Dog of the Month - November

Here's November's Dog of the Month - Dexter!

Dexter first came to me in August 09 for boarding, then started dog walking with me in August this year, so he got his Walkies Award at the same time. I haven't managed to get such a good photo of a dog posing with his rosettes before! Dexter looks chuffed to bits. He also looks a bit mucky, but, well, if you're not mucky, covered in branches, snow or slobber can you really say you've had a good time??

Dexter's award was for being an independent free spirit, who ALWAYS (nearly) comes when he's called.

Our first meeting August 09, awww, so sweet and cute looking!

 And yes he is stuck. This is what I call a rescue dog. He followed the big dogs in, then couldn't get out and needed to be rescued. Normally when dogs do this they choose a bank with nettles on, so I get stung as well as wet and muddy...

Dog of the Month - October

Yes, nearly caught up!

Here's October, Bobby who has the most wonderful white coat - unless he's been out walking with me! So his award is for being a Very Good Boy while Aunty Linda baths and grooms him while he's boarding with me.

 Just after his bath, looking a bit damp.

 An hour later, sleek and shiney!

And just cos he looked so cute, as a tiny puppy!

Dog of the Month - September

Desperately late, I'm so sorry! We have Bingley for September.

During the school holidays I had an assistamt walking some of the dogs for me while I was so busy, and Bingley was one of them.

When I took back over in September I couldn't believe how happy I was to see Bingley again. I guess sometimes they get under our skin more than we think they do!

So Bingley is September's Dog of the Month simply because he's so cheerful and happy, and never fails to make me smile.

and some more pics!

Dog of the Month - August

Slightly delayed as usual, here's Barney, August's Dog of the Month!

Barney stayed with me a few times over the summer, and really mucked in well with all the dogs. There was some competition over tennis balls and toys so we stopped taking them with us after a few days. In their absence, Barney sat in the dog pond waiting for me to throw something, and when I didn't, he dived to the bottom and rescued a few sunken toys!

The main reason he won the award is his quick learning! One of my own dogs is a bit of a bicycle chaser, so when on a long weekend walk at first sight of a bike we all gather round for a small treat so Scamp doesn't chase. After an hour of this, Barney was running straight to me without me saying anything at all as soon as he spotted a bike. I was very impressed - I've been doing this since June and Scamp still hasn't quite got it...

Here's some of my fav pics of Barney. He's also been walking with me a year, so got his Walkies award at the same time.

Dog of the Month - July

Slightly late, but this is our busiest time of the year!

This month's award goes to Willow.



Willow is one of my regular walkees, once a week. In the past few months she's matured from a maniac teenager who only wants to play with other dogs, to an attentive and responsive dog who is a real pleasure to walk with.

Well done Willow!

Dog of the Month - June

Bobbi earned our Dog of the Month for June - her award was for Most Improved Temperament as she's really come into her own the last few weeks. Like most terriers, removing the lead probably has a lot to do with it! But she also tolerates being towelled off in the van and being touched generally much better.

She's a wonderful girl!

Dog of the Month - May

This month there are THREE Dogs of the Month!

Scarlet, Henry and Benson are some of my oldest customers, and this weekend they are moving out of the area. They are going to a wonderful new home in the country, with lots more space for them to run about and play.



I will miss them terribly, but have enough fond memories to keep me going, and I have an invitation to visit to see how they've settled in, which I will look forward to.

Dog of the Month - April

In late April I went to an 'Ultimate Recall' four day training course. When booking, I asked the trainer what dog I should bring, and he told me to bring 'the worst dog you can find'.

The worst dog I could find was no longer walking with me (as he wouldn't come back on walks, and pulled too hard to walk on lead and my offer of recall training wasn't taken up), so I asked Inky's mum if he could come - as a Beagle I thought the challenge of his breed instincts would give me something to think about!

At the end of the four days, we were all padlocked (yes, really!) to a tree - with the key on the dog's collar.

Despite being in a field at the back of a pub, with pub visitors and their dogs coming and going, with a motorhome rally going on, chickens, evidence of rabbits, and dogs in the next field who were running up and down the hedge barking, Inky rescued me! So to thank him for not wandering off after rabbits and leaving me starving in a field in Hampshire, he's won Dog of the Month for April.

Dog of the Month - March

Dilly is our Dog of the Month for March! She had learned to play keep away with amazing staying power. She'd recall lovely, but then would dance away so she couldn't be caught and go off and do her own thing again. I had to go back to walking her on a lead while we slowly went back over the basics.

I noticed some real improvements this month, her owners have been working hard, and I've been putting in some time on our walks where I can.

She's done so well she's back off lead again! She's not quite 100%, especially when I'm walking another one of my playful dogs, but the keep away has almost vanished, I've only seen it once this month, and I solved that by walking away and recalling her into a sit. Wonderful girl!

Dog of the Month - February

It's that (slightly late) time again - here's Winston, our Dog of The Month for February!

Winston is a charming Black Lab who I walk two or three times a week. When I started walking him, he was so happy and excited about his walk he'd be off and running before I got out of the door, taking me with him. He lives opposite a park, so I believe a lot of his walks are on foot from the door. As I need two hands to lock up behind me before putting him in the van, he's had to practice standing patiently, without pulling on the lead, so my hands are free (Paws/Pause at the Doors).

Despite being as excited as usual, in February we cracked it! I came out of the door, and he calmly waited without me having to call him back to me. What a star! No formal training for it, but he learnt it anyway!

Dog of the Month - January

Humphrey has been walking with me for 8 months - he's a very cute Bulldog, nearly two years old now. He's a cracking personality! Very entertaining, and all the regulars in the park love him - even those without dogs can't see him without cooing over him.

He is very much the reincarnation of Tigger:

The wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is Tiggers are wonderful chaps
They're loaded with vim and vigor
They love to leap in your laps
They're jumpy, bumpy, clumpy, thumpy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun

This doesn't always go down very well with other dogs, although he did learn very quickly to be calm and controlled around the other dogs in his regular walking group. Every new dog though, got Tiggered.

Then, after a very quiet winter of calm walks, in January I started walking a very cute 10 month old Wire Haired Fox Terrier. Humphrey was very happy to see his new buddy, and very gently and carefully made friends. No leaping in her lap! I think it might be love...

So because of his very grown up and calm welcome for the new girl, not only did Humphrey win Dog of the Month for January, the awards were created simply so he could have the first one!

Sadly his time with us is coming to an end, but we hope to see Humphrey again in the future, and we will always remember him fondly.

His presentation photo is slightly whited out (and he's trying to eat his rosette), so here's a collection of photos from the last 8 months.

We love you Humphrey! xx