Sunday 21 December 2008

Lappies do carrots

Throw a piece of peeled carrot at either Mylo or Kiva and they will turn their nose's up at it in disgust, whole carrots are an entirely different matter.

Our walk today took us through the village and down to the sports field, we were hoping to see Mylo's girlfriend (the pot bellied pig as mentioned in previous blogs). Sadly she wasn't there, instead 3 horses were awaiting us - and Mylo does like horses. Kiva is less enamoured with them and she let it be known, very, very shrilly.

Back home and through the churchyard - Mylo, as always, up on the bench expecting a treat (well it would be cruel to deny him). Many of the graves had Christmas wreathes upon them, fresh flowers on many and, much to Mylo's delight, on one an empty sherry glass (someone must have had the contents) and a whole carrot (a treat for the reindeer no doubt). For those that don't know Finnish Lapphunds (so called because they come from the Finnish area of Lapland) are used by the Sami people to herd reindeer (much as Border Collies herd sheep). Mylo was obviously considerate and wanted to make sure that the carrot was suitable for them.


Kiva being Kiva decided to help Mylo finish it off....

Lappy days

Kanto's visit

Stress free and relaxed ... says it all really.

Kanto is a real pleasure to have stay with us - he is excellent company for Kiva - they play together so well. For Mylo it's a case of, hey, "if Kanto is playing with Kiva then I don't have to!"

Apologies for the quality of some of these; they were taken through the window.

Kanto decided that he was rather partial to the raised bed on the right hand side of the steps into the garden spending much of his time either sitting (above) or lying (below) on it.


Even meal times were relaxed ... however feeding 3 dogs three different types and quantities was a minor problem. Kanto, who normally eats what he fancies returning to his bowl during the day, had to come to terms that if he didn't eat all he was given then Mylo or Kiva would soon demolish what was left. Kiva had to have it explained to her that she wasn't allowed Kanto's Oscars dried food and had to have her own food and Mylo had to be reminded that he was ONLY to eat his special dietary food.

Well that was the plan, however as the picture below shows Mylo was eating Kanto's whilst he was eating Mylo's - oh well, what would one meal matter?

Kanto was collected by Neil on the Friday, Heather (Kanto's husister) had recovered from her illness - he will be missed.

Lappy days

Wednesday 17 December 2008

Kanto returns

Kanto is a regular visitor, he is Kiva's brother and lives just a few miles from us. He is always a welcome guest, Kiva dotes on him and Mylo .... tolerates him (and they say that one can't have 2 males together - pft). Kanto is with us for a couple of nights as his baby husister, Heather, is unwell.

Kanto's activities will be added to this blog during the next 2 days.

Lappy Days

Smilla's flying visit

On Saturday and Sunday December 13th/14th we had the pleasure of Smilla's company. This brown tri bitch is slightly younger than Kiva but is already a familiar face as she is a regular on the mass lappy walks we enjoy. Mylo was somewhat taken by her when they first met and did his best to make her his bitch - no worries this time as Mylo is now a nutless wonder.

As is the norm when our 2 meet a guest, the first 15 minutes were pretty manic - hey they're kids - let them play. Once some degree of calmness had been established the 3 dogs were taken for a walk - much to the amazement of some of our neighbours who had, up 'till then, not seen a dog with such colouring and markings.

The evening and night was relaxed, the hierarchy had been established and the dogs knew where they stood, or sat, or lay.


Morning came, the dogs had been quiet, though they greeted us like long lost friends - well at least 'till breakfast was served. Next came their morning walk - through the village, down to the sports field and back. As we walked past a field of sheep strange grunting noises could be heard - now sheep don't grunt, well at least I didn't think they did - Smilla seemed a little interested (we don't think she has been "up close and personal" with sheep before). Now this was to be no ordinary walk as Mylo discovered a new girlfriend.

