The Village Pub

I often hear my mistress saying, 'he's growing up.' I think that's because I no longer jump up at people with my paws outstretched  but what they don't understand, people do that to me when they meet me. When I was a very young dog, a puppy they called me, people would put their arms out wide and say nice things like, 'what an adorable little dog!. I just did the same, trying to be more adorable., and then they leapt back squeaked. I thought it was part of a game and so I kept jumping up with my paws wide. My mistress didn't like this game and banished me to the kitchen. She's put a gate across so I can't get out but if I'm quick and she had left other doors open, I can run through her study and into the sitting room again.

I remember one person who came to the house and was trying to ignore me. She was jumping about and shouting, no, no and flicking her skirt so I thought this was a new game and joined in. She hasn't visited us since then. Now I am older, in the words of my mistress, I behave myself. Rarely do I jump up at people unless they are special friends  and my mistress takes me to interesting places.

I really enjoy visiting some of them. There is a cafe in town and I now know the way to the garden at the back. It is very pretty with tress and shrubs and big umbrellas. Sometimes we meet friends here and when the waitress comes to take our order my mistress asks for coffee, a bowl of water and a dog biscuit (that's for me). One of my very favourite places is our village pub. We don't go there often but  when we do I am really good and sit under the table. Lots of my people-friends come and join us and sometimes other dogs arrive. Most of them are either old and go to sleep at once or young and don't know how to behave. I do now.

I have a new friend. He's called Jack or maybe I should say Jacques because he is a French spaniel. His owners talk to him in French as he prefers that to English so instead of calling, 'Jack, come here,' they call 'Jacques, viens ici.' We have great fun running on the cricket field and I can run faster. But after all Jacques is about eight years old.

Sometime Finlay joins us. He is a whippet and can run faster than me even though he is only 18 months old but I usually manage to keep up just behind him. We often play my favourite game. I find a stick and Fin comes and grabs one end while I hang on to the other. We both pull and it's whoever  holds on the longest  is the winner.Both Fin and I are really good at this and when Fin gets the stick he runs very fast around the field. He has long  legs and mine are a bit short so I have to run really fast to try and keep up with him.  Then I'm exhausted and collapse in a long heap on the grass.

Jacques sometimes tries to join in but he is not that keen or energetic and soon gets bored. He likes to wander off by himself and if we go for a long walk past the river and across the fields, Jacques often disappears altogether. Then his owner, Sally, calls him. My mistress says Sally bellows and can be heard miles away she shouts so loud. I have a lot of fun with my friends and I hate it when there is no-one on the cricket field to play with. Mind you, some dogs don't want to play but I know who they are and leave them alone

WhyI hate the car

She's got out that blue thing  she calls my harness again. When she wants me to do is put it on and that means we are going in THE CAR. I hate the car. I've hated it since we had The Accident. There I was, waiting patiently in my seat while she went across the road to see a friend when it started to move. It went down the hill, quite slowly at first, then faster and suddenly it hit a wall. I was terrified!
A strange man opened the door and took me out and a lot of people crowded around. But she wasn't there. I was only five months old and I didn't know what to do. I was frightened and I wanted my mistress. It seemed a long time but she came running down the road and picked me up and hugged me and that made me feel better.

We had to leave the car and get another to finish our journey but ever since then I hate cars. She bought a new car with two doors at the back for me but I was worried about getting in it and trembled each time. So we tried different places for me to be but all I wanted to do was sit on her lap, somethng she said was dangerous when she is driving. Now I have my own seat belt and I sit where I can see her. I still hate the car but I've noticed when I get in, very reluctantly I might add, there is usually a tasty treat on the seat waiting for me. And I have also discovered that we tend to go to do special things such as my training or meeting friends. I feel more confident  and will jump in instead of hanging back and looking miserable. I suppose you get used to things in time. One day I might even like the car. One day.

The other day I was attacked! Yes, I was mugged. We had been for a lovely walk down the lane and across the fields and had started back across the cricket field when the was a great pounding of feet and a huge springer spaniel jumped on me and started biting me. I tried to fight back but he was much bigger than me so I barked noisily. I think I may have squealed a.bit My mistress was useless. She tried to pull him off, screaming at the top of her voice but he was strong. Then suddenly his master appeared and dragged him away. His master was very upset and apologised and the next day bought me a lovely toy to make me feel better. Wasn't that kind of him? I think my mistress was more upset than I was. She hurried us home and made herself a cup of tea to recover. In future, she says, she is taking a stick with her to ward off aggressive dogs. I'd like to get at that spaniel one day!

My First Post

Hello! Let me introduce myself.  My name is Hamish and that’s because I’m a Border Terrier and my mistress thought I should have a Scottish name. In fact, I was born and bred in Dorset and I live in an old farmhouse with quite a big garden and lovely walks in the village.

          I am now ten months old and I have lived here since I was two months so I can’t really remember living anywhere else. We have a cat called Nutmeg. (A silly name, I think).She is quite old and really didn’t like me at all when I arrived. I don’t know why because I wanted to be friends and I was very little. Anyway, she left home and went to live on the trampoline next door and only came back to eat and to sleep at night.

          My mistress was very worried and always gave her a big welcome when she came back and after a long time I think she realised I was going to live here too and she decided to come home properly. We get on quite well but she hits me with her paw when I do something she doesn’t like. Mind you, she makes a noise like an engine – I think it’s called purring – all the time she’s hitting me and now I have started to hit her back. We play together but I am getting bigger and heavier and my mistress gets worried I will hurt her

          Ooops! There’s a banging on the front door! I have to go because we probably have visitors and I love visitors……