In which Willow huffs and wuffs

 Willow here.

Just bin on a walk - only in the village but it was a gud'un as they say round here.

She has been 'torturing' me with 'how not to pull on my lead' lessons - how is a dog like me s'posed to get to my favourite playing field if I don't run there with my fastest feet?? 

So, before I evn got my walk in she made me walk up and down up and down up and down - you get the picture - I was bored out of my head - she has the cheek to say my little walnut brain - huff.

'Parrently Iz doing well, coz she's not usin' the slip chain no more and I'z walking with jus my soft collar an' lead. An' funnily enough we still get to the best playing field and I'z excellent at catchin' and chasin' my second favourite ball. She has lost my best one .....

Now, we'z home an' sitting in the summerhouse, I loves the summerhouse and I am doing the collie-snooze-thing. I fall asleep with one eye open - gotta keep that eye on my human coz you neva know what she is goin' to get up to next, probably gardenin' I s'pose.

An' that fluffy white 'not-dog' is with us and she keeps giving me kisses - what is that about??

Kate here.

Willow has NOT been tortured despite what she wuffs, but she has been getting lots of lessons on how NOT.TO.PULL and finally I think (I hope) the penny has dropped as today's walk was one of the easier ones we have had recently. Her desperation to walk and to play is understandable but exhausting (and to be honest hard work on my hands) however today there seemed such a positive reaction to all the training - better contact between us, she is engaging with me more and responding to my actions rather than just dragging me and determining the speed (fast) and direction (straight to where she can come off lead and play).

Yesterday was the break through day - I felt really mean as it meant that as soon as she started to pull (for such a small and scrawny woof - she can lean in and set her shoulders - difficult to hold her) I would turn away from the park or the playing fields and continue the training - the neighbours must have wondered what on earth was going on - so yesterday - there was a light bulb moment. Today was the pay off. Long may it last!

And yes, that fluffy white 'not-dog' Pan seems to have accepted Willow and will often sit or sleep near her. We, all three of us, a rather odd pack, are either all in the garden or all in the house, together. It is rather nice 🩷🐾

what could be more interesting that me?🐾

 Willow here.

Back from a rather damp walk - she wraps up while I get to romp about free and in the fluff.  She says that she shouldn't  post any more about me coz there are other things that are more interesting - what could be more interesting than me and a muddy pathway??

Please take the photo - I want to run some more - got some serious sniffing to do.

Did you mention the word 'walk'?

Don't you know that makes my ears pop up like a jack in the box!

She says I am a good girl. Some days I know I am and some days I am not so sure, I need lots of cuddles to let me know that I am actually a good girl - might try asking for more cuddles .... hmmm good plan.



Things I like🐾

Walks, cuddles, my bed, my new friends Jed and China

Carrots - I love carrots - she says I can have those as they don't make my tum poorly (urgh - how rood!)
Being ruffled with a towel, my marrow bone

I love love love my orange frizbee - bestest fing in the world!

Things I don't like😡

Baths

Pip who has a very pointy nose and puts it where it shouldn't go!

Zero who bounces on me and makes me fall over - grrrrrrrr

Loud men's voices - they scare me

Yawn, time for my post walk nap - I am fully wuffed out.

She says I snore when I am asleep - again how rood!

The spark

Cool grey air swirled around us, leaving misty droplets on my eyelashes and making Willow' coat twinkle. The horizon was greyed out and all the villages in the valleys just did not appear.

We walked out of the village, up on to the ridge, sploshed through the playing fields and then along the road before dropping down into the neighbouring hamlet. 

The weight of the mist dulled sounds giving a strange eery feeling - almost liberating!

I stopped briefly to chat to a farmer who had been reroofing one of his sheds however two of his helpers had called time, jumped in their van and were driving off. The farmer was feeling deflated and muttered things about the unreliable state of agency staff. He looked cold and dejected but defiant... He was off to ring the company who'd come recommended and give them a blasting.

When we returned home, Willow was absolutely famished and fell upon her food which such gusto I am sure she inhaled the entire meal in milliseconds.

She now has fallen asleep with twitching paws - think she enjoyed her walk.

Willow's wuffs (Dogologue)

Hi, Willow here ...

Have you ever heard of a 'shipping forecast'? No - me neeva - How am I - a mere doggo s'posed to know about that? 

Any huff, she mentioned today that our walks are a bit like the shipping forecast then she muttered something about it should be called the dogging pawcast then she burst out laughing - I nearly leapt out of my red and white fluff - she managed to splutter - may be NOT DOGGING pawcast....

What is she on?

Any huff, as I said, she says our walks are like the DOG pawcast......  As we go along, she rattles off the list of places we have walked ..... Dead Duck lane, Stunsteads, Fridge Farm, White Goose Field, The Rec, The Souterills, Killer Chicken Quarry, Bough Gap, Crow Quarry, Watering trough, Ol' Joe's Lane, Peter's Field and back down Dead Duck Lane.

Apparently according to her only one or two of those places is on a real paper map (wot ever that is) and the rest are a mix of village folklore, myth and legend (once again I ask ... what is she on?)

Wot ever - as long as I can sniff the peemails and check out any other interesting smells - I am a happy wuffo.  Home now, eaten a biscuit coz apparently Iz been very good (though I was all the time) and now I am off to snuggle my duvet.

In which Willow woofs (aka the Dogologue)

 Willow here. Hi.

I was called Coco - but that was past me, I am now 'Willow who Walks' and until a few days ago, I lived in a terraced house in a small but busy market town.

I've just returned from a wet walk with my new human, the spare human is out and won't get back until it is dark, so I keep my human company and on discovering she needs a lot of exercise - I take her out as often as I can.

I used to share my house with five humans, some tall and some very small and they were so busy I had to keep out of the way and it made me very sad and I felt very insignificant. I tried to join in the games but I must have done it wrong as I was made to go to my crate. They were never horrible to me but I felt very left out.

Now, I know I must avoid the cat food plates - my feet take me away but my eyes stare very hard! I know where my treats are in the cupboard, I can point out which is my bag of food, and best of all,  I know the difference between my leads. The red rope lead is for popping into the garden for a piddle while my stretchy lead and harness means proper get out and get muddy walks!

My humans have taught me that chairs are not for dogs (who knew!!) and doing zoomies across the settee is not really an indoor game ... again - who knew!

a brisk rub down and a biscuit just waiting to be nibbled - bliss

But best of all is, when we return from a wet walk, I get a rub down with a warm towel and a biscuit treat to chew in my bed - I think training my human and the spare human is making headway - they still have lots to learn and I am the dog to do it.

However - the cat..... the cat is definitely in charge, even the humans know that! 

said cat in bed coz snowing outside