Monday 6th May
I have to admit this week I have been really rubbish at keeping Dembe’s diary. My routine is all to pot as Jay is on holiday this week and as usual there is loads going on behind the scenes. Dembe is fine it is just adulting stuff, the stuff that makes you lose sleep through stress. So Dembe cuddles have been gratefully received.
First thing Monday morning we got Dembe out up at the Warren on Woodbury common. He had lots of fun playing with many different dogs. Jay took him on a longer walk and one he hadn’t done before so Dembe stayed close and didn’t run off into the distance as he is prone to do on walks he knows well.
On his evening walk he saw two joggers and freaked out a bit and ran behind Jay which made him laugh. He is really funny with what things freak him out. He is still barking at the printer whenever something is printed out. We have no idea why he takes exception to the printer!
Tuesday 7th May
Dembe slept really well last night. He had his breakfast at 5am and then slept until 6.45am which was a nice lie on for us all. As Jay had a dental appointment at 9.15 he was out up the common nice and early for a walk.
Today he has learned how to open the net curtain in the lounge by using his new toy Ducky. He hold ducky’s head in his mouth and uses the body to swipe across the curtain to shift it out of the way.
He has obviously worked out that I am a bag of nerves today, I also have the dentist today. So he has followed me everywhere. I can’t move without tripping up on him. Whilst I was at the dentist Jay took Dembe down the beach for a run around. The beach is now closed off for dogs apart from two small areas. He had a wonderful time chasing a lady Labrador called Bella. They played together for ages. Then another Labrador came along and joined in as well. By the time Jay picked me up from the dentist Dembe was fast asleep in the back of the car.
Wednesday 8th May
We have spent most of the week at home during Jays holiday, just pottering around the house or garden.
We took Dembe down to the vets this morning for his monthly weigh in. He loves the vets so much he can’t wait to get in the door and be fussed all over. He was a very good boy and sat on the scales for me with me using a treat to get him in the right position. He weighs 20kg which is 3stone (14 x 3 for those who use pounds) . I know he is getting heavy as I can now barely lift him onto my lap even if we are both sitting down. He looks so slight though at the moment and is all legs.
We did laugh at lunch time when he decided to sit so close to Jay whilst he ate his lunch that he had his paws on the table. Good table manners though as he kept his elbows off.
He was quite sleepy all day but decided to run riot in the last hour before going to bed.
I managed to capture this photo of him in the nano seconds that he sat still for.
Thursday 9th May
Today Dembe is 25 weeks and 6 days. The photo on the left is Dembe aged 15 weeks the photo on the right was taken this week. It is amazing to see just how much he has grown in just 10 weeks. His snout has got longer his head has got bigger. At the moment he is looking very slight and all legs. He still has a wonderful temperament and is very loving.
On Dembe’s afternoon walk we had a bit of excitement as we discovered a very young Pheasant chick beside the car. Whilst Jay walked Dembe I kept an eye on it to see if its parents would come and get it. No one turned up for it. It was quite obvious the chick was getting very tired and cold, it was so young its eyes weren’t even open yet. When Dembe got back to the car he had noticed that there was something on the ground so I had to step in and scoop the chick up into Jays Redskins cap . We took it to the vets for them to either give us advice on who to contact or for them to look after. It chirped all the way to the vets and Dembe was very interested to see what was inside the hat.
Thankfully he was still really pleased to go to the vets and pulled Jay all the way to the front door. One of nurses is going to rear it, if it survives the next few days. We think a predator possibly a dog or a fox had disturbed the nest and scattered the chicks. This chick had been alone for sometime and was so tired it could no longer stand up. I couldn’t have left it. By taking it to the vets I hope I am giving it the best chance at life.
Dembe was exhausted after all the excitement and was falling asleep in the weirdest positions.
Both Dembe and I were asleep before 7pm.
Friday 10th May
We got Dembe out early as we had the car going into the garage at 8.30am. For the first time ever at arriving at Woodbury castle we were the only car there. Dembe had a crazy run around and enjoyed himself. Just as well because the rest of the day was really stressful.
