Compooperated

"Guide Dogs never have fun"????

Well the daft humans that say that weren't here today were they? About ten of us in total, throughout the day, have had the time of our lives! It has been the most fantabulous, superlicious, fandabbydoozee day of doggy mayhem!

They did bring their humans with them, of course, but they mainly just stood watching us dogs have megafun. We did zoomies and chasiees and tuggies and doggybackgames (ahem!) and we raided my toybox and emptied it of almost every toy and bone. We turned the grass into delectable mud....... Ooooooh....... it has been sheer bliss!

Big waggywoofy thanks to all doggypals who came along. I wuv you all! I do seem to be just a smidgen on the compooperated side now though....... zzzzzzz

Six photos of various black and golden guide dogs and guide dog puppies (big puppies) in the midst of hard play in a huge park area, called Bumble Hole Park in Netherton, Black Country, W Midlands. The last pic is of me 'passed out' on my bed on the sofa, paws and nose hanging off the edge.

Single-bummed Poo-bin Filling!

MuuUUUuuummmm..... My bone has disappeared!

Whaddyamean it's my fault for scoffing it all?

I think it's your fault for not getting me a much bigger one!

Whaddyamean they don't come much bigger than that?

Harrrumph!

Aaaannndd...whaddyamean I'm not supposed to fill the doggypoopbin all by myself? It's not me that is filling it! It's you and Daddy that keep wrapping up my offerings and feeding them to the bin!

A lot of hard jaw-work went into that bone! So, apart from a workywalkies, a leisure walkies with Daddy and a few zoomies around this 'garden' with some passing pooch pals, I can't complain about a bit of a rest-day.

Yummyshop = Happy Oakley!

Freerun.
3 miles workywalkies.
Yummyshop
Freerun.
BONE!
Happy Oakley!

Photo shows me with Mummy outside the yummyshop. (A butcher's with a big blue sign above the door saying 'Fresh Meat to the Public at Factory Prices'

Bestestest Mooring!

Pooch Paradise! Fantabulous mooring! Thanks Daddy!

I took Mummy workywalkies this morning - she wanted to go to a boring shop - the one called Pawstretcher or something (well, actually, it wasn't totally boring; it did have an aisle of doggy nosh but I failed to persuade Mum to let me guide her down that one). However, I sorted out the proper way to go; that was straight past Pawstretcher first, and into Pets R Us! THAT was a much better option! Even better still was that I guided her to the hoovering aisle AND she got me some yummies. RESULT! I did still have to yield to the wander around Pawstretcher but that was much more acceptable after my redirecting guidance.

Very soon after we got back to floatyboatyhome, we set off again - this time Mum and I workywalkiesded along the towpath while Daddy chugged along on the boat. We walked quite a way, then worked three locks before getting aboard for a bit of a cruise. Snooze cruising on the back deck was nice for a while but then we got swallowed into a huge long dark cold nasty tube. I didn't like that! I took refuge in the warm rain box inside! I did venture back out again as soon as we got back into the nice world of light and openness again.

The last bit of the cruise, after escaping the nasty tube, was only short, but OOOOOH BOY! It has brought us to the bestestest mooring! Our new garden is a huge fantabulous freerun paradise!! YESSSSSSS! I is one happy boy!

Close up of me snoozing on the back deck, with other floatyboatyhomes drifting by.

Me sitting in our new 'garden' with acres of green space all around and trees in the distance.

Nice Hedge to Water!

Floatyboatyhome got stuck!

Today started off a bit lazy after all of yesterday's hard work. Then I took Daddy walkies to get some shopping while Mummy stayed home and did a load of choppy-stirry-bubbly stuff and she made a big blob of that funny gooey stuff that grows bigger in the bowl and then she bashes it about and it grows again, then she puts it in the hotcupboard. I wonder....if I could get to eat a big blob of that stuff, would I grow a bit?.......

Anyway.....I got a towel attack when we got home! Heehee! Leakyskies almost always get me a towelrub!

