Me snaps

Hi there, OK so Mummy is always always taking loads of pictures of me - I'm getting pretty used to it now. Here are a few from the last month, in chronological order.

Here is me with Daddy on holiday. We were on the beach which is why my face is all covered with stuff. In this pic, you get a clear shot of what is called my "winkie". As I mentioned in the last post, this has been drastically altered in recent days. There's a swollen bit between my legs now.

Here is me lying in bed next to Daddy. I like the bed and it is especially fun in the mornings, when I am allowed to snuggle up and put my head on the pillows, like Mummy and Daddy do. My favourite thing is to squish my face between the two pillows so it is all dark and safe - I can't see anything, so nothing can see me, type thing. I like digging on the bed too as it is all soft and bouncy. Sometimes I am able to sneak under the covers briefly, but they always pull me out.

Here is me about to go down some stairs... well actually, I didn't go down these ones on this particular day, but that is not because I can't do it! No siree, I can go up and down stairs to my heart's content now. But on this day, I just didn't want to, as you can probably tell from my expression. These ones aren't nice because there are holes in the side rails that make me nervous. So we actually took the lift instead.

Here is me today with Tonto, the border terrier who is exactly two months younger than me that lives downstairs. He is ok but a bit annoying. I am clearly the bigger, stronger dog, but he so doesn't know it and is always trying to bite me - my fur, my paws, my tongue. It's like, Tonto, for heavens sake, calm down! That's what I normally say to him, either by ignoring him or showing my teeth just an appropriate amount, or pinning him down of course. In this picture I am looking up because Tonto's Daddy is holding something good in the air, and I reckon Tonto is just working out which bit of me to try and bite next. So tiresome, these puppies.

If not myself, then who am I?

                                                      Me with tennis ball I found in the park

This was the question I was asking a lot on Monday evening and quite a lot of yesterday too. It wasn't that I was trying to be a philosophical doggy Descartes, just that I felt so strange, not like my self at all. I had to keep checking in the mirror that I actually was myself because I couldn't quite believe it. This is what happened: on Monday morning, Mummy took me to the vets. I love the vet, I don't care what anyone says, it is great there because there are dog smells, treats and lots of friendly people. All of the same was true this time, except this time, I stayed there and Mummy left. She looked at me a bit intense when she left but I didn't think anything of it because that nice tall man was holding me and he smells of other animals. So she went, and I went downstairs. Fun! Lots of other types of animals down there like cats, and a new kind that I have smelled before but never seen, which the girl down there told me are called rabbits. The nice tall man left me for a bit, then came back, gave me a stroke and fuss (but at the same time was doing something a bit uncomfortable to my neck) then suddenly I felt all woozy, then I was asleep. I remember thinking I don't want to be asleep because I want to look at all the other animals, but I couldn't help it, I was suddenly so tired. Next thing I knew I was awake and looking at bunnies again, but there was this funny lump between my back legs that hadn't been there before. I was still a bit too tired to really investigate it though so I just played with the nice girl and looked at bunnies.
Then mummy came to pick me up but for some reason I couldn't be bothered to really be nice to her. I didn't want to go and leave the bunnies, but she meanly put me in the stupid car. Normally I like to look about in the car but I just flopped. Where was all my energy? Was this feeling something to do with the new lump between my legs?

So we got home, but it wasn't really home as I knew it. Everything seemed kind of strange. I couldn't settle even though I was so tired it was unbearable. Mummy kept trying to be near me but I didn't want her near me. She put me on the bed but I didn't want to be on the bed. She gave me a new tennis ball - I wanted that obviously. But I couldn't really be bothered to do much with it. She kept saying it was ironic that I was so obsessed with my new ball just as I'd lost my old ones. Mirror mirror on the wall, what is she on about?!

Why is she annoying me so much today? Why am I scared? Why can't I take my eyes off the front door? Why can't I stop licking this strange lump between my legs and why does it hurt more and more? These were my thoughts. Reader, I was scared and confused.

That night was awful, the next day gradually got better. It is only today that I feel like I've finally remembered what life is all about (playing, cuddles, walks, people, treats). It's like I've been to puppy hell and back. But now I don't even mind the new thing between my legs any more. It seems to be getting a bit smaller - Mummy keeps looking at it all the time, which makes me feel weird, and Jeanie is always sniffing it now, then pouncing on me. Such an annoying girl sometimes. It hurts a little bit but really not much.

Whatever happened to me at the vets? I guess I'll never really know, since I don't understand most of what Mummy and Daddy say unless it starts or ends with Henry. But they were worried and now there not, so I guess everything is alright.

People v dogs

This is a really tough question and it is something I spend a lot of time debating in my head, particular when presented with the opportunity to run and jump up either a dog or a person.
The case for people:
they don't bite my ears
they make nice high-pitched, sing songy sounds at me which make my ears feel nice and tingly
they give me treats
about 95% of them fuss and love me, which makes me feel really warm inside

The case against people:
they don't look like me
they use their mouths a lot to say things I don't understand but am presumably meant to
their feet are big and hurt if they stand on me
there are 5% that ignore me
they don't play chase as much as dogs
they don't do rough and tumble play fights like other dogs
they don't let me eat their food (well, sometimes, but not often enough)

The case for dogs:
They look like me and are generally about my height!
Some of them like to play - nicely I mean, not bitey
Some of them let me sniff them
I can chase them and they are as fast as me, not like slow people

The case against dogs:
About 50% of them don't like me and are either mean or ignore me (a higher % than no of people who don't like me)
Some are too rough, with big paws that squish me and teeth that hurt on my tummy
Some don't smell nice
Often, they won't let me play with their stuff - toys, balls etc

So I guess people win then really, because the most important factor for me, as you know, is attention, and I deffo get more of it from the tall folks. But then there are some specific dogs that I like, like Jeanie. And Tilly. I'll make an exception for them.