Soaking for me, soaking for the kitchen!

Puppa is home! Yayy!

It has been an odd day. Mummy has been talkyboning quite a lot, Rosie and minihuman Hallie came and I took them and Mummy workywalkies. We went to the bestest shop: the red-and-white-striped-yummysmelling shop. The nice manhuman in there gave me TWO big bones! Mummy got a huge lump of some delectable too, but I have a suspicion that is not for me. We then went to the green shop where Mum and Rosie got lots of green things and some giant white carrots, and a funny hard purple and white ball too. The ladyworkyhuman in there gave me a little doggy-yummy! So far, a good workywalkies! (Even though I didn't get to munch my bones - they went into a bag on the bottom of Hallie's wheelieseat). The rest of the shopping trip was a bit boring - just a brief trip into something called the cowop, then a slow walkies back to Puppa's home. Hallie walks soooooo slowly!

Shortly after we got back, Daddy came back, driving Rosie's car, and Puppa got out of it! I was sooo pleased to see him. He seems a bit wobbly but he is back!

Mummy has been doing lots of kitchen stuff. Everyone did munching and then the weirdest thing happened: Litlle Hallie had all ther fursubstitutes removed and then she went swimming in a load of suds in the kitchen washybowl! She sploshed water and froth all over the place. I got well out of the way!

I got my soaking when I took Daddy leisure walkies this evening! A good old towel rub on return was good though - but I managed just in time to get in a superb bigshake! Heehee! After Mum had finished doing my towelrub, she went on to stroke the cupboards, the walls, the door, the white warm panel and the floor with the towel! Heeeeheeee!

Meanie Mummy!

Park! Today started with a romp around the park at the bottom of the road! Yippee!

Then, we stole Puppa's car and went for a ride in it to go visit him in the huge vetkennelblock. He was sitting in a chair today - wearing a fursubstitute that looked like a ladyhuman's one! He was much better though. It was nice to be able to get to him to greet him properly. He had a little packet of yummies too! That was definitely worth getting close for. Mum told him off for feeding them to me. Mummy is mean! Puppa is nice! Mum says they are called dIgestive biscuits, not dOgestive! I think I will stick with Puppa!

Waaaaaayyyy past my dinnertime!

Waggy tail again! Happy Oakley again! I found my Papa! (Papa (pronounced Puppa) is Mum's dad).

It was after a lot of workywalkies - first taking Mum to a red-and-white-striped shop where she did a decent thing: She got me a bone! Yesssss! Then to a green shop where she got me a big carrot! Yesssss! Then back again to Papa's home, before setting off out to take Mum and Dad workywalkies on a longish hike to find the bus stop, then, of course, a bus ride, then another workywalkies to find the huge humanvets. A further workywalkies through the corridors took us to a bed with Papa in it! I was sooooooo happy to find him I may just have cried a little! Apparently he didn't have the same operation as the vet did to me when I was a pup. Papa has a hole in his belly and a little bottle with some rattly things in it. He had all sorts of funny things sticking out of his front paws and a tube under his nose, but he was happy and sitting up.

I got some good fusses and loves from the workyladies in there, interspersed between snoozings on the floor while Mum, Dad and Papa did a load of yacketying.

The return journey seemed to go on forever - even though I was walking a lot faster (I was a sad boy on the way but a happy boy on the way back!). It was waaaaaayyyy past my dinnertime! I was starving! We didn't even go straight back - we went into a shop first! How wicked was that?!! Mum made me work even more before my starvation alleviation! I just about made it. I just about found the strength to get to my bowl in time to prevent complete disappearance!

Photo shows me sitting on Papa's armchair, front paws dangling over the front. Well.....someone had to take charge in his absence!

Double Greetings and Train Rides.

Well! Life certainly never gets predictable in Oakleyworld!

Tonight we are in Papa's home in this place called Shoreham. It is really odd though: I have inspected every inch of the place and can't find Papa anywhere! It is just Mum and Dad and me! Maybe this explains why Mum has been glued to her talkybone so much over the last few days. Mum says we will see him tomorrow. She says he has to have something called an operation. I hope it isn't the same operation I had to have when I was little!

We started off with a nice leisurely morning, including a little workywalkies - just Mum and me on brand new territory! Then we all went walkies, called at humanfriends James and Hazel's floatyboatyhome, and then, with them, into town to a human yummyery. I got to hoover a delectable and fairly decent sized munch from under the table. Mum says I had better not get used to liking pizza!

Then it was back to floatyboatyhome and bag packing. I supervised Mum while she scooped a big lot of my food nuggets into a big box. That went safely into the big bag! Then we set off to the train station; a shortish workywalkies away. Three train journeys later, with workywalkieses in between at the stations, and we had a soggy workywalkies to Papa's home.

The highlight of all of this was meeting a Guide Dog colleague at Oxford Station before we got onto our first train. Tex, the yellow Labrador was trying to get to me but his Mum was telling him to 'get on'. I was only semi on duty though; my harness handle was lying on my back while Mum and I were waiting for Dad to get tickets. I squeaked to Tex, and our respective Mums got the message and let us greet. Yesssss!

