Draw Results

WOOOHOOOO!!! IT'S DRAW DAY FOR MY RETYREMENT BIG BASH!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has made a donation - the total of all the shinydisks raised is a fantabulous:

£1,548.90 inc Gift Aid.

This is superb! I think I might need to retyre again! It will all go towards sponsoring another pupster to be trained to become a lifechanging Guide Dog.

The winners are:
1st David Ralphs
2nd Ann Woolven
3rd Cynthia James
4th Mervyn Cummings
5th Tim & Lindsay Sedge
6th Sue Toller
7th Myra Pritchard
Mummy will be tippetytappetying you each a private message in turn to find out your choice of prizes. So David will get first choice, then Ann will get second choice of the remaining prizes and so on.

Just a reminder of the prizes:
~A hand-drawn, framed portrait of the one and only ME!
~A VIP tour for four people, of the Guide Dogs National Breeding Centre in Leamington Spa.
~2 prizes of a framed photo - your choice from any photo on my blog
~A pair of Oakley mugs and coasters
~2 prizes of cuddly dog toy

How fabulous you all are!! I waggy wuv you all!

If your name appears on the list above, then please do contact us ASAP. Email tc@sola-gratia.org.uk.

Teddy Tales

Well everyone -

My time is done as a working Guide Dog. A new upstart is taking over from me, and Mum has said I must tell you about HIS blog! Harummph!

You will be able to find him at www.teddytales.org.uk.

Final Day!

The day has come! I am now officially hanging up my harness! Well, actually, I haven't worn it today. Today has been all about a freerun! I think I can happily call that a happy day!

I seem to be having a bit of trouble keeping my eyes open after all that exertion so I shall hand over to Mummy in a moment to do a post. I think I may be needed for cuddles! I shall leave you with a little video of my last freerun with Mummy. I will then upload a few photos of me today.

Mummy tells me she has a little something special for tonight's dinner: something called steak and rice and carrots.....Mmmmmmm..... I think I might have a retirement dinner every day!

A selection of photos from my very last day as a working Guide Dog:

This is 'Mummy' hijacking Oaks's page for this very final time in his working career.

Today is the day that I never wanted to come. If only I could wake up in 'Neverland' and find that my boy is a Peter Pan dog! Sadly though, this is the real world and this day has come. As of today, Oakley bows out of an astonishing career as the most life-changing Guide Dog imaginable.

He has not been the stereotypical impeccably behaved, faultless, placid, totally obedient Guide Dog. If I'm honest, I have to admit that he has been a heck of a challenge in many ways. He has most certainly been my baptism of fire into dog ownership! But, over and above all that, he has been simply incredible.

He came into my life and lifted me out of the depths of deep dark depression, he cancelled out all thoughts of 'life is no longer worth living', he wagged his way into the hearts of many people - several of whom were 'I don't do dogs' folk.

Like all Guide Dogs, he restored independence and freedom, but so much more than that: He taught me the pleasure of going for a walk - just because we could; he got me fitter than I have ever been before; he took me places I would never have ventured to; he transformed my life and he saved my life - in oh so many ways!

He has been by my side (literally and figuratively) through so very much of the turbulent ocean of life:

Coming to terms with sight loss.

Moving to a whole new life afloat and all the challenges that involves, including: our daughter's wedding and two graduations, the loss of three parents in quick succession, and the very trying time of moving in to care for one of them before she passed on to glory, the arrival of two grandchildren, some times of illness, many times of trials, lots of travelling....... and on goes the list. Through all of that, Oakley has been there; my little furry rock, my left-hand-boy. He has given me more confidence than I have ever had before. He has introduced me to people that I would never have met and certainly wouldn't have struck up conversation with. He has indeed opened countless conversations that would never have otherwise happened.

He has brought laughter and smiles in times of deep dark troubles. He has brought love and hope where there seemed only despair.

He has touched so very many lives in so very many ways. Through his Facebook blog, he has, hopefully, brought some insight into the life of a guide dog; showing that they work incredibly hard and do an indispensable, fantastic job, but yet they have the very best of life, healthcare, love and above all FUN!

