W/C 26th October 2020

I am completing the blog post early this week as it is my birthday on Sunday!

Monday 26th October

It is Monday so Jays shift must be an early one because that is the LAW! I got up just after 7am and Dembe was fast asleep on the small sofa with his head facing the front door as if waiting for his dad to get home.

Dembe spent much of the morning sleeping whilst I did some embroidery in the kitchen.

He was very excited when his dad came home at lunch time. He has been bringing his dad his carrot over the last few days when he gets home. Dembe loves his walk around the block at lunch time as he gets to meet some of his doggy friends and adoring humans.

If I thought Dembe was excited at lunch time he was mental at 4pm when Jay got home. Jumping from sofa to sofa and doing spins in mid air.

After his walk he was much more sedate. playing with his Ducky.

Tuesday 27th October

Jay is day off today all day rather than just half a day like he was last week. We don’t have Obedience training this evening which is weird. We are back on 3rd November.

I had a doctors appointment this morning, so we took Dembe down the town with us so that he could have some environmentalisation training, with loud noises, more people etc. He coped really well. He got lots of attention as he always does, a few pats and cuddles from people and lots of lovely compliments on how well behaved he was etc.

When I got out of the doctors you would have thought I had been gone for years as he was so pleased to see me.

In the evening Dembe and Jay had a massive play time. Dembe loves it when Jay lies on the floor, he is very gentle and never stomps all over him. He will groom Jay and nibble his ears and nose. They play tug with whichever toy that Dembe wants to play with. This evening it was the grey dinosaur.

Wednesday 28th October

Jay was on the late shift today at work so Dembe was very happy to have us both home for the morning. I wasn’t very well first thing so I ended up going back to bed. Dembe came back up to bed with me and lay his head on my chest to comfort me. He is so very gentle. We stayed like that for about an hour whilst I dozed.

When I was downstairs Dembe was very keen to keep an eye on me. He does like to sleep either next to me on the sofa or on the opposite sofa in a position where he can see if I move or on the floor by my feet.

Dembe was picked up by Martin for his walk up on the common. Today he had the company of a little dog called Leo. They know each other from Obedience training so it was nice for Dembe. They managed to avoid the rain but he got very muddy so he needed a wash off. I am so pleased we got him the Ruff and Tumble drying coat as it makes drying him so much easier. He is such a good boy for me and makes it easy for me to get the coat on him.

Dembe had me in stitches this evening as he was so desperate to sleep near my feet he ended up sleeping with his head on the coffee table shelf. That was a first.

Thankfully Dembe did a poo on his walk so Jay didn’t have to come home to take him around the block. Dembe was starving when he got home from his walk. To lessen the risk of bloat I left his dinner for around 90 minutes before feeding him. He polished it all off.

We then had our usual PDP as Jay and I call it, his post dinner play! He was going mental chucking his toys around. We have this every evening for around an hour and then Dembe settles down for the night.

Thursday 29th October

Dembe woke up at around 5.30am. Jay took him out for a walk at around 5.45 and as soon as they came back Dembe ran straight upstairs to check on me. He settled straight back down and went to sleep. He is so good in that respect he knows that is the routine.

Dembe is being a right barky bob this week as across the road there are builders working. They are in and out of the house opposite and walking up and down the drive. So obviously Dembe has to bark at them to let them know that he lives here and it is his street. I don’t know if because I haven’t been having a great week health wise that it has made him hyper vigilant but I am getting a bit cross with the constant barking. Why do I have to own the noisiest Labrador?

He isn’t very happy with me this morning as I have run out of his favourite Denta stix. Now I know these are utter sticks of crap but he has had them since he was a puppy and he loves them. The rest of the time his diet is top notch, so I am cutting myself some slack. Anyway I have a very put out pup, who keeps sitting in front of the Denta stix cupboard casually dropping the hint that yet again I am a shit parent. Cheers for that Dems.

Dembe has been watching me like a hawk all week as I haven’t been feeling all that well. I have worked out it is one of my medications, the dosage is too high for me and is leaving me feeling drunk and disorientated. Poor Dembe has been working overtime watching out for me and keeping me safe.

Just a silly boomerang video of Dembe from Thursday evening

Friday 30th October

Jay was on a late shift again this week so Dembe thoroughly enjoyed having his pack all with him again.

Martin picked him up and took him out for another walk on the common with his mate Leo. If you are on Facebook you can find the videos here https://www.facebook.com/pg/happydogs.uk/videos/?ref=page_internal They are fantastic video’s and you can see that Dembe is having a wonderful time on his walks. We have been brave and said that Dembe can be off the lead, so he spends a lot of the walk off the lead now. He has had quite a bit of training on the walks as he has had to walk past Cows, Ponies, other dogs and groups of Royal Marines doing training up there. He has handled it all brilliantly.

He got home absolutely pickled in mud, so he had to have a quick clean off outside and then into his drying coat. Martin had given him a quick hose off before popping him in the van but Dems always manages to produce more mud from god knows where. He was a very good boy for me again helping me getting his drying coat on him.

We had a relaxing evening after a bit of a stressful afternoon.

We had an earlyish night and Dembe settled down really well for me.

Saturday 31st October

Today Dembe and I have been getting little jobs done around the house ready for the start of the birthdays, first mine and then Jays. Dembe is very excited as he knows that there will be naughty treats to be had.

As soon as his dad left for work this morning, despite the fact I was up, Dembe went back up to bed ….his dad’s bed

I only say him when he came downstairs demanding his frozen kong. He didn’t want his breakfast until gone 10.30am today. He is a fickle little sod sometimes.

I was taking a photo of hims when my friend Leanne pulled up outside

Leanne delivered our present of a Chocolate buttons Cheesecake! It is huge. Dembe thought the concept of a cake made of cheese was an excellent idea but he wasn’t very happy when he realised due to the chocolate he couldn’t have it.

