Hollibobs!

Huffety Fuffety and leakyskies - not my favouritest way to start the day, but it was OK. It didn't last too long. After a short cruise, I got to help Mummy work a lock, then do towpath toddles, then another cruise, then another lock.

The towpath toddles was in our new working mode: with me wearing my neon bra and Mummy following on the end of my long lead. This way, Mummy gets to watch my best end and follows in my pawsteps. I may perhaps get to sniff about just a tad more than I get away with when in my full harness! Heehee! Well.... it would be just rude not to catch some weemail messages on the way wouldn't it?

I had to work quite hard along some stretches as the trees had been molting badly. Not just their treefurs, but also their sticks and twigs. I had to guide Mummy to and fro across the towpath to get around the bunches of sticks that she wouldn't see and would probably end up kissing the ground! She was a good Mummy; she followed my botty well!

After we moored up, things went slightly suspicious: Mummy was packing my nosh into little parcels, then she packed some of my toys and other bits and bobs into a bag. She didn't seem to be packing any human things though. I was a little suspicious but didn't have time to get worried. All of a sudden there was a visitor to greet! Well, maybe I perhaps went a tad berserk! It was Aunty Brenda! Humanmummy to my Doggydaddy Dixon! Sadly, DaddyDixon wasn't with her, but OOOOOHHHH! That was a waggytail welcome time!

After a bit of yacketying, we all set off for a wander along the towpath again. I got to enjoy freerunning all the way while Daddy held frontpaws with Mummy to do my job. We then got to a human yummyery downsteps from the towpath. I had a brief bit of work to do to get Mummy safely down those steps and into the yummyery. Sadly, I didn't get much hoovering. the place was far too clean! Huff! Noshing done, it was then back upsteps and back freerunning to floatyboatyhome.

A brief snooze and my dinner then brought the explanation for the bag packing: I am off on hollibobs with Aunty Brenda! That means I am off to stay with Daddy Dixon too - and Uncle Malcolm! Yippeeeeee!

Mummy says this is to give me a complete rest from working and from everything that might possibly have triggered my horrible seas year and night frights. Mummy has been yacketying with a nice manhuman at GuideDogs to try to get me sorted out. This hollibobs is apparently part of that.

So, I left Mummy with leaky eyes, but she assures me it is for the best, so she will be brave and try to manage without me for a week. She tells me that we will meet up again next Thursday morning at GuideDogs kennels where we will meet a specialist vetman to get me even more checked out.

I have asked Mummy to tippetytappety a full human esplan.... expanla.... explanation........... tell you all about what has been happening. She says she will do that very soon. In the meantime, nobody is to worry. I am OK. I am happy and waggytailed most of the time. I just get a bit worked up about things that never used to bother me. Apparently that needs human investigation.

I will be asking Aunty Brenda if I can borrow her tippetytappety toy to keep you updated on my hollibobs fun with Daddy Dixon.

5 photos

1-3 The view that Mummy enjoys of me whilst I guide her along the towpath in our new towpath toddle mode.

4 me on the bridge across the lock, looking down to supervise Daddy chugging floatyboatyhome out through the gates.

5 Me with Aunty Brenda before we left floatyboatyhome.

 

Catch Up!

Two days to catch up on. I didn't manage to do a dogblog last night because Mummy had hidden her tippetytappetytoy and was occupied with oooooooodles of yacketying. We had guests. THEY all had lots of yummies. I didn't get any! Huff! Ooh... except for the little bit of cheese that Pawstor Helen snuck under the table to me! Heehee! I like Pawstor Helen! She brought me a pack of chicken chewies too! Yep! I do like Pawstor Helen. Pawstor Steve is nice too but he didn't love me enough to slip me any treats.

Yesterday, I had to take Mummy and Daddy workywalkies to Morrisons. That involved a bit of a hike along the towpath and then across a field. Well... there was only one proper way to deal with such a situation: FREERUNNNN! Yippee! A rather soggy freerun, and only a little one - each way - but still it was good to have a bit of a hoon about! I was almost tempted to go for a swim, but Mummy and Daddy persuaded me not to go all the way in. Something about not wanting a soggy doggy on harness at the shop.... but I was soggy anyway from the leakysky!

