumps. I kept Dad company while Mum went to do that 'trying on' thing. I think it was a good choice for both us boys to stay out if that bit! Mum seemed happy when she came out. Dad and I were happy with our little chill out time!

Another walkies this evening was nice before going to another snooze session through a human yackety-yacking time. They call it a meeting. It's not what I call a meeting. A proper meeting involves the civilised art of mutual butt-sniffing and hopefully a game of chase. Humans are so peculiar!

Knobbly Knucklebone.

Pyoing! Pyoing...pyoing...pyoing! Mum says that was my springs uncoiling. It followed a bit of a squeak when I looked out of the car to see trees and doggypals all around. Then, when Mum opened to car's bumdoor and let me 'go play', I simply couldn't contain my joy! My legs just went beserk! Mum was laughing at my crazy zoomies and bendy, sideways bucking bronco barminess! Oooooohhhh! It was SUCH a fandabbydoozee freerun! I needed that!

I think I now declare Snelsmore Common Country Park to be my newest favourite place in the world! Trees, puddles, miles of paths (for humans to follow), acres of sniffing-grounds, space to run and jump and roll, and loads of doggypals to meet, greet & play with!

Now I have a superb knobbly knucklebone. Mum says it is good for cleaning my teeth and my bum. Well.....I get that it is scraping my gnashers as I do serious work on it .....but....my butt....???? Oh well, I shall enjoy humouring her. nom..nom..nom.......

Four photos of me amongst all the crunchy leaves on the gravel path, trees and bracken all around and various different doggy pals that I met to play with.

Colour Gone Mad!

Uh-oh! Mum's new colour vision seems to have gone to her head!

I returned from walkies with Dad this evening to find Mum with lots of bits of shiny stuff on her headfur. I wondered if she was going to put her headfur into that megahot cupboard where she sometimes puts food wrapped in that same shiny stuff. Thankfully she didn't. Instead, she disappeared into the warm rain box and came out with multicoloured headfur.

All this has come after a fairly relaxed day of workywalkies, visitors (including a teddybear that I wasn't allowed to play with), ooooooodles of yackety-yacking and generally chilling out a bit! All most welcome.

Now, please excuse me while I tuck my paws well out of Mum's reach. I really do not want my claws stroked with the colourful stuff she is putting on her pawpointer claws!

Mum's headfur - stripes of pink, purple and turquoise.

Bob and teddybear Bertie sat on a bench with Mum and Dad. I am sat in harness in front of them. Behind us all is our neighbour's floatyboatyhome. Bob and Bertie were our visitors today.

What a Manic Day!

Phwwwoooofffffeeeee! What a day!

Early start, workywalkies, long car ride, quick FREERUN! Yayyy! Another long car ride, microhuman, hissing furball, car ride, Papa, human yummyery, workywalkies, car ride, long-time-no-see-humanfriends, plus a little pooch pal too, then long car ride back home again! I'm not sure if
I'm coming or going or on the way back again!

The freerun was in the Clifftop Park in Bournemouth. This was a bit odd as we didn't go to Granny's flat - but then.....Dad did seem to have extra stuff in the car when he came back for us....... oh well! It was a great chance to run around and catch up on some weemails anyway.

Microhuman Hallie was almost exciting to visit. Well, she provided some good hoovering duties anyway! It seems that I liked her pancake more than she did! Yummm! Well, I would have been failing in my duties if I had left her squishing it all into the carpet wouldn't I?

The hissing furball was a bit of a shock! I just went on a little tour of inspection around Rosie's home and I nearly got my nose pierced! I didn't even know that a hissing furball lived at Rosie's! I am not impressed! I did try to make friends but that ball of fury just growled at me through the little slit by the door frame! Huff!

Papa was nicer to me. He seems to have the message that I am starved! I am not going to disillusion him! He gave me several yummies! We took him to a human yummyery - that was torture as it was right on my dinnertime but did I get any starvation alleviation? Did I heck! Nope! I had to wait forever until we went back to Papa's home. No extra rations to make up for it either. Humph!

The visit to the long-time-no-see-humanfriends was fun. It was James and Nicky plus Reece the minihuman who isn't mini anymore. I remember them from when we lived in Worthing. That was where I met Rocko, the little Jack Russel x Chihauhua. He was scared of me to begin with but we soon sorted that out! It would have been fab to play properly but apparently that wasn't possible today. Maybe another time........

Well, the hotbox is glowing nicely now and making me feel very sleepy after that insane day! So, if you will excuse me, I have a Mummy to shove off of my sofa! Night night!

Trolls....

The ACE Team is back in action! Yayyyyyy! Workywalkies with Mummy! Sooooo good!

It all started with a lovely long lie in together. That was all very necessary of course .... for rebonding! Then I took Mum workywalkies while Dad did a load of clicketyfingersing. We went all through the outskirts of Newbury. The route that includes gazillions of bleepycrossings. I proved to Mum that I hadn't forgotten what she needed me to do; without waiting for her to ask me, I went straight to the pole and did a 'hup-touch' with my front paws on the buttonbox. I think Mum was a bit stunned and super pleased with me! I got a big fuss and a treat! By the end of the sequence of five crossings to get around that bit of road, we had the technique totally nailed! A few humans commented about how awesome I am when they saw me do it!

After a quick doggy download stop right beside a bin (I do like to be helpful whenever possible), we carried on along a route we haven't done for quite some months. Mum realised though, that I had worked out where she wanted me to take her. She then just gave me the command 'Find the Doctors' (that seems to be the strange name she uses for the human vets!). Well, I was already on the case! No problem! Straight there! As soon as we got inside my triumphant bum hit the floor so hard that it bounced! I got my edible proof that I had done the right and good job though! It seems that Mum was just popping in to say 'thank you' to the lady who helped her on the talkybone from inside the big humanvet kennelblock the other day.

