buddyboy

Ooh Yantan I am rather loving that link ..........

Bit of a strange morning - went over to pick up my friend so we could bring her dog home in my car as there would be more room for her after her amputation. Going down Heol Y Bowls first there was one cat sitting in the road refusing to move, then another cat wandering down the middle of the road, then a flash of ginger as a third cat raced across the lane in front of the car. Bit further down and 2 kamikaze pheasants flying across and back.... then I saw a car across the road (single track road) and thought "something wrong here" - err that would be because it was on its roof! Nobody inside or around so I had to turn round and go back to the main road to go the long way round to my friend because of course this morning I had left my phone at home on charge. She rang it in and the lady on the phone was more concerned about the make of car - now I know in a busy road if there is a car with damage you need to narrow it down, but on a single track road where the car is on its roof across the road I don't think there would be a lot of confusion whether they have got the right one! We heard the fire engine going there and I came down the road 3 hours later and the car had gone. Ishka was the blood donor dog for the surgery but broke her leg on Friday and it was found to be due to cancer causing the bone to become brittle - she is now home and snuggled on the sofa with her mum. Jed has always been registered as the second donor if needed but he has never had to give blood, but of course he has now moved into first place. They very rarely need the bloods but as Cas has to go back for an eye check on Wednesday I will take him with me and Brenda (who he loves) will be there and will take him into the back so he starts to get used to visiting. She will also come and collect him and take him down there a couple of times as if I am working I may not be able to get away (and I am not much use with needles around)

Phebe - my dad lived here for 3 months last year while mum was ill. He has Alzheimers and happily tells people his memory is shot but he does join in general conversations and makes sense. A couple of times though he did ask how his parents were - he was 91 while he was here - and when I told him they had died many years ago he accepted it. One episode that did upset me (not so much at what he was asking but that he could not remember) was when we went to pick some stuff up from friends. We had all sat in their kitchen chatting normally and having coffee when he turned to me and asked if he had any children. When I told him I am his daughter he was very apologetic that he could not remember me, when I said about my brother he remembered him - but then on the way home it was obvious he still thought I was someone who had just taken him out for a drive as he was telling me about his family. Next day he knew who I am but that really brought home to me how the disease can affect someone - I have seen plenty of people with dementia and Alzheimers as when he was first diagnosed I made a point of visiting a residential home for them with the PAT dogs, but when it is actually a member of your family you realise that knowing about it and then being involved at first hand is different. We are lucky he has always been a gentle man as some people can become violent but the worst it gets is when mum winds him up and he just snaps back (and she has always pushed pushed pushed until people snap).

Sounds as if Archie is now a Time Share dog! Have been into town and bought a new battery for the car zapper - it now locks and unlocks from miles away (well, ok maybe not miles but many many many yards!)

now found the small print in the manual - if the zapper does not work put in earplugs, put key in ignition, turn to on and WAIT 30 SECONDS. I know if your car is being stolen you would be glad of 30 seconds noise in the hope someone will take notice but not in the early hours of Easter Sunday when people are being woken up! Methinks a trip to the garage to get a new battery in the zapper may help

Well - it is now 8.30 (I think!) meaning it was 8.00 this morning when my car decided AGAIN that it would not be zapped to disable the alarm. SORRY!!!!!!!!!!! to the people living or staying near Poppit Sands carpark - the dogs and I had a lovely run on the beach before all that! Tried the key in ignition etc as previously suggested - zilch, in fact the alarm kept screaming and the ignition said "no way are you doing anything with me, you are BAAAAD". After the first screaming fit (alarm not me) I just chucked the dogs in the car, took 3 more screaming fits before it allowed itself to be zapped and I could drive off.

I live in a bungalow with the bedrooms at the front. The first part of the drive runs in front of them and the big gate is across the drive by the window. Letters go in the box on the gate but when there are parcels the post people knock on the bedroom window to hand them in. In these days of hysteria about dogs it was so lovely this morning when the post lady knocked with a parcel and asked (jokingly) if she was in trouble because none of the dogs were balancing on my bed to reach over to the window to see her - I had to call Jed in so he could give her a kiss.