The grunting sheep turned out to be a Pot Bellied Pig - a sow that appeared to be as enamoured with Mylo as he was with her - she followed us as far as she could and waited patiently for our return - at the 5 bar gate she and Mylo had a little chat (or seemed to - with Mylo almost talking to her) whilst Smilla looked on in wonderment. If you are reading this Mary - please, no witty comments!!!

Our arrival back home saw all of the dogs relaxed, Smilla sleeping next to Kiva and Mylo in his kennel, probably dreaming of his pig.

24 hours after she arrived Smilla was collected by Graham - she will be missed but is due back in the New Year.

Lappy Days

Saturday 6 December 2008

Saturday afternoon

Below is our standard Dogs to Stay gallery shot, this time with Sisko (rear) and Smuu at the gate to the lawn.

We are incredibly lucky to be surrounded by some glorious countryside and some great neighbours who do not object to us walking the dogs across their fields - 5 acres of secure (well almost) meadow is a great place to exercise the dogs.


Ooops, I have just realised how bald I am getting ....

Time to head back ...

Via the pub of course and Mylo's favourite table

Well, that's probably it for Smuu and Sisko's blog (unless something remarkable happens this evening; cat sleeps on top of dog, dog sleeps on top of cat, etc.).

Tomorrow sees us head south for a monthly mass lappy walk and to hand Smuu and Sisko back to their owners - I think they have enjoyed their stay with us - we have had no angst, no escapes, no accidents (apart from mine that is) and our guests have been totally relaxed. A job well done I think.

Lappy days

The final day

So, here we are, sunny Saturday and Smuu & Sisko's final day with us. We are just getting ready for a walk, today Lou will be joining us and I hope to be able to get some pictures of the walk that the dogs have been enjoying. Make sure you come back later today to see them.

I caught Sisko on the sofa yesterday evening - I'm not sure which book she choose - we like to give our guests every opportunity to improve themselves, I hope the book she decided upon wasn't one of those dog eared ones.

I managed to get a few pictures of Lou with the dogs last evening, Mylo as close to Smuu as he could get, Kiva keen to get on the sofa and Sisko resigned to it all.

And finally a couple more shots from last evening, just to demonstrate that Sisko is happy to share her bed.

Even with a cat, purrfect!!

Friday 5 December 2008

Smuu and Sisko go visiting

An earlier post made mention of a trip to Chaventry - well today was to be the day. Guest dogs are never left unattended so Smuu and Sisko were to come with me - however it was decided to take them to Lou's work place and leave them there.

So, they were dropped off at Catesby (thats Catesby, NOT Cats By) en route to Chaventry, at Lou's office - not just any old office however but a converted stable block down a 1/2 mile drive in the middle of the countryside with sheep and long horn cattle in the surrounding fields. Oh yes and a couple of dogs; Dusty, a working cocky spaniel and Millie, a Jack Russel - a dog that makes Zinty look huge.

I was only gone 40 minutes or so, the dogs spending their time with Lou - Smuu was delighted to see me and they hopped into the Jeep for the trip home.

Kiva and Mylo were delighted to see them again and they all soon settled down for the afternoon and as I write Sisko is with us in the lounge - Smuu, next to her.

Having now spent time with Smuu and Sisko, as well as some of Kiva's siblings, it amazes me to see their common traits, and differences.

  • Sisko, when excited, shuffles her front paws in the same way as her dad, Tuukka.
  • Sisko and Kiva are almost impossible to tell apart from the rear end.
  • Sisko and Kiva both lift their paw when being stroked.
  • Sisko, Kiva and Smuu all love their tummies to be tickled.
  • Sisko and Zack (Kiva's brother) both share a look that they give, a sort of "OK what are we going to do now?"
  • Sisko and Zack have the same nose.
  • Sisko, Smuu and Kiva all belch
  • Kiva and Smuu both drool at the prospect of treats.

Now if I could only get Sisko to show Mylo how NOT to bark I would indeed be in Lappy heaven.

Lappy days

Memo to self; make sure you hoover the lounge floor, scrub the kitchen floor and wash Mylo's chair before taking cute dog pictures.

