2017…

I’d like to hope 2017 is going to be a better year, but sadly, I think the worst is yet to come.

The last 12 months I’ve lost family and friends, I’ve seen the UK torn apart by politics, the US is heading the same way.  I was lucky enough to find Roxy, but I lost Molly.  I know see that Molly came to me so I could find Roxy, but it’s still painful.  A few days after Molly died a friend lost her dog, a few weeks after that another friend lost her dog, then a few days ago yet another friend lost her dog!  Each one was a rescue thgthgat changed their owners lives as much as they changed their dogs lives.  However, it still hurts to loose them.

I’m being careful not to name names but my heart goes out to everyone who’s lost someone the last 12 months.  It’s been crap all round!  I had a feeling 2016 was going to be bad, I didn’t realise how bad it would get.  I think generally 2017 is going to be bad for everyone.  So please, look out for each other, because only that way can we hope to make it safely out the other end. 

Update.

Just a quick update.  I’ve been ill so not been up to posting.  I’m over the worst of it but still got a way to go.  Roxy is helping me recover with lots of cuddles!!

Post cut!

Roxy went to Scrufts for a hair cut!  She looks so much more grown up now!!  She’s gone from my scruffy pup to a smart little dog!  I can 1000% recommend Zoe at Scrufts.  She washed, cut, clipped nails and most importantly cared for Roxy and got her back to me quickly.  It was the first time I’d had her fur cut and anyone who knows me knows I’m ALWAYS with Roxy!!  As I type this she’s asleep on me!  So having her away from the house is a very odd feeling.  So getting her back to me quickly was important.

 

Pre cut!!

When I picked her up she was happy to see me but wasn’t upset to be there.  It was very odd seeing her with short fur!!  Now I’ve got used to it and I like it!  So she’ll be going back every few months or however often she needs to stay smart!

 

As I said I’m recuperating so I’m going to put my feet up and relax with Roxy!

 

Poor Teddy!

This *was* Roxy’s teddy!  I got him 6 days ago.  In 6 days she’s chewed his ear off, ripped half his head off and the ropes were knotted and twisted inside him to make bones.  She’s pulled them out, untied them and untwisted them!!!

Oh and she carefully made a small hole in his back and pulled the squeaker out of him!! lol!

 

What he should look like!

I got this teddy because it said it was tough and the ultimate dog teddy.  Well, they didn’t test it on a mad terrier!  It’s lasted days.  Not the months I hoped it would.  I’ll go back to buying cheap teddies.  That way when she rips them apart it’s not cost me much!

 

At least she’s not pulled his eyes off.  That’s usually the first thing she does to her teddies! lol!

 

Kong Balls!

 

HELLO HOOMANS!

Roxy LOVES Kong Balls!  They squeak and they’re tough so last, well… they last a week or more which for a terrier is a long time!  Honestly, I’ve never known dogs to kill toys like terriers!  So a week is amazing!

 

Because of said destruction rate I have to make sure I have a stock of balls ready to replace any that are too destroyed to play with anymore.  I buy them in bulk from Amazon.co.uk and hide them from Roxy because she’d happily play with the lot and still kill the lot within a week!!

Now, I didn’t realise Kong balls come in different sizes!  So Monday night I’m half asleep ordering 6 Kong Balls when I see some at half the price of the others! Bargain I thought and quickly ordered them.  They arrived yesterday and…

 

Not a big dog, it’s a TINY BALL!

…THEY’RE TINY!!! I’m not kidding! They’re 1/3 of the size of the usual balls!  Luckily she loves them because they fit in her mouth so she can carry them around much easier.  In fact, she loves them so much I’m going to make a point of ordering that size from now on.  What I want to know now is do they do and extra large one I can buy for my friends Staffie Husky cross?!  He needs a ball about the size of Roxy to carry around!

 

Looking at Roxy now it’s hard to believe it’s the same pup who was so quiet, tired and uncomfortable this time last week.  I know having her neutered is the responsible pet owner thing to do and I know I’d never rehome any puppies that came along so I’d end up like the Crazy Cat Lady on The Simpsons but with terriers!  Basically, I’d be homeless, broke and crazy….Ok, so I’m 2 out of 3 already!!

 

… brings it back but…!!!

We’re still working on ‘Fetch’.  We’ve got as far as, I throw the ball she brings it back but won’t let me have it and runs off again!!  Basically, she know’s I want the ball so I have to fight for it.  Sometimes she’s as thick as a brick (like today, she was running after her ball and it bounced off the wall, so she ran into the wall!!) other times she’s very cunning and smart!  This evening Tez threw a ball and it landed on the shelf between ornaments (yes I still have them! I don’t do minimalist and I live with a hoarder!)  The ball was near the end of its life so Tez went to get another one.  Roxy figured out if the ball was on the shelf she’d get a new one so she took the new ball and put it on the shelf where the old one was!!!  She sat there waiting for a new ball all happy with herself until nasty mummy said NO MORE!  So……

 

Roxy went out in the garden and raided Dad’s plant pots again!!!  Oops!!!!