On the last train, there was a nice ladyhuman called Sophie in a big high wheelieseat. She and Mum did a whole lot of yacketying - lots of it about me! I got a lovely fuss from her.

Photo shows me and Tex meeting at the station.

Bottle of the White Stuff...

Recall practice. That's what Mum called it.

Yummy good game. That's what I called it!

It involved:

A freerun (always good!), Lots of me stopping to sniff (never a chance to be passed up!), Mum does a peep peep peep on the whistle, I come running, Mum tells me I'm a good boy and I get a yummy!

Mum says she got through rather a lot of treats but it was a great game! I like playing that game!

It was a good-eyes-day for Mum so I have had the day off. It all started with a romp around that little park, including a game of ball-launcher-fetch with Mum. We managed to lose the bright yellow frisbee ring somehow in the long grass. Mum threw it and I didn't notice which way it went. Mum couldn't find it again and I wasn't really bothered! I wanted my ball!

Then, the fun continued into a freerun along the towpath. Dad brought floatyboatyhome alongside us - backwards! This went on for quite a long way until we reached the place where Dad used the squirtysnake to give the boat a drink. While this big drink was happening, I got to enjoy a snooze on the grass snatching some fusses from passers-by. Then we set off for the freerun all the way back again - and further on still. This time Dad had the boat the right way around so he went a lot quicker! The yummy game went on all the way! Heehee!

Apart from taking Daddy for a leisure walkies to get a bottle of white stuff, the rest of the day has been spent chilling - some on the towpath and some on the sofa.

Mum has been doing something very strange. She got one of her fursubstitutes and kept stabbing it over and over again with a tiny little shinyspike with a mega long whisker. Many times she has said 'Ow' and then stuck a pawpointer in her mouth! So weird!

Bags of new Nosh!

Lazy snoozy morning. 

 

Play in the park right next to our mooring. Yessssss! It is only a little park though - but still worth a freerun in!

 

5 mile workywalkies - to P@H - Paws @ Heaven? Paradise @ Hoovering? Biccies at Checkout! Heehee! The bestest workywalkies destination! And we came away with a big bag of new nosh for me! Mmmmmm......

Unpersuadable!

Diddy locks! We are back on a proper canal! Mum says she had to work at remembering how to do little narrow locks! Me? I was just doing my job workywalkiesing Mum along the towpath and then sitting waiting while she did her windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully stuff.

This was all after a morning of workywalkies around town to church, Sainsbury's and back again, then a visit to humanfriends on their floatyboatyhome. I could smell a hissing furball - but I couldn't find one! Huff!

Then we went for our final cruise on that big River Tems thingy. I had to lied on the back deck and watch loads of doggypals running and playing and swimming as we glided past a hugenormous open field beside the river! Mum says that maybe we can go there one day..... I bloomin hope so! It looked a fantabulous place!

Now, after a long workywalkies along the towpath of this canal, working two of these little locks and two lifty-up bridges, we are moored beside a park. When we first moored up, I was wilting with starvation. My dinner was late! It only took me my usual 30 seconds to deal with that though. Bowl empty, I gave Mum my bestest pleading look and whimper but she said I couldn't go play with a full tummy. FULL????? Never! She was unpersuadable though! Harrumph! Then the sky started leaking and Mum and Dad took forever to eat their dinners. By the time they finished it was all dark outside. Apparently a black dog can't go play in dark park..... I think I would be perfectly capable! Is this doggy racism?

Tomorrow........park......please?.......

3 photos:

 

The beginning of our workywalkies at Dukes Lock - going through a gate to find the lock.

Working the lifty bridge.

Me sitting waiting for Mum to work the lock.

Because I'm Worth it!

It seems that Doggyplay is something called 'embarrassing' to humans. I found loads of pals to play with this morning in the huge park beside our mooring. I played proper doggy games. Mum seemed to say lots of 'Sorry' to their humans. She also told me to 'put my lipstick away'. Humans are so weird!

That was a great start to the day though! That field/park took us all the way from our mooring to the first lock and I got to enjoy freerunning all of it. I even managed to sneak in a quick paddle in the river! Heehee!

Now, after all that hard work, followed by some serious deck warming and then some hard work on a new bone, and taking Daddy on a long explore of our new mooring (Mum had fed my harness to the froth monster machine so I couldn't take her workywalkies!), I seem to be in need of recuperation.

Photo shows me asleep on my duvet bed on the sofa. It has a blue cover with cartoon marine creatures on it. My head is on a matching pillow. Dad says I am spoilt. Mum says I am worth it. I say I am comfy! Thank you. Night night!

Big "Hup", but Big "Parkyplace"!

Whinge Whinge Whinge! That's what Dad accused me of! Huh! How rude! I was simply registering my protest at being trapped! I don't like these locks on this Tems river thing! I don't get to be up and out and working them with Mum. Instead, I have to stay on deck while Mum and Dad hold the boat's leads - one at each end. It made me squeak! I wanted action! Huffffff!