Mummy and Daddy munched some of Mummy's bubbling stuff and some of that gooey stuff-turned crunchy. Then we set off on a cruise. I just enjoyed a lie down on the back deck watching the water and all the featherballs go by. I took Mummy for a nice walkies on the way back again though. We didn't stop where home has been for the last while. Instead we kept on going - and that meant we had locks to work! Yippee!

Even more yippee-ey was that, because this is now very familiar territory, and with a super good towpath, Mummy didn't really need me to work fully, so I got to enjoy a free wander with her. We did a lot of to-ing and fro-ing while she did windy-uppy on one lock, then went back to windy-downy on the previous one, and pushy-pully stuff of the big heavy beams to let Daddy and floatyboatyhome out of one lock, and then into the next.....

I still looked after Mummy though. I didn't let her get very far away from me!

It was all going well until Daddy started to chug out of one of the locks, and got stuck. There was a big lump of tree-leg wedged between floatyboatyhome and the wall. Daddy attacked it with a big long stick and Mummy was pulling really hard on the boat's lead, but it wasn't working. Then another manhuman joined in and tried to help pull, but still no good. Then Mummy did windy-uppy on the gear at the top of the lock, so the water gushed in again. She then pulled REALLY REALLY REALLY hard on the boat lead again and it super slowly moved backwards, so another manhuman could prod the tree leg with the big stick and get it out of the way. While all this was going on, I just took the opportunity to lie down and chill out watching all the kerfuffle!

So, we finished the locks - all six of them and then cruised a little way further to our new home for this evening. I'm not sure I fully approve of this mooring; it has a road very nearby so I am not allowed out without being attached to Mummy or Daddy with my lead! There is a nice hedge to water just beside us though!

Photo shows me lying down atop the lock, facing toward the left hand side. The canal is behind me and I am lying on grass with one front paw slightly tucked under itself - all very relaxed and chilled out. :)

All those "Finds to Find"!

Workywalkies - 'Find the station' - 'Find the way' - 'through the gate' - 'not this train' - 'find the train door'

Train - 'find a seat. Well done. Good boy' - snooze - but only a short one! 'let's go Oaks' - 'find the door'

Workywalkies - 'Find the steps' - 'downsteps' - 'straight on' - 'aaaand wait'. Then - 'find the train door'

Train - 'find a seat. Good boy' - another very short snooze. 'Hup Oaks. Find the door'

'Find the steps' - 'upsteps' - 'find right' - 'downsteps' - straight on - 'find the train door' - 'Good boy' - 'find a seat' - 'Good lad a table seat - even better!'. - harness off and snooze-on-the-carpet!

'Head in, Oaks' - 'find the door' - 'let's find the way out' - 'well done. Good boy' - 'downsteps' - 'find the door'

I think I deserved that chance to water a bush!

Then a car beep-beeped and we went to it. Inside was a ladyhuman that we haven't seen for ages. Marian let us into her car - I got to ride in the front between Mummy's back paws! We went to Marian's house and I got to explore her garden. She gave me a bowl of water but I found a much tastier option - a big bowl on a sort of bollard. Apparently it is meant for featherballs to splosh in. Well, it was a tasty drink!

Another ride in Marian's car took us to another house where I found a doggypal; a spaniel x collie called Molly. We only got to greet and kanoodle a tiny bit while the humans did a whole load of yacketying.

The next bit was the bestest; a workywalkies on all new streets, and those streets led to a PAAAARRRRKKKKKK! Yayyy! I got a little freerun! The park led on to the towpath beside a big canal and so my freerun continued on down there. Then we workywalkiesded back to the station and the reverse of the journey and all its 'finds to find' for Mummy.

Now, if you will excuse me, I just need to tell Mummy how much I love her by just resting my head on her leg.......zzzzzzzzz

Daffodog!

Workywalkies to a new church this morning, where I had to accompany Mummy up on the highfloor. She was doing the yacketying, while Daddy did some tippetytappetying and pictures appeared on the wall behind Mummy.

Workywalkies to a PAAAAARRRKKK! YAAYYHAYYHAYY!!! FREERUNNNNNN!!!!! I was ready for that! I did have to do a 'sit' in amongst some yellow bobbytop things and it was all prickly on my bum! I didn't stay sitted for long!

