Its Christmas eve, so this is hopefully going to be a quick  blog. A few updates and Christmas greetings from pups and their families. We start with Molly out in Jersey and is from our last litter born summer this year with Mum being Ysobel and Dad is Reggie. Thanks Lynne for the update and lovely photos and wishing you a lovely Christmas.


Hi Jane

Its been a while since we updated you but as with everyone at this time of year it has been hectic!  Well Molly Moo as she is commonly referred to grows more adorable by the day!  She is such a time waster and a pure delight.  She gets so many compliments its untrue.

She has fitted into our lives better than we could have ever hoped or imagined.  Sometimes we have to remind the children that she has four perfectly working legs to use as she tends to be scooped up, hugged and carried around a lot!

Hmmm....Christmas trees have been interesting - tapping the baubles with her paw and loving it when one falls to the floor for her to chase around and chew the life out of!   Thank goodness they are not of the glass variety that were around years ago!

We never knew that a dog could go from being sound asleep one moment to jumping around with excitement only seconds later, this is new for us and the best wake up call anyone could wish for of a morning!

Here are a few of photos of Molly.  She is happily accepting the new Christmas toys our friends have been popping in for her in the last few days!

We hope you have a fantastic Christmas with your family (both two legged and four legged)!  Have a very happy, healthy new year and we cannot thank you enough for making 2013 a fantastic year for our family!

Best regards

Lynne, Andy, Alfie & Emma xxxx 

Next is Darcey who is from Dolly's last litter born this year back in June. Dolly is her Mum with dad being Reggie. Thanks Karen and have a wonderful Christmas.

Dear Jane and all at Pound lane,

When I got Darcey I imagined I might be able to buy her a cute outfit or two to dress her up especially at christmas.... As you can see from the heavily photoshopped picture, I have a scruffy, run all day, swim in the stream, do anything for a piece of sausage and roll around until she's covered in leaves little tom boy! And we couldn't love her more, she makes everyone who comes to the house feel like they are her long lost friend.

After a challenging year she has proved to be the best present we have ever had.

Wishing you the happiest Christmas and the best New Year 

Karen xx

Now an update from Archie's family who was from Primrose's litter born September 2012. Thanks Jane and have a great christmas.

Dear Jane, 
Just a quick email to wish you a very "Happy Christmas" and to let you know how Archie is doing! It's almost a year now since he first entered our lives!
He continues to be the most amazing dog any one could wish for. He is so much a part of our lives - we see him as one of the family and want him to be with us wherever we go! 
He's asleep at the moment with his head on Paul's lap, whilst Paul is on his computer! But any minute he could wake up, fetch one of his chewy toys and fling it around the room for us to boing somewhere for him to fetch! 
He quite often has a mad moment just before bed time!
Archie is adored by everybody and we've lost count of the number of folks who say they'd like a dog "just like Archie"!
He's bright, funny, agile, cute, loving, bonkers, fluffy, bouncy, cheeky......just the best doggie friend ever!
He sleeps on the end of our daughter's bed, wakes up at 7 on the dot, sneaks out of her room into ours and licks us like there's no tomorrow until we get up and let him out for his morning wee! Then he rushes back into Jasmine's room and gives her a good licking too so she has to wake up as well!! Then he goes back to sleep until walkies time! 
As soon as we get his lead out he bounces up so high he could actually put a kangaroo to shame! 
He can't wait to say hello to most dogs he comes into contact with and is most bemused if they don't want to play! He is especially gentle and encouraging with dogs younger than himself. He's not so keen on some big black dogs and boy he can really create a barking fuss if he feels threatened.....until they have a good sniff and soon end up being best of friends! He's never once been aggressive towards another dog, or human for that matter....if anything he's overly friendly!
His favourite places to go for a nice long walk off the lead are Exmouth beach and Woodbury Common. He chases after the ball and fetches it back to us when he feels like it, he almost always comes back immediately when called but sometimes gets a bit carried away with excitement....then we have to shout "Archie, treat!" He always comes back then! 
Thank goodness for Waggs treats!!
He's very healthy - sometimes he eats something he finds on his walks that he really shouldn't  - but he just can't help himself! When he feels sick afterwards he looks so sorry for himself....then before you know it he's as right as rain again! He also likes to roll in stuff he really shouldn't - not so much these days but occasionally he just can't resist it! Then it's straight back home for Archie and into the bath for a shower!! He quite likes a shower, which is just as well! He goes a bit mad afterwards skidding around with his ears to the ground trying to dry them off!!
He really doesn't like being left on his own - and we try to take him wherever we go - he always senses if we're going out without him and makes little complaining whingey  noises running around nipping our ankles! He barks a bit as we go and then settles down until we return - and boy is he happy when we do return! He likes it best when all 3 of us "Mummy, Daddy and Jasmine" are together - when we're out walking he runs from one to the other making sure we all there!
He seems to identify himself with Jasmine most (she's coming up 9 now) - sometimes it's as if he thinks he is her! If she's lounging on the settee with a "blankie comforter" in her mouth (which she still likes to do, but don't tell anyone!) Archie will find a chew from his toy bucket, jump up besides her and lie in the same position  - the pair of them chewing away together like identical twins! If I give Jasmine a hug, Archie will appear from nowhere and demand to be in the middle of the hug too!!
So all in all, he came bouncing into our lives almost a year ago and we haven't stopped smiling since!
Hope all is well your end!Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!With very best wishes from Jane, Paul and Jasmine Hepple xxx and Archie Hepple of course too! xx woof!

