Peachy

I can't see why your Mum thinks it would be you! It could only be Clive who did such a thing. I mean, he's blatently laughing in the photo whereas you look totally innocent. Hoomans. Clueless.

And what a good boy you are, just sitting there and not scoffing them straight off the plate!! Happy birthday gorgeous boy x

Dear Dylan, Riley and Jack I have been appointed as the Dogs Action Group Secretary, by the founder members Pixie and Alfie. I hope you are in agreement with their decision as a fellow founder members. In my official capacity as DAGS, I will do nothing more than obey your orders, compile minutes of meetings and clear up cookie crumbs (if there are any!). A new dog will be arriving here in a week or so. His name is Ronnie. He is a poor unwanted but smelly hound. He will be subject to a bath. Will you be protesting at this? He will, of course, need an obligatory trip to the vets for a check up and to have his hip dysplasia checked. Is this also a 'wrong doing'? I suspect so. Maybe we can make amends for this terrible treatment by way of a nice cosy bed, all the fuss he could want, lots of toys, a warm home and cuddles on demand? I understand it's a small offering and will therefore be willing to take your valued opinions on board. Please don't tell on me to any officials because I don't want to be put in prison for my crimes to dogmanity. I will do anything you demand. I promise How old is your brother today, Dylan? Did he have one cookie for ever year? Or two? Pixie and Alfie send lots of waggy tails and happy thoughts his way Well, actually, they're both roaching and are sending those messages via telepathy. Signing off from the DAGS position for the short term. Wishing you all the best

Thanks I was flooded on 22 July. It was during the floods that took hundreds of homes in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. The caravan has been here since 16 August and I've been using it as a daytime refuge and somewhere to cook. I've never missed a kitchen so much There was a point when I had to come out here to shower and use the toilet because my soil pipe was damaged and my hot water and heating also got turned off. Now that was not a good time. Thankfully, the heating and hot water were put back on just over a week ago. It's all looking up. I just feel for a lot of my neighbours. I was lucky enough to be allowed to choose my own builders to do the repair work so have some control on when they show up and what they do. Most people are using the insurance company contractors and there just aren't enough to go round. A lot of people definitely won't be back in until Christmas. One person was even quoted Easter!!

to Kayla's mum and dad Sparkle - I hope things are working out today. I've only just come in on the end of this but also sounds like the beginning to me so here's to you Loobie - Gwyn Fingers crossed for when he meets his potential new parents Helly - poor little staffy, evil person for dumping him As for me, well went to see Ronnie in his kennels in Essex this morning and He loved Pixie, she thought he was quite nice too. She's as stoopid as they come but he makes her look like a clever little girl. He's definitely not the full ticket. He wanted to sniff Alfie's bum but Alfie was a bit freaked out by this, he likes his personal space. He scampered around my legs a bit but settled down after a while. We walked all three out around the paddock and they all pretty much ignored one another. Poor Ronnie has been through the wars. He was an RSPCA case, picked up at 10 months, he's now 2. Ear marked as an Irish greyhound but no-one is absolutely convinced he's a pure breed. He was locked in a shed and his growth is rather stunted. He's a solid boy but his legs just look a tiny big shorter than they should. He also stands and walks with a wiggly swagger. His hip was probably dislocated at birth but nothing was done about it. His tail has been broken in several places and is about as crooked and bent as I've seen. It didn't wag once. He reminded me in a lot of ways of Claire and Gary's Mackie He looked a bit lost. So all in all, he's coming home. I'll collect him sometime after the carpets are fitted on Friday and I put my furniture back in place. for Ronnie. I might rename him as I have a cat called Bonnie and it might get confusing. What do you all think? Rocket? Or is Ronnie ok? Apparently there's a snooker player who's a Rocket Ronnie or something?! PS Seems like fate because my baby that has gone to RB was Reggie....the Krays Good luck x

One that falls out?

Oh Dylan, I wish I could help but my poor dogs suffer the same way....all the fuss and fun they could ask for but terribly disrespected, just like you. And they have to live with pussytats without trying to eat them. Oh, the trials. I'll ask them if they'd like to set up an action group with you, if that would help?

to those having car trouble/vet 'experiences'/moving house issues/illnesses and generally not having the time of their lives Must be something in the air, bad days and all that. I'm sat in this flippin' caravan for yet another evening. I can't be arsed to cook because, although the oven/hob is gas, it takes forever to cook anything. I had the kitchen worktops put in (the house) yesterday. I had the same worktops taken out again this morning. They weren't aligned. I know I'm fussy but it's my kitchen. New worktops were ordered, delivered and fitted. Well, half of them. The other half wait til Monday. The carpets are being fitted next Friday but haven't even arrived at the carpet shop yet. The kitchen won't be finished by then but I'll just have to put sheeting down to protect them. At least I can move my furniture back in and finally get to sit on a sofa again. Have room to move. Let the dogs have a choice of beds, rather than one on each side of the caravan seats. I don't think they've even noticed we're in a caravan really Don't EVER get flooded. Not ever. It's no fun. On a more positive note, I'm taking the hounds to Essex tomorrow to meet Ronnie. He's a 2 year old black greyhound with a 'dodgy' hip. We've been homechecked for him and, providing my two get on with him (and he likes them!!), then I'll bring him home after next weekend. (When I have carpets and furniture for him to snooze on). Fingers crossed the meeting goes well

That's not on. Vets should have a better understanding of animals and I would expect much more than that sort of behaviour, especially as you're paying for the service. I have a good relationship with my vets and would be happy to pick up the phone and have a word about a particular vet if that had happened to me. Why don't you give them a call and explain that you'd like it put on your records that you don't want to see the same vet again? Do they have a client relationship manager or someone senior you can talk to, just to explain the situation? Can you imagine how terrible it would be for a really nervous dog? Shocking. I have a very nervous lurcher and there's no way I'd revisit anyone who treated him like that. I'm quite firm with the vets and what I expect from them and they seem to respect the knowledge and interest that I have in their work. I'm sorry you had a horrible experience today Edited to remove stoopid spelling mistake!

