Well as anyone who was watching my Facebook posts this weekend will know, all went well with Maddie and the train. She wasn't the least bit fussed - trotted through the station and hopped on the train nice as pie! I though we were going to have a problem when the first thing she did was hop onto a seat while I put the bags up, but after getting her photo taken by the other girl at the table, she obediently sat down under the table and in fact spent most to the journey curled up asleep under the two seats opposite me.
Her good behaviour continued throughout the weekend, including being "no trouble at all" on Saturday night (when I left her at Mum & Dad's while I went out for a meal) - although that seemed to consist of mainly spending the evening lying by the front door with her nosed pressed against it.
The mask slipped on Sunday morning when I took her out to the woods behind the house and she managed to track down the local chicken coop. I saw her teetering on top of a back garden fence when I was too far away to get to her (never mind being in wellies that were 4 sizes too big!) Needless to say she jumped over, couldn't get back and in the end didn't want to - I found a gate in but she promptly elevated over the side fence into the neighbours, where she ran around on top of the garage and shed then jumped back again. It was at this point she worked out where the chicken coop was, the chicken realised she was onto it and started squawking wildly (but at least had the sense to stay in its cage) and I decided the time had come for decisive action. I don't like going into someone's garden but when your dog is trying to break down the chicken wire into the henhouse, the time for politeness is over! She was marched out by the scruff of the neck and taken home on a short lead.
Then back to her best behaviour again for the train ride home - which we only caught by the skin of our teeth, had to dive on at the nearest door and go through three and a half carriages til we found an approximation of our seat - at which point she went into cute mode again and curled up for the ride home. It is funny seeing people's faces when they realise (a) I'm not talking to myself after all, (b) there's a small dog trotting through the carriage, leading a pink-faced woman with too much luggage and (c) they'd better stop waving their sandwich quite so near the aisle (that last one only happened once).
The 3 year old whose table we joined was duly charmed at the doggie, and especially that the doggie was going to sleep all the way home under the chair (and she did, except for at Dundee when she emerged from her hidey-hole and curled up on the feet of the kid (well probably early twenties) who had taken the 3 year old's place).
Cue an emotional reunion with Murphy and Richard at the station - although I think Murphy was far more pleased to see me than he was Maddie!
29 October 2012
26 October 2012
Maddie's influence spreads...
Let me introduce a new character to this tale of merry japes - Willow, a Standard Schnauser who is the beloved pet of my manager, Lisa. Willow is usually a relatively well-behaved dog, but we suspect recent collusion with Maddie and fear an escalating game of one-up-dogship between the two.
For last night, Lisa arrived home to discover that darling Willow had not only emptied the bin, spread it around three rooms and licked clean the bacon-fat covered tinfoil (we say clean, she had actually simply relocated it to around her mouth) but had also eaten an ENTIRE six-pack of Wagon-Wheels!!! Wrappers and all!!
I think it's currently Maddie 0 - Willow 1
For last night, Lisa arrived home to discover that darling Willow had not only emptied the bin, spread it around three rooms and licked clean the bacon-fat covered tinfoil (we say clean, she had actually simply relocated it to around her mouth) but had also eaten an ENTIRE six-pack of Wagon-Wheels!!! Wrappers and all!!
I think it's currently Maddie 0 - Willow 1
24 October 2012
Murphy's pain...
Hero No. 1 is currently on house arrest - again. This time because we took him to the vets and one thing led to another... ending in him having an operation to remove a lump from his leg (which is benign, btw) which has left a large hole in his back leg.
He's not allowed any walks at all. You'd think he'd be used to it by now, and it's certainly a good job he's eight now - if we tried this when he was three all hell would have broken loose. Indeed, I had to leave work and go and get him 3 hours early cos he was upset at being left at the vet and was crying (that's a first). I had to take him back to work where he was very good and lay quietly next to my desk (just where everyone walks, he's a genius at that). Except from the time he decided to go visit Sam (the only guy in the office) - not sure if he thought Sam hadn't given him enough attention or whether he was just looking for some male company, but I looked round for him and there he was, sitting next to Sam with his chin on his knee.
