Friends…

Having a dog definitely encourages you to get out there and walk around the area where you live and a direct result of this is meeting people. Slowly and surely, Dan, Bailey and I have met quite a few dog-owners on our walks and, not only is it good for dog socialisation, it is also good for us to chat to people in the area and feel a sense of community. Here are a few examples of Bailey’s new friends:

Buster the lab puppy- he gets to go along on the school walk in the morning with his owner. Buster is very playful and getting bigger by the day! He is still in that floppy legged stage and is starting to put his paw on Bailey’s head as he grows taller which is not received welcomely. Bailey will say hello but is then quickly ready to move on – which is a shame for us as we like a chat to his owner 🙂

Gus the buldog. You have never seen a more beautiful bulldog than Gus. He is brown with a silky coat and beautiful big, brown, droopy eyes. Dan adores him. Bailey and Gus have built up a mutual respect over the years and they are pretty cool around each other now. We have got to know the owners through the dogs and they had their first child just over a year ago called Imogen. It is lovely to see her interaction with Gus and he just dotes on her.

Frank- he is a big favourite with Bailey as he is just so playful. We used to let them off the lead together and they would literally run, chase, tumble, wrestle and play for hours. When Dan takes Bailey out I can always tell when he has been playing with Frank as he comes back covered in mud and drool and panting like mad. They are good companions.

Yumi the Japanese Akita. She is Bailey’s nemesis. She will ultimately be dominant because of her breed but it is like Bailey refuses to accept this and he always goes nuts whenever she is around. We try and keep them back from each other which is a shame as I think they would soon sort it out if they were let off but I just don’t have the confidence to allow it to happen. Her owners are lovely and she is a beautiful and proud lady.

Jess and Bluebell. We used to see a lot of this pair of Staffies when I was working in my previous job. I would walk Bailey very early in the morning and their owner works shifts so our paths would frequently cross. Bluebell is a high energy blue Staff and quite partial to a tussle with Bailey whereas Jess is older and prefers to hang back and sniff around. I have seen her owner a few times in the afternoon searching for Bluebell when she has slipped her lead and Jess is trotting along behind him happily. It does make me feel good that Bailey isn’t the only nutter in the neighbourhood 🙂

 

Toytown

We have purchased an array of toys over the years for our over-zealous pooch. Bailey is quite toy-motivated and it is great when we get something that keeps him amused for hours. But this does not happen very often due to his powerful jaws.

The Kong was our first choice. Dan assured me that Extreme Kong was the right choice even though I preferred the softer versions which are nicer colours- how stupid can a rookie dog owner be??! It didn’t sink in for a while although watching Bailey with the Kong is very amusing. He will literally toss that rubber container around for hours and then he will use his front paws to trap it in a corner, proceeding to suck and lick until every ounce of peanut butter or cheese is well and truly out of that thing!

A few days after we got him our friends came round and they had bought him a stuffed pink flamingo which we all named Fernando. Sadly we didn’t get to know our avian friend as he lasted precisely 8 minutes before he was just a flat head and a ragged cotton-wool-holder. I was beginning to get the picture at this point and our friends didn’t bother buying Bailey any more toys.

He was quite partial to tennis balls at one point but we would have had to have joined the life-long loyalty club of Titleist in order to keep up with the number he required. The trouble is once he has made a hole, he likes to try to devour it whole thus creating a bit of a choking problem.

Mum and dad thought they had cracked it with an old American Football which was my brothers years ago. It was a tough plastic instead of leather and we got about 6 months out of that- albeit Bailey was not there everyday to work at it :-D.

When mum had him for the week when we went on holiday, she happened to give him an old curtain tie-back and apparently he was mesmerised by it for ages! Then a couple of days later when it was reduced to pink fibre she had the matching pair to give him 🙂

Everyday toys you get in garden centres and pet stores will not cut it unfortunately. They may say ‘indestructible’ but I have witnessed the disproval of this statement time and time again. Which leaves us with a bit of a problem in that we can only really get away with Extreme Kongs- and they only seem to make the frisbee and the original in the extreme version- or he gets very tough ropes. Any of these interesting looking mazes and treat containers designed to keep dogs stimulated for hours are a waste of money and eventually become dangerous once their shattered plastic pieces start littering the house.