We then continued our route around into town, including a couple more bleepycrossing practices. By this point we were reaching near disaster! Mum's goodboy reward pouch was almost empty! This would have been a totally unacceptable situation, so I took Mum to Wilkos and straight to the most important aisle in there; the one with the dog treats! Phew! Disaster averted! A few more bits of good work confirmed that they are yummy treats!

We then met up with Daddy and went on into that big place with dark rooms, lots of seats-up-steps, and a big wall with moving pictures on it. I got the best seat in the room! Right at the top of the steps, with carpet to lie on and an uninterrupted view of that big wall. It was a bit weird; lots of strange colourful little critters with brightly coloured headfur that stuck straight up into a point above their heads! Mum says they were called Trolls and, although it is really a film for minihumans, it was just perfect for her today with her brand new ability to see in colour! Well, I was quite happy to hoover the little white crunchy clouds!

Before the workywalkies home for my dinner, I had to endure the mouth-dripping torture of sitting under the table while Mum and Dad munched something they called Nando's. I don't know what that is but it smelled sooooooo good! Especially torturous as it was way past my dinnertime! I don't know how I managed to survive the final workywalkies home, but I did get us there. When Mum put my foodnuggets into my blue bowl, I just couldn't help but do a quick twirly in my excitement! It made Mum laugh!

I Love my Mummy!!!

Yayy! I got my Mummy back!

But only at the end of a barmy day!

First of all I took Daddy walkies in Bournemouth. Then he took me to the vet who spiked me in the neck again! Beasty lady! Actually, I was a big brave boy this time. Well...... ok.....she conned me......I was so engrossed in her fusses that I didn't notice her sneak in the shinyspike! Note to self: Don't get so easily conned by false human loves!

Next it was back to Granny's flat before a nice long leisure walkies through the clifftop park, down to the stickyoutovertheocean platform, then along the pawmenade and up Middle Chine. Daddy was a meanie though, he didn't let me freerun. He said he didn't want me getting soggy in the wetsploshy stuff.....as if.......

Back at Granny's, I would have had plenty of time to dry off while Daddy did a load of clicketyfingersing, then packed bags! Huffff!

Then it was the drive back to our floatyboatyhome in Newbury where Dad left me in the car while he took bags aboard and made the hotbox glow. Then we set off to the big humanvet kennelblock to collect Mummy.

Of course, there was a fair bit of waiting around there before we could actually leave. I even had to take Daddy out to the car to get me my picnic dinner! There were some good opportunities to get some fusses from many humans in there. It seems that a furry friend is a rare and welcome visitor!

Mummy seems oodles happier than when we left her there yesterday. Apparently she too has had some shinyspikes sticked into her and something amazing has happened to make her eyes work much better. It's OK though, she still needs me!

Now, if you will excuse us, we have some sofasnuggles to catch up on. Ooooh! mummy.....scratch my belly......yeah..... just there! Oooohhhhhhh!

Mum's Back!

Calendars!

Yay! Is this why Dad dragged me down to Bournemouth? My calendars have arrived!!!! He's even sold one already.

Dad says they will go like hot cakes. They don't smell edible - not even for me!

If you want one, there is only a limited number, so get your order in quick. They are in stock, and Dad will send them out as quickly as he can. Why not buy some as Christmas presents? Who could resist.

And ALL the profits from my calendars will go towards our fund raising for Guide Dogs.

www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

"What's this, Dad?" Me looking at a big cardboard box on the floor.

They're here! Me standing proudly over my new calendars.

Front of the wall calendar.

Front of the desk calendar.

Image from the May page on the calendar. Me wearing my judge's wig.

What is going on????

What a mega-day!

I don't think Dad wanted to let me out for my morning wee today. What a wuss. Tiny bit of rain, that's all it was! Didn't bother me.

Finally, he took me out, made his hot brown drink and my starvation alleviation, and went to bed. When he got up - well, I just had to take over. Mum hadn't warmed her side of the bed up, so it was my duty to do it for her.

Dad just went on clickertyfingersing and being boring, so I just went into sleep mode. As soon as he said "right", I was there like a shot. No idea what was happening, but it had to be something good. Please.....

Eventually, after a lot of faffing - why can't you humans just go out? What is it with all these paw covers, fur-substitutes, packing bags.... We dogs just go. Always ready - Dad was FINALLY ready to take me out.

Straight into the car. HUFF. THAT wasn't my plan. I wanted walkies. But no, we went to Sainbury's. DAD TOOK ME SHOPPING! Huff! Then, it was back in the car for a loooonnng drive. Dad parked the car, and let me out, gathered together ALLLLLLL the stuff in the car, and FINALLY I got my walkies. I registered my protest by watering all the trees I could!

After a good long walk, I knew where we were. Mum's humanvetkennelblockthingy!!! But, we went to yet another different room in this big building. Finally, we turned a corner, and I just squeaked with excitement, I couldn't help myself! There was my Mum! In the wrong bed, but it was my Mum. I may, ahem, oops, have just got a tad overexcited. But, she needed greeting. I greeted her! Good and proper. And the lady opposite.

Mum and Dad were yackettying for aaaaages, so I settled down. Eventually, Dad took me back to our floatyboatyhome. He had his dinner. I had to give him one of my bestest stares to get mine. I think he forgot me.

Then, back in the car AGAIN. Aaaaallllll the way back to Bournemouth. At least I got a decent walkies when we got here. What IS going on?????

Dad. I am keeping Mum's half of the bed warm, LEAVE ME ALONE!

I think Mum was a tad pleased to see me too!

Topsy Turvy Day....

