Beyond Adolescence - part 2

[SpanielsGalore]

No point banning coffee, as it didn't work last time. 🙄
Haven't had any cake updates from a while. @VanGoSunflowers Have you stopped baking already? You still had 8 cakes to go to make it economical.

Of course I'm panicking about pyo @SpanielsGalore 😰 She does seem quiet, but we're not getting much play because the garden is so waterlogged. She's still getting good walks, but is spending more time indoors because of this rainy spell, whereas normally she lies outside a lot. Hopefully it's just that and her new maturity making her quiet. DP said she seemed fine on her walk. I'll keep an eye on her anyway.

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I know I'll sound nutty saying it, but she was grinning at me like she knew precisely how irritating she was being - and she kept bouncing up and down and woofing.

On no. It's a Satsuma or nothing at all - Mandarins are too sweet to me. I like a nice green satsuma that's really sharp and makes my tongue go 'ow'😀

I've often wondered if dogs can get depressed during periods of bad weather - particularly dogs that love being outside? I know Twatdog really struggles in winter as in summer he'll be outside from 5am to 10pm every day so being inside when it's pouring with rain for months on end is probably really hard on him.

@SpanielsGalore The only good part of the lack of bacon and cheese rolls (they put them in english muffins then heat them in the grill...it's so good), was that there was no way I could pay the dog tax. So it felt a bit like karma - perhaps if Eris hadn't been a naughty dog there might have been bacon and cheese rolls. At least that's what I told her as we left with only a coffee. 😂

I don't like Tangerines either! It's got to be a sour Satsuma.

DD1 went through a stage of eating lemons 😱Which sort of sums up the sort of household we are...

Let us know how your neighbour is! I hope K behaves on her walk...

@CoubousAndTourmaIet Oh don't mention the P word. I'm on that watch too. K has been quieter than usual, more pottery on walks and is licking herself her a lot. 🙈🙈🙈
I'm trying to convince myself she's maturing.

She does indeed seem a bit depressed or at least low spirited @TheHungryHungryLandsharks , she does lie outside a lot in dry weather. I think I'll assume it's just that, now you've mentioned TD being the same. Think I'll try to get her out for 5 or 10 minutes between showers a few times a day, rather than just doing one short walk and one long one.
I normally love the colder months, but for some reason this current spell of rain is really getting me down. it just feels relentless 😔
Pouring again right now.

Oh god, no! The last thing you need right now is yet another trip to the vets 🙁 What is it with bitches? Dogs are so much easier!!! I just worry non stop with girls even if boys can be a PITA at times.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I’ve been to Knole park a few time, and can picture the scene. Nice place to walk.

I’ve had a nice morning helping at a dog agility show. Lots of fun, chatting to dog people, and seeing lots of lovely dogs.

@Silverbirchleaf picture a faceless woman running around yelling 'Eris! ERIS! ERISSSSSSSSSSSS!' 😁

It is absolutely beautiful there. We don't go often because it is dogs on leads, but I wasn't happy with how the little piranha responded to the deer at Holkham last week, so I thought a bit more exposure might help. Never again.

Were you just at the show to help out? Or did you compete?

@CoubousAndTourmaIet it's so hard when it gets wet as they don't really want to be outside, I think. They'll go out if there's a reason, but not lay there. I do think they might get SAD like humans do. It's been pouring here as well. I don't mind the rain, but day in day out for nearly a week is very very tedious. How was Brie on her evening walk?

Just helping out. Good fun. Not competed yet. It’s a lot harder than it looks, and if the dog makes a mistake, it’s usually because the handler is out of position, or your lead arm has dropped etc. I really enjoy it though and have an excellent teacher.

Agree with other that @SpanielsGalore you are very kind and considerate to be looking out for your neighbour! And hope P is ok!

Same with you @CoubousAndTourmaIet and Brie. Fingers crossed she’s just having an off day. We all have them! In book news, I am about to finish ToG and deciding what to go to next. I wasn’t overly enamoured with it although I do like the protagonist. She’s very sassy! I preferred Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom I think.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I also find human males very irksome and the ones at my job sound like the ones at yours! I’m gutted for you that you couldn’t get your treat. I would totally sulk over something like that!

DS’ Dad had Pablo for a few hours for me today while I took DS to a birthday party. I have no puppy proof room still and the work is taking a little longer due to a massive leak and my (wooden) kitchen floor becoming squelchy 🤦‍♀️ I encouraged exH to let Pablo off lead, he was nervous about it at first but practiced some recall in his garden first and P was a good boy for him so I am glad about that. I’m starting to think exH, who isn’t much of a doggy person on the whole, has fallen hook line and sinker for him! Which is very sweet.

We didn't even get an afternoon walk @TheHungryHungryLandsharks . It didn't stop pouring so she opted not to go. Fortunately DP had given her a good long walk this morning.

