Bruno - born Boxing Day 25 years ago today

I haven't mentioned much yet about Bruno. Maybe because he is the hardest one of all to talk about. He was my best friend, my soul mate. There could never be another dog as precious again as him. I was there at his birth exactly 25 years ago today, but unlike any of my other dogs, I was missing when he left this World. And almost 15 years later, that still hurts. 

Bruno was born on Boxing Day 1985 at home with me acting as midwife to his Mum, Bliss and looked on by his Grandma Gemma and Sami. Bruno was the son of the Crufts Supreme Champion, Montravia Tommy Gun and like his Dad, he was incredibly proud and handsome. It was love at first sight for me and he was never going to leave me.

Bruno was a wonderful show dog, getting more 1sts at all levels of shows than any other dog I have shown, 2 Best in Shows at open shows and qualifying for Crufts every year I showed him.  He was magnificent and such a great friend to me. He looked after me and I tried my best to look after him.

He produced some marvellous pups, one of whom, Maddi, I kept and she lived to the age of 16.

Sadly Bruno died the youngest of all my dogs. He was just 10 years old and he left us 3 weeks after losing his Mum, Bliss, to cancer. Bruno developed a cough and within just a few days we had lost him. Dad and I sat up with him all night, propping him up, taking him twice back to the vets in the middle of the night, but by the morning he was so poorly. Our vets saw him as soon as they opened and then called for me to take him to a specialist in Manchester. He was struggling to breath and his chest cavity was filled with air. I cuddled him all the way there and it broke my heart to leave him. Dad and I had just got back home when the phone rang telling me he had suffered a massive heart attack shortly after we left him. A post mortem revealed he had pulmonary cysts which had burst and effectively he had suffocated to death.

My heart well and truly broke that day. I felt I had let him down not being with him at the end. I loved him so very much. He was supposed to have been best man at our wedding the following year.

I hope somehow that he knew how much I loved him.

Me and my boy

Bruno and daughter Maddi

My best Christmas present

Today I had the best Christmas present I could ever have wished for Charlie.

I haven't posted for a while as since the end of August Charlie has been battling to be here. After a series of tests and 9 days of hospitalisation when we almost lost her, she was diagnosed with Cushing's disease, pancreatitis, kidney disease, hypertension and hypovolemia.
 Almost 4 months later, the main issues at this stage are kidney disease is the major issue with hypovolemia and hypertension mixed in. So, you can imagine my joy when this morning, she picked up a squeaky toy and brought it to me to play with it. I know Charlie cannot "get better" as such, but with the wonderful care of our vet Adam and the team of nurses at Calder vets Charlie is doing ok.
I haven't stopped smiling today - she truly is the best present I could have wished for.

Tim bought me a new camcorder to record her and of course Lotte who at 7 months old is now bigger than Charlie.

Will post more very soon.

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas

Lotte has been busy

Hi, Lotte here.
I have been very busy. Mum bathed and clipped me on Friday morning before going to Aunty Carole's near York. It wasn't fair that she wouldn't give me my breakfast - just 'cos she said I would be sick in the car. Hmmph, just to get my own back, I threw up a few times - serves her right for not feeding me.

It had a great time. I saw Uncle Tony for the first time as well as Aaron, who is 8 and Uncle Phil. They were really nice.  I saw some chickens a bit like Mum's and a great big dog, Mollie who is a rottweiler. She was sooooo patient with me. Oooh and I saw a black cat, Minnie. She was a bit scary. She arched her back and started to walk towards me so I thought it was a good idea to go back to Mum. There was a really loud noise a few times and a great big thing went past - it was a train. I was only scared once when I ran back into the house - well it did seem a bit close to me. Mum had a problem getting Dad back in the car - he scoffed all his dinner, had 2nd and 3rd helpings and didn't really want to go home. At least he got fed - not like me.

