Beyond Adolescence and General Chit Chat - part 3

[SpanielsGalore]

Not tagging anyone. I'm sure you'll all find your way here if you want to join in. 😁

Lovely Pablo and Rory @VanGoSunflowers@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding - it’s funny how we’ve gone from over-run with spaniels to over-run with labs!

‘Good boy’ and Rory are gorgeous.

I think @TheHungryHungryLandsharks has swopped our dogs. Dog (Twat) is never usually bothered by cats, and can walk within inches (or cm for the young ‘uns) and not even notice them. Today, one (cf cat) crept up behind him ands Dog (twat) almost pulled my arm out of my socket to chase him.

Chucks Twatdog back across the Medway.

Well I've had a shit day. Literally! One second N is play fighting with K in the kitchen. The next she has squatted and sprayed diarrhoea two feet across the floor.
Can anyone recommend a good carpet cleaner, because the one I have hasn't got it all out?

Thanks @tizwozliz- yeah lux patella in his hind knees.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks- yes - you have the goldens!! Don't you?

@SpanielsGaloreoh god? Have you tried good old scrubbing brush and detol?

Oh nooooooooo! That is the worst. Has she eaten anything dodgy to cause it? I have a Bissel upholstery cleaner which is perfect for this sort of thing - obviously not very helpful for you right now but would highly recommend. I don’t even know what I’d use on it otherwise 🤢

Oh my God, @SpanielsGalore , I don't envy you! No useful advice at all, I chucked one rug that himself threw up on because I couldn't wash it and couldn't face it.

All good here - mostly lurking - lovely to see Milo, @Redspaniel ! He's as ridiculously handsome as ever. So glad his knobbled knees aren't as bad as you were fearing.

Nobhead Bill is having an amazing week. I've been able to let his line trail at least half of his last four big long walks and he's come back when I've called, checked in without me asking, and stopped when I told him to. Even when I blew the stop whistle, which I didn't think I'd even taught him. I think someone's swapped my dog. @TheHungryHungryLandsharks have you got him? Have I got Twatdog?

@SpanielsGalore oh noooo!! Dog squits on carpet! You have my sympathies! Again probably not helpful to you right now but I have a vax spot wash machine for spot cleaning stuff like that (and for cleaning my rugs/sofa) I have mainly hard floor in my house which was useful that one time Pablo swallowed another dog’s turd whole and then threw it up on my kitchen floor 😂

@Bupster amazing work! Well done to you both 👏

@Redspaniel So far I have only tried Dr Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover, which has worked wonders on wee and vomit. Unfortunately poo is beyond its powers. I haven't got any Detol. My DD says her carpets are all bleach resistant, so she uses that. But I'm reluctant to try it and end up with a light patch.

@YorkshireFelix I think I am going to have to invest in a carpet cleaner. It's only been fitted about a month and there's already a dirty line going from the back door to the living room. It hasn't helped that P has developed an obsession or diggin holes to eat grass roots and it has rained every day since it was fitted.

@Bupster I have thrown bedding away before that was covered in a poo explosion. Unfortunately I can't rip the carpet up. Although I did wonder how much my insurance excess is and if dog poo counts as accidental damage.

Glad you and Bill are having an amazing week. 💖

@SpanielsGalore oh no. I’d be drowning my sorrows in red wine.

Bill is gorgeous as ever.

@tizwozliz sorry about the funeral ❤Big pup was probably feeling a bit of both - although I do think dogs get fear of missing out. Particularly if it's something they enjoy doing 😁

@VanGoSunflowers a mark of how tired I am I immediately thought 'how has Vango used up all her annual leave by March' but then I realised you probably do financial year - financial year rather than Jan-Jan.

Pablo (and Rory and all the other Labs) really are very handsome and beautiful.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding lovely to see you here! 😊How are you finding the winter? I know you said you struggled before, so I hope all is okay (and Rory isn't getting up to any mischief!)

@Silverbirchleaf can't believe you wouldn't want Twatdog! He's such a little gem...mostly...sometimes...once in a blue moon. To be fair to your dog, if the cat was stupid enough to go creeping up behind a dog, then it was probably asking for it!

@SpanielsGalore no advice on carpet cleaner...but you have my sympathies. Hope N is feeling better today

@Redspaniel yes! Five now. 😫Plus today I also have Satan (who is my mother's very evil Cocker Spaniel). It's a bit like living under mob rule 24/7 in this house.

@Bupster Ohhhh bless Bill! Do we think this is the start of him finally growing up and understanding he should listen and that there is actually a benefit to being a good boy? 😀Congrats though! It's so so lovely when it finally seems like they're growing up and not being awful 24/7. I would happily still swap Twatdog for Bill and his silky smooth ears...

Gosh that was a lot of replying.

Some updates of my own:

Pen tried to instigate her first fight this morning. She saw the dog coming and lunged. Thankfully she didn't lose complete control and she stopped mid launch when I said her name. I ended up moving slightly off the path with her next to me and the others behind, and the entire time it took the dog walker to approach and go past she was snarling and growling. It was only when they got close I realised it was the Doberman that went for DWS a few months ago. We've not seen them since...and I wonder if she remembered. She never defended Twatdog that way whenever he's had a dog go for him. So I am going to take her to the vets to check her out, but she is very protective over DWS for some reason best known to herself.