Inside Morrisons, we went to the big window with lots of yummies behind it. I tried my bestest to ask the ladyhuman behind it all to serve me. I wanted to order a very large slice of everything - like a slice of each that started at one end and ended at the other - but she ignored me! How rude is that?!!! Huffff! I think I left her some nose-art on her window to remind her to serve me next time!

Today, we have been cruising and lock-working all day. It has been a bit soggy on and off, and a bit huffety-fuffety, but I have found a few patches of delectable mud! I decorated the floor of floatyboatyhome spectacularly. I rather like the pawprint style! Mummy didn't seem so appreciative of my creative talents though - she has stroked the floor over and over, and has removed every trace of my genius! 

 

Photo shows me sitting by the window of the deli counter trying my bestest to persuade the ladyhuman behind to serve me my order!

Couldn't see a Dot!

I had to delegate today's trip to the posty office. I sent minion Daddy to dispatch the latest orders.

This delegation was necessary because I had work to do. We had a visitor; Pauline, the nice ladyhuman from Guide Dogs. I had to take Mummy out on a workywalkies to show Pauline how we find our way about. I had to correct Mummy on the route a couple of times! I think I impressed her! I suspect though, that she was slightly less impressed with my bad attack of bone-bum! Oops! Heehee! It is a GOOD bone!

This afternoon, I have had even more work to do! Another towpath toddles with Mummy and no less that 21 locks to work! The further down the flight of locks we got, the more I had to work to look after Mummy because someone stole the glowing fireball from the sky! It got really dark! Mummy couldn't see a dot! So, I had to really strut my stuff, not only to keep her on the straight and narrow towpath, but to 'Find the beam' and 'Find the paddle' at each of the locks. We did it though! We made it!

Even More Fusses and Admirations!

Yesssssss!!! A good and proper Sunday!

Church, freerun and BONE!!!

Actually, it was even better than usual because most of the route to church was along the towpath so I got to freerun almost all the way there and back again! Nearly 5 miles in total! There was a nice carpet for a snooze there through all the humanhowling and yacketying, then a good supply of fusses and earrubs and belly tickles!

Then, when we got back I got my bone! A super huge one! Well worth having!

Photo 1 - Getting fusses and admirations from some of the minihumans at church.

Photos 2&3 - Trying to work out which end to start on my bone, on the mat on the front deck of floatyboatyhome.

 

Fusses and Admirations!

'Let's go explore' said Mum.

'Oooh! How exciting' thought I.....

We explored shops.... shops.... and more shops! Huffffff!

At least I know where to take Mummy to find the Posty Office so we can dispatch orders on Monday morning. (See my previous post today).

I found some fusses and admirations in some of the shops. Maybe shops are OK then...... A couple of them had yummy aisles - with doggy delicacies all arrayed - Mummy resisted my bestest efforts to guide her to them. Bad Mummy!

It is always exciting to guide Mummy around a brand new area. It is super great when she says 'I'm lost Oaks. Find the way home'. My chance to shine! We got home without fault! No problem.

Now, I am sure I heard Daddy say that he might need to take a walkies this evening..... shall work out a way to change that 'might' to a 'definite'.

Bargains to be had!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Apparently yesterday was something the humans called Black Friday.

Well, I am declaring every day until the end of this month a BLACK DOG WOOFDAY

From now until midnight on Friday 30 November 2018, there are bargains to be had on my wagsite shop:

15% off all orders of £15 to £24.99

25% off all orders of £25 or more.

Any order of £50 or more will have 25% off plus a free set of six coasters (add

promotional code 'Coasters')

As ever ALL proceeds will go to my fundraising to sponsor another puppy to be trained as a lifechanging Guide Dog like me.

To order, go to www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

 

 

Towpath Teamwork!