Workywalkies back home again, via a human yummyery with no seats. Instead the yummies were wrapped up in flappystuff and a bag and Daddy carried it the rest of the way home. It smelled seriously good!

The afternoon was a good snooze time - to catch up on some zzzzzzs.

Mummy says it is now only three weeks today until we will be doing the Brighton Marathon Tenkay. She says we are doing well with the fundraising, but still need some more shinydisks to reach our target. So, if you would like to sponsor us by making a donation then please go to www.virginmoneygiving.com/traceyoakleyclarke

2 photos of me in the daffodils; 1 sitting, the other standing and sniffing the yellow bobbytops

Narrowdog.

Cor! Whataday!

Long workywalkies. Bus ride. Long workywalkies on completely new territory. Into a big building (Mum says it was called the Queen Alexandra College) where I picked up the very exciting smell of doggycolleagues! A manhuman showed us the way through the corridors to a big room. I really didn't need him. I was ahead of him, guiding Mum toward my buddies! They were all in a big room with tables and chairs and humans with humantoys. There was a familiar blue table with blue GuideDogsUk humans by it. We went there first to meet and greet. I didn't recognise any of the other tables but Mum and Dad did an awful lot of yacketying - seemingly about the various humantoys they had on display. We also went into another big room where humans at the front did some yacketying. In there was carpet so I took a snooze under the table.

The most important aspect of the day though, was the greeting of doggy colleagues. It is always sooooooo good to meet up with fellow pawfessionals and today there were many of us: There was Bruno and Daisy and .....Oh! never mind names..... we dogs really don't give a huff about names really .... a quick bum sniff tells us all we need to know. Of course, at an event like today's, we have to remain good and calm and pawfessional (ish) so the best we can get away with is a play-bow and a good kanoodle session, but that is all good bonding. The humans have no idea what we are saying to each other when we do our elephant-seal impressions, and chew each other's jowls and, we are never going to tell them! It is important doggyspeak! That is all they need to know.

The return journey was fine except that the flap-up seats on the bus suddenly flapped-down and boofed me on the bum! That was a bit unpleasant so I stayed squished against Daddy's back paws for the rest of the ride.

We got home just in time for me to get my dinner before complete starvation-collapse set in (I think Mum said it was a whole FIVE minutes late!). Then, we went out again this evening. Not far - just along the bouncy wobbly floorway beside the floatyboats, to the big building at the end. (Mum says it is called Titford Pumphouse). Inside we found humans on seats in rows, and various different humans up the front doing humanhowling into lollipops and some of them had thos noiseboxes with long sticks attached and lots of long twangy whiskers along them. One manhuman had an upside-down-bowl that he was hitting with his front paws. I just did my best to tuck in under Mummy's chair to get out of the way of the various humans who were coming past us spilling brown frothy cold stuff on the floor as they passed. I tasted a little of it - it was kinda OK but it tickled my nose and tongue, so I didn't clean it all up. There was a narrowdog there behind the counter. He started doing some doggysinging along with the humanhowling! It was nice to meet and greet him.

3 photos:

A fuss from a workymanhuman as we waited to go past his hole in the road.

Meeting an greeting Daisy, yellow lab x retriever at the VITalk exhibition day.

Posing with Bruno (golden retriever) and his ladyhuman Jo.

Gimme a Frisbee!

Daddy! I think you forgot something...... You shut the door and I is still INSIDE while you appear to have gone off OUTSIDE! I is NOT impressed! I is squeaking and crying and huffing and whingeing but that door is won't open! Hhhuh.. huhhhh... hhhuuuuhhhhh.....

Waddyamean I've already had two walkies? So what? Another one will always be needed! Especially when the last one was a workywalkies - along the towpath where I normally get to freerun and chase all the featherballs. They were all there....the quacking ones, the honking ones, the pipping ones, and the hissing white ones all on the sploshystuff, plus the bobbyheaded cooing ones on the towpath under the bridge.....loads of them..... dozens of potential good chases.... but nope! You stayed at home so I had to work all serious-like and keep Mummy safe! All for a trip to Aldi to get a pack of those giant crunchy frisbee things to go with YOUR curry!

