W/C 9th August 2021

Monday 9th August

Jay went back to work today after 2 weeks annual leave. Dembe and i have slipped back into our normal pre holiday routine. In fact we slipped into it a little too well and slept on a bit.

Dembe has a walk booked with Martin from Happy Dogs this morning which I am sure he will enjoy as he will be able to catch up with his Happy Dog mates. When Martin brought him back he told me he was limping intermittently whilst on the walk. I contacted Jay to discuss it and then Jay rang the vets and managed to get him booked in for an appointment for later on in the afternoon. Dembe is very cuddly and no limping seen in the house.

Dembe was taken to the vets at 16.15, he was weighed and is a whopping 36kg the heaviest he has ever weighed. During the last two weeks it seems his Labrador brain has finally been switched on and he is trying lots of new foods that he has previously ignored! So we no longer have such a fussy eater.

He was very well behaved in the vets but sadly they couldn’t replicate the limp. The vet has said that she can’t feel any swelling / heat or crepitus in any of the joints. So at the moment she is unconcerned and thinks that it is possibly a muscle strain. He is to be rested for a couple of days and started on some anti-inflammatory medication. We are to start that tomorrow.

Dembe is absolutely fine in himself, eating, drinking, jumping around and being the usual bouncy Labrador he is. So we aren’t too concerned. If his limp doesn’t resolve then he will need to have an x-ray and we will go from there. To ensure he rests I have cancelled his walk with Sophie from Creature Kind on Wednesday.

Tuesday 10th August

Today is the first day of Dembe’s medication. I mixed it in with his breakfast and he took it with no issues. That was a huge relief. We will be watching him closely for side effects such as sickness and diarrhoea, blood in his urine or stools. It is always terrifying for us when we start him on any kind of medication having one dog in the past have his kidneys destroyed due to medication and another who started passing blood in his urine just a few hours after a dose of medication. For the most part I like to try and treat the dogs as naturally as possible but sometimes that isn’t always necessary.

Dembe is quite content to just sleep a lot of today, he is always happiest when we are all home together. He is ensuring he is topped up with Daddy cuddles and he is following me around everywhere to the point where I have almost fallen over him on several occasions.

There is no noticeable difference in his behaviour now he has taken the first dose of medication which weirdly is a relief as had there have been I would have felt terribly guilty as it would have meant he had been in pain and unable to tell us.

Jay took Dembe out on the common for a short walk this afternoon and I stayed at home as we were waiting for a delivery. When Jay and Dembe got back to the carpark there was a Creature Kind van parked beside us. Dembe refused to get back into our car and kept running to the back of the creature kind van waiting to be let in. Jay had to practically carry him back to our car and load him in.

This evening Dembe decided to raid his toy box and pull out his smallest toy, Sam’s baby. This was given to Dembe when he was a tiny pup, by his biggest fan Sam. Dembe loves the tiny beany baby and will carry it around in his mouth very carefully.

Wednesday 11th August

Dembe had a short lead walk first thing this morning. Jay is on a late finish today so Dembe will get several lead walks and a short common walk before Jay leaves. Jay took Dembe to the common around 9.30am and as they got themselves ready for the walk Martin from Happy Dogs pulled alongside, they said a quick hello and then, Dembe and Jay went for their walk.

Day 2 of Dembe’s medication and again I have to say no difference at all in Dembe’s behaviour. So I am now left wondering was he in pain or is he in so much pain that the meds aren’t touching it. The mummy guilt with this pup is strong. Dembe is fine obviously! I just don’t think he was actually in pain. We shall see it is probably too early to tell.

In the afternoon I decided that I would paint the skirting board upstairs it is something I can do sat down. Of course for the first time ever Dembe managed to get the Frenchic Trim Paint in Parchment down his side as he lay on the landing whilst I was painting! Thankfully the paint came off with some soap and water even though it was dry by the time I found it. Mind you the colour was so close to his lightest fur colour it was quite well matched.

