Abandoned!

They LEFT me! Abandoned I was. Left all alone while they went into a hugeenormous blue puddle!

Well, OK.... they left me to help on reception.....with a few admiring staff.....well....quite a lot of admiring staff......and maybe one or two fusses.....or perhaps a few more than that......and a big bowl of water to slop everywhere...... Yeah! OK... I admit it was quite nice really!

I got got my own back on the way home - well...... I might not have heard Mum say 'stay out of the water'.... I swear she yelled it AFTER I climbed back out of the river! Ahem......
Well...... THEY had been swimming!

Mooooore yackettying.....

Home again! Yayy!

but not before a whole load of workywalkies and other duties today! Cor! I have worked my paws off! Yep.... I am sure I am shorter tonight! Three long workywalkieses around different bits of Bournemouth, then a visit to Granny before going back to Granny's to get in the way while Mum was trying to pack bags again. Heehee! She says I am good at getting in the way. She says it is because I do a lot of practice!

The first workywalkies was to a place Mum says us called Elle Vee or something. We went there to meet two nice manhumans. I had to guide Mum on the command of "Oakie follow" through the huge building. We went into one of those magic boxes that have a different outside each time the doors open, then through a human yummyery, but, for once, we didn't stop for torture-me-time. We went to an outside bit where I just snoozed in the fresh air while all the inevitable yacketying went on.

Next, we went to a shoppy place called Poole. I didn't find any pool, lake, or even puddle there, but I did work hard steering Mum around all the people and other obstacles.

Our visit to see Granny made me a bit squeaky grumbly. Well....it was so unfair! We sat outside while Mum, Dad and Granny had their hot brown drinks and did their yipping. From where I was lying, I could see other doggy pals going in and out of the park opposite! I soooooo wanted to to play with them, but meanie Mummy had looped my lead around the chair she was sitting on! All I could do was to squeak and grumble my protests! Huff!

The the third workywalkies was just a leisure wander around one if the nice routes around Granny's flat. At the end of that, Dad picked us up in the car and we set off in the journey back to our floatyboaty home. When we arrived, I had to wait in the car while all the bags were transferred to the boat, then I had to take Dad walkies to Lidl's. Some chores are worth enduring! I have some good human friends at Lidl's and it is a good walk too. Just right before settling down for Mummysofasnuggles!

Photo of me with Mum and the two nice manhumans at Elvee,
in front of a big green heart-shaped blobthing.

Jabberjaws......

Yackety-yackety-yack-yack-yack....... Why do humans do so yipping much of it?!!!!!

Workywalkies this morning was into Newbury town to a place called the Corn Exchange. There we met some humans (all lovely Guide Dogsy people) and the non-stop jabberjaw started. Much more importantly though, I met a fellow Guide Dog, Harley. We got on with the much more sensible means of communication - we kanoodled, chewed each other's ears and jowls, we whopped each other with our paws and had a good old roll around on the floor! Soooooooo much more fun than all that yipping!

Next came a further workywalkies through town, ending with a wonderful treat: a freerun and swim! Yippeeee! That was just perfect before returning to our boatyhome for a snooze while Mum and Dad packed bags.

Now, after a journey that included staying still for quite a while on the big road that is usually whizzy (all the other cars were still too), then a very slow bit, we visited Granny. She seemed very pleased to see us and gave me a nice little ear-rub. Then it was back into the car and back to Granny's flat.

After the bright skyfireball had fallen out of the sky, I managed to persuade Dad that he needed a walkies. He said I could take him just around the block. He says he misjudged the length of the walkies and went much further than intended. I am NOT complaining! Heehee!

Photos of Harley and me showing the humans the proper way to meet and make friends.

Guide Dog Oakley - Barging Around Britain!!!!

Wooohoooo! Proper back home today!

We've been cruising. I've been guiding Mum along the towpath, around the treeroots, up to the locks and swingbridges and on-and-off the boat. I ALMOST managed to guide her into the canal for a swim - there was one little bit where we could so easily have just waded in - it would have been lovely to cool off in the water - well....I thought so! Mum clearly didn't think so though - all I managed was to get one paw in. Meanie Mummy!

It has been great to get a taste of our proper life again though. We didn't go far but it was good to go. We are now back at the boatykennels place but we are moored in a different place. We no longer have to climb over another boat to get in and out of ours. This is much better for Mum! She's not too good at judging the stepping over thing!

Ambassador!

It is exhausting being so admired and loved and fussed and ear-tickled and bellyrubbed and stroked and admired yet more......

Apparently we went to university today - Reading University. There, we met a gazillion humans and several Guide Dogs and Puppies. I started off really well; I found a huge water bowl and had a wonderful long sloshy everywhere drinking session. I created a superb lake on the floor, then laid down in it! Well, I figured it was the nearest I would get to a swim today! It seems we were all there as ambassadors for Guide Dogs UK, and it was something called a National Citizen Scheme for maximinihumans. It seems that, if we did a good job if our ambassadorship today, then maybe they will do some things to raise some shinydisks For GuideDogs. I hope they appreciated my efforts at getting my fur nice and soggy for them!

All of today's admirers lined up with all us dogs in front,
in the grounds of Reading Uni, in front of clock tower

Me lying down on wooden floor surrounded by admiring humans talking with Mum.

Me and Casper, a fellow Guide Dog, black GSD X Retriever, with a rather peculiar and slightly outsized human holding our leads, in front of a Guide Dogs banner

Me on harness sitting, with Mum beside me, by the Guide Dogs banner

Waggy tail fusses with a nice admirer

What a handsome nose!

A rather splendid shot of my head sideways on looking at Mum.

Four month old golden retriever Guide Dog Puppy.

Poppy Botty.....

Eewwww! It's a bit niffy around here!

I have to keep moving away. Mum says it is because of all the bread. I have no idea what she is talking about. I cleansed the entire towpath of bread yestrerday. There is no bread now. I even demolished a carelessly abandoned bacon baguette. There really is NO bread that could be causing this awful smell!

Phweeep! Awww! Tickly botty! Ugh! There's that stink again!

Mum Hasn't Got a Clue......

Heehee! Boundaries well and truly pushed! Errrrrmmmmm.....well....maybe just a smidgen too far! I didn't get away with it!

I needed a wee.....there just happened to be a passing pooch pal....the door was open.....I took advantage! I didn't need to disturb Mum's obviously massively important work of stroking everything with whiskersticks and sloshyfrothycloths. I selected a bush that needed a good watering and did my duty. Then I thought I would just go saunter along the towpath a bit to find more dry bushes. Well, I did stop and look back to acknowledge her phweep-phweep-phweep on the recall whistle, but decided that she didn't really actually need me back. She was surely just checking that I could hear it..... I continued my saunter. I didn't get very far before meanie old Dad came stomping after me and spoilt my game! Next thing; I'm being ordered back on the boat and then Mum is putting a barrier thing across the door! Hufffffffff!

I did get to check out the weemail gossip in Victoria Park though. That was nice. As was the fuss and hoovering at church. It was great to meet n greet everyone again. Mind you, Mum and Dad got to do more of it than I did: it was a day of oooooooooodles of human yackety-yackety-yackety-yackety-yack-yacking!

Today the the sky is doing a lot of leaking so, what better way to while away the time than by chilling out chomping on a nice big rawhide chewring? Mum seems to think this will keep me occupied for quite some time........

HeHee! Fun time with my Rawhide Chew

Now to get on with the serious business of chewing....