W/C 19th July 2021. HOT, HOT, HOT!

Monday 19th July

The UK is currently experiencing a bit of a heat wave at the moment so it is important that all dogs walks are done in the coolest part of the day. Jay took Dembe out for an early lead walk before he went to work. Martin from Happy dogs picked Dembe up at around 9.30am. It was already quite warm so Martin walked the group in shaded areas, unfortunately that area didn’t have a good enough signal to do a Facebook live. When Dembe got home I hosed him down in the back garden. Martin told me what a very good boy he had been.

We had got up incredibly early ( for me and Dembe as we like a lie on, after Dembe has had his first walk of the day), we were up at 6.30am. Dembe was starving hungry straight off the bat which is unusual for him. He really isn’t the typical greedy Labrador and is an extremely fussy eater. It was so unusual I took a photo and sent it to Jay to prove to him Dembe was having an early breakfast.

I managed to get some sewing done today, whilst Dembe slept after his happy dogs walk. When I went to take some photos of my finished pieces Dembe couldn’t help but get involved in the process.

During this intense hot spell we are having at the moment Dembe has taken to lying on the patio flag stones in the shaded part of the back garden.

To help cool him off in the afternoon I filled up his paddling pool.

He enjoyed this immensely, he loves water and goes crazy when the hosepipe is out. As a result of his love of water and the heat at the moment we have bought Dembe a spinkle mat which is coming tomorrow.

Tuesday 20th July

It is as hot as Hades! When Jay walked Dembe on the common at 4am it was already 17 degrees centigrade.

I found two ticks on Dembe, one on the front of his chest and one in his armpit. He was a very good boy and let me remove both of them using the tick removing tool I bought from Amazon. He did however run up the stairs with his carrot after they were removed. It seems that he thinks we can’t get him when he runs up the stairs. Martin our dog trainer has said that is more a Golden retriever type of behaviour as they are sensitive souls.

My phone just refused to focus properly on the tick so this is the best I could do. Both ticks were of similar size. Both sites where the ticks were removed are lightly swollen so I shall keep an eye on them. Mollie our eldest Weimaraner was the same when she had ticks remove the skin would swell slightly where the tick had embedded itself.

Thankfully he did forgive us for removing the tick!

Dembe’s sprinkle mat arrived at around lunch time. We got it assembled quickly and put it outside for him to have a play with.

When the jets were on he refused to go anywhere near it. So I turned the jets off and he was more than happy to play in the water that had collected in the bottom. I turned the water back on to put the jets on whilst he was on the mat he was fine with that, thank goodness.

Dembe had lots of little walks to the shaded lane that is very close to our home. He took full of advantage of Jay being home and must’ve had about 6 walks today.

Here he is looking as gorgeous as ever!

Wednesday 21st July

Dembe woke up just before 6am, on waking I gave him a cuddle and discovered another tick on his chest near his front leg. He was very good boy and allowed me to remove it from him cleanly using the tool. We think he is picking up the ticks from the lane as it is used by Foxes and Hedgehogs. I have checked him all over several times today to ensure I haven’t missed any. I have gone online and ordered some rose geranium oil to apply to him before he goes for walks as this is supposed to be as effective as Deet at keeping the little critters away. For the minute I have used some peppermint oil on him to put them off as this is effective too.

His paddling pool needed cleaned and filled so we had a laugh with the hosepipe and the crazy dog again! He does love the water.

Due to the heat I cancelled Dembe’s walk with Sophie from Creature Kind, she had just emailed me to discuss the situation, she offered to take him out earlier but as Jay was on a late shift it wasn’t worth it. He was actually ok about not going out. The heat was so oppressive that he was quite happy to just have cuddles on the sofa with me.

Jay popped home at 5pm and gave Dembe a walk around the block, it was soooo hot. We hosed him off before the walk and then again when he came back. Dembe was more than happy for an early night and we were up in bed by 7pm.

Thursday 22nd July

It is still crazy hot! Dembe is having a very early walk on the common and then Jay will walk him in the shaded lane at Lunch time and then again when he gets home from work. It is too hot to have Dembe running around being a nutter, although to be honest he has slept most of this last week due to the heat and I don’t blame him.

This afternoon I took Dembe on to the shaded part of the patio and practised getting him to sit nicely with a huge bag of treats beside me. I also used the opportunity to give him a quick groom as the hair in the house at the moment is just bonkers. It has never been this bad ever! There are huge great rolls of hair appearing out from under furniture even though the house is vacuumed twice a day at the moment due to all the bloody hair! Honestly how he isn’t naked is beyond me.

I know I am biased but I really do think that he is such a handsome boy. I know every dog owner says that about their dogs but he is just gorgeous. I am utterly besotted with him as is his daddy.

Dembe is going absolutely crazy for Cottage cheese and petit filous deserts – both human foods, which he can have a little of sometimes. He loves the cottage cheese so much that I have been letting him have the last dregs in the tub. Until now he has never stuck his nose fully into a food container or carried it around. We laugh because Frankie our Weimaraner, who sadly passed away two weeks before Dembe came home with us used to do exactly the same. It is so sweet to see him doing stuff that the other dogs did. He makes us laugh when he races into the kitchen when he hears the Fridge open just like Willow used to. Willow was so bad if she heard a kitchen timer go off she would race you to the kitchen LOL!

Friday 23rd July

My goodness what a cuddly boy Dembe is being today, I cant bend down without being kissed and I can’t sit or lie down without being cuddled, brought a toy or kissed to death. He has managed to lick my eyeball 3 times today!

I had a lie down on the bed and he couldn’t get close enough to me for a cuddle.

It was slightly cooler this evening than it has been all week so Dembe was much more active. He wanted to get me lots of toys out and have me play with him for ages. I don’t mind as it was lovely to see him more comfortable rather than struggling with the heat.

After having a massive play session he then crashed on the lounge floor and went to sleep!

Sorry this week has been a bit shorter than normal. We are having a new boiler fitted on Monday so we have been getting the house ready. We will be doing the final prep on Sunday which would be my normal day for writing up his diary, hence why it has been done earlier. Hopefully it will go smoothly.

The next two weeks Jay is on holiday so I shall be taking a two week break from Dembe’s Diary and will catch you up August 9th 2021.

W/C 12th July 2021

Sunday 11th July

I had to share this photo from last Sunday, Dembe photo bombing baby Yoda!

Monday 12th July

Dembe is back to having proper dog walks this week as his limp has gone and he is now walking fine, getting up and just back to being the nutter he can be when wants to be. He was picked up by Martin from Happy Dogs and he was so pleased to see him after not seeing Martin for over a week. Dembe stopped and had a cuddle before jumping into the van, he doesn’t always do that as most of the time he is just desperate to get in the van and out for a walk . You can see Dembe out on his walk by using this link if you have Facebook .https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/1811875565658796

Dembe was pretty tired after his walk and spent quite a while lying on the floor afterwards cooling down. The weather wasn’t brilliant very thundery and humid, with rain showers.

He was very excited to see his dad just after 1pm when he popped back for lunch and to take Dembe around the block. Jay was brought Dembe’s carrot to look at.