His dad came home for lunch and whilst he was here some birthday cards were posted through the door. I opened the door to say thank you and it was my friend Gill with her black Labrador Dexter. So we let the boys greet each other, Dexter wandered straight into the house and promptly helped himself to one of Dembe’s ( many) cow’s ears! It was hilarious. Dembe and Dexter are both so good that there is no need to panic. Dembe was far to busy getting fuss from Gill to care about the fact one of his cows ears had been stolen. So that was really nice as I hadn’t seen Gill for a little while due to the Covid situation.

This afternoon we have been chilling out.

W/C 5th October 2020

Monday 5th October

As per usual Jay is on an early shift today so was up at the crack of dawn so that he could watch some American Football before taking Dembe out and then getting ready for work. Dembe is not an early morning dog, he likes his walk at around 5.30-6am and then he comes straight back up to bed with me and sleeps until I get up later. I got up at 7.30am and he didn’t stir until 8.15am.

We had a very lazy day together on the sofa as I was exhausted from last week’s assisting Jay whilst the floor was done in his bedroom. Dembe was happy to oblige with cuddles and kisses. We had a really early night and Dembe was out like a light.

I got up quite late to go to the bathroom and found Dembe at the end of my bed asleep like this.

He sleeps in the strangest positions, he had taken out the crocheted blanket out and is sleeping underneath the cushion of his bed.

Tuesday 6th October

Jay is day off today so Dembe is a very happy bunny today. Thankfully he isn’t shaking his head any longer and the redness in his right ear has really reduced. Thank goodness his ear is now clearing up and if it has responded this quickly it goes to show John the vet was right and it is a fungal infection. Jay has booked in an appointment for a week today for Dembe’s check up and possible next anti fungal treatment.

We had to drive over to the airport today as this was the accident repair place our insurance company uses. Jay had a small accident last Saturday when he took Dembe to the vets and the car needs to be repaired. It is gutting but no one is hurt and we were the only people involved. Dembe was a really good boy on the journey over. For some reason since we got this car Dembe really enjoys lying down on the back seat. In our old car he never laid down, he would sit up and look out of the window unless he was absolutely shattered after dog training.

On the way home we stopped off at the common and Jay took Dembe out for a good run, around 40 minutes. This was his third walk of the day. He was knackered this afternoon.

I washed some of Dembe’s toys today. One of them was his baby blanket that he came home with in January 2019. He still loves to carry this around. It is one of the few toys that hasn’t sustained damage from his teeth!

At 5pm Jay took Dembe for a walk around the block, this was because normally Dembe goes out around this time and his big walk had been much earlier than normal. But that was walk number 4.

I didn’t go to dog training tonight as I wasn’t very well. However the trainers sent me some photos and videos from the evening. Dembe managed to break one of his toys in the warm up.

Dembe was shattered after training and went straight to sleep as usual.

Wednesday 7th October 2020

Dembe loves nothing more than giving us both lots of affection if we are all on the bed together. As hubby and I sleep in separate rooms, due to his snoring and my insomnia it only happens a couple of times a week. Dembe always brings us a toy, usually his blue dinosaur as that is the toy he brings us when upstairs. This was the first toy that I ever bought him.

Dembe just adores his dad and loves nothing more than cuddles with him.

Dinky dot was shattered all day after dog training last night. He slept all afternoon until just before Martin from Happy Dogs arrived to take him out for his afternoon walk as Jay was on a late shift.. Dembe had a good walk but unfortunately refused to poo. About 30 minutes after he got home he started crying and I immediately knew that he wanted a poo. Little sod. I had to ring Jay up and ask him to pop home in his lunch hour as Dembe would need a quick walk around the block so he would go to the toilet.

Jay popped home just after 5pm and took Dembe out, he had two giant turds. So hopefully I will have a whinge free evening with him. The blonde bastard strikes again.

We had a settled and chilled out evening once Dembe had done his business!

Thursday 8th October

Again Dembe is the life and soul of the party today! I can’t complain as I have jobs I want to potter around and do so a sleeping pup is a handy thing to have.

Jay had another early start today and Dembe really doesn’t like early mornings! Other than to have his walk.

I posted on Monday about how Dembe likes tipping / digging all his cushions / throws out of his bed and then sleeping on the base. He does the same with his wicker basket in the lounge. The silly thing is he empties it all and then sleeps beside it on the floor.

Friday 9th October

Dembe is a very cuddly boy today. Whilst I was on my embroidery machine in the kitchen Dembe came in and wanted up on my lap. When he was a tiny pup last year, I would have him on my lap sleeping whilst I was on my embroidery machine. Now however he weighs 35kg and is huge compared to the dinky dot he was, so it can’t happen my legs aren’t big enough. So I have to just give him a cuddle and a kiss.

Dembe always looks forward to his dad coming home at lunch time and will quite often suddenly wake up or stop whatever it is he is doing and between 12.45 and 13.00 he will go to the lounge window and wait for his dad to arrive home. He has already worked out the sound of his dads car pulling up onto the drive and he goes crazy, barking and tail going like mad.

Jay always gives Dembe a walk around the block so that he can go to the toilet and stretch his legs. He uses these lead walks as additional training sessions.

Dembe fell asleep waiting to for his dad to come home.

Saturday 10th October

Jay is late night today so Dembe has had two walks this morning before his dad left for work. Dembe has his little routine that he follows every day and when I am getting myself sorted for the day ahead, Dembe goes to sleep on my bed.

Today Dembe is going on an afternoon walk with my friend Max who also runs a dog walking service called “It’s a Dogs Life”, it is his first time going out with her. I am incredibly nervous as he is our baby. I know Max ( I have known her for years and have worked with her many years ago) will look after him but it is like leaving your baby with someone. You can’t help but worry.