I went to Bridlington today. We took Charlie with us but Tommy had to stay home to look after the house. I managed to go about 30 miles before I was sick this time and not as bad as before. I wasn't sick at all coming home. No wonder - I hadn't got any food left in my tummy.
Not sure I liked Bridlington. I was such a good girl and Mum and Dad were so proud of me. They said I walked so well on my new pink lead with love hearts on it. I wanted to say hello to lots of people but hardly anyone would speak to me. Only one person stopped and said how lovely I was. She said she would see me on the TV one day winning Crufts, whatever that is. Mum said she would love to show me, but she hasn't got the incli, incling, oh, I know- the inclination to take me to shows. But she did say that I was one of the best pups she had ever seen. I agreed with her of course.

Oh and one funny thing happened. Dad bought 2 saucers of cockles for him and Mum and put them on the harbour wall. Suddenly one disappeared. A great big seagull came and pinched it. Dad didn't think it was as funny as Mum at first and said that saucer had been for Mum. He laughed later on though.
Charlie was really good but her legs weren't good after a while so we had to go back to the car. Poor old Charlie. She loved her time out. She looks after me and she loves me. I think everyone loves me, but I think that's 'cos I am cute and pretty and make Mum and Dad laugh.

Well, that's all for now. Pretty girls need their beauty sleep you know. 

Tommy update

Janet returned yesterday to see how we were getting on with Tommy and his training. Phew - we got a pat on the back each, including Tommy.
He has been much happier and when Janet came into the house, he didn't even bark at her; he actually looked pleased to see her.

So, we progressed to seeing if we could let Lotte loose with him for a while outside. Armed with a supply of home-made water bombs - (before we get reported to the RSPCA, this is just a small amount of water tied up in a nappy bag) - we let her loose and when she went near Tommy, if he growled, we threw a water bomb towards his feet. This stopped him straight away. Lotte stayed out of his way most of the time and as it was pouring down with rain, Tommy really didn't want to do any more of this - he doesn't like getting his feet wet or spoiling his hair !! He just sat down. Tim and I have to do more training with this before Janet returns in 2 weeks.

More progress inside - Tommy came into the lounge with us and Janet and behaved. He even went up to Janet and took treats out of her hand - huge progress. Just one point he was a bit iffy when she waved her arm after giving us a piece of paper, but a quick "BAH" and he sat down again.
We now have high hopes for Tommy. It will take time with him, we know that, but Janet could tell how much more relaxed he was - huge steps in a short time. If you need help with your dog, you couldn't go to anyone better than Janet !!

New Babies

It isn't just our house that have had a new baby this year - my neice and nephew have also had their first babies. Kerry and James had a beautiful baby girl - Isobel Grace in April. Gareth and Anna had a grand baby boy, William Philip in June. They are both super babies.

Have seen Isobel a few times now and each time, she looks so mature for her age - she has deep reddish hair. Here she is at 3 and 1/2 months old looking very peaceful in her car seat. Gorgeous little girl.

3 generations - Granny Gill, Mum Kerry and Isobel

Here is my sister and neice with her.

Lotte hasn't met them yet, but maybe she will one day.

I spoke to Marita last night - Lotte's first Mum and one of her 3 Godmothers - and told her just how wonderful Lotte is. Lotte is the 5th dog I have had from Marita. I also used her dog, Tommy, who was Supreme Champion at Crfuts back in 1985 to mate to my Bliss, producing my soulmate and best friend Bruno, so we have a lot of connections there. Kizzy, TJ, Charlie and Tommy also came from her. Can't think of anyone else I would go to, to get a pup. Thankyou Marita. Great drinking buddy also. Carole, Marita and I used to have great fun at dog shows - even if we didn't take a dog !!

Lotte is a very happy puppy. I told her yesterday that there shouldn't ever be a day in her life when she is anything but happy and that I will do my best to make sure that comes true. Lotte is everything - fun, pretty - delicate even, stylish, energetic, bright, clever and loving. There is nothing in this World that could buy her. Charlie is fabulous with her - thank Goodness we have Charlie still to show her the ropes. She is a great role model.

I mentioned 3 Godmothers - the other 2 are Carole, who I introduced in an earlier post who is Maddi's breeder and great friend to us all and Karen, who we also call Aunty. The dogs respond to either Karen or Aunty (haha - we call her Aunty also !). Karen is wonderful with our dogs (and with us) - they love her to bits. Luckily she lives close by so we see more of her. Great drinking pal also.