I nearly had to take him to a presentation to my Fashion Management students - he'd have been fine although I'm not sure how they'd have reacted! Luckily another colleague came to the rescue and did it for me. Go Sally!
We've had to adapt our walk routine and not take Maddie out unless someone else is in the house to distract poor old Murfs. This because by Sunday he'd had enough of being left behind and when I got up early and took Mads out at 7.30am he sat in the hall and literally howled! R had to come down and get him, he was SO not happy (Editor's note - he's never howled in his life before).
We've got vet visits to change bandages every 3 days now and he's got another week of house arrest. Maddie's too scared to go ahead of me on her own when I walk her in the woods, which is kinda weird. Too used to having big sidekick around. But she's getting bored in the garden and has taken to escaping again - so we're back to Operation Wall Build-up. Yippee!
He's not allowed any walks at all. You'd think he'd be used to it by now, and it's certainly a good job he's eight now - if we tried this when he was three all hell would have broken loose. Indeed, I had to leave work and go and get him 3 hours early cos he was upset at being left at the vet and was crying (that's a first). I had to take him back to work where he was very good and lay quietly next to my desk (just where everyone walks, he's a genius at that). Except from the time he decided to go visit Sam (the only guy in the office) - not sure if he thought Sam hadn't given him enough attention or whether he was just looking for some male company, but I looked round for him and there he was, sitting next to Sam with his chin on his knee.
I nearly had to take him to a presentation to my Fashion Management students - he'd have been fine although I'm not sure how they'd have reacted! Luckily another colleague came to the rescue and did it for me. Go Sally!
We've had to adapt our walk routine and not take Maddie out unless someone else is in the house to distract poor old Murfs. This because by Sunday he'd had enough of being left behind and when I got up early and took Mads out at 7.30am he sat in the hall and literally howled! R had to come down and get him, he was SO not happy (Editor's note - he's never howled in his life before).
We've got vet visits to change bandages every 3 days now and he's got another week of house arrest. Maddie's too scared to go ahead of me on her own when I walk her in the woods, which is kinda weird. Too used to having big sidekick around. But she's getting bored in the garden and has taken to escaping again - so we're back to Operation Wall Build-up. Yippee!
16 October 2012
coming up...
Maddie and I are going on a trip to Glasgow on the train in a couple of weeks... watch this space!
the here and now
Murphy meanwhile has returned to his default state of bandaged leg, socks & plastic bags, lampshade and no walks. Boohoo!:((
Pooor Murphy. This is his back leg, where he had a growth and he's now had it cut off - a traumatic day that was , last Friday - I got asked to come and collect him early as he was upset. I thought he'd been barking but no, he was crying - I've never heard him do that before!
I had to take him into the office with me, but he was very well-behaved and lay quietly next to my desk, just where everyone was trying to walk (no change there then).
When I got him home he went looking for Maddie (out on her evening rampage) but when she got back she spent the evening thinking his (admittedly tennis ball-coloured) bandaged leg was an actual tennis ball and barking at him to give it to her!
Things have quietened down now and we've adopted and adapted, not taking Maddie out until there's someone to distract Murphy from the terrible truth that he can't have any walks for a week. After his sitting in the hall and (literally) howling when I took Maddie out at 8am on Sunday, we acknowledged the needfulness of this.
Monday's dressing-change was a success so roll on Thursday! I've been pushing weights to prepare for holding him down to prevent him eating the bandages so we're all prepared!!!
Pooor Murphy. This is his back leg, where he had a growth and he's now had it cut off - a traumatic day that was , last Friday - I got asked to come and collect him early as he was upset. I thought he'd been barking but no, he was crying - I've never heard him do that before!
I had to take him into the office with me, but he was very well-behaved and lay quietly next to my desk, just where everyone was trying to walk (no change there then).
When I got him home he went looking for Maddie (out on her evening rampage) but when she got back she spent the evening thinking his (admittedly tennis ball-coloured) bandaged leg was an actual tennis ball and barking at him to give it to her!
Things have quietened down now and we've adopted and adapted, not taking Maddie out until there's someone to distract Murphy from the terrible truth that he can't have any walks for a week. After his sitting in the hall and (literally) howling when I took Maddie out at 8am on Sunday, we acknowledged the needfulness of this.