Dembe managed to make me feel like the worst mother ever as he was very nervous about going with Max. He was fine up until he got to her van, he must have realised it wasn’t his usual Happy Dogs van ( who we use during the week) and freaked out a bit. With a bit of gentle persuasion he got in. Max brought him back an hour later, she told me he had been a really good boy and had a poo ( thank goodness) I didn’t want a repeat of Wednesday when Jay had to come home. He must’ve had a good time ( probably also the nerves of being with a new person) as he went to sleep within minutes of Max leaving.

We had a game of nudge about an hour or so later and then he had his dinner. He is now fast asleep beside me on the sofa.

W/C 24th August 2020

Monday 24th August

Jay is on his usual early shift today, so Dembe and I are keeping each other company. Since the car crash on 11th August he has been exceptionally clingy and barky. I am sure he is picking up on the stress in the household as he is constantly on guard at the window reacting to every single noise.

He is obsessed with carrying his bone cushion that he got from Alison and Mike at Christmas. It goes everywhere with him, out in the garden , up stairs where ever he can take it.

I received this gorgeous necklace in the post on Monday morning from a friend. I had no idea about it so was really taken a back when I opened it. It has all of the Weimaraners names on it Travis, Mollie, Willow and Frankie. I have been looking at getting something like this for a while, I will treasure it always.

Tuesday 25th August

We were up early this morning as Jay is picking up the car today from a garage near Yeovil which is about an hours drive from where we are. He got Dembe out early and then took him around the block again before Paul got here just before 10.30am.

Dembe was really excited at seeing his uncle Paul. Paul is the only person Dembe goes mental about being here. He literally can’t contain his excitement. His bum looks like it will fall off as his tail wags so fast when his uncle Paul is here. Paul is the person Dembe see’s the most out of our friend group and he is more like family really.

Poor Dembe isn’t coping at all at the moment when Jay leaves the house be it for work or anything else. He has always been unhappy when his dad leaves the house not in his work gear but now he gets upset when he leaves for work and takes ages to settle down. I hope with time Dembe gets over the stress of the accident, it is sad to see him affected by it mentally.

When Jay left to go and collect our new car with Paul, Dembe camped out in the lounge by the front door so he could watch through the glass to see when his dad came back.

In all the time we have had Dembe I have never seen him wait like this for his dad to return. It is breaking my heart because his dad will be gone for hours.

When his dad got home at around 2pm he was so excited he could barely contain himself! Jay took him straight out for a walk around the block as we needed to sort some stuff out in the new car before we could go out for a drive in it with Dembe.

Wednesday 26th August

I had a dreadful nights sleep and ended up going downstairs at 2.30am. Of course I was accompanied by my shadow who since the accident wont let me out of his sight.

I went out with Jay and Dembe at 5.30am in the new car, it was lovely!

Jay was on a late night today so Dembe had a quick walk around the block at 11.30am and then he was out with Martin from Happy Dogs. Dembe practically dragged Martin down the drive in his haste to get into the back of the van and out for a walk. I am so happy that he loves going out with Martin so much as it means he gets a good run around on the days when Jay doesn’t finish until 10pm.

It also means he is really chilled out in the evening and doesn’t need entertaining whilst we wait for Jay to get home.

Thursday 27th August

Jay is on a 9-6 today, so he got him out at the usual time and then went back to bed for an hour or so.

Dembe seems much more settled today than he has been since the accident on the 11th which is a relief. He has been barking less and isn’t reacting to every outside noise. Whilst I did a few little jobs around the house Dembe felt relaxed enough to take himself upstairs and go to sleep on my bed. Which he hasn’t done since the car crash. I am sure some of this is because he can now feel Jay and I are relaxing a little.

Dembe was crazy this afternoon getting all his toys out of the box, running around doing zoomies. He messed about so much that he wore himself out! He ended up napping on the floor with his football.

Friday 28th August

We had a lazy day today as we both seemed to be shattered after all the stress of the last few weeks.

Dembe has been obsessed with playing nudge this week at every opportunity. He nudges a ball towards you with his nose and you have to push it back to him with your hand or foot. Whatever you can get to the ball. He will play this for hours!

His favourite balls to play nudge with are this green ball which glows in the dark ( which Harry and Bev got hims when he was a tiny pup) and his football.

Saturday 29th August

Dembe still hasn’t worked out the sound of his dads car pulling up on the drive so today we were out in the garden when Jay got home for lunch. Dembe was barking like mad when he heard the front door go.

In the afternoon we snuggled up on the sofa together

We also played nudge for 90 minutes

By 15.30 Dembe knew that his dad would be coming home soon, so started his usual vigil by the window

This evening we went up to my parents caravan which was the first time this year. Dembe loves it up there as he can play on the grass and see my parents dog Maggie who will chase him. By the time we came home Dembe was shattered. It was so nice to see him playing up at the van again.

In the evening Dembe got on the big sofa and hid amongst the cushions but I could see him spying on me which made me laugh.

Sunday 30th August

Dembe was up early at 5am getting Jay up for a walk. He then went straight back to bed. When I woke up at 8.15am he came straight downstairs with me and begged for his breakfast which is unusual for him as some days he doesn’t want to eat until gone 10am.

This morning we had to go and see Uncle Paul as he has hurt his back. I was going to give him an session on my ultrasound machine to see if that helped at all as he was in so much pain. Whilst I started that Jay took Dembe for a walk around the block to try and ensure Dembe wasn’t a crazy loon when he came into Pauls house. It didn’t work he loves Paul so much he just goes bloody crazy. Jay managed to keep him under control but it is very funny as Dembe behaves like it is his house following anyone who leaves the room.

