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Cherries, beans and blackcurrants
It was supposed to be wet today so you can imagine my glee when it has turned out to be not such a bad day.
The better weather has allowed my mum to get in to the allotment and recover the ever growing collection of berries, soft fruit and some of the beans.
Crunchy and fresh- beans
Whilst Mum was shelling the beans I thought I should try one and after waiting until she had just started with a new pod I nipped onto the table and grabbed one.
They are a strange chew. Sort of crunchy with a bit of a sharp taste. Another thing I noticed was that as you bit into it it sort of popped. This made me initially drop it, but temptation was too strong and I soon was munching through the pod.
I have to say I did enjoy eating the bean pods and look forward to the next supply and they count as part of my five-a-day.
Fruit and bean pods from the garden
Other things from the allotment included blackcurrants, red currants and the last few cherries. You can read all about what mum did with the bounty on gardeningforhealth.
Let us know what you are up to.
We want to hear all about what you are doing. You can send press releases and pictures to admin@ablogfrommydog.com.
Be a Blood donor
Like humans when we go to the vets for operations or we are involved in surgery as a result of an accident we often need blood transfusions.
Dog Blood Donors is set up to create a network of your dogs who can help other pets through provision of life-saving blood transfusions.
The Animal Blood Register is free to join.
Unlike the human blood transfusion service this service is not a blood bank. They provide contact information of owners with potential animal blood donors to veterinary practitioners. Vets then make their own arrangements directly with the pet owners.
You can learn more about the scheme from here – Download literature..
Thats all for now, as it is a bit warm and humid tonight so we may not be sleeping too well.
Charlie and Buster
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A sneaky lick …
At last we are having some warmer weather and we can get some serious warmth in to our bones. I don’t know about you but the last few months without the sun just makes me sluggish and aching to the bones.
A sneaky lick
But the sun is here and the spirits are lifted, and Buster can top up his suntan.
One thing I have noticed when it gets warmer is that mum and dad start to have their meals outdoors. This brings me on to the photograph and the sneaky lick i got of the muffin.
It is well documented that we love food and whilst my dad was waiting for his tea to cool, he was taking some photographs for Oldvarieties and he left out his cake.
Now not one to miss a chance of cake, and chocolate cake at that, I waited until he was well involved with setting up the photograph and I pounced.
Up on to the chair and paws onto the table…. Dad swung around and click… photo taken, plan foiled… drat. What a chance missed.
BBQ
With the sunshine also comes the smell of sausages and the tradition of cooking outdoors. My mum can’t see the point in setting fire to some charcoal in a bucket and burning a couple of ‘snag’s on the barby‘ . But as the smell drifts across the calm night air, from neighbouring gardens, we lift our noses to the heavens and sniff. The whiff of sausage, bacon, chops and other munchables is just heaven.
A fellow blogger…
As you know I love to surf the net and find stories from around the globe featuring colleagues. Given all the searching, you would have thought I would easily have come across a fellow Cocker Spaniel also publishing a blog. Well the search is over as I have found a blog written by Rags. He seems to be a bit of a nutter like me and loves to have his picture taken. A kindred spirit with his own fan club no less. I think I need a word with mum to see if I can have one.
Looking through his blog it looks like he stayed near here during his holidays so maybe our paths might cross on a walk someday. Keep in touch and hope the toothbrushing goes ok...
Update.
A couple of postings ago I mentioned about a few services for helping to reunite lost colleagues with their humans.
Following on from this and after a little bit more webwork we have found another site called PawTrax. They list lost and found pets but also are soon to offer a GPS tracker system incase we wander off. Not sure how it will work but we would love to review one when they become available.
They also have a big contacts list for dogwarden services throughout the UK. If you know of a similar list for your area then let us know and we can link to it.
I have asked my dad to add the RSS feed of the lost and found pets to the bottom of this post.
Well that is all for now, Mum has just shouted tea -time
So until next time
Charlie and Buster
Here is the list of lost or found pets as listed on PawTrax
Lost - Cat - RG30 - Sun, 21 Feb 2010
Henri disappeared Thursday 18th February early in the morning and is a timid cat in nature although he is a big animal and would not willingly approach strangers. Contact owner
Lost - Jack Russell - CR0 - Sat, 20 Feb 2010
Ran off over Shirley Hills after being attacked by another dog. Wearing pink collar, has a microchip. Contact owner
Lost - Cat - DH7 - Sat, 20 Feb 2010
Ebony has been missing since 24th January 2010.she is black and may still have a red rubber collar on with white spikes on it.she is a house cat and not spayed.she is quite shy at times but can also be very loving.i am extremely worried about her and miss her dearly.if you have any information [...]