Here is Archie who is from Dolly's litter born October 2011 and Dad is Reggie. This was Reggie's first litter and Archie was one of eight pups. Thanks Tony for letting me know all is well and have a lovely Christmas.
Hi Jane,
here is a pic of our lovable Alfie. Hope you and your clan are well. Have a great Xmas and a happy new year.
Lots of love
Tony, Gina and Alfie

Lastly now is Hunny who is from Smudge's first litter born April 2012 and was one of nine pups in Smudge's bumper litter. Thanks Karen for the lovely update and action photo. Have a wonderful Christmas.
Hi Jane,
 
Happy Christmas to you and your family.  We have had a wonderful year with Hunny.  I can't believe she will be two years old in April; time has really flown by!
She has been tent camping this summer as well as camping in a 'pod' in the Lake District for 10 days.  She took to both very quickly and was very popular with all the children on the sites.  She loves to visit the beach and although we live within 5 minutes of the beach in Southend it isn't quite the same as some of the very open beaches we have visited in Norfolk and Cumbria this summer.
She is just as quick to adapt to staying in more 'up market' accomodation and has stayed in chalets and hotels this year as well; she truly is part of the family and we try to take her with us wherever we go.  
We often talk about you and your family and what a lovely dog Hunny is thanks to the lovely start you gave her :)
 
Best wishes 
 
Karen and family

Children are excited and dogs are mildly amused by all the visitors to us over the last couple days but we have finally made it to Christmas eve all in one piece. Managed to capture a few festive photos of the dogs over the last few days.

I'm going to wind it up now, as I hear sleigh bells in the distance and the muffled sound of someone saying, "Ho, ho ho!
So all that's left to do is wish everyone a Very Very Merry Christmas from us all at Poundlane (human and canine).

We have the tree up and anti tree dog attack defences in place. We have though already had casualties with one hanging angel tree decoration destroyed by Henry whilst decorating the tree, beyond repair and the other casualty was a set of fairy lights with Treacle chewing through the cable, my fault though as I was hoovering and removed the plug for the lights and left it lying on the floor but we have been able to repair them.

We have more updates tomight with the first from Dotty's family. Dotty is treacle's sister and is from Dolly's last litter born the 14th June this year. Thanks Caroline for the sweet photo of Dotty and well done to your daughter on overcoming her deep fear of dogs and getting recognition for this and the work she and you all have put into bringing Dotty into your family. 

Dear Jane
Hope all is well your end! It was Dotty's half birthday on Saturday, and I thought I'd share a couple of photographs with you to update you. The first is Dotty in her crocheted Christmas Jumper;  the second is Annabel receiving an award from Peter Perves, in recognition of her 'outstanding achievement in dog handling'-an award she won out of about a thousand members at our dog training centre! It's a very large (and heavy being a bronze dog) trophy with Annabel and Dotty engraved on it-she was beaming with pride and so were we thinking about how far she has come!  Dotty enjoys her weekly training and agility with Annabel and, generally, is very obedient-but she just loves people and other dogs so is fairly easily distracted! Father Christmas has written to the girls and even mentioned Dotty so they are very excited that he might bring them all presents! 
Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a brilliant 2014!
Caroline, Simon, Annabel Louisa and Dotty x

Next is Henry who was from Lucy's (Blenheim Lucy, on The Girls page) last litter born on the 3rd December 2011. Thanks Janet for letting me know all is well.

Hi Jane,
I thought you might like an update on Henry. It doesn't seem 2 years since he was born. The photo was taken just before his birthday last week and just before a visit to the dog groomer!!  He really is a delightful little dog such a character, very lively and still very cute!!  Really enjoys his daily walks on the Downs where he meets his big circle of friends, both human and doggie!!!You might be interested to know he now weighs 11.5 kilos and measures approx. 16 inches up to his shoulder. Wishing you all at Pound Lane a very Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for the New Year.
Janet Peet and Henry.