I am blessed with good friends as there are quite a few more I haven't mentioned yet, but all of whom are wonderful in their own right. I am a very lucky person indeed.

Proof Maddi sent Lotte

Well if I needed proof that my guardian angels Maddi and TJ were watching over me, I got it this week.

We have had intermittent problems with moles in our garden, arriving from the cemetery next door and wrecking our lawn. Maddi loved mole-ing. She never actually caught one, but even when she was disabled, she would stand over a molehill for ages waiting for it to move (in her later life I was stood next to her holding her harness - great in my nighty, the middle of winter !!). She would then scrape at the soil and lay down, shoving her nose in it. Always ended up with a mucky nose.

Today, Lotte has done exactly the same - loved it she did.

So, you may think that any dog would do this and yes, some would. However, Lotte has also done something else that only Maddi ever did and at exactly the same place - in the kitchen, scraping at the same cupboard door Maddi scraped at and tried to chew the round handle. So, I say - maybe because I want to believe this - that Maddi has sent her and told her what her favourite places were to scratch, scrape and dig.

Oh and Lotte also loves to leap everywhere - takes off on all fours, ears flapping, just like TJ did at a similar age. Lovely !

Lotte speaking now

Hi everyone,

Mum said it was my turn to blog today.

I have been here over 2 weeks now and its great. I've got loads of toys. Mum puts them in a pile at night and every morning I run round spreading them all over the place again.

I had my second jab this week - I didn't even pipsqueak. Mum and Dad said I was a really good girl. They took me to the shop to get a collar and lead - hmm, not sure about this yet. It's pink with love hearts on. Mum said she's never had a girly girl before but she thinks I am - Hahaha - little does she know eh?
Oh and I met 2 other puppies and 2 poodles -I was the friendliest. These people holding them made funny coo-ing noises at me, a bit like our doves that I love to chase. Ah yes, forgot to say that I am great at chasing unwanted pigeons away.

I am ever so good at lots of things. I get down and sit when I am told to.  Well, why wouldn't you when you get extra cuddles for being a good girl? Mum says I run like a greyhound - silly woman - I'm black for goodness sake !!

Oh and I upset Mum as I decided I wanted to sleep with Charlie instead of Mum - well Charlie has a sheepskin rug to lie on and I thought she needed company. Not sure she agreed like, but I did it anyway - got to share my love out.

The vet weighed me this week and I am 7.85 kg, so have put on 2.15 kg in 2 weeks. I am growing up fast. I can't win though, 'cos Mum says she doesn't want me to grow up too quickly or lose my puppy breath but you can't be growing up and still have puppy breath as well can you ?

bye for now - got to fetch another toy to play with for Mum, to keep her busy. No peace for us pups huh ?

Tommy and his new Trainer

Yesterday, we had a dog trainer from Barkbusters to our house to give us advice with our Tommydog. Tommy has had "issues" since we got him and for the last 2 years that we had Maddi and TJ, he stayed in a separate half of the house to them which meant that Tim and I were split in two also. Well, sort of.

Well it is only 27 hours since Janet turned up to our house and already there is a minor miracle occurring. Tommy is already calmer, doing what he is told straight away and when a plumber came to the house today, he was angelic compared to how he has been.

I know it is early days and we both have to work consistently with Tommy, but it is actually exciting to think of what we might be able to do in the future with him. At first he seemed a bit frightened, but now we are seeing that he seems to be enjoying this and he is getting lots of praise with it also.

I have had dogs all my life without ever having a problem so it was hard for us to come to the decision to get more help for Tommy - we had tried a few things when he was younger and a couple of the people involved were not good at all and really unpleasant to Tommy. Tim was very sceptical. But he isn't now, not if you can get the right person and boy have we got the right person.

Whilst we only met Janet yesterday, she is returning in 2 weeks to do work more with us and I can only say that she is amazing. She clearly loves dogs and wants them to have good lives. I cannot praise her highly enough. Thanks Janet so much.