Green people. There have been people dressed in green fursubstitutes on our floatyboatyhome!

This has been a strange day altogether. Dad took me out for my morning relief, sorted out my starvation, and then went back to bed. None of that hot brown water that Mum and Dad usually have. I thought we'd be going to church. Instead, Dad got up and did some of his clickertyfingersy stuff, but Mum just stayed in bed.

Eventually, I just had to hup and give her some of my best snuggles. Eventually, Dad took me for a nice long walkies around town. When we got back, he went to see Mum. Then, he got on his talkybone, and kept checking on Mum.

Dad settled down on with his clickertyfingersy stuff again, and after some time his talkybone squawked. He talked to it, and disappeared out. Shortly after, he came back, followed by a lovely man and lady all dressed in green fursubstitutes. Well, ahem, I just had to make them feel welcome! I think I did a very good job.

They seemed to like our floatyboatyhome, and went and spent a lot of time with Mum. When they left, I went straight hup on the bed to make sure she was alright. She was much more like my Mum! Dad took me out again very late for my second walkies. We've got back, nice and wet because the sky was leaking. I still hupped on the bed to check on Mum. I think she's OK - Dad gave her some toast. What a topsy-turvy day.

Am I Bad?

Hmmmm.... Now.... I've just got back from taking Daddy walkies. I'm lovely and soggy and quite well splattered with mud too. Mummy has been daft enough to do a whole load of that strange stroking-things-with-damp-cloth-and-smelly-stuff thing. There is a white rectangle on the wall that sometimes gets all warm - she appears to have stroked that so it is all white and shiny ...... Now.... If I get this big shake just right...... HEEEEHEEEEEHEEEE..... Yep! That did the job - that rectangle is now spectacularly speckled again!

Now you may give me a towelrub Mum! Thank you!

Getting in the Way!!!

A visitor! We had a visitor! I like visitors! They always make my tail wag and this morning's visitor was very wag-inducing! His name was Richard and I think he came to do a whole load of yacketying with Mum and Dad - something about alterations inside the boat. Well, I know nothing about alterations but I did do a spectacular job of getting fusses from him and of getting just perfectly in the way when he wanted to get to the sofa. He had one of those funny rattly snake things that coils back into a little box in his paw. Apparently, when he stretched it out against the sofa, it gave him some numbers that he squiggled onto his block of squigglesheets. I just enjoyed practicing my art of getting in the way because it got me loads of fusses! Heehee!

I then took Mum workywalkies all around town. In Tesco's there was a lovely surprise at the checkout; Banjo! I met Banjo! Banjo is a golden retriever boy that I played with some months ago in the park when he was a much littler pup. Today, he was doing his workywalkies, wearing a smart jacket. Mum says he is learning to be an Autism Assistance dog. It is not often I get to meet a fellow dog-with-a-job inside a shop! Dogs with jobs are the only dogs allowed inside most shops. I don't think Mum would allow me to go into a shop all wet and grubby though like Banjo was this morning. He had been lucky enough to go playing in the park before going to work. Mum doesn't let me do that. I have to work before play, especially if play is likely to be mucky!

Growls and Barks

Home again! Glowing hotbox. Bone. Sofasnuggles with Mummy.

Mmmmmm....I like!

Daddy isn't barking so much now but he does growl when he does any yacketying. It seems though that he appreciates fresh air to help make him feel better. I am happy to assist!

Dad is Pretending to be a Dog.....

Daddy keeps barking! He really sounds like a dog! His yacking sounds like he is growling! That couple with Mum having very ouchy eyes today means I have had a day of working hard but also quite a lot of snoozing too.

I workywalkied Mum into town this morning and we met Dad there in a talkybone shop. Mum was checking out a tippetytappety thing but it seems it is not the one she needs so we left after a bit of yacketying and a nice fuss from the manhuman there. I then had to do my stuff taking Mum and Dad around to the other side of town to the shinydisks place where Dad just handed over some flappysheets to the lady in a box who thumped them and gave them back. Next stop was a shop full of all sorts of little shiny things. Mum and Dad both removed collars from their pawpointers and handed them to the nice ladyhuman. It seems she is going to do things to those pawpointercollars so I will have to workywalkies there again sometime soon. We got ever so soggy walking back through town; the sky sprung a mega bad leak. I had to stop a few times for a good shake. It was good to 'find Boots' and go inside to get Dad some antibark sweets.

A ride in the car gave me chance to dry off before my next job. This was only a very short walk into a building and up stairs. I may have got a tad enthusiastic climbing these stairs. I may have pulled Mum up just a bit quicker than she really wanted to go and I may just have skidded a bit on the slippery floor when she didn't keep up with me. Ooops! Well, I know where I was going and I knew there was a doggy buddy to meet and greet when we got there. Little Eddie the spaniel is always there! We only get to sniff greet, but it is still exciting to find a doggy pal when I am working!

I had to snooze again while Mum and Dad did a whole load of yacketying with Sally, Eddie's ladyhuman. I heard Granny mentioned along with things like 'estate' and 'tax' and ...... I dozed off!

Next stop, after a splosh through some puddles, was human yummyery where the nice ladyhuman offered to bring me a sausage. I liked her. I wasn't so keen on Mum though when she said I couldn't have it! Hufff! She said some nonsense about Guide Dogs not being supposed to have human food, and some other nonsense about my stinky bum when I have some things! How very rude!

I've just taken Dad for a nice wolkies for the fresh air he said he needed. Now he seems to be the froth tub.....I'm keeping well away!

Dangerous Spaces

When will councils learn that "Shared Spaces" are "Dangerous Spaces"? Sadly, yet another example.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/14906252.Absolute_madness__what_shop_workers_in_Horseshoe_Common_think_about_shared_space/?ref=mr&lp=5

Paw Prints....