This evening's mooring is a mixed blessing; on the one paw, it is a huge jump 'hup' to the land beside us. We are a long way down - the windows are filled by the wall! That big jump got me a bit squeaky (and getting back down again was even more scary!). Once up there though, it is wonderful - a biiiiig open parkyplace! Lots of pooch pals to meet and greet! Yessss!

Photo shows me on harness, beside Mum on the pavement when we went workywalkies into tonight's town - Abingdon.

All Sorts of Challenges!

Mum pointed her talkybone at me this morning while we were workywalkiesing along beside the big wide water she says is called The Tems. We had to do quite a lot of our ‘Go ahead’ work because it was a really tricky narrow overgrown path. I really really really had to strut my stuff in some places; slippy mud, narrow paths, rough ground, overgrown spiky bushes, gates.... all sorts of challenges. But we did it! in one place, there were some tree-toes sticking up out of the ground to over Mum’s knee height. I just jumped over when Mum told me to ‘hup’ but she had to kind of sit on top and then swivel over. 4 paws wins again in the superiority stakes!

Click on the link below to see Mum's video:

https://www.facebook.com/GuideDogOakley/videos/1872694259411932/

Squeak and Protest!

Loadsaplay That was the way to start a day!

I do rather like this idea of mooring beside a field where lots of pooch pals pass by! It meant a party right outside the door! I got to play with sooooo many pals I didn't even get chance to stop and ask names! Well....actually such things really don't matter to us dogs! We greet in a more sensible and civilised manner than humans, then simply get on with the important business of romping and chasing and boxing and sniffing and weemailing!

I even got to carry on the fun for a bit as we headed off to the shops. Well.... when the route starts off across the fields Mum takes pity on me and lets me freerun until we reach somewhere where she needs me to keep her out of mischief! On a field, there is little for her to bump into. In town there are all sorts of obstacles that I have to guide her around; kerbs, crossings, lampposts, signs, chairs and tables, vehicles and loads of other 'clutter' on the pavement. I think I did good today. I guided Mum into a red-and-white-striped shop. She got me a juicy fresh bone! Yummmmm!

Another freerun back across the field was just nice to set me up for lying on deck again while we cruised off. I am not too happy about these locks on this River Tems thing. I don't get to work them with Mum! Mum just stands in the bowdeck and holds the boat's lead, Dad does the same on the backdeck and the gates and water seem to do themselves! There is no 'Find the beam'. No 'find the bollard'. No sitting watching Mum do all the windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully stuff. No greeting passing pooch pals. No absorbing admiring fusses from passing humans. All I get to do is to stay on the back deck and squeak my protest!

Team Towpath Strikes Again!

Yayyy! PROPER towpath workywalkies! We are truly back where we belong!

This morning, Mum and I left Dad to set off with floatyboatyhome. We went walkies. Proper team towpath walkies. Three and a half miles of it. To begin with, it was on really good wide flat towpath surface. Mum finds that easy. After a while though we came to some rougher surface where Mum's pawcovers did a lot of crunching on the gritty stuff. I had to guide her around quite a few huge puddles and some stickyup tree paws too. Eventually, this led onto the narrow, rugged tracks where I really have to strut my stuff. Mum looped my lead through the handle of my harness and gave me the 'Go ahead' command. This is where I walk ahead and Mum follows my waggly bum! A technique we perfected when we were doing our sponsored walk from Bath to Reading 2 years ago. It is not part of standard Guide Dog training. It is something Mum and I have worked on together to adapt to our canal and river world. It works well! I may ...... just ..... perhaps ....... ever-so-slightly ..... take advantage ...... of ..... a few opportunities ...... to .....err ....stop for a sniff ...... and  a few crucial weemail exchanges! Ahem!

Mum was super pleased with me and we really enjoyed that walkies. It was cut a bit shorter than we wanted though - simpy because the blimmin path ran out! We had to stop and wait for Dad to come rescue us on the boat. It was nice to enjoy a lazy cruise after that though - lying on the back deck watching the world slide past.

We are moored in a little patch of poochy paradise now. The river is really wide and there is nothing but open grass beside us! A lazy afternoon of snoozing and meeting and greeting passing pooch pals has been fab!

Photo shows me (viewed from above) lying on the back deck semi-snoozing and watching the water as we glide along. View is of the back of my head, shining in the sunlight, and my shoulders with my 'car-bra' on - bright green strapped harness with a loop on the back. Also, my bright yellow collar is vivid against my black fur. In the background is the slightly greeny-brownish water with light reflecting on it and very slight ripples.

Fish Head...

Oooh! Fishyburps! Mum says I stink of fish too. How very rude is that?

