Spot's Spot: Introduction

Hello everyone

I will pay homage to my predecessor Django who by all accounts was a really lovely chap and a cool dude to boot, I'm sad that I never met him :(  for the first week I was here, my humans kept calling me Django instead of Lazlo so I know that they miss him, they seem to be settling in now though.   I hope he won't mind me taking over his spot here, especially as I do have plenty of tummy spots.

Sooooo I got taken away from my brothers and sisters and driven for MILES to this new place, which was a bit scary but I did manage to sleep on the way. The humans seem nice and gave me lots of cuddles, and it's quite nice getting all the attention with no-one to compete with. 

I'm told that the garden is not the whole world and that there is more of it out there! Holy Moly! I'm not sure how I'll cope with that, my little legs get tired just running up and down here!

I have to say I've been feeling the heat this week, but I learned something cool - if I stick my tongue out and breathe it cools me down!  I've also learned that barking is fun, but it doesn't seem to have the effect that I want, the toys don't move and the humans just laugh at me - they should be SCARED!

My vet is really nice and apparently I might get an invitation to a party soon - what should I wear?

Reasons to get up

In December I wrote that the loss of Django had left a huge hole and a feeling of having nothing to care for, and how it felt as though there was no reason to get up in the morning.

Now we have a new reason to get up in the morning, in the form of Lazlo.... 

 

Lazlo, aka Hawkfield Tamarack

 

With the hillclimbing we are doing with the car, we didn't intend to have another puppy until later in the year, but when the right one comes along there's nothing you can do!   Lazlo comes from a laid back home and shared his first 8 weeks with 7 brothers and sisters, poultry and ducks and rabbits. It was after a visit to see Wendy at Hawkfield with a view to getting a pup later in the year from the same lines, that we met her pups and decided that we wanted one from her - we liked the way they were being brought up, and our approaches to dogs and puppies seemed to match!  We reckoned that these pups have had a brilliant start to life and would fit in with us just perfectly, and thankfully Wendy must have decided that we were suitable to be trusted with one of her pups.

 

Lazlo was born on 8th May so turns 9 weeks old today.  We picked him up last Friday night and he has settled in brilliantly, seemingly already house-trained (no need to keep getting the free Telegraph from Waitrose then!) and interested in EVERYTHING.  He loves the garden which has plenty of obscure places to explore and birds to stalk, and likes to sit on the edge of the veranda and watch what's going on in his estate.

 

 

Going back to my December post, I feel incredibly protective towards this little man, and Mr H says his life is now complete again.  Lazlo is not just a puppy, he is a member of our family that depends upon us completely, and that is definitely a good reason to get up in the morning.

 

   

 

 



Farewell to Spot..

11/12/13 might have been a lucky date for some, but for us yesterday evening marked both the end of a long friendship, and the end of an era. After a very difficult year for Django, and for me and Mr H, just one month off his 14th birthday we let our puppy go before he began suffering any more. No matter how right the decision, it is the hardest thing any pet owner has to do, and nothing prepares you for the hole it leaves in your heart.

Over those 14 years, but particularly since he became the lone dog in our house early in 2008, Django shared experiences with us from camping holidays in Scotland to patiently hanging around while we indulged our new motorsport hobby. He spent many weeks accompanying Mr H on his Forestry Commission work in Scotland in all weathers, and made human friends wherever he went.

As a youngster from 6 months old until he was about two, Django (aka Pebblegate Blackjack at Lightspeed) tolerated the dog-showing world with many class wins and a placing at Crufts Dog Show. However, he retired from the show ring when he remained smaller than the breed standard height (and we were getting tired of the politics anyway), so spent the rest of his life blissfully un-washed and un-fussed over, while retaining his fear of slippery wooden school hall floors! His early showing years did mean that he was comfortable with having his mouth / ears / feet investigated and examined, and he was totally trusting of people. On one occasion he let us extract a large piece of wood that had embedded itself in his pad, without a murmur.