Dembe was getting quite impatient for his dad to finish work this afternoon. He stood at the window for ages watching the world go by and went mental when his dad arrived.

Tuesday 13th July

Jay was day off today so as usual the Daddy and Dembe love in commenced from waking. Dembe spends as much time as possible getting a cuddle from his dad and lying next to him on the sofa when Jay is off work. He will be very pleased soon as Jay has 2 weeks off work.

Today was an orange dinosaur day, this toy was bought by our friend Carolyn. When Jay’s dad passed away she sent Dembe a toy as she knew he would be fretting with his dad being upset and not understanding why. It is one of his firm favourites that is presented to us at least once a week. He has a thing for his dinosaur toys.

He is also obsessed with his new Tennis balls that I picked up on Amazon called “The Dogs Balls”, which with both of us being so immature makes us laugh. It is even printed on the balls! Dembe is still trying to work out how he can carry both at the same time. Every time Jay and I are out in the garden Dembe brings a ball with him on the off chance that we will play nudge with him.

The tennis balls are really good as they are slightly larger than standard tennis balls, so we don’t have to worry about Dembe choking on them.

Dembe has started a new thing in the last few weeks where if he is lying on the floor or the sofa and you walk up to him to give him a cuddle he will roll over onto his back and let you rub his belly. Something he has never let us do previously. Belly rubbing always met with him mouthing our hands, luckily he is very gentle. He is becoming a huge softie.

Wednesday 14th July

Jay is a late night finish today and Sophie from Creature Kind is on holiday this week helping her new puppy settle in, so today was Dembe’s first walk with Beth from Creature Kind. Poor Beth was a bit nervous as it was the first time that she had taken Dembe out by herself and she knows how over protective we are!

Dembe was happily dozing on the sofa when Beth pulled up outside. I managed to capture the look on his face when he heard her van.

Beth took some lovely photos of Dembe and the gang

Dembe was knackered when he got home, Beth told me he had been as good as gold on his walk and had been playing with Polo for most of the walk. He went to sleep immediately on getting home only waking 30 minutes later to demand his dinner. We had an early night as I was quite poorly today. Dembe was more than happy with that.

Dembe has another new thing he has started doing which stems from him taking my socks off on command. If you say “Dembe find the sock” he will search the room looking until he finds the sock, be it clean or dirty. Thankfully when you ask for him to give them to you he does and he doesn’t eat them like some Labradors have been known to do.

Thursday 15th July

Today Dembe is having a rest day after his walk yesterday. We have worked out that he doesn’t need a walk on Jay’s 9-6 shifts, this is usually Jays shift after a late. So today he gets to rest after his mad adventures with Beth from Creature Kind yesterday. With him being that bit older, he will be three in November ( I know I can’t believe it either) he is much calmer, before he would be fizzing with energy and bouncing off the walls without a big walk. Now without a big walk he is more than happy to settle himself down and go to sleep for the day.

As the end of the week is supposed to be boiling hot we filled Dembe’s paddling pool. He loves jumping in and out as you fill it and attacking the hosepipe trying to bite the water. He really enjoyed himself!

Dembe was really lovely and chilled all day, due to the high temperatures he spent most of the day sleeping and coming to me for cuddles.

Bless him he was so hot this evening that he couldn’t even be bothered to shag his bed! He pulled his bed out and then just lay down.

Friday 16th July

Well I managed to not take any photos of Dembe today which is a rarity. I was just so busy with multiple phone calls from our car insurance company. You may remember last year we were involved in an RTC, where a BT open reach van reversed into us. Well our insurance company and the legal company working for them to do my personal injury claim have been diabolical. So I ended up putting in a formal complaint about them both. So today was spent on the phone, multiple times with various departments. Thankfully it is all sorted, the driver of the BT van admitted liability, so we are getting our excess back and they have also thrown in some compensation. I am planning on getting Dembe a new Dogs and Horses Collar when the cheque arrives. He deserves something nice as he was in the accident too.

Dembe had a walk with Martin from Happy Dogs first thing, he was so happy when he got home as he had obviously enjoyed himself that he ran into the house to get his giant carrot and he presented it to Martin! Martin said he was a good boy on his walk, so that’s also lovely news. No video from the walk as they were walking in a forest to keep the dogs cool and Martin couldn’t get a signal.

Dembe was such a good boy with me on the phone as well. He just kept coming up to me checking I was ok.

Saturday 17th July

Bugger me it is so hot!

Dembe bless him is lying around sleeping. I have got the hosepipe on him a few times now to cool him off. He was very tired this morning as Jay was on an early shift.

The heat has been putting Dembe off his breakfast and he refused to eat it until gone 9am this morning. Poor baby I really feel for him with his double coat.

Here he is lying down on a damp towel after being hosed off outside to keep him cool.

Have a fab week everyone and thank you all for reading xxx

W/C 5th July 2021

Monday 5th July

Dembe had been doing really well over the weekend and he had stopped limping, so on Sunday I contacted Happy Dogs to let them know he would be ok to be walked. Sadly though when Martin brought him back he was limping again. Martin said he was limping from the minute he jumped out of the van. It isn’t as pronounced as it was but still not good. I decided to cancel his walk on Wednesday with Sophie at Creature Kind and give him a week of proper rest. He only had those two walks booked this week anyway so he isn’t missing much.

We have been continuing with his supplements and he likes them, so that’s good. We crush them up in a pestle and mortar and then sprinkle the powder over his meals. They seem to be doing the trick and he is definitely not limping around the house. The issue is more noticeable when he gets up after being asleep as he is stiff. So we shall keep an eye on him this week. If he isn’t right by next Monday we shall take him to the vet. He has only been limping since last Thursday so it is 4 days that is not enough for a sprain or strain to heal.

I am a bit worried with how he will cope with not going out with a dog walker this week as some weeks he is out 4 times. I had reduced it back this month as a bit of an experiment to see if he needed it. He will be 3 years old in November and although he still has his mental activity periods he is more than happy to lie around and sleep. This is the week I shall find out if I can keep him calm and less mobile. Wish me luck.

Thankfully his extra treats arrived this week, as long as he has something to chew on he is a happy boy.

Tuesday 6th July

Dembe didn’t start fussing for his breakfast until 8.30am but first we piled into daddy’s room. It is our morning routine when Jay is on a late or day off that Dembe and I go in and wake him him. We all lie on the bed and chat, Dembe always brings us his blue dinosaur. He has this weird thing where he will have a cuddle with us for ages and then all of a sudden he will jump up and run down to the end of the bed. Jay then has to take the duvet of his feet, Dembe then gives Jays foot a sniff and sometimes a lick. Then he comes back up to the top of the bed again. It makes us laugh every time he does it. We have no clue why he has to check Jays feet!

I was busy chatting away to them both when I suddenly heard them both snoring!

Dembe has had his usual lead walks during the day, Jay has just made them shorter rather than doing a walk around the block to ensure he keeps his leg rested as much as possible.

Again he has spent a lot of the day sleeping and hasn’t seemed that fussed about not having long walks. If we could have got away with it we wouldn’t have taken him out at all but he point blank refuses to use the garden to go to the toilet.

