Rigg the Pig

Today, after a half hour game of fetch the tennisball in the river at Frank’s Bridge, followed by a run on the field to dry off, Whitevanwoman took me to see the vet for my jabs.

I do enjoy a trip to the vets – there are loads of exciting smells there and a lovely display of dog food in the waiting room (but how mean is it to put shelves full of dog food at dog level and then expect dogs not to tuck in?!) and I always get lots of fuss and attention and usually a dog treat. And often there are other dogs and cats there too for me to say hello too, although I must admit that most cats don’t seem to like me for some strange reason.

I had to sit on the scales to be weighed and Whitevanwoman tutted when the vet said 28.4 kilogrammes, as last time I was weighed I was only 24kg. But the nice vet said that I was ok, and that up to 30kg is fine for a dog like me. I’m hoping that means that I can eat more, so that I can get up to 30kg as soon as possible, but somehow I don’t think so, as Whitevanwoman said that she will keep a careful eye on what I eat.

Then I got to give the vet a cuddle whilst she checked my heart (no probs there – it was still beating) and tried to look in my mouth (I firmly kept my jaw clamped tightly shut so she just managed a quick glimpse of my teeth). She cunningly stuck her needle in the scruff of my neck whilst I was busy trying to lick her face but it was no worse than when Miss Tibby digs her claws into my nose so I didn’t mind. Plus I knew that there were some dog treats at reception so it was worth being on my best behaviour

It’s been a busy few days here at Ladthwaite – on Monday me, Flash, Dynamite went for a walk to visit Fell House which is the nearest neighbours to Ladthwaite. At Fell House, there are 2 alpacas which are very strange creatures. They have long necks and are very inquisitive and are thick and fluffy like sheep but much bigger. The 2 alpacas which live at Fell House are called Gallavant and Gadabout and they are quite flighty creatures, not keen at all on being friends with dogs, so me, Flash and Dynamite had to keep our distance so that they weren’t scared by us. I managed to sneak up and get a closer look at them whilst Whitevanwoman was taking some photos.

Gallavant (left) and Gadabout (right) watching us suspiciously

Then yesterday Whitevanwoman and me had our photos taken and did an interview with someone who is going to write an article about me and how I am applying to become a PAT dog to visit people who are poorly in hospital and who need cheering up. The article is not going to be published for a couple of months yet but I will let you know when it is published and I might be able to upload a copy of it onto my blog.

Today is our last day at Ladthwaite and Whitevanwoman has been making the most of the dry weather today (yesterday was wild and wet and windy) to collect some more firewood, and guess who had to haul it back to the white van on the sledge?! But I didn’t mind as we spent a good few hours scavenging round the woods and me and Flash played “Chase” again in the field (although this time it was me chasing Flash as she was in a particularly friendly and flirty mood today).  We are going home to our own kennel this evening and although me and Whitevanwoman have enjoyed staying here again, I think we are both ready to sleep in our own respective beds tonight. I’ve been snoozing in Flash’s bed (seeing as how she jumped straight into my bed when we went back home to see Miss Tibby on Sunday) but it is a lot smaller than mine, and it is a tight fit and I can’t quite fit all my legs in. So a good stretch out and a good kip in my own bed will be very welcome this evening.

After feeding the pheasants and squirrels this morning, Whitevanwoman and me and Flash and Dynamite had a walk in the field to take Velvet the Fell Pony her morning carrot. Me and Flash had a lovely game of “Kiss Chase” (Flash was doing the chasing and couldn’t catch me) and we had a good run round before we all got in the white van to head off back to Whitevanwoman’s kennel.

Miss Tibby was pleased to see us as she had been on her own for the past couple of days, and I think she is a little bit indignant that she has been left home alone whilst we went off to look after Flash, Dynamite, Velvet and Midge the cat. But Whitevanwoman knows that Miss Tibby is perfectly capable of finding her own food if she runs out of biscuits – quite often Miss Tibby brings mice home during the night and sits under the wardrobe in Whitevanwoman’s bedroom to eat them, crunching away and making nasty sounds. Ugghh! I really don’t see what is so appealing about eating dead mice – I much prefer a slice or two of mouldy bread or a few eggshells out of the compost bin. Old Lanky used to love eating dead mice, and he used to go round the house in the morning checking for any that SidPuss had left lying around and then he would wolf them up in one quick mouthful before Whitevanwoman could stop him.

