charlie morph

A Good Citizen

2011-02-03T14:28:00.003+01:00

I'm officially A Good Citizen. On Saturday I passed my Kennel Club Gold level test! Mum is very chuffed as we have waited to get this for a long time - I was ready when I was about one and a half but I had all sorts of illness and wasn't able to train for a long time. Then we moved house and it took us a while to find a new training club but in April of last year we joined the Basingstoke and District Dog Training Club and I started working for my Gold again. Next step competition obedience....gulp... Big thanks to Karen and Lynne our trainers!

Let it snow!

2010-12-20T13:42:00.004+01:00

It's the return of the white stuff! I had a month of it in January of this year when I went skiing for the first time. Now i'm having another month of it on and off. I don't mind it too much and mum and dad are amused at watching me tracking things when they can see the footprints too. Humans are SO underdeveloped in the scent department. Well, having said that mum is giving me a run for my money with her nose at the mo. She is expecting a puppy in May and apparently it has given her a decent sense of smell. Well I think that's what she said anyway. Hopefully it will be a fun puppy like Bess and not a boring annoying one.

Obedience

2010-08-10T13:29:00.005+02:00

I've just started on the path to becoming more 'obedient'. Well, I'm working on my heelwork. Mum takes me to a club every week. I'm finishing up my Gold Good Citizen and starting to work on competition obedience. I must say it is good fun as it means I get to stuff my face with treats. Where's the catch?

I've been showing how well behaved I can be with my new niece (aunty?). She is my grandma's new puppy and we looked after her for a couple of weeks whilst grandma was on holiday. I was fairly fed up with her at first as she was so little, but I gradually learned to play with her and even shared my bed. She is the little black one in the corner - it's hard to see her cos she is quite small. We did play tug which was funny - I could *so* have won if i'd wanted to but I pretended her feeble tugs were stopping me. Hah.

Oh - the cover isn't on the bed and the blanket is supposed to be doing its job cos *someone* peed on it. Bah puppies.

Success in the show ring

2010-05-31T20:03:00.004+02:00

Like all the best and most famous show dogs I get my handler flown in from across the Atlantic...it is important to have international expertise at these show things. So this is my cousin Dylan. He has flown in from the USA specially to enter a show with me. Well, ok, maybe it was so his mum could come to a wedding but I know that this has been the highlight of Dylan's trip. He says that the USA is far far away but they do have Vizslas - Brisztow, Winnie, Dennis, Miss Laila, Zoe and Mia at least for starters!

We entered 'best condition' with mum and Dylan and I came third (nice biscuits, thanks). Then Dylan and I entered 'best young handler' and WE WON!!! I like to think that my calming presence helped seal the deal but actually I think it was cos Dylan had been to dog training with his dog, Maggie, and nailed all the tricky questions they asked him about dog handling.

This was A Good Result. And kindof made up for the rather embarrassingly poor effort dad and I put in in the gundog tests. So we tried a 'long retrieve'. I was awesomely steady to the gun, sighted the dummy well, but then went 'so what'. Dad had to retrieve it for me. I have him well trained but apparently my training skills weren't up for debate. I was supposed to pretend that he had trained ME. Well pshaw. The retrieve pens weren't much better. The 'up and over' was great to start with - I mean I did ALL the 'up and over' bits. I just didn't bother with the retrieve bits. But really if you want me to retrieve then you ought to be a bit more specific in the title. 'Up and over and fetch two dummies' would have made much more sense.

The crowd had a good laugh anyway. On our way out much later they'd left a dummy next to the up and over area and we nailed it properly loads of times in a row. See. When someone explains things clearly it's quite simple. Perhaps I'll go to the next one and show them how it's done.

Best in Show

2010-03-15T12:51:00.002+01:00

Last night my breed was honoured with the top title in the canine showing world - Best in Show at Crufts 2010. Yogi (pic from Daily Mail) is a prolific winner, and he likes to think he looks a little like me. Of course I'm a bit younger and more sprightly, heheh. He's also my girlfriend Ditto's dad!

Vizslas vs. pinecone

2010-02-06T18:54:00.003+01:00

I think I said before, but the pine cones were really the best bit about the alps. Please note: no trees were harmed in the making of this film.

Working hard

2010-01-25T19:09:00.003+01:00

For the first time i've travelled overseas - to the French Alps. It's a very cold snowy place. I've discovered new forms of transport. This 'ski lift' thing is the closest I've ever come to flying I think. I'm not sure I approve.

Anyway they're keeping me on my toes - I've got a job 'bashing pistes'. To be honest I'm more interested in hunting pine cones...

The more it snows...

2010-01-07T11:13:00.004+01:00

We certainly get a whole lot more snow here than we ever used to in Bournemouth! On Tuesday and Wednesday we had about 40cm of the white stuff. It's cold but it is also oddly exciting and makes me behave quite madly! There's not a whole lot of wildlife out and about but this morning I did see a hare. Hares are strange. They are like big rabbits but run much faster. I don't think I've got a hope of catching one of them (unlike rabbits hehehe).

Walking in the snow is hard, according to mum. She can hardly manage our paltry morning 40min loop (suppose it is taking more like an hour in the snow). I, on the other hand, am able to run and jump and still have JUST as much energy as usual. This is annoying mum who feels like an old lady.

After a workout in the snow I decided to pop into our local and happened across these two lovely labrador ladies. I was pretty much in heaven.

Humans do odd things in the snow. Sliding on bin liners is one of them. Daft but very exciting. Here I am showing mum that I'm still faster running than she is sliding.

Snow!

2009-12-18T11:24:00.003+01:00

We've got snow! It's not something I've seen very often so I got quite excited. Apparently I'm going on holiday in the new year to a place with LOADS of snow so i've got to get used to it.

Walkies in the snow is fun cos you can SEE the tracks that you're sniffing.

New home

2009-09-19T19:02:00.002+02:00

I've moved house! I spent all my puppyhood and life to now in Bournemouth so I'd never lived in another house. We've moved to Basingstoke to be nearer to mum's work. I like the new house - what I like the best is that we're right next to fields and yesterday I caught a rabbit! There's deer and all sorts - so lots to keep me busy on my walkies. Just as well as I've been here two weeks and only met my first dog to play with today.

Unfortunately I cut my foot this morning whilst playing in the bushes. I had to go to the vet and got this stoopid huge bandage on that I have to wear for 10 WHOLE DAYS!!! I was much better this afternoon so we went for a walk and now mum is worried cos the blood looks like it's coming through the bandage. Oops we probably did too much. Mind you the vet said it was ok to walk as long as I had my boot on.

We went onto the building site to look for Oscar who's gone missing. I trod in some slurry stuff with all four feet so nearly ended up with concrete boots let alone stupid vet boots!

Rockpooling

2009-07-21T14:20:00.004+02:00

We went out to the Jurassic Coast over the weekend to do something called 'rockpooling'. I thought that time was probably better spent looking suave and sophisticated....

Maybe this is my better side?

I didn't really get the concept of rockpooling, so thought I'd better read up on the thing first...

Seems some people aren't content with looking at pools in rocks and must go out and swim around.

I wasn't too fussed about getting my paws wet so stuck to dry land.

Nope, still don't geddit.

Something called a 'fossil'... Still boooored....

Ah, hang on a minute. I seeee!!! Now if you'd said that I'd find a handsome dog who looked just like me in the water I'd have tried MUCH harder from the beginning! No wonder they spent so long staring at the sea!

At the polls

2009-06-05T18:55:00.003+02:00

I made sure to exercise my constitutional right last night at the polling station. I was going to dress up specially in one of my bandanas but then I realised that they are red or blue. That might say something about my politics and everyone knows a dog should keep that to himself. Come to think of it I don't think I have a bandana the colour of the 'Free Bones for all Dogs' party. DOH! There goes the secrecy.

Posing

2009-05-09T16:58:00.004+02:00

As the bluebells were blooming I thought I'd take the opportunity for a little photo shoot, and to see if I could have a stab at the cover shot of the Vizsla 'Bible'. See the elegant dog pointing in the bluebells....

Now, see the EVEN MORE elegant dog pointing in, quite frankly, much better bluebell coverage than that pathetic attempt above.

Hrm, next time I'd better try to keep my head down a bit and lose the collar. Right - off to the woods again!

Playtime!

2009-04-03T13:53:00.005+02:00

I have my girlfriend Eszti over to play - hooray! We've been playing pretty constantly since she arrived and mum thinks it is SO cute she can't take her eyes off us. Which isn't getting her work done :-)

Change is afoot

2009-03-31T10:20:00.000+02:00

So much for writing more in my blog this year...oops. It's a very busy time for us though. Mum is coming to the end of her studies and has been on the Big Job Hunt. It's not so much fun as squirrel hunting apparently. Anyway apparently it is all over now and she has found a fab place where not only are animals treated alongside humans already, but there's even a chance that I can go to work with her! This is good news. Only trouble is that i'm a little on the, ahem, vocal side when I hear people arriving at home. And barking noisily at work is Not An Option.

