Farewell to dearest Alfie

Sorry its been so long.  I lost my password to this blog, and life just got in the way.  I'm not sure how to end this blog, but didnt seem right for it to still be sat here.

On 19th March 2013, we lost our dear handsome boy Alfie to the evil that is bone cancer.  Just a few short days before his 5th birthday.

The gap left behind is still completely unbareable.  Not only was he of course the most handsome of boys, he was the biggest character.

His story and article on bone cancer are on my regular blog here http://mycreativelifestyle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/farewell-to-alfie.html

Thank you for following Alfie, and be sure to give your beloved pets an extra cuddle today, as they are with us for such a short time - and we never know what awaits us around the corner.

I am a poorly dog

See how small I can get?  The world is currently a very cruel place for Alfie dog!  I has the 'kennel cough' dont know why its called that as I dont do kennels.  But yesterday I got very poorly and had to visit the vet man Uncle Owen, he came out to see me in the car so I didnt give the nasty cough to any other dogs.  Even though he did some awful things to me (note from Mum, he took his temperature) I still gave him a big kiss on the nose, and he said it was ok he couldnt catch it.
I have pills, and Mum came away with a vaccine for Tess as she is old and apparently I have not to give this to Tess, but we share everything, not got to give it to Jaja either, but I really dont see why he shouldnt suffer too.
Worse than the general feeling of poorlyness, is the fact I now cant go out and play with my friend Zac or any of the other dogs, and I missed dog club.  I am feeling like a social lepper.  So, I have spent the whole day today up and down waiting for my walk inbetween bouts of coughing.  Must say I do like the honey she got me and happily drink that from the spoon, and I even quite like the benalyn.
But no dog club, no agility - no playing out is a very very sad life for a social boy.

I do require lots of sympathy please till I get better.

Alfie xx

October 1st 2011 - HOT in the UK!!

Here I am on the beach this morning, how handsome am I?  The hoomans are not too pleased at the arrival of the hotness, especially as its Saturday and they had to get up good and early to take us somewhere nice and cool for our walkies.  The beach was fabulous as the tide had been in so nobody else was simple enough to walk through all that mud to get as far out as us.  Should have seen how muddy we all got.

Did we have some fun in the sea? well almost, was a bit too far for them to walk out to the actual sea itself but plenty of watering holes for us to play in

Now just look at this one, many other hoomans see my Tess and say 'awww, she is looking old now' really?? do you think? at the age of around 11 years young she looks good to me..

..and here is me and Jaja before he got all poorly, he started off enjoying the playtime and the cool, but then he went all quiet and sulky chops..

Seems Jaja has the tummy bug I had earlier in the week, I was a wee bit below par and even struggled to eat my breakfast one morning, though I did manage it - might not have been one of my better idea's though as I dont think it helped eating when feeling so wuff.  Jaja didnt eat his tea tonight which is totally unheard of in this house, and the mean hoomans wouldnt let me and Tess help either.  Jaja is currently having one major sulk, and 'they' are fussing round him like you would not believe, hmmf dont recall all that fussing for me??  (note from Mum, oh yes there was!)
Get well soon Jaja I need both my playmates for tomorrow in case its hot again and they have to get up early on Sunday too to take us to play

Alfie xx

Greyhound Gap show

Well we made it, instead of our usual wonderful beach walk for Sunday we were dragged many miles away in the tin wheely thing to a park full of pointy dogs.  I am very very good with pointy dogs, Jaja taught me to give them all the utmost respect which I do.   Many black Labradors are very naughty with the pointies and most of them dont like us, but I was very good and they seemed to like me ok, just one showed me his teefs so I backed up and play bounced at him and he stopped.

The humans were not so impressed for the first few hours as they got very wet, here is my Auntie Liz from Labrador Rescue South East & Central she gave me lots of new squeaky toys to take home, and Auntie Sue fed us lots of yummy treats - but she refused to have her pic taken.

Jaja and Tess dont really like shows, they sulk for most of the day, but Jaja remembered when the hooomans took their cakes and things back to the car, whenever we come to this show we get to go round the back to the park area for a play to cheer them up, this was the best bit of the day and we all enjoyed it.

Auntie Chris won us the toy on the tombola, so we really enjoyed playing with that, thank you Auntie Chris.  Chris is an old friend the hoomans, lives a long way away so they like to meet up half way at this show, they chat on the PC for the rest of the time.  Here she is getting rather wet when we arrived, not as wet as Moms and Dads did though as they didnt take wet things, ha ha.