After unloading the trailer of all the wood that Whitevanwoman had collected yesterday at Ladthwaite (I helped carry logs into the wood shed but Flash and Dynamite just stood by and watched; they might be Search Dogs but they are not useful like me), we all went off to do some collecting for the Mountain Rescue Team. Dynamite stayed in the white van whilst me and Flash helped collect some money, because Dynamite is getting on a bit now and can be a bit grumpy with people she doesn’t know. Old Lanky was like that when he got old – Whitevanwoman called it “Victor Meldrew Syndrome” and says that it often happens in old dogs and old people too. She says that one day I might be like that but I don’t think I will – I love other dogs and people so much that I can’t see myself getting cross and grumbly with them just because I’m old and they aren’t. Sometimes I wonder if Whitevanwoman has already started getting “Victor Meldrew syndrome” as she can be cross and grumbly with other people sometimes.

Me and Flash had a great time collecting – Flash was wearing her Search Dog coat and so lots of people made a fuss of her but I got lots of fuss too and Whitevanwoman explained that I used to be a trainee Search Dog but we had to stop training because Whitevanwoman was too busy doing lots of other things. We were collecting with my mate Jason from the Rescue Team and he gave me lots of pats and is definitely in touch with his canine side, so although we were standing round doing nothing in the cold and damp for several hours, I didn’t mind too much.

me and my mate Jason with Flash

Me and Whitevanwoman are staying at Ladthwaite again, to look after Search Dogs Flash and Dynamite, Midge the cat and Velvet the Fell Pony, whilst Dave and Anette are away. We got here yesterday afternoon and have had a lovely time so far, with lots of running around in the field with Flash and the football. It reminds me of our lovely stay here earlier this year – see blog posts “Life at Ladthwaite” and “Life at Ladthwaite 2″.

As I’m writing this Whitevanwoman is sitting outside in the afternoon sunshine having a little rest as I think she is a little tired as we have spent most of today collecting big sticks for firewood from the forest to take back to our kennel. There are lots of trees at Ladthwaite and lots of sticks and Dave and Anette have said that we can collect as many sticks as we want to take back to our kennel for firewood.

I usually carry a long big stick in my mouth but this time Whitevanwoman has brought the sledge and my harness and has been loading the sticks onto the sledge for me to pull. It’s quite hard work pulling the sledge loaded with firewood (so I don’t know why Whitevanwoman is so tired seeing as how it was me who has to pull it, not her) but I don’t mind, and enthusiastic as ever, I throw myself into it. I know that in return for a days’s hard work I’ll get to lie in front of the fire in the evening.

If huskies can do it, so can mongrels

We’ve had quite a busy time recently with lots going on – tomorrow we are going collecting for the Mountain Rescue Team – I enjoy collecting as I enjoy getting fussed over and patted by lots of people. Next week a reporter is coming to see me and Whitevanwoman to write an article about me because I’m hoping to become a Pets as Therapy (PAT) dog. So watch out for more blogs to come about exciting times ahead….

Someone gave Whitevanwoman a pedometer today. It counts the number of steps she takes every day. She is supposed to aim for 10,000 steps per day and she thought that she would easily do that number of steps.

We went out for our normal “quick” walk which usually takes about 25 minutes. Whitevanwoman thinks it is about a mile or so, and was pretty gutted to find out that it was only about 2,500 steps. That means to do 10,000 steps every day she will have to take me out on our “quick” walk 4 times  each day or go for a longer walk. I think she was pretty glum when she realised that, but I was pretty chuffed

I probably do 10,000 steps on our “quick” walk as I’m off the lead most of the way and so I have a good mooch round in the hedges, and have a quick sprint after rabbits, and sometimes we take the tennis ball throwing stick and I have a good run round chasing tennisballs, but I would be quite happy to go for 4 walks each day – what a great life that would be! – I would hardly get time to have a snooze and a drink of water before it would be time to go out for another walk!

So I’m going to be making sure that Whitevanwoman wears the pedometer every day and will be giving her a nudge to remind her about getting in plenty of walking. She has been complaining a bit recently about middle-aged spread so I reckon this will be a good cure for that

Today Whitevanwoman took me to Ullswater for a swim

Whitevanwoman was in a meeting all day and I had to spend most of the day in the white van but after the meeting she came to get me and we had a little walk through Pooley Bridge and down to Ullswater. It was a lovely autumn day and although there was a nip in the air, the cold water didn’t bother me, as my thick coat kept me warm and we played Fetch the Tennisball for ages with me splashing around in the lake after the tennis ball.

We didn’t go for a walk in the fells as Whitevanwoman had her town clothes on and not her dog walking clothes but having a good swim is as good as having a good walk so I was a happy dog. Here’s a photo of me hurling myself into the water after my tennis ball with the Kirkstone Pass fells in the background.

And here is the afternoon sunshine on Ullswater

When we got back to our kennel, my girlfriends Molly and Poppy and me played outside with their owner Jules, chasing tennis balls together. Molly always lets me win and Poppy is quite old now so she doesn’t chase after tennisballs much any more but it was good to catch up with them again as I haven’t seen them for a couple of weeks. I quite enjoy having female border collies chase after me, it is good for a dog’s ego and self-esteem