Crufts 2018 (part 1)

Just before Isla joined the family at the beginning of March, Issy and I made our annual pilgrimage to Crufts - on this occasion for the Working and Pastoral groups.  I have never seen so many enormous dogs in one place ever before, and the largest we found weighed in at an astonishing 85kg.  The dog in question could eat a 15kg bag of food in a week - a feat which Amber, a classic labrador who was totally dedicated to her food, took over six weeks to achieve!

I'll start with a few pictures of dogs and their humans.

Preparing these large - and often shaggy - dogs for the show ring is a serious business.  I watched for ages as a lady appeared to apply make-up to a Samoyad with a brush.  It turned out to be some kind of french chalk which soaks up any errant damp patches!

Old English Sheepdogs were in a class of their own when it came to preparation, although this one didn't seem at all pleased with the process.

More pooches to come in part two...

Easter Puppy

Easter weekend, and Isla is now 11 weeks old.  She has grown rapidly, and is now capable of jumping onto the sofa under her own steam (occasionally).  We took her to the vet on Saturday for the second set of injections, so she'll be able to venture into the big wide world from next weekend onwards.  About time too, as she has far too much energy which needs to be burned off.  Growing is tiring work, though, and she does spent at least some of the day asleep (and, thankfully, some of the night too).

The picture below gives some idea how how long she is now.  "Leggy" was the word used by Tina, the vet.

Butter wouldn't melt?  Well, actually...

Current weight: 6.2kg.

Current status with the cats:  Frustrated because they hide on tables or half way up the stairs.  From now on there'll be a size advantage, though, so it will be interesting to see how feline relations progress.

Ten weeks and counting

Apologies to those who were expecting their puppy "fix" on Friday, but have had to wait until Monday for an update.  Something to do with wall-to-wall exhibition selection for Cambridge Camera Club, which meant that free time was in rather short supply.  Anyway, here are a few more pictures of Isla, who has grown considerably in both stature and curiosity.  Being a labrador, everything is edible until proved otherwise too - including moss and stones from the back garden.

One of Isla's big discoveries was the bag of Amber's old toys which we thought we'd hidden from her.  She's gradually emptied the bag, one toy at a time, carrying them very proudly with a "look what I've found" expression on her face.  A favourite find has been a plastic pig which makes a very life-like grunting sound when squeezed.  Hours of fun for a small doglet.

Isla with just some of the toys she's managed to purloin during the week.

Thievery is pretty exhausting work...

Current weight: 5.4kg.

Current status with the cats: Barks at them because they won't play with her.  Spoilsports.

A Week is a Long Time in Puppy-Licks

Well, we've had Isla a week now, and it seems like she's been with us forever.  It wasn't long before she'd sussed the layout of the house (and, more importantly, discovered the place where certain things had been hidden from her).  She's such a sweetheart, though, it's impossible to be cross when she turns up carrying a glove, slipper, shoe or one of Amber's toys!

It was lovely and warm this afternoon, so Isla spent some of the time in the garden playing and exploring.

In case you're wondering, relations with the cats have improved significantly since last week.  We've now progressed from "downright resentment" to "reluctant tolerance", which is a distinct step forward.

It's clear that Isla is growing too: 5kg today, compared to 4.3kg last Friday.  She certainly has a labrador's appetite.

P-Day

After what seemed like an interminable wait, P-Day has finally arrived.  We collected Isla, our new puppy, from Suffolk early this morning, and she has spent much of the day exploring the house.  Pretty well all her experiences today have been new (car journeys, visit to the vet, sleeping on the sofa, meeting cats, etc.), and she's coped remarkably well.  OK, so we had a small number of "accidents", but that's only to be expected.

What a sweetie...

Having been used to sleeping on a pile of other puppies, it's clear that Isla loves the warmth and comfort of another living soul.  Issy's lap is particuarly comfortable, apparently.

Being a true labrador, Isla had no problem in tackling lunch in her new "Adnam's" bowl.

Our three cats are less than impressed with the new arrival, however.  All have spent the day in permanent "bog brush" mode, and Squirt couldn't quite work out why she wasn't allowed in the crate any more.

I'm sure they'll all be bosom buddies by tomorrow.  Maybe.

New Member of the Family (almost)

Meet Eskriver Uigeadail, known to her friends as Isla, who will be joining the family in just under a fortnight's time.  It's felt like an interminable wait since Amber died at the end of October; but, finally, the end is in sight, and we visited our new pup for the first time this morning.  Needless to say she is absolutely adorable, and we cannot wait to get her home.  In the meantime, here are a few pictures from today.

Isla has been bred by Waterside Gundogs, who have been absolutely brilliant at providing all the essential health checks and keeping us up-to-date with progress (and, more recently, photos).  There are currently litters of both labradors and cocker spaniels, and two beds had been provided for them.  Needless to say, one of the beds was totally empty and every single pup was piled into the other.

Isla's mother, Ivy, has the most amazing eyes of any labrador I've ever met.

Courtesy of Issy, a final picture of me and my new best mate.

In case anyone is wondering, Isla is named after the whisky island - a place we love - but we have dropped the "y" to stop the uninitiated from calling her "Iz-Lay".  As for her kennel club name, Eskriver is Waterside's Kennel Club affix, and Uigeadail (pronounced "Oo-ge-dahl") is my favourite dram, produced by the Ardbeg distillery (on Islay, naturally).

Roll on March 9th...