Too Many Good Photos of Me!

Heehee! I like these trips to this church in Rugby. It is a good workywalkies to get there and the return journey includes a freerun! Today it was a longer freerun than last week too! Yippee! When we went down the slope to the long pathway where Dad says there used to be train tracks, instead of turning right to go straight back to floatyboatyhome, we turned left and went quite a nice long way before turning back to zig zag sniff all the way back. Mum says her talkybone thingy told her we had gone 5.75 miles in total. Well....they only did 5.75 miles. I probably did at least double that! Well....what's the point of just walking down the middle when there are so many weemails and other exciting things to check out among the bushes either side?

Work on my calendar continues. Mum and Dad seem to be having trouble choosing just 12 good photos of me. There are too many to choose from! Well...There would be wouldn't there? !!

Minions!

Just a lazy day today. Mum calls it recovery. Just a brief trip to Tesco and a gentle and very pleasant walkies with short sections of workywalkies and longer sections of freewalkies and sniffies and weemailies......

I have my minions (aka Mum and Dad) working on my calendar though. Not an entirely idle day! previews coming soon, along with ordering details. I shall hang on your wall to supervise you all year round!

All Blacks who are not All Black!

Home again! It has been a heck of a day though!

It started with the torture of being under the table while Mum and Dad failed to drop any of their bacon. Then, we set off, complete with wheeliecase, to the bus stop. One very bumpy bus ride later, we then workywalkiesded a little way to a huge building. Mum says it was called Richmond College. The workywalkies then continued for miles around the corridors and into a huge hall. There I found a fellow Guide Dog buddy called Skye (black fluffy Labrador x Retriever) and a Golden Labrador x Retriever called Toby. Toby is a Canine Partner. His Dad is a wheelieseat user and Toby helps him.

There were many humans there too. Lots of them were wearing black eyeflap thingies and were playing with a big blue ball with a jinglybell in it. They were throwing that ball along the length of the room. I'm sure I could have caught it much better than some of them did, but Mum wouldn't let me! Huff! It was great to sneak in some kanoodles with Skye and Toby though. We had to do some posing for one-eyed-clickyboxes too. Apparently some of the humans were famous. They were manhumans called the New Zealand All Blacks. Well..black is the bestest colour!

We all then went on a huge bus to a human yummyery. It was a bit cramped under the table and the floor was like outside floor - cold and hard. I got a bit bored and fed up so I did my chin-on-Mum's-knee thing. It did eventually work; I got to take Dad outside for a doggy necessarium trip. Soon after that, we all piled back on the bus again and went to a huuuuuuuuuuugenorous field with gazillions of seats all around it. Mum says it was called Twiggenum Stadium or something. Toby, Skye and I got all excited thinking we might be in for a fabulous freerun together. We were disappointed! Harrumph! Instead we had to watch all those All Blacks that weren't all black throwing a funny pointy-ended ball about. We sooooo could have played that game with them.........

These All Blacks then came along in a line and used markysticks to squiggle on some of those pointy-ended balls. I got some nice ear rubs from some of them. Mum seemed really please about getting their squiggles on a ball. She says she is hoping it will raise some shinydisks for our Sponsor-a-Guide-Dog-Puppy-fund. More posing for one-eyed-clickybox stuff brought us to leaving time.

Most of the group we were with got back on the big bus again, but we went workywalkies again a little way around that huge place. Then along came a car with two humans in it that made my tail wap my sides! It was Debbi and Ryan! Yippeee! Ryan got out of the car and so I got to greet him, but Debbi was in the driving seat so I hopped up onto the seat next to her, that Ryan had kindly vacated, so I could greet her too! Heehee!

I then had to squish into the paw-well of the back seat with Mum and Dad and we went to another human yummyery. After enduring that, I finally got my picnic tea outside in the carpark. Then, we left Ryan and workywalkiesded with Debbi to a station. A very nice manhuman led the way down lots of steps to the train platform. The train we got was strange though. It had seats all along the edges and it stayed indoors! We were in a huge long tunnel! It was very noisy and rattly and bumpy. I didn't like it much. It was quite a long ride and it got very squishy as more and more people got on each time we stopped. Eventually, though we got off. It was mega hot! Another nice workyhuman met us and showed us the way to one of those magic boxes that changes the outside when its doors close and open again, then on through lots of long hot corridors to another train-in-a-tunnel. That one wasn't so long. Yet another really nice workyhumanman met us when we got off that one and showed us the way in and out of several of those magic boxes and through oodles of long corridors, until we finally reached the real world outside again. I was sooooo glad to find a tree!