But, in very very positive news, DWS met two boy dogs this morning and no nefarious behaviour was had.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I am always impressed how you manage to reply to everyone! My tiny brain can’t comprehend it as I forget what anyone has said as soon as I’ve read the message 😄

I would assume she had remembered it’s the dog who went for DWS! But understand that you’d take her to the vets regardless since it’s so out of character. You might have to give DWS a new name if she’s decided nefarious behaviour is below her now.

@Bupster Bill what a superstar ⭐️ You must be very pleased!

I have had an awful day today. Had a very horrible interaction with the attendance officer from DD’s school on our doorstep this morning. I won’t go into details but she hasn’t got a bloody clue and it sounds like she only cares about their figures. I burst into tears as soon as I closed the door! DH has written an official complaint to the head and governors.

So I thought I’d try and shake it off by taking V out for a long walk but as soon as I let him off lead he was just running ahead constantly and not listening to me at all. At one point I thought I actually wouldn’t be able to get him back on his lead to go home! No idea what was going on but his nose was to the ground most of the time and ears fully turned off. Thankfully not many people about as it was embarrassing. I managed to get him back on his lead eventually and got DH to collect us in the car as I was so exasperated. He was the filthiest I’ve ever seen him so was straight in the shower!!

We are going up to visit MIL in Co Durham from Sunday for a couple of days. She has the two cockers (one of them 6 months old and owned by her against her will, if anyone remembers the story of DH’s niece randomly buying a puppy!) and then a springer too. V hasn’t seen them for about 5 months so will be interesting to see how he interacts with them as he never spends a significant amount of time with other dogs. They have a fair bit of land and also live really close to the coast so I’m excited to take him down to the beach again, and I’ll be able to do some decent training with him on their field.

@SpanielsGalore any luck with the carpet? 😬

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks this winter has not been good for me unfortunately, but there is a glimmer of spring on the horizon. Not today though, it’s rained all day 😭. Rory is being the best good boy as always 😇🤣.

I’m sure Pen will remember, Rory must remember his breeders doorbell as he woofs when one goes off on TV but we only have a ring door bell 😵. He definitely remembers his friends too, luckily we’ve only met one horrible dog (a pocket XL bully) and we avoid it now as it snarls and snaps even though I put Rory’s lead on and he walks past nicely. The owner is useless and it doesn’t have a muzzle. She doesn’t even say a sheepish sorry!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Pen must have remembered the doberman. It's quite sweet that she was defending DWS, although obviously not something you want to deal with regularly.

The others were good for not joining in. That was the problem I had with my first two cockers. When the reactive one kicked off, his brother felt the need to back him up.

Let's hope DWS has grown out of her nefarious ways.

@YorkshireFelix Sorry you had a shit start to the day. I hope it got better.

I haven't had a chance to have another go at cleaning the carpet. I'll see what magic solutions Tesco have on offer tomorrow.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding No glimmer of spring up here. I drove to Aberdeen today and it was grey skies and rain all the way there and back again.

My morning was annoying. P and I fell out big time. She dug more holes in the garden and then ran through the house leaving muddy paw prints everywhere. Then on our walk K found two dead birds and P found a dead fish, and both of them refused to come anywhere near the car at the end of the walk.
DD has suggested I muzzle them to stop them picking up dead stuff, but my sprocker still managed to do it. I have fond memories of trying to wrestle a dead seal from out of his mouth.

Chased up P's referral today. Surprisingly the vet hadn't done it. FFS Hopefully they'll have done it this afternoon. I shall phone again tomorrow to check.

I think I need a holiday. Dealing with ill dogs for nearly five years is draining.

Well Rory has temporarily lost his best good boy credentials! Last night DS and I both ended up leaving a good part of our spaghetti bolognaise as we were full and because I’m lazy, I hadn’t cleaned up before I went to do my pole dancing. I had shut the kitchen door
but DS had left the pool/ darts room door to the kitchen open and Rory ate both portions as far back as he could reach on the counter 🙈🙈.

He seemed fine but tried waking me at half 1 this morning but I must have been in a deep sleep. I vaguely remember him going downstairs and coming back up but by the time he managed to wake me properly and take me downstairs to let him out, he’d done the most enormous, stinky cow pat of a poo on the little bit of carpet by the front door 🙈🙈. I had no idea so much poo could fit into a Labrador! It’s that industrial type carpet for wiping your feet too so has ridges in it 😭.

Bless him, he looked so worried when I was cleaning it up, then he cuddled right into me when we got back in bed so I think he needed reassurance that I wasn’t cross with him.

Anyway, @SpanielsGalore I can confirm that Pink Stuff miracle cleaning spray cleans dog poo stains and smells right up and doesn’t bleach the carpet.