When we got home Dembe was absolutely flaked out as normally he would sleep a lot of the morning but today as we had been to Paul’s he hadn’t.

As this weekend is a bank holiday in England Dembe will be spoiled with having his daddy home until Wednesday at 12pm!

W/C 17th August 2020

Monday 17th August

Every since last weeks car accident Dembe has been very clingy. He has always been really good when Jay leaves the house in his uniform and it has never bothered him. Now regardless of what Jay is wearing he cries and is really unsettled for a few hours. It is draining as I just don’t seem to be able to reassure him, despite playing with him and giving him lots of cuddles. I think that he is just picking up on the high amounts of cortisol being pumped out by myself and Jay, due to the level of stress we are under since 11th August.

I can’t even go to the bathroom alone at the moment without him lying at my feet

From Sunday evening but accurately portrays the energy level in the house at the moment

It was raining really heavily on and off today but it was still reasonably warm, for a little while Dembe and I went out on the patio under the gazebo and listened to the rain. Dembe is happy at the moment as long as he is stuck to me like glue!

Jay is on an early today so finished at 4pm. The traffic is horrendous as they have shut the B3180 over the common, which is one of two main routes out of the town. It is taking up to an hour to get onto the common, so after work we opted to take Dembe down the beach. We forgot to check the tide time table though and the tide was in and only a small area that Dembe could run around on. So I suggested that Jay took Dembe onto the Maeer, which is a sandy / grass area behind the seafront. Dembe loved it, lots of dogs to play with. I have never seen him pant so hard after a run around. Jay said he was a lunatic and just didn’t stop.

Dembe was so excited he didn’t go for a poo so Jay had to put him on his lead and keep saying busy busy to get him to go to the toilet. If Dembe is really enjoying himself playing with other dogs sometimes he will just rather play than go to the toilet.

He was so shattered when he got back from the Maer he had a huge drink and then laid on the cold stones outside on the patio.

Tuesday 18th August

Jay was day off today but was in and out all day long due to having to sort stuff out from the car accident. He had to go to the police station and fill in some paperwork, due to the road closures and road works it took him nearly 3 hours. Dembe was really upset the whole time he was gone. He kept looking out of the window and crying for his dad. It breaks my heart that he has become so unsettled and insecure after the accident.

He has also become a lot more barky, he is on his guard constantly and any strange noise outside and he runs to the window and barks the place down. He is clearly shaken up after the accident.

Jay took him down the Maer again this afternoon for a run around.

He had a wonderful time again, loving playing around and chasing / being chased by other dogs. Again he came home had a drink and then flopped onto the floor.

Wednesday 19th August

Today and tomorrow Jay is on a late night at work so Martin, our dog walker will be coming and getting Dembe for a nice walk on the common.

Jay took Dembe out early, the weather was absolutely dreadful and they both came home drenched. Jay used three towels on Dembe drying him off before he broke free and came upstairs. He jumped onto the bed with his pheasant toy in his mouth and curled up next to me ( to avoid any confusion I am talking about Dembe). As he leaned against the left side of me I got soaked as his fur was still wet from his earlier walk. Jay said he thought it was the wettest they had ever got.

Dembe and I slept curled up together until 8.20am. Dembe is still being really whingey at the moment and incredibly clingy. I find it distressing as I don’t know how to make things better for him so that he knows that he can relax and doesn’t have to be on guard all the time.

Dembe always knows when it is a dog walking day and from about 2.15pm – 2.30pm he will stand by the window watching for Martins arrival. He has learned the sound of the van and will watch as Martin takes it to the top of the cul-de-sac and then brings it back down outside the house. I have finally managed to capture Dembe watching him.

You can see the sheer concentration on his face as he is working out if that is the van. When he starts barking that is Martin pulling up outside.

Today Dembe had company with two other dogs on the walk, the weather was still grim really heavy mist and a bit of drizzle. He loves having the other dogs on the walk and even though they were older dogs they still had a bit of a play with him. When he got home I gave him a little hose off in the back garden and a dry.

With him going out in the afternoon he now settles down in the evening really well for me.

Thursday 20th August

Jay took Dembe out at around 6am and then they both came back to bed. Me and Dembe woke up at around 8am. At 8.20am we had the phone call we had been waiting for from the insurance company to say our car was a write off. Jay managed to get another 200 quid out of them to out towards our new car. We spent the morning drawing up a short list of cars to see tomorrow.

As Jay was late night he took Dembe out around the block again at 11.30am so he could have a sniff and go to the toilet which he did. Jay said he did an elephant size poo! He said he nearly needed a fork lift truck to carry it to the poo bin LOL

Today Martin and Dembe were on their own for their walk. Martin took Dembe to the Reservoir on the common which I have to admit is somewhere Jay and I have never managed to explore properly, although I really would love to. He couldn’t wait to go off with Martin and practically dragged him off down the drive and jumped into the van with out so much as a backwards glance. I have to say all my concerns and fears are gone now with him going out with Martin. There is now way he would take himself off down the drive like that if he didn’t enjoy getting out or being with Martin.

Before Martin came and got Dembe he had been a bit crazy for a couple of hours so he was having a nap just before Martin arrived. He was still full of beans for a while when he got home and was standing out in the garden barking at me!

Friday 21st August

Jay had to take today off work as we needed to go and look at cars now that the insurance have said it is a write off. We will only have 7 days with the hire car now before the insurance company give it back to the hire company. We are having to have a bit of a road trip as we haven’t found any cars locally that are any good for us. We need a big car even though there is only the two of us as I need to have a mobility scooter in the boot / trunk and have Dembe on the back seats in a car harness. So there is a minimum width requirement for the boot / trunk so that my scooter is able to fit. This is limiting us a great deal. If we could do without my mobility scooter we would have bags of room! We would also be able to get something smaller and newer. However we do have a short list and they are all 90 minute drive away in Somerset the next county over. I am just a bit concerned with how Dembe will cope with the car journey as we have done so few long journeys and with the car crash just over a week ago he is still a little stressed about going into the car.

