Rosie's visit

Rosie is no stranger to us as she (along with her hupeeps) is a regular on our monthly walks however this is the first time that she has been a guest at Dogs to Stay.

Rosie is Mylo's half sister - they have the same dad - and is, apparently, a black tri - I think she is a sable though as her coat is very different to that of Kivas - no matter, she's lovely.

We had been forewarned that rosie doesn't do cats - of course we ignored that completely; maybe she doesn't do cats because she doesn't spend enough time with them. Rosie's first night was a little disturbed - we had foolishly left the door to the hall open (the dog gate was in place) and she was upset by our 2 cats coming and going through the night - we know she was upset because she told us - and she does have a nice bark ;-) However Last night she was as quiet as a mouse, maybe because she had decided that cats were actually OK to be around.

We had also been forewarned that she doesn't like to eat around other dogs - we ignored that too

We had also been advised to be carefull with Rosie off-lead as she has a tendency to stray - yup, I ignored that too, well yesterday I did when I let the 3 of them run free in a neighbour's 10 acre garden - 3 lappies, 2 clumber spaniels and the worlds most energetic terrier - a sight to behold.

Lappy days indeed

Let's Make That Four .....

Apart from him wandering around the house acting as though his throat has been cut all has been well with Kanto - boy does that Lappy like his food - maybe it's because he is spending so much time in the kitchen and watching me cook ;-)

Today saw the arrival of Magic who is with us again for a few days - as I write she is asleep at my feet and Kanto is sitting next to me on the sofa - across the room Mylo is at Louise's feet - Kiva on the sofa - all is good.

If the weather is fine tomorrow we will be setting off across the fields for a walk - if it's raining we will be setting off across the fields for a walk - nothing prevents our guests enjoying themselves at Dogs to Stay.

Lappy days

PS

I have noticed an ever increasing of business trading under the name of Dogs to Stay - who was it that said "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"?

Family fun

Kanto is back - Neil and Milly, if you're reading this he's fine but you must be mad, you're on holiday so enjoy it - and Obi has now gone home so we are still 3 but for a few hours we were actually 4 and walking 4 is always fun ;-)

For those that don't know Kanto is Kiva's brother - sadly sometimes Kanto needs reminding that trying to hump one's sister is NOT good form - fortunately Mylo seems to be more than able to keep him in check.

Updates and picturesof Kanto's stay to follow soon.

Obi the wise one returns

But only for a few days :-(

We do like Obi - and by we I mean Louise and I, Kiva and Mylo - in fact Obi is a bit of a favourite of ours. He has a wonderful nature, some endearing traits and is as one of the most laid back Lappies we have met.

He arrived yesterday (Saturday) morning and knew where he was the second he jumped out of the car - Kiva had to go through her normal "OK - this is our house and I am the queen - so behave" routine but once she had asserted her authority all was calm.

We enjoyed 3 walks during the day, the first in drizzle, the second in pouring rain and the 3rd in glorious sunshine - one has to love the British weather.

All was quiet during the evening, the dogs pretty chilled, as it was during the night. The clocks going back isn't something that dogs understand so it was up as normal, breakfast and a walk and all by 9.30 - that's the new 9.30.

Rather than taking uploading of photos I thought that this video clip captures life at Dogs to Stay quite well; Mylo (who was once described as looking like a coffee table) on his new perch whilst Kiva and Obi play tug with Kiva's reindeer.



Obi is with us until Monday morning - his place is being taken by Kanto and on Thursday Magic returns .... lappy days indeed.

Lappy Families

We had a bit of an house full this weekend with a total of 4 dogs visiting us: Our first arrival was Kiva's brother Kanto, a regular guest at Dogs to Stay and a guarantee that Kiva would have fun.

Next to join us was one of Mylo's 1/2 brothers, the rather gorgeous Oskar who was staying the day and night with his humum, Wendy.

Though the sky was blue and the sun shining Saturday was, to put it mildly, somewhat blustery however this didn't deter us for venturing out with the pack. What had been intended to be an hour's walk across the fields ended up being closer to 2 hours as someone (I hang my head in shame) managed to get us lost resulting in a detour around the local golf course - not that much of an issue until Oskar decided to run off and introduce himself to 3 Japanese golfers.

I'm not sure who was the most tired after the walk though it was the dogs who managed to enjoy an afternoon's nap - Wendy denied dozing off - though we know different.

