Happy Birthday Arrow

It's Arrow's second birthday today.

Lamp Shade

Another visit to the vet for the dog. The stitches have to stay in a bit longer. The cast has been removed from Arrow's paw but he now has to wear this lampshade to keep him from picking at the stitches.

A Visit To The Vet

Arrow went lame while we were out walking so I brought him home as soon as possible. In the dark there was a little blood visible on his paw. Half an hour later he was still bleeding on the bathroom floor so I called out the emergency vet and we went to meet her at the surgery. She kept him in overnight to repair his paw. He'd managed to cut open one of his pads - to the bone. Luckily he missed the tendons and major nerves. He came home from the vet with his paw in a cast and a course of antibiotics.

Lunch Time in the Snow

Lots of snow here so I'm working from home as the transport infrastructure between here and Central London is somewhat unreliable. So in my lunch break I was able to play with the family. We built snow men, sledged down the slopes in the nearby fields on teatrays, had snowball fights and watched the dog running around.

Unlucky Dog

Arrow's visit to the vet last week has led to another this week. The seed lodged in his paw did not work loose and he had to go back yesterday to have it removed. He arrived home with a cast covering the stitches:

None of us is sure the pink with purple hearts is entirely appropriate for a boy dog.

Dog Mooring

Running Dog

Arrow is really quite hard to photograph in motion. Here's the best so far:

I cheated here. The picture you see is just a small portion of the middle of a much larger picture, cropped to make the subject central.

The Dog's.. Or Rather Lack Thereof

Arrow has been to the vet again for that operation. He was beginning to cock his leg while out and about and had recently developed a tendency to attempted intimacy with visitors' legs - particularly male visitors. We know it's a dominance thing as he never attempted it with me or other family members where the pecking order is prettty well established.

I've got the most tenuous link to canals here as I've seen a picture somewhere of the signwriting on a narrowboat called "The Dogs", with home mooring advertised as Bow Locks. I tried to find the picture again without luck but I did check to see if it's registered by looking in the searchable index on the most excellent Jim Shead's site and here it is:

THE DOGS Built by WELTONFIELD N/BTS LD - Length: 52 feet 6 inches (16.00 metres) Beam: 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 metres).Metal hull power of 30BHP. Registered with BW number 51035 as a Powered.

Update:

The most excellent Mr Denny has responded with a link to the picture I recalled.

Scavenging

A dog's got to eat everything that presents itself:

He can Jump

I think Arrow must be near full size now. He's a little over six months old:

His training is also coming along. Cathy started on the remote control commands at training class today. He has to lie down at a distance. This is new for him as all rewards have been given to him by one of us so he's used to coming to us for his reward. Now he's learning to lie down on cammand at the other side of the room and has his reward thrown to him. He also jumps for treats:

Dog with a New Bed

Arrow has chewed up a double blanket he was given for a bed so we bought a new bed for him from the market:

And a new toy to distract him from chewing his bed.

This one has a hole in the middle where you can hide treats so that it's rewarding for the dog to play with. The only problem is that Arrow keeps losing it under the sofa.

Potato Hound

Some people have dogs that do useful jobs like herd sheep or find truffles. Arrow digs up potatoes from the garden. We had a patch of potatoes that self-seeded from the remains of the compost heap. Last year we harvested them and this year there were enough left to grow another small crop. I'm not sure if potato digging is a useful activity for a young dog. He doesn't eat them but most emerge badly scarred with claw marks.

Here he is, resting after his labours.

Londinium Pedo

This event is held every year in the City of London, organised with its sister event the Miglia Quadrato by the United Hospitals and University of London Motor Club. Participants follow a series of clues that lead around a course divided into a number of sections that cover the City of London. There are six sections and all are timed. To win contestants must correctly answer the maximum number of questions without incurring a time penalty. Failure to complete a section in the time allotted means that you miss time from the next section.
We entered the family event which has a reduced number of clues per section compared to the full event. Typically seven or eight answers were required instead of eleven or twelve per section. Answers are usually parts of inscriptions or signs, some clearly visible others not so easy to find.
We entered the whole family, including the dog. We managed two sections with the complete team but only two of us (and Arrow) completed the course. Dominic twisted his ankle on a kerb and had to retire. Cathy took him and Ewan home early.
This is the second year we have taken part and I am eagerly awaiting the results because last year we dropped out after four sections.




Tired Dog - home at last

Dog in a Box

Arrow is growing out of his box bed. He has had a series of cardboard boxes as beds because of his habit of chewing his bed. When he gets over the chewing phase he can have a proper permanent dog bed to sleep in.

Dishwasher

Arrow has to check the dishwasher whenever it is open. Dishwashers are a great source of food scraps.

First Bath

Arrow was getting rather smelly, so we bathed him. He was not too keen on the idea but was persuaded to stay in the bath long enough for us to get the job done:

Full of Energy

It's Arrow again. Full of energy as ever. This picture catches a little of his seemingly boundless energy.

Holes

In the garden there are holes where part of the lawn used to be.

And here's the culprit taking a rest after all that effort.


He went to the vet today to have his vaccination booster shot. He's allowed to meet other dogs in a week's time. He's also had a chip implanted so that he can be indentified if he gets lost.

Growing Dog.

He likes sand

And Socks

He also likes to eat snails in the garden but I don't have a picture of that yet.

He Likes Shoes

Cathy's sandals now have teeth marks in their straps. I've been told a new pair are required. He also likes folds in fabric and today he destroyed the power cable for Cathy's laptop.