Hmmm... well.... I did get a bone today - but I am pretty sure it wasn't the one that got shut into the verychilly cupboard yesterday. Today's was a little white one with yumminess stuffed inside it. I'm not complaining about that - it was yummy - but I still feel diddled out of that big juicy one Dad got yesterday.......

In other news - we did LOCKS! Eight of them. Team towpath doing towpath teamwork! Yesss! Tonight's garden has a nice little grassy area but I am not allowed to explore it offlead. Something to do with a big road just up the slope! Huff!

Oh well.... hopefully tomorrow I will have to take Mummy to find the Posty Office to dispatch some more goodies..... Please please make that happen..... place your orders.... I love taking Mummy to the Posty Office!

Just click on the link on the pinned post at the top of my page, for Calendars, mugs, coasters and keyrings. It will all be raising shinydisks for Guide Dogs UK - to sponsor another puppy in training.

6 photos of me and mummy at the locks today.

 

All Nice and Stinky!

Diddled!

I'm pretty sure I've been diddled!

I took Mummy workywalkies. Daddy tagged along too. Well he is useful satnav! We went to explore this new place we are in. Mummy says it is called Walsall. We went into several shops. I did a huge lot of 'find left, find right, find the door, hang on a minute, find left, left, left.... straight on.....' Then 'Wait Oaks. Wait for Daddy'. Daddy had disappeared into a shop where Mummy and I couldn't go because it had those scary moving upsteps and downsteps and no normal steps. We waited. Daddy came back and his wheelie bag smelled VERY enticing! I'm sure he had a bone in there for me. I could smell it...... I had a few sneaky sniffs at various opportunities as we continued around the other shops. Yep! That was definitely the aroma of Oakiebone!

Mission completed, we returned home. All the shopping was unpacked from the wheeliebag. I waited.... patiently..... I waited a bit more...... I wandered to remind Mummy of her forgetery..... I got a carrot! Hmmmm.... well... OK a big juicy carrot is worth having but... but... but.... my BONE????

She had smuggled it away into that verychilly cupboard..... Harrumph! She said something about 'that'll keep it nice and fresh for another day'. 'We don't want it going all smelly'. Well.... excuse me but... whose bone IS it? What is wrong with TODAY? Maybe I would prefer it all nice and stinky? Maybe it would be more flavoursome that way? Huff! Humph! Harrumph! and another Huff!

Soggy & Fishy-Niffy!

Sausages! Tonight's garden is covered in sausages! Well.... it's not exactly a garden really - it is a sticky-out platform across the water, connected to towny-towpath. We are surrounded by human yummyeries! I hope we don't have to go visit all of them! Mummy says the sausages are not for me to hoover. She says they have been left there by the honking featherballs. I think she is mean! I am sure I could do a rather splendid job of leaving the area far cleaner than we found it!

We got here by way of a very soggy towpath toddles and a soggy cruise after Daddy picked us up. It was a cruise that took a long time because Daddy had to keep stopping the growly monster, going into its den under the back deck, and sticking his front paws down a big hole. He then pulled up all sorts of stuff - all soggy and fishy-niffy. Apparently it was stuff that had got wrapped around something called the prop. I think that is the twirly tail of the growly monster and it is what makes floatyboatyhome go chugging along. It seems that when things like bags and human fursubstitutes get wrapped around it, it can't twirl properly and so we can't chug along.

Shortly after we arrived here, a visitor came - Pawstor Helen from Oldbury! It was nice to join her on the sofa and snooze next to her. Of course there was a lot of yacketying going on - so snoozing is the best option I reckon!

After Helen left, I got to take Daddy walkies to the Posty Office to dispatch some more calendars, mugs, coasters and keyrings. I do like going to visit all these different Posty Offices so please do get your orders in!

www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

Weird Things

Forever on the bus! And for what? For a forever time lying under the table in a human yummyery. Then even forevererer on the bus back! Huh? What was the point of all that?

Humans! Honestly! Weird things!