At least Mummy loves me! SHE gave me a big carrot! A crunchy frisbee would have been nice too.....

Photo shows me sitting right by the front door staring all dejectedly at it. beside me is the glowing hotbox.

Oh Crumbs!

Definite plus side to this mooring: Almost every workywalkies starts and finishes with a freerun along the towpath! I like it!

A lazy start after such a late night last night was welcome. This morning's visitors were, of course, welcome too. Visitors are ALWAYS welcome! Richard and Fiona, the Waterways' Chaplains, came for a yackety session. Then, not long after they left, we set out on our one little trip today; a nice leisurely wander along the towpath to 'Find the shop' (Aldi), then a delicious set of four 'Find the crossing and get the button' jobs. I do love hupping to show Mummy where the button is - those buttons all dispense little yummies! A brief call into another 'find the shop' (Asda) where I soooooo nearly got my jaws around a wonderful smelling big blob of meat, before Mum realised why I was guiding her so expertly that way! Huff! "Oi! don't even think about it" seems to mean I can't have it!

I suppose the bone I got to munch when we got home goes some way to making up for that robbery. I made sure I sprinkled the floor very liberally with lots and lots of bone crumbs! Heehee! They all seem to have disappeared again though while I was out doing what a dog has to do after dinner.

Ambassor Oakley! Bring on the Ferrari Rushes!

Awesome

Fantastic

Amazing

Incredible

Fabulous

Beautiful

Hairy Hero.....

Just some of the accolades received tonight. I can bear them all! I thank you!

We went on a journey; workywalkies, train, workywalkies, train (mega squished train!), workywalkies, human yummyery, workywalkies. I got my picnic dinner in the human yummyery at the same time as Mummy and Daddy had theirs. There was a cold crunchy block in the water that Mummy added to my food nuggets. The water came from a see through human drinking bowl thing that the workyman brought to the table. I picked out the crunchy lump and put it on the carpet beside my picnic bowl. When I went to try to eat it after I finished my nosh, it was gone! All that was left was a soggy patch on the carpet. I don't know who pinched it. I wasn't aware of any intruders.....

Anyway.....the workywalkies took us to a biggish building with some nice ladyhumans inside. Mum said it was a dubble-yew-eye meeting. The ladiehumans all sat around the room and listened while Mummy did oooooodles of yacketying at the front, and Daddy did clicketyfingersing that seemed to make pictures of me appear on the wall! Most importantly though, two fellow Guide Dog buddies arrived! It was Hilly the golden retriever mummydog and little Kate the 11 month old black lab puppy in training. Ooooh! it was sooooo good to have the company of colleagues! Their respective humans are nice too of course!

Mummy seemed to be telling the ladies all about how I have changed her life by being me and doing what I do! I just had to lie there beside her and look adorable! It is such a difficult job I have to do sometimes! Of course, the really tough bit was receiving all the fusses and admiration!

Mummy says that we collected £48.50 shinydisks for doing this tonight. This will be going into our Name a Puppy funds.

The return journey didn't have the first bit of workywalkies because one of the nice ladyhumans gave us a ride in her car. I got to sit in the front between Mummy's back paws. That meant I got a few extra head strokes an fusses from the nice ladyhuman every time she did a twiddle of that funny stick in the middle of the front bit. The train ride was oodles more comfortable too. It was almost empty so I got to stretch out and enjoy the expanse of carpet!

Mummy got chatting with another ladyhuman, named Geri, at the station. Apparently Geri is a VIP like Mummy and is thinking of applying for a Guide Dog to help her. After we got off the train, we had to pose for Daddy's one-eyed-clickybox with Geri. I hope she does get a lifechanger pooch..... maybe a playbuddy one day........

3 photos:

Me getting fusses on the very crowded train where we had to stay standing in the doors area all squished between lots of people.

Me sitting between Mummy and Geri who was wearing red eyewindows and a big guitar bag on her back.

Me sitting on the train looking upwards, just before I sprawled out on the carpet.