Lotte and more

Well we have had Lotte 11 days now.
It feels like she has been here forever.
I am so convinced that Maddi and TJ, my guardian angels chose her specially for us. She has the cheekiness and sense of humour of Maddi (plus she wriggles when she gets her face clipped !!) and the energy and spirit of TJ. She just has the lot, our Lotte. You can see her Dad if you follow this link:

Lotte's Dad 
Handsome isn't he ?

Yesterday Lotte decided she was hungry and would just help herself, then today she just thought I needed a reminder to feed her.

We do feed her - honest !! She loves her food thankfully.

I can't believe she has only been here 11 days. She was really quiet the first day but has since found her feet in a big way. Have I said how much I love her yet ?

Charlie is brilliant with her, but we still have to let her loose with Tommy - maybe need to wait until she is a bit bigger. Lotte is dead good at telling you she needs to go out and we have had very few accidents.

Oh and in case you have forgotten - I really, really love this little girl.

Loads left to tell you about the rest of our mob - the chickens, doves, garden etc. Oh and I bought some great wine this week - Majestics had it delivered within 24 hours. Just need to do my job now and start drinking it. Still have to introduce you to my niece and nephew's new babies. 
How much time have you got ?

My love affair with standard poodles

Ok, I have told you a bit about Lotte and there will be loads more to come about her.

Thought I should mention how I started my love affair with standard poodles.  Our very first poodle was a miniature called Pipi (see photo above). Mum and Dad were living in Scotland when she died. They contacted a vet in Edinburgh who told them of a 4 year old standard who was needing a home, so they went to see her. I was at college in Portsmouth at the time when I got the phone call to say Pip had died and that they had brought home a 4 year old called Maxine. She had been fed her fresh meat daily on a china plate, had cups of tea from a china saucer and had to have digestive biscuits each day.  She soon learnt !! Fabulous dog.

When I got home from College I met Maxi for the first time and there my love affair began. I cried every time I left home and upset Mum as she said I was only upset about leaving Maxi. A couple of years later, in 1980, I saw an advert in a newspaper in Portsmouth - "Gentle Giants for sale". That was when I bought Sami for £80. Then, when she developed hip dysplasia at 9 months old, the breeder gave me a pup from the next litter she had, so along came Gemma in 1981.
Gemma had pups in 1983 and we kept Bliss and Bruno - Bruno went to live with Mum and Dad but very sadly died at the age of 15 months from a liver defect. I had started showing the dogs by this time and Bruno was a super show dog.
I then mated Bliss, in 1986, to a fabulous dog who was the Supreme Champion at Crufts in 1985, Montravia Tommy Gun and so was born my soul mate Bruno.
Bruno was used occasionally at stud and in 1993, he was mated to Sophie, producing Maddi. This time also saw the start of my great friendship with Carole - Sophie's Mum.
We lost Sami in Sept 1995, Bliss in January '96 Bruno in February '96 and Gemma in May '96. Dreadful time. More about each of these later.
 I brought home Kizzy from my good friend Marita in April '96. In October of the same year, we got TJ from her and then in 1998, Charlie joined the family.

Almost up to date now; when we lost Kizzy to AIHA and cancer in 2006, we got Tommy 8 days later.
Then having lost Maddi and TJ within 4 days of each other last July 2009, we waited just a year to get our wonderful girl Lotte.

So there we have the dog family - photos will follow and more about the feathered friends also.

p.s. Lotte is having a ball in more ways than one !!

My first Post

At last I have set up my blog. It must be Lotte's fault.

Lotte is the latest edition to our family. She is a very special girl indeed as she arrived in our home just one year to the day that my guardian angel TJ left us.
You will hear all about TJ shortly along with all of the other of my 10 dogs that I have owned and loved.

Lotte is a black standard poodle who is just 11 weeks old. She is an absolute joy and I am in love all over again despite her only being here for almost 4 days - well it is actually 3 days, 20 hours and 5 minutes. See, I know to the minute when she set foot inside the front door.

I met her at about 1 p.m. along with her brothers and sisters, then once we knew she was coming home with us, I couldn't stop thinking about her over lunch. It was a great lunch but all I wanted to do was put Lotte in the car and take her home.

Will be posting more about Lotte later.