Bullie SOS ~ Rescuing Bull Terriers
throughout the UK.

19 July 2011

At the risk of sounding like a now defunct pop group, it’s been wet, wet, wet. However, LaceyLu and I continue to go walkabout at least 4 times each day, so oft times the flat has my dripping jackets in the shower and my wet shoes under a conveniently placed radiator (not on - its far too hot in here) in the hallway. LaceyLu has her own towel, a soft, deep maroon bath towel which gets washed every 3 days in muddy feet weather, which hangs from the handlebars of Martins turquoise blue car boot scooter, ready for use before the little lady launches herself onto a freshly made bed with her feet soaking.

On Sunday afternoon we were paddling our way home, when LaceyLu unexpectedly veered directly in front of my about to be placed on the path left foot, causing me to almost say Hello Again to the pavement. You will recall that I recently had an intimate encounter with the pavement after tripping over LaceyLu and thwaking my head and giving myself a right old shiner of a black eye. I managed to avoid falling this time, stumbling like a lush into a convenient lamp post instead. Wondering what had made LaceyLu veer so suddenly off course, I steadied myself and looked down at the path - to see a large snail slowly slithering its way across. A snail which, had my little 4 footed friend not veered, would have become a squashed lump of shell and innards. I would have happily taken another tumble to avoid that, I can tell you, and I was everso proud of LaceyLu in having the knowledge not to tread on the snail.

It made me think of that odd sensation humans get when their foot is hovering and about to tread into, dog dirt. Something inside your head clicks into STOP mode and you stand, tottering on one foot, and gaze down to see that stomach churning sight of un picked up poo about to be welded to the sole of your shoe. At which point, if you are lucky, you can avoid contact by doing the aaahhh poo tango, hopping sideways on one leg whilst trying to keep a foot in the air and not drop all that you are carrying into the mess you are trying to avoid stepping in. I bet you’ve all done it. And I bet sometimes you’ve succeeded and sometimes you’ve failed. Yes. Me too.

Since LuaBelle and Mereside’s field at the back of Branstree Road, and the renewal of my love affair with snails, my head most times clicks into the same mode if my foot is about to squish an innocent snail. On Mereside there was a population of thousands of snails, so you had to be really on your metal to avoid them all on those damp mornings which snails love so much. Around the edges of the Mereside field, you couldn’t see grass for snails on a good day. It was wonderful. LuaBelle and I would take a wider route around the field in order to be able to relax our feet there were so many snails in danger from us, but up here on Foxhill F.C. there are fewer, and on the paths we walk we seldom meet a snail. So it was delightful to be able to bend down and pick up a snail from the pavement, place it safely on a wall and wish it well before continuing our walk.

I took LaceyLu down to Watson Road park in the rain yesterday to try and familiarise her with the area in which she is very ill at ease. We had the park to ourselves and were able to roam for half an hour before the rain seeping through my jacket and blouse onto my shoulders urged me to return home for some dryness. LaceyLu was still very much on her guard, despite the deserted grass stretching in every direction, and was only really happy when we left the park for the road homeward. I shall keep on going down to Watson Road every couple of days and see how she gets on. Currently she seems overwhelmed with the scents of so many dogs, even when none are around.

At home we are progressing well with our clicker training, I think. I have decided that 2 sausages a day is the limit LaceyLu will get, and these two sausages have to eek out between outdoor and indoor training. Otherwise I will be training a sausage on legs!! Bad enough that medium coats wont fit her any longer - must watch her waistline. But given in tiny morsels, 2 sausages do last us a full days indoor and outdoor training.

Enjoy your day, whatever you are planning to do. I am going to enjoy the final week of the Tour de France during the afternoons, and the World Matchplay Darts (from Blackpool. My hero, Phil Taylor IS IN BLACKPOOL!!!) in the evenings. I love being retired.

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle

17 July 2011

The plot thickens.

Security van 318 remains like a statue on Foxhill FC field - and I had been thinking that the only thing left for him to guard was the basketball court with its confusing to magpies artificial turf. But I was wrong. Also on the field were 3 large containers, the kind you see on the rear end of articulated lorries, with much storage space inside, huge metal boxes really I suppose. Living in the 3 large containers were the machines which, upon release, did the back breaking work of digging the molehill (formerly known as the hill with the slide), creating the pathways etc, plus a true strong man of a thing which lifted all of the now gone brightly painted logs into position and held them balanced while a brave and trusting human inserted locking pins. The three containers were there on Friday evening (well, I think they were - I don’t really go onto the field of an evening as we walk a different route to give us variety in our paces, but they were there Friday lunch time cos we did go walkabout there before Martin and I went to a meeting) but at 6am Saturday they were gone with only the withered, bare earth where they had stood for months left behind.

