Number58

Harry started off this week in Northumberland. With the exception of his bed (which he is particularly fond of), the beaches there are probably his favourite place to be. Harry loves the wide open space and the freedom he has to run on the miles of empty sand.

Harry made lots of new canine friends on this trip, in the past he has been a little shy when meeting strange dogs on the beach, but this time he appeared to have more confidence and actually went up to introduced himself on couple of occasions. His bravery was rewarded when, each time these new dogs immediately welcomed him and started to play. He was so besotted with one he met, called Molly, that he even followed her into the water when she went swimming, despite the freezing temperatures.

Harry on Alnmouth beach

When we returned home it was back to his regular training walks. This this time we did a walk in town with his good pal and playmate Blaze.

Harry always shows good concentration when out and about in town but walking with another dog can sometimes be a bit distracting, especially when the other dog in question is Blaze, but they both did really well, walking happily side by side and not misbehaving. They even managed to snuggle down quietly for a quick snooze together when we stopped for coffee. No doubt Harry was probably still dreaming of his time running on the beach.

Harry and Blaze on a walk through town

Harry continues his love affair with public transport so this week we have taken him into town at every available opportunity, usually on the bus. He really enjoys his bus rides, but most of all he enjoys all the hustle and bustle of the bus station.

Harry used to be fascinated by the pigeons that frequent the area, but now he’s learnt to practice self control and ignore them. He doesn’t want to chase after them anymore, but he still insists on giving them the hard stare, trying his best to intimidate them. And it usually works.

Harry at the bus station

Although Harry is older now and has much more stamina, he still sometimes needs to grab a little power nap whenever and wherever he can. He has perfected the art of snoozing in some of the strangest of places, but earlier this week we think he found what looked like one of the most uncomfortable positions ever, but he didn’t really seem to mind.

On a visit to a coffee shop he quickly settled himself under the table as usual then propped his chin on the wooden bar at the bottom of the table so that he had the perfect view of everything going on. A few minutes passed and then the low rumbling noise started, it seems Harry was so comfortable that he’d fallen fast asleep and was snoring very loudly just to prove it.

Harry asleep under the table

This post is quite a mile-stone because tomorrow marks the anniversary of Harry’s arrival with us here at Number 58. It’s hard to believe, but he’s been with us for a whole year now.

Harry on his cushion aged 7 weeks

When he first arrived he loved to spend time on his small cushioned pad. He used to watch everything that went on in the kitchen from this vantage point. Now, he still has the same pad, but it’s only big enough for him to use as a pillow for his head. Quite often he carries it through to his favourite spot in the front room and settles down there for his afternoon nap.

One year on - Harry using his pad as a pillow

This week Harry’s been to puppy class where, along with the other older Guide Dog pups in the area, he was put through his paces with some new exercises. Not only did he have to concentrate what he was doing without being distracted by all his pals, he also had to ignore lots of different soft toys which were dotted about the floor. Soft toys are Harry’s favourite kind of toy so it took all of his self control to ignore them, but he managed to concentrate and walk straight past them.

Harry’s highlight of the week was definitely his free run on Friday. Not only did he get to play in the river for the first time in a long time, but he also made a couple of new friends that day. Two Labradors called Harry and Rolo that were just as pleased to be playing in the river as he was. When it came time to call him out, both Harrys came running out the water together, closely followed by Rolo. They had become such great friends that we thought we were going to have to take all three of them home.

Harry, Harry and Rolo in the river

This week Harry has been shopping in three different towns and also had two trips to Leeds. He’s also done a couple of new things, one of which was a trip to the opticians, which he thought was marvellous. There was loads of room for him to lie down and he managed to get a great vantage point where he could watch everything that was going on.

Harry quite at home in the optician's office

He had a thoroughly enjoyable time while he was waiting. Having turned on the charm with the assistants, they made such a fuss of him that he seemed quite prepared to spend the whole morning there.

Harry has also been on a free run his his good pal Blaze, they had a fine time time running around, rolling in the mud and splashing around in the stream together. Afterwards, despite all the fun and games, they both managed to walk on their leads down the road together in a sensible fashion.

The other new experience Harry had this week was a trip to jail. Not that he’d done anything wrong – we just had the opportunity to visit an old prison cell with him as part of an exhibition. He couldn’t wait to get through the door, but once he actually got in the cell he was pretty nonplussed. There wasn’t much to see inside for an inquisitive pup and there was certainly nothing much to play with.

Harry at the prison cell door

At the start of this week Harry was still on holiday in the Lake District and still frolicking around in the snow at every available opportunity. Every morning was the same – he just couldn’t wait to get outside and play in the snow.

Harry in the snow

Once we got home Harry settled back into his routine of training walks interspersed with free runs.  Apart from his regular trips, which he always enjoys, Harry has visited the Town Hall this week. He found the whole experience rather boring and couldn’t wait to get back on the train to go home.

During the first few days back the weather was still really cold, which meant that Harry could continue to indulge himself in a spot of slow roasting in front of the fire. Harry loves the fire and is mesmerised by the flames, his favourite trick is to lie with his head on the hearth and push his nose as close as he can to the actual fire, prompting us to switch it off a few times as we were so worried he might blister his nose or singe his fur.

Harry roasting by the fire

Fortunately the weather has now warmed up and the need for the fire has gone (at least for now). This has left Harry a bit nonplussed about why he can no longer cook himself, while we’re just relieved that we won’t have a pup with bald bits.

Harry also had a visit from his Guide Dog Supervisor this week who came to check on his progress. She was pleased to see that his confidence is increasing in busy traffic situations, something which has caused him to be a little uncertain at times, especially when it’s raining or dark. Of course Harry knew it was an important day so he was in full “show-off” mode.

