HAPPY BARKDAY TO ME!

It's my official barkday today, I'm 5 years old now.

She who thinks she must be obeyed hasn't been feeling too good this week. She has a wet leaky nose and is making lots of sneezy type noises making me jump almost out of my skin, so we haven't been doing very much except feel sorry for ourselves this week. (This is her excuse for not showing you the pictures we took on Sunday of our walk we did instead of going to the show but I wont let her get away with it).

Anyway she dragged herself out of her pit long enough to take me for a barkday walk with Scrappy and Woo. Here we all are across the field.

Me and Woo.

Scappy and Woo,

Scappy did actually get let off the lead briefly today, but he got on a rabbity scent and was only caught again as he was trying to bite his way through a sheep fence which he luckily coudn't get under!

Woo on her own

This is actually quite a sad walk as it is probably the last one we will all do together as Auntie Jo has to move and she can't take Scrappy and Woo with her so they have to find new homes, it's too sad to think about and we are all very upset about it.

Auntie Sue who runs our dog club which I can't get to anymore phoned up today and told us about an event they are holding on April 3rd for all the doggie survivors of the Tsunami in Japan. Apparently us dogs managed to survive a lot better than you humans and so there are lots of us who have no humans now. Hopefully I will be able to persuade someone to take us, I can't imagine losing my human for any reason.

Just to let you all know, after all that hard work trying to get moneys for my barkday show, we NEVER EVEN GOT THERE! She who thinks she must be obeyed spent all afternoon on Saturday cooking food for our picnics, there was leek and potato soup in a flask, salmon and herby stuffing pasties with potato salad and apple and pear lattice for after. I was going to have ham for treats as well as other surprise goodies. After spending all this time cooking and packing bags with everything we would need instead of going for a nice long walk in the spring sunshine, she opened the envelope the postman person brought with our running orders in only they weren't there! Our entry had been returned because the show was full. I couldn't believe it, I had been so excited about seeing all my agility friends and then I was so disappointed.

This is what the nasty postman person brought. GRRRRR.

I'm still too upset to tell you what we did instead but I'll put that in another post.

TRAINING!

As we really are going to my barkday show, She who thinks she must be obeyed thought we ought to do some training.

Here I am doing the 'wait to go through the gate' that I had to do for my bronze Good Citizen certificate way back when I was a little puppydog.

And here I am sitting at the kerb waiting to cross the road to the green were we do our training.

But first of all we had a' throwabout' to get rid of some of my energy. (I get VERY excited when I see my jumps and She who thinks I must be obeyed says I run round like a headless chicken!!!!!!

Then I had to wait while She who thinks she must be obeyed set the course up. This is what it looked like. And yes that U.F.O. is back I wonder what the aliens think of my course?

I'm very good, waiting to be told to go over the jump. You won't catch me behaving like this at the show, it's way too exciting!

Here I go!

This video is an example of why you should never try to do more than one thing at once. She who thinks she must be obeyed was too busy TRYING to film me as she ran round to tell me what to do properly!

After all that exertion it was time for a down stay.

And then a sit stay.

Followed by a recall.

Comments on Crufts

Well done Elmo for winning the Pastoral group at Crufts this year. It's been years since we've even seen a G.S.D. on the television coverage of the show. Commiserations on not winning Best in Show.

Although part of me is sorry that one of my favourite breed of dog was beaten in the end I'm not totally sure that actually winning Crufts does the breed as a whole any good. Once named Best in Show a breed is much more likely to become a fashion accessory and be chosen as a pet for all the wrong reasons and let's face it G.S.D's are only just recovering from an undeserved reputation as a dangerous dog and the last thing they need is more irresponsible owners thinking they are a good dog to have just because one won at Crufts.

All the same it would have been good to see Elmo on the winners stand!

A Trip to the bank

We nearly had a disaster today. There is a show on the 20th of this month, 5 days before my barkday and I REALLY want to go and have barkday celebrations with all my 'gility friends, it's my barkday show. Well She who thinks she must be obeyed FORGOT to send off our entry! Today is the closing day and she said there was no money in the bank for entry fees, I wasn't impressed. So when we went for our walk I decided to look in all the banks in case there was some money there.

I looked over banks in case anyone was running off with our money.

I looked under banks.

I even looked in banks.

It was hard work and I got my nose muddy.

But I carried on looking.

I even looked next to the river bank.

But there was no money anywhere.

I even tried to get a bridging loan.

I was SO sad.

Smudge said 'Never mind we'll have the purrfect barkday anyway'.

Tara said 'Get over yoursssssself. I never go to showsssssssssssssss'.

Scrappy came to see me and tried to cheer me up, (don't get jealous Anna, we're just good friends).

But Auntie Jo said 'Finn you have to go to your Barkday show' and gave She who thinks she must be obeyed some money so we can go. Thank you Auntie Jo.

We filled in the entry form and posted it just in time.

Introducing the Terrierist

Meet my friend Scrappy, better known in these parts as the 'Terrierist'. Two or three times a week we get to take him out on a walk with us while his human is doing something called 'work'. He's quite cute really but she who thinks she must be obeyed can't let him off his lead as he thinks it's his mission in life to rid the world of cats, sheep, rabbits or anything else which runs or looks at him! He's quite likely to get himself stuck down a rabbit hole or in a fence, he's even managed to fall over a forty foot cliff and get himself run over when he was an itty bitty pup!

Here are some photos She who thinks she must be obeyed took while we were walking a few days ago.

Look how well we walk together.

There's rabbits over there.

Never mind the rabbits, water's much more fun.

There's no rabbits in it though!

Just checking there's no monsters lurking behind the bank!

The rabbits are this way.

You're going the wrong way,

I don't want to go home!

Spectacular Tongue-tacular Contest

I was always brought up not to stick my tongue out as it's RUDE, but she who thinks she must be obeyed seems to want me to today, so here goes.

I feel very shy about it.

It's not at all what I was brought up to do!

But it's all in aid of Anna the GSD's spectacular tongue- tacular contest.

To find out more go to her blog for details, http://annathegsd.blogspot.com/