Just checking in

Not a lot to report - Elliot's day has become quite routine. We get up, Elliot greets us with a wagging tail - he has breakfast, sometimes standing, sometimes whilst lying down - we go for walks, sometimes with Fat Sal, sometimes just with Kiva and Mylo, sometimes he pulls, more often than not he doesn't - he plays with Kiva (and Mylo sometimes), his tail wags - he has dinner, normally prone (probably tired after the playing, walking and tail wagging) - he settles down for the evening, sometimes with his head on my lap, sometimes whilst lying on my feet (note; toe protectors needed) - he goes to bed.

Suffice to say; all his well.

Sunday means breakfast, papers, crosswords, walk, pub and roast dinner

Well - that's what I normally get up to - with guest dogs the routine is pretty similar except that the dogs don't get to read the papers or do the crosswords.

An overnight frost meant that the fields were nice and dry to walk across so that's what we did - the dogs got 2 good walks across the frost covered fields, the first seeing a quick visit to the pub - well, it is Sunday after all.

Sunday being Sunday a roast dinner was in order - roast chicken today with roast potatoes, parsnips, seasonal vegetables and broccoli cheese (think cauliflower cheese) - well that's what we had, the dogs had theirs with a little added kibble).



Food + walks + good company = after dinner nap.

To be honest I didn't expect to be able to get pictures like these, though Elliot and Mylo get on I couldn't believe it when I saw them snuggled up together.

Wondering what the dark spots on the carpet are? They're the remains of Elliot's slobber - all quite endearing really.

Lappy days.

"You Can Keep the Caribbean" says Elliot

It's much better at Dogs to Stay.

The food's great - so great I take time to savour every mouthful ...

I eat at the same time as Kiva and Mylo - though they have to stand ...

The company is great - I like Kiva ....

In fact I like Kiva a lot ...

It's like a holiday here - really chilled ...

In fact it's a dog's life ...

Elliot seems to be enjoying himself, quickly becoming part of the pack. He enjoys his walks, normally 3 a day, one of which is with Fat Sal. He is eating well, still drinking loads, is quieter that the resident dogs and didn't make a sound this morning when the papers were delivered.

Any downsides? Well, his farts have a distinctive bouquet and our carpet is continually spattered with slobber - would we have him any other way? Not a chance. We kind of like having Elliot at Dogs to Stay.

Elliot Comes to Stay

Dogs to Stay was recommended to Elliot's owners by Jill and Phil, Fat Sal's (one of our regular guests) owners and as a result nine year old Elliot arrived this morning and soon made himself at home.

Watching how new arrivals affect the dynamics of the pack is always an interesting spectacle and one would have thought that Elliot would have decided to assert himself as top dog. However it has been Kiva who has been calling the tune with Elliot more than happy to follow her round with his tail wagging.

He has just had his tea (and it did include his meds btw) after enjoying his second walk around the village. His first saw us meet up with Phil and Fat Sal - 2 labs and 2 lappies walking across the fields in glorious sunshine - lappy days indeed.

First impressions of Elliot - he slobbers, a lot - he wags his tail, a lot, he gets on with the rest of the pack - he doesn't bolt his food - he drinks, a lot (probably to replace the slobber) - he has a lovely disposition and character.

Watch this space for more updates.

We Do Dog Shows

Up with the larks saw me walking the dogs at 8.00 whilst Lou did the weekly shop - and the benefits of early morning walks were soon evident with the sound of footsteps on the still frozen ground. Frozen ground = no mud, no mud = clean dogs - now that was an enjoyable walk :-)

Lunchtime saw us take the short trip to Ryton where many of our friends were attending a dog show - we hadn't entered but thought it would be nice to go and watch so with Kiva and Mylo left behind enjoying some peace and quiet Taavi and Jaaka were taken out for the afternoon.

It was nice seeing old friends, furry and human, again as well as making the acquaintance of some new lappies - Jaaka succeeded in doing what puppies do best - making friends and winning hearts - he, and taavi, were stars, impeccably well behaved and great ambassadors of the breed.

Back home it was a walk round the village with the pack of four before settling in for our last evening as a pack of 4 - tomorrow Jaaka and Taavi go home :-(

When Snow Becomes Slush

We do like to make our guests feel at home and with Finnish Lapphunds happy with temperatures as low as -40 a little snow only serves to make them feel very much at home.

Snow might look nice however it all too sadly turns to slush and walking 4 lappies can be somewhat mucky - today was no exception and walking across the fields was probably not the best idea - the dogs might have loved it but I got cold, wet and muddy - hey ho, that's what it's all about isn't it :-)

Taavi and Jaaka will be leaving us on Sunday - they have been such easy dogs to care for that we will truly miss them - though I am sure that Kiva and Mylo will enjoy the break before our next guest arrives.

Each dog has its own little quirks and ways that have seen them endear themselves to us:

• Taavi is such a delicate eater, chewing on each kibble before he has the next; if he were human I am sure that he would have a napkin clipped under his chin.
• Jaaka has a wonderful habit, when we are out walking, of sitting down as soon as we stop - all very admirable and a credit to his training - a bit of a nuisance when he doesn't bother to check what he's sitting in - there are times when he has looked more like a panda than a lappy.
• Taavi really doesn't like being the other side of a closed door - how do we know? Simples, the very faint whine that one can hear from behind the door whenever the dogs are banished from the lounge.
• To say that Taavi is discrete when it comes to doing his business would be an understatement - how he manages to squeeze his rear end into some of his favourite bushes is beyond me.
• Jaaka is unfazed by anything - he takes everything in his stride and every new experience is a new lesson to be learned.
• The way that Taavi picks up a toy and carries it round in his mouth when I first walk into the kitchen in the morning - something that we have encouraged Mylo to do since a puppy - it's quite hard to bark when your mouth is stuffed with a toy (apparently).
  

Fortunately Taavi and Jaaka (who as I write is busy cleaning Kiva's ear) will be back with us in the summer - I don't know that we can promise them snow but I bet the walks will be drier.

Dog City

Jaaka and Mylo are forced to endure the snow, actually it was their choice

With about 100 properties in the village and around 500 souls it would be a fair bet that one would meet other dogs whilst out and about, today was no exception. On our walk today we met a new golden Labrador brood bitch for the Guide Dogs for the Blind, 2 more golden Labrador brood bitches (Guide Dogs for the Blind once again), a Munsterlander, a Shih tzu, a Springer Spaniel x Border Collie, 2 Clumber Spaniels and a brown Lab, a GSD and a Golden Retriever, another chocolate Labrador, 2 Jack Russels and finally a heavily pregnant black Labrador brood bitch (yup, more Guide Dogs on the way). I make that 15 other dogs - all of which were Jaaka's new best friends - he's a tad fickle ;-) - later today we will be joined by 2 more Lappies who are coming to play - we do like to keep out guests amused.

The pictures below were taken yesterday evening after a hard day's running and playing (the dogs that is, not me).


Lappy days