Just wanted to say thank you to Loobie for the eggs Despite welding part of my omelette to the frying pan, smoking the place out and setting the alarm off (I blame the caravan existance ), it still tasted gooooooooooood! Now I want ex-battery girls to roam in my garden. How's Gwyn doing in Kent?

I'm so sorry Mandy Nite nite Axel . My Reggie will look after you x

I've just come back from a vet referral to an eye specialist because Alfie has floating black marks one of his eyes. All in all, it's nothing too much to worry about just yet - he has iris cysts in one eye as well as a little degeneration of both eyes. The vet said he can operate on the cysts if they get worse but it shouldn't in the short term and he doesn't expect Alfie to even notice them. He did say that Doggles might be helpful if Alfie doesn't like being in bright daylight or seems to not want to go out. I know it's heading for darker months but thought I might invest in a pair to see if he'd wear them. Personally, I don't think he will....he doesn't 'do' dressing up Does anyone know which size I should get for a skinny headed saluki/lurcher type? I think the small ones would be ok for his head width but I'm concerned that they might be too small around, if you see what I mean. Has anyone used them and do their hounds actually keep them on?

It's a Sprite Alpine, or at least that's what it says on the side. It was kindly supplied by my insurance company due to the July flooding in Oxfordshire. My house is being put back together so I have this caravan to escape to during the day and to, importantly, make tea/coffee for the various builders and tradespeople I always wanted a caravan as I thought it would ideal for the dogs. This isn't exactly what I had in mind though

Pixie...wearing her new snood

Beautiful. Such a moving and loving tribute.

So so so lovely Reminded me of mine in just about every way I'm not brave enough to put anything together about Reggie just yet but I will sometime soon

Ooooh, is it just me? When I click on the link, nothing happens....

That's a really good advance, especially for some of the more bouncy dogs. I wonder if will soon become common place at all vets. Seems really to be in the dogs best interest if it reduces healing time and chance of infection. Bring it on!

That's a great shot! Alfie has done the very same to me on a couple of occasions. He's so fast and loose with his sprinkling and if you stand in the way when he's busy sniffing about.... I think I've just got him out of a terrible habit of weeing on top of Pixie when she's still weeing too. He had to mark the spot but never bothered for her to finish! Poor girl.

Love the photo muckyhen!!

I've already been homechecked for him and when I got his photo in the post this morning, I was even more smitten. There's something about his face that looks really vulnerable and, dare I say it, a little bit vacant The stoopid ones, the broken ones and the desperate are all the more loveable I didn't want a perfect dog. I wanted one that nobody else wanted. I just hope Pixie and Alfie take a liking to him otherwise they'll have me to answer to!

I'm hopefully going to take my hounds to meet this little chap in the next week or so. (Sorry about the quality of the image, it's a photo of a photo) He's about 2 years old and I'm told he has a 'funny' walk due to a problem with his hip and because of this nobody even takes an interest in him. Apparently the vet thinks it was dislocated at birth and nothing was done so it's fused (?). He can walk and runs as well (better than he can walk apparently) and doesn't appear to be in pain or discomfort. The charity won't fund the operation to fix the joint and the vet has advised that it doesn't appear necessary as it's not bothering him. I'd probably like to take further advice on that. Does anyone have any experience of this or knowledge they can pass on to me? Any problems won't put me off, I just need to know what can be done and what problems we might encounter. Also, he's got two ear marks so is listed as an Irish greyhound but the kennels think he's more likely a lurcher - maybe crossed with a collie. Not a collie expert, I wouldn't know. Does he look a bit collie? The white stripe is indicative to me but that's as far as my knowledge goes Scuse my ignorance but can dogs slip through the net and be marked as greyhounds if they're not? I mean, don't they have to have some breeding paperwork to get registered or something? again. I just don't get it. Anyway, any information about the little chaps hip would be gratefully received. And if light can be shed on his greyhound/collie/lurcher background that would be interesting. Thanks for reading Kelly x

Alfie burps! And it's really loud, human-like burping. And he usually walks over to you when you're sat on the sofa and burps in your face Pixie, on the other hand, is windy at the other end and lets out a puff of air, squeaky like fart when she's stretching and about to go down the stairs in the morning. I'm usually stood right behind her. When will I learn...?

And I thought it was just my hounds that always pile up throws and blankets in the middle of the room!! The sick thing. Why be sick in the kitchen where it can be cleaned easily when you can be sick on beige carpets?!! And the 'butter wouldn't melt' thing when others see them, then being hooligans when it's windy/raining/you're in a hurry on a walk! But we love them dearly and wouldn't have them any other way! I laugh every day at my hounds and they cheer me up by doing the most daft things