It's been quite a while since I was on here. This doesn't mean the dogs (and Gizzy) haven't been up to all sorts of mischief; it just means I haven't thought, or had the time (or the inclination?) to record it.
Of course, as they get older they do calm down. Emily has a springer spaniel now - Jake, he's 1 year and 4 months old - and the difference between him and Maddie is HUGE! He's longer and taller than her and just skin and bones - they feed him tons but he just burns it off. Like Maddie used to, when I think about it. Compared to him she's a wee tub, and yet she's not really fat. She's smaller and sturdier and has filled out. She's 6 and a half now, and comparing her to Jake really shows that she has calmed down a lot! You forget what they're like when they're young.
Murphy is 12 now. he never really tried to jump up into the car any more - he put his two front paws up and waits for someone to lift the back end up as well! When we were going away recently, he did his usual of getting quite upset that we were going to go away without him and wanting to sit in the car as we were loading it. He snuck out the front door and next time I came out, there he was - two front paws up in the boot, waiting for someone to come and boost him up. Lord knows how long he'd been there for! he can still run around a bit with Maddie in the back garden, though. Life in the old dog yet!
When we came back from that particular trip, Gizzy was waiting for us. Next morning, she sat on the top stair and maddie was too scared to come up (she's got both dogs suitably feart in the house). maddie was sitting on the turn of the stairs, whining and growling to come up. When I went out our bedroom door to see what the matter was, Maddie took advantage of my presence and decided to slink up the other side of the stairs to where Gizzy was sitting. She made it too, but when she reached the top step and went into our room, Gizzy turned and swiped at her disappearing backside with a paw. The squeal Maddie gave! You'd have thought she was being murdered! It was very funny. "I'm still the boss, and don't you forget it", Gizzy was saying.