(In answer to many people's questions about the future of the blog - it will be entirely up to Brenda and Malcolm if they do or don't wish to keep it going and I and everybody else have to respect their feelings on this. I shall begin work in earnest as soon as I possibly can to put the blog into book format and will publish that as soon as possible. It will most likely take the format of a diary, but I have also been asked to convert some appropriate bits into children's books. This is a possibility....... Whatever format any of it takes - the proceeds will be making contributions to Guide Dogs!)

Oakley has been the most amazing, fantastic, sensational, adorable, adoring, nutty, funny, goofy, mucky, soggy, (sometimes) naughty, faithful, loving and loved companion, servant, master, life-saver, life-changer to me for the last six and a bit years. He is going to leave a huge hole in my heart that will never be filled. Now it is time for him to move on to his next adventure: a life of fun and relaxation with his doggydaddy Dixon and the lovely Brenda and Malcolm. He totally deserves this wonderful retirement and I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that he is going to be adored and perfectly cared for.

I'm going to miss him so much it hurts, but I know that this is the best possible thing for him. We will meet up again though, once he is settled and I am established in my working partnership with my new Guide. I'm sure that Teddy will be every bit as amazing as Oakley in his working but there will never be another OAKLEY. He will remain forever my first and total life-changing boy!

Cockadoodledooing!!!

Mummy's talkybone has been cockadoodledooing all day! Apparently, everytime it cockadoodledoos it means that another weemail has arrived to tell her that more shinydisks have been donated! I think I am liking this cockadoodledooing thing! It did make my head tilt for the first few times though! That made Mummy's mouth go up at the corners!

It is all good news though - thank you to everyone who has made a cockadoodledoo - the funds are now up to £1,122.35! That is awesome! I have pinned yesterday's post, with the link, to the top of my page so it is easily findable for anyone who wants to join in the fundraising draw.

Mummy's talkybone also dingalinged and she yacketied into it. Apparently it was Aunty Brenda. I heard mention of Friday morning. It seems that is when I will be going off to play with Daddy Dixon - and he is coming to collect me.

In other news - I took Mummy for a leisure walkies on my long flexilead this morning. The ground was all white and crunchy. There were some quacking featherballs sitting on the edge of the towpath. I raced up to them to clear the way for Mummy. Well..... OK...... I did kind of hope I might catch one for a new toy...... I failed! They all quacked off very loudly and sploshed down into the water. Well.... most of them did..... but a few kind of whumped and skidded on the top of the water then sploshed off the edge where it wasn't so flat and hard! Heeheee!

We found a park! That park meant a little freerun! I found loads of grey-fluffy-tailed-skitterjitters. I tried very hard to catch one of those. I'm sure they would make fab toys! But they all skitterjittered really fast and scampered up the trees! Huff! One of them, by doing that, led me to a delicious pile of yumminess at the bottom of a tree. I just about managed to devour it all before Mummy got to me to spoil my fun! She will never know what it was or just how scrummy it tasted! I left the site much cleaner than I found it! Surely that was a good thing??? Mummy didn't seem too chuffed though!

This afternoon, I took Daddy to the postyoffice to supervise dispatch of another calendar. I can confirm that it was dealt with appropriately and is now on its way.

Big Bash Draw!

It seems it is customary to have something called a 'Retirement Do'. I am rather hoping this might involve a big freerun and lots of super scrummy yummies! I shall wait and see.

However, I am not going out without a final big bash at this shinydisks raising thingy! I want to make sure I can sponsor another puppy to be trained to follow in my pawprints!

Soooooo........ Today I will launch the
OAKLEY RETIREMENT BIG BASH DRAW

The prizes will be:
~A hand-drawn, framed portrait of the one and only ME!
~A VIP tour for two people, of the Guide Dogs National Breeding Centre in Leamington Spa.
~A framed photo - your choice from any photo on my blog
~A pair of Oakley mugs and coasters
~2 prizes of cuddly dog toy

To enter - simply go to:

mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/guidedogoakley4

and make a donation. When you do this, after selecting/entering the amount of your donation, just enter your name into the box indicated*

We will then allocate one 'virtual ticket' for every £5 donated between now and midnight on 28 February 2019. After this, we will use an online ticket picker to randomly pick winners.

