Number58

Harry started this week still licking his lips at meal times at the prospect of the chicken and rice diet he’s been on. We thought he might turn his nose up at his regular dried food, but when we re-introduced it it was business as usual, with Harry hoovering it up in record time. Harry is very food orientated and can always be guaranteed to look at you adoringly if he thinks there may be a treat available.

Harry’s test results from the vet have all come back negative, although there’s still one last result to come and hopefully we’ll get that in the next couple of days. Once he’s got the all clear we’ll be off for another trip to the vet as it’s time for Harry to have his kennel cough vaccination.

Harry thoroughly enjoyed his time in the Lake District and learnt quite a lot from the working Guide Dogs he met there, we were especially impressed that by the second day he didn’t always have to be told when to lie down and stay still, he just did it.

One thing that was new to Harry was speeding traffic as we walked along some roads that were not restricted to 30 mph. At first he was a little startled as the cars seemed to hurl themselves towards him at quite an alarming rate, often with their headlights on in the rain, but after a while he became accustomed to it, although he much preferred not to walk on the right hand side of the road facing the oncoming traffic.

A trip to Ambleside really tested Harry as the town was absolutely buzzing. The pavements are quite narrow and it seemed as though there were thousands of people there, all jostling for space and all with either small children, babies in buggies, or dogs. Harry managed his walk through town like a star but he was absolutely shattered when we got back to the hotel.

Harry’s favourite bits were his walks round the lake. He loved to paddle and dig for stones on the shore, but best of all were the jettys – he just loved to walk up and down them watching all the interesting things happening on the water.

Harry is now 29 weeks old and has finally hit 30 kg in weight. Although we’d planned to only weigh Harry every month, we took the opportunity of our visit to the vet on Monday to have him weighed.

It’s been a bit of a quiet week for Harry. Given his recent tummy trouble we haven’t really been on any long trips out to town and what trips we have taken have been planned around his frequent visits to the bathroom.

Harry did get to go to the Pilates class though. He’s so relaxed about it all that he now doesn’t even bother saying hello to everyone, he just goes over to his regular space, lies down and starts to snooze. Even the recent introduction of the large exercise balls in class didn’t bother him, he sort of raised his eyebrow briefly as if to say ‘what on earth are those humans doing now’? and carried on with the serious business of snoozing.

The introduction of the blue tabard has gone down very well. Harry hasn’t tried to chew it, or wriggle out of it, and he stands patiently while we put it on. His behaviour when he wears it has been exemplary – it’s almost as if he knows that when he’s got it on a certain standard of behaviour is required. Sometimes it even seems as though he holds his head held just a little bit higher than normal when he’s wearing it.

Harry’s highlight this week has undoubtedly been the temporary change in his diet. Harry has always approached his food with real enthusiasm, but he has taken to chicken and rice with what can only be described as exhilaration. In fact he’s been spending much more time hanging around the kitchen ever hopeful that more might just magically appear in his bowl.

We hope he’s not going to be too disappointed over the next few days as he gradually goes back to his regular dried food.

This last week has been more routine for Harry than the previous one, with lots of trips to town and the supermarket, the pet shop and frequent visits to coffee shops and the odd ride on a bus.

His last ride on the bus was a little bit fraught though, as the bus driver went round a roundabout a little too fast. Unable to hang on Harry slid across the floor ending up very near to the door. We thought it might freak him out a bit, but he just stood up, gave a quick shake and settled himself back down next to the seat, albeit a lot closer.

At the weekend Harry had his longest car journey yet when we travelled down to the Guide Dog Gala Day, but he coped really well and behaved beautifully at our stop on the motorway services.

He really enjoyed his trip away, especially as he got to sleep in the same room as us at the hotel. We thought he would want to play all night so we weren’t expecting to get much sleep, but as soon as we put out the light he settled down and we didn’t get a squeak out of him until 7.00 the next morning – when someone in the hotel slammed a door and woke us all up.

Harry’s best bit of the week has to be the Gala Day and all the different experiences he had there, but the highlight of the whole trip must be the rosette he won.  He was just so pleased with himself.

This last week has been pretty hectic for Harry.

After his day out at the Country Club to watch the golf, the following day he was invited to visit the Head Office of an Insurance company. This trip was full of new experiences for Harry, on arrival there were sliding glass doors which made quite a loud whooshing noise as they opened, then there was a very highly polished floor in reception. Harry had difficulty sitting on it as his feet kept slipping, so he took the easy option and lay down.