Soo - any tips to dampen down my protective instincts a bit?

New girlfriend

2009-01-27T12:55:00.003+01:00

Trouble is you can see the effect I seem to have on the ladies. Eszti, like Ditto, is a master at the lip curl. Anyway we had a nice lunch on Sunday in a pub together (well, come to think of it the humans forgot to order us any food, some lunch!) and we did the lazy play thing where you lie on the floor and open mouths at each other. I think she's pretty cool anyway, even if she does give me funny looks :-)

There's been a lot of rain around lately, which means a LOT of mud. Mum has developed this annoying habit of rinsing me off after practically EVERY walk!! And all because she didn't one day and missed a stoopid cut i had on my leg. Ho hum, at least she's not using smelly shampoo. It's not very dignified though, although perhaps more showers would be a good thing as far as Eszti is concerned? Stop the funny looks? I wonder...

Smiling

2009-01-16T09:49:00.003+01:00

Ziggi likes to smile. I do a fair bit of smiling too :-)

The other thing I do is wash myself with my paws and tongue. Does anyone else do this? Mum thinks it's because I think I'm a cat. I suppose Oscar has always been a role model for me so maybe i've learnt it off him? I lick my paw and rub it over my face. Great for getting those tasty eye bogeys hah hah.

I went for a cycle ride with my folks in the New Forest last weekend. It is SO much better when they cycle. Usually I'm hanging around waiting for them to keep up, looking over my shoulder etc, it really takes the 'flow' out of a walk I can tell you. But when they cycle they cruise along just behind me and we can FLY! Get so much further too!

I had a small area of skinned paw on my right foot before we went so mum put this boot on me as we were running so far. I ended up wearing right through it! What do other people do - my other feet seemed ok, they didn't wear through...maybe mum should trust to nature and let my pads do the work!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T13:24:00.006+01:00

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry to have been so quiet in 2008, will have to make it my new year's resolution to write more blog posts. Christmas was fun, I got some cool toys, some robodog eyes and this VERY uncool hat, gah...

I have wanted to try agility for some time now, but if you're not a collie around here it doesn't seem possible. So I've decided that agility is for girls and have taken up the new sport of dog steeplechasing. Much tougher, much rougher, much better!

Speaking of dodgy hats...I went to the pub on boxing day and look what they did to me! It WAS cold outside mind you.

And I'm VERY unimpressed that the cold has led my feline housemates to discover my bed, which is all toasty by the radiator in mum's study. I suppose in his defence it *did* used to be his bed, but he never used it so fair's fair. It's mine really. But now I've got to share it. I think I will have to get a bit tougher with Oscar in 2009...

Where have all the squirrels gone?

2008-11-07T11:14:00.002+01:00

I went for a walk to one of my favourite parks this week and was VERY disappointed by the lack of squirrels, despite me pretty much stalking around in a low crouch THE WHOLE WAY. So if I wasn't scaring them off, where have they gone? Well - I have two hypotheses (am trying to be more scientific B3!).

One: Squirrels are spotlight-grabbing media-loving wannabees. The BBC is filming 'Autumnwatch' locally on Brownsea Island. The island is famous for its red squirrel population. Clearly the local greys have got themselves a bad dye job and shipped off to the island to join in the fun.

Two: They have been roasted and eaten on a Portuguese Fireplace. Whilst on a walk in the New Forest last weekend I happened across some young boys skinning and roasting squirrels. I would have joined in but prefer to do the skinning myself.

Either way it is bad news for the local dog population. Perhaps now Autumnwatch is over they'll come back to their home parks. In the meantime I'm having to pretend that small fluffy dogs and birds are worth chasing, but it's not really the same.

October at Wasdale Head

2008-11-03T11:12:00.005+01:00

I've just got back from my hols in the Lake District. The Lake District is a very beautiful place, very open and great to run about in, except for the perplexing thing that you seem to have to be on the lead all the time. Perhaps it has something to do with these woolly things on the hills?

The views from the top of the mountains were awesome, when mum let me get anywhere near enough an edge to see. You can just about make out our little white cottage in the valley below us on this pic:

It's very windy on the hills though - plays havoc with a man's jowls!

It wasn't all extreme hills though, we did find some pretty valleys and EVEN some areas where I was allowed off the lead.

The best bit of the trip was meeting the very famous Redgirls! I behaved like a true gent and even lent Berta my (spare) coat when it got a bit wet and miserable.

Berta took a real liking to my dad.

We went for a nice walk and then to a pub for lunch (appropriately called the Dog and Gun). I have corrupted the Redgirls cos it turned out to be their first pub outing. Just giving them a taste of city life. We even went into some SHOPS! In fact I'm very jealous cos they got some fab new coats and I really do want one. I'm still pretty skinny so the absence of any body fat means I do feel the cold a bit. Maybe I can get one for Christmas?

The Redgirls liked the open spaces the best and took off playing madly. I wasn't going to join in with all that female play so let them get on with it.

Here's me with my mum - turns out the latest issue of Your Dog magazine had a walk in the valley next to ours. This is me and mum on the bridge that they featured. Maybe if we send it in they will publish it!?

Here's me and my dad doing the atmospheric brooding men shot.

Birthday boy

2008-09-26T21:25:00.006+02:00

Happy 2nd birthday to me! Sorry I've been so quiet recently. I've been poorly (again!) and I've been a bit embarrassed to tell anyone :-( I had an upset tummy and apparently have inflammatory bowel disease so have just started taking lots and lots of pills which is quite rubbish. Here's me modelling a rather fetchingly coloured bandage after my endoscopy. You can see I've gone a bit size zero again although my pills ought to fix that. I'm VERY hungry if anyone wants to send anything? Aunty Di has been great with the advice and I'm hoping to meet the Redgirls in person (YAY!) when I go up north next month.

In the meantime I've had a busy time since I last posted. I had my half bro Rufus over to play with my best buddy Radar - here is us making John stand still at the beach. Devil of a job, keeping those humans still you know. It took all our combined energy.

And best of all we went to see Aunty Kate with Dexter and, the best Vizsla in the world, Ditto! Ditto was very odd, she was playing all hard to get and kept curling her lip at me but I knew it was all for show really. We had great fun bouncing in the fields together.

So I'm back and bouncy and trying to persuade dad that getting a buddy is a really good idea. Look at Rocket! Look at Ellie! He's not so sure though. So we might have to wait a while :-(

My first rosette

2008-08-10T19:20:00.004+02:00

Last weekend I went to my first ever show! It was a local show for the Margaret Green Foundation - an animal rescue centre. I entered the 'any variety - sporting' class with about 30 other dogs, including 3 other Vizslas! I wasn't too into this showing lark - it's pretty boring and then some weird person grabs you and then you get to run around and jump up and kiss mum before standing around being bored again. Mind you - something must have gone right cos I got picked for the 'line up'. This was also quite boring so I had a bit of a clean up whilst we stood there.

That extra bit of preening obviously paid off cos I got the fifth rosette! The guys who came higher up in the placing were obviously pros so I was quite pleased with myself!

Shame mum cut off my nose in this one though.

My buddy Radar got fourth in the 'most handsome dog' class too - after clearing up the prizes we went off and did what Vizslas do best. Ran around like mad idiots on a moor and then conked out under the table whilst the folks ate pub grub :-)

Me and Radar

2008-07-30T20:14:00.002+02:00

On Monday I went to Radar's house to play. Mum had a busy day so I got to spend it with Radar and Juliet. We had the best time after getting over our macho manliness and played for HOURS. I'm the one with the shorter tail :-)

After all that playing we needed to cool down a bit in Radar's fab paddling pool. I'm going to need to work on the folks to buy me one of these! I was quite keen on snorkelling but secretly I was trying to pull out the plug before Juliet cottoned on to my game!

Flyball

2008-07-22T12:16:00.002+02:00

We started flyball last night. We didn't realise we were going to, as we had just gone along to meet the group, but the organiser kindly invited us to join in and we had a blast! I had figured out the jumps by the end of the session, but the floor was just FAR too interesting to sniff in places so I didn't always retrieve the ball that quickly! It was in something called an 'indoor school' and there were loads of good smells to discover.

I had always thought of myself as a pretty fast mover, but you should see those collies. I looked positively gangly and slow in comparison! Still, it was only my first go so i've got plenty of time to improve.

Rehab

2008-06-20T11:36:00.003+02:00

Apparently I've got a bit of an addiction problem...