Next came a good challenge of a workywalkies weaving Mum through the dark streets of that crazy London place to find the station. As it was dark, I had to really strut my stuff. Mum really can't see anything in the dark. I did my job super well and got yummy proof that she was pleased with me!

We had to wait around for quite some time at the station, before we got on the train to come home. I was glad to find carpet and space to lie down at Mum's paws for a good snooze. Mum and Dad were yacketying with a nice ladyhuman called Lucy all the way. I got some lovely fusses from her! After a little while, I thought it was time to warm up Dad's back paws, so I had a little stretch then moved over. Just a few moments later a manhuman came through and asked Dad if he would need assistance at the station when we arrived! It seems he thought I was Dad's Guide Dog! Ooops! It made mouths go up at the corners!

When we arrived at our station, here in Rugby, I did a perfect 'Find the way out' and there at the exit, was that manhuman! As soon as he saw me guiding Mum, he realised his daftness and said lots of that 'sorry' thing! Apparently it was all very funny and so more mouth corners were up! I like uppy mouth corners. They make my tail wag too!

Now, after another good workywalkies, guiding Mum in the dark again, we are safely back home aboard floatyboatyhome and the hotbox is glowing nicely. Just perfect for well earned sofa snuggle methinks!

5 photos:

Posing with the New Zealand All Blacks who played Goalball.

Bored under the table.

On the train with Lucy and Mum.

On the 'tube' train.

Meeting and greeting Toby the Canine Partner.

Sofa Snuggles.

Mum says this photo ought to have sound with it so you can hear my nose rumbling. How rude! My nose does not rumble! I know it doesn't - I have never heard it! Mum says it is recovery day after yesterday's excitement and energy exertion. I have no idea what she means by 'recovery'. There is no recovery needed. I could happily cope with a yesterday every day!

A sofa snuggles day is welcome though! No complaints.

Snuggles with Mummy!

Play Date Mayhem!

"Guide Dogs never have fun"

"Guide Dogs never get to be real dogs"

"Guide Dogs are miserable"

Just a few of the comments that we hear often.

Well....here is the proof that none of those is true!

I have had the most fantabulous, amazing, crazyfun afternoon everrrrr......

Workywalkies to the bus stop. Workywalkies from bus to park. We found my buddy Slipper (Black Lab x Retriever working Guide Dog) waiting for us. Then along came Patience (little black Lab Brood Bitch), and Zaza (pale Golden retriever Brood Bitch), Fudge (toffee coloured Retriever puppy) and Gabby the tiny Golden Labrador puppy. A superdooper gaggle of Guide Dogs! We all had to (try to) sit still for a moment or several while one-eyed-clickyboxes did their clicking at us all, then it was harnesses off and '"Wait.....Three.....Two.....One....GO PLAY"!!

WAAAAAYYYYYYHHHHHHAAAAAYYYYYYYY! It was doggy delirium! We had an absolute blast!

Then along came a very special Black Labrador. It was Dixon, my doggydaddy! Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Did we have fun!

Of course, we all brought our respective humans with us too but they didn't matter (except those who had yummies of course!). What mattered was the running and chasing and rolling and chewing and running and chasing and........ooooooh! A huge park, a whole horde of hounds and freedom!

Dad said he took a short video of us and will upload that in a moment. In the meantime, here is a collection of photos to prove that GUIDE DOGS MOST CERTAINLY DO HAVE FUN!

Pre-Play Gathering. L to R: Zaza, Patience, Fudge, Slipper (hiding behind) Gabby & Oakley.

Sitting, waiting. L-R: Patience, Zaza, Fudge, Gabby, Slipper & Oakley.

The moment of the best command any Guide Dog ever hears: "Go Play"!

The fun begins! Legs, tails and paws everywhere!

Me and my Daddy Dixon.

Daddy Dixon & Me. Great minds alike - yummies to our right!

