Pesky Squirrels

I have obviously been doing far too much napping recently, because do you know what I saw this morning?

Evil pesky squirrels in MY garden!! I thought they were supposed to hibernate in winter, but it seems no-one told these guys that.

Whilst I've taken my eye of the ball & been out shopping, having mud baths & playing with my Kong with its' many new tasty fillings, it seems my garden is being invaded. I obviously can't keep watch on MY back garden when I'm out & about, & those sneaky squirrels are obviously more than aware of the fact.

Look, they're eating all the peanuts that mum & dad put out. I'm sure they were supposed to be treats for ME!

And they're on MY grass, in MY mud. If that's not good reason for dad to take the fence down again, then I don't know what is. I need to protect my pawperty from the invaders.

A few well timed barks sent this squirrel scurrying away across the fence tops. For now at least. Seems I'm going to have to keep a much closer eye on things around here.

Licks

Oscar x

A Busy Weekend

Hello everyone,

Phew! I've had such a busy weekend. On Saturday dad got me into my car harness, popped me in the car & off we went. We didn't go any of our usual routes for walks or puppy class so I was very intrigued. As I peered out of the window I could see lots of cars, buses, people & buildings.

We parked with lots of other cars & dad put some pennies in a machine. Dad got me out of the car & it was sensory overload. There were loads of people & so many new sights & smells everywhere. Mum explained that her & dad had to do some shopping so they had decided it would do me good to experience the town centre for the first time! It was really exciting. There were loads of pigeons to chase, people to be admired by, bit of food to snaffle off the floor, & best of all we bumped into another Airedale, a 2 year old boy! It was so exciting, and his owners made a real fuss of me & said how handsome I was (I know it already!) with my proper Airedale hair do (their doggie was REALLY wild & wooly).

Later we met an Italian Spinone puppy almost exactly the same age as me! She looked like the picture below and was very eager to play with me, but all the hoomans said that the middle of town on a Saturday morning wasn't the best place, so we just had a little bit of a wrestle while the hoomans nattered! I was well behaved whilst waiting outside shops. I either stayed with mum or dad while the other went in, and lots of people stopped to admire me & ask what kind of dog I was. One person thought my Halti lead was a muzzle, so mum soon put them straight!

Cute Spinone doggy

We stopped at a place called MacDonald's on the way home & dad asked a funny machine for some stuff, them we drove up to a window & picked up some yummy smelling food! I sat really nicely while they muched & my patience was rewarded with a bit of Chicken Nugget. Yummy!

When we got home I was so tired from all the new sights & smells that I slept for the whole afternoon & most of the evening!

********************

Sunday was another beautiful sunny day, though still freezing cold I have to say. Yet again dad put my stoopid car harness on, grabbed my lead & some poopy bags & off we set. We only drove about 10 minutes away then parked up on a country lane. We were off on a 3 mile walk round Stanton Park & the Great Wood.

Mum found the walk on a really cool website called Tara's Trails
It's written by a local doggie & has loads of great walks around our town. Mum says we can try new ones out at the weekends, which is great as I simply adore going out & exploring new places.

As soon as we got going I tried to find the best stick I could for mum & dad to throw & me to chew on - sticks make such a tasty snack don't you think? No? Hmm, maybe just me then. After careful inspection, I decided this one wasn't quite perfect.

The first part of the track was REALLY muddy due to the amount of rain we have had recently. Dad was sinking but mum thought it was more important to take photos of his predicament than help him! Good job mum bought him new wellies this week!

I had such a great time running through the mud, across the fields & in the woods. There was a field with some horses in with some really tasty food that I enjoyed eating (mum: it was horse poop!). We also saw some sheep & some deer, but I was a good boy & ignored them.

There were lots of men sitting by the edge of the lake. Dad said they were fishing. They had buckets with worms in which I was keen to eat, so dad had to put me back on my lead until we got past them. Boring!

I enjoyed watching this water flowing really fast out of the lake. It was quite noisy all crashing down on the rocks.