This was followed by turn-stiles, similar to those found on London Underground. We expected Harry to be a little nervous of them but he sailed straight through, although he was very curious about the click, click, click noise they made as they turned. Then we had to take the lift – Harry is no stranger to lifts but this was the first time a lift had been crowded and full of people. Harry strode straight on, full of confidence, knowing that he would get lots of attention from the people on board. He was so excited and his tail wagged so much we had to turn him round quickly so it didn’t get trapped in the doors.

Harry then left home for a few days, and went to stay with another Puppy Walker, while we made a trip up north. We’re not altogether sure what Harry got up to while he was away, and he certainly isn’t telling, but he was tired when he got back home – he slept like a log for hours. He’d obviously had a very exciting time.

Now he’s back home it’s back to his normal routine – let’s hope he doesn’t find it too boring.

It’s really hard to believe but Harry has now reached the grand old age of 6 months. To celebrate we took him to the vets to get weighed and discovered that he’s now 29 kg.  It seems that his weight gain has finally tapered off as he’s only increased by 3 kg in 4 weeks.

One thing that hasn’t slowed down is the growth of his ears. They are enormous – sometimes when he’s chomping merrily away at his food they get caught in his mouth. When he runs they either fly out behind him or flap up and down like the wings of a baby bird trying to fly for the first time.

Harry’s obedience training is still pretty good although over the last few weeks we’ve suffered from spells when he seems to have forgotten everything we’ve ever taught him. But that’s just his age. In canine terms, he’s a teenager and sometimes a stroppy one at that, but in general he’s a very good pup, very laid back, very respectful and an all round good guy. Not that we’re biased or anything.

Harry’s had a really busy week and sometimes it seems at though he has more social engagements on the calendar than we do. He gets invited to all sorts of parties and functions and sometimes it feels like we’re only there to drive him to and from his engagements. Tomorrow he’s been invited to attend an event at the local Country Club and Golf Course. It’s a tough life.

Although he’s always exceptionally well behaved on such occasions, he does like nothing better than letting his hair down, and romping around in true puppy style. Especially when there’s another dog and some mud involved – the walk in the country park when he met Ruby has to be Harry’s highlight this week. I just wish we could say the same.

Harry is now 25 weeks old and this last week has been a very different one for Harry – he’s been on holiday for the very first time.

While we were away, we used the change of scene to make some alterations in Harry’s routine. The first of these changes was in his sleeping arrangements. Up until now Harry has been sleeping in an indoor kennel, although during the previous week the door was left open overnight to give him the freedom to move around the kitchen overnight. Now the problem we had is that Harry’s kennel is quite large and it would have taken up an awful lot of room in the boot of the car, this would have meant leaving some of our ‘stuff’ behind.  Not an ideal situation. So we had no choice – Harry would have to sleep in his new ‘big dog’s bed’.

We were expecting quite a disturbed first night, a strange bed in a strange house, but no – Harry was a real star and took to it like a duck to water. After about two minutes he was fast asleep and we didn’t get a squeak out of him until 7.30 the next morning. Of course, this may have had something to do with him being shattered after the excitement of his first run on a beach.

The other major change for Harry was in his feeding routine – down from three meals a day to two. This bit was easy while we were away, we just made sure he went somewhere new and exciting at lunch time so he didn’t even notice he was missing a meal.

Now we’re back home things are different. Once we’ve finished our lunch, he immediately moves to where his food is prepared and sits expectantly. A short time later, when he realises nothing is happening, he’ll throw us a dirty look. A few more minutes and he gives a whimper – just to remind us he’s there and still waiting. After a few more minutes he wanders over to his bed, throws himself down with a huge sigh, and then sulks. We’re hoping it won’t be long before he gets used to the new regime.

Harry had an absolute ball on holiday and it would be hard to pick just one highlight from the whole week. He loved all his runs on the beach and the cliff top walks. He especially loved his nightly trips to the local pub where everyone made such a fuss of him. But for Harry, probably the best bit was the time he spent just pottering around on the beach with his best friend.

Harry is now 23 weeks old, and this week for the first time, we don’t know how much he weighs.  We know he’s more than 25kg and that he’s fit and healthy, so we’re going to take a break from the weekly weighing routine and move to a monthly check. We also know that 25kg is HEAVY, especially when he stands on your bare foot.

Sometime over the last week Harry finally finished teething and he is now the proud owner of a full set of bright, shiny, pearly white teeth.

We’ve checked and they all seem to be be there, no gaps. This is great news for Harry but it’s also great news for us, as it means an end to the endless washing of blood covered toys.