Wednesday 7th July

Jay is on a 10.30-7.30 shift due to the football, normally he would have been late night. Dembe is certainly spending a lot of the afternoon looking for Sophie. I feel sorry for him but he really must rest, there will be other walks.

He got a bit barky around 6pm but it was ok he still settled down.

He is not showing any signs of a limp now and is just a bit tentative when getting up. I had a look at my phone to discover when he last had a limp. It was back at the end of April. I am wondering if we didn’t let him rest it enough and that is why it has flared up again. Having checked his legs numerous times there is no swelling, no heat and he isn’t taking his leg away from you when you examine it. It is his left leg.

Thursday 8th July

We came downstairs to this today

Dembe didn’t notice Cleo on the sofa until we came back in with his breakfast. He went mental it was the first time I have ever heard him growl. He was barking and growling and all his hair was standing on end.

To ensure Dembe hasn’t been a pain the bum for our neighbours I have spent as much time as I can in the lounge with him so he doesn’t stand at the front window barking at every noise from outside. He has spent a lot of the week curled up on my lap ( as much as a full grown Labrador can be on its owners lap ). By staying with him he has been much more settled .

Dembe now lets us know when he wants to go out for a walk, he stands by the front door. If his blue lead is hanging up he will nudge that with his nose. He doesn’t bark or whine he will just stand facing the door. He usually starts to do this just before Jay is coming home.

Friday 9th July

Oh my goodness Dembe didn’t wake up until 6am for his morning walk and then didn’t wake up until 10am for breakfast. He only woke up because I was stirring otherwise he would have continued to sleep. It was really nice to have a proper lie on.

Despite sleeping on until 10am Dembe was still more than happy to spend the majority of the day dosing. Jay was on a late night so that suited me fine, he popped back at 5pm to give Dembe a walk around the block.

Due to having his breakfast really late Demeb wasn’t hungry for his dinner until gone 6pm. Normally he starts begging by sitting in front of the fridge any time from 3.15pm onwards.

He likes eating his dinner in the lounge! Spoilt pup. He polished off the lot.

I managed to capture him licking his lips after he had finished his dinner. Every day we are seeing an improvement in Dembe. He has started running again on walks now.

Saturday 10th July

Today I saw Dembe running and he has no signs of a limp at all. I also saw him walking up hill on the lead after his walk again no limp. This is fantastic news. So hopefully he will be able to resume walks with his dog walkers this week.

Sunday 11th July

We are having a lazy Sunday before the England match this evening.

Have a good week.

W/C 28th June 2021

At some point very soon I will be forced into switching the blog over to blogger as WordPress have a limit on how many photographs and videos you can have on a personal blog before they want you to pay £80 a year for the next amount of storage. I don’t have the money and I already pay £36 a year for this site. I am hoping to slowly migrate each post and it’s photos over to blogger and will eventually be able to shut this one down. There will be plenty of notice and when it happens I will provide a link each week so you can read and see the updates about Dembe.

Monday 28th June

Dembe had a walk booked with Martin from Happy Dogs this morning as Jay was on his usual early shift. The weather was so grotty there was no video or photos. He was on and off the lead today, he decided today that instead of running in the opposite direction when Martin called him back he would sit and refuse to move. Well at least he likes to keep us on our toes.

This photo of Dembe taken a while back was used on Happy Dogs Facebook page on Monday. We were chuffed to bits that Dembe and Blue’s photo had been chosen for this.

We were watching Tv whilst we had our Dinner and Dembe was utterly fascinated by the Labradors on the TV.

We have all been invited to a wedding at the end of July, Dembe received his very own invite. So I decided to get him something dapper to wear for the occasion, his very own Tux

Tuesday 29th June

As usual Tuesday is the Daddy and Dembe love in day! With the heat at the moment he is spending a lot of time lying on the floor either on the cool stones of the patio or on the laminate flooring.

This evening our friend Bungle ( aka Adam aka Mr Start, Sophie’s husband) came over to watch the Football as England were playing in the Euros. Initially Dembe was really barking so I initiated some calm giving to get his energy levels to drop. I was just doing exactly what we had been taught at obedience training. This worked brilliantly and he calmed right down.

He was utterly fascinated with Bungles beard and kept licking it and trying to bite it. Bungle has a very bushy long beard so it was something Dembe hasn’t encountered in a while! He kept lying across Bungles lap and trying to get hold of his beard. When he wasn’t doing that he was getting as close to him as possible on the sofa or lying on the floor with his head resting on his feet. It was very sweet to see.

Wednesday 30th June

Jay is on a late night so Dembe has had several walks before he has gone into work. It is very hot and humid again today so Dembe is sleeping a lot and not as active as usual. He comes to life in the evening when the temperature is cooler.

Sophie picked Dembe up just before 2pm, he was so excited to see Sophie from Creature Kind that he ran straight out and hopped into her van greeting Polo his best chum with lots of tail wagging. It is really lovely to see these two greeting each other.

As you can see from the photo’s Dembe had a wonderfully muddy time! Thankfully when he came home he was clean as a whistle thanks to some strategic swimming implemented by Sophie. He was absolutely shattered when he came in and went to sleep for 30 minutes before eating his dinner and then dropping back off to sleep/

Thursday 1st July

Dembe had a walk with Martin from Happy Dogs this morning. Unfortunately Dembe had developed a limp so his walk had to be cut short and was mainly on the lead. Martin gave him a full check over and could find no obvious problem as to why he was limping. He checked all his pads, his wrists and his elbows. There was no heat coming from any of the joints and no swelling.

I checked again when he came home but could find no issues. It is an intermittent limp and very subtle so I am keeping an eye on him and trying to limit jumping, running around like an idiot etc.

Martin took this lovely photo of Dembe and Chester together today. He said Dembe was very good boy on his walk.

With the heat it has been relatively easy to keep him off his feet, we have had a very cuddly rest of the day. I have ordered some Maxxi Flex+ from amazon for him. This stuff is incredible for healing and natural pain relief. It is £30 for a bottle of tablets ( luckily they had a £2.00) off voucher. I used to give these to Frankie all the time to treat his Arthritis as he got older and I would give them to all the dogs whenever they picked up an injury and it would help them enormously. They are coming tomorrow so I am hoping they come early enough for me to get two doses in to get him on the mend.

Friday 2nd July

Dembe is walking a bit better today but he is still quite stiff when getting up from lying on the floor. Still it is an improvement from Thursday afternoon. As he is such a clumsy bugger I am pretty sure he has just sprained something. I don’t run to the vets with stuff like this as long as he isn’t showing any signs of pain. I don’t like the vets using metacam on my dog(s) as we have had issues in the past with Frankie ( rest in peace) who would pee blood after a metacam injection. So I always tend to treat naturally wherever I can as you dont know with metacam if there is a problem until they have been dosed with it.

Today we have two plumbers coming over to give us quotes for the new boiler, we have got some jumbbones for Dembe to distract him and stop him barking. Thankfully both plumbers are ok with dogs and one of them has met Dembe before when he serviced our boiler last year.