Whilst I was painting I gave Dembe a venison leg to chew on, he stripped it right down to the bones! He really enjoys a good chew. I got 10 venison legs for less than 20 quid and as they keep him quiet for an hour or more I see that as a bargain.

Thursday 12th August

We are up early today as we have a friend visiting. Dembe hasn’t seen V for ages so it will be interesting to see how he gets on with her. I am sure it will be fine as she loves dogs and she has know him since he was a tiny pup.

He was very excited when V arrived and leaping around all over the place. I got him a deer leg as I knew that he would be more interested in the deer leg than V. He stripped it clean within an hour but the action of chewing calmed him right down. As soon as the deer leg was stripped he was all over V sitting on her lap, licking her ears and generally demanding attention.

After V left Dembe was absolutely shattered as he hadn’t had his usual morning nap! It was only 30 minutes later and his dad came home for lunch and took Dembe around the block. It was a very quiet afternoon.

Dembe was starving hungry today as he was all out of sync with our early walk. He had his dinner at 4pm.

This was day three of his new medication, again no change in his behaviour. He has all the way through used his left leg to push off when getting up off the floor, I think he is left handed. There is no difference with how he is getting up to how he was getting up last week which was normal and no hesitancy. No limping at all around the house and his movement is fine.

Friday 13th August ( unlucky for some )

Day 4 of Dembe’s medication, again no massive changes in his behaviour nor any minor ones. He is still as cuddly as ever jumping around and acting like a loon.

This morning he had a walk with Martin from Happy Dogs. He said he would try and capture it on video if he saw Dembe limping but as he had 5 others dogs with him it might not be possible. When he brought Dembe back he said the limp was much less pronounced today and he thinks like we all do that it was possibly a muscle strain. He said he is only showing signs of a limp on uneven ground. Looking back Dembe had an episode of high energy and rough play on Sunday and came away from that with a graze on his leg. So perhaps that is what has caused his limp to flare up again?

Dembe came into the house when Martin dropped him off and then sat at the front door whilst it was wide open and I was chatting to Martin and never once tried to escape and charge out of the house. I would have never have got away with that with the Weimaraners. Mollie would have taken herself off on an adventure and would have rocked up 30 minutes later wondering what all the fuss was about. He amazes me constantly with what a well behaved boy he is.

He got in from his walk grabbed his carrot and gave it to em then he climbed on his favourite place on the sofa and fell asleep! The sign of a good walk.

Dembe and I went upstairs in the afternoon for a lie down. I managed to get some photos of him lying on my face which he what he always does when I have a migraine.

Dembe was ever so pleased to see his dad at 4pm when he finished. He was starving hungry again! He has a belly like a bottomless pit at the moment.

Sitting nicely in the kitchen as there was cheese!

Saturday 14th August

Today will be Jay’s second late finish of the week, can’t complain as he rarely is late on a Saturday. Today Dembe has a walk booked with Max from It’s A Dogs Life. He really does love his walk with Max and her dogs.

He was a bit huffy when Jay went to work as I think he thought he wasn’t going to get a nice long afternoon walk. So he went mental when Max’s van pulled up outside. He was really good with Max considering he can go months without seeing her. He was loving having a cuddle before they left and trotted off down the drive with her and jumped into the back of her van.

Photo Credit Maxine Pannell It’s A Dog’s Life

Dembe had a fantastic time on his walk, no sign of a limp reported by Max. I asked her if he had been a good boy and she said “isn’t he always”. It always makes me burst with pride as he is such a very good boy and mixes so well with other dogs and humans.

When he came home Dembe was very hot, when they left it had been overcast and stuffy. Whilst out the skies had cleared and there was brilliant sunshine sending the temperature soaring. They had to find some shaded area’s to walk. Dembe was panting heavily so I took him outside and hosed him down with some tepid water and got his cool mat out. He was more than happy to lie on that and I also put the fan on.

