There was a teeny tiny break in the horrible weather we've been having over the summer and I took Scooby to see the sea. He'd never seen the sea before and he loved it!!
Formby beach is huge and dogs are allowed off lead so he went mad running around. There was loads of space and hardly any people when we got there so he could run wild and free.
He had a few paddles in the sea, chased after some driftwood, found a jellyfish and had a big walk through the dunes....and then fell asleep in the car on the way home.
There is a red squirrel nature reserve in Formby and dogs can go there too on the lead.
Definitely a great place to go with your dog! Click for more details and directions.
The added bonus is that your dog will be so cute and sleepy for the rest of the day AND the day after! :-)
There was a competition the other week asking for photos that represented friendship and I thought this could be quite nice. Though I do have to keep reminding Scooby he is just a dog and not an actual person/equal. I think the dog training is helping with that....although he still is on my bed every morning when I wake up though...so we're not entirely there.
This image of the saddest little face in the world haunted me when I went away for a few days. It was the longest I was away from Scooby since I've had him. I missed him really badly and did have to check how he was a few times.
He was fine, of course.
I went to Belgium over Easter on my motorbike. Belgium is a lovely country. There are loads of dogs. Everyone takes their dogs with them wherever they go, walking on the prom, around town, into cafe bars. I think somewhere that everyone has dogs has got to be a good place to live. I'm sure Scooby would love it!
These are all Scooby's. He has more toys, but these are definitely his.
He's spoiled.
For teddies anyway.
Back home and straight back into the usual routines of long walks, dog training, baths, and humiliating the Scooby... My inspiration in thsi picture was from a very good book called Stuff On My Cat. There is a related website here www.stuffonmycat.com There are some absolute genii (genius's?) on there. I bow to their expert piling on on domestic animals. I can only dream of getting 225 items on Scooby, unlike the person who did get 225 items on their cat AND take a picture.
.....and relax
This is Scooby the other day after a long walk in the rain. For someone who loves paddling in the dirtiest mankiest ponds and puddles he is very unhappy when he's wet and will insist on being towel-dried until he's decided he's dry enough.
And then he stretches out along the entire length of the settee and sleeps until tea-time. He has a very hard life.
I would love to get a kitten.
One of these yoga kittehs would be great.
But not if it'll be really bossy and make me do yoga everyday,
This would be his 'Horse & Hounds' / Cheshire Life profile...
Happily trotting along the canal. If he were human he would be all Burberry and Hunter wellies.
A Putin-esque action shot. To be truly authentic he would have to be wrestling an alligator or holding an ancient relic he had just 'discovered'. Whilst simultaneously doing some karate.
The sun worshipper pose. As could be employed while summering with his famous pals in Barbados or Hawaii.
Scooby as Rodin. He thinks therefore he is.
(more likely he stinks therefore he is)
A philosophical Scooby contemplating the meaning of life, the universe and everything.
(It's 42)
Pensive Scooby.
Wondering when he's going to get his breakfast.
I've had a suggestion that the next instalment should be the many faeces of Scooby. Eurgh! It won't be!!
The good news is that Scooby's eczema flare-up has gone and his previously bald bits are now furred over.
The bad news is that he's moulting again. His fur is everywhere. Wherever he goes he leaves a trail of the stuff. I've been combing him with his furminator comb and bagging up loads of it and still my vacuum cleaner fills up with the swirling manky canine stuff.
Grrrr.
Scooby is not bothered about the trail of destruction he leaves everywhere he goes.
Scooby isn't that much bother really, as long as he has the settee to himself.
More good news is that Scooby seems to have adjusted to his new food and is slightly less hyper than he was. He still has his moments but he's very much concentrating on being seriously chillaxed...
Still doesn't see the point in getting up, even if the sun is shining.
Now that the days are longer and the weather is getting milder Scooby still doesn't seem too anxious to be outdoors. He does run around like a happy loony when he's out but he does need some encouragement to get up in the morning.
He sleeps anywhere and everywhere, and he does look offended if you encroach on his 'snoozing space'. I think he would sleep most of the time if he could get away with it. The thing is, it isn't just the snoozing, there's the twitching and the whining too. And the occasional getting up, turning round a few times, then thumping back down into the same place he was to start off with.
Scooby is a happy bunny. We've had some snow and he's throroughly enjoyed running around in it. I occasionally think about hitching him up to a sledge, but to be honest I really don't trust him. If he saw a squirrel he'd be off like a shot and I'd end up parked up a tree.
I reckon with Scooby's ultra superior olfactory sense this must be what it's like for Scooby all the time, being able to 'see' who's been where.
Nom nom nom Scooby eating some snow
An update on Scooby's skin (as if anyone wants to know)..well, he's been having lots of neem. Neem oil on the raw bits, neem tea on his food and I've washed him with the neem shampoo. Apart from the smell there hasn't been a massive difference in his skin so far.
He's still super happy and energetic though.
This is not Scooby being super energetic. This is Scooby being super tired after a few hours in the snow.
After some big daylight walks over the weekend we're back to the dog-walking by moonlight. Which was nice tonight as it looks like a full moon.
Today was my son's birthday. I haven't been neglecting him...here's his birthday cake:
He's 20.
Unfortunately Scooby can't have any because it's a chocolate cake.
Scooby was a nightmare at dog training class tonight. He kept running off when it was his turn to do something. This was despite me having some excellent treats with me!!! And he'd had lots of exercise beforehand. He was really happy though. It's hard to be angry with him when he's just so sodding happy and excited.
I'd get him back and put him in a 'down' to calm him down and he'd just roll over wanting me to tickle his tummy.
I despair.
I changed his food because of his sensitive skin. I'm not sure if it's helping his skin yet but he seems to be losing cognitive abilities by the day. To be fair, he didn't have the full set to start off with, but still...
mystery package - the talk of the Post Office
Following the work-avoidance strategies I've been employing recently (i.e. buying stuff off the internet) I had to call in to the Post Office to collect a parcel that couldn't be delivered the other day.
I joined a long queue (of mostly old people) but by the time I was served the post office was empty. This gave the men behind the counter the opportunity to quiz me over the contents of my parcel. They were very impressed with the wrapping "it's been sewn!! look! they've stitched it together!". This prompted all kinds of questions about what I'd bought, and from where. "You been ebaying?" one asked with a suspicious sideways look.
The interrogation wasn't exactly of the Special Branch variety, and to be fair they had been audited that day ("we had to count every stamp!") so I didn't mind providing a bit of a diversion. The package was indeed very exciting, from Bali, sewn, and from a very exotically named person and impressively made its way to me despite only 50% of my name being spelt correctly.
I had to put them out of their miseries eventually and admitted it was probably just something for my dog's eczema. This made them laugh. And then apologise.
an abundance of neem
Open the door, find the scissors and open the mystery parcel and yes, it was something for Scooby's eczema. Loads and loads and loads of Neem. Neem shampoo, Neem oil, Neem tea leaves, Neem other stuff...
Yes, I did buy it on impulse, but I'll give it a go to see if it helps the daft dog.
First impressions? It's a bit stinky...
This video of one happy dog sums up how Scooby is acting at the moment...