We needn’t have worried as within 20 minutes he settled and was quite happy just watching the world go by out of his window. He reminds me so much of Frankie when he does that, Frankie loved sitting looking directly out of the window. Although Frankie would bark at everything that came near the car Dembe doesn’t do that and I will be honest sometimes we forget he is there because he never makes a sound! Unless he is particularly excited to be going to dog training or up the common.

I made sure to pack some chews for him, a nylabone and an antler chew. Previously on car journeys longer than 10 minutes he would like to lie down and have a chew of his antler or nylabone. This time he wasn’t interested. He just wanted to see what the world outside was doing. Whilst his dad was paying for the car in the garage office we went back and sat in the hire car, the photo above is him sat waiting. He has got incredibly clingy towards Jay since the accident.

On the way home Dembe was an absolute angle no crying or fussing he actually lay down and went to sleep sprawled across the seats.

We did have a chuckle as every so often we would hear hims snoring or changing position. He would have been exhausted as normally he would sleep for a few hours in the morning, he had been on the go since 6am this morning so he just was out like a light all the way home. The only time he woke up was as we hit Woodbury Common, he obviously recognised the smell and knew we were nearly home.

In the afternoon he flaked out on the sofa next to his dad

As we were chatting yesterday afternoon we realised that this hire car was now the third car that Dembe had been in with us and our car which we are getting Tuesday will be the third car we have owned since he came to live with us in January 2019. He is a very upwardly mobile doggy.

Saturday 22nd August

Dembe didn’t wake up until around 6am this morning so Jay took him out for a good run. Jay is on a 9-6 today. Dembe and I went back up to bed for an hour or so at 6.50am and Dembe slept cuddled up under my left arm with his head on my shoulder. Since the accident he is sleeping like this a lot. Previously he would only do it few times a week. Now it is every day. We are thinking about booking in a one to one session with Martin and seeing what we can do to help ease his insecurities that he has developed before we get any long term behaviour issues with him. I want him to be happy and confident and not permanently exhausted because he has been looking after me or Jay.

As I was writing up this week’s diary entries he was squidged right up beside me.

Jay was on a 9-6 today so by 4pm this afternoon ( despite being walked at lunch time)he was bouncing off the walls. Barking, climbing onto my lap and demanding that I hold the dried cows ear whilst he chewed it! I was covered in blonde fur!

Dembe was playing with me lying on the floor, I love the cheeky look of his face in this one.

Sunday 23rd August

Jay came down at 7am this morning to find a pile of puke by the front door. Dembe was ok in himself but weirdly had slept in until 6.45 which is unheard of. I heard Dembe downstairs at 5am as I went to the toilet but ever since he was a puppy he has taken himself downstairs during the night if he is too hot upstairs. So I wasn’t concerned.

Dembe is fine in himself, so as a precaution we gave him a much smaller breakfast later in the morning to ensure it stayed down. Thankfully it has and he seems fine.

Hopefully that is the end of it if not I have some medicine in the kitchen I can give him that is good for settling upset doggy tummies.

W/C 15th June 2020

Monday 15th June

Jay was on an early today for the first time in what seems like forever. When I woke up at 08.20am I found Dembe asleep in his dads bed lying on top of his dressing gown. He loves sleeping on his daddy’s dressing gown. As I wasn’t feeling great we had a lazy day.

Dembe took himself outside for a bit and had a sunbathe. He loves lying in the sun, he reminds us of Molly and our first dog Travis who were both sun worshippers.

Dembe really made me laugh today, I was sat on the toilet when he barged in and brought me his football. He tried to pop it onto my lap but I told him “out” and he was most surprised that I didn’t want to play with it. He stropped off into the bedroom.

He is just so ridiculously photogenic.

Tuesday 16th June

Dembe is once again turning his nose up at his food. The temporary fix of mashing sardines into his meals is working but it really can’t go on forever because at some point he will turn his nose up at these as well. I wish I knew why he is such a fussy eater. It has been building for weeks and it is so distressing for me. I think because we lost Travis at such a young age ( 10 days short of his 3rd birthday due to kidney failure) I do stress out about these things much more than most people.

We have taken the plunge and ordered 15kg of raw food. I got a bundle so a mixture of the meals they do and as a new customer got 20% off as well https://www.prodograw.com/raw-dog-food/ . I don’t receive anything for this I’m just making other people aware of this brand and it seems reasonably priced compared to some others I have looked at especially the delivery charge and the prices of the food. Lets hope he doesn’t turn his nose up at this either!

We plan to gradually move him from his old food onto this food but we shall see! I was hoping we could keep him on a mixture of raw and his home cooked meals but the way he is turning his nose up at everything is making doubt we will get away with that.

The local fire service have rung me up and provided me with a smoke alarm ( additional) and a carbon monoxide alarm. For those of you who are unaware I am disabled and I use oxygen on occasion which means I have a concentrator – a machine that pulls oxygen from the air and concentrates it and a huge cylinder in case of power cuts. My home has to be registered with the emergency services as there is a risk of explosion due to the Oxygen cylinder. As part of the kit I was issued today we got a plastic hand on a stick to test the fire alarms with so we don’t have to climb on a chair to reach them. Dembe decided immediately he didn’t like it!

We had to do some training with him to get him to accept that the stick wasn’t there to hurt him or cause issues for him. He is a strange bugger who will react to all sorts of things. By the end of the day we had him eating treats off the hand

Jay managed to get this photo of Dembe when out on their walk this morning

Wednesday 17th June

Dembe woke up at 5am, he had a big walk with his dad and then they both went back to bed.