I rather got the impression she wasn't too pleased with me this morning. I took her walkies along the towpath, then through the nature reserve before we headed off to work the lock. Except.....I may have taken a slight diversion! You see.....I thought I would leave Mum in peace to work the lock (it was good light and very very familiar ground so I wasn't particularly needed.) I just got led by my nose. Unstoppable pull it was.....to a manhuman standing on the bank under the bridge. He had one of those megalong bendy sticks with a hugely long whisker coming off the end of it into the water. Beside him was an open bag containing a whole load of little fishies. He had just left them there - all open and wafting their irresistible aroma about. I simply couldn't leave them there to rot could I? I mean ..... that would just be so terribly wasteful! Mmmmmmm...... they were delicious! And the perfume on my whole head is a lovely lasting reminder of such a delicious bit of waste management work!

I seemed to end up permanently attached to my lead, attached to a fence after that! Then Dad gave the manhuman a floppy rectangle to pay for my theft.

We cruised on through Reading on floatyboatyhome, then through another lock where I got seriously barked and growled and snarled at by a pair of pooches behind a fence. I just sat down and watched them get their tails in a twist!

Now we seem to be on a hugenormous waterway. Mum says it is called The Tems. This evening, we went workywalkies and found ourselves on very familiar streets around Reading. I thought we had left Reading! Confused! 

When we set off on our workywalkies it was all nice and fine and dry. Part way along the streets though the sky started leaking all big and fiercely. We got supersoggysoaked. Mum and Dad were squelching in their pawcovers. I jsut hung my head and let the water pour off the end of my nose as we walked. When we got inside a shop though, I managed a superb bigshake and sprayed a good cloud around me! Heehee! Oops! This was after doing one bigshake outside the door when Mum asked me to. It is a bit difficult to shake off much sogginess when the sky is still leaking all over you though.....

Back home aboard our cozy floatyboatyhome, shopping all done, it was great to have a good old towelrub! Mum says she had hoped the rain would wash off the stench of fish.....I don't think it did as good a job as she had hoped though. She went all screwed up in the face when she fussed me......

Parp Pellets!

Home again. Back aboard our floatyboatyhome with the hotbox glowing and all cozy.

Wow! What a day it has been though!

A lazy start in the humankennelblock. I had to wake Mum and Dad up because I was busting for a weeeeeeeeee.......I thought I was never going to get to put my leg back down again! Phew!

Then we got into the car with all our stuff (me in my car-bra all safely clipped in but enjoying the luxury of riding high on the back seat!) and set off for a longish drive. Then we stopped at a big green place. Mum says it was called Worrick but the squiggles say Warwick. Much more important than the name was the meetygreety opportunities! I had to guide Mum around a bit of road, over a bridge and through a big parkyplace. There were loads of humans there. Some of them were wearing peculiar fursubstitutes and got into strange long pointy floatyboats with beastie heads on the front. The humans all had big stick things that they dipped in and out of the water and heaved to move along. There was lots of bangbangbanging and loud humanbarks going on while they did this. Dad says it was somethng called Dragon Boat Racing. Me? I just did my job and then got very very happy when we found an open area of green the other side of all the goings-on. Mum took off my harness and lead and gave that lovely command 'Go play'! Yippeeeee! I may have gone just a tad loopy for a moment or two! Well..... big space like that just demands big zoomies and wet grass simply HAS to be rolled around on! Heehee!

Better still was yet to come: I found a buddy to play with! A black lab x retriever called Kes. There was an instant magic between us. Of course, we dogs knew this but the humans had to do some yacketying to establish why! It was because we both have similar origins. Kes was a Guide Dog puppy who didn't get to do the job. He had poorly skin problems so couldn't go to be a life-changer for a blind / VI human. instead he has become a lifechanger for his forever family - just by being a super canine buddy to them! We had a fab few minutes of playing chase together. It is always special to find a colleague to play with.

After this bit of frivolity, it was time to be harnessed up again to guide Mum back through the crowds. I had to work quite hard weaving in and out of all the humanlegs. I even had to veer off the path a few times and take Mum around on the grass at the side. We did good though! We made it! And Oh! Was it so worth it?!! I found some more colleagues! No less than three ex-GuideDog Puppy Mummydogs. All yellow labradors. I didn't get to play but I simply HAD to guide Mum over to say hello. Of course, this meant that human yacketying ensued but that was fine; it gave us pooches chance to kanoodle!

Sadly, we couldn't kanoodle for very long as we had to head off back to the car for the next bit of our journey. This ended at Debbi and Ryan's house - the one with the hugenormous garden! Woohooo! I didn't get to enjoy the garden until after a workywalkies to a human yummyery. This was with Debbi and Ryan plus Rosie and James and little microhuman Hallie. Hallie sat in a little seat on sticks - that meant it was obvious where I needed to be! I do like those little green balls that microhumans seem to find so difficult to grasp with their front paws! Heehee! Mum says they are parp-pellets! I simply did my hoovering duty to the best of my ability. Well, it would have been so inconsiderate to leave all that yumminess to get squished into the carpet!

