One step forward, then two steps back !

I seem to be taking one step forward and two steps back as I try to get updates on my blog. I did one update a few days ago to recieve a further three before I have got back on here to do more updates. The problem is the sun has arrived so sitting in front of a computer is last on my list of must do's with children home and dogs to walk Poundlane is busy. My birthday is looming and actually got out at the weekend with my husband for a meal and then went back to my husbands old local pub and had a throughly enjoyable time catching up with family and friends to end up home at 1.30am in morning and at nearly 44 years old I was up with the larks the same morning and surprised how well I felt ( my secret drink loads of water), as cannot remember the last time I came home that late after a night out. There's still life in the old dog yet, as one might say ! Lol
This evening I have loaded updates of three of our pups and one of Lucy a Cavalier adult girl we rehomed 12 months ago. I recieved all these around June time.
The first message and photo's below are from Rosie's family. Rosie is Belle's sister and that makes Ysobel and Reggie her parents.
Thanks Kirkup Family for this lovely message and photo's and having met this family twice and knowing this was their first family dog I found this email very touching and brought a tear to my eye. Must be my age.Lol  


"I wrote this a few weeks ago and it's been sat in my Draft messages waiting for me to copy the pictures off my camera.

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Hi,



Just a quick update. Rosie is very happy and settled. She's the star of her puppy training class and has been very quick to pick things up, so far she has sit and down mastered, leave and fetch are coming on very well, heel is getting there. She is extremely well behaved, has hardly chewed anything (and what she has chewed is the fault of the children and not her), she must have only had 5 or 6 toilet accidents when we got her home and most of those were our fault for not being used to her and spotting the signs. She cried for the first two night for about 20 minutes but after that has been effortless.



She gets a long walk every day off the lead on the fields by our house, where she meets lots of other dogs and is very well socialised. She plays really well with other dogs, and the bigger the dog the more interested she seems, and knows exactly how to behave when she comes across dogs who want to be dominant and overbearing. She isn't great at lead walking, but that's because she tends to only get a few hundred yards on the lead each time and after that she gets to run in the fields.



She's very popular and gets lots of compliments, and clearly knows she's a bit of a star, because she runs up to everyone and promptly rolls over for them to show their appreciation. In the last few weeks when because of the rain she was muddy and wet and occasionally people didn't appreciate her as much as she was hoping. We're really pleased with how she's settled in, she's a bright intelligent and friendly dog and we put a lot of that down to the excellent start she was give by you. Having spoken to a few other people who have had puppies recently we realise we've been extremely lucky to have picked an excellent breeder because when she came to us she was so much further on than anyone else we've spoken to.



Claire and I were chatting the other night about how happy we were with Rosie, how settled she was and how much in love with her the children were ... and we both agreed that if we ever got another dog, it's already got a heck of a lot to live up to. Rosie has been as close to perfect as we could hope for. She get admiring comments everywhere she goes and often more for how good natured she is than how incredibly pretty she is.



Hope you and the family are well.



All the Best



The Kirkup Family "

 

The next message and photo's are of Lucy who we rehomed 12 months ago and she has been enjoying life with Sue and Jim as the email message and photos show.
Thanks Sue and Jim for keeping me updated on Lucy.


"Hello Jane
As promised photos of Lucy can you believe its a year since we had her where has that time goneWe had fun with her at the Inwardleigh fair yesterday she got a first as the dog with the waggiest tail see how she does in the Winkleigh fair in July!!!Hope you and family and dogs of course are all well, often read your blog so know what is going on, other photo shows how spoilt she is.
kindest regards, Sue "

The next update is from Mason's family and this is a warts and all update. This for some will give you an idea that taking on a pup is not for the faint hearted and Louise has worked through problems and hopefully all is on the right track now.
Thanks Louise for your frank update and so glad your getting to the otherside and that Mason is becoming the family dog you hoped for.

