My new harness

I am so excited today! Firstly, I have my new harness. It is red and says it is a ‘sports’ and ‘training’ harness. Obviously I don’t care too much about sport, but training is a different issue. Tonight I am going to meet my new trainer from Happy Buddies (her name is Amanda) and I am going to start to learn all sorts of new things! I can’t wait. Also, I have already been on one walk today with Richard, but Alex is going to take me out shortly. He was a bit rubbish yesterday. He claimed I had tired him out, which I can’t have done because I had had lots of sleeps during the day, so why hadn’t he? Although I suppose he might have been a little tired because he fell asleep on the sofa sometime between 9.30 and 10.00pm and he didn’t wake up until almost midnight!

Anyway, today is another day and we’re going to go and explore bay pond a bit more. We did go there yesterday, but I was a little bit frightened by the noise that the geese and ducks made. I’m more grown up today and I am not going to let them frighten me now! Apparently we walked 4.6 miles yesterday which is pretty good going for a dog like me with wonky hips. We probably won’t walk quite as far today because we have to be a bit conscious of my condition. It is a bit of a difficult balance because I need to exercise to keep the weight off (if I put too much weight on it will be bad) but I can’t exercise normally because of my wonky hips.

Hopefully, the vet (his name is Michael and he was very nice to me when we met) will get the x-rays that they took of my hips soon and then we can get referred to a specialist who will be able to help me get better. I know that I am going to need an operation, but I am not thinking about that at the moment – I just want my hips to be better. I dream of a day when I can play fetch on the village green or be let off the lead for a really good run. I’m confident we’ll get there, but there is a bit of a journey to go first.

Back from our walk to Bay Pond, we had a lovely walk. We met loads of new people and lots of other dogs! We even met one that was almost as handsome as me, but he didn’t have wonky hips. He was very well behaved though and I am going to learn to behave just like he did – he didn’t even have a lead on and he still walked right by the side of his human friend. We saw the geese and the ducks but I wasn’t afraid of them today! They aren’t going to hurt me.

We met a man with some walking sticks too (the ones that ramblers use, not to aid walking). I don’t think I like them. Yesterday we met a lady with a walking stick like that and when she was swinging it (not very much) I got quite frightened. We stopped and spoke to the man with the sticks today and I was fine until he lifted one up – then I got very frightened again and had to hide behind Alex. I can’t remember, but maybe someone has done something nasty to me in the past with that kind of stick.

It wasn’t all bad though. We met one man, he was very kind. He didn’t have a dog but he stopped to talk to us. He even gave me a biscuit! His dog died two years ago but he still likes to walk where they used to go and always carries some dog biscuits in case he meets another dog. He was very nice – I hope we meet him again. There was a lady with two beagles too. One was a bit aggressive towards me, but I wasn’t too worried and I just stayed by Alex’s side.

Big lorries are a bit frightening too. When we walked back up the High Street there were loads of them and they were going very fast and they were very noisy. I didn’t like them very much. They were all the same too. I do see colours (contrary to popular belief) but not that many. Blue and yellow are OK, but red and green aren’t. These lorries were all blue and yellow. Alex says they are from a firm called Blockade, but he says they shouldn’t really be in the High Street so I don’t know why they were there. Anyway, it is something else I am going to have to learn not to be frightened of.

I forgot to mention, I had a lovely email from Mrs P yesterday. We haven’t met yet, but she sounds very nice and Alex and Richard both say she is. Fran and Iain also left a comment on my blog yesterday which was nice too. I like it when my friends are in touch. I’m a bit zonked now – I think I’ll lie down and push out a few Zs.

Alex had to go out this afternoon to get me some bits. Since I don’t much like the car (OK, I hate it, but I am hoping my trainer can teach me to like it) he couldn’t really take me with him and I don’t like being on my own. Actually, I don’t like being on my own so much that even if Alex or Richard just leaves the room I have to follow them. It is a bit like being afraid of the dark (which I’m not) but I’m afraid of being on my own. It was OK though – my new friend Zena came down and looked after me. We had a good time. We played quite a lot and I had a little sleep too, so that was nice. Alex came back with some antler (that’s for me to chew on) and some training treats (for tonight) and some carrots for me to eat! I like carrots but I’m a bit of a messy eater with them – they might have to be an outdoor treat!

So, tonight’s the night for my first training session … I am sooooooo excited! I don’t know what I’m going to learn first. Alex and Richard have a bit of a list of things they would like me to learn – how to lie down, how to walk nicely without pulling on a lead, how to stay, how to be OK on my own for a short while, how to like the car – it’s going to be such fun! Alex has to go out tomorrow … he says he has to do this thing called work, I don’t know what he is on about. Anyway, I’ve asked if my friend Zena will come and look after me for the afternoon and she’s said yes! Of course, there are lots of people who would look after me; Fran and Iain, Mrs P, Zena … even one of the people we met on a walk this morning offered to take me home! Alex has to go this place called London – I don’t know where that is, but it must be a long way because he is taking his car. Anyway, Zena and I will have so much fun and I’ll be able to chew on my antler. Anyway, better go and prepare for my first training session, it starts in less than an hour! Must paws …