Exhibit a - the ball. Apparently I'm totally obsessed to the point of running myself to death after said ball despite getting overtired/hot etc. The close relative of the ball, the stick, has already made me poorly and it's only a matter of time before the ball gets me into trouble. Come to think of it I suppose it already has cos I had to have an op last October to remove half of a ball from my tum. Hrm. And last night dad did this particularly great throw which went into the middle of the road and I just ran right after it. Well - I think he has to share some of the blame for that. Mum wasn't there but she is still freaking out about it.

Serious recall work needed apparently. Clickerdogs is supposed to have the answers - my buddy Hamish has done well with this. Looks like it's my turn to start...

Vacation / Staycation

2008-06-09T17:23:00.003+02:00

I had a week with my folks recently. We did a bit of 'going away' and a bit of 'staycation' (good term Brisztow!). The 'going away' bit was just for a night on a boat. I'm not a big fan of boats.

For a start they are on water - and you should see the funny things you find on the water...

...and for another thing they shut you in the bedroom when they go through 'locks' because apparently they aren't safe. It's annoying but you can bark your head off to let them know that they're just being silly - I know all about keys and locks and I've never seen a dangerous one yet.

The best bit is sitting in the captains chair and giving out orders.

The staycation happened cos the boat broke (I told you they were stoopid). So we came home and did some excellent walks around the south coast and New Forest. We have also started cycling. This is great cos now I don't have to wait whilst they catch up with me - I can trot along and they manage to keep up just fine. Why on earth didn't they figure this out before? We have nice detours to rivers to keep me cool and I have my own special water bottle that fits onto the bike. Pretty cool. When we go along roads I get attached to mum's bike using this 'walky dog' attachment. It really means she doesn't have to pedal cos I provide power assistance...particularly when we meet a squirrel...ahem.

Family gathering

2008-05-26T16:38:00.004+02:00

Last week I went to visit my mum and dad - this is a family pic - mum has her mouth open on the left (I think she was telling me to sit still) and dad is in the middle.

I wasn't too sure about my dad - I managed a sneaky sniff though whilst he wasn't looking.

Mum didn't mind me sniffing her too much.

But she wasn't that interested in playing with me....

...however much I badgered her!

This is a video of Hanka and her pup Seeka playing with a glove.

Sore throat

2008-05-17T13:27:00.003+02:00

Last night I ran after a stick in the park and it broke and went down my throat :-( I ended up in the vet's for nearly two hours - they sedated me and everyone looked down my neck to see if I was going to be ok. I've got two big cuts in my soft palate and another in my laryngopharynx. So there will be no more stick chasing I don't think - mum has certainly banned it. The annoying thing was that they didn't even throw the stick for me!

They've found me a good replacement though which they'll have to order - the 'fetchy stick' which is a stick made out of rubber with a squeaker.

I might feel a bit dumb with this in the New Forest though? Mind you - did you say a squeaker? Cooooool! And the best bit about a sore throat is bone soup. I do love that. Does anyone have any tips for things to take the hurt away?

Waboba ball

2008-05-07T18:40:00.005+02:00

I have discovered the best toy in the world. It's a ball that bounces on water called a waboba ball! Great fun for water retrieves. It keeps me cool in this hot weather we're having anyway. You do need to have a very soft mouth though - otherwise you're likely to pop it. I have a nice soft mouth apparently - I can carry fruit and barely leave a dent :-)

I don't really remember summer but it certainly slows me down if there's no water to bounce in. Not enough to stop me getting my silver good citizen certificate on Friday night though!

Furthering my education

2008-05-01T15:06:00.003+02:00

I went into the library yesterday to do a bit of light reading. It turns out the librarian was so taken with me that she let mum off her 10p fine. Even though I put my paws on the desk. So I've now conclusively *made* her money. What shall I spend it on?

All around exercise

2008-04-25T16:10:00.005+02:00

It is important not to forget about any of the muscle groups when getting back to full fitness. Here I am exercising my eyebrows. Don't underestimate the power of your eyebrows! They are particularly important for giving the cute face when food is around.

I'm progressing well with my fitness programme. We went into the New Forest after work one evening and I ran around after rabbits and pheasants for a whole hour. I don't think I stopped once. I'm feeling very full of it.

In fact I'm so full of it that I've started getting rather, ahem, affectionate towards some other dogs recently. I go quite deaf when I'm doing it and am driving mum a bit bonkers. But she was bonkers anyway. Apparently I was 'somewhat indulged' after my last op and things have to get a bit more strict for a while. Oops.

On a more serious note - my pal Radio passed away earlier this year from a condition called polymyositis. It is passed on through breeding. His folks are very keen that no dog has to go through what he did. Please read their post.

Health check

2008-04-16T09:41:00.003+02:00

Last week I went to the Royal Vet College to have some tests done on my guts. I like that it was Royal - suitably fitting for me I think. I saw my friend Radio's vet so he knows a thing or two about Vizslas. So far everything has come back totally normal so mum is relieved. I'm allowed to lead a completely normal life now and eat anything, run anywhere etc. I'm catching up on some lost weeks!

Here I am at Chesil Beach - it's a funny big bank of sand that separates the sea from the land - there's this lagoon in the middle called the Fleet. It apparently used to be used by smugglers and there was a book written about it called 'Moonfleet'. I like the idea of being a smuggler but not at all sure about going on boats. Really the best bit of the trip was seeing pheasants and rabbits. Pheasants are stoopid - they just run off tooting like a train. Funny looking train.

This is the church that inspired the book Moonfleet. I don't think they'd have fitted much contraband in there!

Snoooow!

2008-04-06T20:27:00.004+02:00

Today my world went white. I've never really seen snow before - other than a few flakes a year ago when I was quite little.

I was quite blase about it really - I didn't go too mad or anything. I like to think I can take all these weird things that happen around me in my stride now I'm a mature 18 months. In fact I used it as a good opportunity to do a bit of posing.

And some more...

And my personal favourite...

Ok, I did like to chase the odd snowball.

And then after all that I needed a good rest (and a bit more posing).

I'm number one!

2008-04-04T12:06:00.004+02:00

I don't keep up with the pop charts that much so was delighted to find that a song about me is number one! It's called Hungarian Boy and could have been written for me - take the chorus for example:

'Take me to the park I want to run and play
Throw me a big stick, I can retrieve all day
I really want to....go roll in fox poo
I am your Hungarian boy...Hungarian boy....'

Well, I've achieved fame before on the web pages of the hydrotherapy pool but this is something else.

Mum say's I'm batty and am mis-hearing it. Sorry? What?

A busy week

2008-04-01T15:35:00.005+02:00

It's been quite a busy week for me. I've started going out on proper walks, although I have noticed that we're avoiding most of my pals as apparently I'm not supposed to tumble around too much yet. I've got an appointment to see a specialist next week just to be sure there's nothing else going on in my guts.

I'm not the only one who's been poorly. My big buddy Radar has had lungworm. It is REALLY nasty but luckily he is going to be ok. It's quite new to the UK and apparently Southampton is a hotspot - scary as just down the road from me! Anyway apparently if you take a wormer with 'Fenbendazole' in it (think Panacur or Advocate?) you can protect yourself against it.

On top of all this I've resumed my training classes and was called 'teacher's pet' today for being such a showoff. I am getting pretty good at the heelwork and 'send away's' now but I did go a bit mental when we had to do some weaves. Oops.

As I'm now over 18 months old I've decided I must take a leaf out of Buster B. Brown's book and look at the world in a more scientific and thoughtful light. So I decided to experiment with centrifugal and centripetal force last weekend. It must finally be 'summer' again cos my buoy has appeared in the garden, although they say it won't last. This could mean the buoy or the summer - the buoy is much smaller than it used to be and has a big hole in it. In the meantime I'm enjoying my garden. But no more snail eating - no, my job as pest control agent is permanently on hold. That's how you get that pesky lungworm thing.

Holidays

2008-03-26T18:02:00.004+01:00

Hey folks - I have been on my holidays to my grandma's house whilst my folks went off doing something called 'skiing'. Skiing sounds rubbish - there are no rabbits or deer or anything. I got a bit overexcited to see them when they got home though. I raced about and bounced and ended up hurting my tail and having to go to the vet at midnight on Good Friday. Ooops. My tail cost £228 to fix - mum says it's just as well I have a third off as who knows how much it would have been if it was full ;-) Anyway - I'm just making sure we make the most of the insurance.

So apart from a few more painkillers I'm feeling much better and have started going out walkies again - yay! I went to my park for the first time today, although we did go out at quiet times to avoid my pals cos I'm supposed to take it a bit easy still. I also went to this castle place over the weekend which was great fun but must have been very drafty living there cos they only had a few walls and no roof. This is me helping to push over one of the wonky walls.