There were lots of trees that had fallen over because of the gale force winds we had last week, though none were as impressive as Miss Sunshade's big tree that toppled over.

I finally found the perfect stick. I think I look a bit like a martial arts dog with a Kendo stick! I had to leave it behind as it was kind of difficult to navigate through the trees with it!

There were loads of crystal clear streams & ponds in the wood, and dad FINALLY managed to persuade me to take a dip. Brr, it was fr-fr-freezing, but it was actually fun, and I did have a little swim. Mum was really excited, cheering & saying "good boy, good boy". Thank Dog there was no-one nearby as she was embarrasing! I will try it again when the weather is a bit warmer.

This was the result of walking through all that mud & having a dip in the pond. Check out the state of my feet - excellent!

I did fear that mud in that extreme could only lead to one thing & yep, I was right. Dad took his t-shirt off, picked me up (no mean feat as I'm getting pretty big), carried me upstairs & unceremoniously dumped me in the bath. You guys, why did you have to spoil such a good day? I had a wash in the pond & it's only a little bit of dirt for pete's sake!

Hmm, is all that mud really coming from me? OK, maybe I did need a teeny rinse.

When I got out of the bath my "Aire Dry" was interrupted by grandma & grandad coming over, so there was more excitement. I hope they didn't mind getting sprayed with the remains of my bath water as I ran round them like a crazy!

It was still a really good day despite the bath, & yet again I certainly had an excellent snooze later on!

Licks,

Oscar x

Home Alone

Well folks, I did my first out of crate stint, and you know what? It was actually pretty nice. It's true what mum & dad were trying to tell me - I can have much more fun when I'm not squished up in my crate. I was really good too. No chewing forbidden things, no stealing stuff, no barking (according to our neighbour who mum checked up with, sneaky mum!), no little "accidents", not that mum & dad were expecting any as I have been house trained for AGES. I am liking my bed being under the stairway, it's super cosy in there, and that's where I was when mum got home (though I came trotting to the door pretty fast when I heard the key turn). Mum thinks I did a bit more of a crazy greeting then when I get let out of my crate, but I was just so keen to show her that I had been a well-behaved boy.

I was watching mum fill up my Kong here. I got peanut butter & carrot today, thanks to all your good recommendations on my last post. Yummy!

Mum was determined that I wasn't going to get bored! I had my Kong as just mentioned, my Busy Buddy with a teeny smear of Marmite - I love it, dad loves it, mum hates it (so guess she won't be stealing my Busy Buddy anytime soon), & my Buster Cube with half my breakfast in it. I had wondered where the rest was when I had my brekkie.

Yep, lots of space in the kitchen to play. And a nice bowl of water wth ice cubes, excellent.

Lots of room out here to. I'm keeping an eye out for Fat Flakes, but she's probably busy scoffing her food upstairs.

Which one to choose first, decisions decisions. In the end I plumped for the Kong as the peanut butter smelt soooooooooooooooooo good.

I actually didn't even notice mum & dad had gone out. They left the radio on low which was nice, and by the time I had worked on my Kong & other toys, I was ready for naps with my stuffies. It didn't seem long at all until I heard that key turn in the door.

I think I could get used to this. It seems like a good way to get more food if nothing else!

Licks

Oscar x

Your Suggestions Please

Ever since mum & dad brought me home, I have had my own puppy crate. I like it a lot and have never whined or cried when I have been in it. In fact most nights I take myself off to bed in it when I start to feel sleepy. It's in the living room, in a corner beside one of the sofas & under the stairs, so I feel nice & safe & cosy there.

Now as you can see, it is getting a little bit cramped in there now that I am getting to be a big grown up boy, and mum & dad are starting to worry that I will get bored being in there when they're out or overnight.

They have suggested that I start going in the kitchen & hallway if they're out & overnight. Now I am not too impressed by this idea as it seems a bit scary not being shut up nice & safe in my crate. Yeah, I know I'm a big girlie. I know it makes sense as I will have much more space to stretch out, play, wander around, spy on Fat Flakes, etc, etc, but it still seems a bit, umm, weird.