First drawn will get first choice of the prizes

Second drawn will get next choice of the remaining prizes and so on....

Also, we still have a (very few) calendars left - anyone who buys one of these before the draw deadline will also be entered into the draw in the same way. Go to www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

Winners will be announced on this blog on 1 March 2019, after which Mummy will send you a Private Message to request your choice of prize and your address to send it to.

*your name is essential for contact should you be a winner. If you prefer to remain publicly anonymous, then don't tick the box below giving consent to your name appearing on the site

Big News!

Well! Where do I begin?

Big news today - and I'm really not sure what to think about it all!

Before I start on that though, I have to tell you all that I have been well and truly megafussed by oodles of deliciously tickly front paws of brown and yellow girlie-minihumans! This evening, we set out on a double bus ride that took us to the building we went to a while ago to meet these brown and yellow people. This time though it was to be presented with a little flappy rectangle that apparently is worth lots of shinydisks. The girlies have all been doing things like sponsored silences (very difficult to do apparently!) and cake sales (wish I could have been there to help 'test' the wares!) and so have raised a very grand £100 towards my Name a Puppy fundraising! And I got paid in carrots, treats and bellyrubs, plus some super fun playing fetch with them all! Not a bad evening's work!

Thank you mega much Brownies!

Now - the big news:

We had visitors. Guide Dogs Mobility Instructor Jenna came, with two canine colleagues. I got all excited. I thought it was going to be fun. I was wrong! Well.... OK.... I did get to have a bit of a play with them both.....before I got imprisoned in Jenna's car! Well..... OK.... I did have the company of Golden Retriever Lilly in there! But....but....but....the other Golden Retriever, Teddy, got to go on a floatyboaty cruise with Mummy and Daddy. Imposter! He .... he.... he..... took my place! I suspect he had a bit of a go at my big bone too..... and my cuddly bunny had a very suspicious smell when I got back aboard later on!

Mummy says that I will definitely be officially retiring at the end of this week. That means I will be going to live with my Daddy Dixon and Aunty Brenda and Uncle Malcolm. Teddy will apparently be taking over my job. It seems he got his water-legs today.

I think I quite like this retirement idea - it seems that it means no more work, but lots more freeruns and leisure fun - with Daddy Dixon. What's not to like about that? I'm not too sure what I think about a young upstart taking over my care of Mummy though. He had better do a good job of it!

4 photos:

Me with Mummy and all the Brownies - getting presented with a giant version of the cheque for the fundraising they have done.

Somewhere in the middle of that ring of brownies is an upside down me - getting some rather delightful bellyrubs.

Getting a big juicy carrot from Susan - the bighuman who looks after the brownies.

Teddy the young upstart Golden Retriever on the back deck with Mummy and Daddy.

Frothy Cloth Attack!

Church - carpet snooze, humanpals, waggy greetings. Towpath freerun then street workywalkies to get there, then the reverse back again.

Freerun - towpath, weemails, sniffings, mud, mud and more mud.

Swim - Brrrrrrr! So not for long.

Big shake - Daddy needed that shower!

More mud.

Home - frothy cloth attack. Hufff!

Apparently Mummy didn't appreciate my eau-du-ickymud!

Munching and yacketying!

I do still have it in me! Whatever 'it' is...

It was a special mission - to take Mummy and Daddy to a human yummyery to meet Aunty Lindsay and Uncle Tim. It was all very exciting: first a freerun along the towpath - a good chance to re-explore old familiar territory and exchange weedetails with the locals, then into workymode. This took us to new streets; always exciting! Daddy was pointing his talkybone at me for some of the way. I think that is how the videos happened.