Sunday 15th August

We have had a quiet day. Dembe woke up at 6am and Jay took him up the common whilst it was nice and cool. They came back up to bed and no one woke up until I stirred at 09.45am. Our longest ever lie on with Dembe! He was still fast asleep when I woke.

Today is just going to be Dembe cuddles and catching up on the usual household chores.

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 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 21st June 2021

Monday 21st June

Dembe had a walk with Martin this morning, the weather was pretty grotty so there is no video to share with you but there are some great photos .Dembe had a fab time and there were plenty of zoomies with his mate Shadow who is 13 but acts like a puppy.

Dembe was on and off the lead today, he was a bit naughty starting a new thing of when being called back sitting down and refusing to move. A strange one as he doesn’t do that with us or any of his other walkers.

We had a cuddly afternoon, he spent much of it on my lap and then on the floor lying at my feet.

Tuesday 22nd June

It was a daddy and Dembe love in today as it always is when Jay is home. Dembe was most put out when his dad had to go out and get a new tyre put on the car without him. Jay was playing with the dog that was at the garage and Dembe went crazy sniffing Jay when he got home.

Wednesday 23rd June

We are wondering if there is a female dog in season near us as Dembe has been giving his bed a hammering the last few days. Normally his humping takes place in the evening just before bed time, the last couple of days it has been happening throughout the day!

Dembe has several walks before his dad left for work today. Dembe and I are both confused today as Jay is doing a 12-9 instead of a 1-10 shift so we keep thinking it is an hour later than it is.

Sophie from Creature Kind collected Dembe around 2pm for his walk and he was very excited to see her.

That last photo is a particular favourite of mine as I can imagine Jasper and Polo looking back and saying “what is that idiot doing now?”

He had a fab time on his walk and was starving when he got home, polishing off a huge dinner.

Thursday 24th June

Dembe was pretty knackered this morning after his fun time with Sophie yesterday.

He had a walk booked with Martin from Happy Dogs this morning.

If you have Facebook you can see the video here – https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/392157245549889 He had a lovely walk with his mates.

We had a quiet afternoon with lots of cuddles. I haven’t been very well this week and Dembe has altered his energy levels accordingly.

Friday 25th June

Dembe had a walk with Martin from Happy Dogs this morning, it was just him and Lily out on the walk this morning as they were the second group.

Dembe loves all the dogs he walks with but he has a huge affinity for other Labradors.

Whilst Dembe was out I cleaned out his paddling pool as it had gone a bit green and I always make sure it is kept scrupulously clean due to Dembe’s habit of ignoring his water bowl and drinking out of that during the summer months.

He was a very tired pup today and he spent much of the day sleeping on the sofa or having cuddles with me. He was very excited when I put his car harness on ready for when his dad got home and took him for a walk up the common.

We bumped into some friends we hadn’t seen for a long time Hilary and Wayne. Dembe was very pleased to see them and there was no barking as he remembered them from when he was a puppy. They adore him and always made a fuss of him when they saw him. They actually recognised Dembe and then us!

We use the Slow Ton harness as that is one of the few on sale in the UK that has been crash tested.

Saturday 26th June

I didn’t wake up until 9am this morning, Dembe slept nest to me all night which is quite unusual for several reasons. With the heat of the summer Dembe has been sleeping downstairs for the first part of the night only coming up at around midnight / 1am. When he has come up he has slept out in the hall rather than on my bed. Last night he slept on my bed resting up against my left leg. Normally he would have woken me up anywhere between 7.15-8am to demand his breakfast but when I woke up he was still fast asleep beside me.

I gave him his breakfast as soon as I got up, he polished it off

This afternoon he is out with Maxine at It’s a Dogs Life, for a walk, Jay was supposed to be at a family wedding today accompanying his mum but she decided she wasn’t well enough to attend. As we had Maxine booked we decided to go ahead with the walk anyway. Dembe was pleased to see her and couldn’t wait to get into the van!

He had a lovely time with Maxine on his walk and she said he was a good boy. He has obviously had a fantastic time as he has come in and plonked himself on the floor to cool down after having a huge drink!