I would hazard a guess that whoever now has the logs needs the machines which make installing them an easier job - but who? Who?

On Thursday there is a meeting at the local High School which people who can answer these questions will be attending, so I have put the time onto my calendar so that I can make sure I don’t forget to go along and get some answers to my multitude of questions about Foxhill F.C. field, which we are now free to roam in its entirety as the barriers are all gone, too. In fact, all that remains is the skeleton of groundwork, a few seats (very nice ones - wooden and in a circle. I think there should be a plant or tree of some kind erupting from the centre of the seats, but there isn’t one as yet) and the artificial turfed basketball court. And Security Van 318.

The plot thickens

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle

15 July 2011

I think that Security van 318 is working for the opposition. You will recall that a few days ago I reported that the big slide and its mountain top apex had disappeared to be replaced by a molehill, all under the watchful headlights of 318. Well, at 6am this very day, LaceyLu and I entered the Foxhill F.C. field to see that two of the large wooden constructions have mysteriously vanished since yesterday morning. They are huge - sorry, were - huge constructions of logs, ropes, and other interesting materials, all brightly painted to make them attractive to children, which LaceyLu and I watched being put together like a giant lego challenge only weeks ago, so quite how they have been stolen is causing me to scratch my head in puzzlement. But gone they are - and 318 sits calmly some 100 meters away.

What is going on at Foxhill? I haven’t a clue. But now that the slide has gone, two of the large climbing things have gone, and there is no tyre on rope hanging from the large curved metal structure - I am very curious. A whole heap of money has been ploughed into the work which has gone on these past months, as we have obediently accepted the reduced field area to roam in to enable that work to go ahead smoothly. For what? I now ask myself. (Because there isn’t anyone else in here to ask). All that remains is the basic ground work, a railed off area which had been destined to make children happy to explore and stretch their imaginations on structures of varying heights and widths, some pathways around the now barren area - and the artificial turfed basketball court. And, of course, Security Van 318 (of whom I have now taken photographs for identification purposes should the need arise) who is employed as Visual Deterrent. MMMMmmmmm. Is this van really a mole? Has he buried the missing playthings deep beneath the turf for little moles to play on, rather than build his own? Has he been paid to turn a blind headlight by some organised children’s play area thieves?

The mystery deepens - but if I go onto the field tomorrow and find the basketball court gone, I shall definitely smell a rat and possibly resort to camping out on Sunday night to keep my eye on the field. Mind you - if the basketball court goes there is literally nothing left for me to keep an eye on, so I probably wont do that.

Ideas of the what is going on at Foxhill F.C. would be appreciated. You have the address of my padded cell here in the funny farm we call life

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle

13 July 2011

Another beautiful Blackpool day - blue sky, gentle breeze, but not stiflingly hot. LaceyLu and I were out at a little after six, enjoying the morning air after a good nights sleep.

LaceyLu oozes energy and love for life, especially on our first Hello Morning walk. She canters out of the door and down the ramp onto the path and heads right to run around beneath our bedroom window and the little window which is directly on my right as I sit here writing. She sometimes stops to investigate the pots of plants which are now a wonderful riot of colour, but mostly she will dance around the next corner to beneath our big living room bay window and kitchen window, again making sure that all the pots are present and correct. She has her head high, her tail high, and she literally dances to the spot chosen for her first wee of the day, where she squats and attends natures call before dancing off again. It is a delight to witness, and if birds are trying to catch worms or find morsels of discarded human litter which may be edible, she will dart in their direction, sending them scattering into the heavens, only to return seconds later to resume their search for breakfast. It is rather like a ritual. Bird sit, dog dance, bird fly, dog look skyward in triumph, dog walk on, bird return.