At around 9.20am we had a call from the garage to say they couldn’t do the repair because the cambelt was in such a bad way it could go at any time. The car is only worth about £200-£300 and the repair just for the cambelt was going to be £400 plus as the exhaust also needed fixed and I am sure the brakes needed done too. It wasn’t worth the money of it being repaired when it was going to cost more than the car was worth. We took the decision that we would look for a new car. The cambelt if it goes will destroy the car’s engine, so even driving it to the garage could be disastrous. It was really stressful as we were in the position where we needed to buy a new car but had no transport to actually get to any garages.
I did a big search online and managed to find us a decent second hand car at a village 12 miles away. Thankfully my parents had come up to their van, so my dad could give me Jay and Dembe a lift over to the garage to check the car out. It is the same as we have got now just two years younger and is a bigger model. Basically I can get my mobility scooter and Dembe’s crate in the back of the car now and it has 7 seats…there is just the two of us and Dembe. That keeps making us chuckle.
After being in my dad’s car for the first time and being very well behaved Dembe crashed as soon as we got home.
It was a strange day for him as he reached the grand old age of 26 weeks, it was also his first day without any lunch as he from now on ( as long as he doesn’t kick up too much) will be fed just twice a day on his full adult portion.
Again Dembe and I were asleep before 7.30pm we were both shattered.
Saturday 11th May
Dembe was up at 4.45am for his breakfast and slept until around 6am. I couldn’t stay in bed any longer as my back was killing me. He loves the whole pack being together so he went and woke Jay up at 6.45am by jumping all over him!
Jay took Dembe out for a walk and when he returned said he was crazy all the way around. He only had a 20 minutes sleep this morning and when he did, he was in this weird pose.
It looks so strange that it looks photo shopped but hand on heart it isn’t. It has been a week of Dembe sleeping in the weirdest positions. When I came downstairs after sorting myself out for the day Dembe assumed his normal position by the window
He just loves watching the world go by and barking at the seagulls! He has had quite a frenetic morning as we had to empty out the old car today ready for when we either sell it or get it taken away as scrap. At some point either mid to end of the week Jay will be getting the new car.
Whilst I was sat on the front wall with Dembe on a lead our next door neighbours came out and had a massive fuss of him. Dembe is never one to refuse a cuddle. Then a little while later my parents popped over with their dog Maggie a jack russell terrier. He loves playing with Maggie although he gets on her nerves a bit because he is a puppy and full of beans. He never learns when the other dog has had enough. As soon as they left he crashed out! Which made the whole new situation of no more lunch a bit easier as he was fast asleep.
Dembe and I went up to bed at around 18.40 last night as we were both shattered. He fell asleep with his head in my lap. He always looks after me when I am feeling poorly bless him.
Sunday 12th May
Dembe was up at a good time he woke up at 4.50am for his breakfast and toilet trip, he then slept until 6.30am. He would have slept longer but I woke with a jolt thinking I could hear him cry and he was lying beside me. The speed at which I jolted awake woke him and there was no getting him back to sleep. It reminds me of that joke they tell about they should make alarm clocks that have an alarm which is the sound of a dog being sick, that way you would never oversleep! Thankfully I must have just dreamt he was crying by the baby gate that we have on my bedroom door. He is so good though regularly going 8 hours over night now.
He is a happy puppy today as it is bone day. He is allowed two raw beef marrow bones a week and his week starts on Sunday. We let him have a chew for as long as it holds his interest and then we wrap it and put it in the fridge. They will keep for a few days. Once he has removed all the marrow bone he will get another one. But two is the limit for the week as they are quite high in fat and I don’t want him getting pancreatitis.
I couldn’t get him to stay still for the photo, as you can see marrow bones are rather a favourite thing for Dembe.
Jay took Dembe out for a walk this afternoon on the common. They bumped into a middle aged couple , the lady was wearing a large hat. Apparently Dembe decided to freak out and the lady kindly offered to take her hat off so that Dembe wasn’t scared and could walk past her. Its very strange that he was scared of the lady’s hat as Jay and I have worn hats around him practically everyday. I couldn’t believe it when Jay came home and told me about it. What a silly sausage !
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