We're away - but not for long if I can help it!

Phoebe and I are away in kennels. It's our 'holiday'. Huh! Mr Guardian has had to go into respite care for a few weeks, and Mrs Guardian and Master Guardian are busy looking at other homes - not for us, for Mr Guardian if he doesn't get a lot better - and so we're away because we would be left alone a lot if we were at home.

Mrs Guardian is trying to take a few days holiday as well, but she told her friend - who is looking after us - that as it's the coldest, wettest August she can remember, there's not a lot of fun things to do when she does get a moment.

I think that's pretty fair, because there's not a lot of fun things we can do here. I am soooo bored. I think we will be going home on Friday though, and guess why? It's because I have become SO NOISY! Yes, I thought of a master plan and decided to bark every time someone came near me, or I saw another dog - there are lots of lovely Cavaliers here - or I thought that perhaps I heard a rumble of thunder 100 miles away. Now Mrs Guardian's friend thinks that perhaps I'd be better off at home, because she can't keep me quiet. 'Nor can I,' said Mrs Guardian, but I'm not nearly as noisy as this at home. No, this is my trump card, and it's worked very well!

Phoebe is quite happy here. She likes lolling around watching other dogs and having a fuss made of her. I don't. I WANT TO GO HOME, and I can't wait for Friday. Mrs Guardian told her friend that she was missing us so much she thought it would be better for her if we came home too, so that's that. Only three more days to go.

Some strange news though. In the next few days there will be a litter of ruby puppies born to a ruby Cavalier that lives near Nottingham. If there's a girl, it will come to us at the end of October. Is that good news? Perhaps it is. It will be someone to play with while Phoebe sleeps, and I know Mrs Guardian is quite excited. Hey, I could teach it to bark couldn't I? That would be fun!

I'll tell you when we get home. Counting the days, counting the days.....

Yikes!

The hottest day of the year so far and guess what? Yes, our doggie parcels arrived. Our Guardian was very excited, but I wasn't. I knew what was inside. Because it was so hot, nothing happened until this evening, but then there was no escape. Phoebe went first, because her cataracts mean she has bad marks under her eyes. I had to go in the playpen, as I like to jump up and down and try to get on the work surface while our Guardian is busy if I'm running free, and I watched as Phoebe had her face cleaned, her teeth done with Logic toothpoaste, and then her coat brushed with Coat Conditioner. When she was put back in the playpen she smelt HORRIBLE, all fresh and clean, not at all doggie. Yuck.

Next, I was put on the worktop and to my horror our Guardian said 'I'll do Emily's eyes too, because she has tiny marks underneath them.' I do not have marks under my eyes. Our Guardian had got 'carried away', as she often says of me. I was so shocked that I froze. I just sat there, as though I couldn't move, and that made our Guardian laugh. 'The first time Emily's ever sat still,' she said. Oh, very droll. Next it was the Logic toothpaste - very tasty - and then she sprayed some of the fresh smelling Coat Conditioner on a brush and used it on ME too. I like being brushed, but I also like my doggie smell.

As soon as I was put down, I ran into our Guardian's study and rolled all over her carpet, trying to get some doggy-ness back into my life.

What a day, and tomorrow we're having our ears done with Leo. I don't mind too much, but Phoebe hates it. She had to be fed treats when her eyes were done, but she's full of herself now, because she looks 'beautiful'. or so our Guardian says. She does look better, it makes her eyes look more normal without those marks underneath. She has to have her eyes done every day for a week, but I don't have to have it done again for 7 days. Phew!

Now we're about to have our bedding changed, which means the last little bit of our own smell will vanish. I'll be glad when today is over I can tell you!

I'm Royal!

My tail hasn't stopped wagging since yesterday, when Phoebe and I (I think it was out of kindness that Phoebe was included) were invited to join the Royal Dog Group. I only hope that our Guardian realises this means she has to raise our standard of care. I expect silk cushions and breast of chicken - I'll happily eat either - from now on. A big THANK YOU to Holly and Peggie Sue for inviting us to join.