In the past few days, LaceyLu has only had her muzzle on twice, both times when she was looking at the same dog, and we have been really putting in a lot of practise. Yesterday we were down on Hawes Side Road, a main road with lots of traffic, at the time when several of the horses who work on the Promenade trotting up and down with holidaymakers aboard fancy carriages were going to their shifts. LaceyLu is mostly absolutely fine with the clip clop of hooves and the rumble of wheels on road, but I thought it a good training opportunity, so as one of the horses clip clopped closer towards us, I put LaceyLu into SIT, RELAX and STAY position. She did all three, looking around to see who I was making her relax to - and when she saw nothing but the oncoming skewbald pony wearing pretty yellow ear mufflers and pulling a brown and yellow open carriage, I swear her looks said ‘But this is only a horse and I’m not scared of horses’. I returned her look with an ‘I know, sweetheart, but horses are only shod dogs and you have to know that all animals are fine to like. We will meet cows and sheep when we go to Uncle Chris in Scotland, and momma wants you to be fine with them, so we are doing this for all animals’ (I am very long winded at times) before walking her on. We met 3 horses, so I was out a fair bit longer than I’d anticipated.

This morning as we came out of Lennox Gate onto Highfield Road to pass the newsagent and the 5 houses before the Health and Well Being centre and then the field, on the opposite side of the road to us were the two ancient Akitas and their equally weathered humans. I thought briefly about walking LaceyLu past them on our side of the road, but decided that routine is everything at this stage, so put her into SIT, RELAX and STAY mode. She stood up once, but I think that may have been because male Akita and man were ahead of female Akita and woman, and once they had passed, LaceyLu hadn’t noticed the other pair following. I SAT her again, and she watched the two pairs plodding away from us.

On our field, they still haven’t opened up the fenced off area in which they are building a robust play area for kids. Last Wednesday on our afternoon walk, there was a Blackpool Council Security Van = van no 318 - parked on the open side of the field, with no person in sight. I mentally noted it, and when the same van was in the same place Thursday 6am I was curious. It was still there Thursday afternoon, and Friday morning, so I took down the website address of the council and sent them an email headed Is One Of Your Vans Missing - in which I gave them 318’s reg no etc and said that if indeed the van was missing from duty, it was skiving on our field. I like to put a tad of humour into letters to councils - they have a dull old time of it and I try to brighten their day.

Got an email back later on Friday saying that 318 was working undercover - that it was a ‘visual deterrent to stop anyone vandalising the new play area, and that the van was monitored during the day and manned at night. How odd. Rather like the cardboard police cars on motorway slip roads. I pointed out to the council that in order for 318 to visually deter, it should be moved at regular intervals, not simply left in the field, and I notice that this past few days 318 has been parked behind the fence (more suitable) close to what it is guarding, and that it is moved slightly each night. BUT. And it is a big BUT. 318 isn’t doing his job. No, he isn’t. On Sunday night, right in front of him, a postman’s cart was burned on the field. Right about 25 yards from 318’s nose. AND. AND. AND. Someone stole the top of the mound and the big slide on Monday night. Yes, the big slide and the big mound from which it ran were gone on Tuesday morning. The turf was gone, too. How embarrassing would that be for poor little 318. It would undoubtedly go down on his record, possibly cause for dismissal - who knows what repercussions this could have for little 318 if I didn’t know that it was those wonderful lads from Health and Safety who had ordered the hill and the slide to be removed because they were too high and someone may be injured playing on them!! Yes, folks, someone may actually slide down the slide and twist an ankle or something. Today we have a molehill of a thing with no slide down it, thanks to another stupid attempt to wrap all young children in cotton wool and not let them experience the world they are going to have to learn to live in.

But to get me off of my hobby horse, while LaceyLu and I were wandering by the new basketball court, I couldn’t help but feel that I had found 3 new members for Confused.com. Three young Magpies were trying to peck for worms through the artificial turf of the court. Their heads were resembling nodding dogs (only these were nodding magpies) from the back shelves of cars as they pecked into the rubberised surface and their heads rebounded as a ball would. LaceyLu was enjoying a wuffle in the long grass, so I watched for awhile as these three young birds boinged their beaks against the resisting rubber, walked a few paces, and still had no luck. They were still there when we wandered home, but I can report that they are not still banging their little magpie heads against a rubber grass surface.

Martin frightened the life out of LaceyLu over the weekend by appearing out of the bathroom with his face covered in shaving foam! She was terrified of him and began barking like a little frenzied dervish until he retreated back into the depths of the bathroom, finished shaving, and returned without the foam.

Tomorrow is another close encounter for RustyRu. I often wonder does he know when its Wednesday and think ‘Oh S… It’s that flaming little white dog tomorrow.’ and maybe pray for rain to stop play. I would if I was him..