Maybe Rory was actually thinking he was being helpful by doing a controlled experiment? Now, as a result of his endeavours, we know that the Pink Stuff is the stuff to use. Rory’s halo has dutifully been restored.

@YorkshireFelix I am also in awe of how @TheHungryHungryLandsharks and @SpanielsGalore remember enough to reply to everyone! My working memory is so poor I forget what everyone has said, keep scrolling up and down to re-read and press the wrong button and lose my whole post 😂 I am sorry you had such a bad day and that the walk with V wasn’t restorative. Hope things pick up for you soon!

@SpanielsGalore you definitely need a holiday! Perhaps one of us on this thread could opt to be the dog sitter and the rest of us can sip cocktails on a beach somewhere. Then we can rotate it so we all get to go 😀

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks hurray to the ceasing of the winky sucking! Hopefully she’s decided it’s not worth it 😂 sorry to hear about the almost fight though and hope you get on ok at the vets. Hope work is a bit less stressful for you at the moment.

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding show me someone who says their Lab wouldn’t try and steal
leftovers from a kitchen counter and I will show you a liar 😂 poor Rory, and poor you having to clean up runny poo from a ridged carpet 🤢

As per the first paragraph, if I have forgotten anyone I didn’t do it on purpose 😀

All food must go to the lab for testing!

@SpanielsGalore ugh I’m sorry, it seems like you just have one thing after another to deal with constantly! I am glad we don’t seem to come across much dead stuff here. The dead seal!!! I don’t think I’d ever recover from that 😄

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding oh noooooo not the ridged carpet! We have large pieces of built in coir matting at the front and back door and I am traumatised from trying to remove puppy poo from it multiple times. It would get all stuck in the bristles 🤢🤢🤢

😂😂😂

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding Please thank good boy Rory for his dedication to solving my stained carpet issues. 🏅
Sorry you had a disturbed night - at least I was scraping up poo in the day time. And bless him, he did try to get outside if it was right by the door. I hope he's feeling better this morning.
Fortunately only one of my dogs has been tall enough to steal off the kitchen side. The best one was when ExOH had made himself a chicken sandwich. As he turned to put the margarine back in the fridge, the dog leaped up and grabbed it. DS and I found it hilarious. The ex, not so much.

@VanGoSunflowers Today's replies are easy to remember. All posts are on the same page, so I can scroll as I write. If the posts span pages, I make notes in my phone. Yes I am that sad. 🙈😂
Loving your holiday idea. I nominate @TheHungryHungryLandsharks to be the first dog sitter. They all went on holiday at Christmas, so her need isn't as great as ours. IMO

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Hope you got some sleep last night and the budget cutting problems at work are resolved soon.

The vet phoned this morning. She did P's referral yesterday and it appears they are more on the ball than she is. They've reviewed P's notes, sent over a list of options and prices and asked for confirmation I want to go ahead. She said they said they could see P on Friday, but I wouldn't imagine that means tomorrow.
Options include x-rays, arthroscopy, fluid draw and re-doing the original operation. Prices range from £2k - £3.3k.

£2-3.3k eek!

Thank god for insurance!

They did mean tomorrow. P is booked in for 8:40 in the morning. Getting up at 6:30 is going to be a big shock to my system.

Oh wow that is quick @SpanielsGalore

@YorkshireFelix @SpanielsGalore @Idstillratherbepaddleboarding @VanGoSunflowers I definitely a case of Pen remembering the dog. Took her to the vets, just to be safe, and vet said she was fine - probably regretted saying that when she put her face too close to Pen and Pen shoved her tongue in the poor woman's mouth.

On DWS. She did do it once this morning. But that was to Twatdog...not sure if that makes it better or worse? Either way, it's definitely improving and she's still 'just a baby' (allegedly).

@YorkshireFelix I hope you have a lovely time in County Durham! We expect lots of nice photos of V getting up to mischief (although not as much as yesterday) and being a good boy.

So sorry about your DDs school! What arseholes (I can't even be diplomatic about it). I hope your DH gets a decent response from his complaint and that you and your DD are okay ❤

@SpanielsGalore glad they managed to (finally) get a wiggle on. £2-3K is a lot, but P is worth every penny (and more). Let us know how you and her get on? Sounds like it'll be a long drive for the poor girl

@Idstillratherbepaddleboarding Ohhh naughty Rory! I bet the looking guilty and wanting cuddles after made it absolutely impossible to be mad at him. Poor boy ❤How is he today? Feeling sorry for himself or back to normal?

And, most importantly, I am more than happy to be the dog sitter so everyone can have a holiday. Satan has even offered to help whip them into shape - she says after Twatdog, she can train any dog.

I have decided that, after careful consideration, that Curling is the only Olympic sport that matters. That and speed skating cross-country (did anyone else see that INSANE Danish skier?!)

Christ I don’t know WTF is up with Vinny today but all 3 walks so far he has pulled the whole way, totally crawling along the ground with his nose down and would not listen to me one bit. I have told DH I am refusing to walk him again!! I couldn’t walk two steps without him almost pulling me over and my neck is killing!