Jay is on a late night so Dembe had an early morning walk and then a bigger walk at 9am followed by two smaller walks so he went to the toilet before Jay left for work. He still refuses to use our garden. His limp is still intermittent but better than before. I have a lazy afternoon on the sofa to keep him resting as much as possible.

Dembe’s supplements arrive around 18.00 hours so I try him with a tablet straight out of the bottle to see if he will eat them. They are supposed to be chewable but the Weimaraners were suspicious of everything and would never eat stuff like that straight out of a bottle. It would have to be hidden in pate and the like. Dembe surprises me by eating the first and second ones straight out of the bottle. The third gets hidden in a dairylea triangle and eaten no issue.

He is asleep early this evening and stays up on the bed with me tucked up tight against my left leg just like Frankie used to do.

Saturday 3rd July

Well what a difference with taking that new supplement, it was always the same when I used it on the Weimaraners you could see a difference within a few hours. Dembe is walking much easier and is no longer stiff when getting up from lying down. He only had one dose last night. This morning I crushed up the tablets in my pestle and mortar and add them to his breakfast. He eats the lot and is looking for more.

I was fixing a friends very cherished cuddly toy this morning whose back had come apart along the seam. A very quick fix. Sadly Dembe thought that the toy was for him so I am having to hide it all the time so he can’t get to it and get it covered in Dembe slobber! As you can see he was keeping a watchful eye on me as I made the repairs.

When I woke up this morning Dembe was on the bed tucked up against my left leg, which now seems to be his preferred way of sleeping. If I hadn’t woken up at 8am he would have still been snoring his head off at 9am. He really doesn’t do well with Jay’s early starts. Jay let me know that he was definitely walking better today.

I am still keeping him quiet and not having him running around like a loon. I don’t want the supplements masking any pain and then him causing further damage.

You can tell he is feeling so much more himself today as when his dad pops home for lunch Dembe launches off the sofa and grabs his carrot from the toy box to present to his daddy. He is walking around parading it with no sign of a limp which is fab news.

We will keep an eye on him for the rest of today and tomorrow. We will decide tomorrow evening whether or not to go ahead with his booked walk on Monday morning as I don’t want to cause a flare up and more damage. If he is still limping on Monday we will get him checked out at the vets.

W/C 14th June 2021

Monday 14th June

Today was Jay’s first day back at work after a week’s holiday. Dembe was a really good boy and slipped back into our usual routine. He was waiting by the window for Martin to arrive.

Dembe was a good boy on his walk today. If you have Facebook you can see the video that was taken using the link – https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/501349931204932 Martin said he was a bit sulky to begin with being on the long lead. But that soon wore off and he had a good time and settled down quickly.

When he came through the door I could see a very small tick on his eyebrow trying to bury its head in. I managed to find the tick remover and get it off before it attached itself. Martin said he had picked 3 off Dembe’s head before he got into the back of the van. He said it is Dembe’s habit of shoving his head into the bushes when he has a poo means he is getting more ticks. I also think it is because they are so bloody rampant this year. Having had dogs since 2003, 2009 was the last year ticks were this bad and poor old Frankie kept getting them all over his face. He was another one for shoving his head in bushes!

When Jay came home at lunch time we were having a catch up and when we looked up Dembe was on the small sofa by the front door.

We couldn’t stop laughing. He loves his baby carrot as much as his full sized one. I washed his big carrot today as it was starting to look a bit grubby from where he drags it out into the garden. Thankfully he doesn’t seem as keen on dunking his toys in his paddling pool this year as he has in previous years.

Due to how hot it has been Dembe has been sleeping downstairs for the first part of the night and then coming up to bed with me around midnight.

Tuesday 15th June

Dembe was full of beans first thing this morning and was demanding that we have a game of nudge with his football. The patio is nice and cool first thing in the morning as it is in the shade.

He also wanted to do zoomies but alas there isn’t enough room in our garden to do that. I think that is why he likes Nannies house so much.

I changed the battery in my chromebook this morning, when I took the cover off I found bloody Dembe hair inside it.

When we went out out with Dembe this afternoon we bumped into Beth and Sophie from Creature Kind and Dembe didn’t know what to do with himself he was so excited. He was running around in circles like a crazed beast. He hadn’t seen them for 2 weeks and had clearly missed them! It wont be long and he will be out with them again…tomorrow.

This evening Dembe decided that he would turn the whole toy box out to find a toy he rarely plays with.

We call this Toymageddon!

Wednesday 16th June

Dembe was up early for his first walk 4.30am, which didn’t impress either of us! I am sure it is because the mornings are so light now that he is waking up earlier. Jay hasn’t had to use a torch in the morning for weeks. He started fussing for his breakfast at 06.45 but I just rolled over and he lasted another hour before starting again.

We have had a new runner arrive for the kitchen and it has the Dembe seal of approval as he keeps going out and lying on it regardless if we are out there with him or not. Which means he really likes it.

Sophie from Creature Kind came and got him just after 1pm. He was very pleased to see Sophie and ran down the drive and hopped straight into her van.

Dembe had also missed his mate Polo! So it was lovely to see the photo’s of the Wednesday gang back together.

A really lovely photo showing how much Dembe and Polo enjoy each others company. I don’t think they could get any closer to each other!

When Dembe got home I gave him a hose off in the garden as he was a little bit grubby and he was hot. As Dembe was out early today on his walk Jay popped back at 5pm to walk him around the block, I knew Dembe would want a wee as he had drunk loads after his walk. It would be unfair to expect him to go through from 3pm until 10pm with no toilet break.

Thursday 17th June

Dembe had a walk with Martin this morning, he was a very good boy on his walk today. So we are hopeful we can move him back to being off the lead. He was an angel today. If you have Facebook you can see the video here using this link – https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/187202806653837

He was knackered after his walk this morning and had a big nap for the rest of the morning.

He was quite content this afternoon to lie out on the rattan bed on the patio whilst I sewed in the kitchen.

He went in and out the paddling pool this afternoon as well. It is very humid today and Dembe is struggling with it.

Friday 18th June

Jay is on an early shift today so Jay took him around the block rather than up on the common. Unfortunately his latest trick is to refuse to go for a poo on a street walk so he was desperate to get out by the time Martin from Happy Dogs arrived. Bloody stupid dog.

He was 50/50 on the walk today. Martin allowed him off the lead for some of it as initially on the lead he was doing really well. Now instead of running off into the distance if he doesn’t like the direction change he is sitting down and refusing to move. Why is he such a twit at times? All I ever have is the adorable soppy boy. Martin said he will keep working with him.

If you have Facebook you can see the video using this link – https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/965916977497594

He was very tired after his morning walk and slept on the small sofa beside the front door for a couple of hours.

I wasn’t very well at all today so spent much of the day curled up on the sofa. Dembe was following me everywhere and was very clingy. I wasn’t even allowed to use the bathroom without him barging in.

Saturday 19th June

Jay is late night today, so Dembe’s first walk was around the block. yet again he refused to go for a poo. This dog is such a bloody diva. He got me up just before 8am and then Jay took him for an hours walk on the Common at around 8.30am.

