tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60139464285114389862024-03-13T01:51:17.926+00:00Polly's ProgressSharing life, the great outdoors, family, fun and obedience training, with Polly, our beautiful Golden Retriever, since 2013. Also now, her younger sister Betty, baby brother Cooper... and family friends too!All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-46523042145787669002024-01-31T12:18:00.006+00:002024-02-09T11:10:38.361+00:00Breed Specific Legislation, thoughts..<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">Anyone who has read my posts previously, will understand how much importance I have always placed on training my dogs, to give them the opportunity to run freely and socialise safely and responsibly, so that they are able to enjoy their very best dog life. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">With that in mind, here are my thoughts on the new Government Breed Specific Legislation for 'XL Bully types' that came into force today...</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0alaulU2VumhvcDHxFqYSI9JNetNGr-aIDV7QXgqA6Xbae0Fqey8W3aNElD7fYKoGq130MY4qBH7pJlbE8kii8QO0gl-idAVvjat5SUpAl2d0N1CCebRWUwjMoY_iJWbucaAhyEZbWAWGx1bwz48JsXhiphkdOOPMQ8MAk5BVZIAAkew-x7KHfH6u8RU/s1908/IMG_20240103_161614_925.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="1908" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0alaulU2VumhvcDHxFqYSI9JNetNGr-aIDV7QXgqA6Xbae0Fqey8W3aNElD7fYKoGq130MY4qBH7pJlbE8kii8QO0gl-idAVvjat5SUpAl2d0N1CCebRWUwjMoY_iJWbucaAhyEZbWAWGx1bwz48JsXhiphkdOOPMQ8MAk5BVZIAAkew-x7KHfH6u8RU/s320/IMG_20240103_161614_925.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Cooper, Polly and Betty</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div class="post-text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4b687e; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="post-text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4b687e; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>We are </b></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">saddened to say that today our Government's ban on 'XL Bully types' came into force. </span></div><div class="post-text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4b687e; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div class="post-text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4b687e; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">As an owner of large dogs, I have een interested to learn more about what has been imposed on the owners of these dogs and am horrified by the Government's inhumane and clumsy legislation which makes a sweeping ban on thousands of dogs who have never put a paw wrong in life. I fear it is inevitable that many rescue centre XL bullies (or bully 'types', whatever that may mean) will be euthanised, or dumped by frightened or uncaring owners as a result of this legal ban, based solely on the appearance of a dog.</span></div><div class="post-text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4b687e; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Responsible owners of well behaved, obedience trained, XL bully 'type' dogs, are now legally obliged to muzzle their pets for life, neuter them and deny them any freedom to exercise properly, or socialise in public spaces, by keeping them on a short lead, stigmatising them and making them social lepers. Owners must also find almost £100 to register their loved dogs as 'dangerous' if they want to keep them safe from being snatched and destroyed by police, despite their dogs never have so much as growled at anyone. Tiny puppies must also be muzzled trained and kept under very secure conditions and these dogs will no longer be bred legally in the UK.</span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Legal exemption means owners may keep their loved family pets safe from euthanasia only if they have complied with the strictest of rules by today's date, however, their lives will forever be tightly restricted by doing so. No XL bully dogs may be rehomed or sold after today, meaning that if an owner dies for example, their dog must die too. Our Government has taken a decision that confuses and criminalises dog owners of this non-specific breed, based solely on their dog's appearance and a set of measurements, rather than on the dog's, or their owner's, behaviour. To me that feels very wrong. </span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Great Britain has always been proud of its reputation as a dog loving country and I find this new legislation utterly shameful. It does not address irresponsible dog ownership, it does not address irresponsible breeders. It does not educate, it does not train. It is a reactive piece of legislation, heavily led by media scare-mongering. </span><span style="font-weight: 700;">Out of control dogs can of course be dangerous and that must be addressed, but labelling every single dog of similar appearance as 'dangerous', simply because it measures similarly to a dog that has attacked, is as inadequate as labelling every human of a certain dress, or suit size a threat, simply because another human being of similar size has attacked someone.</span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">This breed specific legislation brought heartache and unnecessary stress to a huge number of caring, responsible pet owners and I personally feel it is a very sad day for all responsible dog owners. </span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></p><span style="background-color: #b7c8d4;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-24531880991830566352023-11-27T12:19:00.001+00:002024-01-31T12:20:02.486+00:00A new home for Cooper<p> <img alt="84bb10_7ffbba34aff7470d9908e716cef31e73~mv2" class="img-fluid post-photo" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84bb10_7ffbba34aff7470d9908e716cef31e73~mv2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: middle;" width="100%" /></p><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4b687e; font-family: syne, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 25px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">A NEW HOME FOR COOPER</h4><div class="post-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4b687e; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 22px;"><div class="post-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;">A year ago, my husband and I drove to meet a lovely young man and his five and a half month old puppy, miles away, in a muddy field. The previous week, I had been thoroughly vetted both over the phone and online by the man's wife and had agreed that if all went well between our golden retriever Betty and their puppy Cooper, we would be able to offer their boisterous puppy a new home.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The young family, despite loving their boy dearly, recognised early on they were unable to fully meet the needs of such a lively young pup and felt he deserved a home better suited to his needs. They had adopted the puppy of their dreams with the best of intentions, in the hope that they would be able to train their new puppy as a therapy dog for their children... but sadly, the reality of puppy ownership when combined with parenthood, had proved much tougher than they realised.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />We were smitten with Cooper at first sight and he was clearly excited to walk with us that first day, so we walked a circuit of the field together, letting the dogs find their way with one another. Halfway round, his owner invited my husband to take Cooper's lead and it was at that point I knew Cooper would definitely be coming home with us. We chatted and walked some more, then finalised details, put all his worldly belongings in the boot of our car and said a reluctant goodbye to his heartbroken owner, with both dogs safely fastened in the back seat of my car. Legal documents exchanged, we were now Cooper's legal owners... and as he walked away fighting back tears, it was clear to me his owner knew he had done the right thing by his young dog, despite it breaking his heart to let him go.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />We headed home in the car, with our new lad and Betty sharing my lap on the back seat. The plan was to introduce Polly before dinnertime and begin what has since proved, a full on year of hard work, fun, laughter, obedience training and puppy chaos. Integrating Cooper has of course, been a challenge at times, but he was such a sweet boy from the start and always so eager to learn, I never doubted he would grow into a super dog. He settled in that first night without a whimper, happily bedding down with Polly and Betty before falling fast asleep in our bedroom.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Cooper has come such a long way during the past twelve months. He has worked hard with me to master walking on the lead and to recall when called, we also worked hard to help him learn to share toys and keep his feet firmly on the floor while I prepared food. There was and still is, much to teach... training simply becomes a way of life for dedicated owners, it never really ends. We are currently working on walking smartly to heel both on and off lead, cementing his recall in ever more distracting environments and learning to settle when asked so that we can eat our tea on trays if we chose to, without a nosey doggy nose in the mix! Cooper learns fast and is doing really well. As a bouncy lad he still occasionally jumps up when excited but is much improved and despite being a big boisterous boy, he is great with my grandchildren and they adore him. I mustn't take all the credit for his training though! Cooper's manners became far more polished he watched the girls and our clever lad has learned much from his new sisters. Polly and Betty love their cheeky little brother and after close supervision and continued training, our two cats accepted our new addition and now clearly feel safe around him. Cooper, now eighteen months of age, has become an important and very much loved member of our family.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />If by some chance, Cooper's first owners ever read this post, I pray they see they chose his new owners well. We promised to do our best by Cooper when we adopted him and we promise to continue to do so forever. We are so grateful they trusted us with their beautiful puppy and hope they will be happy to hear about the progress he made with us over the past year. We understand how hard the decision was to rehome their puppy and would love them to know, they did the right thing in letting him join our family. Cooper is content, safe and above all, loved.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;">Yes, we love you Coops, mischief making, sock stealing and all!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Happy first gotcha day to you our sweet boy! ❤</div></div></div>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-91015356820397098812023-06-22T11:25:00.010+01:002023-06-22T11:42:52.627+01:00Life's a beach<p> <img alt="84bb10_ef82229725194a7e9b223ded9b06b7c6~mv2" class="img-fluid post-photo" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84bb10_ef82229725194a7e9b223ded9b06b7c6~mv2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: middle;" width="100%" /></p><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: fraunces, serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 25px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">I set aside my teddy bear maker's stuffing stick yesterday and instead, headed to the coast with my husband and our dogs. It was a special treat for young Cooper in particular as he had never visited a beach before. After an hour in the car, he was super excited to play, so after a very pully walk from the carpark to the beach, we took the plunge, unclipped his lead and let Polly and Betty show their little brother the ropes!</span></h4><div class="post-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 22px;"><div class="post-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><div style="font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigt_HqqQGDiCUbQ_lMYvUbwDJM0eK7NWnSMwaKfndZPDrDsb0SubR_XQC46vXomEHBnpbotLT5Qw55y7u0f8sn8MU2T79TM8gNP5DHKZW0sPG4C4NBbDi4MhNb8f169lOQ50i7zWA63vEcdTeZ_9J4Q3bme8aQwbAIwJaQE2ZbK13pKmh6sgQ2OelUa7U/s4096/P1090160.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2822" data-original-width="4096" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigt_HqqQGDiCUbQ_lMYvUbwDJM0eK7NWnSMwaKfndZPDrDsb0SubR_XQC46vXomEHBnpbotLT5Qw55y7u0f8sn8MU2T79TM8gNP5DHKZW0sPG4C4NBbDi4MhNb8f169lOQ50i7zWA63vEcdTeZ_9J4Q3bme8aQwbAIwJaQE2ZbK13pKmh6sgQ2OelUa7U/w400-h275/P1090160.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">They did a great job; Cooper was soon chasing happily with his big sisters, through gentle foamy waves along the shoreline, pulling out lengths of seaweed to sniff and generally having a whale of a time! By the time we left the beach our little mermaid Betty, had taught Cooper how to swim properly and they were both swimming side by side, with Betty shielding Cooper, clearly encouraging him back towards the safety of the shore whenever she felt he was drifting a little towards deeper waters.</div><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHtevh3BCT0Io0NvqoBr3D0Xk53AY4naY0-s1Wq7H9Fu_WVVVIUUNZUErbDvG2Llu2zme9gQFdCoRcHwmnQuuV4xh2iuKrTCj70jKvCF7z80fBRmOuuMqBU_msmRbXWS2nKPUcCQRH0wWsS2mfsHAgjYajb5WTxu7I6HxzBeWj2f7r0av11FuDx7E6w8/s4096/P1090190.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHtevh3BCT0Io0NvqoBr3D0Xk53AY4naY0-s1Wq7H9Fu_WVVVIUUNZUErbDvG2Llu2zme9gQFdCoRcHwmnQuuV4xh2iuKrTCj70jKvCF7z80fBRmOuuMqBU_msmRbXWS2nKPUcCQRH0wWsS2mfsHAgjYajb5WTxu7I6HxzBeWj2f7r0av11FuDx7E6w8/w400-h300/P1090190.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">It was such a joy watching all three dogs playing on the beach together and when it was time to head back, a quick peep on my whistle soon had three very soggy golden retrievers racing my way for a good shake (!) a piece of sausage and their leads back on. It was quite a warm day for a walk, about 25 degrees C, but regular dips in the sea along the trail ensured all dogs kept cool as we ambled along, enjoying a lovely sea breeze and the beautiful open scenery of <a href="http://visitreculver.com/" target="_blank">Reculver Country Park</a>.</div></span></div></div>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-12247009700581478102023-06-06T11:33:00.005+01:002023-06-14T10:48:20.618+01:00Happy 1st Birthday Cooper!<p> <img alt="84bb10_3545945b9d654436b274705c41e66bca~mv2" class="img-fluid post-photo" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84bb10_3545945b9d654436b274705c41e66bca~mv2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: middle;" width="100%" /></p><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i>We adopted Cooper six months ago, when a young family made the extremely tough decision that they wouldn't be able to give him the best start to life. With two young children, both of whom had learning challenges, they had underestimated the time and attention a new puppy requires and soon realised the timing to introduce an 8 week old puppy to their family, was not as ideal as they had first hoped.</i></span></span></h4><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i><br /></i></span></span></h4><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i>I was thoroughly interviewed over a period of a week to be Cooper's potential new mum, then my husband and I met the owner face-to-face for final consideration. We took Betty with us to smooth the doggy introductions and went for a walk with Cooper and his owner... and of course, the rest is history! After an emotional handover, Coops was bundled in our car and travelled home on the back seat, cuddling me and Betty.