Ok... Ok... Yes I did enjoy the free run along the tow path to the bus stop. And I suppose the tiny morsel of steak that Mummy dropped was tasty. (Shhhhh.... Don't tell.....) And it was nice to meet humanpals John and Jane.... but ..... there are loads of other much more exciting ways to spend a day!...... freeruns..... workywalkies..... snoozing..... oh! Wait! I did those today...

Superdog!

Back to work today! Yayy!

It was a snoozy morning after a good night's zzzzes for all of us. I think I rather like my new highbed arrangement!

Mummy's talkybone dingalinged and it seems that Vetlady Cat was inside it. Apparently she had checked out the redjuice that she stole from my neck and it is all OK. This means that my seas year wasn't caused by anything to do with my liver or kid knees (surely my knees are as old as I am???). Apparently this is good news but it doesn't explain why it happened. Mummy did lots of yacketying all about me - not only to Catvet, but also, afterwards, to a Guide Dogs manhuman too. She told them all about my darktime happenings of late, as well as about what we've been doing in the lighttimes. Apparently we are OK to go back to workywalkiesing, but perhaps on a gentle restart programme. The hope is that I never have another seas year. I hope to too. It wasn't nice!

So, after all that yacketying, Mummy and I left Daddy to get on with building a wagsite for someone. We went on a workywalkies to the Posty Office to dispatch some more calendars. Then we went on to Lidl's for a few bits for humandins. When we came out of there, it was dark. Mummy really struggles to navigate in the dark, especially when the cars' bright eyes hurt her eyes and dazzle out all hope of seeing anything. So, I had to step up and rescue her.

'Find the way home Oaks' she said.

'OK Mum, but I just need to sniff this corner first ..... and I really need to water this bush.....'.

'Oakie, come on. I need you. Find the way home'.

'Oh yeah... errr.... sorry.... ahem'.

It seems that she got all disorientaterated. She started hesitating. This was my chance to shine. I gave her a good tug forward. 'OK. Come on then Oaks. Show me what you're made of. Over to you.'

Up the road, over the crossing, left up the hill...... then a turn right. I don't think Mum was expecting that. She hesitated again. I gave her another firm tug forward. 'OK. I trust you. Find the way.'

Further up the road, off kerb to get around a big bush blocking the pawment. Then a sharp turn right and downslope. 'Are you sure Oaks?' Another tug forward and she felt the little sticky-up ridges on the ground, so she realised I was taking her down to the towpath, then left and back to home.

Of course I was sure! Superdog is back in action!

We still have some calendars, mugs, coasters and keyrings left and I like taking Mummy to the Posty Office so please get your orders in.

 

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

 

Calendar Front Cover.

Calendar Back Cover, showing all the photographs.

Mugs.

Keyrings.

Coasters.

Semi Re-Tyred?

Not sure if I've been promoted or evicted!

Daddy built me a new bed and it is right beside Mummy in bed. With my posh comfy squishy bed on top, I am higher up that Mummy. I think I rather like the arrangement. I did try a couple of times in the night to snuggle onto the bed with Mummy and Daddy but, after the second attempt, I think I got the message that it wasn't the plan. I snuggled back down on my own new high bed.

This morning, Mummy and Daddy seemed rather pleased that I had stayed there all night and slept well.

I am still off duty it seems. I even went to church in my offduty harness and flexilead, with Daddy looking after Mummy. It was great to get back to meet and greet so many humanpals that truly love me there. Pawstor Helen came running to greet us when we arrived! I do rather like this Tipton Christian Church place! It seems I am welcome regardless of whether or not I am actually in workywalkies mode! Another good reason to be fond of TCC is that it comes with a freerun on the way home! Heehee!

After human lunch back aboard floatyboatyhome, we went out again for another rather lovely freerun! I got to take Daddy to the big park I discovered the day before yesterday with Mummy. It started to get dark on the way back so Daddy had to work hard to look after Mummy for me. Sorry Dad!

Now, it is all nice and cosy warm with the hotbox glowing and, for some reason, Mummy's back leg seems to be dragging my head down onto it.....