In the human yummyery, after the very important business of enthusiastic greetings, I got to keep Aunty Lindsay's back paws warm by snoozing on them! She brought me a prezzie - a pack of 3 squidgy balls. I errrr... may have already shredded one of them! Well... isn't that what you're supposed to do with a squidgy ball?

While they were all munching and, of course, yacketying, I got a lovely big tub of water. Uncle Tim left the table to go for a busy, so I took the opportunity to have a good slurp and fill my jowls up nicely. Then I put my chin on his seat to keep it safe for him. That also gave it a bit of a rinse! Heeheee!

After all that, we all went outside and exchanged hugs and loves and all that sloppy stuff, posed for a clickypic, then did the return journey. That, of course, meant that it all ended as good as it started - with a freerun! Yessssss!!

Photo shows me with Mummy and Tim and Lindsay.

 

Click here for Video One

Click here for Video Two

Shiny Sticks

Team Towpath in action today! Yippeeee!

It all started with a rather lovely 3 miles of so of walkies with Mummy. Then Daddy finally caught up with us, chugging along on floatyboatyhome. This was at the first set of 3 locks. After those, Mummy and I were ready for a cruise (and Mummy was ready for a mug of that stinky hot black water she likes! Bleuggh!). We rumbled on for a while - some of it with trees and grass drifting past but then we were underneath a big huge road with loads and loads and loads of shiny sticks underneath it. It was a bit dingy under there! It all finished off with another set of locks - 6 this time - on old familiar territory - where the towpath is all good and clear so Mummy let me enjoy a good old freerun while she worked all the windy-uppy-windy-downy-pushy-pully things! I enjoyed a bit of a romp about and a sniff to catch up on all the local gossip. It's been a while since we've been here. I left a few replies to greet the locals and let them know who's boss! I didn't wander too far from Mummy though. I kept my eye on her.....

When we got to the top lock I found a buddy to have a great game of chase with; a big German Shepherd puppy. We were far too busy having fun to exchange names though!

After all that it was time to snuggle down in the warm aboard floatyboatyhome. I found something on my mat under the table. Mummy says it would make good retirement reading for me! Hmmm.... it didn't smell too interesting though.

4 photos:

 

Keeping a close eye on Mummy atop a lock.

A great game of chase with a passing GSD buddy.

A great game of chase with a passing GSD buddy.

My study material on my mat under the table (Mummy says it is an Oscar Wilde book - whatever that means...)

Fursubstitutes...

Round and round in circles and squares and oblongs and all sorts of other shapes! Around and about and back again! That has been today's walkieses.

It all started off with a trip to find some humans under a bridge. They had a kind of bed there and they were very cold. Daddy and I took the manhuman to Costa where Daddy bought him some yummies and hot brown waters. Then we went back to floatyboatyhome for a brief time, before setting off back again to the bridge people. They weren't there, but their bed and some other things were. Daddy left a bag there with some fursubstitutes in and some other things. We set off in search of them, went around the block and found the ladyhuman in her bed again when we back. After some yacketying, we set off the church we have been to on some Sundays to try to get some help, but there was nobody in. Daddy then did a lot of tippetytappetying on his talkybone. Apparently that should get them some help.

After that, we set off across town again and ended up at that strange indoor flappywalls shoppyplace. It was still quite dark and dingy in there but this time, Mummy had Daddy's help to look at all the things. We went up and down and round and round every single aisle of flappywalls stalls. Daddy rummaged among the fursubstitutes and handed Mummy a few outdoor-over-the-top-of-everything fursubstitutes, which she put on and took off again. Then Daddy put them back! Humans are soooooo peculiar!

We did stop at one VERY interesting place: it was loaded with oooooooodles of doogy-yummies! I was only allowed to look though! Now I call that unfair! THEY tried out their kinds of things. Why couldn't I try mine? Harrumph! 

 

Photo of me sitting in front of aaaaaaallll the yummies.

Good Ear Rubs!

Leaky day today.

Leaky skies and leaky eyes.