</i></span></span></h4><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i><br /></i></span></span></h4><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i>It wasn't all plain sailing at first; Cooper was a handful for the first couple of months while he settled in ... he was a very strong, large five and a half month old puppy and pulled like a steam train on the lead, was greedy with toys, chewed everything, jumped all over the furniture and to be frank, was also a bit of a bully with Betty and Polly. It was a natural response to what had been a huge upheaval for him, for the second time in his very young life.</i></span></span></h4><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i><br /></i></span></span></h4><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i>We took a few deep breaths, stayed calm and consistent, focussing on the areas of training we felt would help Cooper best. Gradually, our lad calmed and learned to understand us... and in just six months, has completely settled, now transformed into a beautiful, gentle, affectionate, fun lad, who adores his big sisters and they him. We are so happy we were chosen to be Cooper's forever family.</i></span></span></h4><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i><br /></i></span></span></h4><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i>Happy 1st Birthday to you dear Doops (not a typo, my nickname for him).</i></span></span></h4><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, book antiqua, palatino linotype, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: 400;"><i>We love you dearly and can't imagine life without you now!</i></span></span></h4>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-65664855308365142042023-05-18T11:34:00.009+01:002023-06-06T11:36:48.176+01:00Our Golden Family<p> <img alt="84bb10_53dca7111e464d0a90315aa61b90c905~mv2" class="img-fluid post-photo" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84bb10_53dca7111e464d0a90315aa61b90c905~mv2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: middle;" width="100%" /></p><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: fraunces, serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 25px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">With three golden retrievers who soak up mud like sponges, I don't mind admitting that I am delighted we have at last exited the wettest of Winters and entered Spring... Winter was such hard work.</span></h4><div class="post-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 22px;"><div class="post-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Little Cooper (right) is no longer little, in fact he grew like a mushroom through the Winter months and is now easily as tall as Betty (left)... I don't think it will be long before he overtakes both my girls. Since adopting him last November, he has settled happily into life with his two older sisters, teaching them both how to play like puppies again, even ten year old Polly! He is a cheeky lad, full of fun and mischief, but very loving and typical of most goldens, very eager to please. He is learning his manners and verbal cues well... although some of his puppy eagerness occasionally causes him to forget reign in his puppy excitement... but all in all, our lad is maturing beautifully and we have completely fallen in love with him.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Adopting a new pup created a few challenges along the way...mastering the three-dog-lead-walk took a while to establish but all now walk very politely together for me, which makes life so much easier. Teaching Cooper to recall safely was very important for his safety off-lead so I worked hard on achieving a solid response from him. However, it didn't occur to me that my previously well trained Betty might decide to push a few recall boundaries of her own as a reaction to having a new brother... dog training never ceases to throw up fresh challenges, no matter how much time and effort is put into it over the years!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Although Cooper and I joined a 'real life' training class, I soon came to the conclusion that it wasn't suitable for Cooper because it over stimulated him to the point of him being completely unable to calm himself enough to focus, so after several sessions, we withdrew from the group in favour of continuuing his training independently, which has proved to be the best decision for Cooper. He is now settled, working hard and enjoying his walks again.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Coops has also become firm friends with Stan, our cat... it took a while for them to sort themselves out because cats and dogs speak very different languages, but with time and close supervision, they worked out their differences and can now even be found curled up together on my bed from time to time... (despite my 'no dogs on beds' rule!)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I am sure many folk think I must be mad to own three dogs and two cats and they may have a point (!) ... but we love them all dearly and are very grateful for all the fun and love they so unconditionally share with us. </div></div>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-82683588001702916912023-05-15T11:32:00.002+01:002023-06-14T11:34:30.088+01:00Happy 8th Birthday Betty!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAa2stvatpueI7pMrKGT5KDOKThtmSbcNt2Vd2ddUyW3AZMGA2pC9ymhe3R0NK9a0ZMfGcQeDuH4O-WTxX3CWu4UhROao0gtpfvXIGh_GOGvndcKzgr4EPXnxURhk2LXdOqRTAJjtwSZjY6kVt6L2J3NpitlYiDF1YonNbACgK0sNZlHuI4Dy_aUlD/s2027/20230525_145831%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2027" data-original-width="1225" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAa2stvatpueI7pMrKGT5KDOKThtmSbcNt2Vd2ddUyW3AZMGA2pC9ymhe3R0NK9a0ZMfGcQeDuH4O-WTxX3CWu4UhROao0gtpfvXIGh_GOGvndcKzgr4EPXnxURhk2LXdOqRTAJjtwSZjY6kVt6L2J3NpitlYiDF1YonNbACgK0sNZlHuI4Dy_aUlD/w386-h640/20230525_145831%201.jpg" width="386" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Betty, aged 8.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;">I remember introducing Betty on this blog as a brand new puppy back in 2015</span></b><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"> and here we are, eight years on, wishing her a very Happy 8th Birthday... Time flies!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;">Betty has always been the sweetest natured of dogs, she is a gentle, loyal dog, whose biggest pleasure in life is to run like the wind. She is happiest in a huge field, bouncing through long grass like Tigger, so when her cruciate ligament first failed her back in 2020 and she became so lame she couldn't walk, I feared for her future. There was no option other than major surgery for Betty, so we placed our trust in her vet and as mentioned in earlier posts, agreed to TPLO surgery ... a surgery which involves sawing through the bone in her leg, then reconnecting it with some very clever metalwork. The recovery process is extremely painful and a careful programme of rehabilitation has to be implemented for months after surgery. Betty went through the entire process without complaint, patiently trusting us to help her regain use of her leg... it was a challenging process because she also developed an infection and had to be admitted back to doggy hospital for an extra few days as an emergency patient, but thankfully with great care from her vet and his team, she was soon back on the road to recovery. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;">We were warned that the potential for second hind leg failure is high and sadly, found ourselves back at the specialist vet just three months after being successfully signed off from Betty's first surgery. All in all, Betty's full recovery from both surgeries, aged six, took about a year of careful rehabilitation, while we helped her to rebuild the strength and muscle wastage in both back legs. However, I am happy to say, that since then, there has been no looking back for our sweet girl and she is now back to running through fields of long grass, at full bounce!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;">I think it is fair to say that Betty's biggest challenge last year, was Cooper. She accepted him happily when we first adopted him, but soon found his youthful exhuberance, strength and puppy greed, completely overwhelming. Betty always loved to play with toys but Cooper decided that to establish his place in our family, he would claim all toys, bones and beds from poor Betty, bullying her like a naughty brother. Betty is such a gentle girl that she withdrew and unlike Polly, who is a far more determined, no-nonsense type of personality, Betty wouldn't stand her ground with him. There was no aggression in either dog fortunately, so I could see that with careful and consistent training we would be able to teach Cooper not to dominate Betty and happily, six months on, Betty and Cooper are now firm friends who love to bounce through the grass together. Cooper is learning to wait patiently for Betty to finish with bones and toys before taking them and Betty will now invite Cooper to play with her and share toys. It has been a challenge, but definitely one worth committing too. They love to run together and play together now ... I have even caught them sharing gentle kisses together on occasion!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;">Betty may be eight, but she still plays like a big daft puppy. Her surgeries gave her back her freedom to enjoy being a dog and also her future, as I am sure they helped save her life. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;">Betty is a very special girl who truly deserves her Happy 8th Birthday.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;">We love you so much Bets, keep on running! xxx</span></b></div><p></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-3038051719014650462023-03-24T10:17:00.004+00:002023-03-24T10:20:06.295+00:00Settling in<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl-GNcD8Pwz_kGPHbhesOjb4ADSaqzTm9S7wkVqY82MP0nJNCYuuFdidPiPZHITdSIXR0-_J5vrQ289faOjSWHbjp6-uADnDn6P7HREBj8Fmg5ockyIju3PWvDnRqiAz7MCXrPUlTRrI3WUFOpAnIj9NBqz4X8MclEcvzPBpGKzSV_ldp2N3IReXd/s1721/IMG_20230323_202226_713.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1721" data-original-width="1721" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl-GNcD8Pwz_kGPHbhesOjb4ADSaqzTm9S7wkVqY82MP0nJNCYuuFdidPiPZHITdSIXR0-_J5vrQ289faOjSWHbjp6-uADnDn6P7HREBj8Fmg5ockyIju3PWvDnRqiAz7MCXrPUlTRrI3WUFOpAnIj9NBqz4X8MclEcvzPBpGKzSV_ldp2N3IReXd/w400-h400/IMG_20230323_202226_713.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Cooper (left) Betty and Polly</i></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="background-color: white;">In just four months since his arrival, Cooper, now aged 10 months, has made a huge amount progress. Our three dogs now accept one another fully, take turns, respect food bowls, sleep and play nicely together. They also walk pretty well on leads as a group and Cooper has just about mastered a loose lead.. (unless he is very excited, in which case he pulls like a tram but those times are becoming fewer thankfully.) I use head harnesses on our group walks</span></b></span><b style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">, which when used properly, are a tremendous help. In fact, we can't be doing too badly because one of my neighbours stopped us a couple of weeks ago and asked to take the photo below as she said the dogs looked fabulous! </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXst3EviYZh4IltElKwnFzGAQrTwCuF8xYcE5yl0dr_p9dCI16jc5x8ceZQ1FdwvBUzYt5ylgnukepU4xyhX9VmtJsfmo-1twq1TTTX5Cv5Nn-apmhca6aOOvy_5i_DQSnRmTHGUUdfr3JnAmtG7-pFq1FHYVqb35s1f1nrWMxjBdO6yc8kp0y38kx/s2945/20230221_121342.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2561" data-original-width="2945" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXst3EviYZh4IltElKwnFzGAQrTwCuF8xYcE5yl0dr_p9dCI16jc5x8ceZQ1FdwvBUzYt5ylgnukepU4xyhX9VmtJsfmo-1twq1TTTX5Cv5Nn-apmhca6aOOvy_5i_DQSnRmTHGUUdfr3JnAmtG7-pFq1FHYVqb35s1f1nrWMxjBdO6yc8kp0y38kx/w400-h348/20230221_121342.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: arial;"><i>Lead walks</i></span></div><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: transparent;">We also started 'Real Life' dog training classes recently, so hopefully, they will help me continue to refine Cooper's lead manners and he will enjoy meeting a range of other dogs, in interesting environments.</b></div></b></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GKkDi0V71QGcT8Sz3meZiZ2dD8oka7DgVBW2qmPCEhq2Fv0N6Sd9vmDp8qPKn0LngkAg8yQYx6Xd21x1j2a2c4F5Pr_h6WYDx-kX6ClSu9_2c_Y1RSFCHfCsFIvbhoJwqb15VwzDNPuC4UuXNAj7EjGeWnPsDYL4ainJHePVQ81wSWg2uLkut0yK/s1819/20230316_115017.jpg" style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1819" data-original-width="1261" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GKkDi0V71QGcT8Sz3meZiZ2dD8oka7DgVBW2qmPCEhq2Fv0N6Sd9vmDp8qPKn0LngkAg8yQYx6Xd21x1j2a2c4F5Pr_h6WYDx-kX6ClSu9_2c_Y1RSFCHfCsFIvbhoJwqb15VwzDNPuC4UuXNAj7EjGeWnPsDYL4ainJHePVQ81wSWg2uLkut0yK/w278-h400/20230316_115017.jpg" width="278" /></a><br /><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Real Life training</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">When we first rehomed Coops, I don't mind admitting it was impossible to walk all three dogs together because Cooper's pulling on the lead was so extreme but after battling on (using head harness and starting with tiny group lead walks, then building up time and distance gradually), we are now able to enjoy daily local walks as a family. Walking three dogs together has been a steep learning curve for me too! Coop's recall is progressing well, although like most goldens, he is super sociable so off lead recall from dog distraction can be a challenge but the best thing is, he now enjoys off lead fun every day and knows to come back to me when I whistle. </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtk5ZAJ7vAkzjfOAh0HwHU7uEcZTi13t6BdoTur_C-e8UmQVK132cQDQP6Wa5kfIh1FmtUKRvPIBpKfllOeqR63J5mUrftfl7y6nV2MwxpORWh6yTcNKChe_-bZ7favDC90H886Ma5syXmugVemGblJ9PTWFHWpC7CS0Tstl5_DoMuCDykp8iSm2cy/s1826/20230313_094448.jpg" style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1826" data-original-width="1344" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtk5ZAJ7vAkzjfOAh0HwHU7uEcZTi13t6BdoTur_C-e8UmQVK132cQDQP6Wa5kfIh1FmtUKRvPIBpKfllOeqR63J5mUrftfl7y6nV2MwxpORWh6yTcNKChe_-bZ7favDC90H886Ma5syXmugVemGblJ9PTWFHWpC7CS0Tstl5_DoMuCDykp8iSm2cy/s320/20230313_094448.jpg" width="236" /></a><br /><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Free running</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="background-color: white;">At home Coops is a big character and loves his cuddles. He understands much of what I say and learns fast. He responds very well to positive redirection and as he still likes to steal stuff (lingerie, slippers, knitting!) and to chance his luck sometimes with counter surfing etc, plenty of redirection is still necessary! After a shaky start, Cooper and Stan (cat) have recently become friends and seem to enjoy hanging out together. Cooper is learning to restrain his exhuberance with Stan and Stan is very grateful for that! Naturally, I still keep them under close supervision.</span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgL-84Zdm03eYZuRJc9l421E0D7vA2Umw-LcoKh944KWwwKSc9T5GcVwuZF_qx8xUx5aV3rRUyCZIRqoQZ1_BQT9OLgIm-X08Ca6bTvpmdEqWWR8rNtUagcQMixs7fJv287gbWPWERJPd1P7JiW4yMYj5M4goaxEliRgnhOx0VJKZWBZK2pmEQyk8/s1908/IMG_20230318_090559_463.