Escapology

Paula and I are off to UK again.

I went to Longford to do a bit of last minute shopping and bought a ham shank. I thought that I could have the ham on sandwiches and the bone would be good to keep Paula entertained on the ferry.

On the way home I was picking at the meat and eating it – before you say it, I know I should have waited until I got home!

I offered Paula a bit of the ‘crackling’ but, of course, she turned her nose up at it. So, thinking that a fox or some other form of wildlife would love it, I stopped the car at the side of the road where there is a very wide grass verge and fields beyond and opened the passenger side window of the car.

I got the big piece of fat and crackling that is on a ham shank and tossed it through the window. Without missing a beat Paula followed it. She was so fast that she could have caught the stuff as it was airborne!

Now anyone who knows Paula will know that her recall is non existent so I leapt out of the car (using the door – unlike Paula…) and ran round to try and persuade her to come to me.

Fortunately she was busy searching for the stuff that I had thrown through the window so I was able to grab hold of her jacket and haul her back into the car.

I was so relieved because the road is a busy one and, if I hadn’t managed to sneak up and catch her, anything could have happened.

Lesson learned – never, ever open window fully. Paula can jump like a gazelle from a standing start…

Marco Update

Well, Marco is settling in nicely now but he is still very reluctant to come to me unless I am crouched down.

That’s all very well, but at my age, it’s the getting up that is the problem!

He is still very nervous about eating if I’m around but he’s getting much better. He loves going out in the car now and it’s a race to see who can get in first - him or Paula. The good thing is that he stays in the back like a good boy- I keep telling Paula that she should be in the back but she knows that her place is the co-pilots seat.

Paula and Marco are getting on really well and are behaving like a couple of puppies – fighting and rolling around all over the garden.

Lesley bought a new jumper for Paula, she hates not having a jacket on and spends all her time shivering. I end up putting the heating on for the dogs… 

Marco tried Paula’s new jumper on and loved it.

See Photo.

Marco Posing

Paula

My Dog’s New Teeth…

To set the scene…

I have a few teeth that I can remove (not a pleasant thought, but true all the same) and occasionally I take them out if they are rubbing, which they do on occasions. I take them out sometimes at night and just put them on the dressing table.

Now when we were on holiday, I had taken the plate out and put it on the table. I found it on the floor the morning after but really didn’t give it much thought other than how I must have knocked it off with the duvet when I got up.

Paula sleeps in bed with me and, when I get up she usually stays in bed until around 7.30am. One morning, after we had got home from our holiday, I was hard at work at the computer when I heard Paula in the bedroom. I thought she was getting up for her breakfast but, after a few minutes she failed to appear in the kitchen so I thought it would be a good idea to see what she was doing.

It was a good job that I did – because she was adapting my teeth to fit her mouth – and her mouth is smaller than mine! So, there she was sitting on the bed with half of my false teeth in her mouth and the other half next to her. (I really must go to the dentist and get a permanent bridge…) Fortunately I caught her just before she managed to break them up into individual teeth.

This was the day that I was very grateful to the inventor of superglue. Paula, my darling whippet, is really very resourceful when it comes to keeping herself entertained.

Paula is off on Holiday

Sassy has pinched Paula's favourite toy - apparently!

Paula and I are off to England on Thursday. This will be a challenge as anyone who knows Paula will appreciate. I am hoping that, when we are on the ferry, she doesn’t eat my car. However, the most challenging thing about the journey will be finding food that Paula will eat. You see, she is a bit of a fussy eater, at the moment she eats five sausages for breakfast – but only if they’re cooked a certain way! If I don’t cook them to her liking, she eats a couple of small pieces and leaves the rest. So, as am I a slave to her every whim, I put them back in the microwave for an extra minute then cool them down for her. When I put them back in her dish, she eats them with enthusiasm. I swear she looks at me as if to say, “Thanks heavens you have learned how to cook!”

Her tea is raw meat – only raw meat! I tried giving her a tin of dog food a couple of times but she sniffs delicately at it then turns up her nose with distaste and walks away. Fancy expecting her to eat dog food! What an insult. So raw meat it is then.

This is the very first time in my whole life that I have accommodated any dog in this way, but if I didn’t she would prefer to starve!  Anyway, wish me luck taking my little girl on holiday – I’m gonna need it!