Lastl of updates is a lovely photo of Lucinda aka Lucy. Lucy we rehomed a while ago with Sue and Jim. She is not very far from us and comes to stay with us when Sue and Jim go away from time to time. Thanks Sue for the reflective Winston Churchill like photo of Lucy. See you in the New year.


Happy Christmas to you all very best wishes, Sue, Jim and Lucy

This picture of Lucy brings to mind the old Norfolk post mans song 'Have e got a light boy!'
See you in the Spring

With Christmas nearly here things are a bit hectic at the moment, so a quick update at what's happening at Poundlane. Still no MRI scan results for Belle, Primrose and Smudge. They where scanned the last day of October which is now some seven weeks ago now, have rang the British Veterinary Association (BVA) around a fortnight ago to be told I would receive the results last week and rang again yesterday to be told they have them and hope to grade them this week, so might not have them until the New Year at this rate. So will look to get skull measurements of dogs up and blog on the cephalic index done in the New Year and have had a reply from the KC about comments made by them at the Brachycephalic conference a couple months ago and will tie this in with that blog.
Some photo's of our pack tonight enjoying some raw hide bone shape chews. I normally buy the smaller rolled raw hide chews but the other day I bought some of the bigger raw hide bone shaped chews and as you can see they had no problem in handling destruction of these bigger sized chews.

WARNING : The next photos contain bare ,very white legs !

Caught these photos of my husband eating a fairy cake with a little attention from the dogs.

Lastly a video caught of Henry enjoying our new mutifuel burning stove. He really does like the heat and often falls asleep with his head resting on the fireplace plinth but as you will see the fire was burning very well, Henry starts to look like he is a little to close for comfort. Henry is a bit of a star and like our other dogs I feel quite lucky to of found him although I think he might of found me.

Couple more update tonight with the first one from Lisa who had Ruby from Millie's litter in 2012 born the 19th March. Hard to believe its over a year and a half ago that Millie last gave birth. Thanks Lisa, lovely to hear from you and to know all is going well with Ruby.

Dear Jane and family,

I have been meaning to send you an update for ages, so am finally getting round to it. Ruby, from Millie's last litter is just wonderful - our little ray of sunshine! She is always such a cheerful little dog that your spirits raise just looking at her. I'm afraid my initial rule of no dogs on lounge furniture has long been forgotten - we now all benefit from daily cuddlles!! 

We had a great camping holiday in Cornwall during the summer and Ruby was perfect and it was lovely having her with us. At my daughter's summer school fete at their dog show, Ruby won the prize for dog with waggiest tail, which was well deserved, although more fittingly should be dog with wiggliest greeting ! 

We made the decision to have Ruby spayed and it all went very well and she was back to her normal self after a few days of feeling sorry for herself. She is so good natured in some ways its seems a shame that she won't have puppies but that is not something we know much about, so probably best decision in the end.

We have recently taken Ruby to some recall training as I was hoping to achieve recall in all situations but now understand that distractions are really overwhelming and just to slip the lead on when you see a distraction coming up. Without distractions Ruby's recall is spot on and it was interesting training based on  making the dog think rather than just give orders. Ruby has always really enjoyed training and picks things up really quickly. She also got to have a good play with a springer youngster and I will be looking to find more situations where she can interact with other dogs more regularly.

Anyway as you can probably tell, we think Ruby is pretty perfect and she is very much the centre of the family. Thanks for such a lovely dog and for all you do to breed responsibly and intelligently - we certainly reap the rewards! 😊

All my best, Lisa and family 

The next update is from Caroline who had Dexter from our last litter of pups and his Mum is Ysobel. Dexter was born back on the 31st July 2013. Great to hear that Dexter has been a little star at Puppy Training classes and thanks  Caroline for sharing such a gorgeous festive photo of Dexter.

Dear Jane & Family

Dexter made me so proud last night, winning first prize for doing a rollover and high five trick at puppy classes. We were all told to practice a trick for the end of the course. We began with a single rollover which then progressed to a triple rollover followed by a high five to finish tah dah!!!. 

I can't believe it's been two months since we picked Dexter up from you. He's really settling in now. He's toilet trained during the day and when he needs a pee he's learnt to ring the cow bell attached to the door, (very handy when I'm out of sight). We've now had two dry nights so hopefully it's clicked into place that when we go down to him in the morning, that's when he can relieve himself.