Thank Dog It's Friday

Neil Allen; a fellow lappy owner, recently started a new Facebook craze - pick up a book, turn to page 56 and type the 5th sentence into your Facebook Profile - all rather weird but, a tad amusing.

I picked up the first book to hand, Cesar Millan's "Be The Pack Leader" - my sentence being; "Wilshire instantly won the hearts ot the 45 firemen at this landmark station, but the humans definitely didn't win his respect at first." I wonder if these dogs respect me yet?

I also wondered what would happen if I carried out the same exercise with a dictionary;

Calm (adj) Not disturbed, agitated or excited.

Quite apposite as that is exactly what it it is here, well most of the time. The 4 dogs coexist in a state of harmony - there is no 4 legged pack leader though each knows their place and has their own distinct character;

Smuu
The matriarch, happy as long as she is next to me and given the odd stroke or two.
Sisko
Tolerant of all those around her though quite prepared to let Kiva know that sometimes her attentions are unwanted - a growl soon sees Kiva back off. After 5 days with us she is now more than happy to leave the kitchen and join us in the lounge - preferably on a sofa.
Kiva
Can I play with you, please, please, pretty please - OK, I'll go and play with Mylo instead.
Mylo
Mr Chill - well apart from when the postman calls, someone walks past the gate or when the front door is knocked - other than that he is more than happy to share his space with Smuu, Sisko or Kiva.

Today sees blue sky and sunshine - perfect weather for a walk across the fields ...

Oh well - almost perfect weather - the cold spell meant that the ground was still pretty icy - great when walking over the fields, less so when on paths. Four lappies can pull when in the mood to do so and today was no exception when they all decided to head off in pursuit of a pheasant. The result; me on my backside - the command "stay" saw Smuu and Sisko do exactly that - Mylo and Kiva came to make sure I was OK - wet tongues are a great remedy.

No harm done, well apart from a bruised bum - the area where we were was fully fenced, so no fear of the dogs getting away - so they were fine. So off we headed home, the dogs none the wiser.

Half and hour after arriving home, the dogs now dry, they decided to join me at my desk.

Well, apart from Sisko who prefered the coolness of the kitchen floor.

More later - lappy days

Thursday 4 December 2008

Just a quick one ...

Well two actually ...

I'm not sure if Smuu and Sisko were familiar with stuffed cow's hooves before their visit - well they are now. Though somewhat bemused when first presented with them they soon took the lead from Kiva and Mylo.

Now, how does one stroke 4 dogs with just one pair of hands? We just enjoyed a fuss fest here prompted by Smuu giving one of her, now customary "touch me, touch me" yelps - never one to miss a stroke in bounded Kiva who promptly put her paw on my stroking arm - next to arrive was Sisko (now much more at home) complete with a hoof in her mouth - I could just about manage the 3 of them, alternating between them so as to give them all some attention. Last and by no means least came Mylo who decided it would be fun to sit on Sisko - what fun .

Smuu, next to me at the desk - no change there then - looking up at me with those "stroke me" eyes of hers.


And then of course; along came Kiva

Actually I better make that 3 - a quick panic call from Lou from the bathroom - Sam, our 14lb black tom cat had just decided to jump on the side of the bath - a bad move for Sam as he fell in, normally nothing to panic about except, yes you guessed it, Lou was in the bath - nothing like a wet pussy they say

Lappy days

Pictues say thousands of words

Apologies for Mylo's words - though they were quite amusing.

A walk first thing this morning sees all of the dogs relaxed, yes Smuu is next to me as usual, Kiva on one of the sofas, Sisko in the kitchen and Mylo in his shed, sorry, kennel. Breakfast was served - Smuu and Sisko are so patient waiting for their rabbit food to soak - though Mylo declined his - no bad thing as he does need to lose some weight.