Welcome Darcy - like your blog!

Leave it

2008-03-11T09:57:00.004+01:00

This is me doing a 'leave it' for 'entertainment'. Pah - have one on each paw and one on my head! It's not all boring training though - I got a new Mr Chicken to play with!

I've always been jealous of Hamish's Mr Chicken - unfortunately Mr Chicken is already in the dustbin though as I bit his head off. Well - what else are you supposed to do with chicken?

R&R

2008-03-08T11:56:00.003+01:00

I've had my last injection at the vet's now and have been discharged. I get to go back to my regular vet next Friday to have my stitches out and then I can start going walkies again - yay! But there's a whole lotta time between now and next Friday so we're experimenting with different ways of having fun. My favourite ways revolve around food. The clever lady in the pet shop said why didn't they stuff a big chunk of cheese inside my kong stuffaball for entertainment. This has kept me busy for about 45 minutes! Well that and watching dad mince beef for burgers :-)

Last week mum was clearing out her wardrobe and decided to throw away some old sweaters. She used to love this one and wore it all the time but it's got a big hole in the elbow. She didn't want to throw it away so I get to have it as backup for my equafleece. Not so sure about this mum. I don't think the colours are 'me'.

Birthday balloons

2008-03-05T08:13:00.003+01:00

It's mum's birthday today. She says it's a good job I'm ok cos most of her presents revolve around me. I was trying to play with a balloon (popped one already - great fun) when Oscar came along and joined in. I thought if I stood very still he might not see me, but then his sister came along too - bit too scary all round.

Hello all

2008-03-04T08:02:00.002+01:00

I'm home! I'm also VERY lively. I think mum thought i'd be all pathetic and sleepy like I was the last time I had to have an op - but this time I'd had a whole night to recover and was VERY pleased to see her - I gave her my best shimmy.

I've had a hole in my insides apparently - and my guts went through it. I didn't have to have any guts removed though which is good cos I need more space for food. I've got a whole bunch of stitches and they have to be in for about 12 days or so and that means NO WALKIES. I don't know how I'm going to cope. I was ready to play with my orange rubber ring last night and that's only after one day...

Anyway I think I missed out - there were rumours of sleeping downstairs all together. Well they decided that cos I was doing so well I could sleep in my bed (some excuse about being worried I would try to jump on their bed cos I shouldn't be jumping). So I did and didn't get up ONCE in the night. I was pleased when it was breakfast time though - i'm STARVING. I get to eat FIVE TIMES A DAY for the next few days - yay!

Coming home

2008-03-03T10:05:00.002+01:00

I've been worried sick waiting to call the vet this morning but apparently all is fine and he can come home today. I'm going to pick him up after my exam (neuroanatomy, bleurgh) at 4.25 and will have to ask her lots of questions. Although it's a bit stressful happening during exams it does mean that i'm only out for a total of two hours - one on tues, one on thurs, then Steve is off on Friday which is great so we can look after him. Again only a few hours out next week, and after that it's holidays for 3 weeks. We have a skiing holiday booked just before Easter and C was to go to his grandma's for four days but I'm not sure if we'll be doing that yet.

Already planning on setting up the sofabed as i think it may be a bit much to have him climb stairs - last time he needed to wee three times in the night because of all the medication.

Complications

2008-03-02T15:40:00.003+01:00

The vet called us. Turns out this is a complication of his previous surgery. As I understand it the bowel had herniated through a hole in the omentum - and there was significant inflammation and damage. She said it was a big op and that he is at risk in both the short and long term. She said it was good to have operated today and he has come round and hopefully will be coming home tomorrow, but then will have to be kept very still and quiet in order to heal. Poor boy. It's terrifying to think that this could affect him forever - hopefully that forever will be a really long time. If anyone else has heard of anything similar i'd be grateful to hear from you.

Another op

2008-03-02T13:45:00.003+01:00

C got sick in the night and we took him to the on-call vet this morning. She thinks he has another blockage and is going to open him up again today. He was so well yesterday that it's come as a bit of a shock. Last time he'd been so poorly for so long that it was a relief to find that there was something 'obvious' wrong with him. I can't believe he needs another op only just 5 months after the first one. Will call between 3 and 4 (so that means 3.01 obviously) to find out how he's got on.

RIP Radio

2008-02-24T13:36:00.003+01:00

I'm sorry we only met once Radio. You were an inspiration and patient mentor. Winning the scurry with ease. Enjoy creating havoc elsewhere now.

Charlie and the pizzle

2008-02-22T10:34:00.002+01:00

Frosty mornings

2008-02-20T11:34:00.004+01:00

It's been pretty chilly recently but I don't mind if I have my pals to play with. This is me and China.

We raced around so much I was shattered by the time I got home!

Here I am with Barney the Giant Schnauzer and China. Barney is about 3 weeks older than me and we've grown up together. Despite both being 'entire' boys we're good pals. I like Barney's brother Monty a lot too - we play together most afternoons. Yesterday we went to the golf course and a golf ball landed about 50ft in front of me. I started to race after it but three pips on the whistle stopped me in my tracks and I zoomed back to mum in a very good impression of a well behaved dog. You see I CAN do it if I want to. I just don't want to that much!

Here I'm chasing Maudy the chocolate lab.

And this is me doing a bit of posing - got to keep up with Hamish on the posing stakes!

I think it's time to go home now. And sleep all day after all that fun.

Tattooing

2008-02-13T18:07:00.003+01:00

Well it was 4:3 FOR tattooing. Close run thing. I was thinking about getting one but dad isn't keen - I thought it would suit the whole teenage monster thing I've got going. For now I will remain tattoo-less. I have a microchip which will have to do.

Vizlas can't climb rocks

2008-02-11T15:20:00.000+01:00

Well I think Radio can, but he's a wonder dog. I can't and I got VERY frustrated at dad when he got on top of this cool rock!

A monster's life for me

2008-02-07T20:11:00.000+01:00

Weight: 23.8kg (still about 1kg to go)
He's gorgeous's: Loads

Well I've been keeping up the monster behaviour quite well I guess. I've obviously been enough of a good boy to go on some pretty good walks recently. Mum has been studying hard so we've been going out at twilight which is a FAB time for chasing things. We go to the New Forest a lot. Mum says I'm a very lucky dog to get at least two walks per week in the forest. This is a pic of me next to some tracks of some very big monsters. You can tell they must be HUGE cos they have sunk in loads.

Then here I am auditioning for the Lord of the Rings - well, I suppose I'll have to settle for The Hobbit now. I'm somewhere in middle earth fighting orcses. I think I've fought off a couple of battalions in this pic.

No portfolio would be complete without the pose shot. Will you believe me if I say no photo trickery was used in this pic? It's just me and the sunset. I'm not sure what I'm doing with my back left leg - think I'm demonstrating the impressive amount of external rotation I can get out of my joint should there be any film-makers out there looking for suppleness.

I took some more time out posing in the rays of the setting sun.

And then the sun went down, but it didn't stop me chasing my stick.

When there's no more light left there's only one place to go - my folks' s favouritest pub in the whole world.

So now for my monsterness. We went on another viz whiz and I was looking for my pal Tuscan from the outset. I ran up to all the dogs and sniffed them before deciding that Alfie was the one for me. I then hassled him (well, I prefer the term nuzzled) the WHOLE WAY round. Mum got REALLY angry with me cos this is what I did on the last whiz but have never done since. Unfortunately I'm now banned from whizzes. Sorry folks. Had a great time and hope to see you again when I've grown out of it (forced to type that...gah).

Albert - the star of the show. Four month old wire.

Think this is Herbie and Ozzie.

Charlie Morph's diary

2008-01-25T18:35:00.000+01:00

Weight: not sure but at least a few lb heavier
Walks: 3
'He's Gorgeous's': 3

I've been quite busy being a monster these past few weeks so think it about time I auditioned for a horror movie. I had my pal Radar to stay this week so we decided to get some photos of some scary faces so that we could send them off to the casting agencies.

This is me doing my best fearsome monster face.

Then Radar is doing his 'I-can-eat-your-whole-face-you-know' move. Impressive stuff.

But not to be outdone I move in for the final blow - the throat lock.

Don't worry - no dogs were harmed in the making of these photos. We are very good at faking it, sorry, acting, and just waiting for the perfect roles.

Viz Whiz

2008-01-07T18:47:00.000+01:00

I had a wonderful time at the Viz Whiz on Sunday. But for some reason I seem to have made mum REALLY mad at me and there are lots of dark mutterings about something called 'the snip'. I think what happened is that I mistook Tuscan for a particularly appealing lady. Sorry Tuscan. I basically hassled him the whole way round and he was far too polite to let me in on my mistake. Oh the embarrassment. Ditto will never speak to me again.