They had a lovely walk on the common, as they were walking and chatting with a couple of women who were walking the biggest German Sheppard that Jay has ever seen. He said that Dembe was very wary at first but the dog was a gentle giant. He was really funny as he refused to fetch a ball if it was thrown in front of him. The ball always had to be thrown behind him if he was going to fetch it!

We received some sad news from our friends today that their 15 year old Cairn Terrier had passed away in her sleep overnight. She had been going blind and deaf for sometime but I imagine finding her in her bed this morning must have been a dreadful shock. At least it was peaceful and none of them had to go through the trauma of taking the last trip to the vets. I know they will be devastated and my heart goes out to them. I cried as I read the message.

Dembe has been pretty tired today but then he has had 4 walks this week with dog walkers, it isn’t just an hours walk there is also high energy play and brain training going on. So he has been very tired happily dosing away for a few hours at a time. I can’t believe he is going to be 3 in November where has the time gone?

I managed to catch him mid yawn this afternoon. He was a very good boy whilst I did some sewing.

His daddy popped home at 5pm, Jay said he was having a bad day today with tomorrow being fathers day. So I am finishing the blog up early so I can concentrate on him tomorrow.

Dembe’s fathers day card and present for Jay arrived this afternoon so we have wrapped them up and got Dembe to tell me what he wanted to put in the card for his dad.

I am so pleased that Jay has such a good bond with Dembe and that he is both of ours dog. He loves us both equally. He is the first boy dog we have had that has done that. Normally they favour me.

Until next week, stay safe xxx

W/C Monday 31st May 2021

I’m actually going to start on

Sunday 30th May

It was very warm today and we had all the windows of the car open for a few hours before we made our way down to Jays mum’s for the day. Dembe would be meeting up with his puppy pal Darcy and then having a long walk on Dartmoor.

It is safe to say Dembe loves his Nannies garden. Jay and I were inside talking to his mum whilst we could see Dembe so excited that he was doing Zoomies in the garden by himself as he sprinted around the garden! We were laughing at him as he was just so happy. He had a really lovely play with Darcy who has become less bitey as she has got older. After an hour in the garden, Jay put the hose on both the dogs as it was getting warm and then they set off for their walk to the Tor.

We were quite surprised when both dogs were still on the go when they got back from their 6 miles walk. Dembe was fixated on Darcy’s tennis ball and was following that around the garden. They were both really well behaved.

When we got home at around 5pm that evening Dembe came inside the house and jumped up on the sofa. He fell asleep immediately and didn’t move for the next hour he was so tired he didn’t even want his dinner.

Monday 31st May

Today is the Whitsun bankholiday and the last bank holiday before the last one of the year in August. We were having a lazy day after our trip out yesterday. I had quite a nasty migraine overnight, Jay and Dembe were knackered after their long walk.

We measured Dembe today for a new car harness as he has outgrown his old ones. It will be coming tomorrow, the size that is coming is the largest one they do and should be able to be made bigger than what he needs. I like this brand of harness as it is one of the few in the world that has actually been crash tested. It is called the SlowTon Harness and is available from Amazon ( I am not receiving anything for this recommendation it is just the one I found after researching harnesses)https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DQGFG2C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 this link will take you to it on UK Amazon. We went for the green tartan version as Dembe has a nice Racing Green leather collar.

Tuesday 1st June

The hot weather is continuing and despite the forecast of rain tomorrow we have got Dembe’s pool out for him so he can have a play.

He was so excited all he wanted to do is eat the water from the hosepipe. We also got out his cool mat so he can chill out – literally.

Dembe’s car harness arrived at 11.30am so we were really pleased it had arrived before Dembe’s next car journey. It needed barely any adjustment and is very easy to get on and off.

Dembe was asleep very early tonight.

Wednesday 2nd June

Today is really weird as Jay is on an early shift and not a late due to the bank holiday, also Sophie from Creature Kind is on Holiday so Dembe has a walk booked this morning with Happy Dogs.

Sadly Dembe was very naughty on his walk today, he decided for the first time ever to run off and disappear. Martin had almost got to the point of having to ring me to tell me Dembe was missing when he emerged from the bushes mouth covered in frothy saliva. I was mortified that he could be so naughty, especially when the boy I know can be a bloody angel. I told Martin that for all future walks Dembe has to be on a long lead. I wouldn’t cope at all if we lost him or if he fell pray to a dognapper. Until he realises he is not in charge on walks he will have to be on the long lead.

For the rest of the day Dembe was rather meek and mild knowing that he had well and truly pushed his luck. Sadly due to the events of the last few months we haven’t been on his training consistently if at all and like a child when the rules aren’t enforced they take full advantage. Things are going to get quite tough for him over the next few days as we revert back to his training and doing it consistently.

I ordered Dembe’s food on Monday and that I arrived today, he is very happy with his Highland Essentials. As the food was being tipped into his food storage bin it dropped on the floor and it was like watching a game of Hungry Hippos! As he is such a fussy eater I was very surprised that he even looked at it.

His stomach has been making some awful noises this afternoon, god knows what he was eating in the bushes when he went on his adventure.

Thursday 3rd June

Well this is really going to throw us all out as Jay is late night, normally that is Wednesday. So on Dembe’s first walk he had a walk around the block and then for his second walk Daddy took him up the common for an hour. They had a fun time although by the time they got back the temperature was really beginning to rise.

I was pretty poorly today so did little more than lie around on the sofa.

Dembe was a good boy for me today and just enjoyed having cuddles on the sofa with me. He was ecstatic that his treat box arrived this week. I get a treat box delivered every month as it provides him with different treats. He has got more adventurous and thinks nothing now of chowing down on a hairy rabbits ear or puffed pigs snout!

Jay popped home at around 5pm and walked Dembe around the block for 30 minutes before returning to work. I managed to convince Dembe that it was time for bed at 18.30 so I could have a good rest upstairs. He is very good in that regard.

Friday 4th June

Dembe has a walk booked with Martin this morning, although he seems pretty chilled and not bursting with energy this morning. I think the heat is getting to him. As agreed Martin had him on a long lead. If you have Facebook you can see the Facebook Live Martin from Happy Dogs recorded

here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/2919510708337627 . Martin told me that Dembe was not impressed to be on the lead and was quite sulky as he wasn’t happy that he wasn’t getting to do what he wanted. He carried on that sulk when he came home!

He soon forgave me and gave me a huge cuddle, crawling onto my lap and staying there for 30 minutes or so.

With the heat he was quite tired and spent a lot of the day sleeping. I had implemented the new training regime getting him to sit and stay, to wait before doing things. The duck treats I got as a free gift with his dog food have gone down really well. It seems he will do anything for those.

This evening he lay on the floor to cool down in the evening and used his Carrot as a cushion.

Saturday 5th June

Another warm day and the last day that daddy is working before his weeks holiday and the daddy and Dembe love in can begin.

W/C 3rd May 2021

On Sunday 2nd May we travelled down to see Dembe’s Nanny Morris for the first time. This was the first time she had met him properly. Dembe also met his cousin Darcy who is a 12 week old Labrador. They played for quite a bit and Dembe was thoroughly exhausted after being chased around the garden by Darcy.