Today has been a workyday but it started off with a nice leisurely catch up on weemails in the Clifftop Park. I got to send and receive quite a lot but I'm sure there are still plenty more in the inbox, so I really hope I can persuade Mum to let me deal with them soon.

I took Mum on a lovely workywalkies all the way around the Overcliff route. It was lovely with the fireball in the sky and all the crunchy tree-fur moultings all over the ground. I soooooo wanted to sniff my way through it all but I'm not allowed to when I'm working. Mum keeps reminding me 'Head up. Do your job'. If I work well enough on my 'I need a busy' pleading though, she sometimes gets the message and gives me a bit of a chance to sniff about. I have to make sure I do 'get busy' though, otherwise she calls me a fraud and we have to 'get on'. Huff!

Dad picked us up in the car and we went to a place called Poole. I had to work quite hard guiding Mum through all the crowded shoppyplaces. We went into an indoor shoppyplace and she said 'Find Boots'. Not only did I take her straight to Boots, but in the door and up the stairs to the humanvet place there! I think she was a bit impressed with me! Heehee!

We were taken into a room by a nice lady called Kara, who sat down on the floor in front of Mum, who had to sit in a big lifty-uppy chair. It seems that Kara hadn't got on the floor for my benefit. I had to lie down! Oops! Well, it was nice to get a bit of a fuss at my level and it did make her mouth go up at the sides!

Kara did some things to Mum's back paws - she prodded them with her paw-pointers, then she used a funny bonestick with a tail attached to a window and clicketybox thing. Mum said this was a scanner. I checked that it didn't seem to be hurting Mum so I settled down for a nap. I am not sure what all of the things were that Kara did to Mum's paws but it all seemed OK. The last bit was odd though: she went out of the room and came back with some flat pink oblong things. She then pushed Mum's paws into them and, when Mum took her paws back out again, there was a shape of it left in the pink stuff! Mum says this is all to help make her paws less ouchy when the new insoles for her pawcovers are made using these 'impressions'. I don't have a clue what this means but I am hoping it will mean more walkies.......

I've had a Freerun!!!!

Apart from one brief workywalkies taking Mum into a buman yummyery, I've had the day off! Yayy!

There was all that bag-packing kerfuffle going on this morning so I had to keep out of the way. Dad had disappeared for a brief while leaving Mum to her chores. I was lying on my bed which was OK, but then I heard my fellow floatyboaty dogpal, Bella the Staffie outside. I managed to shove the door open and let myself out to get totally out of Mum's way. Well, it was much more fun playing with Bella than lying there watching Mum! It seems that I did a good job of my stealthy escape; Mum hadn't realised I had gone! My jinglebell on my collar must've stayed silent! Heehee! The fun didn't last all that long though. Dad came back and interfered! It was good little game though! Bella is great fun to play chase with.

All the bags were loaded into the car, then me too. At the first stop, I think I got forgotten! I was left in the car while Mum and Dad went into the huge building where some humans do things to floatyboats. I forgave this error though when we got to the next stop. It was for a freerun! Yippeeeee! A glorious hour or so of romping around a huge field, including a short play with a couple of doggypals.

This all served nicely to prepare me for a snooze in the car driving back to Bournemouth again. So tonight's dinner was back at Granny's flat, after which, I took Dad walkies into town while Mum did more of her chores things. I am now happily reunited with my giant teddy. Happy zzzzzzzes!

Four photos from this morning's freerun in Aldermaston:

1) Close up of my head, mouth open in a happy smile.

2) Running from the distance, ears flapping high, all 4 paws off the grass, tall meadow plants behind.

3) Getting closer - running, mouth open, ears flapping.

4) Almost back for my recall reward! Ears way up in full flap, front paws down, bum up in the air! I just about stopped before crashing into Dad!

I've Been to Kennel Woof!!!!

Workywalkies. Train. Another train. Workywalkies. Bus. Workywalkies. A very brief freerun (including a delectable roll about on the soggy grass - just right for sorting out Mum's grooming!). Then...... yackety-yackety-yackety-yack-yack-yackety-yack..........and....... the whole journey thing in reverse, except with extra workywalkies in the dark instead of the freerun bit.

Apparently, the place we went to was called something like Kennel Woof. It was near Leamington Spa, which is the centre of the universe to us Guide Dogs and where we are all made (when our doggydaddies get to 'play' with our doggymummies).

It was another of those meeting things where I have to guide Mum onto a highfloor and Mum and Dad do their yacketying into a lollipop, in front of a whole lot of humans. I thought I would give the humans my best view while I was up there but Mum made me turn over again. She said they wouldn't want a display of my full glory!

I got to practice a bit more of my new trick of 'find the button, hup-touch' for Mum. In a completely new place, and in the dark, Mum was super pleased with me for this. I was, of course, glad to earn my yummies!

I got my picnic dinner at the train station. Then I spotted a puppy. I just couldn't contain my excitement! A whole long, big, loud sentence of huge woofs and squeaks escaped me! I rather think Mum was a bit stunned at me! Oops! But little six-month-old Ripley the cockapoo was just soooooo exciting to see! I just had to say hello! We didn't get to do any more than meet n greet n kanoodle, but we did succeed in getting our leads in a superb tangle! Heehee!

Then, after we got off the train back here in Newbury, I met Ralph. He is a fellow black labrador that I had a fantabulous playtime with a while back and it was great to meet up again. Of course, as I was in harness, we couldn't play tonight, but it was great to greet. I had to work hard guiding Mum back home in the dark, but I think I heard some mention of getting together sometime soon - and Greenham Common was another mention I am sure I heard too......

Never too Old to Learn....

I'm liking this learning malarkey! It is yummy!