My Guardian said 'there's 'no holding you now', but she does still hold me, so I'm not sure what she means. She often says strange things. Because I keep chewing all the parts of my own boothbrush, and Phoebe won't chew hers at all, she says that's going to 'apply Logic to the situation'. This is a human expression, but in this case she means it literally, because she's been told about a toothpaste called Logic, that she can just put on our teeth and gums and it stops the plaque forming. I hope it tastes good. I will still have lots of things to chew on, but I will also have Logic three times a week.

I'm behaving better on the barking front now. This is because I get a piece of my delicious dog food every time I'm quiet. Sometimes I just run round the garden in silence - for no reason at all - and of course I get praise and a piece of lamb and rice kibble then, even thought there never was anything to bark at! 'You don't pull the wool over my eyes,' said my Guardian this morning, and she's right. I don't pull on wool, just on my tugger rope. I have a very strong grip, and Phoebe lets go quickly, but my Guardian keeps holding on for a long time. She uses her human paws, not her teeth. Perhaps she needs some Logic as well.

We had thunder here yesterday, real thunder not thunder off this CD I keep hearing about, and I barked at that. My Guardian was having a snooze because it was so hot and humid. I find that a sharp bark gets her eyes open in double quick time!

No walk to the park today; it's too hot for dogwalking. They even told people that on the TV news. It's all right late at night, but my lazy Guardian said that after 9pm she's not going anywhere, not even for me. Phoebe doesn't mind the heat, she always sleeps a lot anyway, but I'd like it to cool down just a little. Perhaps I should go and join the fish in the pond for a cool swim. Hey, that's it. That's the answer! Right, off I go for a swim. I wonder if my Guardian will spot me before I actually get in the water.....?

Hot, hot, hot!

Phew it's hot. It's even too hote for me to run around all day in the garden, or go for walks. I don't sleep as much as Phoebe - well, no dog does I'm sure - but I have had the occasional snooze in the day this past week. It was 96 degrees here yesterday, and I hid under my Guardian's desk. She was meant to be doing some work, but most of the time she sipped at lemondade and sighed.

She's been on a spending spree for Phoebe and me, but not for exciting things, oh no. She's been buying new shampoos, and toothpastes, and grooming tools because after August, she'll be doing all our bathing and grooming herself. I hope she knows what she's about! She's bought some special round-ended scissors to cut the hair out from between our paw pads - that should be fun, watching her wrestle with Phoebe, who hates being groomed - and she's getting a stand for the hair dryer, so that she has her hands free to brush us as she dries us. This is all connected to us getting a new ruby puppy one day, I'm sure of it. She wants to be self-sufficient, whatever that means. She said she draws the line at cutting nails and doing anal glands, which is a BIG relief to me I can tell you!

We were groomed today, and I was given my nice doggie toothbrush to take away and chew on. The toothpaste is chicken flavoured, and I like it. Phoebe won't chew on hers, so she had it rubbed round her mouth with a flexible thimble. She'd got far more knots than I had, so her grooming took a long time. 'What a mess you are, Phoebe,' said our Guardian. 'I'm glad Emily isn't this bad.' I knew Phoebe was a mess, I'd been chewing behind her ears while she was sleeping under the sofa when I wanted to play!

In one of her new Cavalier books, our Guardian read that she has to say our name before giving us an instruction. She knew that already, but she kept forgetting. Now she's told Mr Guardian, and keeps reminding herself. I think it's a good idea. It means that when she shouts 'Come' to me and doesn't say my name, even thought I'm the only dog in the garden, I can pretend I don't know she means me. I did that three times yesterday, three times in a row! Eventually she remembered, and said 'Emily, come' and because she'd done it right, I obeyed. I nearly gave her a human treat when I trotted in, but I wasn't sure what she'd like. Her chocolate raisins are kept out of my reach.

