Good evening Campers! Welcome to Emergency ward 10! Well the outpatients unit anyway. BLOODY BLOODY BLOODY kennel cough. BLOODY BLOODY BLOODY BLOODY kennel cough!! Well we have it, and thankfully we are now turning the corner…. Fish started ten days ago, then it went to Bondy, then Mia, then Tom…. and the two big girls seemed to have managed to not pick it up. But of course, whilst it runs its chokey, hacky, phlemy course and for some day afterwards we are, officially, lepers. But i wouldn’t wish this bloody thing on anyone. But hey! We aren’t the first and we won’t be the last for it to run riot so we are dealing with it best we can. Mia had to go to the vets in the end because, as a little’un, she just didn’t quite have the wherewithall to fight it and went downhill quite badly. But then turns out she has secondry tonsilitis so she has Antibiotics and is doing really so much better now I’m glad we didn’t try and plod on. Cross fingers for it being seriously on its way out now!
Little Mia!
Mia is a darling. I had her down as being devil dog extrodinare as a baby puppy, but she, since we found a fantastic home for Holden (who is now called Humble, after Kate Humble off the TV – No, I’m not sure who she is either – grin…) has really come into her own. Straight into the kennels without a murmour, eats like a horse and is the most buzzy little outgoing thing you could ever wish for. I’ve just added a quick ‘Dog Blog extra’ regarding how jealous Bondy is of her… and its pretty DAMN jealous! 😉 We’ve had her chasing a tennis ball just the once in the last week and she is UTTERLY bang up for it. So that went away straight away and I have a little tickle that she might be a very nice puppy. But hell, you never know! Allan and I still can’t quite decide ‘whos’ she *is*. (Whispers….) Maybe I’ll wait and see how she trains up in those first few months….) Did I say that out loud? I’ll deny it, you know, if you tell *him* I did……. 😉 😉
Allan dispairs of my forward planning. He says for a woman that can’t get anywhere remotely on time, its a bit ironic that I’m happy to plan things to the finest detail 6 months in advance! The shoot dates for our main shoot, Newhouse, came through. I’ve got them all in the diary (DAMN it only going till the end of the year I want to plan JANUARY too!!!!) and even added which dogs I want us to take on which days…. There is a method to my madness but Tom will be getting an initation of fire I feel. He will be a serious player in the team and I know it will be his ‘bag’. Without wishing to overtax mentally Fish or Bondy they will be visiting only occasionally learning the very most basic of ropes on the job, and Tom, Mallie and Shiney will be taking most of the flack. A team of chocolates. Al is WELL impressed with that (not!)
RIP darling Jadey, this winter we will miss you without measure my angel. Deeds…. my man….. it won’t be the same without you either. Its been years since you weren’t beside me nearly every drive of the winter. What a year. One to forget for so many reasons.
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TOM IS A DADDY! It seems almost improbable that my baby brown lad is a father, but he is! A healthy litter born a week ago and all thriving. in the same week his second bitch came, and Pole danced obligingly for him, (with him slightly more versed in the Okey Cokey I feel!), and that all went swimmingly, (pardon the pun), so hopefully more Tomshoes babies are on the way too! Pics as I get them. I am trying to take his mind off the fact his grandfather *got there* first, for her first litter, but then, I’m not sure he’d be *that* bothered, he was thrilled to the point of hysteria to see her, so I feel, his first, wonderful, experienced ‘girlfriend’ taught him well! Thank you Pam – well Maddison, but Pam too!!
Well lastly before all this Kennel Cough business kicked in, we went to Wiltshire…. dear old Wiltshire, land of small lanes and where we (almost certainly) picked up the darn KC, and Fish and Bondy ran with me in a Special Puppy at the URC Hants & SW test. Lovely test, really nice tests, and the boys came away, from 24 runners, Fish 4th and Bondy a COM, so that was worth the miles.
Lastly LASTLY, we had notice this week from a bitch owner who used Deeds to produce litter for Canine partners for Independence, that SIX of the litter had passed their advanced training assessment and were now set to start training up with their disabled partners. SIX!! And all chocolate! I’m not sure you can understand how proud that makes you feel. that these youngsters will make a huge difference to someones life, and that is the sort of thing, for all the heartbreak, fustration and empty bank balances of this game, makes it all worth it!
The successful six!