As well as the pictures posted here a lot more can be seen here; http://dogstostay.shutterfly.com/

Sunday began early - Oskar does like to start the day with a walk, so he, along with the rest of the pack went out at 7.30 to enjoy a crisp morning and a walk across the fields - no golf course this time though they each managed to go off on their individual walkabouts - Lappies really aren't that bothered about recall :-(

Back home and it was time for breakfast - bacon sandwiches for us and normal doggy type stuff for the Lappies. Kanto was collected at about 10.30 in exchange for a nice Rioja - Oskar left not long afterwards leaving us an hour or so before our next guests were due.

Magic and Norppa were to be with us for the afternoon and evening whilst their owners, Andrie and Anne-Marie attended a wedding conveniently close to us. Magic had stayed with us before in February and we knew that she, Mylo and Kiva would get on perfectly - it was Norppa and how our 2 would interact with him that was the issue. Mylo and Norppa, though related, had had a couple of spats in the past - well who could blame them as they wanted to be top dog - though both of these had been little more than handbags.

The decision was made that upon their arrival we would walk all of the dogs around the village so as to get them used to each other and also to be able to bring them all into the garden at the same time. The walk in the autumn afternoon sunshine was uneventful - next; let's see how they all get on in our garden ......

Unfortunately things did not go according to plan - Kiva seemed to be able to sense the tension between Mylo and Norppa and it was she and Norppa who had a minor altercation. Andrie made the decision to bring Norppa's crate into the kitchen - Norppa would have somewhere he felt comfortable and the rest of the dogs could get on with the day, in fact Norppa probably spent little time there - it was only used whilst we had Sunday lunch. Norppa and Magic spent most of the day in the garden whilst Kiva and Mylo, probably still tired after their walks earlier in the day and yesterday slept in the lounge - as a result there were no further problems between any of the dogs. Magic managed to find every tennis ball we owned and would have been quite happy for me to have spent the whole day throwing them for her - memo to Magic; "You're a Lapphund NOT a Labrador - Lappies don't do fetch".

I walked Magic and Norppa around the village later in the afternoon - both of them seeming to enjoy the experience before returning home where they were all treated to a Dogs to Stay Sunday lunch - roast turkey and all the trimmings was enjoyed by them all - Magic finishing hers in the time it took Norppa to chew a carrot.

All change after eating saw Magic and Norppa join us in the lounge with Kiva and Mylo out in the garden - and this is how Andrie and Anne-Marie found them on their return. Hopefully the dogs had enjoyed their stay - I know that Norppa enjoyed the sofa :-)

Happy Lappies

Sally, our guest Labrador, left us on Tuesday afternoon when she was collected by her hudad. I think she was pleased to see him (though not as pleased as he was to see her) - certainly her tail seemed to wag more vigorously than normal (if that were possible).

As a result we are now just 3, Kiva and Mylo along with guest dog Kukko - certainly walks are a lot easier; 3 dogs are considerably easier to manage than 4, especially when one of the 4 was a 35kg cat chasing one.

It's interesting to note how the dynamics between the dogs has changed. Kiva and Kukko seem to be playing with eachother even more - the times when Mylo and Kukko play are a joy to watch, top dog is not an issue during these moments of fun.

With Sally now gone we have been able to identify which dog it has been that has been reminding us that it's 7.00 and time to get up; just to remind you - Kiva and Mylo NEVER make a noise until we have shown ourselves ;-).

On Thursday I took the 3 dogs out for the day to visit a Lapphund breeder friend - an opportunity for the dogs to make new friends and enjoy the countryside - Kukko is SUCH a good traveller - he even jumps into the back of the Jeep - something I wish that Kiva and Mylo might have learnt from.

Kukko seems to be enjoying his new diet - he may well have lost a little weight - though he is still a little bugger when it comes to wanting to see what food might have been left on the kitchen work surfaces :-).

The dogs are just about to enjoy (I hope) their morning constitutional - I hope to be able to add some more pictures later on today.

A Day at Dogs to Stay

Today is Sally's last day with us and to mark the occasion she managed to wake us at 6.45 am by managing to turn the TV on with a single wag of her tail - as a result our day started a little earlier than usual, no bad thing really as it meant more time to enjoy the company of the pack of 4. The dynamics between them has been quite amazing to watch - they are all such different characters yet, at the same time so similar - all of them so easily pleased.