Over the Christmas period were going to Dorset for a few days, so Dexter will get to experience the beach for the first time. I'm sure he will enjoy it as much as you and your dogs.

The Christmas tree is up and Dexter is poised!!, not sure how he's going to be with the baubles. Should be fun!!.

Wishing you and all your family a truly wonderful and hopefully white Christmas.

Love

Caroline, Steve, Josh, Sophie, Lily (the cat) and Dexter Xxx

We are just starting to get into the festive swing here at Poundlane and it looks like Father Christmas's little helpers are already out doing reconnaissance, we caught this one in our home earlier today and she seemed happy to pose for a quick photo. Lol

We have an update for one of the Birthday boys from the 3rd December and who's Mum is Lucy and Dad is Reggie. He was from Lucy's second and last litter and is now two years old. Thanks Bev for the update and lovely to hear all is good with Toby and you.

Hi Jane,
just thought I would drop you a line with an update on Toby. I know I haven't been in touch for a long time but I regularly read you website just to see whats going on.It was his 2nd birthday yesterday, I can't believe he is 2 already!Seems like we have had Toby forever and can't imagine life without him.He is such a lovely dog and I believe that is down to your wonderful breeding. He is so friendly with everyone, other dogs included and has regular playmates who he enjoys his walks with.Toby has certainly changed our lives for the better and has an influence on just about everything we do!Had a wonderful holiday in Cornwall in the summer and Toby had a fantastic time on the beach and in the sea - bit of a change for us as we have always travelled to warmer climates, but have to say it was one of the best holidays that we have had and there will be more of them to come.
Attaching a couple of photos for you
Bev Eley xx

Still awaiting MRI scan results for Belle, Smudge and Primrose, so rang the British Veterinary Association BVA yesterday as they where scanned the last day of October and they say a four week turnaround and it is now five weeks since they where scanned. A nice lady answered the phone and I was told they where in the process of ajudication and the results should be with me next week. When I get the results I will tie it in with talking about the cephalic index , skull measurements of our dogs and my hope for improving syringomyelia in the Cavalier type.
Must go fish and chips have arrived and tonight is my two glasses of wine night, which I have every other Friday evening, as every other saturday is the only morning I don't have to get up early, so I'm off now to eat and be merry or in reality, eat, drink and fall asleep on the sofa to be woken around 11 pm by a dog licking my face wanting to go out for a wee. Tis the life. Lol

Thanks Tracey for reminding me. Yesterday was Roxy's third Birthday along with her litter siblings Big Poppy, Little Poppy, Albi, Bailey, Barney and Sammy. It also was the second birthday for Honey, Toby, Mojo, Spencer and Henry who are Roxy's half siblings but from her mother Lucy's next litter born exactly 12 months later. So a Happy Belated Birthday to you all !
Tracey sent me some photo's of Roxy and one with her own mini me Charlie who comes from our last litter of pups.
Roxy's Mum is Lucy and Dad is my sisters Poodle Rollo who I think is around seven now and still going strong. Charlie 's Mum is Ysobel with Dad our Reggie.
Hope you all had a lovely day yesterday.