Before I developed my one-track mind we had some fun in the water.

This is me above with my half-bro Ernie. We are quite alike - particularly when it came to fancying Tuscan.

This is my newest blogger friend, Maggie. She is a VERY quick runner. She's got a darker coat like me so we were quite hard to tell apart...oh, except for later when I was always to be found bothering Tuscan .

I think this is Radar and Maggie.

And this is us having a nice cooling drink!

Well, Mum was so mad at me that she didn't let me update my blog last night. I think the main reason she was mad was cos I kindof closed my ears to them and pretty much didn't care if they were there or not. Hrm, not sure if I can be trained out of this one or if the only solution is surgical...gulp. I hope we sort it out or they won't let me go on a nice walk like this again, oh dear!

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T11:47:00.000+01:00

Like some of my fellow blogdogs I've also been very busy over the Christmas holidays. Christmas is fab. First you get to look up in the sky for a man bringing presents...

...then the man comes with his red and white hat...

...and he brings you lots of excellent pressies. And robot eyes!....

Then you get to go on loads of amazing walks. This is me in Bradgate Park in Leicestershire, near where my grandma lives and also near where I was born.

We went to the New Forest tons too - we did some really long walks. This is me posing with dad.

And posing by the pond...

...before swimming in it...

...and then, after all that mature posing, going completely puppy-mental after doing a bit of dig-dig-digging.

I also went on a Studland Viz whiz - we couldn't make the Richmond Park one as we'd only just got back from that part of the world and didn't fancy the drive again! This is me at the back, facing the camera, then Radar, Albi and my half-bro Ernie in the middle and Benson in the foreground. All boys, and I was the oldest one!

This is me trying to catch Radar.

And this is me on New Year's Day in the New Forest, starting the year as I mean to go on by chasing sticks - yay!

And after all that fun and games I'm pretty shattered! But not enough to stop me going on another Viz Whiz next Sunday - anyone else fancy a trip to the New Forest?

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-18T12:31:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas everybody! You can see in this pic that because I was a bit unwell and couldn't go out much they decided to bring a bit of outside in to me - a real tree in the house! Anyway, i'm all better now and looking forward to my christmas party at training on Friday. I've got a special party trick up my sleeve that i'll tell you about if it works :-)

Just been to the vet for my boosters and I've managed to put on another kg - making me 23.1kg now. The nice lady said I could start jogging with mum too - that i'm old enough and my weight was ok - I just look lean and mean really rather than skinny now. They are doing their best to stop me being skinny mind you - I just ate a rather delicious pig's nose. Do you think all animal's noses taste that good?

Oh - ROFLOL Brisztowe - that 'Elf yourself' site is SOOO funny - we have done our own too! Click here to see it!

Kennel cough

2007-12-05T19:08:00.001+01:00

Well on top of everything else I've now come down with kennel cough. I'm not feeling too poorly in myself but am coughing a bit. Mum took me to the vet to make sure because she wanted to be sure we didn't come into contact with other dogs if it was. My glands are up and the vet gave me a jab of something to ease my cough plus some antibiotics.

Apparently there is a 3-day cough going round the park - so we're not sure what makes the diagnosis of kennel cough and what is 'just a cold'. Ho hum - means I can't go training for a couple of weeks so I will have to work on my special party trick for their Christmas party - which I think I'll be allowed to go to on 21st December.

Luckily one of my best pals has recently had this cough (although I've not seen him for a fair while so I don't think he gave it to me) and his mum says that we can still go out on walkies together. So I'm not totally confined to barracks which is a big relief.

Have any of you had kennel cough? What did you have to do? Walkies at 5am to avoid other dogs is all very well in the summer but we're (read, mum) too wussy to go out in the dark on our own at the mo.

Two whole kilos!

2007-11-28T13:14:00.000+01:00

I've just been to the vet to weigh myself and I've managed to put on 2kg! I'm now 22.3kg so I reckon I should try to put on another 2 and then we'll see how I look. Some people think I look pretty much ok right now, but I think I want a bit of extra padding just in case I ever need it in the future. Mum was so pleased we went straight to the pet shop and got lots of chews and treats.

I've been feeling much better - even enough to go swimming again in the freezing sea! I had to show off to Amber - a 5yr old girl we met at the weekend. She went in so I'd have just looked a wuss if I didn't. Thankfully it was a warm day and I soon dried off.

I'm going on another little Viz Whiz next weekend - 12 noon on Sunday 9th December at the Royal Oak in Fritham again. Someone else is organising the walk this time so hopefully we won't end up walking through a bog again (thanks dad). If any of you are around please do come along!

Fun run

2007-11-13T10:02:00.001+01:00

Last weekend I took part in a fun run. Before I got sick I'd started training with mum but cos I'm so skinny we decided we should just walk it instead. I won 'first dog across the line' :-) Oh, this is my new coat. It's REALLY warm and cosy and I wear it every morning at the mo cos I'm trying to keep my weight up and not use it to keep warm.

Last week I managed to gain another paltry 50g... Mum has ordered this new food for me that Radio used to eat and was good for putting on weight - but the store stuffed it up and it's not coming for another few days now. Boo - I'm just so hungry! And I've got an ear infection :-(

New Forest Viz Whiz

2007-11-05T20:52:00.000+01:00

On Saturday we went into the New Forest and met up with 10 other Vizlsas! There was (I think from l to r) Inca, Dexter, Ditto, Indy, Rufus, me, Rufus, Rufus, Herbie, Bessie and Hazel! Noone could tell us apart cos our folks had all put our 'going out' collars on us which all tended to be dark leather. Doh! If you shouted 'Rufus' though you had a good bet of getting at least one of us. Rufus is a very popular name. All very handsome boys as well (particularly my bro :-))

We had a great run through the trees and a bog (thanks dad) and we managed to freak out a few people - particularly this guy in tie dyed trousers who we all barked at. We were just giving him some fashion advice in our own particular way.

For me the VERY BEST bit was seeing my girlfriend Ditto again! I whispered lots of sweet nothings in her ears and nuzzled her a lot.

I wuff Ditto!

Feeling a bit better

2007-10-30T10:47:00.001+01:00

I've been much more lively this past few days and almost back to my old self. This hasn't stopped me from getting on the sofa for cuddles though. I was never allowed on before but now I snuggle up most nights. I'm still pretty skinny but at least I'm not losing weight. And now I'm feeling a bit better I can start to eat more food - yay!

This is me tucking into a yummy kong. I'm having one of these most nights now that I can't have chews or bones or things. Mum puts biscuits in and something called 'stock' and freezes it. It's my kong-sicle.

Still poorly

2007-10-25T18:38:00.000+02:00

I'm still not feeling too great - this week I've been doing my bowing/praying posture again after eating and i've been to the vet another three times. I've got some painkillers and some more antibiotics and tomorrow I'm going to get some Tagamet (which is apparently a human thing too) to line my tum a bit. Mum is worried, but that didn't stop her withdrawing bedroom rights last weekend! Still, not all bad - I sleep down on my own but in the morning i get to go up for cuddles and a lie in. Hopefully I'm just taking a bit longer to get over my op than they'd thought and will feel better next week. Otherwise I'm going to need more x-rays :-(

Bloody German Shepherds

2007-10-23T14:30:00.000+02:00

You see now I'm one I'm allowed to swear. Honestly though, what is it with that breed?! I've been feeling a bit poorly again this last couple of days. I don't have a temperature or anything but my tum is sore again. I get to eat chicken and rice which is good. Anyway we went out for a quick run in the park to take my mind off things and i've been set upon by this huge long haired evil untrained thing and got a punctured back for my troubles. And its owner has the GALL to say that it takes two dogs to start a fight!

This is the fifth time I've been bitten and had broken skin (not to mention the times I've been set upon without actual bodily harm) and I don't do ANYTHING. I stand there quietly with my eyes averted, my ears down and my tail down and they just decide they don't like the look of me and that's it. Honestly what is the problem with other dogs. I guess it is because I've still got my equipment and am, quite frankly, streets better looking than any of them that they feel threatened. Mum asked this bloke if he could look her in the eye and say that this dog had never done anything like it before and it was quite telling that he couldn't. She told him quietly that he was letting his dog down and ought to train it when really she'd have liked to scream and hit his smug little face. Ho hum.

New Forest Viz Whiz

2007-10-17T19:13:00.000+02:00

Date for your diaries - Saturday 3rd November, 2pm at the Royal Oak, Fritham (http://tinyurl.com/37jfx4)

Walkies followed by a drink - hope to see as many of you there as poss!