Lots of workywalkies today including lots of crossings. Most of those crossings have been 'Find the button' crossings, then 'Hup. Touch the button'. Touch the button = treat in Mum's paw! Yayy!

These button crossings all look the same to most people, but they have the button-box in different places. Sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, sometimes both sides, and sometimes back from the kerb. Because Mum can't see very much around the edges she sometimes finds it hard to locate the button-box, especially when it is not where she expects it to be, and especially too on one of her bad eyes days. That's why she wants me to find the button for her.

After church, I had to guide Mum back through town while Dad took his dumdumdum noise box in the car back to home. As we were going through town there was a group of humans coming up the road. One of them was barking really loudly and they were all stomping their very angry-sounding back paws hard on the ground as they walked. Every single paw was stomping at exactly the same moment, and they were all in lines. They were mega scary! I tried very hard to run away but Mum told me to sit. I did as I was told but I just couldn't make my bum stay down. It sprang straight back up again and I tried to hide behind Mum instead. Once they had gone past I had a sudden and very urgent need for a gutter! I felt better after that and we carried on through town.

I took Mum in and around a couple of shops including one where she bought some new pawcovers. I hope that means more walkies!

All that hard work meant I was ready for a good Sunday bone munching session, and I even almost enjoyed a bit of a pampering session when Mum attacked me with my grooming kit!

Photo shows my new trick: Me standing up on my hind legs with my front paws on the button-box at a crossing. Mum is beside me giving me my little yummy.

New Tricks....

Well! That was an 'interesting' workywalkies this morning! It all started off good - actually, it started off VERY good - with a bit of a playtime with a couple of doggy pals in the floatyboatykennelplace. I ..... errr..... don't think it was exactly Mum's plan for me to play..... oops! I simply couldn't turn down an opportunity like that though could I? Ahem! Right...... so..... playtime over, harness on, doggydownload done... we set off - through aaaalll the sploshy puddles - well..... I made sure I went through them all so that Mummy went around the outsides of them!

First point of call was Lidl where I found my friend Jerry at the checkout. It is always good to get a bit of an eartickle after working hard around the shop.

When we left the checkout, Mum asked me to 'find the door', then, to my surprise, she said 'find left'. That was not only a surprise but also a bit miffing! I much prefer the usual 'find right'. Pets at Home is next door - to the RIGHT! Huff! I did give Mum a 'look' to let her know that I though she had it all wrong but she insisted on 'find left'. Oh, well, I thought, it'll make a change - a different challenge. So, we go left, across the car park (there is no pavement). Then Mum says 'find the steps'. Of course I did - no problem! These steps lead to another car park and then around a corner and onto pavement beside the busy road. We went a very little way and then couldn't go any further. There was a cage across the pavement. Mum thought it was just a little 'offkerb' but, thankfully she listened to my whimpers. There was no way I was willing to guide her onto THAT crazy busy road and it wasn't just a little offkerb. (It turns out, apparently, that the pavement is closed for quite some distance). So, we had to turn around and go back again.

Great! I thought. Back to Pets at Home! I thought. So off we trotted - well, I didn't want to waste any more time getting to the best shop in town! Mum was a right old meanie though! She wouldn't let me guide her in there! 'Not today' she said. 'Straight on'! Huffffffff - mega hufffffff! That was it! NO more trotting! Nope! Straight down to ploddypaws mode! Allllll the way back to the canal towpath - but then came a bit of good news: We weren't going straight back home! Yippeeee! Mum asked me to 'find upsteps'. (Home would have been 'find left'). This is a route we haven't worked for quite some time. Yayyy! I did a good job on the upsteps - I even remembered to stop on the bottom step to give Mum a moment to work out how high it was and get her back paw onto it. Then we turned left at the top and walked down the pavement with all the big busy traffic whizzing by.

Next came a VERY interesting happening! It seems Mum wants me to learn a new trick! We got to the crossing and Mum asked me to 'find the button'. I didn't really know what she meant, but then she got a yummy out of her pocket and held it up by the box-on-a-pole. She tapped the box and said 'find the button'. Well, I hupped my paws and plonked them firmly on Mum's tummy, and tried to get the yummy. It seems that wasn't quite the plan. I got down again. More tapping, holding the yummy by the box - 'find the button'. I hupped my paws onto that box and got the yummy - and LOTS of praise from Mum. I had to repeat this process at two more crossings. By the third one, I got the message and hupped straight away! Mum seemed really pleased with me!

We then continued on our way and eventually met up with Dad to go into a shop called Staples. That was a boring shop - nothing yummy in there.

The rest of the day has been a snooze while Mum and Dad did ooooooodles of yackety-yacking with humanfriends Art and Yvette aboard our floatyboatyhome. After they left though, I took Daddy for a nice long walkies to the train station. We didn't go on a train though - Dad just got some little rectangles out of a machine. Most peculiar but a nice walkies nonetheless!

Gigantic Hissing Furball.......

Meeeooowwww! Oh! My great woofiness!

I worked my paws off taking Mum workywalkies (with Dad too). I guided her expertly into a huge building, upsteps, through doors, through more doors, into darkness and up more steps to the seats at the top of the big room with the big white wall. I enjoyed my huge carrot and settled down for a snooze on the carpet in front of Mum.

Then ...... Meeeooooowwwww! I looked up and there was a giant hissing furball moving across that big white wall! Aaaaagggghhhhh!

The little tiny hissing furball that used to terrorise me in our old house was bad enough! She used to spike my nose and make it drip red stuff. I dread to think what that giant one might do do me!

I got my head down and lay still by Mum's back paws. It didn't find me so I was OK to do hoovering duty of the little crunchy white clouds that Mum messily dropped!

