Number58

This week has been a bit of a trial for Harry. He’s always been very sensitive to loud noises and so in an effort to protect him from all the fireworks, his lifestyle has been quite restricted. There have been no evening walks and essential night time toilet trips to the garden have been swift. On the upside, Harry’s had lots of playtime indoors and a new bone to chomp on.

One of Harry’s highlights this week was his sleepover on Saturday night which he thoroughly enjoyed. He had such a great time staying with another puppy walker, and was so happy lying in his basket in front of their Aga, that he really didn’t want to come home.

Another of Harry’s highlights this week was his sudden ability to swim. He enjoyed it so much that he had another try the next time we took him on a free run. Unfortunately for him the water was only a few inches deep and very, very cold. He got such a shock he couldn’t get out of the stream fast enough.

Harry went on a sleepover yesterday.

We were helping with the annual bonfire and firework display in the village and didn’t really want to leave Harry on his own while all the fireworks were going off, so he went to stay overnight with another puppy walker.

This morning, when we went to collect him, Harry was very nonplussed to see us. He’d had a great time and showed no sign of wanting to leave. And who could blame him?  His bed had been given prime position in the kitchen, right in front of the Aga and Harry looked very much at home. Who says it’s a dog’s life?

Harry has always liked water, even when he was tiny he loved splashing around in puddles, but when we’ve walked him by the river or a lake, he’s never done anything more than paddle.

That changed earlier this week. We’d been for a walk in the woods, and as usual Harry had managed to cover himself with mud. As we were so close to the river we took him down so he could paddle around and rinse off the bulk of it. He was having a great time chasing the fallen leaves floating on the surface, when he spotted one way out of his reach. Suddenly he was off, swimming after it as if he’d been swimming all his life, then just as quickly he was back on the small beach, very proudly showing off his prize.

It all happened so quickly that there was no time for photographs, only this one as we walked back, still in shock, across the bridge.

Harry’s had another busy week which was full of new experiences, and some regular favourites, such as Puppy Class and a visit from Guide Dog puppy Blaze, who has now reached the grand old age of 10 weeks.

On Friday he met lots of witches and goblins, some at the local shops and the rest that knocked on the door collecting trick or treats.

As it turned out Hallowe’en was actually a bit of a problem solver for us. For the last few weeks Harry has been barking every time someone came to the door, but the doorbell rang so many times on Friday evening, that he finally got fed up and just ignored it.

Harry had another first this week, this time not such a pleasant one – he stood on a piece of glass and cut his front paw. Although he wasn’t in any pain and the wound was clean, it didn’t really heal until the next day. We got so tired of following him round the house with a cloth mopping up the small blood spots, that we confined him to the kitchen for a couple of hours. Harry wasn’t particularly happy about that.

On the subject of paws, the good news is that the lump which appeared on one of Harry’s paws a couple of weeks ago has disappeared as fast as it came. It seems the vet’s initial diagnosis that Harry was suffering from some sort of teenage spotty ailment was correct.

Harry’s favourite bit of the week has to be his long walk around the reservoir. Although he wasn’t very interested in the beautiful scenery, or the glorious weather, he thought the crisp crunchy leaves were just so exciting. He just couldn’t stop playing with them, snuffling around inside the piles, before tossing them into the air and trying to catch them. Although we did insist that he stop for a few seconds to pose by the water for a photo.

Harry is facing another new challenge this evening – it’s November 5th and we’re expecting plenty of fireworks. We’ve done everything we can to stop him from getting spooked – he’s had lots of exercise today so there’s no need for him to go out this evening, except for what will be a very brief toilet break just before bed time.  We’ve shut all the curtains and blinds to muffle the noise and keep out the flashes of light, and the TV is turned to one of the channels showing wildlife programmes, which he loves. In addition, Harry has a special treat in store – a brand new roasted bone to chew on. Roll on the end of firework season!

Harry went out in the back garden a few times this weekend, lured there by the strong sunlight, fully expecting to be able to roast himself in the afternoon sun. He managed about 15 minutes on each occasion before giving in to the cold and running back in to snuggle into his fleecy blanket, very despondent.

Friday was cold but gloriously sunny, so we took the opportunity to take Harry on a new walk around a nearby reservoir. The fallen leaves were dry and crisp underfoot and at first Harry didn’t know where the rustling noise was coming from, but once he figured it out he had a fabulous time foraging around in them.

As the walk was new, he spent most of the time with his nose to the ground sniffing, oblivious of everything around him. He was having such a good time he didn’t even notice that he was only inches away from falling off the edge of the bank into the reservoir.