When you go down to the woods today...

I went on a new walk this morning and it was lots of fun because ALL my hoomans came with me! It's usually just me and mum! There was a biiiig dark forest with loads of trees and squirrels and birdies for me to sniff and chase!

I was a bit dissapointed because I had to stay on my long lead. Mum said it was because there were loads of crazy mountain bikers about so it wasn't really safe for me to go off exploring. There were loads of nice things to smell though so I wasn't complaining!

I practiced my recall and tried to stay still and pose when mum let me off the lead for photos - but there are far more interesting things to do!!!

I payed attention to mum when she blew her whistle...

And I found a nice big mossy stick to carry around....yum yum!

All in all, a good mornings work I think! But I want to go out again now...and I only came in half an hour ago! Hee hee!

In sibling related news, mum is going to see the Pug lady again on Thursday...it won't be long until the babies are born! I'm starting to feel excited but a bit scared about the responsibility of having to look after a little puppy!! What if they don't like me? What if I don't like them?! I hope thy are as lovely as Suki - I think i'd be quite happy then! I was looking on the internet earlier to see if I could read some more about Pugs and find some videos of them and I came across this...it is scary! It made mum laugh but I like the quiet life - I never bark unless I'm told...I hope my little brother or sister doesn't do this!!!

Oh dear oh dear...Hee hee! Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Licks,
Toby
x

Posers!

Mum has been going on and on about my Airedale friends Oscar, Sunshade, Jaffa and Maggie and their wonderful poses for pictures. I started thinking it must be a terrier thing, this posing, because I can't quite get the hang of it! I'm a gundog - I've got better things to do like retrieve things, point seagulls and roll in poo! Humph! And then Nanook starts posing so that puts pay to my 'I'm not a terrier' excuse!

Anyway, I thought 'I'll show her' so I've been trying my hardest to put in some good poses for photos - I'd like everyone to tell me what they think...have I got potential?

This is my serious, deep and artistic look....


My best 'I'm a good boy...I didn't chew the wallpaper - honest!' look...


My audition for Jaws Returns...


Showing off my chest muscles...


Feed me, feed me!


And last, but not least...my Sexay look...hee hee


What do you think guys?
(Mums note - he had to be bribed into most of these photos but he does have an inner show off it would seem!)

Licks,
Tobster
x

Park-time!

I realised that I'm always writing about going to the beach, which is usually my afternoon/evening walk but I never write about going to the park where I go every morning! It is such a nice place with loads of grass to eat! I love the grass!

Every morning I get up with Mum and have my breakfast - yummy Burns! Num num num!

Then I have a nap for about an hour while my tummy settles and mum has her own breakfast. Then it is WALK TIME! Woo hoo!! Look at my impatient face...mum spends far too much time clicking that camera machine and not walking me!!

It takes a few minutes to walk from our house to MY park. Mum thinks it's important for me to walk on the streets because it keeps my nails short and teaches me to behave when walking around other doggies. It is sooo difficult to walk past them without stopping to say hello! I do think it's important too - otherwise I wouldn't get a chance to sniff where all the other pups have been leaving nice smells! mmmmm!

Once we get to the park I'm usually allowed off my lead to wander and smell things but I have to pay attention to mum or she dissappears - I still haven't figured out how she does it but she used to scare me by hiding behind trees and silly things like that when I wasn't looking! So I tend to keep a close eye on her these days just incase she goes and does something daft! Hoomans! Tuch!

There is a big playing field at the top end of the park where I go to train and play fetch every morning. It is at the top of this picture but I couldn't go in there when this was taken because some hooman boys were playing football. The cheek of it - in MY park!

Here are some more pictures of the park...it was looking especially lovely yesterday afternoon - it was sooo sunny!


This is me playing in one of the smaller fields...sorry for all the photos but I do like to show off my park - I think it's fab!



This is the life - a shady spot under a tree and a good stick! Being a dog is grrrrrrrreat!


Later doggy bloggers!
Licks,
Tobster

The joys of Spring!

I've had such a great weekend pups! The weather has been glorious so I've been out playing over the fields, running riot on the beach and I've been allowed back out into the big house garden (Well it's not really a BIG garden...). Mum said I've not been allowed out there because she and Mum2 have been planting things and tidying up the garden for the Summer. There was supposed to be some neew grass by now but Mum says we have to do another year without any. There used to be grass, before I was born, but my big brother Tramp dug it all up - the silly sausage! Who would want to dig grass when you can run around on it or eat it?!

Anyway, even though there isn't any grass I still had loads of fun running around with my toys and playing fetch.



And here's some photos of me at the beach.


I just love the beach! I know I say it all the time...but I just love it! I love chasing my ball, and playing football with mum, and splashing in the sea! I'm also well known for pointing seagulls...mum sometimes wonders about my sanity - and my breeding! Last night I sampled some yummy Seagull poop when I came out of the sea - I can highly reccommend it.