Django's favourite place was on our laps at the end of the day, where he would relax like a ragdoll and drop into such a deep sleep that it was hard to wake him to put him to bed!  His clock was set for 9pm when he would come and give us That Look, before either being invited up or just working his way up one paw at a time. His other main interests were pheasants, cats, food and sitting down. Much fonder of people than other dogs, Django could take it or leave it when he met dogs on walks, and could not understand it if they tried imposing their dominance. Django had nothing to prove, he was just cool.

We will truly miss the company of this very special dog.   And the end of an era? Mr H has never known a house without dogs, and I only had a 5 year gap as a teenager, before getting my own puppy  almost 30 years ago.   Life is going to be very different....

Django on Forestry Commission duty in Scotland

Spot's Spot

Not written by Spot because he has a bit of a hangover.. well actually no, he has apparently probably had a kind of stroke on Saturday during the night. It seems a more likely reason than the possibility of him drinking the bourbon.  We were both pretty upset seeing him not being able balance and falling over, and apart from the obvious reasons of seeing a loved pet not being 'normal' it is a stark reminder that he's not getting any younger, he'll be 13 in January.

He has remained pretty cheerful though, the tail still wagging and certainly no reduction in appetite!  Just an odd look behind the eyes, and a lot of "whoa boy, take it easy with the turning around" from us. On Sunday he spent the day watching us cutting wood and then retired to his bed for the afternoon, we left the door open so he could come and go. He has some odd, short episodes before but very short lived ie. 5-10 minutes, so we didn't panic but planned to take him to the vet this morning.

The vet sent him home with a variety of tablets and another appointment on Wednesday, and he seems to be a bit better this evening, more sturdy on his legs. The vet says he should either recover completely, or at least almost completely, we'll just have to wait and see.

He was certainly pretty happy that we gave him homemade stew gravy to eat his tablets with this evening, although he still managed to avoid one last bit of pink one which then had to be held in his mouth until he gave in and swallowed...!

A little monkey even when the brain's not working quite properly ;)

Spot's Spot : what season is it?

Hello, Django here, sorry I've not posted for a while but I've been busy... er... sleeping and stuff. Oh and, you know, inspecting the garden and being really important.

It's been seriously hot here the last few days and yet getting dark at 7.30pm - it's all wrong!  I'm terribly confused, one minute it's autumn and the next it's mid-summer. Still, it's nice to get some extra sunbathing in...

I went to the office today but it was too warm, even though they put the fan on for me.  So I was a bit fidgety, I think Mum got a bit annoyed, oops.  I like it better there in the winter when the heater is on, then I'm happy just to sleep in front of it.

I've been promised an early walk tomorrow because it's going to be hot again, so I'd better get to bed - I need my beauty sleep you know!

Bye for now,
Django x

Spot's Spot: hard at work

The life of a forester's dog....

Thank goodness it's the weekend!

D x

Spot's Spot: the hills are calling

It's my last week here in the South for a while - on Sunday dad is collecting me and I'm going up to Scotland for the summer.  I'll miss mum but I'll still see her on visits!

I don't think she'll miss my summer moult...

But I'm sure she'll miss our little chats.

bye for now,
Django x

Spot's Spot

Today we found a hollow in the ground and I ate fir cones 'til my teeth hurt...

But I was still hungry for my breakfast when we got home!

Spot's Spot

Hi guys, thought you'd like this photo of me working hard in mum's office...

I stayed with one of mum's friends while she was away and it was cool, I went to the office every day. And to the bar where the friend works (only I couldn't go in it because it had a REALLY scary wooden floor, so I sunbathed outside). But the most fun was waking her up at 5.30am every day because there are no curtains in her house... oops.

Spot's Spot: moving house and new tricks

Hi everyone, sorry I've not been here for a while, I've been SOOOOO busy!  you would not believe. 

Yep, rushed off my feet, barely time to breathe let alone think. What with going to work with Mum sometimes, and then all the eating and sleeping and stuff. You know how it is!