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 24th May 2021

Monday 24th May

Dembe is booked in for a walk with Martin from Happy dogs this morning as Jay is on an early. The day started really sunny so I was hopeful that they would have a dry walk as it has been really awful the weather of late. Whilst Dembe and Martin were out we had some heavy showers and some hail. Miraculously they managed to avoid the showers and I had a very dry Dembe returned to me.

If you have Facebook you can see the video Martin took here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/494023101908305

Dembe made a new friend Lilly, Martin joked that she made a good Shadow substitute for Dembe as he does like the girls!

I had got all prepared for a wet dog, Dembe was more than happy to have his post walk nap on the towel I had laid out ready for him!

Jay popped back for lunch and walked him around the block. He was very settled in the afternoon so that let me do some prep work for some sewing. At 3pm Dembe came into the kitchen demanding his dinner which is incredibly early but as he was asking I let him!

Dembe has to have someone in the room with him when he eats or he will walk away from the food no matter how hungry he is. He has had this little quirk since he was a tiny pup.

He was very impatient for his dad to get home this afternoon and spent ages at the window watching the world go by and checking if it was his dad or not.

Tuesday 25th May

Dembe woke up at around 5.30am for his walk this morning, Jay took him around the block and then they both came back to bed and went to sleep. He started crying at 7.30am for his breakfast so I got Jay and we all went downstairs together. He has been demanding his food earlier than normal at the moment, which is unusual especially as a few weeks ago we had meals left as he didn’t want to eat them. He polished off a huge breakfast in record time!

He is being an angel with having his eye drops put in. He is such a good boy that he lets me do it by myself if I need to because Jay is at work. The Weims would have put up such a fight it would have taken an army of people to do it! His eyes are clearing up beautifully, bless him he must have been hurting and we didn’t know.

Today has been a Carrot day today, he has taken it everywhere. He has a habit of running up the stairs of he thinks we are going to do something he doesn’t like – for example clean his ears, clip his dew claws etc. For some reason today he decided to run upstairs!

He thinks we can’t see him because he is behind the banister! Numpty.

Wednesday 26th May

Today’s the day the boys are reunited, Polo will be on the walk with Dembe and they can resume their bromance.

As is usual Dembe had 3 walks before Jay left for work around midday. Dembe was picked up later this afternoon so whilst we were waiting, I gave Dembe a groom much to his digust. He is moulting an incredible amount at the moment. I used a zoom groom and a furminator on him and must have got enough off to stuff a 14 inch cushion pad!

Dembe had a fab walk with Sophie and Beth, if you have Facebook you can see a video of Dembe and Polo here https://www.facebook.com/2517468794947463/videos/4523341044360218

You can see another video of Dembe and the gang on Creature Kinds Facebook page by using this link https://www.facebook.com/2517468794947463/videos/4523356911025298

Dembe was shattered and starving hungry when he got home. We had an early night, he was in one of those moods where he is almost in my skin as he is so close to me on the bed.

Thursday 27th May

Dembe was knackered before he even went out with Martin from Happy dogs this morning. I don’t think he was expecting a walk today. Dembe was on the second walk so was picked up later.

As Martin switched on his camera to do a Facebook Live Dembe decided to live up to his name of Dembe ” 2 poo’s” Morris . If you have Facebook you can see the video here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/482804812979561

Dembe spent most of the afternoon asleep either inside the house or out in the garden.

Friday 28th May

Jay was on an early shift, Dembe was asleep in my room for a change as normally he will go in and sleep on Jays bed. When Dembe and I came downstairs we saw that Jay had left this for us.

Martin had told me the day before that Dembe would be picked up early for his walk as he had lots to do today. That is fine with us as it means Dembe doesn’t have to wait hours between walks. Dembe started barking at the window at 8.30am by the way his tail was going I knew it was Martin from Happy Dogs.