Monday 3rd May 2021

Today is a bank holiday so Dembe is thrilled as his dad is home again today! So it was a full on Daddy and Dembe love in. He spent the majority of the day on the sofa curled up next to Jay.

The liveliest he got all day was when I had a cheese sandwich for lunch!

Tuesday 4th May

Jay was day off today so Dembe took full advantage of having his dad at home and ensured he had lots of cuddles. We cooked up all of Dembe’s meals for the month, he is really enjoying his new food Highland Essentials and we don’t seem to be having the smelly windy pops that we were experiencing from him on the previous food. So I would say his tummy is more settled on it.

I had to go and have my second covid jab today which was down at the vaccination hub. Dembe decided for the first time ever that he was going to bark at anyone who got near the car. He was very impatient even though I was in and out. He had assumed when we all got into the car he was off out for a walk up the common, which he had as soon as Jay had dropped me home.

He had a huge dinner this evening as he had all the scraps that were left over from batch cooking his meals.

He crashed very early this evening he was still getting over meeting Darcy!

Wednesday 5th May

Daddy is back to work today after a three day break which Dembe has enjoyed every minute of. Jay walked Dembe 3 times before he went to work. As Jay had been home for three days Dembe’s routine was all out. So he was happily curled up on the sofa asleep before Sophie arrived.

He recognised the sound of Sophie’s van and was barking to let me know she was outside. He was mad keen to get out for a nice walk with his friends. Polo was there as well, so he was very happy! Dembe was picked up around 13.20 today, it was Sophie and Beth today. He was being a right floozy with Sophie getting lots of cuddles from her before getting in the van.

Polo and Dembe . Photo Credit Sophie Start Creature Kind

As is usual when Dembe has an afternoon walk with Sophie he came home and almost immediately started to demand his dinner. He does this by sitting in front of the fridge, as his batch cooked meals are defrosted in the fridge for him. He had an enormous dinner and then went to sleep, he didnt have the manic hour after eating, just straight to sleep.

Thursday 6th May

We have reduced down the number of walks Dembe has each week as we know that he needs them more on Jays 7-4’s and late nights than he does on Jays middle shifts. So we are going to see how he adapts to not having a walk on the 9-6 and go from there.

He was walked twice before Jay went to work and again at lunch time when Jay popped back for a bite to eat. He has been very good all day with not having the walk and has settled really well. Sleeping a lot of the time today.

His natural treat subscription box arrived today and he was very enthusiastic when I brought it into the house. I have given him a rabbits ear to have a munch on.

He is always very keen for me to get involved when he is chewing on something. I am so lucky that he gets me to hold whatever revolting thing he is chewing and he pays me in saliva as it trickles down my hand and arm…..YUCK!

Dembe was really good until about 5pm and then he was unsettled as he wanted to go out which he would have been even if he had a walk in the morning. He was really good and was patient until his dad got home and gave him a nice run up on Woodbury Common.

He was knackered again this evening and was crashed out on the sofa ages before we went to bed.

Friday 7th May

Today Dembe had his first walk with Martin from Happy Dogs, he was very pleased to see Martin and insisted on having a fuss made of him before he would jump in the van.

If you have Facebook you can see the Facebook Live Martin took on the walk. https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/174377927908704

Dembe found a very big, very muddy puddle and part way through the video emerges into the shot wearing what looks like very thick brown leggings! I laughed my head off when I saw it. He has just decided that all puddles and bogs need to be explored. Up until now we have always been very lucky in the fact that he didnt like to get dirty. That all changed about 2 weeks ago and he decided he was a proper Labrador!

When Martin arrived back he asked me “are you ready?” to which I replied “no you can keep him a bit longer” as I had no idea what state Dembe was going to arrive back at. Thankfully he was just very wet. Martin had got him to go into a stream and have a swim and he had also rinsed him 3 times with his Mud Daddy. I was relieved!

As soon as he got in he jumped on his favourite sofa and lay on his towel whilst he dried out.

During the afternoon I gave Dembe another chew to keep him occupied.

He really enjoyed this chew, I have no idea what it was, they all smell revolting to me!

Saturday 8th May

I woke up at 6am with a migraine so took some medication and went back to sleep. Dembe was sleeping right beside me when I finally woke up at 8.30am. He always knows when I am not well and wont make a fuss for his breakfast when I am poorly. He was starving when I got downstairs and got his breakfast.

We are having a quiet day today due to my migraine which he seems quite happy about.

Daddy popped home at lunchtime to walk him around the block, when his dad left for work, Dembe just went straight back to sleep.

The sofa by the front door is his favourite spot to nap whilst he waits for Daddy to come home!

W/C 26th April 2021

Yet again I will start with the apologies…. I haven’t kept Dembe’s diary up to date. So I am remembering this as I go!

Monday 26th April

As Dembe’s dad was on an early shift, I had booked Dembe in for a walk with Martin from Happy dogs. I knew that he would be arriving at some point in the morning. Which was good as I was getting my hair cut today for the first time since just before Christmas.

Good news to share that Dembe’s limp has gone, he is back to himself although now he wont eat ham slices when I give them to him. I made the mistake of giving him the joint supplement on them last Saturday and now he refuses them! I wish I could be the same with some foods.

Dembe was very good when Rachel arrived to do my hair. He ran straight into the kitchen and sat down in front of me waiting for his jumbone to keep him occupied whilst Rachel sorted herself out. Unfortunately his natural treat box (subscription) that we get him has run out and I am delighted to report that there was nothing contained within it that he didn’t like! Otherwise I would have given him one of his natural treats. I really need to check to see when his next one is due as he really does love it! The smellier his treats the better!

Dembe got picked up quite late today at around 12.30pm. He was very pleased to see Martin. If you have a Facebook account you can watch Dembe and Blue on their walk with Martin https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/130866262389973

Martin took some great photos of their walk

When Dembe got back he was shattered after not sleeping all morning due to Rachel being here and then having a nice long walk with Martin.

He was knackered all afternoon and was very pleased when we decided we could all do with an early night!

Tuesday 27th April

As is usual in the Dembe household Jay was day off today, we are constantly exhausted all the time at the moment. Which is to be expected with all the stress we were under for several months and then suffering a bereavement. Dembe is happy as long as we are all together. He doesn’t care what we are doing as long as we are all with him!

Dembe really loves lying on the artificial grass. We managed to get another piece as we noticed in a neighbours skip they had a small roll of it. So we asked if we could have it and they said yes. Dembe loves lying on it in all weathers but particularly if it is sunny as on the patio he is in the shade ( until July / August ) and he can keep cool on it.

Dembe was fizzing with energy today, we ended up taking him for his afternoon walk at 1pm, we normally do it at 2pm but he wanted out and was being vocal about it. He had been walked three times already, his first morning walk which is around 30 minutes, his after breakfast walk 10-15 minutes, his midday walk 10-15 mins. So it wasn’t like he hadn’t been out. He was quite insistent that he needed out.

Even after his long walk he was full of beans, he has been enjoying the new TV. This afternoon he was interested in the Snooker being played.

Whenever the RSPCA advert is on with lots of dogs on it he rushes up to the screen with a toy wagging his tail.

