Gilbert the Good – an early walk

 

Gilbert the Good – an early walk

It’s getting hotter and hotter and hotter, so we have been going out in the middle of the night for our walks. It’s not really the middle of the night, but it’s so much earlier than we usually go out that it might as well be.

It’s nice, though, and we have been meeting *lots of other dogs* to chat to and play with. Barry has not been throwing the balls for us very much – we have one each – because he doesn’t want us to overheat. He tried not letting us have the balls at all, but we danced around him and asked so politely that he gave in.

He throws each of our balls once and we retrieve them and then carry them for the rest of the walk. This morning was glorious in the fresh forest air. The birds were singing their little hearts out and it felt good to be alive. We did get quite hot, even though it was really early, so we dived into one of the ponds. The water level is going down a little, which makes the mud more accessible, so we covered ourselves in it. It’s an excellent way to keep cool. Our thick coats carry gallons of water, and we’re still quite damp several hours later. The mud doesn’t show much on Roxy, as she’s chocolate-coloured, but I look more khaki than yellow. It doesn’t matter as I shall soon be my normal colour again. (Janice just muttered that the chair covers would be changing colour again.)

We don’t have breakfast before we go out early. It’s something to do with not exercising after eating. That sounded daft to me, but Janice explained that it didn’t mean we wouldn’t eat at all, just that we would wait until after our walk. She also said that we wouldn’t be able to eat immediately after our walk either. That was because of the dangers of developing gastric torsion, properly known as Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV) 

It’s something that affects deep-chested dogs like Wolfhounds, Irish Setters, Dalmatians, Labradors and so on, though strangely Greyhounds and Whippets seem to be exempt. It can be fatal. Having had three dogs affected by it, all Dalmatians – luckily, they survived! - she and Barry are only too aware of the dangers and do everything to avoid it happening again. That’s what she said, though mostly I heard ‘no breakfast’ and ‘after’ and ‘later.’

It sounded quite reasonable – after all, she’s not cruel - and we were happy to have our collars put on and leave the house.

                                

     

Yesterday was the same rigmarole. We enjoyed our walk and were happy to reach home and flop out on the floor. As the morning wore on, however, I realised something had gone wrong with the routine. Roxy knew it, too. We gazed at the humans, trying to communicate with them, but they’re remarkably dense sometimes, and just grinned stupidly at us and told us what good dogs we were. Well, we know that! They tell us a dozen times a day.

I was busting a gut, putting all the pathos I could manage into my soulful brown eyes, and suddenly the penny dropped. Janice gasped and said, ‘They haven’t had their breakfast.’

There followed a discussion about whether that was true, and then that perhaps we’d had it and the humans had forgotten. ‘Had the cats been fed?’ they asked each other. Well, that was a silly question – the cats would never allow a mealtime to pass by without comment or complaint, but we dogs are polite and undemanding.

I widened my eyes further and pricked my ears as far as they would prick, and Roxy played her part, and finally, FINALLY, we were given our breakfast. We are very forgiving dogs, and didn’t give our humans the cold shoulder, whatever that means. In fact, I curled up next to Janice as usual. I’m sure she appreciates the extra heat I provide.

All was well this morning, and we didn’t have to wait hours and hours and hours to be fed. It’s a dog’s life, all right, but a pretty comfortable one in this house.

 

TTFN

Gilbert

* lots of other dogs* They often don’t meet any other dogs or people at all, so just two or three seems like ‘lots.’

Gilbert the Good

 

Gilbert the Good – special!

It’s a special day today. It’s my birthday and I’m three years old.

 I’ve had a smashing day. I went for a splendid walk in the woods (it’s actually part of Swinley Forest) Well, I do that every day, I know, but Roxy and I went in the comfortable car today because there’s something wrong with the dog box. The air bag warning light has come on, and the speedometer and other lights aren’t working. It’s at the garage now.

Anyway, Roxy and I had lots of swimming in lots of ponds. We met some other dogs and played with them, too. It was a really excellent walk and lots of people wished me a happy birthday, so I feel very cheerful.

I’m tired now, but it’s the sort of tiredness that comes from having lots of fresh air and exercise, when my lungs have worked hard and my muscles have stretched. You may be sure that if I were invited to go for another walk right this minute, I’d be only too delighted.

Supper to look forward to now.

                                            Roll on tomorrow!

TTFN

 

Gilbert

Gilbert the Good – Events

 

Gilbert the Good – Events

Susannah and Arthur have come to stay for a few days, which is nice, but Arthur keeps taking my toys. He can’t go anywhere without carrying something. It’s a cocker thing, apparently.  I don’t mind too much, but I wish he would bring them back when he’s taken them outside. We still like to play together, though not so much as when we were younger.   