Stitched up

2007-10-17T13:10:00.000+02:00

Well all my stitches have been removed and my wound is looking good. I can go racing about like old times again! Mum had to pay £743 for my treatment but luckily has something called 'insurance' that means she really only has to pay £50. Does that mean I get to use the rest of it on treats and toys? I could get a lot of stuff for that I reckon. I've got my eye on a new coat from Chillydogs...

How Charlie got his bark back

2007-10-15T11:20:00.001+02:00

I've felt so much better this weekend. I went to my grandma's house and it was so nice to get out and about it made me feel like a different dog. I was so excited about everything that I decided to bark pretty much non stop. Even at a pretty young Vizsla pup called Evie that I met, sorry Evie, I'm not feeling quite myself.

Something that needed LOTS of barking at was this boat we went on. I wasn't too happy about getting on at all so I had to stand next to it and shout at it. Didn't seem to make it go away though. Boating is ok if you've got someone close by to make sure you don't fall off but I don't like the uppy-downy floating land things that they moor up against AT ALL.

You didn't tell me you had a boat Ditto?!

Everything got a bit much for me by the end of the afternoon - so I had to have a nap.

Bedroom rights are still in place. Mum has said I can stay there til I've had my stitches out this Wednesday. I'm kindof hoping to stay up there permanently but dad isn't having it. I will have to work on him a bit more carefully I think. Maybe jumping on the bed at 5am isn't the right tactic?

Keeping them on their toes

2007-10-12T13:31:00.000+02:00

Well as Redgirls said you have to keep the humans on their toes otherwise they might revoke bedroom rights. So, yesterday I got a bit too cold on a little morning plod and shivered quite violently (despite t-shirt and coat). Mum freaked out and rushed me home and wrapped me up with hot Gromit until I perked up. Five points to me.

Then last night I got sick - I had eaten some mince and veg (under protest) earlier in the day and I puked up all the fibrous veg. Of course this freaked them out big time. I've eaten well ever since and I'm playing happily. Several million points to me. And no more veg, just yummy pouches - yay.

One thing I'm having at the mo, along with my probiotics, is something called 'boost' for convalescing dogs. It smells funny but is supposed to be really good for me. Anything that helps. I'm looking forward to having my stitches out on Wednesday cos they do pull when i try to run.

A little light play

2007-10-10T15:45:00.000+02:00

I've been chasing my tennis ball in the garden. Mum says this size tennis ball is the only one i'm EVER playing with EVER again and that she's going to ceremonially burn the other ones. I don't know what she's on about. It's not like it was MY ball I ate? Maybe she's going to ceremonially burn every tennis ball in the whole world? I think Roger Federer might have something to say about that mum.

Oh and this is my t-shirt. It says bone idle which isn't very kind. I've not been able to do much - it's not my choice honest! It was the only one at the shop that fit me. I think clothes are usually for smaller dogs but the posh Equafleece t-shirts were sold out so this had to do.

Road to recovery

2007-10-10T12:33:00.001+02:00

I've been back to the vet's this morning and am officially on the mend. My temperature is still normal and i've already gained 1.5kg of the 3kg I lost! I've got to stay on fairly 'safe' foods for a bit so I'm going to stick with my nature's menu pouches, some lamb mince and veg and also some chicken breast chunks which I know I'm going to love.

I met my pals in the park this morning and I was so excited to see them. I had to stay on the lead so that I didn't run around too much. I have to stay on the lead til the weekend so that my stitches will heal up which is just too dull for words. Then next Wednesday I'm going to have the stitches out and hopefully I will be able to leap about again!

Size 0

2007-10-08T16:34:00.000+02:00

Ok well i'm a bit embarrassed to put this pic up but people wanted to know how skinny I really was. This pic doesn't even show me at my worst really as my hips are the really pointy bony bit. If you look closely you can see my shaved arms too.

Even dad has been convinced to go shopping to buy me a t-shirt to hide my skinniness whilst I get better :-( On the plus side I'm in high demand on the catwalk at the mo.

Tired

2007-10-07T18:20:00.000+02:00

Well I told you I would eat, it was just a matter of finding the right stuff. That vet rubbish has got so dull. A nice pouch of Nature's Menu later and I've even felt bright enough to woof at dad in the garden. My bark is much quieter and more high pitched for some reason though - think maybe they put some tubes down my throat when I was having my op. Mum says she hopes it will stay quiet but I know she doesn't really mean it. Time for more sleep I think after all that excitement.

Listless

2007-10-07T13:46:00.000+02:00

Well i'm very listless again today and am not really keen on eating anything. Mum is going bananas. I'm not sure how quickly I'm supposed to get better but my heavy painkillers probably still haven't totally worn off from yesterday morning. My wound is ok but i've got this black tarry poo that, according to the duty vet, can be normal this soon after surgery but mum is freaking out cos it means blood is in it and she's worrying i'm bleeding inside. Not much to be done until Monday now really. I am sleeping fairly happily so i think they should just let me get on and rest up. I'll eat when I want to.

Home

2007-10-06T11:46:00.001+02:00

Well I'm home but feeling very groggy and sorry for myself. So would you if you'd had your insides opened up and someone poke about in there! Stupid ball wasn't even that tasty. I'm on all sorts of 'drugs' which make me feel quite spaced out and sleepy. I didn't recognise mum at first when she came to pick me up but after a little while I did manage to thump my tail a few times. My tail still works even if the rest of me is a bit under the weather.

I haven't even got the strength to have a wee - I end up resting on my thighs cos my legs won't hold me. It's a very undignified thing for a young man, but does guarantee much sympathy. I've slept upstairs twice in a row now. I've lost count of how many times i've been to see the vet but hopefully I might not need to go again assuming I get a bit brighter over the next few days. Thanks for all the well-wishes - it's nice to know I've got friends out there thinking of me.

Update

2007-10-05T12:55:00.001+02:00

Well poor Charlie has had a tennis ball-ectomy this morning. He doesn't chew up balls so it must have been a bit he found in the park and managed to swallow. Poor chap - he's on IV fluids, painkillers and antibiotics and hopefully will come home later tonight, if not tomorrow. Hopefully this is the last of it!

Poorly

2007-10-04T10:04:00.000+02:00

Well I thought I was feeling better but this morning I was very sorry for myself again. I was doing the bow thing and shivering. So I ended up back with the vet and he says I have a high temperature again and I probably have pancreatitis. I'm on antibiotics and painkillers and am wearing my special jumper to keep warm. We don't know how I got it but I did disappear off into the woods last Thursday with my pal Coco, and then on Friday we were both in the vets. She had a swollen face and I had a swollen gut. I'm not telling what I got up to but it might be that we both ate something that disagreed with us. Coco is fine now though.

Sick boy :-(

2007-10-03T14:02:00.001+02:00

Well being 1 isn't all that great so far. On Thursday I came down with a very painful tummy which lasted all weekend. I wasn't eating anything at all and was throwing up and feeling VERY sorry for myself. I went to visit the vet and had a bunch of injections that made me feel a bit better but still not great.

I went back to the vet on Monday and he found a hard painful spot in my guts that they thought might be a blockage. I was going to go back in for another check on Tuesday to see if the blockage had moved, and if not be x-rayed and operated on. Gulp. All the prodding seemed to move things along a bit though and I managed to 'do my business' on Monday night. After that I started to feel a lot better and the vet confirmed my suspected blockage had moved on.

I lost over 3kg over the weekend although i've started to eat again now. Redgirls would be very impressed with my size zero-ness. I'm still a bit sore after eating and keep doing this play bow kind of stand which makes me feel a bit better but freaks mum out.

I will have to take things a bit easy for a few days I think. It's a shame cos I missed my silver award on Friday night (I'm good at missing those awards) and I'm going to miss a gundog training session on Sunday cos they don't think i'm up to it. Still, at least I have been on a couple of proper walks now so hopefully I will bounce back soon.

Birthday boy!

2007-09-26T15:24:00.000+02:00

I'm 1 today! I've had a great birthday so far - played with Herbie, Coco, George and China in the park this morning and then went for a swim at the hydrotherapy pool!

I love going there. This time I swam pretty much the whole time as i'm that bit older and fitter. When I got out I put my Equafleece sweater on to keep warm and now I'm pretty tired so I think I'd better have a nap.

Happy birthday Yoji too - she's the only sis I know about - if there are any other brothers and sisters out there happy birthday to you too!

Vizsla get-together

2007-09-24T17:33:00.000+02:00

I've been a bit slack at posting blog entries lately. Mum has gone back to college so is a little possessive over the computer. I will have to explain to her that we need to share.

Anyway - I still haven't posted any pics of the Vizsla get-together we did earlier this month so here goes!

Here I'm wuffing at Dexter.

This is me, Dexter, Ditto, Herbie and Hazel.

This is me and Ditto mobbing dad.

Me retrieving a bottle from the sea whilst Dexter and Ditto look on.