As is usual for the boys on daddys day off they were having a massive play session on the floor. Then daddy took Dembe’s Cleo The Caterpillar up on to my bed and was playing with it. Dembe was very intrigued with Cleo once she had been moved and was busy playing with her.

We had to persuade Dembe that chewing Cleo’s antenna was not on! He then turned to her legs which was fine as they are thicker. I know he gets very funny about things sticking off toys like labels etc so he see’s them as fair game to chew!

Wednesday 28th April

Dembe was a tired pup today!

As it is Wednesday it means Dembe has an afternoon walk with Sophie and his mates from Creature Kind. He loves his walks with Sophie as he gets to catch up with his mate Polo, a very pale Labrador and a around 6 months younger than Dembe. so full of bounce!

When Sophie brought him home she said he had got himself absolutely filthy on his walk and she had managed to get most of it off by ensuring he had a swim and got him dried off in the van. She said he was an absolute angel which is always lovely to hear.

When Dembe was home he noticed I had put some Scottish Tablet on the table ( it is a bit like Fudge but harder but not as hard as toffee). I had been sent 10 bags of Tablet by some really lovely friends in Scotland and to stop me eating it all in one go I put it in the freezer. Just taking it out as I fancied it. The only problem is Dembe goes crazy for Tablet. He is such a fussy eater he normally hates sweet stuff but he goes nuts when their is Tablet. The first photo is when he noticed the tablet on the table. Notice how he is sitting really lovely but staring at me!

Because I didnt take his subtle hint that he knew I had Tablet, he then decided to drop a less than subtle hint and start nudging the packet with his nose!

When he gets Tablet he is given a little tiny sliver off the block as I dread to think how bouncy he would be if he had the whole thing to himself. He would be like a kid strung out on sugar at a birthday party!

He makes me laugh so much with his antics! He also love pizza and curry both of those he only gets small amounts of and only once or twice a month.

Thursday 29th April

Today Dembe has a walk with Martin from Happy Dogs booked. He loves his walk with Martin. When Martin arrives now he gets out and opens the back of the van. I then let Dembe go, he greets Martin, depending on if he needs a wee or not he waters the hedge and then jumps into the back of the van. He knows he can’t con Martin into lifting him up as if he tries it on Martin just says “in” and he miraculously manages to jump in! He can be a sod and waits for you to lift his bum up. He even does it with Sophie even though he can get into the van without issue.

If you have a Facebook account you can find a video of Dembe’s walk here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/132921855519120

Dembe always likes to have a cuddle after having a walk, quite often he will crawl up onto my lap and lie across it. I have to tell him what a good boy he is whilst his tail thumps against the sofa and he gives me very wet kisses.

This is him lying on my lap on Thursday after his walk!

As he was pretty shattered after his walk I managed to get some sewing done. Whilst I was in the kitchen doing that he was in the lounge giving himself an airing whilst snoring his head off.

I have attempted to preserve his modesty!

Friday 30th April

Dembe has another walk booked with Martin from Happy dogs today. If you have a Facebook account you can see his walk here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/1562402723959209

Martin picked Dembe up really early today 8.45am. I was still in my PJs and having a cup of tea, when Dembe started barking and wagging his tail whilst looking out of the window. When he is barking at something that he things is an intruder his tail doesn’t wag it goes up in the air very stiff and the hair along his spine goes up. When it is Martin, Sophie or Max ( his walkers ) he barks and wags his tail like mad.

Dembe was very pleased to see Martin and go for a nice walk.

As is usual after a walk Dembe had a nice long snooze!

As Dembe’s favourite toy Carrot is needing replaced and unfortunately Pets At Home no longer sell them, I have bought some orange fleece and decided to make him a new one.

As you can see he is thrilled with his new carrot. I also managed to salvage the squeaker that was still working and the stuffing from his old carrot.

Saturday 1st May

Dembe’s dad was on an early shift today, so he went out for a walk very early this morning. I woke up at 7am and Dembe was in his dads room. I got into Jays bed to give Dembe a cuddle and fell asleep, I didn’t wake up until 9am and even then Dembe wasn’t too fussed about getting up.

He has been very vocal and bouncy this morning. There are builders working across the road and Dembe has been making sure that they know a big tough carrot wielding dog lives across the road and that they better not try anything!

When Jay got home for lunch he was very excited and brought him his duck! It is always funny to see what Toy he brings Jay as it can change daily or be the same every day for a week.

This afternoon he has finally crashed.

Tomorrow we have a trip to Grannys house for the very first time. Dembe has never been to Jays mums house before. We are keeping everything crossed that the weather is nice and that he can play out in the garden. He will also be meeting Darcy , Jay’s brothers new puppy so that will be absolute bedlam no doubt! I am packing like we are going away for a week when it will just be a few hours LOL

W/C 22nd March 2021

Monday 22nd March

Well this week Dembe is going to be a thoroughly spoiled pupster as he has five walks booked. His little legs are going to be worn down to stumps! Today walk is with Martin from Happy Dogs. This week he has walks booked with Max and Sophie.

As is usual when Jay is on an early shift Dembe is a very tired pud. He really doesn’t like an early start. Now with the mornings getting lighter he is coming in and waking me earlier deep bloody joy!

If you have Facebook you can watch a video of Dembe’s walk by clicking on this link https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/257006056096220

Dembe was out with a Spaniel named Blue, and they got on very well. Dembe found a ball and he likes carrying balls around rather than chasing after them. Where as Blue who is a spaniel likes chasing balls. They still had a good time. Dembe’s habit of finding tennis balls reminds us so much of his Auntie Mollie, our Weimaraner who was Frankie and Willows mum. Mollie liked to find tennis balls and carry them around on the walk and then sit and destroy them by taking the “skin” of them off.

Photo Credit Martin Pashley from Happy Dogs

Dembe had a right strop on this afternoon as I wouldn’t get his dinner for him at 3pm and he has started asking for his dinner earlier and earlier. He then barked because I said no, so he got told to stop. I think his face says it all!

I really can’t get over how well he is eating at the moment, he is demanding his breakfast and his dinner a situation we haven’t had since he was a tiny pup.

Tuesday 23rd March

Today was the usual Daddy and Dembe love in whilst we caught up on some TV shows that we had recorded last night. Dembe had lots of walks around the block and two on the common.

Wednesday 24th March

Dembe has his second walk of the week booked today with Sophie from Creature Kind. Jay is on a late night so Dembe has had three walks before Jay left for work at midday. One on the common and two around the block.

He was following me around the house all day.

When Sophie turned up Dembe was very pleased to see her. He was so excited because he could see his mate Polo in the back of the van already so he was trying to do play bows whilst attempting to get to the van as quickly as possible.

Photo Credit Sophie Start from Creature Kind

Dembe had a lovely time out on his walk playing with his friends. Sophie said he was a very good boy, which is always nice to hear. He is always shattered after a walk so quite often will sleep on my lap or on the sofa. Then he wakes up starving and demanding his dinner.

Thursday 25th March 2021

Jay is on a 9-6 shift today and Dembe is stuck to me like glue because he knows that I am not very well. I have really bad vertigo that is making me feel very tired and the room keeps spinning. A few times during the morning it gets so bad I think I will have to call Jay home from work.