PawTrax at Crufts 2010 - Mon, 08 Feb 2010
We will be at Crufts this year on the Dogs Monthly stand. We will be offering 2 FREE Trackers in a prize draw to anyone who takes out a subscription to DM magazine. Come and say hello and see our PawTrax GPS Dog Trackers
Lost - Cat - BD18 - Mon, 08 Feb 2010
my cat went missing in the shilpey area in bradford on sunday 31st january 2010. he is quite chubby and long haired, he is black with a white chest and white front toes and white back feet, he has light green/yellow eyes. he was wearing an orange collar. he has been neutured. he is our [...]
Lost - Yorkshire Terrier - PE28 - Sun, 31 Jan 2010
Buster is 6 years old wearing a red tartan coat and coller. he is microchipped. desperate to get my baby home.
Contact PawTrax or owners
Lost - Weimaraner - GL20 - Sat, 30 Jan 2010
Rufus ran off by the gates to Tewkesbury Park hotel on 13th Jan 2010 at 4.30pm. He would come for food. he has a small scar on the top of his tail near to his spine. Contact PawTrax or owners
Lost - Lurcher - Sevenoaks - Sat, 30 Jan 2010
Woody is 2 1/2 Black/brindle Lurcher - Lost near Ide Hill Sevenoaks. Contact PawTrax or Jenny - Southern Lurcher Rescue 07940 555 574
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Tagged dog reunited
The theme of lost colleagues and the need for us to have some form of ID on us at all times has been shown to work this week according to a story in the Telegraph Newspaper.
They are reporting that a beagle called Rocco has been reunited after five years away from his humans.
The dog shelter, over 850 miles from home, scanned the ID chip he had under his skin and was able to get in touch with his owners.
Other news
It is well known that in some civilisations the dog is regarded as a god. Indeed if you reverse the letters of dog it spells out god .. so it must be true.
The way we are able to offer a calming wag of the tail or a friendly snuggle is just our way so it is great to see that we are now, in some circles, being honoured with the courtesy we really deserve.
After years in the yard with only a copy of the Radio Times spread on the floor of the dog house and the occasional mouse for company we are getting recognised for our contributions.
Many hotels, travel companies and transport organisations are acknowledging that we exist and that we can behave when in public.
This shift in status brings with it a new industry catering for pets on the move and the transportation safely of pets.
A number of articles are now being written in the trade press and in newspapers about this previously untapped market and identifying it as a growth area in the next few years.
Maybe you have a favourite journey or place you stay in? Let us know about it and why in the comments section.
And finally…
Well done to Hudson, from Broxburn, who has just been presented with an award.
According to the Scotsman newspaper when out walking, his owner collapsed with a heart attack. Hudson barked and licked his face until he came around and helped him back home.
Sadly a few days later Hudsons owner died but, in recognition of the role Hudson played in helping in the initial recovery, the Dog Aid Society of Scotland is due to present him with a devotion award.
Until next time
Charlie and Buster.
If you have any news or press releases you think might interest us then please pass the details along to admin at ablogfrommydog.com
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Dog Lost, lost
In a previous posting we mentioned a website that tries to reunite lost dogs with their humans.
I thought we should take a look back at the site as it is a while since we had received any notifications from them about lost pooches.
The site doglost.co.uk has it seems been hacked. The damage was done, according to the site, on the 9th May 2008.
This is really bad news as possibly many colleagues are away from home and could be lost for ever from their humans. Good luck guys with getting the site back up and running. We will keep an eye on it and report when it is back up and running.
Other websites offer similar lost and found. Here are a few of them.
Did you know that it is a legal responsibility for your dog to wear a tag when out in public?
If your local council finds your dog, they will often return it to you without issuing a charge. However, this will only be possible if it is tattooed, is wearing a tag or is micro-chipped.
If your council find a stray dog, and they cannot trace the owner, the dog will be taken to a dogs home, who will keep the dog at your expense. If you do not collect your dog within seven days, you may lose the right to reclaim it, and efforts will be made to re-home it.
More information is available on the Government Website.
Until next time
Charlie and Buster
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To the Sea…
July 13, 2008 by admin
Filed under Expeditions
As regular readers of our blog will know we like to go to a nearby town called Silloth. The reasons are many but mainly we get a great walk on the hard concrete and a good run about on the grass.
The hard surface is great for filing down our claws and it has the advantage that we stay reasonably clean. So we usually walk for about a mile or so down the concrete then get to play on the softer grass on the return leg.
One of the best bits is running up and down the steps towards the sea then back up onto the promenade.
Buster now walks a little slower as his hip and leg are still giving him a bit of pain but he still enjoys the sniffs and the stretch.
For those who don’t know the area Silloth is on the west Coast of Cumbria above Whitehaven. It has it’s very own port and is where a lot of the grain is milled for Carrs biscuits. During the week you can see many green Carrs Milling wagons traveling from Silloth and in to Carlisle to the bicky factory there. This factory, and the family behind it were the subject of the book by Margaret Forster called Rich Desserts and Captain’s Thin: A Family and Their Times, 1831-1931
The area is very popular with touring caravans and motorhomes it also has a thriving static caravan site.
