Exhausting

 

It’s exhausting being a working Labrador.

Busy!

I’ve been busy lately. I’ll let the photos do most of the talking . . .

Day One: Monday 22nd August, Shropshire

Here are just four of the litter of nine fox red puppies

Bertie

Buster

In their new home in Berkshire. Buster is looking at the camera. Bertie is asleep.

Day Two: Tuesday 23rd August

Playtime!  Bertie, right, executes a shoulder slam

Bertie practises pouncing on Buster

Time for a snooze

Day Three: Wednesday 24th August

Buster tries stamping on the toy to make it squeak

Buster in the ascendant

Wary Winston wonders whether to move to a higher point . . .

              . . . but decides against it

This is a pheasant. We know about pheasants

 Bertie wonders what's going on . . .

. . . and so does Buster

Later on, Bertie feels lonely because his brother's gone to Dorset to his proper home. Bertie misses his playmate

Day Four: Thursday 25th August

It's just not the same without him

I have been practising my retrieving

I wonder if Buster's done any retrieving. I'll ask him when I see him on Friday.

The First Blog of Augustus Lazarus Cooke (Gus)

Hello everyone! My name is Augustus Lazarus Cooke, known as Gus, and I am a Working Labrador. I was born on 6^th September 2009 so that makes me 8 weeks and 2 days old. My Kennel Club name is Threevalleys Masterminded. All the puppies born at Threevalleys Gundogs are given racehorse names, so my sister Jenna is Threevalleys Celtic Shot and our friend Foxy is Threevalleys Imperial Call. We all have Working Champions and Field Trial Champions in our pedigrees so we are very well bred but not at all big-headed.
You wanted to know about my name? I'm Augustus because my Humans liked it. My second name, Lazarus, is because I had to be revived when I was born. Charlotte rubbed me to get my circulation and breathing going and just as she thought I was a goner I gave a big gasp and started breathing. There were only three of us that survived and we were never short of food or attention so we have grown up quickly. Charlotte and Ali played with us and talked to us all the time and if you heard me speak you would think I was Welsh as I've learnt their speech patterns. I'm known as a thinker but my Humans pronounce it tinker. Do you think they're Irish? (That's my father's call name – he's a very handsome fox red chap.)
I've been here three days now and it's a long way from my birthplace in Shropshire.It felt very strange the first night. I missed my brother and sister and Charlotte and Ali and Badger the Italian Spinone. Everything smelt different but all the humans were so pleased to see me and that made me happy. I think I'm going to like it here. My Humans are going to be very easy to train. I have an excellent singing voice; it is musical and loud – it stems from being born almost Welsh I suppose. I am very persistent and strong-minded so I think I'll soon lick them into shape.
It's a nice house to live in – lots of space to gallop around in and lots of things to chew, some of which they say I shouldn't but I have seen teeth marks on the furniture from cats, dogs and small humans so why should it be any different for me?

I'm in the conservatory and Winston's the other side of the door. I like chasing him!! Dominie's in the kitchen too - she's very old.

My Humans are very pleased with me; they say they can almost see me growing. My back legs are straighter now and I'm really very well coordinated even though I'm little. I'm tired now; I have to sleep lots so I can grow big and strong, maybe even as big as Frodo? I haven't got spots – I don't think Labradors get those but I have got a little white chin so maybe I could get spots too? This is one of my favourite places to lie down and chew - and it's near Monty and Winston as it's their cat tree!

Hwyl fawr am nawr! (That's Welsh for 'Goodbye for now!')