Mum thinks that here under the stairs would be a good place to put my bed, as it's a cosy space where I can snuggle up, a bit like in my crate. Hmm, I can see what she means, but where's the door?

She says she'll leave me with my new red Kong so that I have something to keep me busy & distracted. I thought I could just chase Fat Flakes around the house, but mum wasn't too keen on that idea. Flakes could certainly use the exercise though, little porker.

Mum bought me this new boredom busting toy in preparation. It's called a "Busy Buddy".

The humans put food or spread stuff in the middle, then screw it up, & I have to work out how to get the food out. It's not that tricky in my opinion, took me about 5 minutes to suss it out, but it's still good fun. Mmm, cheese.

So this is where you guys come in. Mum & dad aren't very inventive when it comes to stuffing my Kong & Busy Buddy. As I am apparently going to be left loose from tomorrow I need some yummy suggestions for fillings for my toys. I am a little sensitive in the tummy department (who said "girlie" again?), so mum would prefer natural, wholesome foods ideally (yawn).

I'm really looking forward to hearing your recipe ideas. If you have any other tips for un-crate training me, leave them on my comments section. I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow!

Licks,

Oscar x

Disco 'Dale

I don't know what the winter's like where you live, but here in the south of England during the winter it's pretty dark from around 4:30 pm until around 8am the following morning, which means that two of my walk a day during the week tend to take place under cover of darkness.

Now if you lot are anything like me you'll love sniffing around in the undergrowth, lagging behind your mum or dad to wait for that pretty little lady or handsome young dog to catch up with you, and playing ball even though it's pitch black- you know the kinds of thing I mean I'm sure.

Anyhow, as I am quite dark in colour, mum sometimes finds it hard to see where I'm hiding (yeah mum, that's the idea, durr!), so she bought a cool little flasher to go on my collar to keep track of me.



Pretty cool, huh? Anyway, I thought it made me look like a bit of a "Disco 'Dale", so I got mum to get the "Oggz" lights out of the bedroom so we could recreate a nightclub feel in the living room. Mum & dad got these for Christmas & they are so cool. They are made or nice soft plastic, change colour all the time to hold your interest & are just the right size for grabbing & running round with in your mouth. I think that's why they mostly stay in the bedroom (where I'm not allowed).

I'm flashing at you here, but it's a bit too light to see the full effect!

And now it's a bit too dark. I think the lighting technician at this disco needs firing!

I'm off to cruise the dancefloor for a laydee.

Licks
Oscar x

Bathtime Blues

Mum got an e-mail from my breeders (Sherifs Airedales) at the weekend to say they had found my blog site & thought it was brilliant & had laughed lots hearing about my adventures! So hello David & Martin. Glad you're enjoying hearing my news. Mum says we'll hopefully see you in February at the WESWATC show in Hewish. I'm entering the Companion Dog competition in Best Puppy, Best Movement & Most Handsome Dog, so keep your paws crossed for me!

Just so you know, I made sure that I had my revenge for mum giving me a wash on "Shower Free Saturday" & made sure I had a good rub down on the sofa to dry off!



Well, you've got to make the best of a bad situation haven't you? I feel back to my old mischievous self now as you can plainly see!

Licks,
Oscar x

It was supposed to be "Shower Free Day"!

I'm sure I told you before that dad fenced off the lawn when winter set in here as it was super muddy, and also because I was digging up all the plants that were there. Well, that fence has been the bane of my life. I've been trying for quite a while to work out how the hell to get under, over or through it.

Well this morning I succeeded! I managed to squeeze through the side of it when mum & dad weren't looking. Look at the guilty look on my face when mum spotted me.

Hmm, smells like those pesky squirrels have been digging about in my garden. I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on things I think.

Now then, how do I get back over this thing, hmm. I didn't plan that too well did I?

Argh! Mum's all over this. Looks like I'm in BIG trouble

They say the punishment fits the crime, so I must have been super bad to deserve this treatment. And it's supposed to be "No Shower Day" today according to Dogs with Blogs.

I'm off to do some sucking up!



Licks
Oscar x