Every now and then I get hopeful. Like the other day I was in the £1 shop with my mum and I saw a collection of brightly coloured bones which were textured with plastic but soft spikes- excellent for Bailey’s gums and apparently recommended for extreme chewers! What more could you want for a quid!?! Well I think we all know how this story ends…..

 

Why does it always rain on me….?

Bailey is not a big fan of the rain. But this Summer in the UK he has had to bite the bullet as we have had a LOT of the stuff! His favourite avoidance technique is to dig in his heels and put his head down. I was quite partial to dragging at first but after watching a bit of Cesar Millan I realised this was not the best technique so now I just give some healthy encouragement. Anyway as it turns out, he has been forced to change his mind as we have had so much rain, if he refused to go out every time there was a slight chance of precipitation, he wouldn’t be going out at all.

It is true I am not at my happiest walking in the rain. I honestly don’t mind so much in Spring or Autumn as it’s to be expected, so you can pull on your wellies and rain mac and embrace it. When it is July however- different story! Rain macs make you feel hot and sweaty and the wellies become uncomfortable with the accompanying thick socks. So I am sure Bailey picks up on this negative energy but he has turned into a bit of a trooper and faces it bravely. He has quite a short coat so I don’t suppose it feels nice to be constantly sopping wet. When we arrive back home and I remove his harness he immediately begins rubbing himself on practically anything that is dry, including the walls, sofa’s and dining room chairs in a pitiful attempt to shake off the wet stuff 🙂

Unfortunately the rain does have another unpleasant result- the smell. Bailey is not a stinky dog- even his breath is fairly fresh for a canine. But the constant wet and dry state has left a rather horrid smell on him which is impossible to get rid of. The house does now whiff a bit it has to be said- and we had avoided it for so long :-(. It isn’t his fault I guess but it takes a bit of getting used to.

Apparently we are going to have a late Summer- bring it on is all I can say!

 

Under the weather…

One of the best things about Bailey is his affectionate nature. I really wasn’t expecting it when we brought him home and even a few months down the line I still believed he would change as he became more established in the house. I was being put off  by people telling me that if dogs want to sit on you rather than next to you then they want to be dominant and I should try not to let him get too close. But a big part of having a dog is getting to snuggle up in front of the TV and, for me, it was hard to just push him away. As we both got used to each other and he learned more signs, it was clear that he didn’t want to dominate, he actually wanted to make sure that I was still there. He needs to be very close to you to know if you leave as he won’t hear
you, so it makes sense for him to be in a position which means that if you want  to move, you have to physically move him first :-).

To be fair, I think he is just a cuddly chap by nature. His favourite trick is to wait until you get comfy under a blanket all tucked in with your cuppa by your side, then he will approach and rest his head on the top of your cover to signal that he wants  to get under. When said blanket is lifted he pushes himself underneath and makes himself comfortable in his own vigorous way, and in the process ensures that you are left totally uncovered or in some weird contorted position with him wrapped around your legs! My dressing gown is very popular as it is gorgeously fleecy and he likes to work his head into one of the sleeves with  his back-end resting a bit too close to my face if I am honest so there always has to be some compromise in this instance.

It is lovely when you are feeling a bit poorly, as I am today, as he seems to sense it and will be a bit less ‘bull in a china shop’ but still come in for a snuggle. The two of us spent most of the day on the sofa cuddled up underneath the chenille throw. Bailey is oblivious to the phone ringing, or cars pulling up outside so you get utter calm for as long as you want really which was a bit unfortunate for the delivery man knocking on the front door ;-). Sorry but nothing was going to spoil my peace!

 

Bails in Upper Brailles

So the mini-break was awesome for a number of reasons 😉 and one of those was how much time we got to spend with Bailey. We literally took him everywhere which meant he was completely pooped at the end of the day. His usual routine (as I am sure is true of most domestic dogs) is periods of exercise, excitement and playing then sleep and relaxation for a longer period. He spends most evenings lazing on the sofa and sometimes sits on the stairs peering through the bannister letting us know it is time for bed :-D.