And, to add further torture, my dinner was very very late! I had to drag myself all the way back through town and to our floatyboatyhome, working on harness to guide Mum, whilst suffering from super-serious rumblytum! Huh!

2017 Calendar Coming Soon....

Here is a sneak preview of my 2017 calendar.....

Orders will be via my website - the link will be posted as soon as the 'shop' is open. ALL profits will go to my fundraising to sponsor another puppy to train as a Guide Dog:

www.justgiving.com/guidedogoakley3

PR Staff.....

Got soaked on a workywalkies with Mum. Now snoozing and drying by the glowing hotbox whilst my PR Staff work on my 2017 calendars. Previews will be posted soon....

Off Kerbing.....

Gallantry. That's what Mum called it. I am happy to accept the praise for being gallant. But, actually, I rather enjoy sploshing through the big puddles. Guiding Mum around them often means I have to splosh right through the middle. Wonderfully cold, wet and messy!

There were lots and lots of such puddles on our long workywalkies this morning! Just perfect for getting a lovely soggy belly, muddy paws and dripping legs!

I had to work hard on that workywalkies. We went all around the busy streets of Newbury where all the big buildings are. Mum says they are in dust real buildings. I don't know what that means, but I do know there are lots of megahuge lorries around there and I'm not a great fan of them. They are big and scary and noisy and they fuff nasty smelly air at me. I had to guide Mum around no less than four offkerb challenges this morning. Two of them were big beasty lorries parked on the pavement, one was a van parked on the pavement, and one was a cage around a manhuman in a hole! An offkerb obstacle is one of the biggest challenges we Guide Dogs have to deal with. We have to take our human off the kerb and in the road around the obstacle. A big long beasty lorry means a long stretch of road work. It is scary for both of us.

So, I think I earned my huge carrot reward today! Yummy!

Most of the rest of the day has been very cosy aboard floatyboatyhome. We are working together, Mum, Dad and me, creating my 2017 Calendar.

Who is this Annie Versary person?

Mum says that today is something called our Annie Versary. Something about that we qualified as a working partnership four years ago today. Well, I know nothing about this Annie Versary person, but I do know that today has been rather splendid!

I took Mum workywalkies to the red-striped shop that has all the delectables behind seethrough walls. She bought me a huge bone. She asked the red-striped manhuman to cut it up - so now I have THREE bones! I have a suspicion that Mum has put the two biggest ones in the chilly white cupboard.

Next came a car ride to the Guide Dogs better-behave-myself building. There were loads of young colleague-dogs there, but I had to be on my bestest behaviour and couldn't do any better than squeak to them. I maaaay just have ever so slightly forgotten my manners momentarily when I err.... accidentally..... shouted across the room..... oops! It seems the main purpose of our visit was for Mum and Dad to hand over a big bag of shinydisks to add to our puppy-fundraising. I did go on a very brief excursion upstairs with a manhuman who got me to sit on the platform that gave him my numbers. Apparently 28.75 is a good number of cagies for me! 'Just perfect' was a term I heard. Well..... of course!

The next bit of the day was fabtabulous: A freerun! Yayyyhayyyy! A huge field with a couple of buddies to meet n greet and, one in particular, to romp with: an Alaskan Huskie named Snowy.

The final drive was back to our very cozy floatyboatyhome for my dinner, followed by a good bone-munching session and finally sofasnuggles with Mum.

Now.....if this is what an Annie Versary is all about ...... I therefore need to find one everyday....... ....... ....... If we qualified four years ago today ....... tomorrow must be Annie's Versary of our first solo walk together ...... the next day was our first bus-ride ........ ooooh! I'm sure we can find something to remember each day.......

Arrival at freerun field. Sit for lead removal.

Oops! False start! Bum off the ground slightly prematurely! Lead still attached!

Lead detached. Bum still where it belongs, but poised for the command....

"Go play" Yayyyyy! 

Reading weemails.

A good shake to loosen up - ears caught mid-fling.

Dad.....why do you have to click that one-eyed clickybox at me?

Play bows with Snowy the Huskie.

Bone-chomp time! Mmmmmmmmm.

Chilly Workywalkies.......

This morning I took Daddy walkies. Well....I suppose he took me first - I might be clever but my paws can't reach those sticks on the floor of the car, so he had to do the driving bit. We went to a place where we have moored several times before. We enjoyed a lovely walkies along the towpath. Then, while he was doing his one-eyed clickybox thing, I got on with a bit of the much more serious business of a play with a Staffie named Stella.

Back home again for a very brief warm up before I then took Mum workywalkies (Dad came too) through Newbury to a human yummyery. There we met some humanpals; fellow floatyboaty people. Of course, that meant I had to snooze on the carpet for aaaaages while they all did the inevitable noshing and yackety-yacking. I did get some nice fusses from various admirers though - always welcome! On the way out, I got another admiring fuss from a very wobbly manhuman who talked all blurred!

The workywalkies home was via Sainsbury's. Mum did something very odd there: she gave the checkout ladyhuman a fursubstitute thing! The very same one she bought yesterday. Then I had to guide her around all the rails of fur substitutes again where she then picked up a different version of the same thing (fursubstitute that she puts on her back legs). Back again at the checkout, she put the new version in her bag and some twiddling went on with some little plastic rectangles. Most baffling but it got me yet more admiring fusses so all worthwhile.

Now, after a very chilly workywalkies back again, it is good to snuggle cosy in our floatyboatyhome.

I'll Show Her......!

17.34. That's what the tickydisk said. A whole 4 minutes after my dinner time. I had to plead so hard but, instead of getting up to alleviate my starvation, Mum just showed me the back of her talkybone and made it click. I did my hardest starvation stare but had to wait soooooo long for her to get the message!