The workywalkies back was fun. I was, of course, guiding Mum but we were at the back of the group walking along the pavement. Little Hallie was walking along with a sort of lead and harness attached to her, not dissimilar to mine! She was finding every little puddle on the pavement and stomping her back paws to make a splash. Apparently this was utterly hilarious to her!

Back at Debbi and Ryan's house, I got to enjoy a great time playing with Ryan in the garden. Then I got my dinner - in a green bowl that belongs to the hissing furballs! I hope I don't start meowing now!

2 photos - one of me standing face to face with Kes on the wet green grass. Kes is a Lab x retriever - slightly bigger than me. We were poised ready to play a great game of chase!

The other pic is of me in harness greeting the three golden lab girlies. Willow in the foreground is very distinctive with her little black patch by one ear.

Leggy Lurcher...

Bacon for breakfast. Yellow sticks for lunch. Sausages AND chicken for dinner. That's what THEY all had. What did I get? NONE OF IT! Harrrruuuumph!

Aaaallll these humanfriends gathered together for all these delectable yummies and for EEEEEndless yacketying and humanhowling. The best I got was a bit of hoovering of their messiness.

I did, however, get to meet up with my girlie. Poor Lilly was tied up to a post outside. I managed to get out to have a good kissy-kissy-canoodling session with her. Even though she is a very well behaved Labrador, she isn't a Guide Dog, so she is not allowed inside places where I get to go with Mummy. Maybe this working malarkey is worth doing!

I also got to enjoy a wonderful freerun along the towpath where I met up with a few passing pooch pals. One particular set were great fun; a pair of Springer Spaniels and a Leggy Lurcher. We all enjoyed a super few minutes of romping and chasing. I couldn't keep up with Leggy Lurcher though. Wow did she rocket fast!

Yack, Yack and Flippin' more Yackety Yacketing!

Another car. Another long car ride. (Dad got my car-bra on right this time! Much more comfy!). A day of human non-stop yacketying all around a big table (nice humans though - humanfriends we haven't seen for a while). I snoozed under the table and managed to sneak up and make a couple of them jump when my wet nose touched them! Heehee! A couple of lovely, if a bit quick, freeruns along the towpath. (We've been here before - a long time ago - I remember it!) As I ran along the towpath past some familiar friends' floatyboatyhomes, I heard my buddy Lilly Labrador barking from inside her green floatyboatyhome. I tried to get to her but the doors were firmly shut. Maybe tomorrow we can meet properly?. I did have a brief meet n greet with a fellow Labrador named Flora. An evening of more human yacketying and a bit of hoovering for me! One nice humanfriend even gave me a carrot! Thank you Catherine! Mmmmmm!

Now we are in a humankennelblock and I've got a chewbar to work on!

Photo of me lying on a grey and speckled carpet with my front paws splayed out, munching on a rawhide chewstick.

White Puddles!

I love my Mummy! Look what she bought me! (Photo of me lying on my bed on the sofa. Between front paws is a plastic box pack of 2 fresh beef marrowbones.) I think this means Mummy loves me too!

We've been on a bit of an adventure workywalkies: We left Daddy behind and set off on a ten mile trip of walkies and bus rides to go into Reading and then walkies again to that big Hobbycraft shop. (No minihuman trying to ride me like a horsey this time! Phew!) then all the way back again.

Mum was a but nervous about doing this again because she got us hopelessly lost last time. This time though, she did get a bit of help from her talkybone after she asked it to 'call Tim' (that is Dad). Then we set off again around the big beastie roads and crossings. I had to 'get the button' a few times for Mum at the crossings. I do like doing that. Those buttons dispense yummies!

Mum got a bit hesitant a couple of times because she was a bit disorientated. I just gave her my nuzzle on the leg to tell her 'It's OK. I've got it all under control. Come on. This way'. She was obedient! We made it!

On the way back, I had to 'Find The shop' (Morrisons). That's where Mum allowed me to lead her to the bones counter! She then said 'we need milk too Oaks'. No problem! I found it - and with a bonus: there was a spillage! A delicious white puddle that just begged to be slurped! Mmmmmmm!

Now please excuse me. I have a bone to attend to!

Bestest Sniffing.

How on earth do they find so much 'entertainment' in those blimmin clicketyfingers toy things? Mum's one yacketies at her all the time so at least it has that extra dimension of 'interest', but even so......

Dad has sat there staring at his one aaaaaallllll day. All I hear is clicketyclicketyclicketyclickclickclick.......

I did take Daddy walkies first thing this morning - to take the car back to its carkennel place, then walkies back again. I then persuaded Mummy that she needed a wander around the nature reserve. On the way around there, I found a funny little skittery critter. It was just sitting there in the long grass. It was a bit like a miniature version of my toy crocodile but dark coloured and about as long as my paw is wide. I told Mum it was there by wagging my tail whilst staring intently at it. Mum came to check it out and caught a brief glimpse of it before I tried to sniff it. It then skittered away into the long grass. Mum says she thinks it was something called a newt. I would have loved to investigate it more but, despite my bestest sniffing about, I couldn't find it again.