Herbie, Dexter, me, Radar and Ditto (I think!).

This is little Goulash. All the humans were cooing over her cos she was only 9 weeks old. I'm looking forward to her growing up a bit so we can play...she was a bit timid of us to start with. Mind you she arrived by boat which we all thought was VERY exciting and different so we did wuff at her quite a bit which seemed to worry her for some reason. Must be a girl thing.

This is us checking out Goulash's boat. There's Rufus with his paws on the boat (my half bro) and then Radar jumping in and Goulash at the back. Herbie's around the other side and I think this is me in the foreground.

Then this is a bunch of us - me, Ditto, Dexter and Herbie with either Radar or Rufus in the background!

Herbie and Hazel's dad went for a swim and a few of us went out to check him out.

Surf's up

2007-09-13T16:44:00.000+02:00

This is me being a cool surfer dude with my dad. I went surfing with Ditto too...look how I managed to stand up and everything!

Dexter preferred to swim - this is him beating me at water retrieves - I finally found someone more enthusiastic even than me at these!

First love

2007-09-09T20:31:00.000+02:00

I didn't think weekends could get any better, but they can! I had Dexter and Ditto to visit, and on Saturday we went to see another 6 Vizslas - including Herbie, Hazel and Rufus, on Hengistbury Head! I think I fell in love with Ditto.

We played together racing around the garden, and also in the house where we showed each other our teeth...

While I was falling in love with Ditto, Dexter was chasing a torch around the kitchen. He likes lights quite a lot!

We went swimming on Sunday and did some surfing too - I'll put more pics up soon!

Don't look if squeamish...

2007-09-03T11:42:00.000+02:00

I've had the most amazing weekend. We spent most of Saturday on the beach - mum and dad hired a beach hut for the day as they had some friends down to visit. The friends brought Oscar the dog too and we got to chase balls pretty much ALL afternoon. Then on Sunday we went to the New Forest for a lovely big long walk and we met Herbie and Hazel! Hazel and I had a great play by Cadnam's Pool chasing and swimming after sticks. Herbie was too smart to go in the cold water when there were two lunatic youngsters to do it for him - hrm, I will have to remember this in the winter when it is REALLY cold.

Then, as if it couldn't get any better - I had a rabbit for dinner! A whole one! Here's some vids of me eating it - I polished the whole lot off, fur, nails, teeth, the lot. Mmmmm. The vids are really short cos mum's phone is rubbish. But you'll probably prefer it that way heheh.

Testing times

2007-08-29T19:21:00.000+02:00

I can't go to my park at the mo cos we've got some travelling folk who've moved in and have decided to use it as a toilet. I got far too close to the evidence for comfort (so says mum) so we've been avoiding it. This means I've been exploring new places, and in doing so have discovered squirrels! Squirrels are fab! I always thought they were great but you can really run after them too. Mum is less than impressed as I've started dragging her along when I see one, so apparently we're doing some 'desensitisation' tomorrow which I think means I get to eat lots of treats, so that will be good.

I'm also testing them at home with my barking. I've discovered this great high-pitched bark that I use when I want some attention. And let's face it - you can never have too much attention. They ignore me at home which is quite annoying, but if I do it out in the pub they can't do that. Hah! Mum wants tips on how to stop me - but don't tell her please. I'm loving it.

I met Rufus's grandma today - she works next to my favourite food shop. We popped in to say hi today. I hope Rufus might come down in a couple of weekends and come swimming with me, Ditto and Dexter, and hopefully Herbie and Hazel too - it will be our own mini southern viz whiz! Let me know if you're around bro! Any others in the region should come too!

Smelly boys

2007-08-22T11:03:00.000+02:00

Herbie smelt really good this morning (this is me stealing his orange kong) - so I had to go and find something just as good to roll in so that we smelt the same. My mum and his dad were less than impressed. I had to have a shower when I got home and I still stink a bit so I've got this wussy lavender bug spray all over me too now. The shame. Rumour is that I'm going to the New Forest later so hopefully I can find something more fragrant to top up the smell.

My new pal

2007-08-21T16:15:00.001+02:00

Meet Herbie - he's my new pal. Here he is on the left - he was telling mum to hurry up and take the picture cos she was faffing around.

We look very alike - it can be hard to tell who is who except for our collars. Herbie is 3 and very grown up but he's still got time to play with a youngster like me cos he's got a little sister of his own. I can't wait to meet her.

Living the high life

2007-08-20T18:49:00.000+02:00

On Friday I went to the beach to see the Red Arrows. Apart from looking at them a bit when they first flew over (well, it was kindof hard to miss them) I found it fairly dull and much preferred chasing shells. Mum was loving it though and kept saying silly lines from a film that is apparently called 'Top Gun'. My breed prefix is Gunfield, so perhaps the film was about my dad? She says I can be her wing man any time.

We took lots of photos with her mobile phone but cos a) the screen is too small and b) the sun was on it, most of the pics are of just sky. Or me. Which is what most photos should be of, of course. We'll try to get the pics onto the computer - I think I'll have to give her some help with that.

Then on Saturday we went visiting and I met my first hot tub. They are certainly hot. I dipped my paw in a few times but wasn't too bothered about jumping in. Mum doesn't need to worry about my claws in the water any more though as she's just bought a wetsuit. Yay - more swimming later this week when the weather warms up!

Along came a spider...

2007-08-15T14:26:00.000+02:00

...but he didn't last long cos I ate him.

I've been away for a few days camping. Camping is lots of fun. You get to live outside and play with your ball pretty much all day. Then at night you wear pyjamas (well, my Equafleece) and get to sleep with your humans. We did some great walks and cooked some tasty things down on the floor which was interesting. Annoyingly we forgot the camera so I can't show you any pics :-( I was very well behaved - there were quite a lot of dogs on the campsite who would woof whenever you went near them but I didn't do that.

In other news I'm now eating a raw food diet which I LOVE. Mum found a great shop near us that sells all the stuff and has given us good advice about what to eat. I'm sure my coat is glowing more than ever already. Actually I'm moulting a bit at the mo - are any of the rest of you moulting?

The Sea!

2007-08-01T17:47:00.000+02:00

We went to the beach today and, instead of walking along it, we sat down on it. Odd. I helped arrange the towel with my wet sandy feet then mum went into the sea. Odder. I followed her in and we swam together! I swam quite a bit but I kept getting overexcited so mum has some neat claw marks down her legs. Oops. When we'd finished I went and sat on the towel again to dry off. Surely if she'd wanted a towel herself she'd have brought two?

New clothes

2007-07-31T10:58:00.001+02:00

Mum has bought me a new woolly jumper. Nice one mum, summer finally arrives and you're shopping for fleece? Apparently it's for me to take camping. Not sure what camping is but you can get cold at night, or so I'm told. It's a lovely snuggly jumper though - I just tried it on and got toasty warm. I think i'm going to put it on after walks in the future when I get a bit shivery.

Weather and jabs

2007-07-26T13:51:00.001+02:00

I've been very unimpressed with the weather the last few days. The only good bit about it was that it made a little pond in the park that I had a great play in with Barney and Daisy. I've had to be towelled down after walkies far more often than I did in the winter. Hot Gromit has been out and about again which I got so excited about - I whimpered when I saw him getting filled up. And this was supposed to be something called summer. I've never seen a 'summer' before - apparently I'm not really seeing one now.

I had to go to the vets today for a jab for something called Rabies. It's to do with me getting a passport which means I can go 'overseas'. Cool. I like the sea. It takes months before I can travel so we're making sure I'm ready in time for next 'summer'. If we go 'overseas' apparently we might find a 'summer'.

Mini Viz Whiz

2007-07-20T18:57:00.001+02:00

I went on a great walk with two very nice other Vizslas a couple of nights ago. They are Dexter and Ditto - Dexter is three, nearly four and Ditto is three weeks older than me. She's Troon's sister. In the pic above Ditto is on the left, Dexter is in the middle, and I'm on the right. We went to the gallops near Lambourn. I felt a bit of a city dog cos I'd not raced through a wheat field before. Ditto showed me how though - she's like a little kangaroo!

Dad is particularly good at taking pics making me look like Charlie, the biggest dog in the world. He managed to make us all look giant in this pic. Imagine if we were really this big!

The next day I had my first business meeting. I tried to be quite serious but I think that, if people aren't used to dogs, things like gently eating shoes do not go down too well. I get away with it cos I'm cute though.

Dodgy belly

2007-07-18T12:11:00.000+02:00

I've been under the weather a bit over the weekend. It meant I had to miss the Viz Whiz in Richmond Park which I was gutted about. The only good thing about having a dodgy tum is the chicken and rice, although sometimes pasta sneaks in which I'm not too pleased about. I get live yoghurt too - real gourmet stuff.