Today Dembe has a walk with Martin from Happy Dogs as Jay is on a late night. Dembe has worked out that something is going on today as he is in a barky mood and keeps looking out of the window to see who is coming!

When Martin arrived Dembe was barking and wagging his tail. However once I opened the door and Martin handed me the lead to attach to Dembe’s collar Dembe decided to run upstairs and peer at both of us through the banisters! I went and attached the lead. I thought I might have to drag him to the front door but he came down the stairs and walked beautifully to the door for me. He then jumped over the door step, dragged Martin to the back of the van and jumped in. Obviously he was playing hard to get!

He wasn’t as tired today as he was last week but he was much calmer than the Dembe I usually have to deal with on a evening when Jay is working!

We had a lovely quiet evening!

Thursday 18th June

Dembe has been ridiculously cuddly all day my permanent little shadow. Every time I bend forward I get smothered in kisses. I lent into my bottom drawer to get some fabric out and he jumped on my back ( I was sat on my bed )

I have been telling Jay for ages every time I get something out of the chest of drawers Dembe jumps up on me. Now I have photos he may believe me!

He took himself off to bed this morning whilst I did some sewing. Then just before 1pm he came down and stood at the window waiting for his dad to get home for lunch

Dembe’s raw food was delivered this morning and he was very interested in it. So I am hopeful, who knows. I could have just wasted £40!

The weather is foul today. Normally we would go outside for part of the day. Today we have played on my bed whilst I was having a rest

In the evening I put my crocheted blanket down on the floor to capture its progress, Dembe did his usual and lay on it.

Friday 19th June

Again Dembe is my shadow today. Jay is on a 12-9 so he has taken him out twice this morning to ensure he isn’t desperate to go before Martin arrives at around 4pm. Dembe is all over Jay this morning as he always is when Jay is home. I am wondering how he will cope next week when Jay does a night shift for the first time since Dembe has been with us at 8 weeks old and he is now 18 months old.

He was much better today with Martin, he was barking and wagging his tail when he saw Martin arrive. When I opened the front door he stayed on the sofa, I clipped on the lead and then had to nudge him off the sofa. He then happily trotted to the van and jumped in!

His first raw food meal is tonight. I decided on the rabbit – well he didn’t like it. I have since read some of the reviews and Dembe isn’t alone in his dislike of Rabbit. I also read some blogs this evening about transitioning from kibble / normal dog food to raw and some dogs like their food warmed / flash fried for seconds to release some of the aromas and make the meals more appealing. I have got a beef and chicken out for tomorrow so we shall see how that goes. I’m concerned in case I have just wasted a lot of money.

I ended up taking the rabbit away and giving him some sardines with his usual meat loaf. After he has been out for a massive walk plus two shorter walks I want him to eat a proper meal.

Oh and the raw food stinks – but I have a super sensitive sense of smell…..how will Mr Weak stomach cope?

Saturday 20th June.

Dembe spent the whole night squished right up against me which is really unusual. He may sleep on the bed but he never really wants to be lying right beside me, 9 times out of ten he will sleep on the floor. I should have realised something was up as at 2am I woke up with a migraine. That’s why he was my body guard!

Dembe’s second raw meal went a lot better, I flash fried it for about 30 seconds and he polished it off in record time. This one was the chicken and beef and he loved it. He was looking for more.

Thankfully the new med’s I have been put on worked brilliantly but I was left feeling pretty rotten and exhausted. Dembe decided that the thing to do would be to bring me his football to make me feel better

When that didn’t work he then decided the only thing for it was the chest plant

This is where he lies right on my chest and has a cuddle. He also lies like this when he is preventing me from getting up from a faint as he knows I’m not well enough to get up or he will stand over me.

We had a lie down in the afternoon for around an hour and had lots of cuddles.

Sunday 21st June

I think at this rate Dembe is going to be asking for either over time or danger money! I really wasn’t feeling great today but decided I would plough on regardless. I was doing ok and then all of a sudden just felt like I was going to pass out. I was just saying to Jay “god I feel really faint” and the urge to sit on the floor gripped me. As I managed to get down as far as the coffee table and it was lights out Vienna. I came around with Jay at my feet saying “OMG are you ok?” and Dembe stood over me refusing to move and every so often licking my face.

Whilst I recovered and basically until Dembe was happy for me to get up off the floor, I was stood over. This was a revelation to Jay as he hadn’t seen this actually happen before he has only had me telling him about it. Once Dembe is no longer concerned he went off and brought me back his tweed puppy toy all proud of himself for protecting mummy!

We have had a lazy rest of the day!

And he still hates the rabbit flavour.

W/C 16th March 2020

Monday 16th March 2020

I have to be honest we have had a very lazy day today. Cuddles on the sofa and snoozing.

Dembe was determined when his dad came home for lunch that he was going to take his sprout toy into the back garden with him.

Tuesday 17th March

Day off with Jay today. It is hilarious when Jay is day off mummy gets completely ignored. He has draped himself all over Jay today.

No visitors today as we are limiting our exposure to the outside world as both me and Jay are more at risk of a severe outcome if we come into contact with Covid-19. We are just attending dog training this evening and only that because it is in a huge barn and we can employ social distancing. We will be having a break after this term ends purely as we will be limiting social exposure.

Tonight at training we learned about canine enrichment and games to play with Dembe if we end up in a lock down situation. It was really good fun and Dembe really enjoyed himself. At one point Dembe managed to slip his lead and he did a a run around the whole of the barn, he looked like a streaker the way he kept looking over his shoulder. He went straight over to his mate Rufus who he adores and all he wants to do is have a play with him! Rufus’ owner was laughing her head off at Dembes antics. He gets so excited when he gets to play games at the training centre.

Dembe was so exhuasted after training he just went to sleep as soon as we got home.