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle

10 July 2011

Yesterday I high jacked this computer (the only one with internet access) and spent a few wonderful hours clicking, copying and pasting information about snails. Found a site called Snail World, and another whose name I cant recall, both of which were full of amazing facts and figures about snails. Did you know that snails shells get a ring for each year of life the same as tree trunks? I didn’t. And from what I can gather from the sites, it would be perfectly safe for me to bring some white shelled snails home to my little patch of garden. I wont be creating snail wars with local snails - although I have to say that in the 9 months I have been pottering around here, I have never seen a local snail. But before I bring snails here, I am going to ensure that the plants I have put in are suitable food for them, as I would hate for them to starve here. Imagine me gardening later in the year and coming across half a dozen empty white shells, no inner body, because it had died from malnutrition. I’d be fair suicidal. So my research into snail friendly bedding/perennial plants/shrubs continues.

Since Thursday, when she was a little star, watching as RustyRu and Julie walked in ever decreasing circles around where I had her sitting, LaceyLu has seemed to suddenly click into the correct frame of mind re: other dogs. I haven’t had the muzzle out of my pocket in 3 days, as the little lady has obediently SAT, RELAXed and STAYed on instruction. I know it wont happen every time, but all of the hours pounding pavements, ignoring hissy fits, and repeating instructions over and over is paying wonderful dividends. Last evening we were walking along Arnold Avenue, which has the numbered Avenues (First, Second etc) coming into it from our left as we head down towards St. Anne’s Road and home, when I noticed two ladies pulling behind them one of those large suitcases on wheels. It was, to me, obviously a suitcase on wheels, so I didn’t pay the ladies or it any mind at all as LaceyLu and I walked along.

LaceyLu, however, spotted the case and reacted with the exact same interest as she shows to dogs. I said a firm NO followed by a firm CLOSE - and despite keeping an eye on the case, LaceyLu walked on beside me. I know she thought it was a dog - I know her body language well enough now for mistakes not to be made in that department - but she did what she was told to do. Further more, we walked our customary half dozen paces and then she SAT down in RELAX manner, and waited for her treat of Richmond’s Pork Sausage, grilled not fried. (They didn’t have any Walls Sausages in Morrisons when I was there, hence the Richmond. Richmond, I have to say, are a thinner sausage than Walls, and don’t look as plump and inviting. I say this as a none sausage eating person, merely as an observer. They may well be tastier, and LaceyLu certainly turns her nose up at neither.). I almost burst into tears looking at the little white face turned upwards, small brown eyes looking directly into mine, little bum perfectly on the pavement, two back legs on the one side. I did. I am soppy like that. I was so proud of her. Of course she got her sausage, along with a huge, unexpected, hug, before we continued home.

To-day we have walked on the opposite side of the road to two long haired German Shepherds who live at the laundry on Highfield Road, just where it is joined by Acre Gate, without turning a hair. OK - she may well have not noticed them standing on the pavement, but you know dogs, and you know LaceyLu - she would have sensed their presence, no doubt at all about that. Then she looked over at where Bob the Springer Spaniel, who owns the little girl in the maroon blazer and pristine white socks, was running freely off his lead, and ignored him, too.

I think she has a liking for Springer Spaniels. She ignores Alfie over the road from here and now she is ignoring Bob. And. I didn’t tell you, did I? No, I know I didn’t. Friday mid day we were walking along Highfield Road, when I spotted the two Akitas on their leads with their elderly parents, walking towards us. Well, walking is exaggerating. They were sort of pottering. Yes, that’s it. They were pottering towards us. Ever aware of the fragility of the human, I decided to CROSS with LaceyLu, so waited for a gap in the traffic and then CROSSed the main road. LaceyLu was on a decent length lead, not really CLOSE, as I didn’t notice a Springer Spaniel (it could have been Bob with a lady - I didn’t really get a chance to make a mental note) on a long lead on the side of the road we reached.

The first thing I knew was when LaceyLu went backwards, and I turned to see why. Know what. She was standing almost nose to nose with Springer, not a murmur, not a raised hair, just a waggy, waggy tail and lolling tongue saying Come and Play, Come and Play.

I know that my reaction is vital - it can transmit the right or the wrong messages to LaceyLu, so I put on a jolly voice and said ‘Come Along, LaceyLu - no time for playing at the moment’ and walked up the side road away from Spaniel, who also indicated that he wanted to play by pulling his momma after us. She resisted and continued up Highfield Road, we gave one another a cheery wave, and went our separate ways. I SAT, RELAXed and STAYed LaceyLu, when she was sitting comfortably she got her sausage, and we continued our walk.

