Labrador Retriever

Last night Buddy and I were first to arrive at the training class, and were sitting there patiently,minding our own business, when a chocolate Labrador burst through the door, and barrelled over to say hello. I always think that being so sturdily built, it's as well that Labs are such a thoroughly friendly breed, but I reckon one at full tilt could still do you some damage! So the chocolate Lab reached us, and hurled himself over onto his back, at which point Buddy approached to check him out with a thorough sniffing.

The forecast was finally for a warm weekend, so we headed for the beach. It turned out to be so hot that we had to find shade for the dogs. They loved it down at the water's edge where the sea was cooling and there was a delicious breeze, but back up the beach, they sat happily in the shade, peeping out from time to time to see if it was time to go for another paddle.

After our excellent walk on Sunday, Buddy had a delicate problem in the evening. How can I put this? Aromas of a most unpleasant nature emanated from his vicinity. Poisonous miasmas if you will. Wind. Gas. Call it what you want, it had us running for cover, wafting it away with a magazine, and opening windows. Yes, it was pretty horrible.

We went for a walk on Cannock Chase today, and Buddy and Star found some friends to play with. The child in the photo detected a child-friendly Lab and came straight over. From then on Buddy lay on his back to have his tummy rubbed by the child. All would have gone on peacefully, were it not for the presence of an enthusiastic German Shepherd Dog puppy and Star, because all of a sudden they both wanted in on the action. The child was happy to fuss all three, and Buddy was happy to lie on his back in the middle of it all!

Stockholm University research has shown that dogs are getting "dumber". Researchers found that current pedigree dogs are "disinterested, shy and less responsive to commands than their ancestors." They also found that show-quality and "handbag" dogs are the most likely to be affected by this lower intelligence.

I have to admit to a weakness for black Labradors, since their is one asleep on my sofa as I write this. He is often to be found snoozing on my sofa, but if he feels there is the need to defend his territory, he is up on his feet and barking, quick as a flash. His hackles go up, creating an impressive mohican effect down his back, and his barks are ear-shattering.

We had a rare Saturday with nothing
already arranged. The weather was good, so we decided to ignore the various chores waiting to be done at home, and go out for the day. We are members of English Heritage, and we consulted the guidebook for a suitable venue. We were members of another similar organisation, but defected to English Heritage as they welcome dogs. When I say they welcome dogs, I really mean they welcome dogs, as opposed to just tolerating them. The organisation we left has some site which claim to welcome dogs, but that translates to permitting them in the car park on a lead. Which is absolutely no good to me or most dog owners. With rising crime it's asking for trouble to leave your dog in a car in a distant car park, apart from the dangers of overheating.