We'd hoped to go to the park today, but it's too hot. Perhaps we'll go in the evening over the weekend, or during one of the rain showers. As long as it's not thundering, I don't mind. Apparently there's a CD of thunderstorms, to help dogs like me who are afraid of the noise. My Guardian is going to get one so that I can listen to it. How stupid is that? Would listening to jazz music every single day make her like jazz more? I don't think so! Still, she means well. At least she cares, and being human you can't ask for much more from your Guardian, can you?

Walk Yes, Photo No!

We had some visitors yesterday. They'd come from down South, and they spent a lot of time talking about Norfolk terriers and how they know someone who has just bought a Norfolk terrier puppy. They showed my Guardian some photos of this puppy, and she said it was really sweet, but I'm sure she was only being polite. After all, what could be sweeter than a Cavalier like me? Of course, Phoebe didn't like having visitors, and she spent a lot of the time hiding under our Guardian's desk. The lady visitor swooped on her and picked her up one, but Phoebe did a little wee on the lady's lap, so she put her down again. Poor Phoebe, she gets very scared of strangers. If she could see better, she might not be as nervous.

I wasn't nervous. I'm cautious until I get to know people, and then I'm mega-friendly. My Guardian wanted to take my photo with the visitors, but I was too excited to keep still. I wriggled around when the lady visitor tried to hold me, and I refused to stay on my Guardian's lap long enough for one to be taken, jumping off just as the shutter clicked - 'good timing Em' said my Guardian - so in the end the idea was abandoned. Of course, a photo of Phoebe under the desk wouldn't have been very interesting, so she didn't get one taken either.

What I did get was a nice, long walk. My Guardian and Mr Visitor took me out, because Mrs Visitor - who called Mr Guardian 'Dad' - needed some time alone with him. He's not very well at the moment, and he had things to tell her, so off we went on a great walk. Once or twice I thought that my Guardian wasn't paying enough attention to me, so I spun around on the lead and twisted her wrist, but most of the time I was pretty good, even though I do say it myself. When we finally got home, Mr Guardian had forgotten what he had wanted to say to Lady Visitor, and I hoped we might go out for another walk, but my Guardian refused. She said she was tired out. Perhaps she's caught the 'Phoebe' bug!

When the visitors finally left, at 8 o'clock, Phoebe sprang (for her) into life. She ran out into the garden and we played 'chase'. It was great fun. She chased me round the tubs of flowers, and over the small water feature. She was so happy to have the house to ourselves again that she was almost like a normal dog. We'll have to have lots more visitors!

Today it's windy, and that usually makes Phoebe playful, but she hasn't played today. She's having something called a phantom pregnancy, and keeps going into the bed and digging it up. She has to go to the vet's in 8 weks time, to be sprayed or something like that. I don't have to be sprayed, because one day I'm going to have some puppies, or so my Guardian says. I wonder if she will bring them back from one of her bargain hunt shopping expeditions for me? It's not until the middle of next year though, so I won't worry about it too much.

Okay, I think I'll go and play 'fetch' now. That will give my Guardian something to do. She groomed us this morning, but forgot to play with us afterwards. Honestly, the only one with a good memory in this household is me!

Home Again!

Sorry for the long gap, but Phoebe and I had to go away to the kennel run by our Guardian's friend, because Mr Guardian went into respite care and we would have been on our own at home a lot. Personally, I think that would have been great fun, but our Guardian didn't think she'd find it very restful coming home to what she called 'one of Emily's wrecking games'.

While we were away, we not only had to stay in our kennel run, or inside of course, we were also bathed and groomed - yuck - and microchipped. Phoebe didn't loike being microchipped at all. She went into 'freeze' mode, and refused to move when it was over. She just sat on the dog table at the kennel and shivered. Everyone made a huge fuss of her - I'm sure that's why she does these things - but she promptly laid down and in the end had to be carried back to our kennel. I bounced along in front of the kennel maid, who said 'You're a one, Emily, you really are.' It's funny, but our Guardian says that a lot too. Of course I'm a one, I couldn't be a two could I?