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="1908" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgL-84Zdm03eYZuRJc9l421E0D7vA2Umw-LcoKh944KWwwKSc9T5GcVwuZF_qx8xUx5aV3rRUyCZIRqoQZ1_BQT9OLgIm-X08Ca6bTvpmdEqWWR8rNtUagcQMixs7fJv287gbWPWERJPd1P7JiW4yMYj5M4goaxEliRgnhOx0VJKZWBZK2pmEQyk8/s320/IMG_20230318_090559_463.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Making friends with Stan</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">Introducing a lively young golden has been far from easy... but four months of hard work, patience and determination have paid off. Our lad Coops is a fab fun dog and has settled in with us beautifully. We feel as though he has always been part of our family and despite the chaos, we love him to bits!</span></b></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-19823421982725796132023-03-07T11:49:00.001+00:002023-06-14T12:42:38.546+01:00Happy 10th Birthday Polly!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsUY74EtsH6d17EQ-FTkqUdoVNP8M8LdEsqnxbu568rKuiv9DX7E7EfJWrqeia1uUxfgIMpvkgb0LXeXnVS9RrxwhgzLt-Y1dA8CpyVz2YpJ5Zz5l5dPOsyUCTqPYD37VCn1F_kNKGFX1yXjxKKdkI4iUgpMn6dxT1tPUoQl-sgAlPxTIpd4p-yZu/s4864/P1330962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4864" data-original-width="3648" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsUY74EtsH6d17EQ-FTkqUdoVNP8M8LdEsqnxbu568rKuiv9DX7E7EfJWrqeia1uUxfgIMpvkgb0LXeXnVS9RrxwhgzLt-Y1dA8CpyVz2YpJ5Zz5l5dPOsyUCTqPYD37VCn1F_kNKGFX1yXjxKKdkI4iUgpMn6dxT1tPUoQl-sgAlPxTIpd4p-yZu/w480-h640/P1330962.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Polly, aged 10</i></div><p></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia;">It hardly seems possible that I have been writing this blog for ten years now! </b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>I first put virtual pen to keyboard, when we brought Polly home from the breeder, at seven weeks of age, a chunky bundle of palest golden fur, a puppy girl eager to explore her new world... our home. I wanted to record her progress and order my thoughts relating to what was to become our training journey and to share that journey with other new owners. It had been many years since I last adopted a puppy, so it was important to me to learn how to give Polly the opportunity to become her best doggy self and for me to become a good dog handler. In truth, I knew very little about dog training when Polly first came to us, but I was determined to learn. I joined a training class when she was about six months old, read a stack of books... and so began our lifelong partnership.</b></span></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia;">I have often written about my 'bossy big bird' and so she is, a big Golden, with a beautiful dense coat. She is a proud showgirl, a head turner, a sturdy girl, who always makes me feel protected on walks. Now that she is ten years old, Polly is content to plod gently through the fields with me, less compelled than she once was, to run at Ferrari speed, like her namesake Dad, Xanthos Ferrari. Polly is settled, solid, comfortable and confident. She is a fabulous girl and at ten, still young at heart, playing daily with young Cooper and enjoying her crazy zoomies, like a puppy herself. She loves having the inside of her ears gently stroked and cheese... she really loves cheese!</b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Over the years, Polly has often led me a merry dance on walks but has also taught me so much. She has been the best dog training teacher</b></span><b style="font-family: georgia;"> I could ever have hoped for, never failing to show me clearly what works for her and what doesn't. She is a clever, loyal, determined girl, the matriach of my doggy family. Those Polly accepts and respects, will be her best friends for life, she knows who she is and expects others to understand that too. I love her sense of self, her sturdy countenance and her heart of pure gold, I loved her puppy daftness and if possible, I love her golden maturity even more. Yes, she barks, yes, she occasionally dislikes other dogs, but Polly is quite simply, my pride and my joy. She really is the best friend a girl could ever have.</b></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia;">Ten is an age to celebrate, a decade shared together, each and every single day. A decade of learning about one another and a decade of enjoying time with one another. Ten is also a benchmark age, a transition between taking each day for granted and a growing awareness that old age may not be as far away as once it was... </b></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia;">Polly and I plan to continue playing, eating cheese, enjoying our walks and sharing our friendship well into the future and if our walks gradually become a little shorter as the years pass, well that's okay. Life is for living and living in the here and now, whatever the pace.</b></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia;">Happy 10th Birthday to my Big Bossy Bird, </b></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia;">I love you so very much Polls. xxx </b></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-4349383087180926752023-01-17T10:36:00.002+00:002023-01-17T10:38:14.430+00:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEn6nxhfJCr4bvQKWpqMXlu2uJ8jFs08A8G7bt5tMTqu-LoK_dSqkQLOOFinK6uk-tMHmsD2P1FRtuI2b6KYuV63vh4wGgVDyZcFJVU-HypI682rcUx-jlZhj2wJa3gFjdIVlmFVuIBMqzrSboknx0KrdsWBiGm75c3l516ySTzVAnavV5skeGjYfK/s4377/P1320877.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4377" data-original-width="2918" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEn6nxhfJCr4bvQKWpqMXlu2uJ8jFs08A8G7bt5tMTqu-LoK_dSqkQLOOFinK6uk-tMHmsD2P1FRtuI2b6KYuV63vh4wGgVDyZcFJVU-HypI682rcUx-jlZhj2wJa3gFjdIVlmFVuIBMqzrSboknx0KrdsWBiGm75c3l516ySTzVAnavV5skeGjYfK/w426-h640/P1320877.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">A little Cooper update... he is seven months old, has been with us for 7 weeks now and is growing like a mushroom! </span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">He's a lovely clever boy, gentle and learns fast. He has recently started dog school, which is going well. He and Polly (aged almost 10) play all day long (when they aren't napping together) so Betty has become a little bit of a spare wheel (poor Bets!) but she is coming round to her baby brother slowly ... they were caught exchanging gentle kisses yesterday, so I </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a style="cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">know they will be fine in the long run. </span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Bets has definitely had her doggy nose put out of joint and as she has such a gentle, nature, she won't challenge Cooper for time with Polly, or her toys, so I have had to do lots of work to teach Cooper to share ... he is understanding more and getting much better and loves to run with Betty (Polly prefers to plod) so they are bonding, but it is a gradual process. Lead walking three dogs has been hard work but after seven weeks of graft, we now have it looking pretty tidy and thanks to a waist belt and a longer lead for Polly to walk on the outside, we can at last walk from A to B in a straight line!</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">In the seven weeks he has lived with us Cooper has made new friends, been on lots of walks, mastered a good solid recall and visited his new vet. He has learned not to frighten our cats and is learning to take turns with Polly and Betty for treats and play... and he is slowly learning not to jump up. He has learned to wait at the door until he is invited outside and is starting to walk without pulling on the lead - that will take a while to cement.. he waits beautifully at kerbs until invited to cross roads and has mastered how to walk up and down steps with me safely. We are working on eliminating counter surfing and that is coming along nicely now after a challenging start! He no longer jumps on me in bed.. and instead now politely puts himself back to bed after his early morning walk with my husband. (Horaay!)</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">There is plenty still to teach but Cooper has worked hard and made a really great start to life with us!</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1LLnaeXSxXm-ckUpTC6VTLZXGWTJMXmMZxWDiPXKJvC6SAUMzjtcnMR-yrbX8sRMW6zHQwsaTl9aLxrE1xWm7HLC23_QS0QLq2QUYIegjVbQHiu2xPObjI-0iH5HNC7Z0u55_tiV-vQWUwXcAaRLdbjfX11YZBz2aTq5rbX2bXLnusXkWfCmyLXt/s2358/20221224_153536.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2358" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1LLnaeXSxXm-ckUpTC6VTLZXGWTJMXmMZxWDiPXKJvC6SAUMzjtcnMR-yrbX8sRMW6zHQwsaTl9aLxrE1xWm7HLC23_QS0QLq2QUYIegjVbQHiu2xPObjI-0iH5HNC7Z0u55_tiV-vQWUwXcAaRLdbjfX11YZBz2aTq5rbX2bXLnusXkWfCmyLXt/s320/20221224_153536.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: georgia;"><i>PS: Don't let anyone convince you having three goldens is no more difficult than two ... so not true! </i></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: georgia;"><i>Think three times more mud, more chaos, more expense, more space on pavements required, less space in car... and definitely at least three times more owner energy needed! </i></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: georgia;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: georgia;"><i>Three goldens are a significant commitment.</i></span></b></span></div><i><span style="color: #e06666;"> </span></i><p></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-70107576505940161632022-12-01T12:14:00.004+00:002022-12-01T12:15:22.956+00:00Oops, we did it again!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdU_F8bIZfUL2J7cpGz4uAAjv7ScbPB6plZT9SHoaH0LsXOg6tORyTmohyVKKJTNA9ew6mwsnb882L9bMq0v6pKoEYirhWAsVqHUjw02f23r75YCN4C2M_jum_z9aMai0bvCNdqMLjWBd_IB4_OpsbZQZNqnLp4M5wh-ONk1HB41gvJoawzHZGkDZ7/s4168/P1320334.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3647" data-original-width="4168" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdU_F8bIZfUL2J7cpGz4uAAjv7ScbPB6plZT9SHoaH0LsXOg6tORyTmohyVKKJTNA9ew6mwsnb882L9bMq0v6pKoEYirhWAsVqHUjw02f23r75YCN4C2M_jum_z9aMai0bvCNdqMLjWBd_IB4_OpsbZQZNqnLp4M5wh-ONk1HB41gvJoawzHZGkDZ7/w400-h350/P1320334.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b>Meet Cooper, our latest family member. </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Yes, we did it again!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b>Sometimes, after serious and prolonged consideration, there is a moment in time when all the stars align and the puzzle pieces slot most perfectly into place... and for us, that time occurred last weekend.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b>We had been thinking about whether we could offer a home to one more golden puppy before time and energy required would become too demanding. With our sixtieth birthdays on the horizon and it being nine years since we adopted Polly and seven years since Betty came home, we were aware our puppy clock was ticking. The tick became louder and louder as the months of 2022 tocked by and we watched so many sad faces online, many of them unwanted post lockdown pups, unsold litters and strays... all carrying the saddest of tales deep inside them. It was heartbreaking to see and weighed heavily on my mind.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b>The plight of Britain's rescues is overwhelming this year. So many puppies were adopted during the pandemic lockdowns and have since been discarded when owners realised they hadn't planned far enough into the future for their puppies. Rescues have always tried to rehome strays of course, but after the pandemic, the world has been in turmoil for humans which of course, has had an immense impact on domestic dogs. We were close to visiting a canine rescue centre recently when I spotted a private advertisement and everything fell into place for us...</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIbH-SMgZvLMZGZAXKR0fKslpMxY73-0LDfhxk5Ny-eBIt9E06G5Y-5sDyQE1XT5pw_31j4sgZsYxMp8w2bG3_8HIxjCEEskoGNTPpxWImIBeBdRzgATxvYKsrGlyjZ7-1KiFF0N5ac3EtGzlf9A9C5F_OfxszxsoSPL6l_4cikryd3DYjXp_83A6/s2524/20221126_125426.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2524" data-original-width="1850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIbH-SMgZvLMZGZAXKR0fKslpMxY73-0LDfhxk5Ny-eBIt9E06G5Y-5sDyQE1XT5pw_31j4sgZsYxMp8w2bG3_8HIxjCEEskoGNTPpxWImIBeBdRzgATxvYKsrGlyjZ7-1KiFF0N5ac3EtGzlf9A9C5F_OfxszxsoSPL6l_4cikryd3DYjXp_83A6/s320/20221126_125426.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">We knew what taking on a rescue would have entailed as we have been heavily involved with my daughter's Ukrainian rescue and her rehabilitation over the past year. It has been an intensive process to provide Olive with a sense of trust, security and well-being and thankfully, she is now living her best life in the countryside with my daughter. Polly and Betty have been superstars with Olive from the start and we didn't doubt they would be so again, but Polly's advancing years also needed fair consideration in our own process, so after much thought, we ruled out adopting a rescue dog as we felt it wouldn't have been right for us all as a family at this point in our life.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2OUXgJhWKm-8YOflDixRar7mvYguSywvGOEnFyLxwCVb4AHu-e-qvzF3oTURpoJlslQFo5xcFAICsJ1Tda8FM_YwMNelyrC8E79X_xZmw2DHu-MvOjiJtR6PiHzFUxStGZvZnx08PE5Tv6wmb40qknKYYPooGxyVQDBLKRLKQAy7wxzQTXX7yJz7/s4535/P1320325.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4535" data-original-width="3648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2OUXgJhWKm-8YOflDixRar7mvYguSywvGOEnFyLxwCVb4AHu-e-qvzF3oTURpoJlslQFo5xcFAICsJ1Tda8FM_YwMNelyrC8E79X_xZmw2DHu-MvOjiJtR6PiHzFUxStGZvZnx08PE5Tv6wmb40qknKYYPooGxyVQDBLKRLKQAy7wxzQTXX7yJz7/s320/P1320325.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Five month old Cooper wasn't a rescue, in fact he was very much loved and wanted by his owners but sadly, they had a young family with very specific needs and the puppy adoption they carefully planned for, simply wasn't living up to the dream they had hoped for. After recognising their new pup's needs, as well as the needs of their children, they made the toughest of decisions, to find Cooper the very best of homes and provide him with the life he needed rather than compromise his future. To cut a long story short, my husband and I were selected to talk further with them and after a very thorough exchange of information, which took several days to complete, we were invited to meet Cooper... then by tea time that day, we were home again and introducing Polly and Betty to their new brother!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b>It has been a whirlwind of a week. The girls have been as amazing as I knew they would and Cooper settled in with them straightaway, thrilled to have two new playmates. There have been a few challenges of course ... to start with, it has been seven years since Betty was a puppy and I had almost forgotten how exhausting new parenthood is, which of course, is why I didn't want to put off a new addition for too much longer. Cooper is a lovely gentle boy most of the time but like all pups coming into adolescence, he has a couple of wild times each day, usually after eating. As he has been an only dog during since leaving his littermates, he hasn't yet learned to properly regulate his play behaviours and can be quite a handful for Polly and Betty on occasion as he is a big strong pup ... almost as big as Betty already! However, they are coping pretty well overall. </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYgRuLqBUfHa7k_ffNgj6imCOWM3_-t0o9mutkxepDz6tKH20Zo0fxGFOp618eP29OXkEBGoptstdlkKNOrHBBDlFPVNUbblfFF51jVllD1Da12UB2G3NLu8kUSkWzzwZO6mV6j7D_lrSIMz2xV0lM1q4FBlC1SGkGJ5vxjVJx4jmNLgjbrn7XCG7/s3731/20221129_115037.