A bit later, I took Mummy for a workywalkies around a block. That was just for the pleasure of going walkies! She didn't even put my noseband on. She still had it with her though - something about 'just in case' - something about 'put it on if necessary'..... it wasn't necessary! Edible backup to praise when I obeyed the 'leave it' command was much nicer than that itchy thing!

Car Bra!

Mmmm! I think I am learning to rather like little microhuman Hallie. We went to visit today and she got my yummies pouch (the one that Mum usually has in her pocket for when I need edible proof of how good I am!). That pouch has my whistle attached to it (the one that peeps on to tell me she has food for me). Hallie very soon learned to peep it. That got me into very hopeful mode. That whistle must always be followed up with edible reward for my response. Hallie ate one of my treats first (I didn't mind sharing just that one!) but then she gave one to me. Then she peeped again - another yummy for me! Soon the pouch was 'all gone'! Very soon though it was time for my dinner. Mum put it into my picnic bowl and put it down on the floor. I was a good boy and did a good 'sit' waiting eagerly for my whistle peep. Once again, it was Hallie who peeped the whistle. I don't care who peeps it really! I got my dinner!

Before going to visit Rosie and Hallie, we also went to visit Papa. He gave me some great fuss and a yummy too! I took him, as well as Mum and Dad for a workywalkies to a human yummyery, then back again for another chance to water the bushes in his garden!

So, basically it has been a bit of a yummy day! And I got ot ride in luxury on the back seat of the car that Dad went to get this morning.

It seems though that manhumans don't know how to put on a bra! Dad put my car-bra on me and attached me to the seat strap in the car. When Mum saw it she pointed out to Dad that, not only did I have my front leg through the neck bit, but also, the whole thing was back to front and upside down! It was much more comfortable after a refit!

Video shows Hallie giving me my treats. I was very gentle taking them from her little front paw.

Parpypooch Issues...

Bad Mummy! That sausage was mine! It hit the floor.....it was rightfully my hoovering duty to do! How dare you tell me to 'Leave it' and then pick it up, wash it and put it into that megahot-cupboard? Huh? Huh? How could you?!!!!

After all my hard work today guiding you all those miles around Reading, enduring the boredom of all those shops.....I think I deserved that sausage! Also, I know you got me a hugenormous bone today - where is it? I don't seem to have it....... Never mind that I haven't finished the last one yet......I worked for that today! Whaddyamean you don't want parpypooch issues tomorrow? Does that mean I won't get that bone tomorrow either? Hoooooowwwwwllllllll..........

Power Zoomies!

Yess! Good Mummy! That's better! Parks are for freerunning! Thank you!

Long workywalkies to church again - via that little park again. Workywalkies all the way. No harness off. No 'Go play' command. Just 'Straight on'. I huffed my disapproval but did my job. There were gazillions of humans there this morning, including hoards of minihumans and microhumans. I got ooodles of fusses! There was also another working dog there too. A Canine Partner working with a lady in a wheelieseat. I tried to say hello in doggy manner, but he didn't want to. He grumped at me so we stayed away from each other.

On the way back, we went via that little park again - I made sure of that! I was told to 'find the way'. I found the RIGHT way! This time, Mum did the proper thing. She asked me to stop. My bum rather whumped down in hopeful anticipation! It worked! Off with the harness. Off with the lead and noseband and.....'Go Play!'. Yayyyhahayyyhahayyyyy! Oooh! that was good and welcome command! It was only a little park, so I had to get in some 'power zoomies' with rolling and back-rubs on the grass built in. All too soon, we reached the other end of the path and it was back on duty, but it was a much happier duty!

Most of the rest of the day has been snoozy Sunday with some bone munching while Mum did some of her funny twiddling with a long tail and a little shiny hookstick thing. (I still haven't found any shaved crows!). I did take Daddy for a leisure walkies so he could exercise his one-eyed-clickybox. We came back soggy! That meant a lovely towelrub! Heehee!

Angry Growls!

Maybe I might survive this 'less food' thing for a while. I got a huge carrot today. That helped a bit with the utter starvation! I also got to 'wash up' a little white oblong dish that Mum dropped. It was yummy work. She said something about cream cheese not really being part of a waistline-watching regime. I think it fitted the regime rather nicely actually!

Today has been a taste of our proper floatyboaty life. We have cruised again. First of all a bit of a 'there and back again' route to the squirtysnake place where Dad gave the boat a big drink. I took Mummy workywalkies along the towpath. This started off on nice wide, good path, but soon narrowed to a little rut in the grass. This meant that Mum had to do something we haven't practised for a very long time; she looped my lead through my harness handle and gave me the 'Go ahead' command. I then walked in front of her to guide her in single file. We remembered it! We did good! Team towpath at our bestest! Mummy was super pleased with me. That meant edible praise! Yippee!