                         It’s been quite busy round here lately. Jellioe had to go to the vet again on Wednesday. He was being a bit picky over his food and then, after he had eventually eaten it, he threw it up all over the sitting room – well, the bit of the room he was sitting in, anyway. He’s had an antibiotic injection, that lasts for two weeks, and he’s had to go back on the diet he used to have. He is much livelier now and on Saturday afternoon he captured a small mouse and brought it indoors to show everyone. The humans chased him out! He and Herschel sat and looked at it for a bit, then they got bored and walked away.

 

                                               Such a little mouse! 

When Roxy and I got home from our walk on Thursday, everyone asked me, ‘What’s wrong with your eye?’ Well, I didn’t know, but it felt sore, and it was watering.

  Janice bathed it and that helped a little, but I couldn’t open it properly, so Barry took me to see the vets. I was quite happy about that – I always get treats when I go there. Anyway, they put some dye in my eye to see if it was scratched, but it wasn’t. I’ve got some painkillers to have with my supper for a few days, and the humans have got to watch me to see that my eye doesn’t go bad or something. The humans keep saying, ‘Aww, poor Gilbert,’ so I carry on looking pathetic, in case they decide to cheer me up with a treat or two.

I sit by Janice’s feet quite a lot, and she often says, ‘Lovely boy’ to me, and then Barry answers with, ‘I know I’m a lovely boy.’ Do you think I should tell him that it’s me she means, not him, or would he be upset?

Barry has said that I can’t go out for a couple of days, which is a shame, but I suppose it’s sensible. My eye does feel better, but I’m still a bit winky.

 

TTFN

 

Gilbert

Gilbert the Good – enforced rest

 

Gilbert the Good – enforced rest

Roxy, Gilbert and Jellicoe

Barry and Janice went out this afternoon and left all us animals at home, but before they went, Janice noticed I was limping and holding my paw up. They had an appointment, so couldn’t look at me more closely then, but when they reached home again, they tricked me with words like ‘Treats’ and ‘Chicken’ and ‘Chews’ just to make me get up and trot towards them. I wanted to stay in my bed because my paw hurt, though I wasn’t whimpering or shivering. They thought I was a bit quiet, though, so Barry ‘phoned up and took me to see Selene-the-vet. She’s only five minutes away by car.

Everyone at the vets made a fuss of me, and I was pleased to see them all – they’re so friendly and always give me a couple of yummy biscuits.

Anyway, it turned out that my paw has a cut on the pad. I’ve just come home and I’m a bit fed up because I’ve been told I mustn’t go out for a walk for seven days! SEVEN days!! AND I’ve got to wear a boot on my foot every time I want to go out to do the necessary – that’s going to be a bundle of laughs, I can tell you.

Jellicoe, Gilbert and Herschel

I’ve got some medicine to have once a day with my food to take away the pain and make sure the cut doesn’t get infected. There’s also some stuff to mix with water to bathe my paw. Janice groaned when she heard that, remembering Dominie-who-went-before me and how when her paw was bathed, she shook the mixture off her paw and all over the place, principally over Janice. I’m sure I shall be a good boy, though. My paw has to be bathed twice a day for five minutes. I think Janice is looking forward to that, because she laughed when she read that out to me.

It's going to be hard seeing Roxy go out for a walk, knowing that I can’t go out for SEVEN WHOLE DAYS! Roxy says it will soon pass, but I will miss it, especially the ponds.

Yesterday, Barry threw a big stick into the pond for me to retrieve. (They have to be big sticks, so they don’t get caught in my throat.) The stick must have been quite old and damp because it sank, and I spent ages diving under the water to find it. I could smell it, but I just couldn’t locate it. Eventually, Barry called me out because he was getting worried about me getting too tired.

When we went back this morning for our walk, he wouldn’t let me go in the pond. I think he knew I would be hunting again for yesterday’s stick. He told Janice I’m the most persistent retriever they have ever had, and that’s quite something. I am a very good boy – well-bred, don’t you know!

Time for supper now and my first dose of medicine. Seven whole days! SEVEN whole DAYS . . .

TTFN

Gilbert

Jellicoe, Gilbert and Herschel 

 

Gilbert the Good - the banana

 

Gilbert the Good – the banana

The other day I noticed a lovely bunch of bananas on the kitchen work top. They looked delicious and my mouth was watering at the prospect of eating one. I sniffed and gazed and sniffed again. 

I’ve often heard Janice telling Frankie to ‘help himself’ so I thought I could do the same. After all, I’m a big boy now and I like bananas very much, so I did what anydog would do and helped myself.

The bunch landed on the floor and I carefully separated one and took it to my bed. I was just about to eat it when my humans noticed and removed it. I was disappointed but also very proud of myself; there were no toothmarks on the banana and it wasn’t at all bruised.