When I did finally get my dinner at the incredibly late time of 17.36, there wasn't even a single morsel of extra ration to make up for the delay!

Right! That's it then! Hup on sofa - bum turned to Mum and lie down! Protest registered!

Starvation stare; chin on Mum's leg - sideways glance.

Protest pose; lying on sofa between Mum's legs - bum towards her. Head down in a big huff!

Cozy and Warm!

Home and cozy.

My bed is the bit of the sofa nearest the glowing hotbox. Lovely!

Outside there are pops and bangs and fizzes and wizzes going off all around but I've got my Mummy's snuggles. They can pop, bang, fizz and wizz all they like. We are safe and warm and snuggly happy!

We arrived at our floatyboatyhome earlier today after I had taken Mum walkies while Dad packed bags and things into the car. In the clifftop park there were some humanpuppies kicking a ball around. Mum wouldn't let me join in. Spoilsport! She said I would pop the ball. Well.....surely that's the aim of the game isn't it? Oh well! It meant I simply had to take her all the way down the ziggyzaggy path instead. Of course, that meant we ended up on the beach! Heeeheee! Wooppeeee! Sand......zoomies......pals to play with.......water to splosh in.......yayyhayy! Mum, you really are daft aren't you? How can a self respecting Labrador possibly stay dry in such circumstances? Especially when there is a golden retriever dragging me into the wet splosh! I didn't get completely soaked...... only my legs and tummy!

Photo of me lying on my bed, which is a blue fleece with black pawprints all over it (they are meant to be there, my paws weren't THAT grubby!). The sofa is on the right hand side of the photo. On the left is the glowing hotbox (a black Morsø stove with a glowing coalfire inside). To the right of the hotbox is the set of two wooden steps leading up to the front doors of the boat. Behind my shoulder is HUMPhrey, my golden coloured teddybear.

Lazy Day and Wusses....

A very relaxing day off today! Thanks Mum.

Papa and Uncle John and Aunty Judy all came this morning. It seems that the plan to all take a walkies down Middle Chine and along the pawmenade was a bit scuppered by the leaky sky. Dad, Uncle John and Aunty Judy wussed out of it and stayed in the dry. I just took Papa and Mum out instead. We got a tad soggy but it was a nice outing. Papa did my job looking after Mum, although, I still did my bit, even without my harness. I still led her to the right place to cross the road and steered her around an overhanging tree.

When we were well and truly soggied, we went into a human yummyery at the bottom of Durley Chine. The wusses then joined us. I like that yummyery - it made me sing today! There were doggy pals in there with their humans. Apparently it is a dog-friendly café. I got to meet and greet a rather handsome flat-coated retriever, a little pompom-pooch and a huge Collie x GSD puppy. We weren't allowed to do anything more exciting than sniff and greet and then sit under our respective tables. That is why we started to sing to each other. It seems the workypeople in the café thought this was a lovely song and they came to listen - and they gave us lovely ear-rubs and fusses as a reward for our performances!

The rest of the day has been taken up with some very serious work on a rather scrumptious bone! Then a nice leisurely walkies with Dad this evening.

Now, bags seem to be getting packed again - I guess that means we are heading off back to our floatyboatyhome tomorrow......

A Big Day in the Big City!

Trains. Big red buses. Crazy crowded pavements. Scary busy roads. Lots of legs to weave around......Yep! We've been to that London place again! I like a good challenging workywalkies. I certainly had a day of those today! I must've did it good; I got a big chewbar when we got back to Granny's!

We went to a hugenormous building where we found lots of people in a huge room, all wearing smart fursubstitutes And sitting on rows and rows of chairs. At the front was a highfloor with manhumans yacketying into lollipops. After a bit of a liedown on the carpet at the back, I had to guide Mum and Dad to the front and upsteps onto the highfloor. Mum and Dad then did the yackety lollipop thing. Afterwards everyone banged their front paws together so I stood up and took a bow!

Next stop was a room next door where Mum and Dad, along with the other humans had some of that hot brown water they all like to drink from those strange little bowls with a loop on. I got a little treat of a slice of what Mum was munching. She said it was melon. I thought it was seriously yummy! I tried to burn her with my gaze to get some more but she was mean, saying that one bit was reward enough for being good. Huff! I'm sure I was much gooder than that!

We left that mahoosive building and set off on our way back again. This started with a workywalkies to find a bus stop. Now, it just happened that I managed to need a wee just as we found the entrance to a giganticnormous park! Well, that was an amazing coincidence wasn't it?! Heehee! Mum says it was called Hyde Park. It didn't get to hide from me! That brief freerun was just fantabulous! The bestest bit was after Dad made me sit and pose in amongst all the crunchy treefur that had moulted onto the ground. I found a super-whizzy little Jack Russell Terror buddy to play chase with! Wow! He was fast! I had to sprint my craziest zoomies to keep just ahead of him! Woohoo! It was great!

When the funtime was over and my harness went back on to finish finding the bus stop, I was kinda glad to lie down on the bus. Poor Mum and Dad had to stay standing all the way though. I did lie on the back paws of the ladies who were in the seats that Mum n Dad would have sat in. I wondered if it might make them move but it seems they appreciated my warmth!

Instead of changing to another bus, we walked the rest if the way, so I really got to strut my stuff on those super crowded pavements. I really enjoyed that - especially the bit over the big wide canal. I stopped a couple of times and, while Dad did his one-eyed-clickybox stuff, I got to stick my nose right through the holes in the cage-side and watch all the floatyboats go underneath us.

The train ride home seemed to go on forever but I took advantage by getting in some snoozing under the table. We then workywalkiesded around part of Bournemouth before getting on a very bumpy bus for the final bit of the journey. Then it was just a short workywalkies back to Granny's flat.

