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"?
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Monday, 26 October 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, 25 October 2009
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.
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.
Monday, 5 October 2009
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 :-)
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 :-)
Friday, 18 September 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