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3731" data-original-width="1908" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYgRuLqBUfHa7k_ffNgj6imCOWM3_-t0o9mutkxepDz6tKH20Zo0fxGFOp618eP29OXkEBGoptstdlkKNOrHBBDlFPVNUbblfFF51jVllD1Da12UB2G3NLu8kUSkWzzwZO6mV6j7D_lrSIMz2xV0lM1q4FBlC1SGkGJ5vxjVJx4jmNLgjbrn7XCG7/s320/20221129_115037.jpg" width="164" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Polly plays enthusiastically with Cooper despite her age and has put him in his place a couple of times but my Betty is more sensitive and at the moment, takes cover by my side whenever Cooper is at his most puppy wild. She is definitely a little more wary and capitulates to him over toys, bones, time with me etc. I am sure her confidence will return with a little encouragement, so am giving her extra praise, fuss and time with me. After just a few days and implementing a couple of firm 'time outs', Cooper does show signs of regulating his own excitement levels, so I am confident he will soon learn to play more politely, as he is a clever boy. He is also excited by toys and bones, preferring to gather them to himself and stealing them from Betty.. there is no aggression in it, just playfulness but of course, it is frustrating for Betty as she too enjoys play with toys and isn't the kind of dog to challenge, so I have been using a clicker to teach turn taking with all three dogs and that looks promising already.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b>The other main challenge to overcome with this gorgeous new pup will be lead walking three dogs together. Never trust anyone who tells you it is as easy to walk three as it is to walk two ... oh no it isn't! I gave it a go earlier in the week and despite Polly and Betty being well trained to walk to heel, it was very hard work with a pup who hasn't yet been. So, back to basics! I will be booking training classes so Coops and I can focus on this together. I will also walk him separately at times, or with just one of the girls for the time being. A little mix and match with walks should work well and will also give Polly and Betty an opportunity to continue with their pre exisiting routine together on some days, which I think will be important for them. I think they are entitled to a puppy break now and again. Fortunately Cooper seems to enjoy an evening walk, so on some days, we can all walk together in the dark, when I have a spare of hands to take some of the weight off my hands.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4Jk64WlrvlzVGOEOkaI1OOQd4gcrvk71x6nwz1Ad6H72GViOKi-i1ywSA4BVl2UYAPpApwatf6u3khgmizSiZbZfIApB6AHpxPNz_ZZXu8nPo4ZVTfCT_oulXevG89fYulL4aDJt2DU_IMfg83qlyGa-jGFp4zFursVs9mJoLogSF4WfDyBe5lNk/s3805/20221127_082646.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3805" data-original-width="1908" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4Jk64WlrvlzVGOEOkaI1OOQd4gcrvk71x6nwz1Ad6H72GViOKi-i1ywSA4BVl2UYAPpApwatf6u3khgmizSiZbZfIApB6AHpxPNz_ZZXu8nPo4ZVTfCT_oulXevG89fYulL4aDJt2DU_IMfg83qlyGa-jGFp4zFursVs9mJoLogSF4WfDyBe5lNk/s320/20221127_082646.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><b>On the plus side, we are fortunate that Cooper has already been housetrained and will ask to go outside to toilet. He also came with a pre-programmed sit, which is rather lovely to see and sleeps through the night. After some long line training at our local park this week, he is already beginning to grasp a whistle recall too and is learning to 'drop' toys on request, eat at his own bowl while the girls eat at theirs and not pester the cats... all good building blocks for his future training.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b>Adopting Cooper is a significant transition for us all at this stage, but it is also a complete joy to share our lives with this lively, funny, clever, golden puppy. I will be dusting off my old puppy training skills in the hope I can help Cooper become a credit to his big sisters over the months and years ahead...should be great fun!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><b>Welcome home Cooper!</b></span></div><p></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-69338629852833344602022-11-21T13:01:00.010+00:002022-11-21T13:07:51.419+00:00Remembrance Day 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZSINvJXEkjEQuPbVk3UEgb1ZKvJPxOj81RpCosmkd1zSpDQJ4F5Gqd-rQ7Ce3Z58pacLYxc7pfcbgvRaXWgeLU5aWJZjv2JyGSur0hNrrZrbm2_8RRQKo7vQpFoA1COgf8WRiMwZsyUQwJ2eaCZkgaE8ayC13W7SyKKs_dgBWJ_REEqYiX_OKm0k/s2187/20221113_0046.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1640" data-original-width="2187" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZSINvJXEkjEQuPbVk3UEgb1ZKvJPxOj81RpCosmkd1zSpDQJ4F5Gqd-rQ7Ce3Z58pacLYxc7pfcbgvRaXWgeLU5aWJZjv2JyGSur0hNrrZrbm2_8RRQKo7vQpFoA1COgf8WRiMwZsyUQwJ2eaCZkgaE8ayC13W7SyKKs_dgBWJ_REEqYiX_OKm0k/s320/20221113_0046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">We like to take a walk into town to pay our respects on Remembrance Sunday each year and of course, Polly and Betty come with us. After their many town training sessions over the years, they are well qualified to cope with dense crowds, a military parade and brass bands. They sit politely through the public Service of Remembrance, maintaining the minute's silence at the War Memorial at 11am, before we head off for a nice walk along the river and if we are lucky, a hot sausage butty from the burger bar in the local DIY store's car park where they are permitted their own freshly cooked sausage as a special treat.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeRP4Md_wKP8wJGl4EM56H3FwA0Jgdv0gUQz837DGUKKuPCWaAYOuMwfpKAlsUHkwqciizmfv0KraN20ckhnpQ6pOqMXqJIxRZaNAY0ItDRzACNoXjTQhOM5QXqjpmqVo2tfnmL8zrpl8J_YIEsxVI_dYdIG46FffZaY0UjpD1zn9NWbPMaAyqh5L/s4416/20221113_0064.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2902" data-original-width="4416" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpeRP4Md_wKP8wJGl4EM56H3FwA0Jgdv0gUQz837DGUKKuPCWaAYOuMwfpKAlsUHkwqciizmfv0KraN20ckhnpQ6pOqMXqJIxRZaNAY0ItDRzACNoXjTQhOM5QXqjpmqVo2tfnmL8zrpl8J_YIEsxVI_dYdIG46FffZaY0UjpD1zn9NWbPMaAyqh5L/s320/20221113_0064.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">It is a big ask for any dog to cope confidently in such a noisy, crowded events but Polly and Betty always make us proud. One of our trainers, lovely Sam Grice of <a href="http://www.dogbs.co.uk/index.php" target="_blank">Dog Behavioural Services</a>, used to train her groups of dog owners on walks through the town. Sam was once a trainer for Guide Dogs for the Blind and so her training was based on being able to walk dogs in all situations, in all places. It has proved invaluable to us over the years and means we are able to take our dogs almost anywhere, safe in the knowledge they understand what is required of them and will cope in challenging public situations with confidence and polite manners.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsj5l5CZjUtoqBs5KHhsYUPpRXj63I83pYNF47lTl6nYtW_qbgz9jF3jcAKVeG8xGTXxIa7b5ENdoiVmi8HKOi9jgCok6z93Te_jemgK96MaIfjtYmb2fwbJe59KJNiA5U8qf1lriowvIm25UexcocWN0cSXCMEsG6TvbmJZYohrtUPOODxBXNqqDq/s4028/20221113_0048.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3430" data-original-width="4028" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsj5l5CZjUtoqBs5KHhsYUPpRXj63I83pYNF47lTl6nYtW_qbgz9jF3jcAKVeG8xGTXxIa7b5ENdoiVmi8HKOi9jgCok6z93Te_jemgK96MaIfjtYmb2fwbJe59KJNiA5U8qf1lriowvIm25UexcocWN0cSXCMEsG6TvbmJZYohrtUPOODxBXNqqDq/s320/20221113_0048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDs0JaLf4AaLjzJmEalOzRkY94hsuxaAvAPENugtwl9ThPwDBcNl_sfL_L_m9-TcbrMDQM1zJauHKxQBqdZ306eT8f4-3Rmt0T4g2pHDzEG-GoxhfJXV1AQJCz0WSOLftGnPxaZ0xw20N1smBB7-NQpk-4dpqnW5iJHa5P7VBj5Vm04W-LfX_qB0Pf/s5025/20221113_0066%20(1).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5025" data-original-width="3769" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDs0JaLf4AaLjzJmEalOzRkY94hsuxaAvAPENugtwl9ThPwDBcNl_sfL_L_m9-TcbrMDQM1zJauHKxQBqdZ306eT8f4-3Rmt0T4g2pHDzEG-GoxhfJXV1AQJCz0WSOLftGnPxaZ0xw20N1smBB7-NQpk-4dpqnW5iJHa5P7VBj5Vm04W-LfX_qB0Pf/s320/20221113_0066%20(1).JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Needless to say, after the long lead walk into town, a Remembrance Day parade, a religious service AND a long walk backup the road towards home, the girls are usually ready to shake off their leads and their best behaviour! As a thank you to them, we always head back via the park, let them run free and watch with a wry smile as they roll in leaves and muddy puddles to their heart's content!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiE3esbdh3ehnq2pf0jkKHRL8YWAjUsxSR9RN-ILlgl9NeRYRwsPwUyFHcUNMTaJIULjqj70ltXYMsG1orZ_-LhoAmWd-cfZ-I9pM1sFnadogxZDz3eAc2OqwNuDSnMm_oCJRQXP4pPBfGG5PBVYw8zfQYOWW-FhLMZy_s4N2iqe2UiosB6DyC2-Sh/s3648/20221113_130455%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiE3esbdh3ehnq2pf0jkKHRL8YWAjUsxSR9RN-ILlgl9NeRYRwsPwUyFHcUNMTaJIULjqj70ltXYMsG1orZ_-LhoAmWd-cfZ-I9pM1sFnadogxZDz3eAc2OqwNuDSnMm_oCJRQXP4pPBfGG5PBVYw8zfQYOWW-FhLMZy_s4N2iqe2UiosB6DyC2-Sh/w334-h640/20221113_130455%201.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">If you ever have the opportunity to train your dogs in town situations, I would highly recommend getting involved. The skills the dogs master are wide ranging and transfer into so many other situations. Polly and Betty have trained in shopping centre lifts, learned to walk past escalators and automatic doors without fear, dealt with crowded pavements, people reaching out to them and behaving unexpectedly, buggies, wheelchairs, cleaning trolleys, traffic, sirens, buses, trains, zebra crossings, shop doorways, high level bridges, steep stairways ... you name it, they have trained for it and learned to maintain their focus on and take their cues from me. They have even trained to enter the pet shop politely and learned to walk through the store ignoring guinea pigs, tasty treats, interesting toys, smells and other customers... and of course, they have also become well versed in settling politely under a street café table while we enjoy a coffee and a slice of cake! </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Sam's town training really has been worth it's weight in retriever gold and if ever we adopt another golden puppy (yes, we are seriously considering it!) I hope we will be able to sign up with Sam for training again.</span></b></div><p></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-6897290328876261722022-11-09T11:20:00.004+00:002022-11-09T11:27:43.840+00:00Remember, Remember<p> <img alt="84bb10_79873a3ef18b4900ada1ec720a20f9c5~mv2" class="img-fluid post-photo" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84bb10_79873a3ef18b4900ada1ec720a20f9c5~mv2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: middle;" width="100%" /></p><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: fraunces, serif; font-size: 25px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">REMEMBER, REMEMBER</h4><div class="post-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px;"><div class="post-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;">There are those who love 'em and those who don't. Either way, there is no mistaking the cacophony of noise associated with fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night! <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />These days, as a dog owner, I am torn. Polly absolutely hates 'em and will spend an entire evening fighting fireworks with barking at a decibel designed to match the warzone she percieves beyond her front door. She is ably supported by 'Back-up Betty', who, dutifully barks each time Polly draws breath, providing an unending, ear piercing, doggy resistance to the invisible foe beyond. <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I know of dogs who have become so disabled by fireworks through fear, they are unable to function. A few years ago, I met one such beautiful Golden Retriever boy ... sadly on his last ever walk prior to being taken to the vet to be euthanized. I had my hands full with grandchildren and dogs, but spoke spoken to his owner to say a quick hello, only to be told his boy had become so fearful of unexpected noises as a result of exposure to firework bangs, that he was unmanageable and had, in a moment of terror, bitten a family member. As that owner saw things, he had no choice but to put his beautiful boy to sleep before Guy Fawkes Night. It broke my heart to see the pain in the owner's eyes and the trust his dog had in him and I wish upon wish, I had the strength to take his lead and lead him away to a peaceful safety .... he still plays on my mind to this day, I will never forget him.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />To be anti-fireworks though, is to be a party pooper in the eyes of the undog world and to be honest, I am not anti fireworks, in fact I love them and was brought up celebrating Guy Fawkes annually with my family as a girl. This year I enjoyed my grandchildren's school display, which took place a few miles from my house. I dosed Polly and Betty with a natural stress calming remedy (<a href="https://www.dorwest.com/product/scullcap-valerian-tablets-for-dogs-and-cats/" target="_blank">Dorwest Valerian & Skullcap</a>) for several days prior to Guy Fawkes Night and tucked them up safely at home with 'Classic FM for Pets' on the radio, before heading out.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />My wish is that the Government would make a legal requirement so that fireworks could only be used by professional firework experts, at community displays on a limited number of days each year. It makes so much more sense than allowing all and sundry to purchase dangerous fireworks whenever they fancy, to explode in their gardens... or in the case of unruly youths, along the lane behind my house (!) </div><div class="post-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;">A change to the law in the UK would surely help millions of pet owners prepare for what is a terrifying event for most animals and would also provide a great way to raise money for local community groups, schools and the like. The revenue from the little display I attended last week with my family, will be used to support my grandchildren's primary school, which in the current economic climate, will be of great benefit to all the pupils.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />To me it is simple, sometimes we need to remember that our favourite traditions may need a little updating... for the greater good.