Sorry that you weren't keen on TOG @VanGoSunflowers 😞 I was meaning to ask how you'd got on with Alchemised in the end and what your conclusions were after finishing it. I did think it was very well written. I wish I could have continued but it was giving me nightmares about being trapped in some sort of clinic environment 😨

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I did enjoy Alchemised. I thought it was well written, too and the storyline was good. I don’t think it needed to be as long as it was, and of course because of the genre it’s quite depressing! But that goes with the territory of writing a story about a war so I think you’re supposed to feel a bit helpless while reading it, it’s very slow and same-y in places!

I do keep thinking about it and maybe I'm just not in the right frame of mind at the moment. I'm struggling with my health at present and finding it difficult to concentrate generally, so perhaps it's a book I should return to at some point. I'm glad you got along with it anyway.

@VanGoSunflowers I find it particularly infuriating as I work on an area that is quite male dominated and very often not only have more experience but am also more senior and they STILL mansplain things!😡They certainly wouldn't do it to a male colleague!

I do often think (and have said to @CoubousAndTourmaIet before) that men seem to push back hardest on having a dog, and then are the ones who love the dogs the most! 😀How often does ExH have Pablo?

@CoubousAndTourmaIet hope you manage to get a good walk in this morning with Brie ❤Sorry to hear about your health issues as well!

I managed a whole 1hour of sleep last night as Hen was coughing and, of course, my mind immediately went to 'worst case scenario.' Anyway, at about 3am she cough up a squeaker from a squeaky toy and then went to sleep - no more coughing. Needless to say, I was so annoyed at myself for not realising what she had eaten and so worried she might still not be okay, that I barely slept and today am not only very crabby but also look like I've been punched in the face. DH was on a work call that I also had to join first thing and texted me after to ask if I was okay. 😑Whilst I am very pleased he cares so much, he has now made me completely paranoid about just how exhausted I look. He can never win 😁If he hadn't have asked, i'd be annoyed he didn't notice!

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I think you have to be in a decent headspace to read it. The themes it explores are very dark and some people may find them a bit ‘triggering’. I had to read something a bit more light hearted afterwards, hence reading ToG. Sorry you’re struggling with your health at the moment ❤️

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks that sounds almost exactly like my work place! I work in Logistics and have for over 20 years. It’s male dominated also and I have plenty of more junior males trying to tell me how to do my job. It is incredibly irritating.
ExH thought I was mad when I told him I was getting a puppy 😂 he doesn’t have him that often but specifically asked me recently if he could spend more time with him. Pablo will listen to commands from me or DS but not really anyone else! So thought it would be a good idea for him to spend some time with him and find ‘his way’. Funnily enough, for the first half of the walk Pablo didn’t really leave his side and when he grew more confident in ExH’a abilities, decided he could wander a bit further!

Sorry to hear you’re so exhausted today!! Hope the day goes swiftly for you and you can catch up on sleep later! Plenty of coffee today for you! Hope Hen is ok which I am sure she is, we can’t have eyes on them at all times can we. Pablo has regurgitated stuff before now that I didn’t see him eat in the first place 😩

@VanGoSunflowers I’m glad you understand my pain (but also not glad)! One of them yesterday was so patronising (admittedly I was exhausted and being very thick). But the way he phrased something made it sound like I was a massive idiot and old and passed it. He might well have added ‘deary’ onto the end of the sentence! 😂

Sounds like ExH is definitely coming around to Pablo! Pablo is a smart boy for only listening to commands from his human Has he starting giving you the ‘look’ yet? I find they start doing it about 7-12 months. It’s the ‘your my world and I absolutely adore you’ look which is definitely not something they do when they’re puppies…

I got eleven hours of sleep last night! Got in at six, went straight to sleep, woke up at five and already on my way into the office again (via a dog walk). Twatdog was a total sweetheart - got straight into bed with me and Hen and didn’t move until this morning. I do like to whinge about him being a wanky plonker, but he is a good boy really…he just doesn’t often show it!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Have you ever heard of the Dunning-Kruger effect?? I often think that’s at play where I work. I pull tender responses together which unfortunately means I work with salesmen and the egos are unmatched! The amount of times I will basically write the whole thing because they’re unable to do so, show them the first draft of the proposal and they’ll comment on how the font needs to be changed 🙄 in your line of work I imagine it would be even more frustrating as it sounds much more niche than most normal jobs?

I think it’s very sweet when Pablo does as he is told with DS. He hangs off his every word! And DS has a slightly different ‘way’ with him. His commands are a little different and said in a different tone (albeit quite assertive) but P nearly always listens. I’m not sure I have seen that look actually but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for it 🥰

Glad you managed to catch up on your sleep! Hope you’re feeling much better for it today?

Away with work at the moment, getting my steps in by waking for coffee instead of walking the dogs. Surprised by how many coffee shops in Brighton don't open until 8.30 or 9

@VanGoSunflowers i have and it’s very applicable to my situation! It’s not that niche (defence/foreign security policy), but it’s one of those areas that’s very male dominated and where the conversation can get quite technical and very nerdy!