2 photos:

 

Me asleep on my new highbed next to Mummy's bed.

In the park; me jumping up to catch the tiny yummy that Mummy made me work for.

Re-Tyre-Ring Thing.

Is this a bit of a taste of this re-tyre-ring thing? Not the being poorly bit of course. The day off bit! All I've had to do today is take Mummy for a freerun (to give her some rolly-twitstick practice of course!) and then to snooze away the afternoon, before taking Daddy for a leisurely wander this evening. I think I might be able to get used to it..... with some practice!

I couldn't sleep on my own last night. I had to go keep Mummy and Daddy company. As soon as the glowspots stopped glowing, I was scared and lonely. Mummy and Daddy's bed was the only place to be. I did my bestest to settle in as little as I could make myself at the bottom of the bed, but it was really difficult to settle any which way. Mummy says that, at one point in the darktime, I scared her. She thought I was going to have another seas year, but I didn't. She says I just sat upright all stiff and rigid, panting and trembling for a few moments. Then I curled up again and went to sleep. I don't think I remember any of that. I am glad I didn't fulfil Mummy's worries though.

On the freerun (which was along the now very familiar long straight towpath of the canal opposite the floatyboatyprison where we are moored), I stayed close to Mummy but I did enjoy the freedom to sniff and catch up on all the local weemail gossip. I found a few crackly bottles and had a bit of a hoon with them. That made Mummy's mouth turn up at the corners. I like it when it does that! I also led Mummy to a new discovery: down a steep slope at the side of the towpath, I found a huge park! Heehee! A great discovery! Mummy was brave enough to follow me down there, albeit very very slowly and cautiously! I then got to sniff around and found a couple of passing pooch pals to meet & greet. There were lots of funny white frames around on the park. I took a moment to sit and ponder in the middle of one of them. Mummy says that if I stayed there long enough I might get signed up for England. That would mean I would get to catch balls! I like the sound of that idea. I'm good at catching balls - and at popping them! Mummy says that popping balls isn't allowed in football. Well... I shall rename it pawball and change the rules - popping is part of the game! Sign me up!

2 photos:

Me sitting in goal.

Me running toward Mummy on the grass.

Cat the Vet!

Ugh! That was not nice!

I think I woke Mummy and Daddy up with a bit of an unwelcome start. I wasn't too keen on it either!

First my tummy turned inside out and made a mess on the floor. Then I felt really peculiar and ran to get to Mummy to tell her but I didn't make it onto the bed. I seemed to kind of crash on the floor. I don't remember anymuch else until I was trying to stand up but my legs didn't belong to me.

Mummy says I had a big seas year or something. I don't remember any sploshy beach water though.

I did manage to gather my legs back to me and slowly found myself in the right order again. Daddy took me outside for a very welcome wander around in the fresh air. That helped me to feel better.

When I went back inside again, Mummy had been stroking the floor and I had a sniff around. It all smelled of my wee and poo. I was so ashamed! I hung my head and my tail and didn't know what to do with myself. Mummy just gave me big hugs and kisses and said over and over 'It's OK baby boy. It wasn't your fault. It's OK....' I still felt bad about it. Then Mummy got a wet frothy cloth and gave my fur a rubbadub. I felt better then without the smell and wet of my mess all over me.

We all went to bed for huggles and snoozles. Well... I was very snoozy... I couldn't help it.... my head just wouldn't stay upright. Mummy seemed to be doing a lot of talkyboning.

Next thing I knew we were off out. A bit of a walkies (just on lead. Daddy did my job) to the bus stop, then two bus rides got us to the vet. The nice vetlady called Cat (thankfully she was nice and didn't hiss at me or spike my nose like the cats I used to try to chase!) made a big fuss of me. That was lovely but then she attacked me with one of those shiny things with tubes to her ears. Then she did all sorts of strange things to me - she shined a bright light in my eyes, she tapped my nose and muzzle, she tugged at my legs, lifted up various bits of me and made me move all weirdly and she poked her pawpointers in all sorts of personal places! Then she conned me! I thought we were leaving the room to go on some kind of adventure so I went with her all tail-waggy. She took me into another room where I was held down by other ladyhumans, then Catvet attacked my neck with a buzzybone that took off a square of my fur! Then she stabbed me! She stole some of my redjuice! Hooooooooowwwwwwwllllllll!!!!