</div></div>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-24554354668472607382022-10-21T12:10:00.007+01:002022-10-21T12:10:53.740+01:00Pumpkin pickin' with Olive<div class="full-width" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 2rem; position: relative; width: 600px;"><div class="full-width" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2rem; position: relative; width: 600px;"><img alt="84bb10_75ecf74871ee49c6a7d64847f5fd8cbe~mv2" class="img-fluid post-photo" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84bb10_75ecf74871ee49c6a7d64847f5fd8cbe~mv2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="100%" /></div><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: fraunces, serif; font-size: 25px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">PUMPKIN PICKIN'</h4><div class="post-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px;"><div class="post-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;">We didn't really celebrate Halloween when I was child, nor when my kids were kids; generally we spent the evening with curtains drawn, trying to avoid having our door and windows egged and floured by local 'yoovs' (!) ... however, times have changed and my grandchildren love to dress up as cheeky witches and wizards, carve pumpkins with Mummy and Daddy and enjoy gentle Halloween mischief with the wider family, so I was delighted when they invited me, my husband and my daughter, to a local farm to pick pumpkins last <a rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #014235; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;" target="_blank"></a>weekend... it was heaps of fun watching the children wandering around, choosing pumpkins on the basis of size, shape, colour and 'nobbly bits'!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Not only was Little Fant Farm very child friendly, it was dog friendly too, so we took our gang of family dogs, Polly, Betty, Nobby and Olive, for a little fresh air socialisation. My daughter's rescue Olive must have wondered what on earth was happening, but she took things pretty much in her stride as we collected pumpkins and met all the farm animals...<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Beautiful Olive was a stray, rescued from the Ukraine almost a year ago, fostered for a brief while in the UK, then adopted by my daughter who spotted her plight on Facebook and opened her heart and home to her.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />When my daughter first collected Olive, she was very shutdown, clearly terrified of every aspect of her new life. There is no doubt she had been mistreated in her past life and it was heartbreaking to see just how desperately scared she was. Her fears were wide ranging... men sent poor Olly into a tailspin as she tried desperately to avoid contact with them, traffic, doorways, light fittings, household noises ... you name it, she was terrified of it. She didn't even understand that she was allowed to eat from a bowl, her own bowl. Happily, she took comfort from the other dogs and was soon best buddies with my daughter's Chihuahua Nobby... an odd couple perhaps, but a lovely friendship. It has taken my daughter and I months of gentle, calm reassurrance to show Olive that she is safe now and for her to show us that she trusts us. She has since become a complete delight, a big, daft puppy girl, full of fun, very gentle, affectionate and eager to learn.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />The photograph above is one that makes me smile from ear to ear. Last weekend, Fay was able to bring Olive to the farm with our other dogs and she walked calmly as part of our family, coping with people collecting pumpkins in wheelbarrows, other dogs on leads, children having fun and men in dark clothing. Occasionally Olive asked for a moment just to watch and absorb the scene while she processed things ... which is what was happening in the photograph above. Now and again she needed a little space created between her and a wheelbarrow pushing man, but she coped well and there were none of those panicky tailspins! Olive walked politely on her lead, among and around strangers in a new environment... a huge accomplishment for our lovely Olive and I could not have been more thrilled for her and my daughter!</div></div></div>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-3812647436780168112022-10-04T11:29:00.008+01:002022-10-04T11:57:33.153+01:00Olive<p style="text-align: center;"> <b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">At the tail end of 2021, my daughter told me she had adopted a rescue dog, a beautiful white ball of fur from Ukraine...</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCJmjo2_rd3PI-9V-Zl0IbKVUUMMWxvYhlMslyM_4Ybc9Gv_ASuPRMswoxcYJgEZxKC0PK-syA2BOABGdhUxXJ9etry1xg_EG1BIUgN4d_Lxb-Zr0dVbDRObQ1pNL4cS_ZVgrwI6BdvmXosO-M6dgqBay3eHOe3i65IrWH5jyhpOZdIfqD6D1a3G4/s1490/20221002_180859(0).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1490" data-original-width="973" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCJmjo2_rd3PI-9V-Zl0IbKVUUMMWxvYhlMslyM_4Ybc9Gv_ASuPRMswoxcYJgEZxKC0PK-syA2BOABGdhUxXJ9etry1xg_EG1BIUgN4d_Lxb-Zr0dVbDRObQ1pNL4cS_ZVgrwI6BdvmXosO-M6dgqBay3eHOe3i65IrWH5jyhpOZdIfqD6D1a3G4/w418-h640/20221002_180859(0).jpg" width="418" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Olive, October 2022</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Olive as she became known, had lived a troubled short life, a life of fear spent clinging to the edge of survival as she roamed stray along roadsides. It was clear to us that at some point in her young life she had been beaten; she was terrified of men, dark clothing and anyone carrying what might have been interpreted as a stick. When I first met Olive at my daughter's house, she was so shut down I didn't initially approach her, instead sitting as far away as possible to give her the space she needed. The only person she would tentatively allow to approach was my daughter. I had never seen such a fearful dog before, in my world dogs enjoyed the company of humans and were excited to engage with them ... this shaggy white bundle in the corner was clearly terrified and simply did not trust humans to be kind to her.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVJTlrhiFRkYXFFup75gLW87X6rjM4fsbMZ0l7hbPL-nr4IY4fp-j6Nez2AIM5vtcwl7zb9lOmUVxghHDE7a2mHyiBIVIihOPEE-St8ZWThPrcRZSHRp8ooAMqUYE7hT-7oW47EdMYc9fgCi5SrqFM1F6DioHS8Vwwespy15Pjsqb10aa_M0igAyZ/s4000/P1280232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVJTlrhiFRkYXFFup75gLW87X6rjM4fsbMZ0l7hbPL-nr4IY4fp-j6Nez2AIM5vtcwl7zb9lOmUVxghHDE7a2mHyiBIVIihOPEE-St8ZWThPrcRZSHRp8ooAMqUYE7hT-7oW47EdMYc9fgCi5SrqFM1F6DioHS8Vwwespy15Pjsqb10aa_M0igAyZ/s320/P1280232.jpg" width="240" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>New girl Olive, watching us warily from the safety of my daughter's chair</i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">That was almost a year ago, prior to the terrible war now happening in Ukraine. Slowly but surely and with quiet kindness and lots of patience, Olive began to understand that the new world she found herself in, was a safe place. It took a long time and lots of calm, gentle, almost imperceivable encouragement by my daughter and I, to discover the inner Olive and gain her trust. My daughter had an innate understanding that Olive may never become the relaxed happy type of puppy she had always known in my two but was prepared to accept Olive, on whatever terms Olive needed. Olive had found her perfect owner.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP3rOsMSO-6Oa0gG4Fwy7vfw4_RkPVkhXgblDaYEmrv0z2cAOozYoAcZz2blEbGpBBz9nQF5UZ9jgTanRtn88NtXiH4j0czP4AiumtZXf1Vok0vRPLyk92dglznCOQ_gPV4MUc8bWLTcHbPv029noUUAfsn1q-pOSiKlFneZOBwYrLRQ_i8M0HCF3/s3420/P1060396.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3420" data-original-width="2910" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiP3rOsMSO-6Oa0gG4Fwy7vfw4_RkPVkhXgblDaYEmrv0z2cAOozYoAcZz2blEbGpBBz9nQF5UZ9jgTanRtn88NtXiH4j0czP4AiumtZXf1Vok0vRPLyk92dglznCOQ_gPV4MUc8bWLTcHbPv029noUUAfsn1q-pOSiKlFneZOBwYrLRQ_i8M0HCF3/s320/P1060396.jpg" width="272" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Walks with friends, Summer 2022</i></div><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Olive has taught us so much about how to see the world through her eyes. I don't think she ever lived inside a house before she came to the UK, so everything was frightening to her. We noticed she would keep looking at ceiling lights and it dawned on us, perhaps she didn't trust that it wouldn't fall on her ... and every time we opened a door to allow her through, she edged away backwards as if fearful that it might trap her somehow, so we learned to walk through doors ahead of her, showing her it was okay and we trusted that the door wouldn't hurt us. She learned by watching us. When her bowl of food was put on the floor, hungry as she must have been, she stayed clear, waiting until every other animal in the house had eaten from it first. It took a long time for her to understand that she too was allowed to eat from her own bowl. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdodfNyu4cV_XURAIEKA3V2W7JyBAew7l4IrrHtBODvgb6tOwro7wnUwSmksu-D1GnMmhIwVTPei-5suyFeDAjnQ1ZoBIMwXXOTG0oDIEHTEJHIJTcDUJ-i6wjIhcOs3K4EtcDtCZJG1xSmzlOACTY1xC1FhrmlUTiXH3lUIQ6k6ZugAvHBf_IHv1/s3781/P1060254.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2674" data-original-width="3781" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdodfNyu4cV_XURAIEKA3V2W7JyBAew7l4IrrHtBODvgb6tOwro7wnUwSmksu-D1GnMmhIwVTPei-5suyFeDAjnQ1ZoBIMwXXOTG0oDIEHTEJHIJTcDUJ-i6wjIhcOs3K4EtcDtCZJG1xSmzlOACTY1xC1FhrmlUTiXH3lUIQ6k6ZugAvHBf_IHv1/s320/P1060254.jpg" width="320" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Training days</i></div><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Getting Olive to accept a collar, lead and harness was the key to her freedom. It also took time and patience as it was important not to impose these on her until she was able to accept them without fear. I remember one day, my daughter invited me and my dogs to join her Olive and their little Chihuahua Nobby at a local 'freedom field', a secure open space for dogs. My daughter was eager to show Olive that life could be fun, so we met at the field, padlocked the gate behind us and let all four dogs meet off lead together for the first time. Olive loved the other dogs and they raced off across the grass together full of excitement. Olive absolutely flew over the ground and took off like a rocket launched into space, making my two look like middle aged plodders! It was a wonderful sight to see them all having so much fun together and to watch the real Olive come to life!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEnuJjK-ZiiSVdQjJshCxl3bhzCXnf0G6eZk4LsJ8ysrSzfOGN6ZPnJ977DDUmLgdkvLH_vfDpVZM-I5Gz4VIKmpMdjiVW7A8d0hJ-a6PbSD9KCRXVy7kG9cXFZwj2XlyDtvG3cnA6jPnST0e5ahPzXV3qIqo9y4TzB6lCRLvL7kCoI9Zw9amRY9G/s2409/20221002_180431.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2409" data-original-width="1408" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEnuJjK-ZiiSVdQjJshCxl3bhzCXnf0G6eZk4LsJ8ysrSzfOGN6ZPnJ977DDUmLgdkvLH_vfDpVZM-I5Gz4VIKmpMdjiVW7A8d0hJ-a6PbSD9KCRXVy7kG9cXFZwj2XlyDtvG3cnA6jPnST0e5ahPzXV3qIqo9y4TzB6lCRLvL7kCoI9Zw9amRY9G/w234-h400/20221002_180431.jpg" width="234" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Walking with friends, October 2022</i></div><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Almost before we knew it, our hour at the field was up and it was time to lead up the dogs and pop them back into our cars ... but Olive had other ideas! Naively, we assumed she would return to the cars with our other dogs and we would be able to re-clip her lead to her harness without too much trouble, but oh no, she wasn't having any of it. She wanted to run, run and run some more and she didn't give a hoot that we were fast exceeding our paid hour's slot! To cut a long story short, the very kind dog owner who booked the next slot, allowed us to stay in the field with her and her dogs, while we tried hopelessly to catch Olive. We tried every trick in the book, but she knew them all and more ... of course she did, she had been a stray on the run and could outwit any human playing by the simple rules of polite positive reinforcement! We stuck with it though and eventually, after forty five very long and humiliating minutes, Olive finally allowed my daughter to grab her new harness and scoop her into her arms. Another important lesson learned! The very next time, we used a long line and began formal recall training ... in earnest!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHY7VNYZ6y45-0G-pLZVO6CXO-PsyX9BZ-Eq2zBOKd7-0ZOHpLwct4yWtvRKy4gIeoNRMa_2KClRZl9VzJE6gH3ckUfOvRjLcsAuGnhfKwdLAhO27PfmoVox7aj7Se36rgxsreeE1_i9NQeSGw4MDDnvwn44O6zqQa3SWMMt42SXDKuquOdAkB_ND/s5184/P1080138.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHY7VNYZ6y45-0G-pLZVO6CXO-PsyX9BZ-Eq2zBOKd7-0ZOHpLwct4yWtvRKy4gIeoNRMa_2KClRZl9VzJE6gH3ckUfOvRjLcsAuGnhfKwdLAhO27PfmoVox7aj7Se36rgxsreeE1_i9NQeSGw4MDDnvwn44O6zqQa3SWMMt42SXDKuquOdAkB_ND/s320/P1080138.jpg" width="320" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Hanging out with Polly and Betty</i></div><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">We began walking the dogs together every weekend and Olive gradually settled in to her new home with my daughter, Nobby and their three cats; she also began to relax when she came to my house. It was important that she had somewhere other than my daughter's house that she could stay when necessary as she couldn't be kennelled ... that would traumatize her. We worked hard to build her confidence both in her own environment with my daughter but also with me and my husband at our home. Gaining trust with my husband came much later, that was such a painfully slow process. To begin with, Olive would bark every time he entered the room, then she would cower away in the furthest corner ... but slowly, she came to understand that my dogs loved their 'dad' and were happy around him, so after many months, one day Olive timidly accepted a food treat from him and that was momentous! Since those early days, Olive has relaxed considerably in many ways and now barks from excitment rather than fear when Stuart comes home, she greets him with our own dogs and will even sit comfortably under his chair at the table and accept a gentle stroke on the chest. Months after her arrival and Olive will now recall to my husband if she's running freely on a walk (yes, that recall training really paid off!) I think she will always be a little hesitant with men and who can blame her, but at least Olive has now come to realise that not all men are bad men.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs2jbIpsDOzE5f2G1uN6oOUneBG6HFlWsx5QE1tIzxSy7LW7eWQc_VzYmhtsU4-Bu3sFObHcEvcbIuEpyjAZzjNq_XbzjBHHac8gUGlJpdZB5rmQjC2kUmDBaiiCd2Xiwp2CtlKlMXXqKcfJoUjGaJINvQKjpK4TfagQlIU5cWx4WYjjztUoqof2N/s3349/P1300774.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3349" data-original-width="2918" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs2jbIpsDOzE5f2G1uN6oOUneBG6HFlWsx5QE1tIzxSy7LW7eWQc_VzYmhtsU4-Bu3sFObHcEvcbIuEpyjAZzjNq_XbzjBHHac8gUGlJpdZB5rmQjC2kUmDBaiiCd2Xiwp2CtlKlMXXqKcfJoUjGaJINvQKjpK4TfagQlIU5cWx4WYjjztUoqof2N/s320/P1300774.jpg" width="279" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Playtime!</i></div><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Olive has become an absolute joy since those first days. We feared she may never come out of her protective shell, but thankfully she has and we love her. She is now one of the family, a gentle, affectionate, bouncy daft puppy-dog, full of fun, a dog who, thanks to my daughter's kindness, adores her owner. She relishes walks with Nobby and my girls and is now living the happy life she should always have been entitled to... a million miles removed from the cruel life she was born into. Olive still has her worries of course, some of which are health related, a leftover those early days in Ukraine ... but she is loved and will always be well cared for. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs907paXn9v0RuSuYDy9SqeUD-PnXLpOcT9tZ7bpq_Bbg51GJzbAgUecpbHbru9ep47nOyOSwxwCWRXXYrOiqO_49u0NpOu1uXnJaK2LlEisPR_wzm7ri_8q-2KcOnbRB4CH3zamnNS19bDuz5I-sWl6J8y3zngsScVR1CHGKW-_SwHjQ8eDna0-Oc/s3472/P1280509.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3472" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs907paXn9v0RuSuYDy9SqeUD-PnXLpOcT9tZ7bpq_Bbg51GJzbAgUecpbHbru9ep47nOyOSwxwCWRXXYrOiqO_49u0NpOu1uXnJaK2LlEisPR_wzm7ri_8q-2KcOnbRB4CH3zamnNS19bDuz5I-sWl6J8y3zngsScVR1CHGKW-_SwHjQ8eDna0-Oc/w400-h276/P1280509.