I could not cope with salesmen!!! How do you do it?!?! The arrogance would drive my batty.

It’s funny how quickly dogs can bond to children, isn’t it? I think once they’re that bit older as well it’s easier as the children understand the dogs boundaries so that relationship can be built more quickly. I know it took Clem years to warm to DDs and part of that was just DDs ages not being quite right.

I feel fab today! Got my coffee on the way in and have some (amazing) caramelised pear overnight oats for breakfast 😍I’ve never been much of a meal prep person as I love variety too much, but I could definitely eat these oats every day for the rest of my life.

@tizwozliz ah no!! How long will you be there for? I do find the further out from London you get, particularly in the south, the worse places are for opening early! Brighton has some very good coffee places though, so hopefully you found somewhere good!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks
I know you have certain views about generic dog rescue organisations... I've been told there's a PMD for rescue all over social media, having been advertised as a "Polar Bear", three weeks before Christmas 😨 I'm not on facebook, so don't know the full story, but from what I've been told, the rescue centre is refusing to cooperate with either Pyrenean Rescue - who have a waiting list of experienced Pyr owners wanting to adopt, or the original breeder who has offered support. It's an adult male so we'll be talking 60kg plus. I hope to goodness he is neutered, and won't end up as a crossbreeding sperm donor.

I really think the generic rescues need to change their policy when they have purebred dogs dumped on them, particularly with the giants and even more so with guarding breeds. No matter how cute and cuddly this dog is, it seems negligent and dangerous to advertise it as a giant teddy - it's not a dog for the average family in the average urban street. And I think you probably know that I sometimes have to bite my lip over dog talk here when people say how strong their dog is. A male PMD is in a different league from everything else and this situation puts fear into me. I worry for that dog and I doubt I'm alone. It's horrifying to think that any reputable rescue centre would refuse to accept help or advice from people that have a lifetime of experience with these dogs, including the dog's own breeder.

But like I said, I don't know the full story, only what I've been told by a family member who saw it on facebook, so don't quote me on any of this...

Sorry - should have started by saying Good Morning All and I hope everyone is well 🙂

Shitty migraine yesterday, didn't get out at all but I hope to remedy that today. Brie had a nice afternoon walk with my partner so she's doing fine. She is currently lying on her back in the kitchen, having refused to go outside for a wee this morning because it's raining 🙄 Really, when is it ever not raining here?

Sorry some of you are dealing with mansplaining on a daily basis, that really must be infuriating!

Sorry about struggles for decent coffee also...

@CoubousAndTourmaIet I saw that dog yesterday on the BBC news page. At least I assume it is the same dog. There can't be many 6 year old male PMDs in rescue. Think he's in Cumbria.

Raining here too. Need to brave the elements and fetch the wallpaper stripper in from the garage. The lack of progress with decorating the kitchen is getting me down.

Took my friend to the doctors yesterday for blood tests. He'd eaten the cinnamon porridge pot I'd taken round, so that's good. Collecting his dog at 2pm to walk with K.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Sorry you had a bad night with Hen, but glad you've caught up on sleep now. I couldn't be doing with 5am starts. I am so not a morning person.

60kg! That’s double what my lab weighs. How much food does that polar bear, sorry dog, eat?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7vm1e8v9e6o

Brie is currently around 55kg at 20 months but she's on the large side for a female. Our biggest boy was 65 ish. As adults they're not big eaters, probably only on a par with what a Lab eats quantity wise, they can be picky, they're not really food focused and will walk away and leave what they don't want. But from 8 weeks to about a year old they do need a hell of a lot of food. The growth rate with the puppies is insane - she was adult cocker size by 12 weeks, adult Lab by 5 months, adult Rottie by 7 or 8. It's a lot of dog for most people...

@Silverbirchleaf i was just thinking that! Pen is half that, as she’s quite small, and she gets through a 12KG bag a month of Lilys Kitchen and 500g of Bella and Duke a day!!! Costs about £170+. Imagine double that 😱although I see that C&T has said their appetites aren’t that big…I had images of their appetites being akin to Goldies

@CoubousAndTourmaIet honestly, it is nothing but downright negligent. The more I hear about generic rescues the more worried I become - they are putting dogs and humans at risk. Describing dogs that strong as Teddy like, whilst I presume glossing over their history and any behavioural issues, is so unforgivable.

The article that @SpanielsGalore has linked tells me all I need to know - this is about getting the rescues name out there and donations, not about the dogs welfare. I hate it when rescues put time limits on adoptions. Finding the right home should take time not just getting them somewhere before Christmas!!

@SpanielsGalore oh no. Love a morning but hate evenings - one the sun sets, I’m ready for bed with a hot chocolate and a book! How are the girls? How’s your neighbour?