Auntie Chris has two pointy dogs, Millie and Bess - Millie has a poorly leg so she couldnt play with me, and Bess is about as impressed as Jaja at these things so she wouldnt play either, suppose we should show them off too though.  Millie is the Greyhound and Bess the little Lurcher

I think that will be the last show for this year, weather usually gets too poor for us all, though I hear we are due for some more nasty heat this week, I dont like heat and have to go out very early for my walkies when its hot, then I am bored to bits all day - but at least I still have my squeaky toys to play with for now, though I think Tess and Jaja are getting a bit cross with all the squeaking, serves them right they should play with me more.

Alfie xx

PS forgot to say, we did enter some of the classes at the dog show, Jaja couldnt even manage to win anything in a ring of other pointies, but I got a 5th in best black dog and I was the only one with a proper face!

Hello from Woody

Here he is, that great 'goof' Woody.  Cant say I am that big a fan of him really as he keeps trying to steal my best pal Zac.  But 'she' thinks he is great.
As you can see Woody is a very large Lurcher, before adopted by his people he spent 9 months in kennels as nobody else saw his appeal (see, her words not mine!)
When Woody first arrived on our walk he was on a long line, and didnt quite 'get it' he was dying to play with all the others but nobody was quite sure how he would be with little ones and how his recall would be.  Well, Woody is a gentle giant with the smaller dogs, he does play hard and can get over excited but is a real softy with no malice in him at all.
Woody is one of the lucky ones, he has landed all four of his paws very well indeed he is loved by his new family, has a sofa of his own (and theirs) and joins in on these great walkies when his Daddy isnt working.

Here he is with Zac, and the playing ball with Zac and Tess.

See, no pics of me as I am far too jealous of him so steer clear of him, except for the time he stole my ball and try as I might I could not keep up with him, which the hoomans found really amusing, I refuse to be the butt of their jokes.
Woody's Dad commisoned a bag from my Mum which she has just finished and waffles on about on her blog here Mums Blog

We might be going to see more of these pointy shaped dogs at the Greyhound Gap show on Sunday, still deciding though so paws crossed, I do like to socialise and meet some of my friends from the Southern side of the country.

Alfie xx

My Very Best Friend

Here is the best bit, meet Zac he is my very best friend in the world.  When Zac's hooman isnt working early we get to go out early each morning to play on the hills for a couple of hours.  This is what our life is all about, me and Zac getting to play.. Jaja and Tess are much older than me so dont play the same.  Zac is like me, he too is a rescue dog and he will be 2 years young this year, so a bit younger but still lots of fun to be with.
We live for balls and play, though Zac does have a naughty habit of sticks, or is that large logs? I'm not really interested in sticks and I know 'she who thinks she should be obeyed' is not fond of them at all, and they do get taken away pretty sharpish and disappear while we are attatched to leads and cant retrieve them, Mum and Auntie Sylvia (Zac's Mum) put them high up in trees so we cant find them even if we do try double back and get them.
Did I mention we just like to play? while they walk slowly along, then stand nattering (usually about Yankee Candles and Crafts, booooooooooooring!!)

Here we are again..

Now if it was up to me, this whole blog would just be about me and Zac every day.  But 'herself' likes to share with others, so we are thinking of introducing you to Woody tomorrow, Woody loves Zac too but I am of course his favourite and I ignore Woody as Zac is MY friend not his.

Lets finish off with another picture of my best friend Zac, I love you Zac..

Alfie xx

Introducing Jaja

Time to meet my other housemate Jaja.  Jaja was adopted from Swindon Strictly Strays as a puppy 8.5 years ago.  His Mum was a Terrier x Greyhound, and father unknown, though we suspect he was some sort of Deerhound mix.  Jaja's Mum was taken safely into rescue by a lovely lady called Jess who ran Strictly strays, she was abandoned probably because she was going to be a Mummy.
My Daddy saw Jaja advertised on one of the doggie forums we ran for Greyhounds and Lurchers, he was the largest of the litter and therefore unwanted, but not my Daddy he wanted him and somehow managed to talk my Mummy into them driving to Swindon to adopt him.

When I arrived in my new home Jaja didnt like me at all - there was quite a few scirmishes, as it seems Jaja decided he would be pack leader and did not want another male dog in his house.  But once I got this message, which did take me sometime, all was well...

See, we are good buddies now.  We can even be seen sharing the sofa when the weather is a bit chilly.  But most of all we like to play..

..and we love weekends, when the weather is hot so the hoomans take us to the seaside were its nice and cool for our paws, we enjoy the big pond to play in, even Tess joins in with us

So, thats my canine family.  The hoomans were tempted to adopt more as before me they used to be owned by 5 dogs, but I hear them say I am as much of a handful as another 3 altogether?? not sure what they mean by that.  Therefore we will be staying as a 3 dog family now.

Next is the best bit, I get to introduce my best friend Zac - sending Mum off to find all the best pictures, though as she takes them most days of us it shouldnt be too hard for her.

Alfie xx