So instead of going to Surrey for the weekend we had to stay home and do some DIY. I'm quite good at this I've found, although that gloss paint really does stick to a man's fur. My 'bedroom' got painted too - well, this is really more like 'my alcove'...but it is mine! I wanted it done in black but they had to use some coffee coloured stuff and white. Something to do with dad being an architect - the only colour allowed is white. Or obviously this coffee muck. Anyway - it is apparently a sign of me growing up that they could put a new coat of paint on things. Or at least I'm told I'd better be growing up cos they don't want to do it again in a hurry. I've already got a spattering of mud on the white bits you'll be pleased to know (don't tell them though!).

Flyball

2007-07-12T20:03:00.000+02:00

I play a version of flyball at home which I love. I might graduate to the real thing one day. They throw a ball and it bounces off the shed into the air and I catch it and bring it back. I'm pretty good at catching - if they can throw it in a straight line and not into the nearest spiky bush of course. Mum is particularly hopeless and I'm forever having to leap into the bushes to find the ball. Anyone know where I can play flyball in Bournemouth!?

New toy

2007-07-10T14:19:00.000+02:00

I am so loving my new American toy that I want to make sure it stays squeaky clean at all times - so just run it through the dishwasher would you? I put my order in for this specific toy after playing with Coco's in the park. Mum and dad had to trawl round several pet shops to find it - although mum said she quite enjoyed that.

Back!

2007-07-09T11:19:00.000+02:00

I'm back from my hols and sporting a rather fetching bandana from the US of A - thanks mum and dad. Mind you it proved a bit of a hazard in the park this morning. I had a big reunion with all my pals and Barney and Monty were so excited to see me they nearly picked me up with it. I'm pretty shattered in this pic as i've been playing so much.

Apparently there are lots of cool pet shops in America but there are also lots more rules about what dogs can and can't do and where they can and can't go than there are at home. Take this water park - the perfect place for me to race about and get wet, but no dogs are allowed. Such a shame! The sprinklers in the park will have to do.

I'm looking forward to meeting my fellow bloggers again on Sunday - we're off to a 'Viz Whizz' on Ham Common. Weather forecast looks a bit rubbish though - was hoping to see them on a nice warm day not another wet and horrible one. Hey folks - are any of you on 'dogbook'? Facebook is so, well, human. This is much better.

Signing off for a while

2007-06-21T20:11:00.001+02:00

Today I went on holiday. I'm staying with dad's aunt and uncle in Devon. Mum was really glum for some reason so I tried to make her laugh by eating their Bose speakers. She seemed a bit less sorry to say goodbye after that so I think I did the right thing. Last I saw of her I was jumping into the back of their car off on walkies as she drove away. I think I will be away for a little while so see you all soon!

Slacking

2007-06-18T12:21:00.000+02:00

Sorry for the lack of postings recently. It's not been for want of trying. Mum has been TOTALLY hogging the computer cos of something called 'exams'. These are now over though so I can get a look in again! I've had a fairly quiet couple of weeks really. Last weekend I went to stay with grandma which was fun. I showed her how gardens can be remodelled and trained her how to throw the ball. She didn't realise that normally when I drop it they just keep going and I have to pick it up and bring it myself. Nyah hah hah...

I've got my great pal Maggie to stay at the moment cos her mum is having a baby. Hopefully her mum can have more babies more often cos I love having Maggie around. Apparently I'm not going to be able to update my blog for a couple of weeks again soon cos I'm going on 'holiday'. Mum and dad are going over the sea to see mum's sister who is having a baby. I don't understand why one baby means Maggie comes but another means I have to go away but there you go. Humans are odd. I'm staying with my great aunt and uncle by the sea in Devon so I will hopefully have a great time. I will have to train them carefully too, and I'm sure their garden could use some of my skills.

Feeling much better

2007-06-01T19:19:00.001+02:00

I'm feeling much better now and up to updating my blog again. This is me caught in the act at the computer - please note my likeness on my mouse mat! I've been a bit worried it's not set up perfectly for my ergonomics...what do you think? Could probably do with a wrist support.

I've been so much better that i've been up to my usual work (well, I call it work, mum calls it mischief) in the garden. Mum was asking me why I always have to go digging when it is wet and nasty outside. Well, it's pretty bloomin' obvious ma! It makes A BIG MESS! Much more fun. Specially when you can then traipse it all into the house.

Something from the archives

2007-05-31T11:50:00.000+02:00

Been feeling a bit sorry for myself this past few days so I'm afraid I've not really done anything interesting. I picked up a 'gastric chill' and have been given some antibiotics and something to settle my tum and am starting to feel a lot better now. I'm being fed chicken and rice and pasta. I don't know what those pet food people are on about when they say my food is 'chicken and rice' cos it's a million miles away from this lovely fresh stuff! Here's a vid of me playing with my buoy from a few days ago. Hope normal service will resume in a few days.

Working test

2007-05-29T08:49:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I went to a 'working test' which is not like work at all and not really like a test either. Well, at least my class wasn't. I was a 'special beginner' which meant I got a bit of tuition in what on earth this whole thing is about. I liked the water retrieve the most. In fact I liked it so much I dropped my dummy into the PROPER river (not that silly little stream they were using for practice) and got to do a REAL swim. I wasn't very good at something called 'steadiness' but I get away with this by being a baby. It was a VERY cold day which I wasn't very impressed with and I got a bit sorry for myself towards the end - I'm not used to being awake for SO many hours. But the best bit was getting to meet my fellow bloggers Radio and Hamish!

Radio is very clever - he won the scurry and did loads of good work in his test. Hamish is more like me - more interested in puppy stuff than this 'work' business. We had some great wrestles , though we did take time out to look a bit noble.

Mum and dad said they learnt a lot and had a great time. I'm not so sure - I think it's all a bit cold to be sitting around for so many hours when you're only a little pup like me. I would quite have liked it if we just went on a good old walk.

The cup!

2007-05-26T16:26:00.001+02:00

Things were a bit different at training class last night. It was an 'anniversary party' and there must have been over 20 dogs there. I can't count much higher than that as I don't have enough paws you see. Anything over 16 is lots. If i had dew claws still i guess it would be anything over 18 :-)

Anyway - they did a 'prize giving' and I won the Pawsitive Anniversary Cup!!! People had to nominate the dog they thought most deserving. I had no idea I might win! I was quite unprepared with no acceptance speech ready or anything. Mum and dad were worse than useless - all gushing and emotional. I had to settle with looking a bit noble. I have the cup at home at the mo to show my pals, it's got my name engraved on it and everything, then it's going to go back to be kept at the class. I do have a smaller version to keep forever though. My first trophy!

Later on we did some party games and I won the off-lead heelwork. This is pretty funny cos this morning I dragged mum and dad around the roads to the park. Still, I can pull it out of the bag when I need to and that is the best way. I also got a prize for figuring out this cool toy that if you tilted it just right it delivered treats from a pipe. And best of all I got to bring the toy home! Oh and it's my 8 month birthday today!!

Vizsluman

2007-05-25T12:51:00.001+02:00

I have discovered a new species - the Vizsluman - part dog, part human. Hah hah. Dad should know better than trying to lie on my bed in the evening!

It's been pretty warm for the past couple of days so i've decided to start moulting. I don't have a huge lot of hair anyway but i've been shedding it fairly generously.

Brockenhurst

2007-05-23T13:49:00.001+02:00

We've recently discovered lots of nice walks around Brockenhurst in the New Forest. The best bit about it is that there is a big river and i get to do WATER RETRIEVES!! These are the most fun a pup can have in the world. And there's loads of mad animals around too - cows with humungous horns and these little baby versions of horses that are well skittish and look like so much fun to play with that I have to go back on my lead when we walk past them. I'm practising retrieving with my dummy at the mo cos I'm apparently going to something called a 'working test' on the bank holiday. Not sure what this involves as I don't go to work or anything. I've taken one test - the bronze, so perhaps it is a bit like that?

My bed

2007-05-21T17:11:00.000+02:00

This is me on my bed eating mum's apple core. My bed is great - it's a 'Tuffies' and it needs to be. In this pic it isn't in its 'home' cos i've been dragging it about the dining room. And it's good cos it's waterproof so what with all this horrid rain it doesn't get damp and cold but stays all warm and toasty. And i do like the warm. They usually put some fleecie blankets on too for me (softies, but don't say anything) but i've pushed those off for now cos I don't want them to get wet. I still sleep in my dog bag at night which i LOVE. I get zipped in and feel all cosy. I don't like it when they forget to zip me in. I guess now i'm growing up (nearly 8 months!) i'm going to have to start thinking about losing the dog bag but I think i'll keep it for my holidays.