If you have Facebook you can see the Live that Martin recorded here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/1001586060597560

When Dembe came home as he was coming into the house I could see what looked like a Tick trying to get under Dembe’s collar. Luckily with his light coloured fur they are easy to spot when they are the small black ones. I freaked out a little and managed to catch it before it buried his head into Dembe’s skin. I have never known a year for so many ticks. We have had two in the house already most years there is 2 all year. So Jay has organised picking up Dembe’s over due tick treatment this evening.

I managed to make these two this morning

Dembe heard me as I put the squeakers into the Carrots and came running out of the lounge and wanted me to give him one of the carrots. I have made these for my nephews Cocker Spaniel Dusty and my friends sisters dog Bertie. They will both love them and there are two squeakers in each one. Dembe absolutely adores his full sized carrot. I am so glad that I have been able to make a replacement for him now they are no longer sold by Pets at Home.

Dembe has been chilling out this afternoon between barking at the carpenters working on next doors porch. I am updating his diary earlier than usual as on Sunday we are going to Jays mum’s house. Jays family will be scattering his dads ashes up on the beacon and Jay is taking Dembe with him for a nice long walk. I am staying at his mums house as the path isn’t disability friendly and is too much for me to manage. I used to walk this track twenty odd years ago before I got sick.

W/C 17th May 2021

Monday 17th May

Dembe has a walk booked in with Martin this morning.

Whilst we were waiting fro him to arrive, Dembe was giving the builders out in the street a piece of his mind as they have been making a racket for the last few days. It has upset Dembe no end having all the lorries and all the people shouting / drilling and generally making a nuisance of themselves.

Dembe had a lovely walk with Martin this morning, he was with his older woman Shadow, who he has a huge soft spot for.

Jay popped home at lunch time and gave De,be a quick walk around the block to ensure he would be ok until he got back later.

Dembe was knackered after his walk on the common with Martin and was more than happy to curl up on the sofa and doze until his dad got home at 4pm.

When Jay got home from work we took Dembe up to the model airfield for a walk. Dembe and Jay bumped into a female Hungarian Vizla that was in season ( I can’t believe that someone would be stupid enough to take a bitch in season out during a busy time of day when she was in season). This was a first for our boy and although he was incredibly intrigued by this foxy chick he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do about he. He spent the whole time following her around with his nose planted in her vulva, the Vizla’s not the owners LOL!

When Dembe got home he was rather sexually frustrated and his bed took a real pounding for at least 90 minutes. It was a wonder he could walk straight afterwards. The joys of owning a boy dog!

Tuesday 18th May

Dembe was all over his dad today. He is picking up on his stress levels as Jay’s mum needs to go back onto treatment for her multiple myeloma, a type of cancer of the bone marrow. After losing his dad just 6 weeks ago, Jay is much more stressed than normal.

Dembe seems to be on a mission today to ensure that the lounge looks like a creche at all times. No soon as we have cleared up all his toys, he is back at the toy box pulling everything out and making a mess again.

This evening we have been playing with Cleo the Caterpillar. He plays with her more now that his big wicker bed is upstairs in my room. We just have to watch him for attempting to chew off her antennae.

Jay took Dembe out for an hours walk this afternoon to clear his head. He finds a walk on the common really grounding and helps him de-stress. It is one of the enormous benefits of having a dog that even on one of your darkest days you have to get out of the house and get some fresh air.

Dembe really does love playing with the carrot that I made him to replace his old one that Pets at Home no longer sell.

Wednesday 19th May

Today is a strange one as instead of being on a late night, Jay is on a 9-6 shift. As Dembe loves his Auntie Sophie walks so much we decided to still go ahead with it. Sadly Polo, Dembe’s best mate is still recovering from being neutered, so he won’t be joining them. Hopefully he will be back next week.

Dembe was so excited to see his Auntie Sophie and get out for a walk, despite the fact that he had been out for 3 walks already today. One when he got Jay up at around 5.30am, another at 7.30am before Jay left for work and then another at around 1pm when Jay popped back for lunch.

