Our start to the New Year really has been bumpy so far.
On the plus side, we added a small parrot named Binx to our family, she's a lovely little bird and full of so much personality - looking forward to training her lots of birdy tricks.

But not good, and it makes me sick even typing it out, Izzie has Syringomyelia symptoms and they've progress over the last month very quickly. She's been to the vets who are 90% sure that it's SM, but are testing for other things currently just to rule them out - but she's been started on pain relief in the meantime while we get referred to a neurologist. She has her good and bad days, and we're starting on this very long confusing road which I'm sure will be full of even more ups and downs, but I'm very confident in our vet. But who knows, there's always that 10% chance it could be something else, even maybe.

[please ignore her horribly fitted harness, we lost her other one and had to make do. She was off lead in the country park anyway!]

happy November!

Last week I received a lovely parcel from Embee. It contained one of her very own handmade snoods (modelled below!) along with a folder which was put together by The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Canada in order to raise money for loads of great health initiatives. Everyone in our household loves them - Thanks so much Embee :)

I added the horns for a little Halloween edge ;)

happy birthday george

Last month we celebrated George's first birthday. I'm saying celebrate loosely as basically it was me putting party hats on my dog's heads and forcing them to sit for a picture. Cruel right?

Yeah I agree. But come on, totally worth it. I did take more, but I think I'll save both of their dignity.

holiday time

With my 1st year of university over (well..minus 1 assignment due in at the end of the month), it is such a huge sigh of relief. I have 7 weeks off now to reminisce on all the amazing ups and downs which it has brought, and the amazing people it's brought into my life. I'm so happy to have these experiences and I'm honestly sad it won't last forever.

Hopefully in my time off I'll be spending lots of days at home with my man and the pups. I feel as if I've been disconnected from them for so long and can't wait to be able to spend time doing nothing together.

This starts tomorrow as we're off to an agility show in St.Andrews. Izzie hasn't been to training in a couple of months so I think it will be amusing to say the least. We'll be camping but apparently it's to be heavy rain so I'm imagining it'll be lots of reading in the car and the tent. Wish us luck!

[Izzie and me are Portabella beach, Edinburgh)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Is two enough?

My Mum says that when our family dogs grow old, and their time with us comes to an end, she doesn't want anymore. She loves them both very much. But they're too. Too noisy, too needy, too yappy, too smelly, too hairy.

Trixie

My Dad and me laugh each time, laugh because we know she would love any dog who came to live with them. Laugh because we couldn't imagine the house without them. Laugh because we're scared she's being honest.

Dogs and all of the things that come with them having become one of the main focal points in my life without me realising it. There when my parent's split up, there when I started high school and finished, there when I left home for the first time. I studied them in college for two years. My baby girl taught me to how to look after someone other than myself, about how the little things are most important. She boosted my confidence, she introduced me to new friends and a new world of people in Agility. She makes me smile with only a thought or a look every single day.


My little man showed me that everyone is different. That while things might start off difficult (or cheeky), that in the long run they'll be so worth it. He knows you don't need perfect hair to be cute, and that greeting people with a bark just means you wanna say hey.


A house without a dog isn't a home. A walk without a dog is pointless. A plate that hasn't been licked isn't clean. And a life without a dog isn't worth living.

Happy Easter!

Well what a relaxing 2 weeks I've had. The plan when finishing uni for Easter was to study, do essays, start presentations and other miscellaneous student tasks. But upon realising this is my last holidays until 2nd year (ie, August) - I decided to be a true student, and do nothing.

I've spent the days lazing around the house, playing with the dogs, catching up on blogs and neglecting my own. We were blessed with beautiful weather too, which made for great photo opportunities. I also thought up some ideas for a shop and I'm now in the process of looking for fabrics and supplies to get me started.

Isn't George turning into a stunning boy?

a mother's woes

Izzie had a bad night at training last night. I don't mean that she worked bad, I mean that bad things kept happening to her. I accidentally stood/tripped over her twice, she tried to greet a less than happy dog and was snapped at, and she attempted to jump a large pole and smacked her head off of it. All this ended up with her traumatized and a shaking mess by the time we got her into the car at the end of the night. Thankfully though she seems to have forgotten all about it and it hopefully won't have a lasting effect.


It must be those kind of days though as I had to leave uni early yesterday to take George to the vet as he constantly has uh, less than perfect stool. Lots of money less later he has some meds and new food. However today he launched (or was pushed by Izzie, can't really tell) off of a chair and he's bashed one of his teeth - we only realised from the blood all over their cream teddy bear.


A very stressful puppy-mother couple of days so uploaded some pictures of some of their walks to remind me it's not all bad.

more snuggly nights

My poor wee brave boy George got his last vaccination today after what seems like forever. Sadly he had a bad time with it as a blood vessel burst in his neck and he was bleeding all over the place. He's understandably in a huff (though completely fine and no damage done) and so I'm glad that I was unable to attend my placement today to stay home with him. Something good seems to have came from it though; Izzie was amazed at the smell of his neck when we got home and he was feeling sorry for himself, so they're snuggled up nicely at their own will for the first time!

These weeks leading up to Christmas seem awfully pointless in terms of getting things done. Due to the weather placement has been postponed and slow which is upsetting - and while it's not great we need to make the time up we miss, I'm glad that it will at least be at a time when there will be lots more to do and learn. The past few weeks have had some firsts though, first time taking blood, first palpation, first blood pressure taken, first urinalysis (I know not exciting for some, but yay!). Sadly I have my first assignment to hand in on Monday and I'm still not finished, so I'm off to cram and get that done.

our new family

This picture really sums up how Izzie has felt for the past couple of days I think.


I forgot how much work puppies are. I forgot how much they eat. I forgot how much they sleep and want to play and bite and pee and poo. I made the assumption that Izzie would love him and our life would be perfect.

Okay fine I'm exaggerating. He's amazing and beautiful but no Izzie really doesn't like him. She's coming around and starting to play fight which is better than her giving him the 'your dead to me' look when he walked past trying to bite her tail. He makes such cute little noises that sound like beeps when he's sleeping that make me want to wake him up and smoosh him (I really shouldn't have babies). He's my excuse for not taking part in any uni/midwifery work this weekend because I can't stop looking at how lovely him and Izzie look together. You can't tell from the picture, but her limbs are so stiff that rigamortis could be setting in.



I have high hopes!

George

This is George. He is a 6 week old Cavalier King Charles who I'm having the pleasure of bringing home in a couple of weeks time. He is being dubbed Curious George by his mother's owners as he gets into everything and anything, but also remains one of the more docile puppies in the litter (of 7!).

Izzie has been prepped and warned of his arrival and is not happy about it from what I can tell. He's already signed up for puppy classes (with the same trainer as Izzie's agility) and we cannot wait for him to be with us.