Muddy Princess!

But mummy, I thought mud packs were a good part of a beauty regime. I know we had to go to the ringcraft match later that evening, but it's kind of the same colour as my fur and I'm sure no-one will really notice!

Nibbles

Cassidy x

Jazz & Me

Hi every one! Today I wanted to introduce you to my friend Jazz. He's a standard Schnauzer and he's a rescue doggie like my Big Harry. He's about 2 years old and we are bestest friends. I know it may not look like it from the following photos, but we are just having a very fun game of bitey face!

See my big gnashers! We can play bitey face for AGES!

I think some other dog walkers probably think we're a couple of wild animals, tee hee!

Can you tell who the bossy one of the pair is? That would be ME!

This is Jazz's cousin Gus having a mud bath. He's a Bouvier and he's seriously big. His mum wasn't very impressed with his "hippo at the water hole" impression I can tell you. Can't think who taught him that, hmm...oh yes, that would be ME!

See how big and hairy he is, but he's a gentle giant (apart from when he knocks you flying by running into you, tee hee!).

When we've finally had enough bitey face we do a bit of sniffing around for rabbit and squirelly smells.

With a bit of kissing in between, tee hee!

Then some more scouting for smells and fox poo to try and roll in before our mums grab us!

Don't we make a cute pair!

And here's Jazz. He's a little bit tubby at the moment as he got two nasty grass seeds really trapped in his paw and had to have an opawation and couldn't go walkies for a few weeks. I'm sure with our wrassling he'll soon be back in shape.

And all the while we were being silly youngsters, Harry was enjoying walkies with Jazz's mum while mummy took the photos. Who taught him to pose for the camera like that? Oh yes, that would be ME!

Nibbles

Cassidy x

I Love Pa!

We really are getting bad at updating our blog, tut tut! All is well here, we just seem to be busy.

Just thought I'd show you some photos of me showing my love of pa. Do you know it's almost a year since I came to live here!

First you carefully (somewould say clumsily!) put your paws on his chest to wake him up from the nice snooze he was having.

Then you get him to pucker up in anticipation of a nice smacker on the lips.

Then you give him some good sloppy kisses. I'm not ashamed to say I love my pa lots and lots.

Toodle pip

Harry x

Best Puppy in Match

Hi everyone,

Once a month at ringcraft training (where me and mummy go to learn how to show) there's a match night. Basically everyone gets a number, and they are drawn out of a hat in pairs. Each pair are "matched" and after looking at us, checking our teeth, muscles, bones and so on, and seeing us move, the judge picks a winner. All the winners of the first round go back in the hat (the numbers, not the actual dogs, tee hee!) and pairs are drawn again, with the winner going through, and so on until there's a best in show and reserve best in show remaining. There's also a best puppy awarded.

Anyway, at this month's match, I got drawn against a very lovely Rottie girl who's about 3 years old in the first round. The judge did spend a while deliberating after she'd looked at us both (while mummy tried to keep me standing nicely!), but opted for the Rottie. She did come over though and say it was a very tough choice, but age/maturity won the day. Fair enough I think.

But after the first round, there's a competition for best first round loser. There were about 10 dogs in that, and I won! There were some really nice dogs among them too, and not just puppies.

I also winned best puppy in match, whee! Usually a Pointer puppy wins it every month, but not this time.

So here are some photos of me and my prizes. I get to keep the trophy and cup until next month (unless I win them again!).

I also won some dog treats in the raffle, so it was a very lucky night for me and mummy.






Nibbles
Cassidy x

Me & Willow at Dunster Show

Last Wednesday, me and mummy went to Dunster show. When we got there we saw that my friend Willow was entered too! She came with her brother Jasper, and all her human family.

Here's a photo of Willow when she was about 12 weeks old when Oscar met her for the first time at grooming class. Wasn't she adorable!


And here she is at the WESWATC fun day last September as a blushing bride. That's big brother Jasper about to leap on her, tee hee!

We had to enter Any Variety not Separately Classified (AVNSC) Terrier at the show as there was no separate class for Airedales like there were for the more popular Terrier breeds. This is normally the case at Open shows here as Airedales aren't all that common. Probably all the grooming required for the show ring puts people off!

Do you see the little Lakeland like Stella next to me? There's me with mummy (in the stripy top), Willow and her dad, and another Airedale called Pollyanna, what a cool name! Mum hasn't got me stood properly yet in the photo, which is why I don't look to great.

Anyway, I got 3rd out of 4. I was a bit naughty and managed to slip my lead too, tee hee! I had already done it once before I went in the ring. It was a bit too big. I had chewed my nice leather one a few weeks ago so mummy had to use the spare. Luckily mummy grabbed me and got it back on quick, but I wasn't behaving all that well. Puppy moment! Mummy has now sewed it so it fits, and will get the lady who made my leather one to mend it at my next Champ show.