Talking of food - the 2 pictures below show the 4 of them enjoying their evening meal - and what a feast it was; liver, gravy, pasta, cauliflower cheese, brussel sprouts, cabbage, swede and carrots and some kibble. being good girls Smuu and Sisko just had the vegetarian option - honest ;-)

The evening was again relaxed, though I did get a little excited when Spurs won, with the dogs all settled down well. Kiva decided that she wanted to try out Smuu and Sisko's bed - shame that Smuu was in it at the time.

Do my ears look big in this?

However Sisko soon took back her bed and she and Smuu settled down for the evening.

Well, at least until I joined them.

And, just so he doesn't feel left out - here's one of Mylo looking at a picture of my grandson Oliver

More to follow soon, as always, lappy days.

PS

Cats - why is it that the 4 dogs here get on fine with our 2 cats yet every cat taht they see when out for a walk is fair game? Damn, these dogs can pull.

Wednesday 3 December 2008

Mylo regains control

Damn, that bitch Sisko is smart (I would say cute too, but as I am an emasculated Fat Bstard [ty Mary for the nickname that won't go away] what would I know?). Anyway I have taken the magic box away from her and I am now in control.

Life is good - I am sharing my home with 3 sexy bitches - Smuu, cute and cuddly, Sisko - oh, so standoffish, and the delightful (grr) Kiva - oh yes, and 2 black pussies.

My guvnor - Simon, has been so caring to our guests, he seems to always put them first, but I know that I am his mane (as in main for those that are a tad slow) man and he still loves me to bits - these 2 bitches will soon be gone, and then I am king...

.... ooops, he's back - yap, yap

Sisko Takes Control

Morning Mum - this is Sisko, I have managed to get access to one of these magic boxes so I thought I would say hello.

Everything is good here, though I do miss you and the rest of my hufamily and Tuuka & Zinty. I am being looked after really well, lots of walks, regular meals and company, but it's not the same company. I don't think Smuu misses anyone at all as she follows Simon around like a love struck teenager - I hope she's OK because she hardly barks at all - not like Mylo he barks a lot !!!

I am begining to warm to the 2 small black furry things, at first I thought they were Zinty, but now I realise they are cats - one of them, Lucky, lets me sniff her bottom, the other, Sam, lets me see his claws (I don't think he likes dogs that much, but he does lie on the sofa next to me sometimes).

Today we are going for a walk and later Simon is going to take Smuu and I to a place called Chaventry - he said he would leave Kiva and Mylo here .

Ooops - time to go, I hear leads being picked up - yay, time for a walk, where to today I wonder.

13.30 update

Tut, tut, tut - the cheek of some dogs!

Actually much of the above is true - Sisko does seem a little home sick, though she enjoys her walks, her food and attention we give her - Smuu, sorry, Shadow, is again by my side and Kiva and Mylo (who DO know how to use a dogflap) are outside.

We have just returned from our 4 mile walk across the fields - the dogs are sleeping and I am trying to put my arms back into their sockets after being hauled across the field in pursuit of a herd of deer. If anyone else whom we meet asks "are you going to get a sled?" I shall probably scream - though the 4 of them are, I am sure, more than capable of saving me a fortune in fuel (btw, thanks for the increase in duty, grrr).

The lappycam won't be showing at 20.00 this evening as I shall be watching Spurs beat Watford, so please check it out at 19.00 - you need an MSN account to do so, just add dogstostay@hotmail.com, to request a viewing.

Must dash - time to make some liver cake.

Lappy days

Tuesday 2 December 2008

TabanyaRuu's 2nd Day

Life can be quite amusing with a pack of happy lappies.

Tradition demands that we manage to get at least one picture of all of the dogs in the kitchen awaiting their dinner, I will try to get a better one than this;

but in the meantime - "and then there were four".

It is now the second morning of Smuu and Sisko's stay, well I say Smuu but, to be honest, I have now renamed her "Shadow" as wherever I go she goes too - as the matriarch of the gang she seems to have decided that I belong to her - quite flattering really.