But Upper Brailles was very different. The light streaming in through the sky-light at 6 did wake him up and he did try and get up onto the bed with us but was immediately ejected (strong words from the landlady indicated that this ‘dog-friendly’ cottage did not include the furniture or crisp white bed linen). The first morning (post-proposal) I found myself wanting to get up as soon as he woke up, but this was more to do with the fact that the room was still spinning following the bottle of champagne I had downed in my euphoric state. So I pulled on my wellies and Berghaus mac over my pyjamas, donned a pair of sunglasses and set out for a quiet walk innocently assuming that most of the village would be fast asleep. Of course I was wrong! I must have passed about 10 chirpy dog-walkers before I even crossed the road outside the gate! I headed for a field, which wasn’t hard as we were surrounded by them, but did find it a bit challenging to find a suitable entrance point amidst all the barbed wire. One friendly neighbour alerted me to a gate further up the road whilst trying not to stare at my cup-cake PJ bottoms tucked into my wellies. The field in question did not disappoint and I was tempted to let Bailey off lead but luckily spied a herd of cows and changed my mind. Could you imagine the carnage?!!!

Hiking to the top of a huge hill was not a problem for Bailey and he absolutely loved it and the rest of his walks followed the same pattern for the remainder of the weekend- apart from the fact that I was mainly sober and dressed more appropriately.

We also took him with us on our day-trips to Stratford-Upon-Avon and Chipping Norton (both gorgeous) and luckily we were able to sit with him outside in the glorious sunshine whilst we had something to eat or a coffee. We weren’t able to browse in the shops together but I am not sure we would have done that anyway to be honest. He was immaculately behaved throughout the trip and it was so relaxing and fun for all. The evenings consisted of snuggling up,  watching DVDs and quaffing cheese and biscuits in the main and Bails adapted to this rather well also :-D. It is a trip we will certainly be repeating… maybe on our ten year anniversary …. 😉

 

Did you know….

That it is illegal to have your dog as the ring-bearer at a marriage ceremony in the UK??? Even a civil ceremony. Just saying…. 😉

 

Otherwise engaged…

The cottage

It has been almost three months but I couldn’t stay away any longer! I am quite ashamed about the lack of posts over the last couple of months. I disappeared just when we were preparing for our mini-break (how Bridget Jones :-)) in the Cotswolds which was fantastic. The three of us had a super-relaxed holiday with lots of long walks, afternoon’s spent in country pub gardens, hikes to the top of hills with magnificent views AND to top it all off, Dan and I got engaged!!

Following a rather horrific journey to Upper Brailles near Shipston-on-Stour, we arrived two hours late at our idyllic dog-friendly cottage and immediately began exploring. A trip to the local co-op furnished the fridge with the basics and a few treats including champagne suggested to me by Dan (and at this point I really hadn’t clicked), then a hearty meal of fish and chips at the local pub with Bailey lazing by our feet and occasionally sniffing for a scrap. The walk home was lovely as a huge rainbow was looming and I think I must have said the word ‘perfect’ about 100 times. Clever (and probably nervous) Dan saw his opportunity and when we settled in the cottage he poured me a glass of champers while I lounged on the sofa and the dog got comfy on his bed. As Dan handed me my glass he dropped to one knee and produced a ring!! It was awesome and truly the best day of my life. The perfect setting and the perfect company.

Perfect!!

 

Holibobs

Bored!

Apologies for the lack of posts of late. I have been wrapping up at work ready for a week off! We are taking Bailey down to Banbury tomorrow to a little ‘dog-friendly’ cottage holiday let. I am so excited I can hardly wait! But I did have to bring some work home tonight and poochy was not impressed at all. He has spent the evening with his head on my knee, moaning quietly to let me know that it is time to stop 😀

Back next week!

 

Famous!

LoveStaffy is on Twitter- @LoveStaffy. But not only that, we are mentioned on the Wuffitmix website as well! I am so chuffed it prompted this self-indulgent blog 😀

However, it also prompted me to think about nutrition for our beloved canines. We changed Bailey’s food almost as soon as we got him home. The first couple of walks were messy in terms of cleaning up after him and it was clear his diet wasn’t right. It took us a while to decide but we settled on Nature Diet. Feeding was a topic our dog trainers spoke to us about in-depth in one of the sessions and their advice was excellent; just be well-informed about what you are buying. If the ingredients aren’t listed on the packaging then give the company a call and if they are willing to speak openly about their product that is a good first sign. If they do not welcome your approach it is best to steer clear. Also be led by your dog’s behaviour and toilet habits. I know it is not the most pleasant subject but, in the words of Gillian McKeith, ‘we are what we eat’.