Dembe has a walk booked with Martin from Happy dogs today and I am glad because I don’t want him to be worrying about me all day as he needs some time off form constantly looking after me.

If you have Facebook you can see the video from Dembe’s walk by clicking on this link https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/128153799254791 He was with his mate Blue again so he had a good time. Martin said Dembe had cloth ears today on his walk and was pretending he couldn’t hear when Martin shouted for him to come back. He likes to do that from time just to try it on as well as deliberately taking the wrong path on a walk when he knows it is coming to an end.

Dembe was later going out this morning so when Martin brought him back home Jay was back for his lunch. It was hilarious as Dembe didn’t know what to do as this had never happened before. He greeted Jy and then pushed past him to greet me. He was beside himself with excitement.

I felt so awful in the afternoon that Dembe and I went to bed. He was more than happy to oblige and we stayed there for a few hours.

When I got out of bed late in the afternoon Dembe was insistent that I played a game of nudge with him!

Friday 26th March

I woke up this morning dog less, as he heard me stir he came into my bedroom bearing gifts, a blue dinosaur. Which is his favourite gift to bring us when he is upstairs and was the first toy that we ever bought him.

I gave him a huge breakfast this morning which was demolished without looking up. He definitely likes the Highland Essentials food we have been trying him on along with the home made grub we make.

Dembe has another walked booked today, with Martin from Happy Dogs. If you want to see the video from Dembe’s walk and you have Facebook then please click this link https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/241740144329717

Dembe was a sleepy cuddly boy today after his walk with Martin. He was very happy to lie on the sofa in the sun as I got on with some jobs I needed to get done.

Jay came back from lunch at around 1pm and Dembe was so excited to see him. He went outside and brought his football in for Jay. Before he left to go back to work Jay had to return it outside as it is too big to be thrown around the house which he would want to do if it was left inside.

This evening Dembe decided to evict Cleo the caterpillar from her bed and play with her, his carrot , the duck and his green ball. That’s a sentence I never thought I would write.

Saturday 27th March

I had an early start as a crying dog woke me up at 6.43am, it is getting much lighter in the mornings. Dembe wouldn’t stop fussing until I got up and then when I got up and went downstairs, he went into his dads room and fell asleep. Jay was woken at 7.30am by a phone call from his mum to say his dad is in hospital again. I think Dembe is picking up on the stress in the house as he is being very quiet and cuddly.

Today Dembe has a walk with Max from It’s a Dog’s life. The one I thought I booked 4 weeks ago but actually managed to book it for today. Just as well because Jay is late night. He will love a nice walk with Max and her Springer’s this afternoon.

Max arrived at 2.30pm and Dembe was very keen to get into the van and get out for a walk. Due to a family crisis Jay had to go and see them. So Dembe was picking up on the stress and knew that something was bothering us so wouldn’t settle in the time before Max came for him.

Dembe was very spoilt as Max took him down to the beach, he hasn’t been to the beach in a while. She took him through some fields which had gates on them. Poor Dembe didn’t have a clue what to do as he hadn’t seen these before, so Max had to coax him through. Once down on the beach he had a fantastic time swimming and exploring the rock pools. When he got home he was all sandy and needed a quick wash off in the garden.

Sunday 28th March

We are going to have a quiet day today.

Dembe resting with his head on his own cushion on the floor!

W/C 8th March 2021

Monday 8th March

Dembe was a very sleepy boy today. It was quite amusing as the night before I had been convinced that Dembe didn’t have a walk booked for today. I had to check my emails and see that Jay was indeed right that I had booked a walk for today! When Martin arrived Dembe was fast asleep on my bed and I had to wake him up to get him to go downstairs.

If you have facebook you can see Dembe’s walk here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/2502822750025297

We had a cosy day on the sofa as I haven’t been feeling great the last few days.

Dembe was pretty shattered after his walk and curled up beside me on the sofa.

Tuesday 9th March

Jay was day off so Dembe was ensuring he was getting in as much Daddy and Dembe time as possible.

Daddy and I spent the day cooking up all of Dembe’s meals for the next month. We made meatloaf, Scooby’s stew and Wonderful one pot. By the time we were finished 50 meals had been made.

Wednesday 10th March

Dembe has a walk with Martin from Happy Dogs today. When she picks him up he is so excited as he gets to see his mate Polo the Labrador and they can have Labrador crazy time together. I am glad that he is going out today and getting a break from me as he has been stuck to my side ensuring I am ok.

As I was doing some paper work Dembe climbed up on the sofa and got as close to me as he could and slept beside me.

Dembe had a really lovely time on his walk with Polo and Cali.

As soon as he got home he was going into the kitchen and sitting in front of the fridge begging for his dinner. We have gone from a dog who couldn’t be bothered to eat to a dog that is now trying on for an hour before his dinner is due!

We had an early night, Dembe was so knackered when Jay got home he was too tired to go downstairs and see him.

Thursday 11th March

Today Dembe had a walk with Martin from Happy Dogs and Alan the German Sheppard. If you have Facebook you can see his walk here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/490541478623616

The weather was atrocious, rain, high winds, hail and freezing cold. I was fully expecting Dembe to arrive home looking like a chocolate Labrador! He really wasn’t too bad at all. Martin said he had been a really good boy and had stood still for him whilst he washed him off with the Mud daddy. Dembe has always been a bit of a bugger for not standing still when Martin tries to clean him off.

As you can see I was ready for the mess with towels everywhere.

Jay is on a 9-6 today so when Dembe went into the kitchen at 4pm he could have his dinner as there was enough time between having it and going out for a walk.The new food Highland Essentials is going down really well.

At around 5.15pm Dembe started fussing to go out for a walk. He kept going to the window looking for his daddy out of the window.

Friday 12th March

Baby and I didn’t wake up until 8am. Dembe had been out with Jay before he went to work.

Poor little sausage has another ear infection. I noticed the last few days he has been shaking his head more than he normally would. Only talking about twice a day. I checked his ear, it is always his left ear, it was inflamed and had some brown wax in there so I gave it a quick clean. Dembe loathes having his ears cleaned so as soon as I stopped he ran up the stairs with his toy Mr Fox.

I rang up the vets and got him an appointment for 3.45pm. He has been fine in himself just very cuddly. This afternoon between the showers he went outside and sat in his favourite chair.

Dembe was a very good boy at the vets, he had to go in by himself due to the Covid regulations. As soon as he came out of the vets he made a break for it down the car park. Poor pud has a bad ear infection again.

Saturday 13th March

Dembe and I woke up and when we came downstairs and found daddy had been messing around with Dembe’s toys.

Dembe was a very snory boy this morning.

He was a very good boy when I put his ear drops in and didn’t run away from me!

He was very keen for his dad to get home in the evening.

Mothers Day 14th March

Well clearly Dembe didn’t get the memo about mothers day as he woke me up just after 7am as he was hungry. However he redeemed himself with the card and box of chocolates he bought me.

Dembe wasn’t impressed that I was writing up his blog this morning. I normally do it on a Saturday afternoon.

I kept being brought Aubergine, one of his many toys that he was given by a friend.