Update on Pluto and the vet

Just a quick update because I’m up to my nipples in fishermen and dog psychology – don’t ask – but I realise I left my last entry on a cliffhanger. Pluto went to the vet and he’s absolutely fine! In fact he’s lost 3.5kg (which is a good thing because as a chunky breed – or breeds – he needs his weight lept in check).

Dogs do sometimes lose nails, it can be a little sore but as a rule, if the area is dry and free of blood and yuck, if the dog isn’t limping and he or she seems in fine spirits, you keep a close eye but let nature takes its course. But of course, that fine and sensible advice goes right out of the window when it’s your own beloved pooch...

Pluto loves going to the vet and they seem to love seeing him. I guess if you get animals that are pissed off and anxious about being there day in day out, being treated like a long lost family member cheers you up. So P bounded in full of the joys and I lifted his heavy old ass onto the treatment table. He didn’t like his paw being examined particularly but was very good and definitely earned the treats the vet gave him. Yes the nail is broken, but really, it’s nothing to worry about. To justify the £17 for 4 minutes of the vet’s time, he also weighed Pluto and that’s when we discovered he’s lost some puppy fat. So all in all, a good visit: I didn’t need a small unsecured loan to pay for it and Pluto is absolutely fine.

We did nothing yesterday, we’re both a bit under the weather (my partner more so) and tired and so we slept and mooched. I did a bit of ironing and polished the shoes I’m wearing for my interview and finished off the photos I did for my photo shoot on Thursday evening (which went really well). And then we cooked a nice meal and watched Run Fat Boy, Run in the evening, which was hysterically funny! Today I’m working on my presentation and doing a bit of dog psychology homework, but I’m hoping my partner will be making pancakes shortly to keep me creatively fuelled!

It pays to advertise...

We did a big grocery shop this morning. I wore my ‘pack leader’ T-shirt from the Dog Psychology Centre. It seemed to attract a lot of attention, but never more so than when we were unpacking our shopping. A woman came up to me and said, ‘do you work there?’ I was a bit nonplussed and she said, ‘the dog psychology centre, do you work there?’ I smiled and explained I was training but that no, I was not yet a qualified dog trainer or psychologist. She was very disappointed and explained she needed help with her dog. I was a little taken aback but she seemed desperate so I took the time to chat. She has a Japanese Akita (can you see me wincing? Great dogs but you need a lifetime's experience to get the best out of them – remember the more a dog looks like a wolf, the more it acts like a wolf.) The dog is showing classic dominance issues and I gave her my number and promised that at the very least I would get her some further breed-specific information. She was very grateful and it struck me that had I been unscrupulous and less responsible, I could have claimed to be some dog expert and be taking my first paid booking right about now. But I’m not training so that I can cause more problems; I’m training to hopefully make a difference. I hope she does call, and I hope I can help. Sounds like she has a lovely dog with a whole heap of problems that will get worse if not modified and corrected...

This afternoon, friends came round for tea and cake and it was a lot of fun. Not least because I haven’t really mixed with anyone other than my partner for a while and it helped that the cakes they brought were delicious!

Now I’m eating Thornton’s chocolates and watching the rugby and I fully expect England to run France into the ground. So far they are leading 10 nil and are absolutely rampant, so maybe I’ll get my wish :0)

Sunday shuffle

I'm having a funny day, moments of pure laziness followed by furious bursts of activity... I've made bread and later on will be making a cake and dinner (butternut squash and pinenut pastries in case you're interested). I've also managed to lay on the sofa watching Murder, She Wrote... a perfect day you might think ;0)

I'm doing a new course. I sent off my enrollment form and cheque yesterday - dog behaviour and psychology. It's something I've always been interested in and it's potentially an extra stream of future income that could fit in and around other work such as my writing. I love the thought of being able to get an owner(s) and dog working together. Often - like a lot of things in life - it's about getting someone completely unconnected to the situation to step in and see things with a fresh eye. Well, that's the idea anyway, I need to finish the course first before I know whether I'll be any good or not...!

By the way, if you're looking for a TV recommendation - Lark Rise to Candleford. I missed the first episode, but the Heavy Horses that appear throughout the series are the ones I spent the day learning to handle and drive last Monday!