To-day there are children playing on the field, and you know what? LaceyLu has exactly the same body language to them, wanting to join in their fun with the football and simply play. I have never a single doubt that all she wants to do with children is play, so why do I think at times that the same doesn’t apply to dogs? It’s me. It is. LaceyLu is telling me that with most dogs she simply wants to say Hello and play. Little white dogs she doesn’t like, but only the people owned by little white dogs like them.

With our distance work, getting LaceyLu used to seeing other dogs moving, playing, walking, etc - we are doing so well. Not complacent that we wont get the odd setback, but like I said, the hours of repeated training is paying off. Close work with RustyRu - we still have quite a way to go but compared to 3 months ago when we started out to socialise LaceyLu, she is such a different dog now.

While we were walking to the field at 9am, a man in one of those wheelchairs which move by the occupant turning handles - you see that kind if you watch the Paralympics or wheelchair marathons - and was greeted by a hearty HELLO, What are you doing over here? It was a guy who used to live in the flats over on Mereside, who has been in a wheelchair all of his adult life, and who LuaBelle and I used to stop and chat to. He would be waiting for the bus to take him to work as LuaBelle and I were out on Mereside Green. He looked down at LaceyLu and immediately said that as he was approaching us, he thought that it was me, but knew that the ears of the dog weren’t those of LuaBelle! She had amazing ears, brindle, big and soft, even though they didn’t work. I explained about LuaBelle and told him about LaceyLu, who thought his lap a convenient place to put her front feet so that she could get a head rub!! He and his wife have moved to a bungalow on Grange Park and love it there. They have their own garden as well as a communal one, and are very happy. I told him that we were living over this way now, and were also really happy with our new lives.

It’s good meeting old friends and catching up on their new lives.

Chat again soon.

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle

8 July 2011

I am still keeping an eye on the snails around Foxhill field, and now notice that only the snails on the top right hand section of the field have the white splotches on their shells, and that these shells are very fragile, far more so than the none blotchy ones. The white snails shells snap as easily as those small, fragile shells you crunch along on the average beach, whereas the shells of the brown/grey snails are much more robust. I haven’t, I will speedily point out, gone along, picked up a snail from each area and proceeded to break into its home with finger or foot - no, perish the thought. I have, however, picked up the shells of snails attacked by marauding seagulls and looked closely at the remains of the shells, from which I make my deduction about fragility. So, the white snails may well have calcium deficiency for some unknown reason. The grass looks like the same variety, neither have access to gardens with differing shrubs/flowers/trees - both have the white lime lines of the football field to negotiate, and both run the same risks from humans, canines, felines and feathered friends or foes.

A small part of me wonders whether to bring a couple of white snails home to ‘my’ garden area to see whether I can keep an eye on them and whether or not their shells regain colour, but I currently have no idea of how territorial snails are, and whether I would be condemning to death by aggressive resident snail, the white ones. Or if I would be interfering with the life cycle of the white snails on the field. There are a couple of dozen of them, different sizes so presumably different ages, so would two or three young white snails make a difference in the balance of the Foxhill family? I am not going to kill white snails just to satisfy my own curiosity, so am going to go onto Amazon later today and see if I can find any book on snails which will help me to understand snails better. I shall keep you all informed - well, you knew that, didn’t you! I don’t let you escape any of my odd musings.

Yesterday, Julie and RustyRu were walking so close behind LaceyLu and I that Julie could reach forward and put her hand onto my shoulder. Isn’t that brilliant. LaceyLu did look back over her shoulder at RustyRu, but she didn’t have any kind of hissy fit, or indeed fit without hissy or hissy without fit = she was intensely curious and aware of his presence, but not overly bothered. At one point while we were sitting side by side on the benches, Alfie, an elderly white and brown Springer Spaniel who has great problems with his back legs now that age has caught up with him, was clearly in sight across the road, and LaceyLu totally ignored him. Mind you, she always ignores Alfie. He is the one dog who we can meet anywhere from any direction, and he will be ignored by LaceyLu. Does she sense his age? His inability to be a play mate? Who knows. All I know is that I wish I could bottle what Alfie has (or hasn’t) and sprinkle it on every dog LaceyLu and I meet!