We Labradors have very soft mouths.

TTFN  

 

Gilbert

Gilbert the Good – musical appreciation

   

Gilbert the Good – musical appreciation

My humans often play music and, being a musical sort of dog, I enjoy listening. Sometimes I join in but I don’t sing like Buddy Liver Spots used to. He loved listening to Maria Callas. He really appreciated her most distinctive voice and accompanied her with his fine baritone.

Instead of singing, I join in with my favourite instrument, the saxo-duck. The Youtube videoclip here gives you some idea of my expertise or it would, if the link worked!! Ditto the uploaded/downloaded/offloaded/unloaded clip from the computer.

I know it was really good because my humans couldn’t stop smiling and they sent a copy of the video to all the family.

😕   

TTFN

Gilbert

Gilbert the good – update

 

Gilbert the Good – update

Well, good morning my faithful readers. I said I’d let you know what happened at the vets. I went back to see them on Monday and I know they really, really like me ‘cos they wanted to see me again yesterday. They said that although I was heeling healing really well they wanted me to carry on wearing the puppygro for another week. Then they would see me again and after that I could go out on a lead. I ask you, where’s the fun in that?  So I’m a bit fed up. The good news is that I won’t have my stitches taken out. They will dissolve because they’re magic!

Janice has hauled the puppygro off me again, twice. She washed it yesterday but then it got wet this morning when I went out. There are lots of puddles in the garden and I think it came untucked and dragged in one of them . . . or else I peed on it . . . so she heaved it off me. She said it might smell, otherwise.  I thought that wouldn’t matter too much – it would only smell of me and that’s alright in my book, Honestly, the woman’s got a positive fetish about washing things as you can read here.

The humans have got to ‘keep an eye’ on Roxy’s lumps. I wonder how they’re going to do that? Whose eye will they use? We all need all our eyes and anyway how would they make it stay in place? It sounds daft to me but I’m only a dog, so what do I know?

Did I tell you that Roxy’s got kennel cough? I don’t know where she found it as she only sees me and Arthur and Lottie. It’s not very bad and the vets have dealt with it. Roxy told me she had something sprayed up her nose – no wonder she’s coughing.

Jellicoe’s coughing too, but Janice thinks it might be ‘reverse sneezing’. That cat can’t do anything the simple way.

TTFN

Gilbert 

Gilbert the Good – my week last week

 

Gilbert the Good – my week last week

 Lottie, Arthur and Gilbert confer

            Arthur and Lottie came to stay with us while Susannah and James and Frankie were away on holiday. Susannah calls them ‘The Spanfest’. My humans call them ‘The Dancing Dogs’ or DD or D squared and sometimes other things.

    Lottie was getting beaten up used to our cats. She and Arthur have four cats in their house that all get on with them but don’t demand top billing. Our cats taught her to show them the grovelling respect they demand deserve. Arthur learnt that a long time ago. 

The other day, Herschel batted her and then Jellicoe followed up with another blow. It made a change from them cuffing each other. There were no claws involved and she wasn’t hurt, just very surprised. She can jump back out of reach really quickly now.

                                                 Arthur

 The Spanfest were quite happy in our house, but every time the doorbell rang they rushed to the door, ears alert and tails wagging, expecting their people to appear. I went along as well, because I’m nosy because I wanted to see their people, too.

One of my favourite places to sleep downstairs is around Janice’s feet. She puts up with it likes it because I keep her feet warm. Arthur decided he wanted to sleep near her, and then Lottie wanted to be included. It meant that Janice was forced into many contortions and she doesn’t bend at all easily. She developed a funny walk and complained commented that we were making her knees and hips ache.

Every day when my humans went round to Arthur and Lottie’s house to feed the cats, we went with them and played in the garden. D squared thought it was strange to go home and not stay there but leave again to come back to our house.

Roxy likes to keep her distance. She decides when she wants to play and won't be persuaded by young whippersnappers!

Janice and Barry said it was lovely to have four dogs again, but two Labradors and two Spaniels are not the same as four Labradors. The Dancing Dogs are very busy, rushing here and there and back again, noses to the ground and very easy to trip over if humans aren’t careful. Luckily, my humans are used to the slow, get-under-your-feet sauntering of the cats which can turn into a sudden mad dash without notice so the Spanfest wasn’t a problem.

It was nice to have them here but I’m sure they’re happy to be in their own home again.

The exciting news is that it’s my birthday tomorrow. I shall be one year old and I'm quite a big chap now. I’m going to spend the day with the vets. Jellicoe stayed with the vets one day last week so I suppose it’s my turn now. I’ll miss my humans but I really like the vets so I’ll be alright, and it’s only for one day.

TTFN

Gilbert