Our walk takes around two hours. It seems to take longer every time as we find new sniffs to investigate or see things that need closer inspection. Rabbits from the nearby bankings drew our attention this time and I had to follow every trail back to the hole in the ground.
You could see for miles across the Solway and into Scotland. Wind turbines could just be made out on the fell tops to our right and to our left the open sea with not a single boat to be seen.
My mum says she saw a dolphin, or maybe it was a porpoise… we think that maybe all she saw was a bit of driftwood bobbing around as we didn’t see anything.
My mum must get me a longer lead! For safety reasons we are both kept on our leads when we are outside in the big world but they do get in the way when you want to really go for a run. The longest my dad has been able to find is an eight metre long retractable lead, but this doesn’t really let us go flat out for long.
After our walk he has had a look on the web and has found a training lead that is about 15 -30m long. Now that is more like it… can we have one please?
Does anyone have any experience of these or does your human have a longer retractable lead source?
This walking and running lark gives you a bit of a thirst and thankfully due to the regular fresh water puddles we get a drink. Buster was looking forward to this oasis and took full advantage of the fresh rain water. The puddle was far away from the sea so it was not salt water.. that tastes horrid and is not nice.
We met many friends out walking their humans today. Sat on one of the many bench seats was a slightly blind Lhasa Apso. She was very well behaved and said hello with a friendly wag of her tail and a sniff.
Buster tried to say hello to a seagull, who just screeched at him and flew off and I just said hello to every one I saw, because that is the kind of guy I am.
The Silloth Prom is part of the Cumbrian Coastal Way.This walk is around 150 miles from Silverdale in the south to Gretna in the North.
The route was established by Cumbria County Council in the late 1980s.
If you are a bit of a walker or just want to dip in and out of the larger walk, like we have today, then their are plenty of books and maps to help you get the most out of the trail.
The area is well served with bus and train connections. Especially as the railway hugs the coast for large sections and the nearest station or town is not that far away.
On our way home we decided to keep to the back lanes and avoid any of the major routes. This had the advantage, it turns out, of finding a small holding selling fresh berries.
With a signboard propped up at the side of the road proclaiming Raspberries and blackcurrants for sale. We just had to investigate.
My dad drove the car up this tight lane, under some heavily laden apple trees and into this farm yard. There, on a small table to our left, was a collection of tubs brim full of freshly picked fruit. A sign above gave the prices and a small honesty box was available in which to place the appropriate cash.
You can read all about what we purchased in the next few days on our partner site foodonabudget.com.
Thats all for now as we have to let mum get to the computer to write all about the raspberries and what she did with them.
Until next time
Charlie and Buster.
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More rain…
July 9, 2008 by admin
Filed under Gadgets and boys toys, Weather
We want some sun.
We are both getting a bit bored of the rain. It is a bit confusing for the old brain when you go out for a tiddles and your back is getting soaked!
One other downside to the rain and wind is that is rattles on the windows and the wind makes shutters and doors clang and bang and in turn us to woof. Now we don’t like to woof, especially at night, but whilst mum and dad are asleep we are in charge and so we must be on guard.
Mum and dad however don’t like us barking loudly, in case we wake neighbours, so they are looking for ways to get us to shut up once we have raised the alarm.
They had heard of bark sprayers, dog bark gadgets
Research is still ongoing but my mum has at least one idea which she will be trying over the next few months, and no doubt reporting back here.
The Agility Bits exclusive anti bark training device
This training device looks uncannily like the cardboard tube from the inside of a roll of kitchen towel. Mum holds it up to her mouth and makes a funny sound down it to get our attention… - and she thinks this will work?
Bark on demand
Whilst we were looking around the web we came across this colleague who could bark on demand.
One clever pooch.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9FEfuf4mzg
Scent de’pooch
Now I am not an Old Spice kind of dog, I am not really even a Armani or Davidoff bloke but after a good wash my dad says I smell really nice. So a website selling ‘Eau de pooch’ has me wondering, why?
A store in London called Mungo & Maud is selling a product called ”Petite Amande” Dog Fragrance. The website says the ‘fragrance is inspired by nature with notes of French blackcurrant, Tunisian neroli, mimosa and violet leaf on a base of sweet vanilla bourbon… with a little almond.’
Now lets get something clear here Buster and I are both blokes and smelling of ‘violet leaf’ and not of ’soggy doggie’ is not our thing but, we are prepared to be open minded, however at £38 we will not be putting it on our Christmas list.
Until next time Charlie and Buster.
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New look site…
Sorry for the lack of updates in the last few days but Buster and I have been rewriting our site.
We hope you like the new layouts and colours.
Mum and dad are working hard on our other sites improving the navigation and services they offer. This will keep them out of trouble for a few weeks yet.
Other news.
We are fed up of the rain. What happened to the sunshine. We want our sun back.
Buster is now getting quite miserable as his suntan is now starting to fade.
A quick update tonight
So until next time
Buster/ Charlie
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