Beyond Adolescence - a thread to chat about grown up dogs, cake and anything else, excluding coffee.

[SpanielsGalore]

Not going to tag everyone as I don't know who wants to join. Welcome everyone. 😁

I have had two roofers here this morning. After the initial barking at heads appearing over the ridge, the dogs have been so good. They've sat in the garden and watched them working. Greeted them every time they came into the garden and didn't once try to bolt out of the gate. I heard one of the men telling them to 'stay' as he struggled through the gate with a bucket full of water, and then telling them they were 'good dogs'.
They've just finished and as they were leaving one commented on how calm my dogs are and not like 'normal spaniels'. See. Not all working cockers are 'high on crack' and 'manic'. 😇😇😇

Beautiful weather here today. 🌞 I unexpectedly got my car back yesterday. 🥳
Off to the woods to walk the adolescent nutter until she collapses in a heap. 😂

Sorry you're struggling @LandSharksAnonymous , I did notice you hadn't been around so much. You sound really run down 😔 I would say try to have a restful weekend, but with 5 dogs including a puppy I can't imagine that being possible... I hope this evenings dinner will be a bit more successful than last nights was at any rate. Really hope you feel better soon x

Walk was okay but very busy.

Re those threads. It just baffles me that they seem to think having dozens of breeding bitches and several of their own stud dogs is perfectly normal for a breeder and that's how it is in all breeds 🙄

@CoubousAndTourmaIet combination of budget cuts (i.e. I have to decide which roles are no longer 'essential') and just run down and tired! I need some annual leave (because litter raising does not count as annual leave) and my last 'leave' was in May! 😩

Dinner tonight was a success! There's a farm shop near us that do kebabs (except it's basically marinated chicken or lamb on a stick, rather than the unhealthy kind). You just stick it in the grill for 12 minutes on each side and job done. So DD1 cooked that up with salad whilst I vegetated with DD2 and the dogs.

Brie must be absolutely loving this colder weather?! Do you think you think maybe you timed your walk badly for it to be that busy? Did Brie make any friends?

I know we spoke about fantasy/young adult books ages ago, but I had to laugh tonight - one of DD1s friends has started reading 'twilight' and the sheer disgust in DD1s voice when she came home and told me. I think I might have raised a bit of a book snob... 😂DD1 has moved onto An Ember in the Ashes. I've never heard of it, but she swears it's amazing so I might give it a go (otherwise it's back to LOTR - my go to whenever I run out of things to read).

Oh work pressures are miserable @LandSharksAnonymous . My chap used to be with a big multinational technology company and the stress was immense. He's much happier in his current role, still IT but a smaller, UK based company. I hope the stresses ease and you can get a break soon.

Glad your dinner was better tonight. Ours was too and I saved a bit of cheesy mash for Brie to have with her Naturo salmon tray.
I suspect our walk was busy because we were late getting out - had been waiting in for a parcel delivery - and the fact that it's Friday meant people were leaving work early. Once we were on the field it was fine, but getting there and back was a pain. We didn't meet any dogs up close, there were a few regulars on up at the top but we were on the lower path. Brie was a little sod for lead biting today after being an angel on our long walk yesterday. Yes, she's definitely better for it being cooler and we're still toughing it out with no heating on!

How is Baby Eris doing? I bet she's huge now! I'm sure you must be due to put a photo on the puppy thread, so I'll watch out for that...😉

Thanks for the book recommendation. Well done you on raising a book snob, though I do think we ought to refer to your DD as a discerning reader. I've come across An Ember in the Ashes a couple of times, so I know it's a quartet, just read some previews on Amazon and suspect I might enjoy it, so it'll go on my Yuletide list.

Sorry you're having a difficult time at work @LandSharksAnonymous . You'll have to have lots of coffee and cake to make you feel better.

I've done my usual 5 walks today.
Pleased to say P is much better and almost back to her old self. She's putting more weight on her leg now too, so it must have been lack of use that made it worse. Two more days of crate rest and then we're back to the vets on Monday for her final post op check up.
K is on day 13 of her season and coping well. She's missing having a play mate though and occasionally taps on P's cage to get her to come out and play.
N only managed about 7 minutes of plodding on her walk before she kept stopping and looking at me, so we headed back towards the car. Then she spotted someone across the field with a chuckit and took off in search of a ball. Never seen her move so fast! 😂 Balls are strictly prohibited, because of her arthritis and lack of a hip joint. But she looked so happy I let her have a five minute play.