As I write Sally is asleep under my desk, Kukko is asleep behind my chair, Mylo lying in the chair to my right (his favourite haunt whilst I am at my desk) and Kiva is, hang on, was to my left - she is now outside in the garden.

Sally does love to play fetch - I had hoped that her enthusiasm for fetching and retrieving a ball might rub off on the Lappies (to them retrieving a ball more than once is a no no) - sadly this was not to be the case especially after Kukko managed to destroy Sally's favourite ball. The picture above shows the 2 of them sharing its remains - Sally looks quite distraught.

On Saturday we heard from Jill, Kukko's owner, and I am sure that she wont object to me posting the some content from her email:

"Thanks so much for all the lovely photos. Came home yesterday and the house is eerily quiet. Frodo ecstatic!! I’ve been very ill indeed with an infection. Having Becky coming in to show me the blog has been fantastic. I don’t know what I’d have done without you and your dogs to look after Kukko."

Jill - it is a pleasure, he is a lovely boy and a joy to have as part of the pack - he will be missed when he goes back home to you.

I posted this one of Kiva and Mylo because I can - they are wonderful in the way that they accept other dogs into their home, accepting the guests as part of the pack at Dogs to Stay without question.

Lappy days indeed.

It's Good To Share

Kukko, Kiva and Mylo

Sally Does Like to Play With Balls

Happy Saturday

Phil - I hope your gig goes well tonight but don't overdo the Retsina.

Jill - We all hope you are feeling much better and on the road to a full recovery.

This is the first chance I have had to sit down in front of my PC and be able to update the blog - well it was a beautiful day yesterday so I decided to enjoy the weather and the garden with the dogs. Lou took a few pictures of them yesterday - I hope that seeing these shows just how chilled and happy they are here.

Kukko helps Louise update the blog

and licks her hand to say thank you

Sally and Kukko share the sofa Mylo just chills

Earlier in the evening the dogs enjoyed the company of Lucky, one of our cats - she didn't seem to mind.

Kiva, meanwhile, got closer to Sally

Sally Says Hello

In between sleeping that is .... zzzzzzzz

She has just come back from a walk across the fields and is snoring at my feet whilst I write. How's your weather? The sky here is cloudless and the sun is shining - probably a bit like Corfu.

Sally is fine and has settled in superbly - she even gets on with the cats.

We hope you are enjoying the Greek isles, not drinking too much and rehearsing busily ready for Saturday.

Lappy days

Kukko Speaks

I am loving being here with Kiva and Mylo again, it's a little different from last time as there is also another dog here - her name is Sally, she is a black Labrador. She is good fun to play with but does spend a lot of time sleeping whilst I just want to play, just as well Kiva is here because she is always up for a chase (wink wink). Mylo keeps an eye on her though to make sure I am not being too boisterous with her - if I am he quickly lets me know my putting himself in between Kiva and I.

I am eating some interesting new food, Nature Diet Light served with enough vegetables to open a market stall - I look and feel pretty good though, I can even get through the dog flap now.

I have just come back from a walk around the village and across some fields - Sally is asleep (no change there then) under the desk, Kiva is in the shade outside and Mylo in his kennel, I am sitting next to Simon telling him what to write.

I hope that you are getting better and that I will be able to come home to you soon, it's really nice here but not as nice as being with you.

If a Picture Says a Thousand Words What Do 5 Say?

4 More

No, not another TV channel, but the header for our latest pack of Mylo and Kiva who have been joined by Kuuko (a returning Lappy) and Sally, the rather lovely, though incredibly strong, black Lab.

Kukko is with us for a couple of weeks whilst his owner recovers from an operation, get well soon Jill :-), and he was collected yesterday afternoon and soon settled in to his familiar surroundings. Sally joined him a couple of hours later, she belongs to a neighbour who is "gigging" abroad at a music festival in Corfu, humph.

It didn't take our guests long to establish a hierarchy and other than a couple of very minor spats all is calm. Sally likes to sit, or lie next to me or my father, who is visiting from the States, Kukko is happy being anywhere as long as there is a bone involved and Kiva and Mylo are acting as the perfect hosts.