Monday's dressing-change was a success so roll on Thursday! I've been pushing weights to prepare for holding him down to prevent him eating the bandages so we're all prepared!!!
Further updates
The news according to Aberdeen...
We had a couple of amazing weekends and I saw something I thought I never would - the beach looking like Marbella, people swimming! without wetsuits! needless to say we took the dogs down and all had a fab time and there was the usual rammy over the ice cream (no the dogs didn't get any but it wasn't from want of trying).
So, I hear you say, prove it. Aberdeen in the sun? yes, and temperatures of 25C or so with no wind - here's the results...
As you can see we have to take a multitude of tennis balls to the beach and it takes an eagle eye (mine!) to keep track of whose mouth they are in, whether they're floating off into the sunset or some other random dog has run off with them. Plus Murphy is getting lazy about chasing them and Maddie is fairly unreliable on the ball-finding front (unless it's where she happens to be looking at the time)
Long live sunshine and beaches!
We had a couple of amazing weekends and I saw something I thought I never would - the beach looking like Marbella, people swimming! without wetsuits! needless to say we took the dogs down and all had a fab time and there was the usual rammy over the ice cream (no the dogs didn't get any but it wasn't from want of trying).
So, I hear you say, prove it. Aberdeen in the sun? yes, and temperatures of 25C or so with no wind - here's the results...
As you can see we have to take a multitude of tennis balls to the beach and it takes an eagle eye (mine!) to keep track of whose mouth they are in, whether they're floating off into the sunset or some other random dog has run off with them. Plus Murphy is getting lazy about chasing them and Maddie is fairly unreliable on the ball-finding front (unless it's where she happens to be looking at the time)
Long live sunshine and beaches!
catch up
So where are we? Since the last entry (but one) we've had another holiday with the dogs - this time we took them to the west coast of Scotland (near Dunoon) and were very lucky with the weather - cue the yearly burnt shoulders and day-long trek in new (hiking) flip flops with handy roll of micropore. Here's the sorry evidence...
Apart from sunburn, we had some awesome views..
The west coast is so beautiful, and Maddie loved the beaches, they don't shelve sharply the way the east coast ones do so she practised her "running on water" routine endlessly and with great joy. At least we knew she wasn't going to drown, you gotta go out miles to get deeper than knee-depth.
Murphy even managed to avoid injuring himself - bonus!
Apart from sunburn, we had some awesome views..
The west coast is so beautiful, and Maddie loved the beaches, they don't shelve sharply the way the east coast ones do so she practised her "running on water" routine endlessly and with great joy. At least we knew she wasn't going to drown, you gotta go out miles to get deeper than knee-depth.
Murphy even managed to avoid injuring himself - bonus!
the return of the ..well, me
Heellooo peoples! I'm back! And this time I'm going to be a cool, funny blogger who will keep you in stitches with my unique and insightful views on life.
Although that's what I always set out to do and it never works, as soon as I start writing I turn into lawyer-me and start worrying about grammar and spelling. Which never makes for entertaining reading!
If only I could bottle the effervescent me at work.. (I think that's what my colleagues said the other day, too, not sure if they meant it the same way, though). Speaking of which, we found a new word which MAY describe me it's a Scots word - "hallyrackit" - a person who is loud and boisterous, and possibly an accident waiting to happen. Not a west coast word as I've never heard of it but definitely used in Udny!
But enough about me, what are our brave heroes up to? (apart from doing an incredibly efficient two-pronged job on clearing up after the cat)
Although that's what I always set out to do and it never works, as soon as I start writing I turn into lawyer-me and start worrying about grammar and spelling. Which never makes for entertaining reading!
If only I could bottle the effervescent me at work.. (I think that's what my colleagues said the other day, too, not sure if they meant it the same way, though). Speaking of which, we found a new word which MAY describe me it's a Scots word - "hallyrackit" - a person who is loud and boisterous, and possibly an accident waiting to happen. Not a west coast word as I've never heard of it but definitely used in Udny!
But enough about me, what are our brave heroes up to? (apart from doing an incredibly efficient two-pronged job on clearing up after the cat)
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