Guess where the yummies were!

 The video can be seen here: www.facebook.com/GuideDogOakley/videos/1915231618491529/

Wheelieseat Fusses!

TWO impromptu meet n greets with Guide Dog colleagues. Now that is what I call a superb workywalkies!

We set off along the towpath then through the twitten and on to 'Find the bus stop'. Mission accomplished, we waited. Then along came Slipper; a Guide Dog girlie buddy that we met when we were in this Rugby place before. Of course as we were both on duty, working on harness, we had to remain professional, so a simple meet n greet was all we could get away with. I was impressed though; Slipper sniffed out Mum's treats pouch and managed to persuade Mum to demonstrate it's purpose! Yummy work Slipper! Thanks!

It was only a brief encounter because our bus came along, but I'm sure I heard Mum say 'See you tomorrow'.......I like the sound of that!

On the whole, our trip around town was a good one. I had plenty to do in keeping Mum out of trouble in the busy shoppyplace. I also had to 'Find Specsavers' yet again. I did, of course, but it was a find that kept me still for quite some time. Mum had to sit in one of those big chairs again while a ladyhuman put weird eye windows on her and then put little disks in and out of them. She also zapped Mum's eyes with a very bright stick. I leapt up to check Mum was OK after that! She told me 'It's OK. Lie down. Good boy'. I was reassured but kept a careful watch on the rest of proceedings.

After all of that, Mum seemed rather miffed. It seems that they can't make the eyewindows that she wants/needs to help. I shall just have to do my job then shan't I?

Inside that shoppyplace, I found my second meet n greet opportunity. Barney is an almost qualified Guide Dog. He still has the orange coloured flash on his lead that means he is a puppy in training, but he will graduate soon. It was great to have a bit of a kanoodle with him though. A welcome interlude in a hard work workywalkies. I may just have ever so slightly forgotten about true professionalism in the presence of such a young playful colleague. I maaaayyy have done a little bit of vocal play along with some mutual ear chewing and jowl-tugging - what Mum calls my elephant seal impression!

In all of this, and in the various shops, and on the bus home again, I got lots of fusses and admiration. I am always happy to oblige with accepting such attention. On the bus, there was a lovely ladyhuman in a wheelieseat. I had to share the space with her. This was nice! I got a lap to rest my chin on! In response, I got some lovely soothing head and ear stroking!

The final bit of workywalkies was around Tesco. Dad had left us to take bags home, so I had to strut my stuff with Mum and a wheeliecage. It was a good worky session. When Mum asked me to help her 'find the carrots', I was delighted to oblige. I even ALMOST got to help myself to a nice big juicy reward, but meanie Mummy made me wait until we got home before I actually got to enjoy it. It was a yummy big juicy carrot though! It just about sufficed to help me survive until i finally got my dinner!

2 photos:

 

Me with Slipper (black Lab x Retriever) at the bus stop, with our respective human-mums.

Me with Barney inside the shoppy centre. Barney is a reddish golden Labrador.

Special Minihuman Pal Livvy.

Neglect.....Torture......Starvation......Mum was nasty to me! She made me WAIT for my dinner! She burbled something about the clocks have changed.....Nope! The tickydisk is still there on the wall, unchanged, unmoved....not gone back in any way as she suggested. MY TUMMY was telling me it was dinner time. Mum said 'not for another hour yet'.....HOOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLLL! I was wasting away. I was eating myself from the inside out!

When, at last, I did get my dinner, there was not even the tiniest hint of a bigger portion to make up for the delay. Harrrrumph!

After a long 4.2 miles workywalkies to and from church this morning (with a nice little freerun on the way back!) I think I deserved better treatment!

The minihumans were far too clean at their eating thing at church; they left barely any crumbs for me to hoover. There was a nice carpet to enjoy a good face-rub on before a snooze. That was good. It was also really nice to meet up again with some long lost humanpals. It was a church we went to when we were here in Rugby before (Mum says it was three and a half years ago). There were some familiar humans there. The minihumans are less mini now though, but it was lovely to have hugs and kisses from my special minihuman pal Livvy. She is sort of like my Mummy. She is vision impaired, but she has a long white stick with a ball on the end instead of a me.