Mummy's eyes seem to leak everytime she checks her talkybone or tippetytapptytoy. I think it has something to do with all the messages on yesterday's dogblog. She says everyone is being so lovely and asked me to pass on kisses of thanks.

This is more proof that canine communication is far superior: A quick sniff of a weemail conveys all the important information but with no leaks from anywhere! Well... OK.... maybe a necessary leak to leave a reply!

Today we have been out and about around Bumingham - getting all soggy. Mummy started off with me guiding her for workywalkies but soon got the message that I didn't really want to do it. Well..... we have been that way sooooooo many times, it is really boring now..... and I have never liked working in sogginess! So, she took the handle off my harness and Daddy did my job so I could just trot along happily beside Mummy on lead. That was MUCH better! She left the white bit of my harness on though so that I 'still looked professional'! That's OK. I can cope with that. It is quite comfy.

We did have to 'Find Costa'. That was great - I found a colleague in there! A big black fluffy lab x retriever called Benson. He was accompanied by his humandaddy Miles who is the shinydisks raising bossman for Guide Dogs around this Bumingham area. Benson was a good kanoodler! Mr Miles was nice too! - Oh and another Guide Dogs shinydisks bossmanhuman was there too - Dan. We've met Dan before - he does good ear rubs!

Mummy Update.

This is Mummy logged in to tell about today's developments:

The recent visits from the lovely Guide Dogs Birmingham Mobility Team members have all been about assessing myself and Oakley and our working partnership. The usual expected working life for a Guide Dog is generally until the age of about 10, as long as the dog is healthy and happy and still working well. Occasionally, this can continue to a little older and sometimes the dog's career comes to an unexpectedly early end.

In our case, for some time, Oaks has been categorised as a 'high mileage dog'. This refers not only to the actual physical miles that we have walked together, but also to the incredible hard work that he has done in guiding me through so many huge challenges. Our lifestyle as nomads on the waterways is by no means a 'normal' one for a Guide Dog Partnership. He has risen to the phenomenal challenge of guiding me in a relentless succession of new places and often difficult environments. All of this is super-exceptional work on his part. He has been unspeakably incredibly amazing!

All this, added to by his recent health scares and newly developed anxieties, have given rise to much discussion, heart searching, assessments, meetings and huge dilemmas. The result of which is the conclusion that he is very ready to step down to an early (he was 8 last week) but well deserved retirement.

This afternoon's phonecall from the Guide Dogs Mobility Instructor (GDMI) Jenna was to confirm that, following today's team meeting, I am now officially on the waiting list for a new dog. The timescale is a little elastic, but she is hoping that it will be a matter of weeks rather than months, for the right dog to be found. This, in itself, is a tall order, because Oakley will be an incredibly difficult act to follow, but they are pulling out the stops to find his successor.

Of course, this comes with massively mixed emotions for us. It is one of those situations that is wished never to come. But come it has and, despite deepest desires and wildest wishes, Oakley's welfare has to come first. He has been showing ever increasing signs that he has had enough of working, although, of course, he still steps up when necessary. He has worked his paws off for me over the last six years and so totally deserves a good time of relaxation and fun.

Until very recently, we had been absolutely sure that we would keep him in his retirement. However, recent changes in him; in particular his increasing anxieties about noises that happen aboard the boat when moving along, have forced us to reconsider. We simply HAVE to do what is right for him, not what is least painful for us. It would, of course, be our hearts' desires to keep him because we adore him and he is part of us, but that would not be best for him in the circumstances.

We are currently awaiting definite confirmation, so won't say where or who yet, but we do know that he will be going to a fantastic retirement where he will be adored, spoiled (appropriately!) and given the BEST life possible. Also, we will be able to keep in touch and see him from time to time (after a sensible settling in period first).

We don't know yet exactly when this will be - but it is likely going to be very soon.

I am writing this post with an incredibly heavy heart, but with the relief of knowledge that Oakley is soon to be able to enjoy himself in long walks in the woods, lots of playtime with another dog that he loves, with a new pair of human 'parents' who adore him, and a lovely home to get all the rest and relaxation that he so totally deserves.

