2 Dogs & a Baby

It has now been almost 18 months where J&M have had to share there lives with our little volcano called Scarlet. 

It's been a strange journey but I have to say they coped far better than I originally thought. 

Since Scarlet does not live with me, my dogs are never ever left alone with her… I would probably be like this even if she did live with me! 

Jess, goes from being stuck to her like glue, if she's crying or sleeping, she will be there… she's half staff so there's her nanny instincts kicking in :) however she does get jealous, but only when I am with Scarlet. If baby comes to me, then Jess will want to sit on my knee, if she's not getting attention she will whine. Having said that, she is very patient with Scarlet, who on occasions has pulled the tail and bopped her nose, with Jess just taking it like a Mama. 

Molly still to this day, 90% of the time, will act like Scarlet isn't even there. She moves around her and ignores her and gets on with what she's doing. The other 10% of the time, she will try and lick her face when she thinks we're not watching haha!

Scarlet loves to feed the dogs, so I make sure she does it fairly and evenly, although i've noticed her favourite dog is always changing! 

I was worried before Scarlet was born because my girls had never been around a baby, especially one that would be such a huge mark on our family life and turn the family dynamics upside down. 

They have coped amazingly, I am so proud of them. 

Molly, who ignores the elephant in the room, which as a dog/baby household is usually a blessing. 

And Jess, the dog who loves the baby and will protect and love her… just struggles a little with who gets her Mama's attention ;) 

My Grown Up Girl

I don't know what it is, but this year has been crazy with the highest highs and very very low lows. 

In that time, I feel like my little girl grew up, she's no longer that dog who puts up a fight to do what she wants, the unruly puppy who I loved so much but found her hard to control and trust sometimes…. this year though, that changed, she's still a puppy at heart, but she's grown up, she's in tune with me, she listens to her commands (unless we're leash walking, but no one is perfect ;) ) We work as a team now. 

That friendship bond I had always had with Jess, where she is more a friend than anything else, I can now honestly say is what I get with Molly. 

6 Years with a teenage pup who is now her own person. I love her so much! 

Molly's sixth Birthday

Can you believe it!?!??!

My little slug… my little pig, pup dup, puppy, Boll Boll has turned SIX years old!!

I find it sad when my dogs get a little older, it's a bit like nearing the next decade for humans, thirties, forties and so on... but I always make sure we have an amazing day!

Molly's Birthday consisted of an extra long walk and the field and the path, snuggles, birthday singing (yes I sang) and a baked Pumpkin and peanut butter loaf, which she loves!

I am so grateful to have my girls in my life. Here is to many more Birthdays and celebrations! 

Dog Camp

The time is getting closer and closer.... I leave for Mexico soon for my Brothers wedding. I am beyond excited and looking forward to having this time to relax, eat and have a ridiculous amount of fun, having said that I'm so anxious as my beautiful girls have to stay at home in England. Obviously I can't bring them on an 11 hour flight to stay at a resort, cost and sheer craziness wouldn't allow it... although I have thought of it ;)

I am sending them to Doggie Camp, it's a farm and they had a brief stay for 3 nights in July when I went to York for a graduation. I really do not have anything bad to say about the camp, Molly's confidence grew ten-fold in just 4 short days, they smelt like a dog through and through when I picked them up but they seemed happy and not stressed, which is all I ask for really.

I did bother them a bit by ringing in the evenings to check on them... I'm guessing I'll be spending money on expensive phone calls when I'm in Mexico too ;)

The thing I am worried about is that I have never gone 2 weeks without them in the entire time they have been part of my life... for Molly, that is the moment she was born! If it wasn't that it was for my Brothers wedding I would have definitely only been away for one week maximum.

So lets see how it goes... I'm hoping when I go to collect J&M they're going to stick like a dog, huge grin and be happy, happy, happy! My girls have gone to three holiday camps in there time and people normally ask me how do I know whether they enjoy it or hate it... I just know! The first one they went to, I spent a fortune! It was the most expensive in the area and named the 'dog hotel'... when I picked the girls up, they was stressed, yelping and strangely, ran straight past me trying to get in the car. I never ever took them back there again (they also misplaced an expensive blanket of mine and said it was my own risk by sending it to them, I said I sent it with the dogs so they had the smell of home, and they told me they misplaced it when they was washing it.... shocking and I'm still annoyed at that company many years later).

The last two they've been too, they came out, ran straight to me, tails wagging... that's how I know. You learn to read your dogs behaviour whilst they're still in the dog camp setting.

The third camp they went to is the one we are revisiting. I'm nervous and I know I will miss them so so much, two weeks in luxury and they are the best thing to want to come home too!

Jess's sixth birthday/gotcha day celebrations :)

Today, September 28th 2014 is officially six wonderful, hard, crazy, amazing years since my Jess came in to my life. 