It's great to hear that P is doing so much better @SpanielsGalore that must be a massive relief. Hopefully from Monday she won't need so much crate time and your life will be a bit less complicated!
Good that K is coping okay with her first season. The expected second heat cycle from Brie still hasn't materialised, but our vet girls said not to worry because her pattern hasn't been established yet.
I seem to recall you saying a while ago that N had been encouraged to be ball obsessed by her previous owners. I don't suppose it'll ever really leave her. It's nice that she had a little play though.

Mad hair day again for my girl. She always has this fluffy headed puppy look, sometimes it gives the appearance of tiny horns. It's irresistibly cute ❤

@CoubousAndTourmaIet If when P gets the all clear at the vets on Monday, the cage is going back in the shed and we are all moving back upstairs to sleep. 🥳

I remember that wait for a second season with P. I was expecting it from 6 months after the first, but she had a 10 month gap. Followed by a 2 year one.

The only thing N came into foster with was a chuckit and a bag of balls. It went straight in the bin. She could barely make it up the two steps in my garden. There's no way she should have been chasing balls on a beach. Which she had obviously spent her life doing as the first time I took her to the beach, she kept looking at me expecting me to launch a ball for her.

I'm sure all four of you will be pleased to be back to normal @SpanielsGalore

Yeah, it's just a waiting game with the heat cycles, S was quite erratic; 8, 9, 10 months, though N & R were both 6 months regular as clockwork.

Poor little N, that sounds awful. People are so blissfully unaware of the damage that jumping and twisting can do. N is very lucky to have you and the two girls as her foster family now.

Just received an email from PetPlan agreeing to pay for the treatment for pancreatitis, so that's a relief. Only the £1k claim for the spay to wait on now. They should pay that one, because I read it in their T&Cs at the time.

Also had a phone call from the vets. The x-rays they took of P's legs whilst she was sedated are blurred and unreadable. They want to re-do the x-rays, which will require another sedation. Think that would be number 16.
Not sure what to do. On the one hand, she's still not fully weight bearing after a month or more of rest. On the other, last time it was tendinitis and there's nothing they can do anyway. Perhaps I should see a physio instead.

That's good news about them paying up for the pancreatitis at least @SpanielsGalore , will keep fingers crossed that they do cover the pyo spay.

That's a difficult one regarding further sedation for P. Is it possible to get a referral for physio? I don't know this stuff but @YorkshireFelix might because Vinny has been seeing one, I believe. I'm assuming there isn't a canine hydrotherapy pool local to you, given your location...? That might be helpful for P if there did happen to be one.

@SpanielsGalore so glad to hear P is doing a bit better! Perhaps a physio would be a better idea, that way you might save a bit of money and avoid terrifying P? And brilliant news that they'll pay for her pancreatitis❤

Poor K though - she misses her playmate. Does she know not to bother N?
Do you think N's owners know the damage they probably did to her? Or just naive?

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Brie really is majestic - there's no other word for it! Sorry your walk was a bit busy. I much prefer walks where I see no one.

When do you think you'll crack and put the heating on? I have to say, I can usually make to November/December before I crack. But I think part of that is just how many dogs I have - they keep my room so toasty warm & DDs run quite hot anyway, so we always have windows open in winter.

I feel so much better today. In part because PIL took DDs (and Eris) for the day and will have them overnight and then my parents are going to take them tomorrow and drop them off at school on Monday (obviously not Eris - although she might make the day more interesting for them). Plus side is I get two days where I can just have a bit of me time and not try and put a brave face on - I really don't want DDs to know that both DH and I are terrified about job cuts (because whilst I'm cutting jobs in my department, people are looking at cutting people my grade) - the downside is, PIL and my parents don't seem to realise 'no' is a word and so DDs will be treated like little princesses😁

Eris is doing so well. She really is stuck to DD1 like glue, and DD1 has been training her and being quite sweet in allowing DD2 to help as well. Eris has also mostly stopped the mouthing - although that's more down to quite a fierce telling off from Pen than anything I have done - and she's stopped trying to suck Twatdog's winky.