I'm in Ceredigion not a million miles from Carmarthenshire.... we had a little flurry of snow this morning (well, it looked like a cloud of midges but a friend assured me it was snow) but nothing to settle and we have not actually had any "real" snow for weeks.

hmm neither can I now!!! Try this instead http://s224.photobucket.com/user/Budalice/media/Dogs/DSCF1471_zpsaddc835f.mp4.html

Bud was on Vivitonin after his vestibular syndrome episode and never had another one. Bit chilly on the beach this lunchtime, but we had it to ourselves most of the time .... apologies for the yappy brat!!! (who was it said dogs with heart murmurs should be restricted and deaf dogs should not be let off lead???) [sure it was easier when Photobucket put a little border round videos so you knew to press them to play]

Bone shaped wormers that your dogs will love - yeah right! I was not expecting them to be gobbled up but as they were buy 3 get one free and there are five of the beasts it worked out good value. Jed (4 tablets) yeuk no way - so resorted to the mouth open with one hand and tablets down the throat with the other and got the first 2 down the throat. Cassie (7kg so 1 tablet as it is 1 per 10 kg) yummy can I have more Bo (2 tablets) ooh what is Cass eating, yuk don't like it but she ate hers so I will eat it (spitting bits out) - this was the first one Cass - ooooooooooooh Bo dropped some let me zoom in "Cass, NO!!!" Reg (6.5 kg) mmmmmmmmmmmmm can I have another one please Jed's second two tablets - while 2 small dogs were bouncing around looking for any dropped bits Bo - same method as Jed for the second tablet China "I am screwing my eyes up so you think I am asleep, noooooooooooooooooo - I hate you" as 2 tablets go in via the hand method. Cass and Reg "pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease can we have more they are lovely, come on Bigs you must have some bits you can spit out for us"

Warning for Bonmarche David Emmanuel jeans!!! Safety Advice - do NOT wear on dog walks! First outing in them - a dog walk, no problem as they were lulling me into a false sense of security. Second outing - to the pub for a meal, no problem. Third outing - Dog walk no problem but then we stopped for coffee and it was the Hen Rescue, so they got filthy and I got hurt (and my wellies were punctured). Fourth outing - clean on today - dog walk and I managed to slide gracefully into deep mud at the edge of the river resulting in soaked legs and bum, and on the way home as the car warmed up I smelled worse than 5 wet and muddy dogs. Moral of the story - by all means take them to change into after a walk when you are meant to be going for a coffee but do NOT wear them while exercising dogs.

Good luck keeping Zooey on the soft food! Bud had a dental and tucked into dried food while the girls ate his soft stuff. Reg had 12 teeth out in one go - and turned his nose up at soft stuff preferring to chomp on a nylabone. Cassie had a dental - yup, you guessed it tho in her case the others did not get a chance at the soft food as she ate it then had some dried.

the idea has worked well! Have turned it the "right" way up as there are strong joints for the table top which would be better right way up for China jumping on and off (and Jed has been up on it!!!!!!!). Chopped the bottom of the legs off so it is a couple of inches lower for her as she gets older. downside - SOMEONE has already scratched a hole in the fabric!!! I have my suspicions (not Reg, Cass, Jed) so now the green mat is on the top one until I can get some heavy duty fabric which will not shred when scratched. Luckily the foam is not damaged underneath. I like the back and arms as they give it a bit of stability and Madame can sleep with her chin on them.

Bud (in the picture) had vestibular syndrome, scary for both of us but he recovered quickly (he was in his teens). I know they do "slow down" dishes for dogs but I do wish they would do "speed up" ones! China has been poorly this week so this morning after doing the tablets-down-the-throat for the pink ones I thought I would be nice to her and put the heart tablet in her food. Nibble nibble, 100 chews per piece of small bite mixer, clearing up any crumb that had come out of the dish before going back to the dish, I had to stand guard for ages in the end as the others were in a circle waiting for her to move away from the dish by 3 inches to signify she had finished. If I put her in a different room she just stands at the kitchen door and ignores her food because she wants to be in with them to eat.