Now, if you will excuse me, having munched my chewbar, washed it down with a nice long drink, I am very ready to warm up the sofa with Mum!

Mum and me with the very kind senior manhuman who helped us find our way out of the huge train kennel in London.

Mum and me outside the hugenormous building that we went into. A manhuman wearing a long black fursubstitute and black upside-down deep bowl in his head stood with us for this photo before taking us inside.

Mum and me up on the highfloor. There is a manhuman standing to one side yacketying into a little lollipop. Behind us is a lightypicture of us with some squiggles that apparently say 'The Blind Boater'.

Me lying down in the crunchy treefur that is all over the ground.

Me sitting, smiling, in the crunchy treefur that is all over the ground.

Unwind....

FREERUN! Yayhayhayhayhay! Oooooh! That was welcome! A lovely long romp down Middle Chine then along the pawmenade to that posh Sandbanks place. Dad and Uncle John stayed at Granny's flat and Aunty Judy did my job while I enjoyed a wonderful leg stretch! Then I got to have my picnic dinner in the boot of Uncle John's big car before we were all whizzed off to a human yummyery. I zzzzzed well while they all noshed. It was a good way to endure the torture of the yummy smells!

At the end of all this, Dad used his talkybone and then a few minutes later we went outside and got into a car. There was a nice humanman driving to take us back to Granny's flat again, and I had to ride in the front paw-well between Mum's paws. I haven't ridden in that bit of a car for a long time! It was nice coz Mr Driverman gave me big fusses and I could smell doggypals in his car. He said that he has 4 yellow labradors! I wouldn't half love to meet them all for a freerun!

All this came after a lovely long workywalkies with Mum this morning, then a trip in our car to another little workywalkies into a building and upstairs. There we found a spaniel buddy called Eddie. Oh! and a few humans too. I only got to briefly meet and greet Eddie but it was nice to do that in a worky situation. We went into a room with a nice humanlady who did ooooooooodles of yacketyyacking. Something about Granny's state..... I snoozed on the carpet! A much more sensible way to spend an hour in a warm room!

The rest of the day was taken up back at Granny's flat again - doing some serious damage to a big chew ring! So much damage that it seems to have all disappeared! Oops! Mum says it was a good unwinder for me. I'm happy to accept that reasoning!

Goodbye Granny.

Phewwwy! What a day! Nice walkies this morning. Mum doing lots of mumstuff in the kitchen. Lots of visitors to Granny's flat some I knew, some I didn't but do now. A ride in a huuuuuge posh silver car with three rows of seats and following another huge silver car with a wooden box and lots of flowers inside. Then into a big room with rows of seats where lots more humans sat. The wooden box and its flowers and teddy bears was carried in by five men and placed on a kind of platform thing. Kelvin, the nice man from the flat upstairs above Granny's was there wearing white floaty fursubstitutes. He stood up at the front and did some yacketying. Then there was some human howling, accompanied by Debbi tickling the black and white teeth of a thing that sounded more like 'waawaawaa' rather than the usual 'dumdumdum' that she gets from teeth tickling. Then Dad did a little bit of yacketying, followed by Mum yacketying. I had to guide her to the little step thing to do this. She then let go of my lead and harness so I settled down on the carpet for a brief snooze.

There was a bit more howling, and a bit more yacketying before more of Debbi's waawaawaa teethtickling. During this, everyone put a flower on top of the wooden box. The teddybears were some of Granny's little ones that she had by her bed when she was living at her seniorhumans vetkennelblock. All the yacketying was about Granny too. There were some leaky eyes about, but Mum said it was a celebration of Granny's life, so it was meant to be more happy than sad.

Next came another ride in the posh silver megacar. This time we went to the humankennelblock just up the road from Granny's flat; the one where we used to take her for hot brown drinks. We went into a big room where there was a mouth-drippingly enticing table full of human yummies. Of course, none of it was for me! Thankfully though, I was allowed off duty and got to wander around and do a bit of hoovering. I do like messy humans that drop nosh on the floor!
There was a big garden too and I got to have a bit of a play out there, Ryan came to play with me and I made everyone laugh by doing my nutbum zoomies act! Mum says I go like a demented bucking bronco! I just have a bit of fun letting my ears down!

I guided Mum back to Granny's flat when it was all over, but there were still visitors. I took Daddy out for a nice walkies while Mum and Aunty Judy did some more of that kitcheny stuff. I got a wonderful big chunk of cucumber when i got back! Yummm!

Almost all visitors left us but my Papa is still here! He is staying the night! Yayyy!

Shove It!

Uhhh! I still starved today! This time change malarkey is torture! I even resorted to chewing my huge teddy but he didn't alleviate my hunger. Even the huge bowlful of carrot trimmings did nothing to sustain me. I think Mum had ideas that it would throw my tummy off the trail of the late dinnertime but my tummy is not that daft! I finally manage to melt Mum hard-hearted attempt to keep me starved until SHE thought it was the right time. I soggied her knee, I paced the floor, I whimpered and squeaked and soggied the other knee - then she got the message that I was just too weak through utter malnutrition that I simply couldn't survive another moment without my dinner. She says it was still earlier than it should be. Huhhhh! Just HOW daft does she think I am? !!

Then she has the audacity to get me working to take her, along with Dad, Aunty Judy, Uncle John and Cousin Ben, to a human yummyery, where they all sat munching for like forever....... and not a single atom of it came my way!

Right! That's it! I'm gonna get my protest noted ....... Now..... Mum is on the sofa next to me ..... if I just wedge my shoulder firmly against this sticky-up headrest bit on the side ..... back paws in just the right place against Mum's back leg ...... and SHOVE! Yep! That worked! I now have two thirds of the sofa! Hah!