Do you have any other book recommendations? I'm starting to think about Christmas for DDs so anything you can recommend😊I was looking at one of the Christmas threads earlier and have ordered some of the hot chocolate someone recommended (apparently 300 calories a mug!?!) for myself, which I shall hide in my bedside table...which probably isn't in the spirit of Christmas tbh

So glad you're having a better day @LandSharksAnonymous , or at least getting a bit of time to yourself to unwind quietly with fewer demands.

With the heating, we don't mind wrapping up in sweaters and woolly socks, so we'll only crack if it starts to affect my breathing at night. Hopefully we can manage a couple more weeks at least. Even then we'll keep the thermostat set to about 15 or 16 because Brie has the thickest coat of all our PMD. Not sure if it's genetic or better feeding but her fur is just so plush, it's unbelievable. The downside is that she overheats easily.

Oh god! I really feel for you! We went through the job cuts thing in 2016 (with the multinational that begins with F). And yes, my chap was let go 😱It's okay, we're fine now, but it was a massively stressful time! I hope that you and your DH won't be affected. But I can see that you would want to keep the worry from your girls, particularly with Christmas coming up and your husband being home.

Oh yes, keep that hot chocolate well hidden and savour it all by yourself on a quiet winters day.

Eris sounds perfect ❤ With guidance from her mum, and grandmothers as well as you, your own mum and your girls nurturing her, how could she not be? I'm sure even Twatdog is playing his part...though perhaps not in terms of being a particularly good role model...😏

For books, I am loving the Godkiller Trilogy by Hannah Kaner - it's an original concept and has some unusual characters and appealing furry creatures but isn't quite as gory as most modern fantasy. Could be termed a bit WOKE I suppose, but I'm really enjoying it nonetheless. You've probably already read most of my other favourites: The Grishaverse, ACOTAR, Throne of Glass series. For your girls, Laini Taylor, Brigid Kemmerer or Mary Pearson might be a good call if they haven't read them already. Oh and must not forget Robin Hobb, but if you're into LOTR I'm sure you'll have read her already as she's been around a long time.
For a more adult read, I found the Samantha Shannon duo quite an incredible work although it took me a few attempts to get fully immersed. Very complex with a huge number of characters, but again an intriguing story rather than just endless battles.
It does sound as if you're very much in need of escapism at the moment, if I read any other good ones in the coming weeks I'll let you know x

Dunno if I'd call Brie majestic in real life @LandSharksAnonymous . Algy definitely was, but Brie just has such an expressive face that much of the time she has me creased up with laughter. She's just very, very funny. The fluffy hair doesn't help. She's like a tiny cutesy puppy on a gigantic scale 😂Just love her to bits because she has so much character.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet There's a hydrotherapy pool at the physio I go to, but she's away until the end of October. I'll book in to see her when she's back. I don't think I need a referral as she treated P before.

@LandSharksAnonymous Sorry to hear about your job worries. I didn't realise that was your concern when you were talking about budget cuts. Hopefully it won't affect you or your DH.
K plays with N, but it's lying down, bitey face games. With P, it's full on wrestling and racing around the garden.

This place is a fucking nest of vipers. I hate it.

Not this thread, not even The Doghouse really, just MN in general. The more I see of people here, the more I love my dog(s). So much bullying. Just UGH!

Sorry 😢

I don't know what you were reading, but it's advisable to stay away from The Other Place. The worst of humanity reside there. It made me thoroughly depressed last month. And I know I wasn't the only one.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet your house sounds very similar to mine - fuzzy jumpers and socks until we have to and then heating on low. Mine all have thick coats as well, so with them I am fairly sure it's genetic.

I would definitely classify Brie as majestic (even if it keeps autocorrecting to magnetic)! Her fur is really plush and lovely. Has she begun her post-summer shed yet, or do PMDs not get them and only do one shed? I groomed my rabble yesterday and couldn't get any of the fur off me after, so I've ended up binning the top. Took six attempts with the hoover to get the rug mostly clean again... 😁

I think the thing I find most stressful is just how long it takes - we've known cuts were coming for a year or two, but they've still not done the grade above me. Yet alone the several grades below me...so Gods knows how long it'll take for really junior staff to know. It just seems so cruel.

