The Spaniel Diaries: The continuing adventures of Billy

The Spaniel Diaries

What a month! Firstly I was very sad that HM Queen Elizabeth II has passed away. The whole family loved her and she loved us dogs too, it was a sad day in my house as we all watched the funeral, even that horror of a puppy sat quietly for once.

Talking of the horror of a pup it still hasn’t gone anywhere, I do have a feeling it’s now a permanent fixture. It’s very annoying and always wants to play, and of course that idiot Mav likes to indulge it in a game. What is also annoying and so not fair is it gets fed more than I do, can you believe that! Apparently I get fat too easily and do not need three meals a day wheras the walking teeth needs to grow into a big strong boy. Erm, I don’t think so!

I do, however, give him his due in that he’s a very clean boy and mum should be grateful for my showing him that toilet is done outside and not in the dog bed and rolled in, ugghh! I do need to teach him to roll in fox poo though, the day he does that will be the day he goes up in my estimation!

Mum was quite excited to receive a parcel this week. I also got excited because it looked very much like a big beautiful fluffy dog blanket, but alas it’s not – YET! Mum is adament that she’s not putting the heating on unless it’s sub-zero, so she has bought two massive heated blankets to snuggle up with as it’s going to be cheaper than putting on the gas! We dogs are going to be used as hot water bottles too – I really don’t mind as I adore cuddles, not sure how that puppy is going to like it though, he whirls around like a feral thing so good luck trying to cuddle him! Mum is already teaching the monster of a puppy to sit and to walk nicely on the lead. He absolutely loves tennis balls too and spends ages hunting in the grass, I personally don’t get the attraction with the things, give me a sock anyday! Hmmm, I can blame the puppy for the missing socks! Yay, especially since mum caught him swinging on the curtains just the other day! Now Bonfire Night is upon us mum is making sure we are happy and comfortable. Luckily Mav and I aren’t really too bothered about the bangs but we’ll see how the piranha in a puppy costume goes; mum has made sure he’s got a comfortable den and plenty of tasty treats and toys around too. Some pets really struggle and mum says they need to be kept inside especially when it’s dark and to make sure microchips are upto date in case they do escape.

Don’t forget to check for our little prickly hedgehog friends before lighting the bonfire too!

Well, it will soon be Christmas so I can’t wait to see what he makes of the Christmas tree!

Until next time, have fun! Jeannette Douglas

Christmas preparations

As the nights are getting longer and the days are colder, many of us look forward to Christmas with decorations, presents and daily treats from advent calendars. We humans know what all this means but from the eyes of a cat or dog, this can all appear very strange and confusing.

Once a year we bring out boxes of shiny, twinkly decorations from the loft or garage which may have collected a decent layer of dust or storage mites while being tucked away. This can cause our pets to sneeze or itch if they’re sensitive to a higher exposure than normal. We can help reduce the exposure by taking those boxes outside first, giving everything a good shake and dust off before we start to put them up. Only put a few things up every day so your pet can acclimatise to the new decorations first.

Advent calendars are a wonderful treat for us in December and it makes sense that we want our pet to share the joy with their own advent calendars. If you do wish to give those daily treats, make sure you reduce their usual food a little so those waistlines don’t get too stretched over Christmas! Sophie Hall B.V.Sc., M.R.C.V.S.