 

Can’t have a ball? Fine! The pot gets it!!!

 

 

Loooooong week!!

I’ve never been so happy it’s Saturday!  Last weekend seems like two lifetimes ago.  I’m glad this week is over and I can start again.

Roxy had her op on Tuesday.  Vets Klinic were amazing, so helpful and supportive.  She was bad for 48 hours, so bad I was scared but the vet explained it took 48 hours for the anesthetic to wear off.  I swear, dead on 48 hours she turned around and was back to her nutty self!  She’s still a little sore and struggles to jump up onto the sofa or bed but she’s back to being naughty and playing her dad up!!!  I tried getting a nice pic to post but I can’t get her to sit still long enough.  So these are as good as it gets!!  Not that I mind.  It’s nice having the old Roxy back.

I’ve had a reevaluation of my life this week.  I cleared this week so I could care for Roxy, sadly not everyone could see I needed the time alone and I’ve had to change a few things.  I’m disabled and have health issues as it is, I can’t be burnt out as well.  So I’ve had to be tough and put myself and my loved ones first.

All in all, it’s been a roller coaster of a week and like I said, I’m SO glad it’s over!!  Here’s to a better week next week and that the vet is happy with Roxy when she goes back on Thursday!

Poorly Pup!

We have one poorly pup.  She had *the* op today.  I have to say I was seriously impressed with Swindon Vets Klinic, they were so kind and caring and took amazing care of my baby.  Apparently, she kept getting cuddles because she pulled the cute look!

She came home this afternoon and was very shaky and out of sorts.  After spending the first hour curled up on me she moved to the sofa and her blanket.  I don’t think we’re going to hear much from her tonight.  Here’s hoping she’s back to herself very soon.   It’s too quiet around here at the moment!!!

Busy Weekend!

It’s been busier than normal in our house this weekend!  We’ve had my sister in laws two Jack Russell pups to stay.  Well, I say pups, they’re 2 now so not really pups anymore! But They’ll always be pups in my eyes!

 

On the left is Spot, the right is Buddy.

The boys are from the same litter but are totally different.  Buddy is very independent and sure of himself.  He’s the kind of dog you’d tell not to do something and he’d wait until you back was turned and do it anyway!  Spot is the opposite.  He’d be lost without his brother.  He’s a bit simple and often gets into trouble because he’s followed his brother and wasn’t quick enough to get out!!  He also needs lots of cuddles and reassurance either from his brother or other humans.  I have to admit I’ve always had a soft spot for Spot! He’s so simple it’s cute!!  I guess that’s why him and Roxy hit it off straight away. They’re both simple!!!!

 

 

‘Spotttttttt, play with me!!’

Pretty much straight away Roxy and Spot started the ‘Swindon Grand Prix’ around the coffee table!  It was lovely to see her having so much fun! They’re a right pair, they’ve been cuddling up together, running about, play fighting and generally having fun together.  My house is a tip! But they’re enjoying themselves so I’ll worry about that once they’ve gone home!

 

One thing we’ve really noticed since the boys arrived is how small Roxy is!!  I mean we knew that she’s classed as a toy dog because she’s under 7 inches tall but having the boys stood next to her you see how small that is!  She’s tiny!  But they say the best things come in small packages!

After Molly died I was worried about how Roxy would cope as and only dog.  In her previous home, she had a big German Shepherd for a brother (who thought he was a lap dog!!! And no I’m not kidding!!) so she’d never been on her own, but I’ve noticed she’s very attached to humans and she’s fine on her own.  In fact, she has her routine and i think she does better on her own.  I’m lucky to have family and friends with dogs so she will always socialise with dogs which I believe is every important.  Dogs can get used to being with just humans which can be ok but what if you come across a dog while walking?  Or if you need to put your dog in the kennels? Or take it somewhere there are other dogs?  If your dog hasn’t seen another dog for 10 years it won’t know how to behave and that’s not fair on the dog.

Of course, there are exceptions!!  I had a dog called Norman who was rescued and it was suspected he’d been attacked by another dog because as soon as he saw another dog he’d try to attack it.  In that case, it’s best to keep the dog away from other dogs as it’s a total fear and no amount of introduction or training would get that out of it.  And I don’t blame the dog!  I have been bitten twice as a child, once by my own dog on my face and then by a group of dogs on the farm I lived on and I was badly attacked.  For years I was scared of dogs but ironically it was Norman who helped me get over my fear. He was daft as a brush and so soft with humans.  My niece was a toddler when we had him and she used to climb all over him and he didn’t bat and eyelid!  Then we had Missy years later and she was the same.  I’m still wary of dogs I don’t know but I’m getting much better.  At least I can talk about my fear and get help.  You can’t explain to a dog why it was attacked and how to cope.