Throne of Glass is one of the ones on DDs list (part of the 'I really want to read it but there's so many books I need a good amount of time so not yet' list) so I'll buy that 😀It'll keep her entertained for a week or so! Part of the problem is the sheer speed at which she reads. DD and I have read the Farseer trilogy, but I tend to find Hobb quite hard to get into...not sure why!

@SpanielsGalore It's a bit bonkers! They want me to think about what jobs I could cut in my department...whilst not telling me what my budget is, whilst suggesting I might not even be in my role next year. Which is really clever because the roles I think might be cuttable might not be the roles my replacement wants cut - and that would cause problems. Sigh.

Ahh! So K and N is gentle and P and K is chaos 😁

How was everyones morning walks? It was so warm here I had to shed my coat half-way through. When I got back to the car it said it was 16!? Do the sky gods not know it's mid-October!? I WANT RAIN 😭

@LandSharksAnonymous You can have all of our rain – it's been raining for the last six hours.

But in tribute to the horrible weather, I wore my new coat today and feel duty bound to tell you all about it. I fear I'm going to get put on a list for this or else end up in some horrific mocking Facebook group but YOLO.

The other week, while ordering some alternative walking trainers to try on, I ordered a DryRobe changing robe thing dupe from Regatta to see what it was like. I was fully prepared to hate it but when it arrived I tried it on and it was so cosy that I kept it and hung it in the boot room until it rained. Admittedly I look like a walrus in it, but I do not care.

And then it rained today! So I put it on with leggings and trainers and a long-sleeved t-shirt and went out in the pouring rain and came back an hour later completely DRY. It's long – if I'd had my wellies on it would have come past the tops. It actually works. I am so used to coats that don't actually keep me dry that it is a bit of a revelation. If anything I was a bit warm in it and I wasn't walking anywhere remotely challenging or fast, just round the fields, but it is still 13/14 degrees so that's probably why. Will be fine in the colder weather and I am not complaining about being slightly too hot on a walk. I wasn't sweaty, just toasty warm. It's like wearing an Oodie with added slightly crinkly sound effects.

One criticism: the hood is too shallow so my hairline got a bit wet. I think this could be remedied by wearing a cap and then the hood over that. But no bother because the rest of me was totally dry and I didn't have to strip off as soon as I got in the door. Extraordinary. And it was only £50 or something, not £300 odd like the coat I really want.

Here endth my TED talk on coats.

@brushingboots What a perfectly timed post! I was looking at those earlier, but didn't risk buying one. I couldn't find any information on how waterproof they are and the reviews didn't help. I shall have another look now.

I tried on this one yesterday. It was quite a nice fit, except for the sleeves reaching my finger tips. Yes I know I can tighten the cuffs, but then the sleeves become puffy.
https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/p/025440/mw/alaskan-womens-3-in-1-long-waterproof-jacket/khaki/?

Last day of crate rest for P. Vets at 11:15 tomorrow, where she should be given the all clear. She's more like her normal self than she has been for a month.

@LandSharksAnonymous 9° and raining here. My heating is on. Hope you have had a peaceful weekend.

We're in Denmark, not necessarily for the happiest of reasons but the girls will get to have some beach time and provide cuddles.

First beach was straight off the ferry, before an 8/9 hour car ride. Superstars the whole journey really.

Have been busy finding discarded toys from the nieces, hopefully they'll settle after a walk around the block.

It's been beautiful weather the whole journey up, but looking at the forecast it might be the rain is heading this way this week

@tizwozliz hope all is okay! Did you drive the whole way?

@SpanielsGalore let us know how P gets on at the vet? will you take her straight out on a nice walk after?

It did, finally, rain yesterday afternoon and all morning today. So I am a bit happier. A very peaceful weekend was had. I ate. I slept. I snuggled all the babies. Twatdog twatted a bit too hard and has hurt his paw and is now limping - but that's what happens when you twat about on wooden floors chasing your grandmother! Git's just lucky he only hurt it and didn't do actual damage...