I have moved house, well not house but rooms. Mum has decided to move my big bed (that I have ruined - the floor of it is now one huge hole where I have been scratching at it and doing my 'nesting' thing) out of the kitchen. For a couple of weeks I have had a bed in the corner down by the desk and I like it there, so she decided that can be my new permanent place, and I don't need the big bed there because it's cosy anyway.   She's pleased because now there are less fewer dog hairs in the kitchen (at least, she reckons they are my fault and I can't be bothered to argue).

Also I tend to follow my bed around the house now.  Sometimes when she is studying upstairs she takes one of my beds up and that means I'm allowed to come and lie in the same room as her.  But I'm not allowed up there if I'm not invited.  To be honest the stairs are a bit of a pain but when she's up there for hours it's nice to keep her company.

I've learnt some new phrases recently :  1) 'Come up' which means I'm allowed upstairs as aforementioned and 2) 'See you later' which means she's going out without me so I may as well go back to bed.

Anyway, I have more sleeping to do so must dash.

Love Django xx

Spot's Spot: Sunday in the park

Mum and I had a great walk in the park this morning. It was frosty and tingly in my toes and the sun was out and happy. We meandered through the rhododendrons and exchanged remarks on the marvellous morning with other dog people.

We met a yellow Labrador called Lola.  I don't know if she is a showgirl but she's a bit nuts, we met her once before and Mum had to fend her off jumping on her leg.  And she's not very obedient. 

Mum and I giggled as we walked off after seeing her charging off towards some other people, hearing her owner: "Lola! come here! Lola! Lola! Come HERE!! LOLA!!!!" 

Yet again I am proved to be perfectly behaved and cognitively superior to other 4-legged... oh hang on there's a squirrel! I'll be right back....

Joint effort

"So, I suppose you're off to the office today again Mum *sigh".. It's ok I'll be ok here on my own. Don't worry about the fact that I've not had a walk for two days. No really, it's fine. I'll just read a book or something."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry Django, but it's dark in the evenings and I'm too tired to get up extra early to take you out before work. I'll have to see if Grandad can take you out again soon."

(gets his collar off the hook by the door, the buckle jangles).

"Huh? Hey! is that my collar?"

"Yep, it is."

"Cool, cool, COOOOOL! where are we going? BRILLIANT! are we going now?  come on come on! what are you doing?  Let's GO!!  don't worry about shoes or a coat, it's not that cold. Come ON!  Let's GO!!!"

"OK, out you go. Oh hold on I need your bed. And a lead, and some bags.  And my crutch if we're going to stop in the park and.... Aagghh! it's like going somewhere with a two year old, all this stuff."

"Come ONNNNNNN!  Lemme in the car! are we going in the car? or out of the gate? Come ON!"

"Alright alright, in you get."

"Wheeee!!! we're going out!"

So you get the picture...  the Spotty Dog and I stopped at the park on the way to work, and then he proceeded to SLEEP for most of the day in the office in front of the heater.   He was in heaven. And it's amazing how stress-free an office is when you come across this sight - can't help but smile!

Spot's Spot

I'll just rest my head here for a while if that's ok....

Spot's Spot: Happy Birthday to meeeee!!!!

It's my birthday today, I'm 11 :-) 

I got a card from my friends in the North, they all signed it!  Sheepey, Miles, Foxey, Douglas, Norley, Bobby and Blizzard.

It's really windy today so Mum says we're Going for a Blow on the clifftop.

That's All, Folks!

Spot's Spot: Can you see my halo?

Hmm yes well.  Went for the walk to the park today in the company of Mum, Cazerama, her boyfriend and his young Labrador that I mentioned before. 

He's really not my sort of dog, he's 14 months old and built like brick sh1t house if you'll excuse my language.  Anyway he wouldn't leave me alone, didn't quite get round to trying to make puppies but took rather too much interest in my genitals for my liking.  I kept trying to tell him to back off but he wasn't having any of it. In the end he went on the lead because he was being a real pest.