Wednesday 18th March 2020

Well I was expecting Dembe to be like this all morning after last nights escapades

But his actual dosing lasted a very short time indeed. I ended up playing Find it with him for close to 40 minutes . After which I don’t know who was most knackered him or me!

Today was quite a huge day really as I finally bit the bullet and decided to enquire with our dog trainer about dog walking. This is for when Jay is working on a late night as Dembe simply refuses to use the backgarden to go to the toilet. Even having a wee now seems to be out of the question. Jay has started to take him out twice on a day when he is working late before he goes to work. But even then I am left weith Dembe crying on and off from around 5pm until Jay gets in at 9 / 10 pm. It simply isn’t fair on Dembe and it isn’t fair on me as it means my evenings are spent continually getting Dembe out in the back garden to go for a pee which he now flatly refuses to do.

I am also going to get Jay to speak to his friend at work whose wife runs a dog walking service and ask if she can pick up Saturday afternoon walks with Dembe as she could do with an extra client. She has had so many cancellations with people either being made unemployed or now working from home her business is being impacted badly. It will only be about once a month that Jay gets a late night Saturday but it will help Dembe and me and in turn our friend.

In the evening the dog walker come over and met Dembe . Dembe went absolutely crazy! Initially he was barking loads and then he went to his toy box and brought Phil his sprout. Just as Phil was leaving Dembe decided without warning to puke all over the lounge rug so that wasn’t at all mortifying.

He is absolutely fine in himself however I am concerned about his left eye. He seems to be blinking it more and it looks red. There has also been a bit of gunk coming from it. So a trip to the vets tomorrow for him.

Thursday 19th March

Poor Dembe has a corneal abrasion. Initially I had though he may have conjuctivitis but Jay took him to the vets at 10.15am and they could see a scratch on his eye. He has had an injection and eye drops put in.

He really isn’t happy about the eyedrops. I put the first lot in at 12.30pm and he ran up the stairs straight after and stayed on the stairs glaring at me through the banisters for 15 minutes.

He then came down the stairs and went onto the small sofa, huffing and puffing the whole time whilst flatly refusing to look at me.

I have booked Dembe in for some dog walks next week and one the week after. This is a huge step for Jay and I, turning Dembe over to someone else for at least an hour. But it will do Dembe good.

Friday 20th March

Dembe’s eye is still a little swollen and red but it is looking a whole lot better than it did. He was bouncing off the walls today . I have never known him so full of energy. Obviously the pain relief he was given at the vets yesterday knocked him bandy.

I did manage to get a little sewing done today at least whilst he had a nap upstairs.

He was walked early and again before Jay went to work, as he is late night today. But he is still bouncing off the walls. I thank my lucky stars this is the last late night I will have to endure with a whinning dog that keeps running to teh front door despite having a garden he can use to relieve himself.

Saturday 21st March

Dembe’s eye is now back to normal, no swelling and all the redness has gone.

Again he was absolutely mental this morning for about an hour after his long walk with Jay before he finally conked out.

He has been incredibly vocal today, barking and howling at everyone who dares walk past our house. It is a bit of a nightmare when all he wants to do is talk!

As soon as the clock strikes one Dembe assumes his position at the window waiting for his dad to come home for his lunch. As soon as his dad arrives Dembe then goes to his toy box and presents it to his dad. It is very sweet and you never know from one day to the next what toy Jay will be given.

Sunday 22nd March

Jay left the house before 8.30am this morning so that he could go and get shopping for both sets of parents. Both are self isolating due to this fucking virus and need bits and pieces from the supermarket to get them through. As Jay wasn’t in his work uniform Dembe kicked off from the moment he left. Howling and barking at the front door and lounge window. Hoping that his dad could hear him and that he would hurry home. I hate it when Dembe is like this as there is nothing you can do to console him apart from just getting him chewy treats as he can’t chew and make noise at the same time.

He did settle eventually and I managed to get a small amount of sewing done before Jay got home.

As soon as Jay sat down Dembe draped himself all over Jay to make up for lost time. He loves his dad.

Stay safe everyone xxx

W/C Monday 9th March 2020

Monday 9th March

Jay was on his usual shift, as it was pissing down with rain – his words not mine he decided to give Dembe a walk around the block. He was out for 30 minutes trying to get the little bugger to have a poo. He flat out refused so they both came back to the house soaked through.

I was a bit concerned that Dembe would be a pain in the bum having not been properly as today was the third meeting of my craft group. However he was really well behaved. We meet up fortnightly at our house the group can be just 4 or up to 7 of us. Dembe initially was getting very over excited as we simply don’t have that many people coming to the house. However with these regular meet ups it has really calmed him down. He spent most of the meeting ( 2.5 hours) lying at my feet asleep. I did try sitting on the pouffe but he jumped up and knocked me flying so I swapped it out for a kitchen chair. It was hilarious. Thank goodness I wasn’t wearing a skirt as my legs were up in the air and I was flat on my back having my face licked. Much to the amusement of my friends.

Tuesday 10th March

We have a busy day today with Jay day off. We have several friends coming over. As one of them is bring her two week old baby Jay is popping into pets at home to get some bulls tails for Dembe. He loves chewing on them more than being fussed by visitors.

As is usual when daddy goes to pets at home he buys Dembe a toy……like he hasn’t got any! So today Daddy bought Dembe a baby T rex. I sometimes wonder if Jay if fulfilling his childhood dream of having lots of dinosaur toys!

I did emergency surgery on a few toys – two crocodiles and a carrot. All damaged in the line of duty whilst playing tug. Thankfully he doesn’t sit and destroy toys.

Sandra popped over for a coffee late in the morning and Dembe was only too happy to have some cuddles with her. He was very calm as he had seen her the day before. It is really going well having lots of people visiting which is why it is so sad that with this Covid business we may not have many visitors for a few months.