@brushingboots was it one of these you ordered Coat? If they actually work I might get one for Dmum for Christmas - because we're a family of losers and socks and coats at Christmas is genuinely what makes us (adults) happy. 😀How is pupsy doing? I bet she loved the rainy walk!

Hello,

Sorry, was having a MH crisis. I mean really, the "other place" on mn is the only place in the world where you can be accused of "moral superiority" for saying you have the heating set to 15/16.

Anyway. I hope everyone is well and that P gets the all clear from the vets so life will be easier for @SpanielsGalore

Female PMD slightly moult pretty much all year @LandSharksAnonymous , that is to say that black jeans show the evidence of this 🙄but right now there is only a tiny bit of undercoat coming out. Three of our girls have been heavy shedders, only S was the exception but she was a very different type than the rest of the gang and hardly looked pure PMD. The boys don't moult nearly as much. But she is a real woolly bear, majestic or not. Wish you could see her really. My chap is now convinced she is as big as Merlin was 😬 I was beginning to wonder if I was exaggerating her size in my mind, but I was feeding her strands of spaghetti in the kitchen the other night (so funny) and her head is now level with my waist, so he reckons only A was taller 😨

Throne of Glass is a must! I got the boxed set about 3 years ago and whizzed through it in 2 weeks. I think it's well over 5,000 pages but I literally couldn't put them down. I'd be standing there stirring the pasta sauce with a book in front of my nose. I'm a fast reader like your daughter, but only if something engrosses me and that series really did. I must be due to revisit it... Oh and I know what you mean about Robin Hobb - my chap enjoys her writing far more than I do, I find her books a slow read, but others seem to rate her highly, so I kept thinking it must be just me.... But anyway, TOG, yes, brilliant series, highly recommend it!

Oh no @brushingboots I was trying so hard to resist the lure of a DryRobe style. I fully planned to make do with my 3 Seasalts. And yet... 🤔
But can I justify yet another coat...?

@tizwozliz
You seem to have the most photogenic dogs in the world.

@LandSharksAnonymous - it's a 3 hour drive to Harwich, overnight ferry to Hook of Holland and then 9 hours driving on a good run (not including breaks). It's a really dull trip, and they've never not had roadworks through Hamburg in the 15 years I've been doing it. It was much easier when we could take a direct ferry.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet - just carefully selected shots. I do wonder in the days of film cameras how many people just got photos back of dogs with ears inside out, squiffy lips and closed eyes 😂

Fun fact, if you let your dogs share a mcdonalds burger on the journey, the sesame seeds on the bun pass straight through leaving you to wonder what the speckles are in their 💩 before you remember

@tizwozliz Sorry you seem to be going through a difficult time. Glad the girls travelled well and are there to provide comforting cuddles.

@LandSharksAnonymous The plan is to take P straight to the woods for a half hour off lead blast. She hasn't had a decent walk for over a month, so I think 30 minutes will wear her out.
Those coats are cheaper on Amazon if you do buy one.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet That's funny. 😂 People are nutters. My heating is set betweeen 18 and 20. But I have skinny, fine haired dogs that shiver when they get home from a wet walk.

@brushingboots Can I ask how tall you are and what size you bought?
I'm very tempted to get a bright pink one.
I like the Mountain Warehouse coat I tried on, but it's quite fitted. So if I gain weight again it won't fit for long. Baggy might be the way to go.

Oh and speaking of buying clothing...I've had to order new jeans because since we got Brie I've put on half a stone 😮 Went to see the physio last week about my spinal stuff and he said "you've bulked up since I last saw you..." Hmmm, yes, well, that's one way of putting it...😂I suppose the alternative is calling it post-menopausal fat 😳
I'm telling myself it's muscle from all the bear wrestling of course, but I was getting a bit like one of those chubb rolls in my old jeans. So, I'm back to being the weight and jeans size I was as a pre-teen, when my Dad had me climbing Tryfan, Quinaig & Beinn Eighe and I was a little chunk of solid muscle. I'm definitely more Pyrenean than Borzoi anyway...