When we got home, I leapt out of the boot of the car bringing us back, and our Guardian had to catch me mid-air. Master Guardian was home, and he lifted Phoebe out of the cage, and then put her on the ground. For the first time in her entire life, she walked on the lead. In fact, she almost ran! She definitely trotted. 'Give her an Oscar,' said our Guardian. Master Guardian said that it showed she could walk on the lead if she wanted to get somewhere, and he's right. We were both VERY happy to get back. I got what our Guardian called 'thoroughly over-excited.' I call it 'being happy'. I raced up and down the hall, I buried all my toys in our bed, I ran round and round the garden, I jumped on and off our Guardian's lap, I leapt up and Master Guardian for lots of fuss, and I managed to keep that going for three hours. Even my Guardian was surprised. 'She'll fall asleep in a minute,' she said every so often, but I didn't!

Phoebe collapsed when she got home. She came in, looked around - as best she can - and then she fell down in a heap on the carpet in the front room. This was at 5.30pm. She woke up for her gravy bone at 7pm and then she slept right through until 10.30 - despite me trying to get her to play - and at 10.30 our Guardian had to lift her up and stand her on her legs, then 'walk' her out into the garden. Phoebe promptly sat down on the patio, and refused to budge. I went off and did what I had to do, and I think Phoebe might have moved herself enough to do the same, but close to the back door, and then she staggered indoors, got into our bed and slept right round until 8a.m. the next morning. I ask you, how boring is that? We're half-sisters, but no one would guess. I'm ashamed to be related to such a lazy dog, but I love her to bits so I forgive her. I just wish she'd play more.

Our Guardian is trying to find a little ruby Cavalier puppy, perhaps in October time, and she says that will give me something to keep me busy. I don't know what she means, but it sounds like fun. It's been boiling hot here for a week now, and even I have had to sleep a little bit in the day. In the evening, when it cools off a little, I dash around the garden and eat a few flowers, but Phoebe says it's still hot and just goes out and lies on the prickly lawn, which our Guardian calls Astroturf.

I can't tell you how happy both Phoebe and I are to be home. It's strange not having Daisy Dog around, but we all remember her, and I'm getting used to being 'top dog' now. I've learnt to 'drop' things that I shouldn't have, which is pretty clever of me. Actually, I knew what I was meant to do long ago, but now I've started doing it, because I then get lots of fuss and praise.

I think that's it for now, but I shall be back regularly again for the next few weeks. After that we have another ten days in the kennel - but no more microchipping - before we settle down for a long, long stay here. I do like my home comforts!

I thought she liked getting flowers?

It wasn't as hot today as it has been for the past week, so I had more energy. I spent a lot of time running around with my toys, chasing my rope when my Guardian threw it for me, or bouncing my mini-Kong around all over the hall and kitchen. Phoebe sometimes gets hit by the kong, because she loses track of it while it's bouncing around. Her sight is getting worse, but I look out for her so she's quite safe.

Anyway, this afternoon I decided that as yesterday was Father's Day, today should be Mrs Guardian's Day. I went out into the garden, knocked over one of the small tubs on the patio and, very carefully, bit off a big, red bloom from one of the plants that was now within my reach. Then, with my tail held high and my ears pricked, I carried it indoors and laid it at my Guardian's feet. Then I sat down next to the bloom and waited for her to thank me.

To be honest, I was a little bit put out by her response. She didn't thank me at all, in fact she was extremely ungrateful. She told me I was a naughty girl, and that I wasn't supposed to chew the plants in the garden. I tried to tell her that I hadn't chewed it, I'd only bitten it off, but she said 'this time you've bitten off more than you can chew' and made me stay indoors for an hour. In the end she came round, because I went and laid my head on her knee and she said 'Oh Em, I do love you!' as she ruffled the fur behind my ears and on my chest, and then I knew that she had appreciated the flower really, and she does love me lots. I expect she told me off because she was worried that Phoebe might eat something poisonous, due to her cataracts, and actually she was delighted with her gift from the very first moment I walked in the back door.

Well, that's what I sort of think......