As well as all that excitment Mum told me some very exciting news! On Saturday she went with Mum2 to visit a nice lady who breeds Pugs - you remember, those funny pig-dogs I told you about, and they liked her very much so hopefully I'll be getting a neew brother or sister at the start of June. The breeding ladys Pug, Lilly, is pregnant and looking very healthy so everyone keep your paws crossed! Mum says that Pug can have very different sized litters - anything from 1 to 6 puppies and they could be boys, girls or a mix so I don't know if I'm getting a brother or a sister yet! I am quite excited but I'm a bit worried too...I mean, I have to share my hoomans with another doggy! It does mean that I have a friend to play with, although it looks like Puggy puppies are very tiny so I'll have to be veery careful with it when it is little! This is what Pug puppies look like when they're five weeks old - they are so tiny!


And this is Lilly, the glowing mum to be. Mum said she was very nice. She looks a bit put out in this picture...but there was a Bichon sniffing her butt - I think I'd look put out too!


So it's been a busy weekend! I'd like all my friends to send loads of good vibes and luck to Lilly for the safe delivery of her babies next month! And now - a nap!


Lots of licks,
Tobster
x

My tummy and mum's memories

Hello pups! I'm glad to report that I am feeling good and perky again! The nice vet man I saw yesterday said that the washing line I ate a while back (oops) had probably irritated my insides as it passed through me so he gave me an injection and some tablets for mum to give me. I was a brave boy and didn't move a muscle while he gave me the injection even though it REALLY hurt! I am sooo brave! :) I don't mind taking tablets because mum hides them in bits of chicken (she thinks I don't know - hee hee!).

Today I'm feeling much more myself - running round like a loony and going out on long walks. I even mustered up the energy to carry a big stick around with me in the park and I've been to the beach too! Yey!



Mum isn't such a happy bunny today though - she says it is almost a year since my big brother, Tramp, who I never knew, went to heaven. Mum has been making a video of him and crying so I've been giving her extra big hugs and kisses. He looked like he was so much fun - I wish I had known him. Here's a video of him - our mum misses you lots Tramp my man! Hope you are OK where you are...



Licks,
Tobster

Poorly bad....

Well, we've had a great couple of days here. The weather has been lovely, just like summer and I've been enjoying spending lots of time out in the fields or down on the beach which is my most favourite place in the world! Mum managed to get a video of me on the beach but it's not very good because she used her mobile phone and I was on my long lead because I kept on trying to chase after a border terrier that didn't want to be my friend - she was very anti-social...can't think why! Although I used to be scared of the water I now dive straight for it when we get on the beach...I still do a bum tuck away from the sea as it comes in though because it's a great game! The rock pools at the top of the beach are my favourite though!



I love playing with my squeaky ball on the beach too...but because I don't get to play with it in the house (because mum says I would chew it up! Me?! NEVER!) sometimes I don't want to bring it back! Hee hee! I'm a good retriever really...honest! I fetch mum everything...slippers, the phones, remotes...socks! What more could you ask!



Anyway...despite having these lovely few days yesterday I started to feel a bit poorly. I have a very sore bottom and had some really bad runny poos with a little bit of blood in so today I'm being starved which is flipping miserable! Though I do feel better not having anything in my tummy at the moment...Needless to say I'm feeling very sorry for myself and me and mum are trying to catch up on sleep because she had to sit up with me last night because I had to keep running for the loo! I'm going to have some chicken and rice tomorrow but mum said if I'm not any better by then we'll go and see the nice vet lady. I like her - she gives me liver treats...yum! I'm so hungry! Wah!



Lots of licks,
Toby

Abandoned!!

Well...unfortunately for me and mum the new training class didn't work out. KC awards or not neither of us liked it one bit and none of the dogs were well socialised and a few were down right nasty. Humph! Anyway...if that wasn't bad enough, today mum woke me up at quarter to six! Wow! I was sleepy at first but it was nice to go out for a walk so early and it was nice an quiet, but I soon realised that something was going on becuase at 6.30 I was left on my own with my mums dad and mum had gone! She abandoned me!!!!! WAH!!!



Mum and mum 2 had been going on about something called 'Crufts' for ages and I watched it on the TV with mum on thursday and Friday nights and so I realised it was this big dog thing where loads of dogs get together and run around in circles with their owners. There were also some dogs jumping over poles and some doing something called 'flyball' which looks like SOOO much fun! Anyway...I was getting quite excited thinking that I was going to go and join in but they went without me! It's not fair! Maybe they just forgot me and they'll take me next time! I'm still not happy about it though!

Later pups!

Tobster
x

The Big GT!

Mum told me some very exciting news today! Our wonderful Labrador forum holds their annual Get Together in August and there are usually somewhere between 100 and 150 hoomans and LABRADORS! And mum says we can go! Woo hoo!!! 150 labradors...can you imagine?! How cool will that be! Sooo exciting!!!

I'm just chilling out at the moment - I went with mum to University today to see some of her friends who work at the Egypt Centre because they haven't seen me since I was a little pup and now I'm 8 months old! Mum took my measurements on my 8 month birthday and I'm now 23 inches to the shoulder, 26 inches from the base of my collar to the top of my tail and I weigh about 30kg. Wowzer!



Anyway...I'll write more in a few days but I'm worn out now so I'm going to settle down on my fave chair with a raw hide. Have a good weekend guys!

licks,
Tobster