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Olive and friends, with my daughter at a family party, April 2022</i></div><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Olive could not have found a better home than the one she now has with my daughter.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">XXXXX</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>There are many rescues offering dogs from overseas. They operate under strict regulations imposed by the UK Government bodies APHA and Defra and are obliged to ensure all dogs have relevant legal documentation and health testing prior to entry into the UK. </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Please check very carefully if you are considering adopting from overseas. </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>There are health tests which are currently not a legal requirement of these rescues but in my belief, should be undertaken prior to importing dogs into the UK anyway. </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Olive was tested privately by my daughter for such a disease (brucella canis) and thankfully found to be negative by the Government body APHA, however the rescue she came from did not undertake this test or inform my daughter about its importance prior to adoption. We were unaware of the disease and learned the hard way. The rescue took Olive's adoption fee and did not inform my daughter any further. </b></span><b style="font-family: georgia;">This lack of pre-importation testing for Brucella Canis has cost my daughter hundreds of pounds and been a considerable worry whilst waiting for results... had it been positive the outcome would have been unthinkable. Thankfully, for Olive, all ended well as her test was proven negative by the Government body APHA. However, I have read of other new owners of rescue dogs from Eastern block countries who have been far less fortunate. </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>It infuriates me beyond belief to learn that overseas rescues are not taking full responsibility for bringing dogs into the UK beyond the precise legal requirements of the Government and that the Government has not made this test a legal requirement of importation. This has the potential to bring heartbreak and expense to unsuspecting owners of rescue dogs, after they have adopted a needy animal from the kindness of their hearts. </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>To avoid heartbreak, please research this information as fully as possible prior to adoption, ask direct questions, don't be fobbed off, check that documentation is legal. Most importantly of all, if you want to adopt a needy dog from abroad, know what the legalities are and go above and beyond to research what is important in terms of health testing ... then ensure you adopt from a responsible rescue. I really can't stress this enough.</b></span></div><p></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-67899917904903479912022-10-03T11:08:00.009+01:002022-10-03T11:42:41.723+01:00The true cost of insurance<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTjSTtVuXzyiY7tALXEBuGql67-e3fIxtqnlKL9Ng0pJ7MQRwP3ln0FySUiPiaXbUpxyG_MyI1Z38I_Ao43RdVZ3DuqP2FEX_t_SbVCbBfb_Fb9_b1RcPvDVXh29rT0yHnwdM255F0ch6PMp4T41SMhTFvR-UQrNCwUG-pUYz40Tokgxae_T9CKJI/s3891/P1310814.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3891" data-original-width="2918" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOTjSTtVuXzyiY7tALXEBuGql67-e3fIxtqnlKL9Ng0pJ7MQRwP3ln0FySUiPiaXbUpxyG_MyI1Z38I_Ao43RdVZ3DuqP2FEX_t_SbVCbBfb_Fb9_b1RcPvDVXh29rT0yHnwdM255F0ch6PMp4T41SMhTFvR-UQrNCwUG-pUYz40Tokgxae_T9CKJI/w480-h640/P1310814.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If it's not one thing, it always seems to be another when it comes to dogs! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last year was all about Betty's legs and cruciate surgery recovery and this morning we made a return visit to our vet for stitch removal, after surgery to remove three worrisome lumps a couple of weeks ago.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After general anaesthetic and surgery, Betty looked very sorry for herself when I first collected her from the vet twelve days ago but 24 hours later she was much brighter and keen to shake off her woes. We were advised to have her lumps surgically removed as even benign lumps can grow much larger and cause problems. So, the lumps were duly aspirated, sent for testing and a surgery date booked. Although one lump was deemed to be a 'fatty lump', so nothing to worry about, the other two results were inconclusive, so as you can imagine, it has been a bit of a worry waiting for results.... but thankfully, today our vet greeted us with a big smile and the two words we most wanted to hear, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">'GOOD NEWS!'</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was such a huge relief! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Betty stood perfectly still while the vet removed all stitches and while we were there, I asked him to give Bets her annual vaccination and check her ear as that has been a bit mucky of late; unfortunately she does have a little ear infection so didn't get off totally scot free this morning and also has to return for further blood tests to check thyroid levels in a couple of week's time ... but that aside, she is fit, well and we no longer need to worry whether those nasty lumps were malignant. So, all's well that ends well!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When you adopt a puppy it can be almost impossible to see health hurdles further down the track and I am sure most new owners don't fully comprehend the full financial impact of potential canine health issues. In Betty's case, as a puppy she came with a good five generation pedigree, relevant puppy health certification for hips etc and as far as I could tell, most likely a healthy future ahead of her. There were no health warning flags on her horizon. I am so glad I took out a decent lifetime insurance policy for both my dogs and have kept it going since they were puppies. Betty is now almost seven and a half years old and Polly nine and a half, so I am certain they will need further regular vet attention as old age creeps up, to ensure they have the best care and most comfortable old age possible. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If anyone reading is curious, Betty's two cruciate ligament surgeries last year and subsequent recovery care and x-rays etc, have probably cost not far short of £10,000 in total and the latest lump removal surgery has been another £800 or so ... blood tests for thyroid function will be around £200 and if she needs medication subsequently, there will be further regular blood tests, as well as the cost of the meds, to be added. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So, as you can see, mature dogs can prove very costly to take care of properly and if you own more than one, plus other pets (we also have Polly and our two cats) then a solid insurance policy is absolutely essential. Every year when the cost of our insurance policy rises, I grit my teeth and flinch but stick with it because I know that without that insurance, my dogs can't receive the care they may need. In these days of economic hardship for everyone, insurance policies for dogs are possibly something owners of healthy dogs may consider cancelling, but I would say please do everything you can to keep your dogs properly insured ... you really never know when you might need to make a claim and how much of a difference it will make to their outcome.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Betty was a superfit, active, energetic six year old when her life took an unfortunate turn and she needed two major surgeries. We couldn't have predicted what happened to her and without that surgery our beautiful, loving girl wouldn't have walked again, would have been in constant pain and may very likely have had to be euthanised. Today, she is fit, active, energetic and loving life once again, thanks to excellent veterinary care...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">... and her insurance policy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-8711041500552324402022-09-19T12:22:00.001+01:002022-10-03T12:23:37.844+01:00Making a splash in Cornwall<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkZSdS97BogUsRQUH4zhs1wZnKOdhv_UYhNQuTSo_48YlEpCjnXIq30Diy2eTOcsW2hEm-lc0K1cPVSK2f9faKfDH6owV9KGg_MS0yW0hdB9dtGLV0I6RHHa9n8hm8pMHufumIMrXYLUXSzuXhbPHueyPL2B5VTwh0uVt1D-EvLf6Wc96t17QHPBE/s3761/20220912_144920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3761" data-original-width="1908" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkZSdS97BogUsRQUH4zhs1wZnKOdhv_UYhNQuTSo_48YlEpCjnXIq30Diy2eTOcsW2hEm-lc0K1cPVSK2f9faKfDH6owV9KGg_MS0yW0hdB9dtGLV0I6RHHa9n8hm8pMHufumIMrXYLUXSzuXhbPHueyPL2B5VTwh0uVt1D-EvLf6Wc96t17QHPBE/w324-h640/20220912_144920.jpg" width="324" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">At last, time for a holiday!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkIizLVOMbm0vI3Lc4cKl8UISXsm5Dz1X1c1SYINAWRO0HXRpTf-1ba9mm3qnQ1MK30UZPoN1JftJD3kZ3J-5YqGd9YcDhf4gFv6vZU2fvsNvaEyhiogvCEwQjYJnrOSJG3h-6ph1wApYGPbMTzLDPMs9HfYT4NDDERyjIW4gz2pNwJi1Bkj_WKoQ/s4864/P1310459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="4864" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkIizLVOMbm0vI3Lc4cKl8UISXsm5Dz1X1c1SYINAWRO0HXRpTf-1ba9mm3qnQ1MK30UZPoN1JftJD3kZ3J-5YqGd9YcDhf4gFv6vZU2fvsNvaEyhiogvCEwQjYJnrOSJG3h-6ph1wApYGPbMTzLDPMs9HfYT4NDDERyjIW4gz2pNwJi1Bkj_WKoQ/w400-h300/P1310459.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">We stayed home to take care of Betty and see her through her TPLO surgeries and recovery last year, so were very much looking forward to our early Autumn holiday in Cornwall with the girls this year.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45st_1qrrqkKhFrkPCiHZGac4gBHhElhl8ui7cNH-4TmIBMDOdrJClupHpP2COmK_1dgf9uG6auaI5Kz1xy9Ao9gisqetN7HlixC_NFK84_wTQdYWMBlK6vzQQFvzKItGtibupOr1SXO-1PrC6L2TZPdorhmBmiCp9XphwNhPwzKF9eYX-_kcQNYk/s3771/P1310401%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3771" data-original-width="2829" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45st_1qrrqkKhFrkPCiHZGac4gBHhElhl8ui7cNH-4TmIBMDOdrJClupHpP2COmK_1dgf9uG6auaI5Kz1xy9Ao9gisqetN7HlixC_NFK84_wTQdYWMBlK6vzQQFvzKItGtibupOr1SXO-1PrC6L2TZPdorhmBmiCp9XphwNhPwzKF9eYX-_kcQNYk/w300-h400/P1310401%201.jpg" width="300" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"> I wasn't sure if Betty would ever manage to swim in the sea again after last year's surgical trials and tribulations but I needn't have worried, there was no way she was going to let a little thing like major surgery spoil her fun! We drove to Padstow, unclipped their leads and let the girls do 'their thing'... and my goodness, did they make the most of it! </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C3Wibm889lSjC3hK9Xk2dZfAbzTNym9vGpsR4a1WtBEfXDrZai4DR14WDajl9EiToS5p7YaCDJdw2TSA33eeihCZYSWCtHoL-ZBJlNfJ3_eDnQ7aHfrarGkoxy2tS_zlx-9BWjJChfMJxxTcbiuboSiGr697v6RRu2k_KWJkfxi2Dg7NbcLjq2BM/s4324/P1310355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4324" data-original-width="3096" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C3Wibm889lSjC3hK9Xk2dZfAbzTNym9vGpsR4a1WtBEfXDrZai4DR14WDajl9EiToS5p7YaCDJdw2TSA33eeihCZYSWCtHoL-ZBJlNfJ3_eDnQ7aHfrarGkoxy2tS_zlx-9BWjJChfMJxxTcbiuboSiGr697v6RRu2k_KWJkfxi2Dg7NbcLjq2BM/w286-h400/P1310355.jpg" width="286" /></span></b></a></div><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">They LOVED playing on the beach, running like big daft joyful puppies along the beach and straight into the sea for a jolly good swim. Betty had absolutely no fear of the sea and total confidence in her legs; it was a complete joy to watch. Any fears I may have had about Betty's swimming abilities melted away as she swam like a little mermaid.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zX3VzyWnBQsavMv8spM8ovF9JuDvrJlCTtIde7zhGrP_1PA2OD6mBSBLbHCeKpVT-aK9lNjPAQi_zTQtt5pXkH4oV9CdNyLTJWGZbw6HrP8nPHNhO4tK9WhLrXpQxrjeTaffdulg2VLTlXjqKK-OUs17UfLHYML0k8Gac8IPaLEEYykXmOmcDZvg/s3892/P1310177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2919" data-original-width="3892" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zX3VzyWnBQsavMv8spM8ovF9JuDvrJlCTtIde7zhGrP_1PA2OD6mBSBLbHCeKpVT-aK9lNjPAQi_zTQtt5pXkH4oV9CdNyLTJWGZbw6HrP8nPHNhO4tK9WhLrXpQxrjeTaffdulg2VLTlXjqKK-OUs17UfLHYML0k8Gac8IPaLEEYykXmOmcDZvg/w400-h300/P1310177.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">We also headed onto Dartmoor to roam among wild ponies and sheep, as we climbed steep tors and gazed out across this spectacular landscape. With wildlife abundant and livestock roaming freely, the dogs were naturally very curious, so we took all precautions and walked them on head harnesses for maximum control. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqgIWI2x4hQ3AYKd7jJB2Li50BPXmxmjq6Y9RAIE3rcuETu6o2B-tl4HwAFQfL_M58BFSg5k8eMgS4kwOOQVu2BkPbaYINDNcehSbiNTi2x_6IFSxbDPVolygM_Io4RuQUrvG1oFY3AnC-ksjTw8WdJcjOvggZItxapJatmUMB6_9M_gN7qKFwVdZ/s5184/P1080421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="5184" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqgIWI2x4hQ3AYKd7jJB2Li50BPXmxmjq6Y9RAIE3rcuETu6o2B-tl4HwAFQfL_M58BFSg5k8eMgS4kwOOQVu2BkPbaYINDNcehSbiNTi2x_6IFSxbDPVolygM_Io4RuQUrvG1oFY3AnC-ksjTw8WdJcjOvggZItxapJatmUMB6_9M_gN7qKFwVdZ/w400-h300/P1080421.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">They were good girls anyway, but with miles of open space full of exciting sniffs, not to mention wild ponies here, there and everywhere, we certainly weren't taking any chances!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0M7cv6d1l468fWRDV9yNV-9Rpa0aswxKEDOKsRzDspWClO1uk9k3D1S5m57wis91tLRnac_w1HvI4ogiepGYfgEc6Aw25ftvlbC73KzwtuiqNjRLdCE8gYyjkk46LmaAT1T29hZf-SYoyd-ApusoA5baiG63KBPr_Mwt4Kd6UTa9SzgyU4w87Z2T/s4864/P1310224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="4864" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0M7cv6d1l468fWRDV9yNV-9Rpa0aswxKEDOKsRzDspWClO1uk9k3D1S5m57wis91tLRnac_w1HvI4ogiepGYfgEc6Aw25ftvlbC73KzwtuiqNjRLdCE8gYyjkk46LmaAT1T29hZf-SYoyd-ApusoA5baiG63KBPr_Mwt4Kd6UTa9SzgyU4w87Z2T/w400-h300/P1310224.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q5iM1HS8xh_QbDNTvg8GYj5n1YixZ8tmvk4rpTBUZCyxCBxdjhJWsj-V7O91X1J9bpEXS6xSiiR1eSVAdJWBfacCz2WixOuAquCEavna2-DyYqY4Wfu1C3ig6L7oYBndY_qDqZUNQZ4DbEgNvS1NAPCsbgD1R5oDJsUnqYeznK1CW6lalPfyUeV3/s5184/P1080401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3723" data-original-width="5184" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q5iM1HS8xh_QbDNTvg8GYj5n1YixZ8tmvk4rpTBUZCyxCBxdjhJWsj-V7O91X1J9bpEXS6xSiiR1eSVAdJWBfacCz2WixOuAquCEavna2-DyYqY4Wfu1C3ig6L7oYBndY_qDqZUNQZ4DbEgNvS1NAPCsbgD1R5oDJsUnqYeznK1CW6lalPfyUeV3/w400-h288/P1080401.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">Dartmoor was breathtakingly beautiful and we hope to visit again one day soon.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqCpJtTY1IBvYu56XUsqYk69qmeqhMkJWbdzo9BMtyDoUzihjxCPEEDnJgqaqpKgAueZTWwG1LTPrb8hN3reCd6W2EcacwrIzYWXbHNwvvFfVRTLm5loBPGC110bL5ElrJbVPng0_lI0Xl--XIq1-bBxllE7xcfR_XRqi5k2-N57m8-2mhwpXxyoT/s4864/P1310590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="4864" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqCpJtTY1IBvYu56XUsqYk69qmeqhMkJWbdzo9BMtyDoUzihjxCPEEDnJgqaqpKgAueZTWwG1LTPrb8hN3reCd6W2EcacwrIzYWXbHNwvvFfVRTLm5loBPGC110bL5ElrJbVPng0_lI0Xl--XIq1-bBxllE7xcfR_XRqi5k2-N57m8-2mhwpXxyoT/w400-h300/P1310590.