Hot and Happy

Wow, Summer is here and I'm really enjoying it! Last Sunday I went to the local park and - much to my Guardian's surprise - it was a FunDay. I didn't think it was all fun, there was a very noisy band and a small fire engine that kept ringing its bell and making me jump, but I enjoyed all the people saying how cute I was, and the fact that I was allowed to sit on my Guardian's lap when she sat down outside the park cafe and ate a strawberry ice cream. Most people there were letting their dogs have some ice cream, but not my Guardian. She's got a thing about something called 'diet', and says that Cavaliers can easily get fat. I'm not fat at all, I burn it off the vet says, but still she keeps those eagle eyes on me. I was offered a drink of water, but I turned my nose up at that. I mean, water instead of ice cream?

Phoebe couldn't come with us, she's too scared to go to places like the park,but I told her all about it when I got home. All this week, I've been busy chasing her around in the heat of the day, but she tries to hide in the shade under our Guardian's desk or in the front room behind the sofa. She's very lazy, and greedy too. She eats more than her share of our morning meal. Why doesn't our Guardian notice that?

I nearly caught a cat yesterday. It was sitting in the middle of our wildlife border and that made me a wild dog. I remember that Daisy used to bark her head off and try to leap over the protecting ornamental fence when she saw a cat there, so I did the same. The cat moved very fast across the Astroturf, with me in extremely hot pursuit (the sun was blazing down). I didn't quite catch it, but it was a close-run thing. Black cats are meant to be lucky cats, but it wasn't lucky for me, because I missed it. I did my best, Daisy Dog.

Today some men are coming to adjust the Astroturf. I thought we might have to go into the kennel again - shock, horror - but no. We can stay here and we have to be good. When our Guardian said that, she looked straight at me. 'Did you hear what I said, Emily?' she asked. Of course I did. Why didn't she question Phoebe? I suppose she means no barking, because she'll be working in her study with a client at the same time and I'm meant to keep quiet then as well. I'll do my best, but I can't promise....

There's a lot of talk about a puppy coming to join us, if and when our Guardian can find a suitable one. I wonder if that will be fun? Can puppies jump onto pond walls and chase cats? Do they know how to chase around the garden even in the heat of the mid-day sun? Do they like waking up early and making it quite clear that Guardians should also be up during the summer months? I hope so. That would be my idea of the perfect companion. Phoebe says it won't happen until the Autumn, and she isn't bothered what it does as long as it doesn't eat her food or wake her up when she's snoozing. Sometimes I suspect that little Phoebe is just a teenie tiny bit selfish. Not like me of course!

Time to patrol the garden now. I had my photo taken with my Guardian out there this morning, and that's been added to my photo gallery. I look good. My Guardian looks a little harassed, because it took three attempts to get me to sit still! Phoebe doesn't have many photos on her page, because she hides every time the camera comes out. It's because of the cataracts in her eyes, or so our Guardian thinks. I'd like a good photo of the two of us, and I'm nudging my Guardian to do her best to get one, but Guardians always take a long time to get things done. Not like me!

Indoor fish ponds!

I am soooo excited. Our Guardian, knowing how fond I am of the fish in the pond in the garden, has very kindly constructed one in her study for me. She calls it an aquarium, but it's a fish pond all right, I can see the little fish inside it. There are only two at the moment, called Salt and Vinegar - what strange names - but she said that she's getting two more next weekend. I don't have to stand on a wall to watch them either, I can just stand on the floor in front of it. There's even a light on inside the pond in the day, to help me see them. They're very small, but I expect they'll grow. Phoebe can't see them, so I've described them for her. They're called zebra fish, but they don't have four legs like real zebras.

It's been really hot today, the first proper day of summer our Guardian says. I celebrated it by running across her small water feature at top speed, squashing a few of those silly little plants by mistake. I don't know why she puts them on a busy passage-way! Mr Guardian has put up some green netting to stop me from running over it when chasing cats, but I quickly found tht I could by-pass it with one big leap. My Guardian says I'm a cross between a Cavalier and a kangaroo. I nearly jumped over some fencing the other day, trying to catch a tabby cat that had been sitting right in the middle of the wildlife border, because it knew I couldn't reach it there. That made me mad I can tell you, and when it moved I was after it like lightning.