I survived! Just! Then, FINALLY, I got my breakfast! It was lunchtime! Huhhhhh! Brunch in the vet waiting room! I think that is a first! But OH BOY! did I need that! I disappeared it in seconds!

After that, we went for a little wander and found a human yummyery for Mummy and Daddy. Mummy really loved me today - she shared a little bit of her yummy. Nom nom nom!

The next bit was nice: we wandered a little further and found the Guide Dogs Bumingham Team home. We went in so Mummy and Daddy could meet some of the workyhumans there. That meant I got to say hello to all the puppydogs in training in there! Playing is not allowed in Guide Dogs School, but it was great to meet and greet. I was allowed to have a relaxed wander around while the humans did some yacketying. I found a delicious bit of washing up to do! A tin of something called Chappie. It was a pleasure to perform that little task for the ladyhumans. I left it spotless for them!

The bus journey home was a little squishy but we made it OK. It was nice to be back to do some zzzzs on my bed again. Aunty Lindsay came for some doggy snoggies. That was nice!

Mummy and Daddy seem to be keeping a very close watch on me and they keep giving me lots of loves and hugs. Apparently they have to watch me carefully and hope and pray that I don't do it all again. I hope I don't. That wasn't nice!

2 photos of Cat the vet doing her scary things to me. In one, she is prodding me with her ear-tubes shiny blob thing, in the other, she is tugging at my front paw.

 

Squished in the Door

Wow! I'm all fusseded out! It is hard work being admired!

It all started with a game of ball with Mummy, then a grooming session. Then we set out workywalkies along the towpath, then to the trainbus-bustrain station. It was quite a long ride on that, then another workywalkies, some in parts of Bumingham that we've not been before, and some in more familiar streets. We went to a place Mummy says is called the office of Beeline. There I got to have a bit of a play with a pooch buddy - the office boss! There were some really nice workyhumans there too. They have made my coasters and keyrings and we were there to collect them. These are now on sale in my 'shop', along with my calendars and mugs. We hope you like them and they will be raising lots more shinydisks to sponsor another puppy to be trained to be a Guide Dog

www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

So, after that very pleasant and important stop off, we set off again on another workywalkies to 'Find the bus stop'. The bus was super crowded but we managed to squish in and it took us to more workywalkies in more new territory. We had to go find a big building, which is apparently part of the You-Knee-Ver-City. We were there to meet up and kanoodle with three colleague Guide Dogs! Yes.... I'm sure that was the intended purpose! Waddyamean Mum, we were supposed to be ambassadors there to be fussed and admired by all the humans? Well..... OK.... yeah.... we did a lot of that too! There was Quita the fox-red Lab, Vince the German Shepherd, and Nixi the almost white yellow Lab, plus, of course, yours truly! We all ended up dozing off from all the fusses, ear-rubs, bellytickles and head-massages from all the human visitors. It was rather a pleasant relaxing time really!

The return journey was even more squishy on the bus, but being in such close contact with other humans means my ears get yet more strokes and loves! Heehee! When we went to get onto the trainbus-bustrain, I got squished in the door with Mummy as it closed on us! It was a bit scary, but a manhuman came to our rescue and pushed it open again, so we could get on. The walkywalkies back along the towpath was a welcome end to the journey, even though I did have to work hard looking after Mummy. It was dark, so she had to put her trust totally and utterly in me. I knew that! I did it! I got her home safely!

Photos

1&2 Meeting and greeting the Beeline office boss Spaniel.

3&4 At the You-Knee-Ver-City meet n greet - me with Quita and Nixi.

5 My new coasters and keyrings.

6,7&8 More of the meet n greet.

7 Shows Vince the GSD in the background.