Huff! No Hoovering...

Good Mummy!

See....we DID need to go into Pets R Us!

Mummy seems to think that, because she is a human, that makes her always the boss in our partnership. I beg to differ! The other day, we walked past the door of the only shop worth going into. 'Not today' she said. Well, I tried to protest but did as I was told and we continued on to another shop further along. On the way back, before she got chance to realise where I was dutifully guiding her, I managed to get her in there! It was not to be though; she realised far too soon and we had to turn around and go back out again. I was not impressed! I registered my not-impressedness by putting on the ploddipaws.

Today, we took a slightly different route to get there but I soon recognised where we were and took over the directions as soon as Mum yielded. This was my chance.

Left, down steps, stop at kerb, across the carpark, up the kerb, past Costa (I did give her a quick glance to check that wasn't today's destination), past a few other shops and......IN THE DOOR! YESSSSS!

I had to do a 'sit' on the shiny platform thing that gives away my numbers. It gave away 28 of them kayjees today. Mummy seemed happy with that. I then got to guide her to the best aisle; the yummies boxes. I was seriously miffed though; NO HOOVERING! It was all clean! Not a crumb! Harrumph! I tried to nuzzle the lid up on one of the boxes but Mum told me off! Apparently there is a difference between hoovering the floor and stealing from the boxes.......Well, I wasn't planning on stealing. I was going to hoover...... Nope! It seems this would not be permissible. Humph! I did persuade Mummy to get me some of those nice big crunchy carrot biccies though. Small compensation I guess.

Thorough Cleansing Service.

All gone! All my efforts - disappeared! Hooowwwwlllll......

I took Daddy out for a walkies (too slippy underpaw for Mummy). It seems that, while we were out, Mummy went berserk with her domesticals. She has destroyed ALL of my nose-art on the windows, and all my super artistic stippling effect from just about everywhere! No dots on the white-warmer-walls, no spots on the cupboard doors, no spatters on the white chillycupboard..... I am going to have to start aaaallll over again!

It was good to share my bed-sofa with Aunty Lindsay though! She does the bestest tummytickles and ear rubs and she likes doggy-snogs too! She left with a much cleaner face and ears than she had when she arrived! Not every human seems to appreciate my thorough cleansing services, and I respect that, but oooooohhhhh it is good to greet an enthusiast!

Photo shows me on my bed-sofa, with Lindsay who is tickling my chest and has her front paw around me.

Shortest Blog Ever!

Sunday
Snowday
Funday
Boneday.
Yessssss!

By our floatyboatyhome with snow on my nose!

Close-up of the snow on my nose.

Bone!

Airfuff and Skyfluff.

There's only one way to spend the afternoon after a long workywalkies with freezing cold airfuff and loads of white skyfluff, and that is asnoozin' with Mummy! (Well...I enjoyed the snooze....I think Mummy was doing tippetytappetystuff on her toy)

Mum says we walked 5.9 miles today and that is good training for our Tenkay that is coming soon. I hope it isn't so freezing cold fuffy when we do it!

If anyone wants to help us on our way then please go to www.virginmoneygiving.com/TraceyOakleyClarke

Every single shinydisk, no matter how big or small, goes towards sponsoring a puppy to become a life-changing Guide Dog like me.

Photo shows me asleep lying beside Mum's back legs, with my right front leg draped across her legs, and my head resting on her thigh.

Silly Lady!

You do all know that I'm jesting when I moan about my life, don't you? It's all tongue-in-jowl stuff. I love my life really.

When I took Mummy workywalkies today (a super good workywalkies it was too - just Mum and me on a mission to Pets R Us! Yessssss!!!!), a ladyhuman stopped us and got all stroppy with Mummy. It seemed to me like a human snappy-snarly kind of yipping. She was going on about how horrible Mummy is to make me work all the time. She said it is really cruel and mean to have slave animals like Guide Dogs all trapped into a life of non-stop work and no chance to be a real dog. Mummy was all upset and tried to tell her it is not true but she stomped off before listening. I gave Mummy my waggiest loves and made her feel happier again. I think she must have been OK because she got me some new toy things from Pets R Us. She also rescued me when my harness got me trapped under the shelf! Oops! Well....there was a yummy under there....I couldn't leave it to rot could I?