Tomorrow is going to be quite a nice day too, and I'm going to be taken to the park for an ice cream. At least, someone is going to have an ice cream there, and I'm hoping it will be me. Phoebe is going to come to the park as well, but the chances are she won't walk. Mr Guardian has been given the job of carrying her if she does her usual trick of sitting down and hanging her head as though she's about to expire. I wish she'd get a grasp of what walks are all about, but she's so not interested. She says that as long as she can get from her bed to her food bowl and back again, she's happy. I did chase her round the garden a couple of times this evening, when it was cooler and she enjoyed that, but then she had to go and have a lie-down again.

We still miss Daisy Dog a lot, but I've started to take over as lead dog - I didn't have much choice really since there's only Phoebe and me left! - and our Guardian is pretty good about seeing off strangers and calming me down when fireworks go off, so I'm coping. Think I'll get back to that indoor pond now. I am really, really grateful to my Guardian for thinking of such a great idea. It's just a pity they make indoor ponds out of shatter-proof glass.....

A close shave

I am only just recovering from yesterday's walk. I was terrified, it was a really close shave I can tell you. I've been hearing the Guardians talking about dognapping, and how important it is to keep the back gate locked at all times, but I thought this was just an excuse for not letting me roam into the front garden. Yesterday's experience made me change my mind.

We were walking along, me eager but well-behaved (?) - who put that question mark in? - and my Guardian hurrying along behind, when all of a sudden we turned a corner and there was this man, standing on the pavement with what looked like a giant's pair of electric scissory in his hands. He was cutting his hedge, and the noise was horrendous. I whizzed backwards double-quick, apparently nearly dislocating the Guardian's shoulder (she does exaggerate at time, I'm sure of it) and it took a lot of coaxing from her to get me past him, I can tell you. He very kindly stopped the noise, and said he was glad of the rest, but my Guardian kept saying she was sorry, and I was still rather a nervous little thing - Phoebe is little, I'm not, she must have got confused - and then, on we walked.

To be honest, that was enough excitement for one day for me, and I walked positively demurely down to the post office, and then we started to come back past the green. I love the green, it's full of nice smells and real grass. No astroturf there! So, there we were, walking quietly along enjoying some sunshine at last and all of a sudden this woman appears from nowhere. Well, I suppose she came from somewhere, but I didn't see her approaching, and nor did my Guardian. She was wearing a flapping dark coloured raincoat, and she rushed towards me shouting 'I used to have a little doggie like that once. Are you my little doggie then?' No, I jolly well am NOT, I thought to myself, and I sat down, bump, next to my Guardian's leg. She'd stopped walking to, and she said a few polite, Guardian-style words to the lady, but she wouldn't stop going on about how I was just like her little doggie, and then, horror of horrors, she said 'would this little one like to come home with me, then?' and tried to swoop down on me and pick me up.

My Guardian tried to get between me and the lady, but I wasn't waiting for her to save me, I ran round and round her in circles to get away, until suddenly I couldn't run any further because I was out of lead, and my Guardian was tottering around saying 'Emily, I'm going to fall over in a minute'. This other lady - the aspiring dognapper, I'm sure of it - was laughing and saying 'oh she's so funny' (I suppose she meant my Guardian) but she grabbed at me again, and I tried to run, and my Guardian swayed around shouting 'Emily stand still!' and then, somehow, she managed to unwrap my lead from around her legs and she and I both bolted off up the hill, leaving the lady calling after us. What a nightmare that was!

When we got back home, I was so relieved to be back that I chased Phoebe round and round the garden, biting her behind the ears to show her I was happy. This didn't make Phoebe happy, but when I told her all about it, she said 'that's why I don't do walking', and for once I could see her point. I hope my Guardian takes that water spray bottle next time we go out. I know for a fact that it's a very effective deterrent indeed!