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">Our holiday cottage was within walking distance of <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cotehele" target="_blank">Cotehele House</a>, a National Trust property along the Tamar River. We were fortunate to have a very pretty woodland walk towards the Cotehele Estate from our doorstep, so enjoyed some lovely walks with Polly and Betty, who thoroughly enjoyed splashing in this weir along the way!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgon97SW4cNNyB_vlHf9KR3mqCtJ7JXUAKWDM8IF6cFE8K_geHUd-nkyY-X-IFiP_TUi0w3k5wuYkOodVb53GtVsTpfTDDPqjt-knfXawnH-C_b_uXnoCAfv-pz1t_8E3Q8sInu0HmjKWo6_AeNDKzG_j7yAuICoraG04NsJUdZrA2NNNpKOaayLWVo/s3892/P1310615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2919" data-original-width="3892" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgon97SW4cNNyB_vlHf9KR3mqCtJ7JXUAKWDM8IF6cFE8K_geHUd-nkyY-X-IFiP_TUi0w3k5wuYkOodVb53GtVsTpfTDDPqjt-knfXawnH-C_b_uXnoCAfv-pz1t_8E3Q8sInu0HmjKWo6_AeNDKzG_j7yAuICoraG04NsJUdZrA2NNNpKOaayLWVo/w400-h300/P1310615.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">It was a much needed, relaxing week, in a very beautiful area of Cornwall. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtloAD9E5tOU5vxkOx3ZXJBpM_dPYOj3MkRqzOx81AM2jeoVRix-dEoPaIa-2cBXr2X1Nnb4e22GeWaQ6tLdkd_pE21n7WhVWHNSycjBdR6xu_4I1nsYxbDEsnMs8kkR8LWyd-Se1F7u06Az0r2KcF-7p-tmD53n_4B9UO95zex1lubmdGL5TgXaz2/s4864/P1310200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2919" data-original-width="4864" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtloAD9E5tOU5vxkOx3ZXJBpM_dPYOj3MkRqzOx81AM2jeoVRix-dEoPaIa-2cBXr2X1Nnb4e22GeWaQ6tLdkd_pE21n7WhVWHNSycjBdR6xu_4I1nsYxbDEsnMs8kkR8LWyd-Se1F7u06Az0r2KcF-7p-tmD53n_4B9UO95zex1lubmdGL5TgXaz2/w400-h240/P1310200.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: georgia;">The dogs enjoyed their holiday and so did we!</span></b></div></b></div><p></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-27236039932714210182022-05-16T10:40:00.012+01:002022-05-16T12:18:57.789+01:00Keep on running..<p> <img alt="84bb10_013a5835afbd4500a74b9fb09bc0c4e1~mv2" class="img-fluid post-photo" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84bb10_013a5835afbd4500a74b9fb09bc0c4e1~mv2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: middle;" width="100%" /></p><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: fraunces, serif; font-size: 25px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">KEEP ON RUNNING..</h4><div class="post-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px;"><div class="post-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;">This time last year, life was full of worry for our Betty Boo as she had been in pain with a cruciate ligament injury for some time, then developed a nasty infection in her leg following invasive surgery and became worryingly poorly. My husand and I raced Betty to the specialist vet for urgent treatment one horrible May morning, a couple of weeks after surgery and gave up any idea we may have had of celebrating her sixth birthday...<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Betty was stoic, determined and sweet-natured throughout what was an incredibly tough twelve months to follow. She became our inspiration in how to deal with each painful day moment by moment and to trust and find joy in even the tiniest of things. Unfortunately our poor girl needed further surgery only four months after her first operation and didn't escape her injuries completely pain free, so is now coping with residual arthritis in one surgical leg but with treatment and careful management, she can now run free again ... and for Betty, that has been the best birthday gift of all.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Happy 7th Birthday my beautiful Betty Boo, may the sun continue to shine for you and may your new legs keep on running for many years to come!</div></div>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-54880096193348148672022-03-28T19:10:00.009+01:002022-05-16T12:13:46.473+01:00Like the wind!<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">The past fourteen months have been a rollercoaster. Poor Betty tore her first cruciate ligament at the beginning of 2021, followed by a tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) in May of the same year. We had no idea back then of how major this surgery was and at that point, were simply praying it would help Betty walk without pain. </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6tusM9EXGePaMSSyfg9zVLufUzohO659NwpVdQzgDSxHNoqf7eUOyPO1Bm6ZI3n7C_xYIez3xTlGAVytDuwXmyFKRpyFL9Mi_Zrt1OQV9EohUQRXYVSY_qzJyvWS4qL1r1LzUFnyWiEFEDysZr-AwTqv2snyAgULczEooKOeNCmMpQncrvooAwmd/s2483/20210506_123936.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2483" data-original-width="1905" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6tusM9EXGePaMSSyfg9zVLufUzohO659NwpVdQzgDSxHNoqf7eUOyPO1Bm6ZI3n7C_xYIez3xTlGAVytDuwXmyFKRpyFL9Mi_Zrt1OQV9EohUQRXYVSY_qzJyvWS4qL1r1LzUFnyWiEFEDysZr-AwTqv2snyAgULczEooKOeNCmMpQncrvooAwmd/w308-h400/20210506_123936.jpg" width="308" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">When Betty was discharged from doggy hospital after spending a post op night with the nursing staff, she amazed us by walking to the car when we went to collect her and at that point, we breathed our first sigh of relief ... but little did we know things would take a turn for the worse a couple of weeks later, when a nasty infection set into the surgical wound. Betty was very poorly so we raced her back to our vet and he was kind enough to open the surgery on a Sunday to see her. Thankfully she recovered from her infection and seroma (I had no idea what that was ... a fluid swelling in the wound site) reasonably quickly and then the process of rehabilitation slowly began. Betty was enthusiastic about walking again and very determined, so following the restrictive exercise programme set by our vet wasn't a problem and she was soon taking short, steady, lead walks. </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">By three months, Betty was signed off by her vet and free to run again. That was such a joyous moment! Sadly, that too was short lived as within four weeks, Betty tore her second cruciate ligament. I was so upset for her. There was a wait of several weeks while her injury was assessed and we waited for an appointment for TPLO surgery number two. During that time, Betty's mobility deteroriated dramatically and I made the decision to stop walking her as it was just too painful. Thankfully, five weeks after the injury, we were given an appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon and Betty was taken back into surgery. Unfortunately, after surgery she developed another seroma and in view of the first infection, our vet decided to keep her in doggy hospital for five days to make absolutely certain she received the best care. Those five days were very hard, I knew she would be confused and stressed by our absence and it broke my heart when each night I rang to ask about her progress, to be told she needed to stay in hospital for another night. </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">When she was finally allowed home, Betty burst through the surgery door into the waiting room and flew into my arms ... there was no way she was going to allow us to leave her behind again! W</span></b><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">e took her home, slept in the living room with her for weeks yet again and slowly, carefully, began a rehab programme for the second time in six months. </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0158NEPC6v1Nrb2WBsqjO3rdyy3UHqj0iotCPa-CFp4sJVc95pEQesgYiMj1MLaFn4lC_rhFeQo3-CX5THagE9gmD2d0h3kDT9Bf5bfqF1PZfF0F_GKAD5THhbl8537bwbulfgkGn0YLvWaqmZTHJCt-y3GXxgeAX8iNwMB8sN0GeEg8Rk8EPpLH/s3394/20210526_095231.jpg" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3394" data-original-width="2545" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0158NEPC6v1Nrb2WBsqjO3rdyy3UHqj0iotCPa-CFp4sJVc95pEQesgYiMj1MLaFn4lC_rhFeQo3-CX5THagE9gmD2d0h3kDT9Bf5bfqF1PZfF0F_GKAD5THhbl8537bwbulfgkGn0YLvWaqmZTHJCt-y3GXxgeAX8iNwMB8sN0GeEg8Rk8EPpLH/s320/20210526_095231.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Betty was incredible. She understood what she had to do and was determined to not only walk again, but run too. The second surgery was six months ago, which will give you an idea of how long recovery for TPLO surgery takes ... Betty has only just been signed off by the specialist orthopaedic vet for her second surgery, fifteen months after her first cruciate tear. This surgery quite literally puts an owner's life on hold. We abandoned any notion of a holiday last year or trips out; we were focused completely on getting Betty strong again.</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Even after more than a year of injury, surgery and rehabilitation, Betty is still not completely out of the woods as she has subsequently developed arthritis in her first surgical leg (which we were warned could happen), so she is a little lame in that leg from time to time BUT and this is the important BUT ....</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8dOxKPnQkj47ryo_tKrTY_jGBqvm49OTqkTDTj7eyjDIhTZEAas2TpcFX5lwhzxTxPBpPdHWYTDzZq2cK8-3qEoxMgVl22ZnbA19XvkS0wG-7opUT_RNaxdBawXtqD5pOo5fuR_WgcoWg3oy566rnAgAM3uepqQoyHbA-KYammI-dQGMXTDsIO0j/s2154/20220328_143141.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2154" data-original-width="1019" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8dOxKPnQkj47ryo_tKrTY_jGBqvm49OTqkTDTj7eyjDIhTZEAas2TpcFX5lwhzxTxPBpPdHWYTDzZq2cK8-3qEoxMgVl22ZnbA19XvkS0wG-7opUT_RNaxdBawXtqD5pOo5fuR_WgcoWg3oy566rnAgAM3uepqQoyHbA-KYammI-dQGMXTDsIO0j/w302-h640/20220328_143141.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">BETTY CAN RUN AGAIN!!!!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">She runs like the wind in fact. Just like she used to before her injuries. She loves to run, it is the dog she is and the dog I wanted to allow her to be again. Yes, there is slight lameness in one leg, it tires more readily than before BUT she is doing great, she is loving life and she is strong. The exercise I made sure she had every day and continue with, has rebuilt her muscle mass, given her flexibility and made her strong once more. It can be done!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">I don't mind admitting that at times I wondered if surgery was the best route. I was so scared for Betty, hated seeing her in pain and didn't know how we would cope when her world turned upside down ... but we took our vet's advice to heart, believed in him, gave him our trust and thankfully, it was well placed. Without surgery Betty wouldn't have been able to walk, let alone run, but now she enjoys her old life, is back to walking, playing and running freely each day for at least an hour and a half. A little arthritis is a small price to pay and it can be managed by our local vet; also it is only fair to keep in mind that Betty is now seven years old, not a youngster any more ... mind you, to see her run now, you would never believe it!</span></b></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-5750640374305324172022-03-07T11:17:00.006+00:002022-05-16T12:19:15.309+01:00Mischief and magic<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZAZZsBF0IYlivJMDL44YkdhFGKDTbg1EhS0hdO5Si_XGu7Dun2LyO8uws1aUtZAbR2_6stRCpreGYt53n4wBUW6dlwHlXDBVBoB0wdndcpsDveG531g9KdDg8DDUWFOMMRH_mdjXnII78dT-xICPRgseVAaO7Hn__yAWZPbpKjVEUyir6sBWafAN/s2880/20220516_112732.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZAZZsBF0IYlivJMDL44YkdhFGKDTbg1EhS0hdO5Si_XGu7Dun2LyO8uws1aUtZAbR2_6stRCpreGYt53n4wBUW6dlwHlXDBVBoB0wdndcpsDveG531g9KdDg8DDUWFOMMRH_mdjXnII78dT-xICPRgseVAaO7Hn__yAWZPbpKjVEUyir6sBWafAN/w400-h400/20220516_112732.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">It's hard to believe Polly and I have now been together for nine years... </span></span></b><p></p><p><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">She led me a merry dance at times when she was a youngster, diving into a river full of indignant geese without considering her exit strategy, then having to be hauled out unceremoniously by her collar, charging across wide open spaces to introduce herself to unsuspecting picnickers and their sausage rolls, toppling my husband down Bedruthan Steps in Cornwall and almost knocking him unconscious when she suddenly launched herself across a muddy field without warning with him at the end of her long line ... and the barking, oh my goodness the barking! Polly is an expert guard dog, taking her job extremely seriously ... until anyone actually enters the house, then she becomes a most welcoming waggy tailed, licky, hostess, eager to share her teddy! If there was ever a swamp to dive into and become stuck in, Polly would always find it and she has never failed in her lifelong mission to become a poo roller extraordinaire. </span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">I have worked so very hard at Polly's obedience training through the years but swear there have been days when she blatantly laughed at me as I shame-facedly attempted to reinstate my 'new handler' dignity on the training field, under the irritated gaze of our instructor. She learned all skills required to become a beautifully behaved show dog... and yet somehow also held on to her indomitable spirit and unerring right to show me the error of my ways where necessary. Polly has always been the quintessential golden retriever, minus the biddable bit.</span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">However! My big bossy bird also taught me much over her nine years and for that I will forever be grateful ... I can now spot a shoulder dip and potential poo roll at record speed and understand the true value of a good cheddar. Joking aside, without Polly I don't think I would have learned nearly as much about dog behaviour ... and I certainly wouldn't have learned how important it is to achieve a polite, responsive dog! </span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Polly is an amazing dog. Clever beyond clever, loyal, determined, funny, playful and very loving. She is a fabulous girl and I love her foibles. Our nine years have been filled with mischief but also with pure magic. My beautiful girl is begininng to creak a little on occasion now, old age is creeping up ... but she's not old yet! Polly is still the zoomie queen, busting her crazy moves on my living room rug several times a week with all the exhuberance of her young puppyself. Her zest for life is ever present ... nine really is just as number as far as Polly and I are concerned!</span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Happy Birthday Big Girl, I love the very bones of you! xxx</span></b></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-827327989215183052021-11-03T14:12:00.001+00:002021-11-03T14:12:24.899+00:00Home at last!<p> <img alt="84bb10_6a16105a020f43e6895d12336c6cfbf5~mv2" class="img-fluid post-photo" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84bb10_6a16105a020f43e6895d12336c6cfbf5~mv2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: middle;" width="100%" /></p><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f2f30; font-family: Georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 25px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">HOME AT LAST!