Harry’s highlight of the week has to be the time he spent with working Guide Dog Lacey. He fell totally in love with her and we’re sure that if he could, he would go straight back to the hotel and start flirting like mad again.

Harry looking adoringly at Lacey

This week Harry’s life has revolved around the weather. Although some of his usual activities have been curtailed, he has had more than his fair share of fun in the snow. And he loved every minute of it.

Harry really enjoyed exploring in the snow, everything looked so different, although he was little put out when he found he couldn’t roll around in the mud in his favourite ditch. It had frozen over and all he could do was sniff at the ice and wonder where his personal supply of mud had gone.

Harry investigating the stream

Harry’s nose has been slowly turning pink over the last few weeks and the freezing weather has made it an even brighter shade. After he had finished snuffling around in the snow it glowed so much that he could have auditioned for the part of Rudolph.

Harry has still been on many of his regular outings, including a Pilates class and he even managed a trip to the dentist where he sat patiently in the waiting room despite all the strange noises coming from the surgery.

We also managed to take Harry away for a few days to the Lake District this week, where he got to go on lots of new and interesting walks, as well as increase his social skills in the hotel.

Harry made some new canine friends and also learned a new skill – how to safely climb through a stile in a wall. It took a little while for him to figure it out the first time, but after he’d done it once he wanted to go through it again and again. It was just as well we weren’t in a hurry.

Harry climbing through a stile

Harry’s activities this week have certainly been determined by the weather and although we’ve tried very hard to keep his routine as normal as possible, things haven’t always gone according to plan.

On the first day of snow, although we didn’t have an awful lot, Harry still had a whale of a time in the back garden when he went out for his first toilet break of the day, but when it came time to go on a training walk Harry wasn’t so sure about leaving the house.

Harry trying to get back to the front door

Due to the disruption on public transport Harry didn’t get to go to town as much as usual, or take a trip into the city, but he still went shopping with us to the local shops.

Harry also attended our regular Pilates class, but due to problems with the heating this was in a different room. Normally we anchor Harry by his lead to something sturdy, but this time there was nothing to attach him to so he was free to roam around, but he astounded us all when he calmly lay down in the corner and stayed there for an hour. He only got up once and that was so he could turn over and lie on his other side.

It hasn’t all been training though, Harry has had an awful lot of fun this week.  Although the snow was strange at first, he soon got used to it and really enjoyed himself. All his usual off-lead walks were just so much more exciting, things looked so different and he could eat it!

Harry eating snow

Harry’s had another busy week this week, he’s been on at least four shopping trips to town and another trip to Leeds City Centre by train.  Harry loves the train and if he could, he would probably chose to spend his whole day riding around on it. He always lies with his back tucked under the seat and facing the doors so he can watch all the passengers getting on and off.

At the weekend we went along to a local supermarket to support a Guide Dog fund-raising event. Naturally, Harry turned on the charm and received lots of fuss and attention in return.

Harry on his fundraising trip

This week has also seen Harry spend quite a lot of time in the company of older and retired Guide Dogs, not just at the fund-raising event but also on free runs and it was fascinating to watch the effect on him. Instead of being a silly, giddy pup wanting to play all the time, he was sensible and respectful towards them. He even sat quietly under the table with another dog  in a coffee shop with out tormenting them and trying to play. Definitely something we must do with him again.

Harry is really looking forward to next week, he’s been watching the weather forecast with us and there’s a very strong chance of snow. Harry has seen the white stuff before but as far as he was concerned, it didn’t last nearly long enough and he can’t wait to see more of it. It was just so much fun!

Harry at 54 weeks

Harry’s had a much better week this week – whatever caused him to suffer tummy trouble it seems to have passed and his energy levels have definitely returned to normal. He’s back to his cheeky normal self and raring to go, although he still likes to relax in his bed and watch whatever is happening in the kitchen.

Harry relaxing in his bed

We’re not sure when he began crossing his paws, but he’s such a mimic he probably picked up the bad habit from us.

This week Harry has been to a market, a really busy market full of legs, shopping bags and pushchairs but he loved every minute of it and wagged his tail all the time we were there. In addition to his regular trips to the supermarket and local shops, he’s also had a couple of trips on a bus and been into Leeds city centre on the train.

Harry also returned to Pilates class this week and was so relaxed he managed to sleep almost all the way through, although he was heard to give out the occasional very loud snore during some particularly difficult exercises.

One of the best things about feeling better was that finally he got to socialise with other dogs again. Harry’s highlight of  the week was definitely the day he got to go free running with his pal Naylor. They had such a good time running in the park and foraging in the leaves together, he just can’t wait to do it again

Harry and Naylor in the park

Harry is just 2 days short of being a year old, and now weighs a mighty 36.2 kg – quite a difference from the 5 kg little ball of fluff that came to live with us last March.

Harry’s week started off really well with an overnight stay in a hotel in Leigh. He settled in really well, behaved well in the restaurant and loved going up and down in the lift. He made himself very much at home, both in our room and in the hotel bar – especially in the hotel bar.

Harry relaxing in the hotel bar

Harry also had a couple of shopping trips in town and a trip into Leeds city centre. He loves going into the city as he really enjoys all the hustle and bustle, but mostly because he gets to visit the busy coffee shop in the station where he can lie under the table and watch the world go by.

Harry’s week started to go downhill a short while after when he developed a poorly tummy. An examination by the vet showed he was very tender, an x-ray and some blood tests followed, all of which proved inconclusive. Harry appeared to be feeling very sorry for himself for the next couple of days, he didn’t have a whole lot of energy and was sleeping an awful lot.

We did everything we could to try and make things easier for him and he got to travel in total luxury in the back of the car, complete with his duvet, towel and water bowl, while our weekly supermarket shopping perched precariously on the back seat.

It’s a dog’s life!

Harry in the boot of the car