Dr Monkey meets Tumble

Went to a party last night – well that’s a bit of an exaggeration as it was actually our local dog training club but I’m sure that all the dogs there, about thirty or more, didn’t know it was training and just thought like me that it was a good opportunity to talk to their mates, have a good sniff at both ends and get lots of praise. There was food and drink though – well a water bowl and some training tit bits, but nice anyway. I wasn’t there for training of course, I did that when I was a pup and I’m very well behaved and have certificates to prove it. No, I was there because the club had asked the local council to donate some money for dog poo bags and the council hadn’t come up with the dosh, so they’d put an appeal in the local paper and we saw it and thought that we could help. So Dorwest gave them a cheque for £50 (my that’s a lot of poo bags, but they are biodegradable ones) and I went along to present it to them so they could make sure that everyone does their bit in clearing up the smelly dog poo. It struck me that many of the dogs there, in particular the young ones in the puppy class, might not know about the bangs and crashes that happen over the fireworks period so I should have a word with them, and their owners, and explain that help was at hand. I told them about my blog and my Facebook page so they would know where to go for help if they thought they might need it. I must say they were all very nice to me, I met lots of different dogs – a Westie, Springer, Boxer, Staffie and lots of crossbreeds and a very cute and pushy Border terrier puppy called Tumble. She was VERY impressed with me and my superior Border terrier knowledge and wisdom, as you can see from the photo, and I was pretty impressed with her too! So thank you to Bridport Dog Training Club for a lovely evening – and I hope to see you all again soon…………

Barney gets in touch

I’m quite excited as I had a letter today from my friend Barney, he’s a working Springer Spaniel and he moved away to Yorkshire where he works on a shoot so I don’t see him very often. He’s invited me to visit him as he needs some advice. He’s in a bit of a bad way as he’s worried he’s going to lose his job. The problem you see is that he’s suddenly got frightened of loud noises and of course working closely with people firing guns, they have told him he will get the sack and have to stay at home. He’s only a youngster and the thought of not working and being stuck indoors is really frightening him. So he’s asked me to explain all about Dorwest’s Scullcap & Valerian Tablets so he call tell his boss to get some for him so that he won’t be scared in future. I’m always happy to help with advice and I’m sure I can help Barney. I’m looking forward to the trip up north I’ve never been there before!

Trouble again - and on with the music

Oh dear I’m in trouble again today – is this becoming a trend in my life? It’s not really my fault, they should have known what would happen. It’s the new toy we bought the other day that’s the problem. They were supposed to save it for when the fireworks come, but they let me have it because I nagged and nagged them and I whined and whined and looked pathetic – every trick in the book. They tried to hide it but I knew where it was and in the end pester power won the day. So far so good, the problem was that I loved it so much I chewed and chewed it to make it stop squeaking and then to make doubly sure it was dead I ripped it to pieces. As I said it’s not my fault, I am a terrier and it’s what we do. My mistake was that I left all the bits lying around in my bed and when they saw them there was hell to pay! Now they are going to go and get me another one, but this time they say it won’t have a squeaker and I can’t have it no matter how much I nag them - spoilsports.

Only a month now ‘til Guy Fawkes – must keep on track, forget all this frivolity and get down to the serious stuff. My tip for today is music - yes music for dogs and cats! Some dogs like classical calming music, others are real country and western fans; myself I'm a big fan of Snoop Dogg. I like a bit of rapping and hip hop, it's the steady beat that I find reassuring. If you make it clear to your owners that you like to have music playing too then they can make sure that when the bangs and crashes start they will put on the radio for you when the fireworks start. Nothing like taking your mind off it I say.

Sorry boys!

I’m in trouble – I told a little white lie when I showed you the picture of me in my day bed on Friday. The thing is that it’s not really my bed, it belongs to the whippets, Louis, Hector and Smithy and it’s where they spend their days lazing about while their master is at work. Louis was not impressed with me when he saw my picture and now the truth is out – when they are not around I sneak into their office and relax on their bed. Oh damn, now they’ll close the door I suppose and make sure I don’t invade their privacy. They are very snooty dogs you know, not rough and down to earth like me. Anyway to try and make amends I’m going to show you a photo of Louis on the bed, looking very superior, and also one of him with Hector and Smithy at his feet – just where he likes them! So sorry boys, I won’t do it again (at least I won’t let you catch me!).
It’s getting colder now and they’ve turned on the central heating here which is great, but now they also light the log fire in the evening as well and I don’t like that at all – it makes strange crackling noises and sometimes loud bangs as well. I try and keep away from it and go and lay in my bed where I feel safe and secure – no one bothers me there and so I can sleep and dream of nice calm things. I’ll have to remind them to give me some Dorwest Scullcap & Valerian tablets if they are going to keep lighting fires – that’ll make me more reeeelaxed.

I'm a bit stiff today

I’m a bit stiff today, must be that running around after bunnies and the buzzard. They say it’s my age and that I have to expect this sort of thing now I’m getting elderly – what rubbish! Anyway they’ve decided that I might have a touch of arthritis so I’m having two Mixed Vegetable Tablets and two Garlic & Fenugreek Tablets in my food twice a day, which they say will make me feel better and have me dancing about as usual in no time. I’ll let you know how I get on. I thought I was supposed to be talking about nasty whizz bangs and thuds not telling you about my ailments but they say that I have to be honest about everything as that’s what a blog is all about. We’ll see about that………… anyway I’m taking it easy.

Do you know that I have my own email address? It’s drmonkey@dorwest.com and if you want to get in touch then I’d be pleased to hear from you. I had an email yesterday from a lady asking if it was absolutely necessary to have a bucket on your head while Monkey dancing . No it isn’t Susan, you can do it with a ball, a ragger or anything else. I’ve even tried it with balloons, but they always seem to disappear with a bang which frightens me so now I steer clear of them.

What a dilemma.........

A miserable day yesterday, not much fun for dogs ‘cos it rained all day so I didn’t get a decent walk until the evening, but what a walk it was – gave me a bit of a dilemma actually. We walked into this field and believe it or not there was a large fat bunny sitting there and a few feet away was a buzzard sitting looking at it. They just stared at each other, well I just didn’t know what to do. Doggie instinct took over so naturally I chased the bunny, but the buzzard wasn’t at all pleased as the rabbit popped into the hedge and disappeared, so it flew up and circled me a few times – I didn’t know what to do, did he think I was a rabbit? I hope not, I may be small and brown but for goodness sake I am a DOG. So the upshot was that I saved a bunny, which goes right against the grain as its not what dogs are supposed to do, I upset a buzzard who didn't get his dinner and finished up just running around a field on my own! Some days things just go like that – oh well better luck tomorrow.

I love my bed !

I love my bed, it’s where I feel safe and comfortable. My owners have made it really comfy for me, it’s warm and dry and I can hide in there when I need to and it makes me feel safe. When I was small they gave me a cardboard box and covered it with a blanket to keep me snug, but now I have a more grown up bed as befits my status! If, like me, you’re happier in a safe, secure place then ask your owners to make you a place to hideaway and feel secure – if they do it now then it’ll really feel like home when those bangs, crashes and zooms start at the end of the month. Here's a picture of me on my "day bed" at work - very smart don't you think?