</h4><div class="post-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f2f30; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px;"><div class="post-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;">When I took Betty to the vet for TPLO surgery on her hind leg a week ago, I was expecting an overnight stay ... not a five night stay! Poor Betty developed a nasty seroma after her operation, so had to stay under close observation in doggy hospital. The vet did an amazing job with her and thankfully, she was allowed home on Sunday and despite two bionic legs, is already walking confidently again! I couldn't be happier for her.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />It will take several months to rebuild muscle loss and regain full fitness but the most important thing is, Betty is bearing full weight on her hind legs and the awful lameness that resulted in her being unable to walk properly prior to surgery, is now nothing but a bad memory. With a little rest and recouperation, she is already looking so much happier!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />It has been such an anxiety filled year but at last, the worry is starting to fade. This surgery will give Betty back her life and for that, we are so very grateful.</div></div>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-2063443762917866112021-10-26T10:51:00.005+01:002021-10-26T10:52:27.676+01:00Here we go again..<p> <img alt="84bb10_a8f8948086d846d5b5487fcffb0eb52b~mv2" class="img-fluid post-photo" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/84bb10_a8f8948086d846d5b5487fcffb0eb52b~mv2.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #323232; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: middle;" width="100%" /></p><h4 class="text-uppercase post-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f2f30; font-family: Georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 25px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 2px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">A BETTY UPDATE..</h4><div class="post-body" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #2f2f30; font-family: georgia, palatino, "book antiqua", "palatino linotype", serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 22px;"><div class="post-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 1rem;">Sometimes life is very unfair... and this is one such time. You may recall me writing about Betty's tplo surgery for a cruciate ligament rupture back in May. Well, at the time I was full of hope that after all the lameness and an anxious recovery and rehabilitation period, Betty was at last progressing back to full fitness. We had started hydrotherapy to rebuild muscle wastage and by about four months post op, were back out walking with my other golden retriever Polly, enjoying the Summer together...<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Sadly, by the time we reached mid August, Betty's other hind leg began to fail, which is apparently a common problem after tplo surgery and one our vet mentioned as a possibility after her first surgery. Of course, we were super careful with her rehab and convinced that our previously fit, healthy pup would be fine ... but we were proven wrong when by month four post op, Betty began to limp again but this time on her 'good' leg. A visit to the vet soon confirmed my fears and we were referred, once more, to the orthopaedic specialist vet.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Specialist vets are very busy at the moment so we have had to wait several weeks for our appointment. During that time, Betty's mobility has deteroriated significantly. A couple of days ago I made the decision to keep her home on bed rest until our appointment, as she is clearly in pain and struggling to walk even the shortest walk now. Although she is bored without her little sniff walks, she seems relieved that she can spend time on the living room rug, rolling on to her back, waving her legs in the air instead ... walking may be a problem, but upside-downing is still very much operational it seems!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Surgery is the only option for Betty and although I am extremely anxious for her, I am also relieved she is in the hands of an excellent vet and will be given this opportunity to walk and run again... albeit with a leg full of metalwork.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />My goodness this year has been a rollercoaster for our poor girl. She has the sweetest nature and is the most gentle, loyal dog. She really does deserve the very best in life. Praying that soon life will be much happier and pain free for my sweet girl.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></div></div>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-77019296847125386772021-10-20T11:14:00.001+01:002021-10-26T11:18:52.149+01:00All shapes and sizes!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: georgia;">Doggy Pals come in all shapes and sizes!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyIjdsJSM-MgQkQT0MvoeoNfkifw_pBF0LTan0kQIx2EGHn7_4u4rCuD0ASwKzEA4bu0My7EtUB4KXXXwDo8hbut2mqAOWkppbluePTl9w_PBiYDHh3Dmw1gxAxGKqtB4LBBQWrW6V88/s2048/20210620_183952.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1492" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyIjdsJSM-MgQkQT0MvoeoNfkifw_pBF0LTan0kQIx2EGHn7_4u4rCuD0ASwKzEA4bu0My7EtUB4KXXXwDo8hbut2mqAOWkppbluePTl9w_PBiYDHh3Dmw1gxAxGKqtB4LBBQWrW6V88/w466-h640/20210620_183952.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;">Polly and Nobby</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: georgia;"><b>When my daughter rehomed this little Chihuahua who was being bullied by his family dogs, we wondered how Polly and Betty would take to him but we shouldn't have worried, the dogs soon had it all worked out! </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: georgia;"><b>Nobby quickly became devoted to Polly and now rarely leaves her side whenever he visits. Betty is a little less sure of the tiny dog because he likes to reverse manoeuvre into her face then sit down right in front of her nose ... but that doggy indiscretion aside, both girls have completely accepted this funny little doglet as one of their gang and he is now a frequent visitor to our house for sleepovers!</b></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-17516718179241496472021-07-15T09:39:00.005+01:002021-07-15T09:46:13.473+01:00A golden life worth living<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><b>Betty update. Week 10 post tplo op: </b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchbj3RYeK7Ez8wv3jDIPvOOW8DmzHUeuuBKf8FbfMQupNkrdw8YNLeHVFIlu_pj7lW-xHF6jrbTVnKyG2Y844OkDdqsT53XPCPvEmsNwowLTValoYKKF31OeciztqAx0sycL140KYYQk/s2048/217603743_10219122826958625_1898272966301485824_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchbj3RYeK7Ez8wv3jDIPvOOW8DmzHUeuuBKf8FbfMQupNkrdw8YNLeHVFIlu_pj7lW-xHF6jrbTVnKyG2Y844OkDdqsT53XPCPvEmsNwowLTValoYKKF31OeciztqAx0sycL140KYYQk/w400-h400/217603743_10219122826958625_1898272966301485824_n.jpg" width="400" /></b></span></a></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">All pet barriers have now been removed at home so at last, Betty has free reign again. She is using stairs confidently and taking up her old position on the landing outside my workroom door, happily napping while she waits for me to finish work. She is also back to playing a little gentle tag downstairs with Polly. We're not quite back to complete golden chaos on the living room rug yet, but I'm sure it's coming!</b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98HB_qBzcDJxcE8X5WelpUEMOJAFjE7oZJ817SL72bNV6ucBkYWRojNtpdTOU2nn_JQHgMVui94yvZxny_JQgQ4YA7tIZQ1uTEO5rEDUMELJHLjbcWX9TKRONIxb8bFKmKpNmc0rh1Yw/s2048/217843831_10219122827798646_2946284534036578089_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98HB_qBzcDJxcE8X5WelpUEMOJAFjE7oZJ817SL72bNV6ucBkYWRojNtpdTOU2nn_JQHgMVui94yvZxny_JQgQ4YA7tIZQ1uTEO5rEDUMELJHLjbcWX9TKRONIxb8bFKmKpNmc0rh1Yw/w300-h400/217843831_10219122827798646_2946284534036578089_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></b></span></div><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;"><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Betty is clearly delighted to be back to daily walks with Polly and having short, managed bursts of exercise off lead. Yesterday she was also put through her paces on her second session of hydrotherapy and swam really well. Her exercise is being carefully monitored and she is progressing with great enthusiasm.</b></div></b></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvL1RH3hlU19X6XaQO7x01KHHrDKRJJJQVg7CncLo1Cy60FGPeTmi3aRa0YGD2cl-fkipz6GIyAJxJS5WUfM_rOSdXfHi35p6gKkrikSAK9QyNB6Xddwg5_OVGRKeM4ngia66Riuw0nmY/s1440/216810612_10219122822318509_3335029857773534125_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvL1RH3hlU19X6XaQO7x01KHHrDKRJJJQVg7CncLo1Cy60FGPeTmi3aRa0YGD2cl-fkipz6GIyAJxJS5WUfM_rOSdXfHi35p6gKkrikSAK9QyNB6Xddwg5_OVGRKeM4ngia66Riuw0nmY/w400-h400/216810612_10219122822318509_3335029857773534125_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This cruciate ligament injury and subsequent surgery has been a long, worrying process. It was so hard to see our girl in pain, but at ten weeks post op, we are now really seeing the benefits of this major surgery for Betty.</b></div></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpzinLpd3qbmzwHS_XI6QKPydQTcdzuvXx6OH9e1Mp62yilKUSwJhpxP9Ruvg5yBkYZWJDHboyACIMeRbnx89amfGHN58zo2lhxv99pa8obeV4RkRjjBA5JNpEdhdmlNtUmz240aJ27s/s1440/217041270_10219122825798596_4770038670627285807_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpzinLpd3qbmzwHS_XI6QKPydQTcdzuvXx6OH9e1Mp62yilKUSwJhpxP9Ruvg5yBkYZWJDHboyACIMeRbnx89amfGHN58zo2lhxv99pa8obeV4RkRjjBA5JNpEdhdmlNtUmz240aJ27s/w400-h400/217041270_10219122825798596_4770038670627285807_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I am so glad we were able to give our Betty Boo this opportunity to live a full golden life again. We no doubt have several more months ahead of rebuilding muscle wastage and stamina and will have to be careful with her for the forseeable future, but Betty is now pain free and most importantly, clearly enjoying her life once more.</b></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-69137113772713517932021-07-12T10:29:00.003+01:002021-07-12T10:29:14.945+01:00Garden Party<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;">It has been all about Betty and her surgery lately, so here are a few pics I took of Polly yesterday. She was invited to a family garden party at my sister's house. After eighteen months of lockdown, Polly was beside herself with excitement to find all her favourite people in one garden! She had a wonderful afternoon playing with the other family dogs and greeting everyone!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH16OYLhiu3gucAeQ3rHuMZjwKTbiAyolSO7rHuVhzGHeIa2RlvSxLZIpFm0ynst3FnixE9lxtlE6S88n7PJ4cEgTt9qbQ8jrIcy8WyRoT57jnOKcxH6BG3NBKWmv6sUjxnD5n-AmuDZo/s1838/213847419_10225632687466009_219998603693400557_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="1838" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH16OYLhiu3gucAeQ3rHuMZjwKTbiAyolSO7rHuVhzGHeIa2RlvSxLZIpFm0ynst3FnixE9lxtlE6S88n7PJ4cEgTt9qbQ8jrIcy8WyRoT57jnOKcxH6BG3NBKWmv6sUjxnD5n-AmuDZo/w400-h266/213847419_10225632687466009_219998603693400557_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUUBLq9bnUFecC3IxPkon4r1Ef5eHkw7pDF27zouf5oNjyifWtygLKZutULZkZ-zMVqn9C6GZ4o84nsk_W69Q2Ho7qaB-qoRj1t5Y9f0uSPxl1HlvBtyQmOT-88pGhtgym2QDIP-rjII/s2048/P1010919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1682" data-original-width="2048" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUUBLq9bnUFecC3IxPkon4r1Ef5eHkw7pDF27zouf5oNjyifWtygLKZutULZkZ-zMVqn9C6GZ4o84nsk_W69Q2Ho7qaB-qoRj1t5Y9f0uSPxl1HlvBtyQmOT-88pGhtgym2QDIP-rjII/w400-h329/P1010919.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7-8Yq4Vg7O-nPrvLmmhcYbQRpKbX4j90qfKChjDG4ShIkqxN7JH4_6FRF5NsYR2cfv8EUEtWIY81cpIwvkxbgPy6B514Pk70k_hrZRPTxEAPEXmPm1kghnVAJPK5x-q7AZLVLyEESbA/s2048/P1010910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1493" data-original-width="2048" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7-8Yq4Vg7O-nPrvLmmhcYbQRpKbX4j90qfKChjDG4ShIkqxN7JH4_6FRF5NsYR2cfv8EUEtWIY81cpIwvkxbgPy6B514Pk70k_hrZRPTxEAPEXmPm1kghnVAJPK5x-q7AZLVLyEESbA/w400-h291/P1010910.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmF2urI-l2Y3eyiI3WYem-7gh3oQWnX3cKSOVTyQhDjFmXwiQ6iwgxXhN7ET3QtTVEfKvSdOGA3sub29wvh2scjV3DaPMTV4EUIaKvwiQQgB440JUI2R8pgMatz0QsIR8vvLED6k5_YA/s2048/P1010914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1563" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmF2urI-l2Y3eyiI3WYem-7gh3oQWnX3cKSOVTyQhDjFmXwiQ6iwgxXhN7ET3QtTVEfKvSdOGA3sub29wvh2scjV3DaPMTV4EUIaKvwiQQgB440JUI2R8pgMatz0QsIR8vvLED6k5_YA/w305-h400/P1010914.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia;">Polly is eight and a half now, but played like a puppy with her pals Nobby the Chihuahua and Boris the mini Schnauzer yesterday. Size really didn't matter, they are all great mates and had a whale of a time together. Polly has missed being able to rough 'n tumble with her sister Betty for the past few months, so watching her having so much fun with her little pals in the garden yesterday, made my heart sing!</span></b></div>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6013946428511438986.post-47553736696843384962021-07-12T10:10:00.001+01:002021-07-12T10:10:14.108+01:00Making a splash!<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"> After Betty's eight week TPLO surgical assessment, our vet recommended hydrotherapy to aid muscle recovery, so I booked Betty in to a local centre and she had her first session last week.</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdniQ8nXLklH0_yQhrbUDgYvlTeXpR7JA8MOr0SNKx2x3k2O_BexgXFI_zIRKrTd4bRAOkPT_J2xGMQFxtinS-CrD1XKTcOVadsxFhCTCPf6JgxZS3lmU1mcK_TZ_0P9covN3v2qeBTk/s2048/P1010657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1339" data-original-width="2048" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdniQ8nXLklH0_yQhrbUDgYvlTeXpR7JA8MOr0SNKx2x3k2O_BexgXFI_zIRKrTd4bRAOkPT_J2xGMQFxtinS-CrD1XKTcOVadsxFhCTCPf6JgxZS3lmU1mcK_TZ_0P9covN3v2qeBTk/w400-h261/P1010657.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">Betty was a little anxious to begin with but with gentle encouragement from her therapist, soon began to relax and enjoy herself in the pool.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHoXHfO7wal_PHB1IJNjcIP-UZchRrpun7_-Xsdjnvp4cLhkbGcIuR66UWC9biw8nC1t8ByUXu575Vnh1DlMzc2Ek6k995wkgk0K_jn3Tf3rSKlQwwRa5TPGQTImmbY7qxCwkTVJIoBw/s2048/P1010667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdHoXHfO7wal_PHB1IJNjcIP-UZchRrpun7_-Xsdjnvp4cLhkbGcIuR66UWC9biw8nC1t8ByUXu575Vnh1DlMzc2Ek6k995wkgk0K_jn3Tf3rSKlQwwRa5TPGQTImmbY7qxCwkTVJIoBw/w400-h300/P1010667.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">She received lovely muscle easing massages between swims and was carefully monitored throughout the session. Apparently a five minute swim is the same exercise as a five mile walk, so Betty had a jolly good workout. These swim and treadmill sessions will help rebuild muscle wastage and strength so they will be invaluable for helping Betty regain a full and active life... and improve her swimming technique in the process hopefully!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">By the end of Betty's first hydrotherapy session, she was absolutely beaming. We are now seeing the true value of the TPLO surgery for Betty; without it she was crippled and in pain but now, almost ten weeks after this major surgery, she is enjoying life again and is able to walk confidently, run (carefully supervised!) ... and swim!</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia;">I couldn't be more delighted for her.</span></b></div><p></p>All Bear by Paulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16482860870472872700noreply@blogger.com0