If you look at the Wuffitmix website, there is a ton of information about the product and a myriad of choice. Not only that, the site is clearly doggy centric and that, for me, barks volumes :-D. I bet if you contacted them they would be only too happy to discuss their products- and then everyone’s a winner! Also, what an awesome name! Wuffitmix, we salute you!

Something else to come out of Tweeting is the discovery of a passionate and enthusiastic community of Staffy lovers. It is fantastic to engage with people who share a love of the breed and want to let the world know. Staffys do often get a bad rep and it is disheartening to walk around places like Battersea and see so many gorgeous little faces all from the same ‘family’. By talking to each other we spur on the cause, and hopefully this makes an impact on people who are thinking of adopting a dog, and weren’t sure about Staffys. This ‘trophy’ dog image does not do them any justice, it just encourages the over-breeding. The pooch cuddled up to me now is affectionate, loyal, fun, energetic and most of all, gentle. He’s changed my life for sure!

Right- rant over. It was bound to come out at some point right? 🙂

 

It had to be you…

As previously mentioned, Bailey was a rescue from Battersea Old Windsor and we have had him for just over a year. I can say in all honesty that our meeting was fate- and here is why:-

Dan and I were deciding what to do one sunny Sunday afternoon and we thought we would take a jaunt into Windsor for a spot of lunch and shopping. After driving around for an hour trying (and failing) to find a parking space, we decided to can that idea. But by then we had wasted a large chunk of the day and we wanted to make up for this. On the way home we passed Battersea Dogs Home and decided to pop in. We are both dog lovers and had been round the complex before a few times. We made our donation, got our Battersea Visitors Badges and made our way up the stairs, admiring all the pics of beautiful dogs needing new homes, most of which were Staffies. If you haven’t been to Battersea Old Windsor before, it is an organised maze of red doors all leading to separate rooms filled with kennels containing pooches. The reason I say organised, is because the doors follow a path which mean guaranteed exposure for every dog. Unless you turn around and go back the way you came, you are assured of seeing all the lovely dogs living in the kennels (apart from those in the sick-bay).

The first door we entered had about four kennels, three were empty. The kennel directly in front of the entrance housed a gorgeous little brown Staffy puppy who was extremely vocal and excitable. We were obviously taken with this little one and stood with her for a while. During this time, Dan spotted a smiling white Staffy at the back of the puppy’s kennel looking through the cage. Battersea operate a system whereby each kennel has a back entrance leading to a terrace and they will systematically open and shut the kennel doors to allow the dogs to get fresh air and a little bit of exercise. This little Staffy had been enjoying the fresh air when we had walked in and we had failed to see him. However, there was something about this dog that instantly drew us in. He was so quiet for a start. We moved to the front of his kennel and he approached slowly and sat down by the door looking up at us. I read his information aloud:

‘Hello, my name is Bailey and I am deaf but I don’t let that stop me!’

I think I was hooked at this point. Clever Battersea re-homers! His information sign went on to say that he would need owners with experience of Staffies and deaf dogs as he was lively and excitable and going to need a lot of training. We reluctantly left the first room and continued through the kennel maze. It was mostly Staffies in the kennels at that time and I loved them all but for some reason neither of us could get Bailey out of our heads. We went back at the end to spend a bit more time with him and as I leant down I put my hand on the cage and he licked it. My heart melted! He was just so calm, collected and adorable. I am not sure but I think knowing he was deaf also tugged on the heart-strings. We didn’t want to leave but knew that we had to as it was getting near closing time and we had been hogging his kennel from potential new owners and that was never a good idea.

We talked about him all the way home and I kept shouting his name out in a stupid voice to make Dan laugh. We had both talked about getting a dog IN THE FUTURE but it just wasn’t realistic at the moment…. was it? We were going on holiday in September, both worked full-time, we were still trying to budget hard and did we have the time for the walks etc? Plus he was deaf and they wanted experienced owners and we had not been around deaf dogs. But there would be no harm in enquiring about Bailey… would there?