Sophie and Beth from Creature Kind took Dembe and the crew over towards Darts Farm near Topsham. The cattle that had been there last week had been moved so there was no danger of the dogs upsetting the mum’s with their calves. Unfortunately the cows had left a lot of cow pats behind, so Dembe and his mates had a “shitfest” covering themselves in cow shit, eating cow shit and just generally getting it all over themselves. Dembe also discovered a bog whilst he was out and decided to wade into it up to his armpits. He had a green body ( cow shit ) and what looked like black tights ( bog). Sophie took him home and washed him in her back garden before bringing him back to me!

Dembe had a wonderful time playing with Beths dog Dilly a Lurcher cross. Dembe was absolutely knackered when he got in.

Thursday 20th May

Jay is taking his mum to her oncology appointment today, so it was quite lucky we already had a a walk booked with Martin from Happy Dogs.

The weather was absolutely disgusting hammering it down with rain and blowing a gale so there was no video and no photos as the weather was just so terrible.

When he got back from his walk with Martin he needed a quick hose off in the back garden and then he went to sleep on the towel I had laid on the sofa for him.

Dembe was quite happy to snuggle up beside me on the sofa this afternoon.

Our friends Leanne and Liam came over on in the afternoon to take Dembe around the block for me as I didn’t want Jay having to race home especially in this really awful weather.

Jay got home at around 16.30-1700 and we took Dembe straight out. It was dry but still very windy.

Friday 21st May

Poor Dembe isn’t very well, he has lots of gunk coming from his eyes and is rubbing his eyes like crazy. As soon as the vets opened at 8.30am he rang up and our favourite receptionist and friend got us in at 10.30am.

Dembe was a very good boy at the vets although he wouldn’t touch the treat she gave him until he was sure he was leaving the building with his dad. The vet said she had a fox red Labrador as well and she couldn’t get over well behaved Dembe was as she said her dog was nuts.

Dembe has conjunctivitis in both eyes so now needs drops for a few days. He had to have a luminous green dye put in his eyes to ensure he didn’t have an eye injury like a scratched cornea. It was just conjunctivitis so that’s good.

Dembe was much improved after two doses of the eye ointment and there has been very little gunk and no eye rubbing at all since.

Saturday 21st May

We are having a lazy family day together after the week we have just had.

W/C 10th May 2021

Monday 10th May

Dembe is booked in with Martin for a walk this morning as Jay is on an early shift.

It is a bit of a nightmare here as we have builders working directly opposite us, Dembe has decided that any noise that they make has to be immediately countered with barking and the occasional howling. He has really decided he hates them. Which would be fine if they were doing a quick job but the flats opposite have subsidence so the job is going to probably take a few weeks. Deep bloody joy.

He had a lovely walk with Martin If you have Facebook you can see the video from Happy Dogs here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/367733448015612

Dembe was deciding that recall was optional.

The last photo captures him perfectly! Barking because there had been a noise outside. Being on guard all the time had worn him out come 6pm tonight and he was keen for an early night.

Tuesday 11th May

Today Jay is getting his second covid jab and he is day off. Dembe was not impressed when Jay left the house without him and spent much of the time his dad was gone looking out the window for him.

We had a very lazy day as Jay was really knackered after his jab, which is a known side effect.

It was the usual Daddy and Dembe love in today.

We were all in bed by 18.30, Dembe didn’t mind that at all and is more than happy to have an early night as it means cuddles on mums bed!

Wednesday 12th May

As Jay was late night today, Dembe has a walk booked with Sophie from Creature Kind. Dembe has sussed out the Wednesday routine, as soon as his dad goes to work he starts checking at the window every ten minutes or so to see if Sophie has arrived yet. When he isn’t checking at the window he is on the sofa nearest the front door.

We did manage some lovely cuddles before Sophie arrived.

He is loving the carrot I made him. I did have to sew the side shut again after the little demon managed to rip the seam. But he is carrying it around like the old one so that’s good.