Please do share this post and spread the woof that we Guide Dogs really are a happy family. We are much happier than a lot of pet dogs. We don't get left outside shops and other places. We very rarely get left home alone, and, if we do, it is only for a very brief time. We get to go into all sorts of places that pet dogs are not allowed. Whenever we are working, we are going walkies; how good is that? Our job is all about doing a dog loves doing most; going walkies! Walkies with a purpose is even better! We are super intelligent and love to use our brains. That is exactly what we do every time our harness goes on. We get the best possible health care, good food in what the humans call just the right quantities to keep us at our optimum weight (I am a Labrador - I simply have to dispute this point! I could simply NEVER be fed enough!.....), we have a team of humans all looking out for our welfare, health, happiness and wellbeing. Above all, we get loads of 'downtime' to relax, have fun and just be dogs.

We are not slaves. We do it all willingly and happily. We love our job and our humans. If any of us ever have a problem, the team of humans come to our aid and, if/when we get to a point when we have had enough of our jobs, then we get to retire. Even then, they still care about us. We NEVER end up unloved, unwanted or suffering. We are looked after from our very beginning to our very end, from nose to tail.

Attacked with Wet Wipes!

Spoilsport Mummy!

I almost got to get a good coating of eau-de-dead-and-rotting-creature. I managed to get a little rub of one side of my neck and a shoulder. Then Mum yelled at me and hoicked me away! She said it was disgusting. I thought it was delectable! Alas, I was unable to get a full and proper smothering. Instead, I got thoroughly attacked with wet wipes when we got home, then with a wet frothy flannel too. It seems the wet wipes were not up to fully restoring her choice of 'nice' smell! Hufff!

Shiny bits under the Sloshbowl!

Lazy bones day today.

Lazy for Mummy. Bones for me! Yummy!

Mummy said a rest day from all the walking was a good plan today for her - to give her hurty back paws a break. She says she would like to point out that she most certainly hasn't been idle though, but has done lots of domesticals.

I took Daddy for a walkies to a big shop where he spent aaaaages yacketying to the workymanhuman and workyladyhuman. Eventually, after some fusses for me, we left complete with a few little bits of white tube and huge long (taller than Daddy) white tube. When we got back, he used a funny little to-and-fro zizzystick thing to cut a tiny bit off of the long tube. It was not even as big as my paw, but he says that is all he needs, but he had no choice but to buy the whole length! He then disappeared into the bathroom and used some strange toys to fix the bits of white tube and some shiny bits too under the sloshbowl. I watched him on and off, but I really have no idea what that was all about! Humans are so odd!

Take Me to the Mud!

I woz conned! I don't think I will ever trust Daddy again! That was a mean rotten trick.

I did my duty in workywalkiesing Mummy (with Daddy tagging along too) into the big shoppy place. I did as Mummy asked; 'Find Costa'. We went in and found some human friends at the back. Mummy removed my harness then sat down and started yacketying. Daddy said 'Come on Oaks. Let's go find Pets at Home'. Well..... no second asking required for that one! I set off with Daddy, tail in a major wag! We went into Pets R Us, which was just along the pavement a little way from Costa. I was all happy and excited...... then Daddy took me into another room inside. It smelled worrying..... frothystuff smell! Uh-oh!

Then, Daddy did the meanest thing of all; he handed my lead to the ladyworkyhuman and he offed and left me! I tried my hardest to follow him and point out his error, but to no avail. I was abandoned to the froth-attack.

Not only a froth attack though; a 'luxury' froth attack apparently, then a hufferfuffer assault, then a lughole scrub-out and a fangs-frothing too! I think I got well and truly poofed up!

Now.....where's the nearest super-stinky mud? .....

Not Totally Shattered...

Zzzzzz.....

Do not disturb (unless you have yummies).