Willow won the AVNSC graduate class, then beat the AVNSC winners of the other classes, whee!







Here's is a close up of Willow. She has lovely dark tan colouring and is a really pretty, dainty girl. Because she won the Any Variety Not Separately Classified, she got through to the Terrier group final, which is the winner of all the different terrier breeds which were scheduled, eg Border Terrier, Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, etc. There were 9 dogs, and Willow got best Terrier out of them all, whee!

Here she is in the Best in Show final. That's where the winners of all the groups (Terrier, Hound, Gundog etc) meet to compete for Best and Reserve Best in Show. Unfortunately Willow didn't get placed here, but we're still very proud of her, especially as she is only 18 month old. Well done Willow!!

Willow and I also had lots of fun playing bitey face while we were waiting around. She doesn't always want to play with me at grooming, but hopefully now she'll realise I'm fun.

Cassidy x

Remembering Oscar 28/05/2006 - 28/07/2007

It's one year today since our darling Oscar died so tragically and suddenly. While not wanting to be morose, we do feel it's important to keep his memory alive and remember annivesaries such as this and his birthday. In some ways it seems like the awful events of last year were only yesterday, such is the pain and loss we still feel, but in other ways it seems like a lifetime since we last cuddled, played and generally shared our lives with him. While we have obviously come to accept his death, the feeling of injustice and the shock of it will probably always remain.

We are thankful of the 10 months we got to spend with you Oscar, and despite the pain of losing you so young and so unexpectedly, we will be forever grateful that you came bowling into our lives as a 14 week old ball of fuzz.

Rest in peace Oscar. In our hearts for ever and ever.

xxx

Yum, Venison Ears!

Now as you probably know by now, I'm a gent of discerning taste, so when I have a treat, I tend to go for the less common or garden variety. It was only fitting then, that rather than the bog standard pig's ears, ma bought us some venison's ears recently.

As you can see, it was the first time Cassidy had had anything like this, and she was a bit bemused!


It didn't take her long to work out what needed to be done however.

Though she did seem more interested in saving it for later than getting her big Dale teeth around it.

Cassidy managed to make hers last for around 3 days!

Now I too took my time giving my venison's ear a good sniffing too. It was quite different to a pig's ear, less greasy. It still smelled jolly wonderful though let me tell you.

Chomp, chomp, chomp. I soon got to work.

Yum. I gave it two paws up. It also lasted me around 30 minutes, which believe me is very good going where me and treats are concerned.

See how happy I am! Food has got to be my number one favourite thing...no, maybe that's walks...no ear scratches and cuddles...no sleeping...hmmm, well it's up there at the top of the list anyway.

Gosh ma, I hope you bought plenty of these!

Toodle pip

Harry x

International Present Exchange!

Yes, remember the DWB present exchange?! Well, after all the computer woes, we have finally got around to posting about our wonderful presents from Verdi & Gaucho. Apologies to them for taking so long to do this post.

When the parcel arrived we knew straight away it was for us, and contained all sorts of lovely stuff.



We got straight down to some very serious sniffing to try and deduce what it contained.

Then of course the bossy little madame that is my dear sister pinched it from right under my nose and ran with it out into the garden and claimed it as her own. She's such a little minx (though I have to concede that she is jolly good at opening parcels!).

Oh, she said this photo's for her BabyStan! I don't know, these youngsters grow up too fast nowadays.

It really didn't take her long to get the brown paper off that parcel with those Crocodale jaws.

But then look at that look of woe when ma made her sit and pose with the box rather than just diving right in. Does that look like a happy puppy to you, har har!

Here was the first peek at what delights were inside. The pink and orange things you can see were two soft toy flowers for E & J. Sadly ma didn't get any photos of them before the girls took them to their mummy's house, but they were delightful, and the girls adored them. Thank you so much for thinking of them as well as us Verdi and Gaucho.

Their was a new collar for each of us, made of lovely soft leather. We guessed that the pink one was for Cassidy, the blue one for me, har har!

What do you think? Pretty nifty, eh?

There was also a very natty bandanne eac, so we won't have to wear Oscar's precious ones anymore. Cassidy stole them both.

But ma managed to retrieve mine so I could pose. About the floor...well all I can say is that a certain little lady was in BIG trouble. I'll let her tell you more about it another time!

And this is what we could smell, even before the pardel was opened, yummy!

And last but not least were these two toys. The pink bone has a particularly loud squeak, which Cassidy delights in chewing when ma and pa are trying to watch the television.

They have both endured lots of play, and both are still intact with barely a tooth mark, so very well chosen Verdi and Gaucho!

Thank you once again for such lovely and thoughtful gifts. We are very grateful, and sorry again that this post has been so delayed.

Toodle pip

Harry x