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The story of Spike the Wonderdog

Drink problem

I know, it looks dramatic, eh? No, I haven't been secretly raiding the drinks cabinet, but I have been drinking quite a lot and She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed decided to mention it to the vet. He did some tests, and it seems that my urine is very dilute. This means that the part of my kidneys that deals with liquids isn't working properly, so it just goes straight through without being filtered.

So, I was put on a special, expensive diet. I really liked it for a few months, then got tired of the dried breakfast version. Eventually I also got sick of the tinned food, which SWMBO added hot water to so it wasn't so claggy. In the end, I wouldn't look at it, so now we're given proper food - chicken, fish and vegetables! Yummy. Now and again, SWMBO sneaks some of the renal diet stuff in, but I can live with that occasionally.

A good wheeze, eh? The only thing is that Coco gets it too, and she really doesn't need it for her kind of illness. But SWMBO has decreed that we must have the same, or we'd fight. I expect she's right.

A sticky moment

Sometimes I feel like running after a stick, most times I don't. It depends on my mood, and She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed usually doesn't bother throwing them, as she gets embarrassed if I just look at her and don't react, especially if other people are watching.

However, when I decide I'm in the mood, I will pick up a stick and look at her expectantly. That's what I did this morning, and she was delighted! She kept throwing it for me, I kept running after it, and each time she called me a "good boy", even though I didn't bring it back to her. I like that.

Then I got bored. So, as soon as another person came close, I decided to make SWMBO look stupid by standing and looking at her after she'd thrown the stick, as if to say, "I hope you don't expect me to run after that." Works every time.

The Great Escape

She Who Mustn't Be Obeyed was very, very worried about me recently because I did a Very Bad Thing. She was chatting to Uncle M on the doorstep late one night, and the front gate was open. This is usually ok, as Coco and I normally prefer to hang out around her. But... there was this cat which appeared, and I couldn't resist. I chased it across the road, barking my head off, then back across the road again and around the corner.

After she'd got Coco safe and sound behind closed doors, SWMBO and Uncle M set off in hot pursuit of yours truly. I could hear them calling my name, but the cat was much more important. As they reached Plasturton Avenue, and there was no sign of me, they decided to split up and look for me in different directions. SWMBO turned back around the little park and back home - and there I was, sitting patiently outside the gate. I'd given up on the stupid cat, which had climbed up something and disappeared, so thought I'd just come home.

She was very cross - but very worried as it was a dark night and I'm a dark dog, and she thought that any passing cars wouldn't see me. And if I'd been run over she'd never forgive herself. Also, it was her birthday, so it would have been even worse for some reason.

Anyway, all's well that ends well. It was a very Big Adventure for me, and SWMBO was rather pleased to find out that I know my way home. (Well of course I do, does she think I'm stupid?)