Dembe was very pleased to see Sophie’s van pull up outside and he was also keen to see Beth who works with Sophie now. Dembe’s best mate Polo wasn’t there this week as he is recovering from being neutered. The boys will be back together soon though.

When Sophie brought Dembe back she said he had been really manic in a fun way, not a naughty way on the walk. We both put that down to Polo not being there. However it became clear that something wasn’t quite right as he kept scrapping at the floor like he was scent marking after he had done a poo ( only he hadn’t). He would stop for a few minutes and then start again. I ended up washing his feet off and checking them all over to see if he had something on his paws and he was trying to get it off. I ended up taking him up to bed early and getting him to go to sleep.

Thursday 13th May

Thankfully whatever was bothering Dembe last night has gone today. There has been no foot scraping at all. When Martin dropped him back from his walk I asked him about it. I had googled it last night and all it said was it can be a sign of anxiety, which ok Polo wasn’t there but he isn’t a very anxious dog. Martin suggested maybe he had come into contact with something that was like catnip but for dogs. I said how was he on the walk and he said if I hadn’t have said anything he wouldn’t have known anything was wrong.

If you have Facebook you can see Dembe out on his walk with Martin from Happy Dogs here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/135592375177927

Today we have the double whammy of building works. We have the subsidence works across the road and then next door to them we have engineers out installing gas to the flats that have never had gas until now. It means we have had pneumatic drills going as the pavement is cut into, countless vans coming and going. Just constant bloody noise. Dembe has been going mad barking at the window which makes it even more stressful.

I have been trying to distract him with games and cuddles so that he doesn’t feel the need to shout at all the workmen.

Friday 14th May

Today would have been Jay’s dad’s 69th birthday. Dembe is picking up on the change of mood and is very protective towards Jay. It has been a tough week for Jay and his family as Rogers ashes came home this week. Jay has been worried about his mum and as a consequence Dembe has been Jay’s shadow all week.

Dembe had a walk booked with Martin from Happy Dogs this morning as Jay was on an early shift. If you have facebook you can see Dembe’s walk here https://www.facebook.com/415343231815686/videos/1442519762766593

I knew when Martin put his mask on when he got out of the car that Dembe had been a sod on the walk. Lately Martin has been letting Dembe run from the van straight into the house and as he has been at the end of the drive he doesn’t need to wear a mask. As I suspected Dembe had decided half way through the walk to turn into a demon. Martin described him as nonchalant, arrogant and stubborn, which had me in stitches. He basically decided he wasn’t going to do as he was told, so Martin put him on the lead and he had to walk to heel for the rest of the walk. He was very meek when he got in. Clearly wanting to make amends with Martin he brought him his dinosaur as a gift to look at!

Dembe was knackered after being made to walk to heel and concentrate through the second half of his walk.

He went straight to sleep! Despite all the rain we have had this week he wasn’t too wet.

We had lots of cuddles in the afternoon.

Unfortunately Dembe has decided the last two days he is going to be a sod with his food. The last two meals he has turned his nose up at unless they have had fish added to them. We haven’t had this spoilt brat behaviour in ages. This time though instead of worrying Dembe’s meals get picked up and put in the fridge if he doesn’t eat them within 20 minutes of them going down. We no longer pander to him. If he is hungry he will eat. If he doesn’t eat his meals but will eat treats there is nothing wrong with him!

Saturday 15th May

We didn’t wake up until 8.30am this morning, Dembe was hungry so I got kissed until I was awake. However when he got given his breakfast he turned his nose up at it again, so after 20 minutes it got picked up and put in the fridge.

The barking hasn’t been too bad so far today as the builders aren’t around and there haven’t been a lot of cars going past the house. He tends to bark now when I am not in the room so he knows I can’t tell him off immediately.

We will be having a quiet weekend as Jay has had a full on week at work. As you can see from the photo his carrot toy goes everywhere with him!

Sunday 16th May

The weather has been shocking the last few days. Despite the fact he was already soaked he couldn’t resist having a swim.

We have never been so grateful for his Ruff & Tumble drying coat.