The girls slept well in their bunk beds last night. This morning I have had a lie in and at different stages Bo and Reg have tried out the top bunk. Not sure it would stand up to Jed's weight so luckily he just sniffed it!

China's new bed came today (well it does get a bit crowded on mine, even tho it is a king size!) so I went to the second hand furniture store to see if I could get anything to turn it into a bunk bed for her and Cassie..... this coffee table has a big scratch on the table part so I got it for £10, so far so good and if they are happy using it like that I will paint it to match the rest of the furniture. With it turned upside down the legs at the back grip the side of her bed to stop it moving.

well that is my good deed for the day!! Had a beach walk with a friend and our dogs, then as the cafe there was closed we went to St Dogmaels for a coffee on the way home. As we pulled up there were a couple of ladies looking at the mill stream where there are ducks and chickens and saying "oh good you have wellies on" because a chicken was on a mudflat in the middle of it. The water level was a lot lower than normal so we went in to order our coffees then when we came out to drink them on the terrace I walked back over and saw the water level was rising. Sooooo - off down the cobbled bank to the stream, naturally managed to slide over and land on my arm and bum, waded out and found she was in a part with deep mud so had to navigate round it. Ended up throwing sticks and stones behind her to try to drive her away from the deeper water (and mud) until I was able to get through the mud enough without sinking to grab her. She was NOT impressed and was flapping around all over the place and I could not use both hands to hold her as I was sinking in the mud and had to use my other arm for balance. Managed to throw her up onto the bank where some of the other chickens were, went and had my drink. When we came out we looked and the water is almost back to normal depth so the mudflat she was on was well underwater, so I am glad I went to get her as pretty sure chickens cannot swim (and she would have ended up being washed downstream into the sea!)

He has heard me and my friend discussing the unsuitable men who are after her body so is getting a bit of background info!!

I was sitting in the sun reading my book with a cup of coffee but how can I help you??

Whizzie that is what has been sorted out for my brother, he can sign cheques on mum and dad's account but he has also arranged online banking so he can deal with things that way rather than going into the bank.

you could get lost in there!

If we walk past a house with chickens in the garden or there is one wandering on the pavement (there are a couple of escape artists locally) they want to chase but the ones who live in the garden are considered to be part of the family. Jed with Chicky Bo with Chicky China coming out of the dogflap while Chicky checks on what could be raided if she got in (these were all just before the new girls came when Chicky was an only hen). Cassie is a monster and goes in to raid the nest box for a warm egg, Reg goes in and fetches out any veg that have been put in the run for the girls (they are the only 2 of the dogs who can get through the gap into the run - I set it so the Bigs could not get in simply to stop all the dirty paw prints in the house from the earth and bark chippings in there)

will someone please explain to my dogs that they are meant to be wild vicious beasts and that some chicken keepers feel dogs and chickens should never be left together ............ which means when the conservatory door is accidentally left open and an errant chicken wanders in they should NOT meekly stand back and watch while she helps herself to their food (especially when it is chicken based - that is cannibalism!)

They are both fine thank you, luckily despite the leaping and snorting when China is onlead it is all for show and all of them mix well with other dogs.... which is just as well as they seem to be the ones who get attacked and thankfully it has not spoiled their natures. Jed even got attacked during a flyball tournament by the dog in the next lane running across to have a go at him - but my boy just carried on to bring the ball back to me. What does really annoy me is that people (obviously not people on here!!!) look at the Bigs and ignore the fact they live with small dogs, have welcomed many fosters of different age, size, breed into their house, share the garden with free range chickens, 2 of them are Pets as Therapy visitors and now China has had an unprovoked attack on her all 3 have suffered them but oh no they must be the ones at fault and considered dangerous because they are bull breeds - while the labrador, the golden retriever, the poodle, the Patterdale, the Yorkie and assorted collies which have attacked them are obviously never to blame.