Meal times are interesting to say the least - 4 dogs, 4 different meals, 3 dogs on weight loss diets and Kiva who just takes her time savouring every mouthful as 3 dogs watch her. Walking the pack is a little tricky - first off I needed to work out weights per brace so that my left and right sides were balanced, unfortunately that meant one pair were pulling far too much - in the end it was Mylo and Sally on my left with Kiva and Kuuko on my right - perfect until they spotted a squirrel.

The evening was remarkably calm before the dogs were put down to bed in the kitchen. It is quite evident that Sally likes spending the night with humans as she was a little vocal until we gave them access to the lounge - a peaceful night ensued.

As I write I have Mylo under my desk, Sally to my left and Kiva and Kukko sharing a bone to my right. Lappy days indeed.

Four For Two

No, not a football formation but a pretty good title to describe the next 2 weeks at D2S when we again have 4 Lappies. The resident dogs, Kiva (who now has her passport ready for her 2010 mating) and Mylo (who has broken the 19kg barrier - over 5kgs lost in 15 weeks) have been joined by Smilla and Susi once more.

Though still a bundle of energy 5 month old Susi has matured considerably since her last stay with us - she even goes outside to wee now :-), I think Smilla is happy to be back - she and Mylo spend much of the day together - I can remember well when they first met, enamoured with each other would be a fair description, not much has changed.

As always videos and pictures, along with regular updates will follow.

And Now There Are 3

Obi was collected by his hufamily yesterday evening, so we are now down to just the 3 Lappies; Mylo & Kiva and our guest dog Kukko. Strangely the house seems a little empty - however the dogs seem to be quite happy despite the rain we have been having.

Kiva is now the centre of Kukko's attentions and it is a joy to watch them play.

And sometimes even relax

Before Mylo decides to join in

After playtime it was time for Kukko to settle down with a bone

Peace and Quiet

A Video Does Save Having To Type

Happy Mondays

Since Obi and Kukko's arrivals we have enjoyed a couple of decent nights with all of the dogs sleeping through to a decent hour - I just wish I knew where they all slept, well apart from Miia who enjoys sharing our bed.

Our Sunday routine was pretty much as normal - the morning beginning with feeding the pack - a true joy to watch them all tuck in - I must try to get a picture of the 5 of them eating. The dogs enjoyed a couple of long walks across the fields - all remarkably well behaved and coming back when called, well apart from Mylo, no change there.

Obi is his normal chilled self with just the occasional humping episode, hey anything is forgiven of him when he sits on his haunches for a chest tickle. Kukko is the boisterous one, always ready to play with Miia, to bark for a bone that one of the other dogs is enjoying (and in doing so ignoring the other dozen or so bones scattered around the garden). Miia is incredibly tolerant of the attentions of Obi and Kukko though to tell the truth I think she kind of enjoys it. Kiva joins in the fun but quite often disappears under her favourite bush for some peace and quiet whilst Mylo just gets on with things.

Sunday being Sunday a traditional roast would be prepared - the dogs certainly enjoyed helping me with the carrots with them all making the most of the scraps being thrown to them and, with the cooking smells in the kitchen, it was difficult to get them out of it whilst the meat roasted. Dinner was served - though the dogs were fed their normal fare rather than a Sunday roast, we really should have got a bigger joint!

All was peaceful during the evening, at one time I had Mylo and Obi as a pair of slippers and Kiva, Kukko & Miia sharing the sofa with me ....

Lappy days indeed

And now there are 5

Just like London Buses no sooner had one new guest arrived that another turned up - yay; Obi's back, well for a few days anyway, (scan back through some of the older posts to find out more about Obi's first visit - May 09).

Talk about feeling at home - Obi sauntered in as though he had never been away though I think he was momentarily taken aback to see 2 new faces; Kukko and Miia - watching 5 adult Lappies play is a true pleasure - Kukko and Obi are getting on fine, well apart from the odd sulk when the other one is chewing on one of the many available bones. Miia and Obi have met before on one of our mass Lappy walks and they too are getting on fine. Kiva, as always, loves having playmates whilst Mylo observes the action and occasionally joins in with the games.

Feeding 5 Lappies 5 sepearte meals was a lot easier than expected, chicken and kibble for Obi, Chappie and kibble for Kiva, biscuits and Chappie for Miia, Chappie and vegetables for Mylo and kibble (just kibble) for Kukko - no squabbles and 5 empty bowls.