We have worked, in total, including the ones we did twice, 5 locks and three swingbridges today. Not a huge number by our old standards, but it was great! Some of it was workywalkies work, some was cruised. That meant I got to lie on the back deck watching the world glide by. When we come to the swingbridges, Mum seems to have taken to letting me ride on them while she heaves them around. She loops my lead over the rails to stop me getting to the edges. She seems to think I might get my paws trapped or something. I don't fancy that, but when a doggypal is freerunning past it does make me squeak when I can't go join in!

We were joined at several of the locks by a group of 6 girliehumans. They were in funny little green pointy boats and were using flat ended sticks to dip into the water. I got to peer down at them from atop the locksides while they were going down.

After the last lock, Mum let me freerun the familiar towpath to our mooring back beside the nature reserve. 'Stay out of the water' she said. I did......at THAT particular bit of water. She didn't say it again when I got just around the corner to another swim-access point! Heeheeheee!

Just after we got moored up, the sky started growling big and angry growls. Then the big bad leakyskies started too. I'm glad we weren't still out workywalkiesing in that!

2 photos:

Me riding on the swingbridge while Mum opens it.

Me lying atop the lockside with the funny little pointy green boatlets down at the bottom of the lock below me.

Audacity!

Waddyamean less food? Nooooooooo..... That cannot possibly be right, Mum! I mean.....just look at me.....I'm so weak my back paws are spreading sideways! Hooooooowwwwwwllllllll!

I endured the torture of the smell of that bacon stuff this morning aboard the floatyboatyhome of humanfriends Rob and Trish. And sausages too! Not an atom of any of it fell my way! Then I worked my paws off workywalkiesing Mum to the train station, then all through Newbury town to the vets. When we got there, I didn't even get to see the nice vet who gave me yummies before. I didn't get to see any vet at all. I just had to sit and wait while Mum did some yacketying and then collected a little package from the ladyhuman behind the desk. Then I had to sit on that hard shiny mat that tells them my numbers. Apparently my numbers have gone up a bit. So, despite aaaaaallll my hard work, Mum has the audacity to inform me that my rations need to be reduced!

About 7 or 8 miles worth of workywalkies should surely mean 7 or 8 times more food .........

Photo of me sitting inside our floatyboatyhome, beside the big white coldcupboardthing, on the slippery wooden floor. My back legs have done the splits and are all splayed out sideways. I am looking straight towards the camera with a very sad but hopeful pleading face.

Minty Chews!

Mummy has gone all soft on me! She says I deserve a bit of an easy day after yesterday. Well, I shan't complain!

It all started with a little freerun in the nature reserve, then a leisurely workywalkies along the towpath to the first lock, where Dad eventually brought floatyboatyhome and caught up with us. Then it was cruising, lying on the back deck watching the world glide by, with a few more locks on the way. I like those locks though - I got to enjoy a bit of a freerun at each of them while Mum did all that windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully stuff.

Now we are moored up again where we were a few days ago, where there is a nice wide towpath so I can enjoy lying out greeting all the passing pooches! One passing pooch was a black labrador ladypup called Minty. She was rather lovely! We didn't get to play very much but it was great to have a bit of a rough and tumble and a good ear-chewing session!

Dick Inns...

From super pooper to super trouper - all in one day! And now I am super pooped!

Mummy says that six doggy downloads in one morning is a tad excessive! She says it has something to do with having munched a lot of bone yesterday. She says I have had a serious case of bone-bum today. I don't know what she means! I have just done what a doggy has to do! I'm sure she regards it all as very precious anyway - she always picks it up and wraps it very carefully in little bags!

We have done loads of workywalkies, buses and trains today. we have been to that crazy London place again. The vast majority of the workywalkies in London was on routes that are completely new to us all. Mum says I was a super trouper guiding her around it all. She says it proved I 'still have what it takes' when on new territory. I didn't know I had lost it! It was a super good challenge! I do love working someplace new. It is so much more exciting than plodding the same old streets all the time!

We went to some really old place where they had some really old stuff. Some strange car things and other wheelie things, and some of those things that Mum occasionally puts flappy rectangle pack things into. This is when she asks me to 'find the post box'. Very often, when I have found the post box for her on the streets, I get to sniff the weemails on it, but there weren't any on these. They were all indoors. We went to a lady workyhuman and Dad got all miffed. It seems we were supposed to be going on some underground tour and train but it was cancelled and Dad hadn't been sent the weemail on his clicketyfingerstoy or talkybone to tell him.

So, after a snooze under a table in a human yummyery, I guided Mum and Dad to another really old place. This was a really old house where some manhuman used to live who did a huge lot of squiggles in chunks of flappy rectangles. Apparently he was very famous and his name was Dick Inns or something. I just took every opportunity to lie down for a snooze while Mum stood there with funny little ear-boxes on attached to a sort of talkybone thing in her paw. Apparently it was telling her all about the house. Zzzzzzzz...... The ladyworkyhumans there gave me some yummy fusses though. That woke me up a bit for the journey home!

Photo shows me sitting beside Mum in front of a strange ancient red wheelie thing. Mum says it is an old postal carriage at the London Postal Museum.

Sulk Fuel!

