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.

@tizwozliz I don’t know what it is about little oranges. Whenever we eat any, M will come up very close looking all expectant. He doesn’t do it with any other food. If I put the orange close to his nose (not hard as he’s practically sitting on me), he recoils in horror. It’s very strange

Can't tell you how close I keep coming to snacking on Bill's chicken and salmon treatos when I'm meaning to snarf mini Reese's out of the bag.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks The girls were very pleased to see me. But equally as pleased to see my neighbour when she popped round half an hour later. 😫

J is in hospital until at least Monday. He needs further tests and nothing gets done at the weekends. I was going to visit today, but I just wanted a day with the dogs. 🙈
His poor brother is struggling with the dog, as it's barking and howling at night, keeping them awake until 4am. So I feel guilty about that too, but also don't want to look after him either.

If ever you want to know how concerned your dogs are about your welfare, fall over in the middle of the woods and see what happens.
My pair couldn't care less and kept running round like nutters. Although they did stick to circling around me. 😂
Wouldn't have been so bad, but it was the tiny 8kg one that took me out. 😭

@SpanielsGalore Hope you’re okay.

Oh no @SpanielsGalore 😧 hope you're okay x

@SpanielsGalore I hope you’re ok! That’s the last thing you need after the week you’ve had!

@Nella68 while Pablo isn’t remotely fussy about what he eats (see the puppy thread for a fun little story about a dead rat and a vet’s visit to induce vomiting) he is very fussy about his water. Sometimes he will only drink it if it’s literally just been refreshed. And if it hasn’t, it has probably only
been sat there an hour at most

@Silverbirchleaf and @CoubousAndTourmaIet I'm fine, thank you both. 💐 Jarred my wrist a bit on landing, but nothing broken. I'd caught my foot on a fallen branch and stumbled, just as K came hurtling through from behind and knocked me completely off balance. She's lucky I didn't land on her and crush her like a grape.

Crackerjack!

I Could crush a grape!

Do I sound bonkers? People of a certain age may know what I talking about, or the one glass of wine as gone to my head.

I remember Crackerjack but had to look up the catchphrase...Clearly you're a few years younger than me.

@Silverbirchleaf I'm glad someone got it and I didn't just sound like a crazy person. 😁 You can choose your prize - a pencil or a cabbage? 😂

I've fallen 4 times in my dog's presence and he has almost always had something to do with it. Only once (when he was a young puppy) did he show anything resembling concern for me. The latter 3 times he simply seized his opportunity to run free and lawless while I was on the ground. To be fair he was a very young dog on all 4 occasssions.
Hes an adult now and when I cried earlier this month he was clearly very concerned. As is he when I exclaim "OH NO!!!" when I spill or lose something. Not sure it's evidence of the gold standard loyalty I expected from my own doggo but I'll take the small wins. Love him, so there's nothing else for it ♡

Crackerjack pencil please.

I’ve also fallen with my dog and broke a bone in my arm. Dog was on the lead and I was turning, slipped on gravel. He didn’t pull me over, but I think I landed awkwardly as I was trying to avoid him.

I skidded on my arse down a muddy bank once whilst walking Rosie, and had to walk home looking as if I'd pooped my pants 😳

Two of my other dogs have been responsible for my downfalls - pulling suddenly on the lead when I wasn't expecting it or running into me from behind. I can't remember them caring either now I think about it.
My golden one though was a real Mummy's boy and he'd come and see what I was doing. 💖 So one out of six gave/gives a shit about me. 😭 I may as well have got cats. 😂

I dd this at motorway services when I stopped to let the dogs out for a wee. I was absolutely covered in mud and had another 200 miles to go. I couldn't go inside to clean up as I was on my own and don't like leaving the dogs unattended in the car. The rest of the journey was very soggy and uncomfortable.

Our dogs have always been very sensitive to my moods. I have pretty severe MH issues and they're my emotional support. Merlin, Rose & Algy in particular always knew when I was having a bad day with my anxiety. Brie is getting there, but I think I confused her yesterday because I had a panic attack on our walk and changed direction 3 times to avoid people.

Surprisingly, I've never been pulled over, but possibly it's because their size and strength means I'm always on my guard. In some ways with a giant dog there is more to get hold of and I find that makes it easier. I don't think I'd be any better off with a smaller dog, despite my age.

That must have been horrible, at least I was able to change quickly and didn't have to sit in wet trousers 😬

@CoubousAndTourmaIet It was indeed horrible. And squelchy. 😳
Sorry you had a bad day yesterday. I hope you have a better walk today.💐
Mine have pulled me over because they've spotted a squirrel/deer/rabbit/pheasant and gone to chase after it. And I've been caught unawares and off balance.
Do PMDs lunge towards things? Or are they more stand and watch types? I know they are bred to guard, but do they have instincts to chase off preditors?

No, @SpanielsGalore , that's the thing, they don't really lunge because their prey drive is low. They'll stand and silently watch deer, horses, whatever, they rarely make sudden movements or catch you unawares. Even when they're working, they mostly just stand and bark a warning or trot around the perimeter fences - the chase is only a last resort if the predator doesn't back off. They will bugger off to investigate stuff though - she was intently watching a walker the other day and I commented to DP that if I unclipped the lead she'd be off like a shot to do the "who are you/where are you going" routine. That's the biggest danger with them, every little thing has to be checked out as a potential threat to the flock. Although with Brie, she mostly wants people to pet her and she'd run away from a wolf😁

Boo pulled me in a ditch once. I had unsuitable sandals on so it was my own fault. He also flattened me from behind. He always comes back to check I’m ok. Although that usually consists of frantic licking once he knows I’m not dead and then I can’t get up anyway.

@SpanielsGalore I mean they did keep running around you...they didn't just abandon you! So that's something, I guess?

@Silverbirchleaf what exciting lives we lead - cake, MN and dog walking 😁

@VanGoSunflowers how is Pablo doing this morning?

Twatdog is the only one of my bunch that has tried to assassinate me. Jump up and push me towards oncoming traffic? Check. Push me into a ditch? Check. Trip me up? Check. But he's my baby and he could probably do anything at this point and I would forgive him.

Exciting news here today...I had oats for breakfast. Not cake. Has hell frozen over? Are pigs flying? No. None of the above. I just tried on my Christmas dress and it doesn't fit. It's still fine around the stomach and waist, but when it gets to my chest it won't zip up. So in my piggyness the last few months, all my weight gain has gone to my boobs....or perhaps my back. 😳

Big pup has invented some sort of variation on the game what's the time mr wolf.

Basically she tries to run full speed and jump at my back, if I turn round during the run up she'll sit down. As soon as I turn my back she'll start the run again, I turn round she sits...

It's actually much harder to topple forwards than backwards so she's not had me on the floor yet.

Torrential rain here yet again and still no sign of her raincoat arriving.

I'm back down the dog food rabbit-hole again, because she's being finicky. We went back to Millies Wolfheart countryside and lamb & veg, because she was refusing Calibra for breakfast, but now she's gone off MW as well. She'll only eat the Jollyes if I mix it with meat, so I need a back up for when she inevitably goes off Essential Estate 🙄

Rain. What’s that?