"Hi Jane,
WOW, time has gone sooo fast, firstly I am sorry I have been rubbish at keeping you posted with Masons progress. Well, were do I start, lol. I think I'll start with the badish bits, even though I was prepared and read loads on having a puppy it is definantly more hard work than I thought, the children too and  going back maybe a couple months after we had him, I was in deep thought about contacting you to find Mason a new home because he was so much more work than even I had thought, the children were getting fed up with him, that was when he was going through the bad nipping stage, the kids were coming home from school and going straight to their rooms because of it, which left me being the only one to look after him all the time and not getting much else done as if he wasnt being watched he was doing something naughty, so I sat the kids down and told them they had 2 weeks to show they were willing to help and if things didn't improve then I would be contacting you, clearly as I never contacted you they started helping, and we wrote a routine for Mason and things got better, he is still hard work, and has to be watched all the of the time as he always manages to find something he should'nt, yesterday he got my daughters phone and chewed it quite badly and she had put it out of the way, he seems to be able to get things even when out of his way, he finds a way...but its all a leaning curve, lol. have looked into training classes but none of them are local enough for me, they are about 20 mins and that by car and I dont drive :( . he does learn things quickly when we are doing training but when it comes to using the command in a situation he dose'nt do it. Anyway enough of the bad bits! he is such a lovely dog, I couldnt be without him now, nor the children, everyone loves him too, especially my sister and brother as he reminds us so much of our childhood dog, looks wise anyway, he is more 'naughty' than our old dog, but I think this is just because he is stil pup and none of us remember what our dog was like as pup. He is bigger than I thought he would be, he is now just over 10kg, had his check up at vets other day, they were happy with all checks done, only thing that they are going to check when I get him 'done' is to x ray his back legs as he seems unable to hold them in when he sits, its hard to explain but when he sits he back legs just slide out like he has no control over them, the vet wasnt worried as he is in no pain and he is fine when he walks so is happy to wait to check it out. 
He has had a hair cut already, and is having his 2nd in the next week or so, he had his first one back in march, I can't believe how fluffy he was and he was getting so hot that he spent alot of time outside lying  down, and we had cold weather then so thought it only fair to give him a trim, the person I took him too did cut too much off tho and I was so close to tears, he didnt look like the same dog it took all his puppyness away, but it quickly started growing back and it is sooo thick and soo much of it, most nights he spends a few hours outside asleep on patio, so I know he needs it again, think he will need cuts every 3 months or so! He's quite a...not sure what word to use...whimp comes to mind, he is so eager to play with other dogs but when he does he kinda of looks scared, tail between legs and sits down and edges away for bit then goes back then away again, the vet told me to keep trying and just kinda make him play and not make fuss about it, think she thinks I mother him too much, cant help it though if I think he is scared!!    I love the way he sleeps on his back, makes me chuckle every time.
I'm sure I could carry on forever saying stuff about him, but its very late and I should go to sleep. lol
I will attach lots of picture of him, there will quite a few, alot of him sleeping too and I love him when he sleep he is just sooo huggable but he dont like too much fuss when he sleeps and he will get up and move, he will lie close for a little while then move.
Speak soon, hope you and your family are all well, very busy I have been checking in with your blog :)
Louise and Mason xxx "

Lastly for this evening an update from Murphy who is from my Mum's Cavalier Cleo with the dad being Reggie. This was to let me know they got home okay and Murphy was settling in.
Thanks Lorraine for the photo's and hope all is going on okay.

"Hi Jane

We had a nightmare journey back it took 5 1/2 hours, but Murphy was really good. He was a little sick and did cry for a while, but after an hour he was as good as gold. He did not wee all the way even though we stopped a couple of times. He made up for it when we got home!!
He cried through the night but has settled in really well, I have attached a couple of photo’s.
 
Thank you for all your help and advice.

Lorraine"

I said Murphy was last but then remembered Dougal. As all may know that at the moment we are pupless and just over a week ago the last of Smudge's Cavapoo pups left being the very special Dougal. Well, yesterday I got the photo below and message.


"Hello Jane,
Thought you might like a quick update on Dougal's first week. As you know he travelled home very well. We made sure that the first two nights he wasn't alone and on the third night we left him alone and he didn't make a sound. He's such a good boy. He has already learnt to sit and paw and today he had his first visit to the seaside at clacton. The picture below is him having a good look out of the car window on the way home! Dougal saw the vet on monday and he wasn't the only creature we brought home- he had a Devon tic with him!!

It's been a great week - I hope you aren't missing him too much.

Trudi"

Dougal

Lovely to hear that Dougal is doing so well and just to warn people that the tick season is here. They can be easily removed with a tick remover which can be found at your vets or any good pet store. Sorry about the extra member of the family Trudi, as we had been letting Dougal out around the paddock in the long grass and thats where he must of picked it up from.
He sure is a handsome boy !
Will hope to be upto date soon on my updates. Thanks everyone for sending me updates !
Someones bottoms gone to sleep.Lol