Mummy says today has been practice for our tenkay thingy. She says we have workywalkiesded 12.8km (8 miles) in total. She is complaining that her back paws are hurting now. I have no idea what the problem is - I mean....I've workywalkiesded all that far AND I freerunded a whole load more too! No problems with my paws! I think it must be that 4 vs 2 thing again!

Workywalkies to church was only a shorty today but there was a nice carpet to snooze on and lots of new humanpals to meet and greet! Then, after a brief return to floatyboatyhome for that lunch thing they have, we set off out again and walked and walked and walked. It was all very exciting - all on completely new territory - a good challenge! It seems that Daddy's main purpose for this trip was to get a white pipe thing from a shop. Much more importantly though, after doing that bit, we found a FREERUN! Yayyy! Big green open space plus trees and bushes! Blissssss!!!

There were some manhumans around that were using long shiny sticks to hit little white balls around. We stayed away from that area, but, in the bit we did go to, I found lots and lots of those little white balls lying around. Mummy told me over and over again to 'Leave it'. I got this game! It was good! Everytime i did 'Leave it' I got a huge 'Good boy' and a scrummy-yummy! I'm glad there were so many white balls to 'Leave it'! Heehee! Pepperami is well worth doing a good 'Leave it' for!

Now, if you will excuse me, I really need to inspect the insides of my eyelids. They seem exceptionally heavy and need to be checked thoroughly........ zzzzzzzz......mmm..nnn..mmmm?? Did anybody mention going out again? No? Oh....well...zzzzzz.....

See....I am moving.....I am not really totally shattered.....I've moved from position 1 to position 2 and even to position 3......

Black Country Living Museum.

Old places! Lot of old fusty places! Nose-tickling corners. Miles of workywalkies. Yummy hooverings. Fusses and admirations. That about covers today. Oh...and Mummy failed again to yield to my bestest attempt to guide her in the right direction.

A workywalkies, a bus ride and then another workywalkies took us to a place we've been to before. Mum says it is called the Black Country Living Museum. She says it was a special day for 'Disability Access' or something...... It started off with a session in a big room with seats and some humans doing yacketying up front with black lollipops. Then we set off out around the huge place. There was loads of big green spaces and I did get a bit hopeful that it might be freerun territory, but no! It was miles and miles of workywalkies territory going in and out of all sorts of nose-tickly, sneezy old buildings. Don't get me wrong - it was all good and enjoyable workywalkies - especially the long stretched out in the open areas, but oooooh that green stuff did look appealing......

We had a ride of a really old lumpety bumpety red bus with no door on the back. I usually have a lie down on a bus, but I had to sit up on this one - it was too bumpy-jiggly to stay down!

We went into a human yummyery. Mummy and Daddy munched on yummies from a sort of floppy white pointy thing - not off of the round flat dishes that they usually use. Mummy dropped a few little morsels my way - white superscrummy flaky stuff and a couple of yellow sticks. Nom Nom Nom!!! I do like having a messy Mummy! When we went outside i managed to find quite a few more of those yellow sticks to hoover and I mastered the knack of gently guiding Mum toward them before she realised why we were heading that way! Heehee! Welll.....all that workywalkies worked up an appetite!

At the end, we went back into the big room we started in and I got to enjoy a great self-massage on the carpet while Mum did a load of yacketying with other humans. I got some more good fusses too and a bit of a lie-down for a short while.

Then, I did my duty and guided Mummy back ot the bus stop, found her a seat on the bus and off again at the right stop. We then went to a big boring shop called Homebase where Daddy spent ages staring at all sorts of white tubes before we walked out again with nothing! The route back across the carpark was where Mummy failed to follow my guidance. I tried so very hard to take her across to the right, but she was seriously insistent on going 'straight on' - totally the wrong way. Pets R Us is off to the right! I tried every possible route back to the correct direction but Nope! She totally insisted she was right and I was wrong! Harrumph!

4 photos from the Black Country Living Museum:

 

Me sitting in harness with a  lady policebob pointing at me and holding a stick she wouldn't let me play with.

Oooh! This kind of pose! A 'sit' pose in front of that big red flappy thing I almost knocked over! Oops!

Photo pose time in the big room, in front of a big red banner.