I shared my bed and my bones with a girlie pooch today! Her name is Pearl and she is a little white pompom dog (aka Cavashon). She was great fun to freerun around the nature reserve with but she was scary when she barked at me for getting too close to MY bone! I retreated and left her to munch on all three of my bones! It was safer!

Pearl came to visit with her humanmum called Mireille who is a workyhuman at Guide Dogs. She is also humanfriends with Mum and Dad. We went together for a little freerun before coming back aboard floatyboatyhome. Of course, the humans did the inevitable hot brown stinky drink thing and ooooooooodles of yacketying. Pearl and I sat on my bed for a while together but then I went to the other end of the boat to let her get on with trying to munch my bones. She is so diddy though, she couldn't do much work on them. They are big bones for a big boy!

All this came after my first short freerun around the nature reserve. That was a nice start to the day - even though the sky was leaking a bit. I do rather like it when we moor by a good 'garden' like this! Then we went off for a long workywalkies to do humanfood shopping. That wasn't such fun under leakyskies. Wet working is sulk-fuel. Wet freerunning - well that is just fine!

Good Grief! A Shop More Boring than Dullelms!

Ooh! I got a day off! Mum has been fully occupied with some peculiar things; she has been beating up a big blob of gloop on the kitchen worktop, which she then put into an oblong tin and left it. It grew and bulged over the top. Then she put it into the megahot cupboard. She has also spent ages stroking the outside walls of our floatyboatyhome. She rubbed some gloop all over it and then rubbed it all off again! Huh?? What was all that about? Weird! I just laid on the towpath watching her and meeting and greeting all the passing pooch pals.

I haven't exactly been idle all day though. I took Daddy for a long walkies into town. We had to go to a Post Office then to that place Mum calls Geeks' Paradise. Dad says it is really called Maplins and he seems to find the place absolutely enthralling. I had to sit around and lie around and wait and wait and wait while he did that browsing thing at all the boxes and twiddly gadgets on the shelves. Not a single item worth sniffing was to be found. I think I can officially declare it even less interesting that Dullelm! It was a super good walkies though! I was quite happy to lie out on the towpath after that four miler!

My jaws have had some good exercise too - working on my bones. Yes boneS - plural! I have two on the go! Heehee! All the more for decorating the rug with neat little crumbs!

Ready to Parp!!!

I think Mummy made a mistake. We went long workywalkies to a church this morning, then I got some fusses and admirations from lots of humans there, then the long workywalkies back again. This route included going through a park both ways. Mum's mistake was that she forgot to remove my harness. I was in a park and I had to work! Huge mistake Mummy! Never mind that we were in a bit of a hurry on the way there, or that the sky was leaking on the way back. It was a PARK! Harrrumph!

Small compensation came in the form of a visit to Pets at Home to get me a big bone! That helped to while away a soggy afternoon. Mum says it will probably be parp power tomorrow as it was not a raw bone. Well, maybe that will teach her to remember what a park is for!

Accidental Swim, Ahem!...

Woohoo! Another favourite mooring! Another wonderful garden!

We have cruised with humanfriends Val and Oliver aboard. That meant that I got to enjoy freerunning at most of the locks because Mum had their help! Yippee! I even managed to sneak in a few games of ball too! Somehow, I seemed to manage to get a bit wet! I have no idea how that happened Mum.....honest....no idea at all! Ahem!

We are now moored at the place Mum and Dad say is called Fobney Lock, on the outskirts of Reading. I call it fabulous because it is beside a huge freerun paradise with a huge puddle in the middle. Mum says it is a nature reserve so the puddle is not for pooches! I shall have to show her who it is for if I can find a way in......

Yacking and MORE blimmin Yacketying...

Huh! Mummy left me......for a whole.....two minutes! It was like forever! How could she? I thought I had been abandoned! I squeaked and cried and whimpered and.... oh! It was just awful! She said I would be out of the way while Daddy was doing the squirtysnake thing to give the boat a drink. But how could I possibly have been in the way when SHE was doing yummy things in the galley? I might have missed out on a dropped crumb! Daddy finally came to my rescue and released me so I could get inside to check for any mess that Mum might need me to clear up off the floor. I found not an atom! I swear that, in my absence, some other beastie must have stolen my job.

I had a great time playing with a doggypal today. Twice! Once before we left our mooring this morning, and again when we moored up this evening. Her name is Belle. She is a Sprollie (Springer Spaniel x Collie). We had a fantabulous game of chase and box and roll while our humans were busy doing loads of yacketying. When we moored up at our new home, Theale, for tonight, Belle came along the towpath. This time, I got to go inside our floatboatyhome and choose a toy to share with Belle. A squeaky spacehopper was the perfect choice. We had a great time taking it in turns to run and fetch it, then give it a good squeakychew!

2 photos:

 

 

Me sitting on the towpath beside our boat, tethered to the railing, looking very forlorn. Pic taken from inside the boat.

Playtime with Belle beside our two respective floathyboatyhomes, while our humans stand yacking.