Yesterday saw the first day of advent and for me it was an ascent into the attic to retrieve the advent calendars for the children to full with treats (which sort of goes against the fasting) and each year we do this I pass boxes stored in the attic with past photographs(yes, remember those heady days of taking photographs, then taking the film to the chemist, waiting a week to pick them up to find about one or two decent photo's amongst all of them). Each year I stop and extract them and take a trip down memory lane and this year I thought it might be nice to share the memories of dogs past in my life along with a little snippet of my life.
When I left school at sixteen, through friends I know I went to Surrey to work with horses for three years, working in one yard for six months breaking yearlings for the flat and they also had show horses and point-to pointers but with my size and nature it was the yearlings that I was most involved with and employed to work with, I then went and worked two and a half years for a friend of theirs in a dealing and livery yard. This was dealing with top class competition horse and riding them in front of clients. I feel in love with drag hunting and jumping hedges going out with the Mid Surrey draghounds qualifying point-to-pointers for livery clients they had. I also have a claim to fame of being giving a dressing down by sports presenter Claire Balding's Dad Ian Balding whilst hunting with the Sandhurst and Military Draghounds or it might of been the Berks and Bucks draghounds, as my memory does not serve me so well, it was over around 28 years ago. I got told off because one of our livery clients was hunting a horse they had bought for the first time and I was on a point-to-pointer qualifying it for the livery client (for a horse to race in amatuer jump racing  called point-to pointing it is supoosed to hunt a number of times to qualify before it can run). Now Fred was struggling with his new mount and it was getting over excited leaping about, so ont the last line of scent I swapped with him and kept out the back with the horse that was starting to calm a little under me, well as we approached the end of the line we had to go down a steep bank popping over a log in the process, I popped over the long and found Ian Baldings wife on a horse albutt at a stand still in front of me, nowhere to go and with not the best brakes on Jack we ended up head butting her horse up the bottom shunting him a few feet faster than he had intended travelling. I appologise most unreservedly knowing who she was and asking her if all was okay and we seemed to part on good company but I watched her approach her husband as we had all stopped up at the end of the line and noticed her knodding twards me and then next Ian Balding was approaching me looking like a bulldog chewing a wasp, on horse back and infront of every one at the meet dressed me down and I had to sit straight faced taking his abuse, as the owner of the horse and others at the meet where  sniggering behind him and the sniggering was not at me. The funny thing is he said, "All the lines we have done you have been on that horse out of control." I only got on the horse on the last line and with the best will in the world, Fred who had been riding him, when he was leaping about was 6 ft 4 in and weighed around 16 stone and I am only 5 ft 4in and weigh just over half Fred's weight, so it would be hard to mistake me for Fred. Lol.
The photo's tonight though are from when I returned from Surrey and worked for the National Trust driving the carriage at Arlington court and the two years I ran the carriage rides it made a profit for the first time. The photo's I must confess though where taken by Elsie Roff who worked as a steward in the Carriage Museum and lived on the estate as her husband was a woodsman on the estate. Photography was her hobby.
Having lived away for three years with German Sheperds at the places I worked, so Cavalier free for three years it was nice to come back to find Mum with a Cavalier pup called Penny and when we got another Penny she was then recalled as Penny 1 with the later Penny as Penny 2.
I also lived at the Carriage museum for the two years whilst working there in a flat above it and my Mum came and lived there with me to, so me and Penny became good friends and Penny developed a love for riding on the top box of the wagonette between me driving and Carolyn who was my assitant.
People liked seeing her and as 24 years ago the Cavalier was not so big in the USA , we would get asked what breed she was quite often by American tourists who loved the royal connection in the name Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
It was a nice job and it fitted in with me milking each end of the day and out of season during the winter with the Estate closed I could then work ride for local point-to point trainers.
Though working I enjoyed by time working at Arlington it is the only time I have come across sexism in my working life and from a woman and I have mostly worked with men. One day whilst waiting for passengers boarding at the carriage muesum I heard, "Oh, you !" I looked over to where the "Oh, you!" came from realising that it had been projected at me and the woman was at pace approaching the carriage and then looked up at me sitting in the driving sit (box) of the wagonette repeating her, "Oh, you !" and I could see she was about sixty and that she looked irritated, so I replied, "Yes" and she then told me "Its wrong a woman doing what you are doing, it don't look right, woman did not do it back in the day and you should not be doing it now, its a mans job." Now what I did next is quite funny as I appologised for causing her any offence and  then calmly whilst biting the side of my tongue said, "If you have a problem with a woman driving the carriage, if you go down to the house and ask for the esate manager,  talk with him and you can make an official complaint to the National trust." This seemed to pacify her and she just replied, " I just wanted you to know I don't think its right," and she then scuttled off towards I presume her husband who looked slightly dumb struck. I then turned around to the people on the carriage to appologise and was meet with a univeral praise for my handling of the situation and disbelief that a person would behave in such a manner because I was woman driving a carriage. I know this would not be a surprise in some countries but in the UK I was taken aback that it would cause offence to anyone even 24 years ago when it happened.
Penny 1 was a lovely girl and although we tried to breed her she never produced pups, she did get Mitrial Valve DEgenrationg at around 4 years old but made it to 10 years old and really was only effected in her last few months.
I hope you enjoy this little trip that turned out a bit longer than first planned and I have got a few more to go on in the future, as found some cute photo's of Smidge with his Great Gran, Granny and litter siblings.  I have been a little indulgent with a few photo's of just Hercules and Cobbler the two Shire cross boys who did the real work. One photo is with a sign on the back of the carriage that states its my 21st Birthday which the crew in the carriage museum thought funny and I only twigged something was up when people I did not know kept saying, "Happy 21st Birthday !" I thought either I have a lot of stalkers or somethings going on here.
The one photo of just me with the two boys pulling the wagonette is a snap from the day the National Trust where filming for an advert for the property  hence the full stock riding boots, breeches and full length coat. Never got used to wearing the bowler hat, not the best look I feel.  If you went to Arlington Court back some 24 years ago and took a carriage ride, we might of meet.  Enjoy !