She is my world, my baby, best friend and confidante. My protector. 

I have told the story countless times on when I first lapped eyes on the skinny 12kg, tan, staffy cross in Manchester Dogs Home. She was in the second cage, first one you see when you walk through the door when entering adoption row. She shared a cage with 2 other dogs and apparently wasn't very fond of one of them... stubborn missy from the get-go ;)

She got kennel cough on our first night and was so snotty, coughing, wheezing, my poor baby. 

Over time she taught me so much, about second chances, rescue dogs, the past doesn't define our future, happiness, growing up, friendship and caring for others.

Today has consisted of eating birthday pupcakes (carrot, peanut butter, honey & cheese... they are a massive success), having a long walk, dinner was chicken breast, sweet potato, sausage and a few vegetables for good measure, presents and some goats milk to end it off :) 

I cannot wait to experience many more years with my little pudding. 

5 Reasons Life is Better with a Dog

1. They are your best friend. will listen to you moaning, sit with you when you're poorly and run with you whilst you're happy. Not many human friends are capable of being that flexible to your moods.

2. They finish off your leftover food. I'm sorry but yes I am sometimes guilty with this. As a general rule of thumb my girls have a very good diet but they're foodies and when leftovers are going and no baddies are in the ingredients (onions, grapes, chocolate etc), then yep, rather than the bin, J&M clean it up!

3. They get me outside so much more than I ever would have without them. Days when I was affected with depression, they were the sole reason for getting me out of bed and in my trainers for a walk. On good days, they are my reason for exploring new places, being with nature, being active.

4. I have learnt to appreciate that they are all individuals with different needs, likes and dislikes.
People who do not have a dog, or any pet for that matter, never seem to understand what goes in to owning one. It is hard work, expensive and on occasions frustrating but I wouldn't swap it for a million pound. Being an owner of two crazy puppies for almost 6 years, I have come to realise that they are different just like human beings, I appreciate animals and understand them so much more than I ever would have. They experience happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy and so many other emotions us humans also experience. It's such an eye opener.

5. They will love you. Unconditional love, until they take there final breathe. My girls have seen me go through every emotion in the world, they have seen me happy, sad, angry, you name it and they still love me. They wake up every morning and wag there tails as soon as they see me, they forgive me if I've missed a walk or when I wasn't well, they cared for me, kept me company, helped me feel safe and in general loved me when I was at my lowest. I miss them when I go to work. I miss them when I go out without them. I love them more than I love most people. They're my family and I can honestly say I would die to keep them safe. For an animal to give and receive that love when they cannot use words to gain it, truly shows how incredible they are. I am so lucky.

The time Jess and Molly climbed a mountain

Being the crazy puppies they are it was hard work getting these two up a mountain, this was during the phase where Molly was particularly reactive when she saw other dogs and for some reason when we saw live stock in the nearby fields she was pretty sensitive to them too!

On the whole though, seeing my girls at the top of that mountain is something I'll never forget.

They climbed to the top of Conisten Old Man in the Lake District, got all the way down again, got back to our home away from home, had a 20 minute rest and then both wanted a run in the garden. They loved that holiday so much... it's hard work doggie holidays, or at least I think so anyways but it's always so worth it!

A walk in the Woods

Me & the girls explored the woods recently! They absolutely love it. 

It is the perfect place to play hide and seek and they found me every time! 

Fetch back Friday - Posing

The very best of friends.

I've been going through a pretty hard and stressful time lately, the scariest and most stressful moments I've probably had to deal with at the point in my life, decisions and ultimations constantly being thrown at me and I have been struggling to cope. 

What do you do when the person you love is treating you like the enemy? And you either retaliate or you lie down and do what they ask but live a life unhappy and being taken advantage of. 

Well... I'm a bit of both really! I can definitely bite back but when does it get to the point where you can't go on in that situation anymore?

This post has a point, I promise! 

For the past 14 months I have put this person I love as my number one priority! When we rowed, I would be so down that I didn't have the energy to walk my precious girls. Said person would come number one when we getting along and not getting along. And they knew that!

Not anymore! It has took a long, exhausting road for me to figure out where my priority should always be. My girls need me, for food, for walkies, for playtime, for the good of their health... in so many ways, they are my children! They cannot do it themselves! What happens when you are with someone who is jealous of the time and energy I give my girls... and that is when I'm not doing half as much as I would like to do with them! 

My girls - my number 1 priority, now and always! 

Pot bellied puppy

Is there anything like a little puppy belly! 

I remember when the puppies were born and my Grandad popped in to say that they all looked like pigs with there bellies sticking out! All belly with a little head and little legs ;) 

Little Miss Trouble

I should have seen the signs of her becoming such a crazy puppy ;)