Very soon afterwards, I will then begin the challenging adventure of training with a new young dog. A daunting prospect indeed!

As I have already said, Oakley is a really tough act to follow and I know that there will never be another dog quite like him. He will forever remain my incredible life-changer; The dog who has not only done the job he was trained to do, but started off by lifting me out of the depths of suicide-contemplating depression, and then has literally saved my life on many occasions and gone on to transform my expectations, capabilities, confidence and perhaps even my personality. He has also touched the lives of so very many other people too - and seems to have wormed his way into countless hearts!

Guide Dog Oakley really is one very special dog!!

Waggiest Greeting!

Mummy went Whump!

Oops! I think I may have goofed, but I was only trying to be helpful.......

I took Mummy workywalkies across Bumingham City Centre again today. It was another trek through all the moving walls - and I'm sure some of them have moved again! That was all OK. I got us to the strange place that seems like a flappywalls shoppyplace, but it is indoors. I think Mummy said it is called the Rag Market. It was really rather too dark and dingy in there for Mummy to see anymuch, so I had to step up and keep her out of trouble. It was hard work - some daft humans walk backwards in places like that and they bump into us. I don't think many of them expected a black Labrador to be there - some of them screamed! Silly wallies! I gave them my waggiest greeting to try to reassure them that I'm really not that scary but they backed away and whimpered! Mummy just said 'Forward Oaks' and we left them to whimper some more.

We survived it though and Mummy got the giant crowshaving twig that she wanted. So we set off back toward home. On the way, we have to go through a building called the Eye See See (most inappropriate for Mummy!). It was a bit crowded inside - especially in the first bit by the doors in. I managed to steer Mummy around all the people and found some steps down. I think Mummy thought we were at the slope that we usually go down and, even though I stopped at the top of the steps, Mummy didn't quite stop in time in response to me. She did a funny kind of wibbly-wobbly whump down and landed on her botty! That got her to perfect height for me to give her a big sloppy kiss! Well..... I had to say sorry somehow and make sure she was OK! Her mouth went up at the corners so I think she was OK. Some humans came to check up on us and kindly lifted Mummy back up again (I'm not she was exactly expecting to be hefted up like that though!). All was OK. We made it back home again!

In other news: Mummy's talkybone has been doing a lot of squawking today - it seems that I am officially very soon to be re-tyred. I am quite happy with my paws though! I'm really not sure what all this actually means so I will ask Mummy to explain in a separate dogblog entry. I shall log her in on my account in just a moment.

Posty Office

Two important missions today:

First a trip to the Posty Office to supervise the dispatch of more goodies.

Then we were off to Morrisons for lots of goodies - most importantly a new supply of carrots! We had run out! The chillycupboard had none inside it! That was a terrible situation to be in. It needed urgent sorting out! I guided Mummy to the right place - thankfully just inside the door. I felt it essential to make this item top priority. A large bagful was duly selected and all but one was installed in the rightful place in the chillycupboard when we got home. That one seemed to disappear! I wonder where it went?!!!!

I've inspected the boxes where my calendars and mugs are kept. They are almost empty, so I may not have many trips to the Posty Office left to do. So, if you would like a picture of me wrapped around your hot brown water water, or hanging on your wall, then get your orders in quick before it is too late.

www.guidedogoakley.org.uk/shop.html

Sustenance!

zzzzz.....Oh...err....yawn.....sorry... I must have dozed off!

Well, after a workywalkies to church (carpet snooze!) and back again - then a super-dooper long leisure walkies along the towpath - some of it on new territory, the warmth back aboard floatyboatyhome seemed to make my head very heavy! I'm sure it also had something to do with Mummy's failure to drop any sustenance my way at lunchtime!

2 photos - 

 

Carpet snoozies in church - it is the best way to pass the time of the humanhowling and yacketying - the floor was a bit tickly though with all the boombooming vibrating through it from the boomboom-bowls that were getting thoroughly duffed up with sticks this morning!

The torture of watching Mummy munch cheese and failing to drop any.

Super Zoomies!