Sisko has yet to fully integrate herself into the furfamily, she is still a little put out I think from being taken from her familiar surroundings though she did enjoy being on the sofa last evening.

Smuu and Sisko's owner, Liz, is soon to get a cat to add to her furfamily of 3 lappies and a German Spitz Kline and is, quite understandbly, concerned as to how her dogs will get on with a purkid, well here at Dogs to Stay we like to help the owners of our guests. We have 2 cats, Sam and Lucky, brother and sister and normal moggies - they coexist with Mylo and Kiva, Sam, always ready to show them who is boss, Lucky ever eager to shove her bottom in their faces and share their food. She seems to have decided that Smuu and Sisko are no threat, likewise Smuu and Sisko have accepted that she is OK too.

As I write the rain is falling, yesterday's glorious morning a distant memory, the dogs have been fed, been out in the garden and are now all sleeping; Smuu as always next to me on my right, Kiva on my left, Sisko in her favoured position in the kitchen and Mylo, well see for yourself -

Now either that bed has shrunk (see yesterday's post) or Mylo is a big dog. At least the bed is back in its correct position - Kiva is rather keen on dragging it around the lounge.

Hey - the rain has stopped and I see some blue sky - time for a walk me thinks.

OK just back from our 2nd walk, just a stroll around the village after this mornings trek across the fields (memo to self, don't go for a walk with 4 lappies when the village school finishes - kids just seem to love these dogs).

It has been said that a walk for a dog is the equivalent to a human reading the morning paper, fresh smells = new news, if that is the case why do I have 4 dogs that each want to read a different page of the paper, or in Kiva's case an entirely different paper? Two dogs on each brace each wanting to go in a different direction can be a tad of a struggle - but hay - that's what dogs are for.

They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks - in the case of the dog flaps that is so true. They also say that Lappies are an intelligent breed - well those from Surrey (Smuu and Sisko) still haven't sussed the dog flap out - give them a gap in the fence and they're through it- a clear piece of plastic in a door is an entiely different matter!

Lappy days.

Monday 1 December 2008

Our first guests

It is now some 20 hours since Smuu and Sisko joined us at Dogs to Stay and other than an initial couple of minutes of angst between Sisko and Kiva all has been quiet. At the time of writing Smuu is lying to my left, her daughter, Sisko is under my chair and Kiva, Smuu's granddaughter is playing in the garden with Mylo.

The first night was peaceful - the dogs had a choice of where they could sleep and I am sure that they all slept well, certainly the night was quiet. With access to the outside run (though I am not yet convinced that Sisko and Smuu have fully sussed out the dogflap) there were no accidents though they were all delighted to be allowed into the garden to play on the frost covered lawn.

Breakfast was served - 4 dogs eating out of 4 separate bowls - not a sound other then 4 happy lappies enjoying their food.

It is a glorious winter's day - cold but with a cloudless sky - perfect weather for a walk across the fields. Lappy days indeed.

Now 4 dogs on 2 leads can be a bit of a handful, however our morning walk was wonderful. Mylo and Kiva are well used to the 3 mile round trip, through the village and across the fields before returning back, through the churchyard and past the pub - however for Smuu and Sisko this was unexplored territory so the normal 1 hour walk was close to 2 - oh, so many things to smell and animals to see. I think that they were a little bemused with Mylo as he does have a tendency to want to jump up on every bench we pass - he's no fool; bench = treat - Kiva is quite keen on Mylo's fondness for benches too, and Smuu and Sisko soon cottoned on to the rewards on offer (a small piece of liver cake today).

As I write I have 4 sleeping dogs - 3 of them I can see, the fourth (Smuu) I know is asleep - I can hear her snoring.

24 hours have now passed since our 2 guests arrived - life is good, our 2 cats have become used to the 2 additional dogs though Smuu and Sisko have yet to work out that our purkids rule the roost - I am confident that by the time that Smuu and Sisko return home they will have learnt that cats can be fun and quite good company.