Harry has had a busy week- going to the carnival in a nearby town, and shopping for longer periods of time. His behaviour in shops is excellent, although if we stand in one place too long he gets a bit bored, lies down and starts to snooze. Harry’s also had lots of social interaction with other Guide Dog pups, although he is still a little wary of any strange dogs he meets

Earlier in the week Harry had to act as a big brother to Summer who doesn’t really like travelling in the car, and went for a trip with her to show her how it was done, just like Goldie did with him. It’s hard to believe he’s grown up so quickly and now it’s his turn to show the younger pups how to do things!

As he is now so grown up we decided it was time that his kennel door was left open overnight. This is the start towards moving Harry from the kennel to his new dog bed. The first night we lay awake nervously, wondering if he would discover an otherwise hidden destructive streak, but the next morning there he was at the door to greet us, tail wagging furiously, with all the table and chair legs still intact.  Phew.

Harry is now 22 weeks old and is starting to look much more grown up. His face has lost all of the wrinkles but he still has far too much skin for his body and when he lies down on his side there’s a roll of it running right down the length of his back. There’s no doubt he’ll be able to fill it soon as his weight increase continues. Harry is now 25.9 kg – that’s exactly 20 kg heavier than when he first arrived.

Harry has had quite a different week this week with lots of new experiences. At the weekend, as well as going to his first outdoor music event on Saturday, he also attended the village “Teas on the Green” on Sunday.

This was a real test of his self control as apart from the crowd, there were lots of other dogs there and children shrieking as they played organised games. Harry has always been a very laid back pup but sudden noises always bothered him. Now it seems even loud noises don’t bother him that much, he was very relaxed about the whole event and adored all the fuss and attention that he got.

Harry is doing really well on his lead walks, he doesn’t pull on the lead even when he sees another dog and if there’s any food lying around on the pavement he very deliberately struts past. When we stop to chat with someone he always waits very patiently. Occasionally though, he does sometimes lose concentration. If a piece of litter blows in front of him he can have a sudden urge to investigate, especially if it’s bright and shiny – like a chocolate bar wrapper.

Today Harry turned 21 weeks old and he now weighs 24.6 kg. Each week it becomes more and more obvious that Harry is going to be a big dog. That’s BIG with a capital “B”.

This last week has been very quiet at Number 58 as Harry has been under the weather for most of the time. We figured there was something amiss last Wednesday when we went to Pilates class. Usually he loves to lie there with his favourite chew and watch everyone, but no amount of coaxing would get him to settle down, and then when he got home all he wanted to do was sleep.

On the upside, he’s dealt with having a flu-like illness really well, he’s never complained, not even once, but on the downside, he hasn’t had a lot of energy. There have been no adventures and no romps in the woods, and sadly for Harry he hasn’t even been able to meet up with any of his pals, as the vet suggested he stay away, just in case he passed his germs on.

Most of the week has been spent sleeping or lying on the rug in the front room sunning himself. Harry’s best bit of the week was on Sunday. His last two remaining baby canine teeth, which had been wobbling about for days, finally came out as he munched on his chew. He was so pleased with himself that he wandered over to the sofa, tail wagging furiously, and gently deposited the bloody remains of one of the teeth on the cream cushion. All we could say was yuk, but Harry was all, Look! Look what I’ve brought you!

Harry is really looking forward to the week ahead when things will get back to normal. He’ll once again be out and about in town, going out to lunch, and most importantly of all, he’ll finally get to meet the new girl Summer. She’s such a cutie – he just can’t wait see her, even if she is a little bit camera shy.

Today Harry turned 20 weeks old, and now weighs 23.1 kg. During the last week his bark has changed. He no longer squawks like a chicken, now he has a proper woof, a deep, resonating and very loud, woof. The first time it came out of his mouth he was so shocked, he stopped dead in his tracks, looked around to see where the noise had come from, and completely forgot why he had barked in the first place.

Although he’s growing up fast, Harry still carries around the small piece of blanket that he had when he first arrived. It was part of a larger blanket that was used in the nest. Back then it probably still carried the scent of his mum and litter mates, but it’s been through the washing machine so many times now that it can’t possibly have any of their smell left. Harry has taken it to bed with him every single night and shows no sign of stopping. If it’s not there at bedtime it’s almost a major catastrophe and he’ll pace up and down the kitchen floor until it’s found.

Apart from Harry’s regular outings he’s been to puppy class this week. He loves going to class as he gets to see all his pals, but it’s such hard work being on your best behaviour and concentrating for 45 minutes. He managed to do all that was required of him, even the ‘stay’ which can test a puppy’s self control to the limit, especially when all you really want to do is go and play with all the other puppies.

Harry’s highlight this week has been the time he got to spend with his new best friend. He absolutely loved having her around, especially when they got to go exploring in the woods together. It was just the best time ever.