Scooby was super fast fun to do zoomies with! I met him when I took Mummy on a lovely long leisurewalkies. Mummy got in some practice with her rolytwitstick, so I got to get in some practice at sniffing and weemailing and - well - just being a dog! We went all along the towpath and around the Soho Loop. When we got to the park part-way around there, I think Mummy had ideas that we would just keep on walking past. Meeting up with Scooby soon sorted out that daft thinking!

Scooby came out of the park and rescued me! Mummy was a good Mummy - she took off my flexilead and let me 'Go play'! Yippeeee! It was great fun trying to keep up with Scooby. He is a lanky lurcher and so zooms super fast! He does a great line in boxing match too! It seems that our respective humans found lots to yackety about - no complaints there as it meant we dogs got more time to have fun!

I was a tad tired when we got home again. My bone had to wait for further attention - my eyelids demanded intense internal inspection!

We had a visitor - Susan. I like Susan! She brought me yummies and a squeaky toy! Her front paw made a very nice pillow. Thank you Susan. Apparently we will be going again sometime soon to find her with her troop of minihumans called Brownies. They have been raising shinydisks to add to my Sponsor-a-Puppy fund! I shall look forward to that. I seem to remember those Brownies had some rather lovely bellyrubs to offer!

4 photos:

 

Me playing with Scooby; Lurcher (Greyhound x Staffie) - pale coloured with tiger stripes.

Posing with Scooby and his humandad.

Waiting for Mummy to unwrap one of the yummies that Susan brought.

Zonked again with my new squeaky toy but my head was just too heavy to hold up to play - I had to rest it on Susan's front paw.

 

Collared!

Scary big beastie lorries!

I took Mummy on a looooooong workywalkies around Bumingham. I'm not convinced it was meant to be that long but Mummy was daft enough to decide to try to find a shop in a bit of town that is less familiar! It just meant that I had to step up to find the way home after she tried to follow the squawked directions from her talkybone.

The first bit of the trip was fairly straightforward; it was 'Let's go find the Posty Office'. It would have been completely straightforward if the walls hadn't been moved! The walls in the city centre seem to have moved everytime we go in there! There is lots and lots of noisy drrrrrrrr-ing and bang-bang-bang-ing going on behind these moving walls. I found the way though - it was only a minor diversion. Mummy got the little parcel from the ladyhuman behind the counter and we set off again.

The next stop was VERY worthwhile! The meat market! The very nice manhuman in there had a hugenormous bone for me! Yesssss!

Then came the rather round-and-about-and-back-again route to try to find this other shop. When we did eventually find it, it didn't have what Mummy wanted anyway! When we came out again, Mummy was all disorientaterated.... disorien..... she was lost! 'Oh Oaks! Where are we? Which way do we go to find home?' I gave her 'the look' and 'the huff'. "Go on then smartypants. Find the way home"... Head up, chin forward, tail high and wagging..... paw perfect! Straight home!

There was the scary moment though - well - Mummy thought it was scary. I just did my job. As we were walking through one of the areas where the walls have moved; a bit where there is usually no traffic - just walkyhumans. Today though, as we were walking up the hill, suddenly I had to guide Mummy off quickly to the side, against the movable wall. There were 4 big growly-rumbly lorries coming towards us! I got us to safety and they grumbled past us, then a hi-viz yellow manhuman with a white bowl on his head came up and asked if we were OK. He said that we shouldn't have been able to be there because we should have been stopped at the barrier. We didn't notice any barrier so it would seem that something went a bit wrong. It all got me a big fuss and praise for being a good boy and doing a good job of keeping Mummy safe!

It was all worth it for the bone! I think this one might keep me occupied for a day or two!

Mummy opened the little parcel we picked up from the Posty Office. It contained two rather smart new collars for me! Mummy says they are handmade especially for me by a nice ladyhuman called Aimee from The Barking Boutique.

Photos:

 

Me with my huge bone.

Me modelling my new hi-viz yellow collar.

Me modelling my new hi-viz blue collar with silver stars.