I guess part of responsible dog ownership is being able to read your dog and tell when they’re happy, sad, angry, scared etc.  That’s one good think about a terrier, their tail tells all!!!!  If it’s up, they’re happy, if it’s wagging, they’re really happy, if its wagging and they have a goofy smile on their face and their tongue is hanging out they’re REALLY REALLY happy!!  But if their tail is down they’re scared or unhappy.  I can read Roxy so easily, just as I could Molly.  I can tell how she is and what’s wrong with her and I can put it right.

The Boys are going home soon and I think as soon as they go Roxy will sleep for the rest of the day!!!

Click here to see Roxy and Spot run the Swindon Grand Prix!!!

 

Big Day Out For A Little Pup!

 

‘Mum!!! I found a new place to get dirty!’

Yesterday we drove to Exeter to see my Grandma.  I was a little worried about how Roxy would cope in the car as she had been getting so wound up that she made herself sick just driving around Swindon.  I needn’t of worried!

 
8 am we left Swindon, lots of towels and plastic bags in the car just in case!  As we left Swindon she got wound up and no amount of calming worked.  So we stuck at it.  We got on the motorway and she started to settle down, by the time we got to Exeter she was loving being in the car!  She’d gone from being upset and being sick to sitting on Steve’s knees looking out the windscreen!  In fact, she was a little disappointed that we’d arrived and she had to get out, but that didn’t last.  As soon as she met my Grandma’s dog, Daisy, she was off exploring and having fun.

 

Playing in the garden

Roxy spent yesterday pottering around the garden while Steve and Teri took the old pond out and I caught up with Grandma.  She had so much fun that she skipped her afternoon nap.

 

Excuse my foot!!

Roxy is so good and grown up that we forget she’s still a puppy.  Yesterday was one of those days.  She was tired but kept playing, only having a short nap on the floor.  Then coming home she dozed on and off, choosing to look out the windscreen instead!  But that meant she was one VERY TIRED PUP today!

 

Bless her, at night she sleeps on our bed with us (yes I know!! She shouldn’t and I never allowed dogs in the bedroom until Molly came along, so Roxy just kind of followed!) but during the day she sleeps on the sofa or in her bed.  Today she woke at 8am, went out, came back in and went back to bed (normal Roxy morning, she’s not a morning dog!) Normally she’d then come through to the living room once I’m dressed.  Not today! She stayed in bed!  I went in and carried her into the living room at 10 am, she went back to bed and that’s pretty much how her day has gone!!! She’s slept so much the poor pup! I think we broke her!  She definitely enjoyed herself yesterday, I just think it was more than she could handle!
We took her for a walk while Teri and I hunted for Pokemon (Yep, we downloaded it!) I’m trying to keep the car fun for her so we drove to the park and she was happy to sit on Teri’s lap while I drove so things are still going well there!  It would be great if she could enjoy being in the car.  I want to be able to take her with us on holiday etc so she needs to be able to travel.  If she can’t it’s not the end of the world, I have people she can stay with but I don’t like leaving her! She’s part of the family so she needs to be there!

I think all in all it was a success yesterday.  Even if she is tired today!!!

Crashed out after 2 long days!

 

 

ARGH! *aka near death experience!

Roxy here!  I’m typing this after my near death experience.  Mum says it was my own fault, I think she’s just being mean! I’ll leave you to decide!

Mum keeps putting me in the car and driving me to the park.  She says it’s so I learn it’s fun and relax, but that ain’t happening after today!!

We got to the park and started walking around when suddenly this massive chocolate labrador appeared out of nowhere!  I barked to say ‘hello! Play with me!’ and the next thing I know he was barking back at me and running towards me!  I thought he was going to eat me so I ran behind Mummy and asked to be picked up before he swallowed me whole!!

What did Mummy do?? Did she pick me up and save me?  NO SHE DIDN’T!  She stood there and LAUGHED AT ME!!  Apparently, I’m ‘mouthy’ and need to learn ‘not to bark at other dogs’.  Yeah, well Mummy is going to learn not to ‘trip’ over my lead into a puddle very soon! Hmpf!!

I’m going for a nap to recover from my horrible experience.  If I was a cat I’d of lost at least 3 lives today!

Oh! and I’m still not sure about this car thing.  Mum says I’ll get used to it, not if she laughs at me again I won’t!

Roxy out!

Exploring

Roxy here.  Went on why does mum insist on bothering me when I’m busy exploring??!   

There I am nosing around the garden and she wants to take pictures of me! I know I’m cute but mum, seriously??!