As Kat was coming with her baby we decided we would take Dembe out and give him a nice long walk before she arrived so that he would be less energetic. He has met babies before but it was quite a while ago. He seems to be very tuned into people, like with Sam and when Sandra broke her ankle when he was a tiny pup, so is always very gentle. I am more worried about him accidentally hurting the baby. I am sure he will be fine but initially we will keep him in the kitchen to ensure he has calmed down before letting him in.

He had a lovely walk although was a bit muddy when he got back. He gets hosed off in the garden with no issues at all. Normally the Weimaraners would run a mile at the hose going on. Where as Dembe runs towards it, he still wanders into the shower cubicle most mornings whilst I am having a shower.

Kat arrived with baby Logan. It went perfectly. Dembe was curious and gave Logan lots of sniffs . He was very sweet, when I was holding Logan he jumped onto the sofa kissed me and then gave Logan the tiniest of licks. Logan was fine, I would have been mortified if he then screamed the place down but as Kat has dogs herself he was very good. Dembe was very interested in the car seat which is what happened when he was a puppy and we met baby Orla.

He was pretty shattered after his busy day and was having very long naps on the sofa only to discover that it was also dog training. Training this evening went brilliantly, he was easily the top of the class tonight. Very little barking, unlike the week before where he decided he would be a gob shite. He was the only dog when they were doing a sit stay exercise and then putting their toy down in front of them that didn’t break his stay. Also Martin the trainer came up and told Jay out of all the dogs, Dembe was the only one who wouldn’t be distracted when they were having a play session. Our training sessions are broken up with regular plays sessions for a few minutes so that the dogs associate the learning with lots of fun. Dembe and Jay have a whale of a time when they start playing and all he wants is Jay. The other dogs all get easily distracted even when playing with their owners. Jay and I pride ourselves that no matter how tired we are or how shitty we are feeling Dembe has at least one play session a day with us. It could be we find it – which is really a training session dressed up as playtime, it could be chase, cuddles and tug of war. Anything at all that strengthens the bond between us.

I have also over the months slowly disengaged from Dembe when he is in training so that when Jay does any exercise when he is off the lead he doesn’t bolt back to me. I am no longer the distraction I was to him. It is hard especially when he has done really well during an exercise as all I want to do is cuddle him and tell him what a star he has been.

Wednesday 11th March

Jay is late night tonight, so Dembe has had an early walk. He will get another walk at around 11am to ensure he has done as much of his business as possible before Jay goes to work. We have had a lazy morning and Dembe is absolutely shattered after yesterday!

I have managed to crack on with some sewing this afternoon and made Dembe some new treat bags for dog training class.

I made the prototypes of these last summer and the last one finally broke last night. I am amazed it has lasted as long as it did. I have made a few of these recently as presents and it was only after the one broke last night that I realised that Dembe only had the generic Good Boy one I made and had never had one that was personalised for him. I put #Team Dembe due to that’s what we are called at dog training.

As Jay is late night I ended up playing find it bunny with Dembe for ages. He just keeps going and going. I was having to stay up waiting for a delivery ( which never arrived) so Dembe was convinced his dad would be home soon and kept going to the door.

This is when I start to feel useless as I can’t walk him and although he has access to the garden he is refusing more and more to use it eve for going for a wee. Eventually I did get him to go. But he went for loads of wee’s when Jay took him out when he got home.

Thursday 12th March

As Jay was on a 9-6 today Dembe got a nice long walk on the common before he went to work. It has been dry for a few days so for a change he didn’t need washed off. When he got back I gave him his breakfast. Jay couldn’t believe how quickly he ate it and then licked the bowl clean. It is safe to say he is enjoying this new batch of food. Back in January when I started cooking for him I never imagined that he would enjoy it this much. I was worried I would be left with a freezer full of dog food that after 4 weeks he went off. Thankfully that hasn’t been the case.

I did some more sewing today but had regular breaks so I could have Dembe cuddles. He hates it when Jay is on a 9-6 shift, so from 5pm was quite hard work.

As soon as he saw me get the coats out he knew his dad was coming home. So he spent the next 5 minutes at the window waiting for his dad.

It was really light this evening so it was quite busy at the airfield. Today he had a lovely walk with a black Labrador the same age as him called Luna. They were running around like crazy, although he refused to follow Luna into the gorse bushes, he has never been a fan of going off the path. By the time he and Jay got back to the car he was utterly exhausted. I do love it when he has had a chance to have some fun with another dog as he loves to play.

Friday 13th March

Dembe had one of his days where he slept the majority of the day, so I cracked on with some sewing that I wanted to do.

As Jay was on another 9-6 shift he took Dembe out before he went to work up to Woodbury Castle. He said it was deserted and they had a nice long walk. By the time Jay got back is was torrential rain. Dembe was a bit better today waiting for Jay to get home, although he was keen to get out even with the rain. I got his coat on ready for when Jay got in so he could go straight out.

Saturday 14th March

Jay is on an early shift today, as it was dry he took Dembe up the common and gave him a proper run about before heading into work. However when I finally got up at around 7am you would have thought Dembe had never been out as he was like a coiled spring. Bringing me toy after toy attempting to get me to play with hims whilst I was struggling to wake up.

No sewing this morning I need a rest from it. So I have spent the morning updating Dembe’s blog from the hard copy I keep onto his blog ready for Monday when it will be published. My little puddin’ has slept beside me on the sofa for most of the morning.

Dembe has slept most of the day although he went absolutely mental when his dad came home. He had another lovely walk playing with another doggy friend.

Sunday 15th March

We are all having a quiet day. Due to the current Covid-19 issue we are limiting our contact with the outside world as much as possible.

Stay safe everyone