Let me introduce myself!

Hello,

I`m Perry and I`ve lived with Sandra and Jim for the last week. They`ve been looking for another labrador since they lost their beloved Jake in November. They have registered with rescue societies and have visited countless dog`s homes with no luck but then I came along. Sandra has an online friend who in turn has online friends, one of whom is a dog breeder. She made enquiries and found another breeder who wanted to find a 21mth old yellow male lab a good home. That was where I came in. I lived with other dogs and since I was very young I had been in the show ring. I had some success but I was never going to reach the top. I qualified for Crufts but would have got nowhere so I was retired. My owner was a very kind lady who was waiting for the right people to come along to give me a happy home, someone who had experience of my breed and someone who was LOOKING for a companion. When I first arrived here I didn`t know how to `sit` as I had been trained to `stand` for the show ring and had no idea how to play with toys. Now after just one week I sit at the kerb without being asked and retrieve a ball when its thrown for me. I`ve also discovered there is a furry creature called a cat, something I`ve never seen before. Now I give the next door neighbours cat plenty of exercise....

I really like Sandra`s garden and can`t understand why I`m not allowed to walk on the plants. Whatever the reason I get shouted at so I suppose I`d better stay off to keep the peace...sigh. I`ve met a young boy called Roman and I think I have a new friend there. There`s also a little girl called Sophie who is very small and she doesn`t seem all that keen on me...Oh well, I`m sure she`ll come round eventually.


Sandra is very busy these days especially since I arrived. She`s doing longer hours at work and when she gets home she takes me out for a long walk. She wants to get fit and maybe even lose some weight for her holiday to Florida in October. She`s also doing lots of work in the garden. I`ve been inside her greenhouse and theres new plants and bulbs everywhere. yesterday because the weather was nice she weeded some of the garden and this morning Jim widened one of the borders for her. I wanted to help but Jim said he needed to keep it in a straight line.

Anyway people, I hope you like the photos of my good self, I think I`m quite handsome, don`t you? :o)

Bye Bye and Woof

Perry

Time I posted

I thought it was time I posted something, I hadn`t realised it had been so long. Much has happened since my last entry, Christmas and New Year have come and gone and now we are heading towards the end of January.

I`ve been recovering from a bout of shingles which I first noticed on Christmas day though at the time I just thought I had an irritating rash as I had my hands full with the celebrations. Not so; I saw a doctor after Christmas and before New Year and he confirmed what Jim already thought. Kerry and Jim both had it years ago so I knew what it looked like. I was prescribed anti-viral tablets that I had to take FIVE times a day...I gave up after two because they made me feel worse than I already felt and all they are supposed to do is send the virus `back to sleep` as the doctor referred to it. I must admit that I felt absolutely exhausted for some time and to make matters worse I had probably the worst cold I`ve had in years at the same time...talk about feeling miserable! I decided once I started to feel better that a course of tablets to boost my immune system would be a good idea and I`m taking one per day and will continue that way right through the Winter or at least until I feel back to par. I`ve not taken any time off work because it wouldn`t have made any difference. I like to keep going because if I sat around at home I would end up feeling even worse than I already did. I must admit to still feeling some pain from the shingles but that will go in time. If it irritates too much I just take a painkiller and apply calamine lotion to the site, it does help.

Anyway, thats enough about me and my ailments. Now for something else a bit more cheerful. We`ve booked our flights and a lovely villa to stay in in for our holiday in Florida in October. We are trying not to talk about the arrangements in front of Roman where we can so as not to over excite him too much. He is really looking forward to it but October is a long way off when you are only 4. He keeps reminding me however, that he will be 5 when we go away. My grandson FIVE, I can hardly believe it. Mind you, Sophie is 9mths now and as different to Roman as chalk and cheese. They LOOK like brother and sister but where Roman is sensitive and thoughtful Sophie is loud and boisterous. When Roman was a baby he was shy of other children but Sophie loves their company and will reach out and grab them if she can, laughing as she does so. Even though she is 9mths she wears clothes for 12-18mths so that gives you an idea of how big she is. Not tubby but well built and tall. If she carries on growing the way she is she`ll be bigger than Roman before too long!




This was taken just after Christmas. I didn`t use a Christmas photo as Sophie had conjuctivitis and her poor little eyes were so swollen and red.





I took this one of Roman a fortnight ago in Black Park. We had a lovely time that afternoon.


We contacted Labrador Lifeline Trust in the new year to see if they had any dogs that needed a home. We were offered a young chocolate bitch but she wasn`t what we were looking for and it wouldn`t have been fair to take her on if we weren`t sure. So we are waiting. It is very hard being without a dog because Jake left a huge hole in our lives. We both miss him very much and another furry friend would help to fill the void. We are prepared to wait for the right one especially as we have the grandchildren to consider. No dog is perfect, especially a rescue but that won`t matter if it feels right. Any dog owner will know what I`m talking about.

Anyway, I`ll say goodbye for now. I`d like to promise that I`ll publish another entry sooner but knowing me I probably won`t. Take care all of you. :o)

Love and Hugs

Sandra xxx