Once their dinners had been digested it was time for their evening constitutional - 5 Lappies, 2 braces and Kukko on his own lead exploring the village and investigating the many smells - even meeting a new resident in the village, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

As I write the dogs are all settled -Kiva asleep on the living room floor, Mylo asleep at Louise's feet, Miia asleep in the cool of the kitchen and Kukko & Obi at my feet taking it in turns chewing on a bone.

Obi seems to have lost his front paws

Obi in chill mode

Kiva enjoying a rest

And then there were 4

Miia has insisted that I apolgise for not updating the blog with details of her Friday - so sorry. Actually not much happened other than a couple of walks across the fields - I hope she isn't getting bored ;-)

If she had been then things certainly picked up for her today with the arrival of Arianrhod Kalakukko (aka Kukko), a rather stunning neutered male black tri - a product of Jennifer's Keskyo - probably the largest Lappy I have ever seen - but what a boy. He is with us for a week whilst his owner is at a conference in the Peak district and, at the time of writing, he has certainly made himself at home.

After Kukko arrived this morning, and after Lou's return from Tescos, we all headed out for a walk across the fields - a perfect opportunity for Kukko to integrate with Kiva and Mylo and for Jill, his owner, to see where he would be spending his walks. It was a lovely walk - Kukko and Miia spent much of it chasing each other, and Kiva, across the fields whilst Mylo decided to go walabout again - resulting in him spending much of the walk on lead - silly boy.

Kukko and Miia have struck up an amazing friendship - Mylo just tolerates them whilst Kiva is an ever eager playmate for them - I think Kukko will enjoy his stay and Miia enjoy the extra company of her new beau.

Lappy days

Didn't I Have A Lovely Day

The day I went TabanyaRuu.

Having roused myself from my sleep I went downstairs to join Kiva and Mylo for the day and the opportunity to water the grass. Breakfast was served on time (10/10 for efficiency) and then it was time for a play with Kiva whilst the Dogs to Stay people drank coffee and read the snoozepapers. A pretty normal start to the day.

Things changed though when Mylo and I were put in the back of the Jeep. Kiva was left behind and I must admit I was wondering what was going to happen .... Off we went in the Jeep, through the village and then along lots of winding roads, before long we came to a town and the Jeep was parked.

Mylo and I got out and we were taken into a small building .... oh dear - it was the vets - I recognised the uniforms that the staff were wearing. We didn't have to wait long at all before we were called in to see the nurse... I was a little concerned because even though I knew I was fine I wasn't sure about Mylo - I hoped there was nothing wrong with him as I had kind of got used to him. Mylo was taken to a machine that weighed him - 20.9 it read (not that I can read but I did hear the nurse say so) - Simon was really pleased, the nurse wrote in a book and then we left - if only all trips to the vets could be so easy .... apparently it was Fat Club - somewhere where Mylo has to go every few weeks to make sure he's still losing weight.

Back in the Jeep and before long we were back at Dogs to Stay - we were taken out for a lovely walk and then I played with Kiva in the garden.

Before I knew it I was put back in the Jeep - this time with Kiva whilst Mylo was left at home - off we went, this time for a long long time - eventually we came to Surrey - quite classy really. We waited for some gates to open before driving through and parking. Kiva and I were taken out of the Jeep and I looked around at a huge house .... apparently this was TabanyaRuu Towers - home of the famous TabanyaRuu breeders. Kiva and I were led through into the garden (well I think it was a garden though it did look a bit like a huge field and forest) where I met some more Lappies; Sisko (Kiva's mum), Smuu (Kiva's granny) and Tuukka (Kiva's granddad) - there was another little dog there, I think it was called Zinty but I ignored it because all it did was bark.

It was a pretty good afternoon - we were there for hours, running, playing, chilling, eating bones and sleeping before getting back in the Jeep and driving home. All in all a pretty interesting day - I kind of like it here, something exciting happens most days :-)

Miia Makes Herself At Home

I must admit that I am not too sure how Miia spends her day with her hufamily - but at Dogs to Stay she certainly has made herself at home.

When not playing with Kiva, and sometimes Mylo, in the garden she is more than happy to make herself comfortable on the kitchen floor, the sofa or even Mylo's chair.

Regardless of where she chooses to lie she is always relaxed - I would like to think that she likes it here, certainly she never complains - unless a door is shut on her.

We have just returned from a walk - I am cold and wet, the dogs are just wet - isn't the British summer just great.

Lappy days