My bestest pose! Posed perfectly for a belly rub! Oooh.....up a bit Mum....yeah.....just there......oooh yes!!

Lovely Towelrub.

Waddyamean "Not today. Straight on?" But....but....but - that's Pets R Us! We cannot possibly not need to go in! Mum you are sooooo wrong! How could you? I mean.....even the door opened as we got near......that means we HAVE to go in.....

Huff! She meant it though! We didn't go in. I did my bestest big huff and put on my ploddyest ploddypaws but it didn't work. We went straight on by and into a boring humanfursubstitutes shop instead! And then, to add to the torture, the same insistent command met my ears on the way back again! More big huff and more ploddypaws made no difference. I kept up the ploddypaws......for a few paces......but then the excitement of new route, new territory got the better of me.

We've spent a lot of today on a bus, but with some good workywalkies bits interspersed too. At this end of the bus ride, it is all very exciting and I need to strut my stuff super good for Mummy as it is a whole new place. At the other end of the bus journey, we were on familiar territory again, in Bumingham city centre, but we did go on some routes even there that Mummy was less familiar with and so I had to make sure I kept her out of trouble.

There was one stretch of pavement, on our new territory, where there were lots and lots of cars parked on the pavement. There wasn't enough space for Mum and me to got through in our normal and proper side-by-side working positions. I had to do my 'Go ahead' thing for Mummy. This was a bit nerve-wracking because I usually only do this on narrow stretches of towpath, not beside really busy roads. We did it though! We made it through!

The towelrub was lovely when we got home - it almost made the soggy end to our workywalkies worth doing. Working under leakyskies is never fun though.

Windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully stuff.

Team towpath in action again today! Yayyy! Workywalkies along loads of towpath - some on green squelchy grass, some on gooey mud, some on gritty stuff, and some on megahard stuff. All of it with my attention needed to look after Mummy. On the green squelchy stuff, there were holes and lumpybumpy bits that I had to steer her around and warn her about (stop, nuzzle knee, then nose to hazard to show Mum to be careful). The gooey muddy bits had some very icky puddles to take her around. The gritty stuff was, in places, only a narrow little path with mud and grass either side. Across lots of it there were all sorts of twigs and big sticks. Much as I would have loved to get acquainted with some of them, especially the big sticks (Mum says I'm not supposed to play with them but they are so tempting), I just had to remember my job and make sure she didn't trip over them. The megahard stuff was mainly underneath a huuuuuuge bridge that went on forever. Mum said it was the M5. It rumbled! It had lots and lots of cages all over its underneath and its legs and there were hi-viz manhumans with big white domeheads everywhere! I had to weave Mummy in and out of all sorts of bits of cages and pipes and bollards and things. It was a challenge indeed! But Team towpath conquered it! We made it back aboard floatyboatyhome for a cruise past the bits we couldn't walk because the whole towpath was in a huge cage!

Then came the fun bit! I got to walk the length of the lock flight three times! Heehee! First of all, I took Daddy up to the top, then back down again. (Apparently, he was checking it was navigable and that there would be somewhere to moor at the top). Then I got to do it all again - but this time with Mummy doing all the windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully stuff. This makes it all a bit stop start, but Mum seems to make it fun by doing something she calls obedience practice while we wait for the locks to do their thing in lifting floatyboatyhome up. I just call it a good chance to gallop to Mummy and get a yummy for having that bit of fun!!

Before we set off today though, Daddy got us posing beside floatyboatyhome. He said it was about time we had an updated profile picture. This will be duly uploaded in a moment, but for now, here is a preview.

Photos show Mummy and me beside our floatyboatyhome. in one of them Mummy is standing beside me, and in the other it is just me. In both, I am in harness and dutifully sitting and posing, facing the camera. Floatyboatyhome is a burgundy and dark blue narrowboat with a silver grey canopy on the front. This is called a cratch cover and acts like a sort of porch, covering the whole of the bow deck area. It has an almost triangular front (narrowing at the top), and windows all around it. In these pictures the doors are open and flapped up and over the top to get them out of the way.