Not only that but he totally ignored his owner, he basically has the man wrapped around his little finger; I heard Mum sighing in frustration a few times. Now I know that's not the dog's fault, it's lack of proper training.  I think Mum was almost embarrassed at how well behaved I was, just being my normal self. Like coming when called; waiting when she said 'Django, wait'; minding my own business with other dogs etc.    She said something about him needing the Mr H treatment - firm but fair - well it never did me any harm.

I don't think we'll be going out with him again.

For a picture today, here is me supervising the leaf raking at Christmas.

Have a good week everybody!

DJX

Spot's Spot: Just the Two of Us

Well after her pathetic attempts last night, Mum has got a decent log fire going this evening!    You'll be pleased to hear she has turned her work computer off at 5pm so has more time for meeeee - well, for watching me sleep at any rate.  Maybe even a cuddle later, though she won't let me get on her lap :-(

Dad isn't here again today, and I got left alone at home this morning while Mum went to the office, so I guess this means we are back to Routine A again.   It's quite confusing for a dog of little brain really, all this coming and going and people here then not here; then out at work and then not.  I have to say, this is more what I'm used to, I mean I've spent more of my life sleeping all day than I have out inspecting Forest tracks and planting sites.

Mum made some mention of going for a walk this morning but I think she forgot it would be dark when she got up. Then it is wet and horrible this evening so I was quite happy just to have my tea and not get rained on.

My friend Cazerama came this morning to pick up Mum, I gave her my biggest grin. She is one of my dog walkers so I love her, we might go out at the weekend. She has a naughty young dog coming to stay, I think I would be a good influence on him. Although he might be one of those annoying ones that jumps all over me, grrrrr gerrroff!

Aaargghh look at those grey eyebrows!  Do they do Grecian 2000 for dogs.....?

Spot's Spot: A happy week!

Hello all - this will be my last post of 2010! 

I've been having a grand week at home, what with log fires and having both Mum and Dad to pester for my tea.  Plus I got to supervise them sweeping leaves, and sawing wood.  They have to be watched otherwise they don't do it properly.

Here is me with my new ragga toy they gave me:

and out on the Forest on Boxing Day, brrr cold on the toes standing around waiting for Mum and Dad!

And out in the woods today - look at Mum with no crutch just a stick thing!  she's acting much more normal these days.

Tonight apparently my Auntie G is coming over to see the year out (if we stay awake that long, I know I won't!!).   She gave me a scary squeaky space hopper for Christmas, I'm really not sure about it.

Happy New Year everyone!!

Spot's Spot

Oh yeah, I'm home!!

Spot's Spot: My last night?

Well I have been watching Dad pile up stuff that looks suspiciously like he's going somewhere... I know the signs!   I'll do my miserable 'oh I suppose you're leaving' look until he picks up something of mine and puts it on the pile, and then I'll bounce manically around in excitement ooooohhh!

It's been b.... jolly freezing up here recently, though we haven't had as much snow as everyone else, apparently.    Still we haven't been out on the hills quite as much because he can't get his sticks in the ground, or see the planting mounds, so I've spent some time in the office.   Here are some pics of me at home (by the bed) and at work this week:

Still my bits have been freezing and sometimes I have to put my coat on, good thing Mum sent it up.  This is me in the works van, don't I look important!?

 

So anyway, I overheard Dad and Mum talking last night and I think we are going home tomorrow - or maybe to Uncle P's for the night which will be cooooool!  He loves me and always ruffles me up so that dog hair goes everywhere.   

I'm a little confused though because Dad has been packing some of his climbing gear and stuff that we wouldn't normally need to drive home.  Big thick clothes and boots and stuff, and lots of food.   I wonder if it's anything to do with the snowy stuff?

Spot's Spot: Nostalgia

Hi everyone,

I suddenly realised that I'm going to be 11 in January.  11 !!!!  can you believe it.   So I was idly flicking through some old photos and feeling nostalgic, and thought I'd share some here...

Me, 8 weeks old

Grrr, die ball, die!

Messing around with my dog-dad, Revel. We lived together until he went to dog-Heaven a couple of years ago :-(

My favourite pic of me and my dog-dad Revel. xx