While Alfie was still being ignored (hang on, I am beginning to feel sorry for Alfie now), Nanuke, the everso rotund Staffie from No 80 was walked past on the opposite side of the road to us, and again LaceyLu gave her only a cursory glance. Usually she does bark if we meet Nookie - so this was unexpected for me (go see Alfie, Nookie. He may be able to give you something to make LaceyLu ignore you, too. Then Alfie wont be alone in his exclusion from the LaceyLu attention ).

I am still upping the anti with LaceyLu and going to deliberately place her within eyesight of other dogs, making her SIT, RELAX and STAY or putting the dreaded and hated muzzle on until she obeys. There is a handy seat outside of the medical centre just onto St. Anne’s Road, where I can sit with Her Ladyship and see in two directions, but know that there is a wall to my back and no one is going to appear from behind me. There is also a car park into which I could nip with Lu should a totally unsuitable dog come along with a fragile wee owner in twin set and tweed who I don’t want to put the willies up.

Almost forgot to tell you (not like me at all) that on Tuesday evening, the staffie (not Nookie) who is with the guy in the wheelchair who lets the dog out on his own, got into a right state chasing Billy, our local black and white cat. Owner was yelling at the top of his not inconsiderable voice to his dog, who totally ignored him with the thrill of running around chasing Billy who, by the way, is very capable of giving staffie a thwack around the chops and damaging his eye if the mood took him. Owner yelled so much that people came out of their homes, saw dog chasing cat and got all vocal to owner, who had been drinking, and - well you can see the picture, cant you. Finally cat got fed up with staffie and went through the railings and sat in sight just to infuriate staffie a bit, but perfectly safe from everything. Staffie got put on lead and humans argued and ranted for half an hour while animals licked their paws, cleaned their fur and generally wondered what all the fuss was about.

I decided to wait for 15 or so minutes for man and staff to go (he goes to his moms for tea and was on his way there) before taking LaceyLu for her evening walk. We can, as you well know, get ourselves into enough mischief without us cashing in on others. I saw man and staff talking with Cliff, who lives in the house next to the community centre, and who is owner of Gizmo the incredible barking and not very friendly dog who always heckles LaceyLu and RustyRu when we walk past his house, but who LaceyLu ignores when he is behind glass. So I went from here the back way, to avoid contact. But, and isn’t there always one, as I got onto St. Annes Road and was chatting to Mandy who didn’t have Milo the dashound with her, there he was, Mr Angry and his staffie, on the opposite side of the road. He waved to us and called us over, but I shouted that I had LaceyLu with me and that I didn’t want him to come over to me, nor me to go over to him.

Being by this time more than the proverbial 1 over the 8, he came anyway, so I quickly SAT, RELAX and STAYed LaceyLu and shouted that if he came any closer, there would be problems. He got to probably 1.½ semis distance before he realised I wasn’t joking, but I was so proud of LaceyLu’s reaction. She lay down, admittedly very tense and clutching at the pavement with both front paws as if she was about to slide off of it into an abyss, and she didn’t bark or have a fit. She wasn’t happy or relaxed, but she coped with the presence of a very drunk man and his now barking staffie with incredible bravery.

I decided to walk away, TURNed and came face to face with an approaching Jack Russell, but again LaceyLu remembered all the training we have put in, and although she was very uncomfortable, she stayed close to me and we walked past Jack and away from staffie.

I am so proud of that little girl of mine. So incredibly proud. We are going to beat her fears and problems with other dogs. Have no doubt about that. In the 4 months that she has lived with me, she has come along so well, with huge thanks to Julie and Fit Dogs, and darling RustyRu who have advised, taught and encouraged us at every stage. We will get our Good Citizenship certificate. Maybe not in 2011, but definitely in 2012. And I shall frame it and hang it over LaceyLu’s little bed so that she can be proud of her achievement.

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle

4 July 2011

I love the smell of privet - it reminds me of bygone childhood days roaming the lanes of Norfolk in perfect safety from strangers or 100mph cars zooming around tight bends without slowing down. There is a privet hedge in flower just around the corner from here, which LaceyLu and I pass a couple of times a day, and where I always linger awhile, lost to modern day troubles.

It’s been a strange few days with Herself. When RustyRu was here, she was a little puller, despite the new anti pull harness, whose clasp kept loosening and so was virtually useless. She pulled so much to the left (the side RustyRu was on) that she has limped her way through the weekend on a tender right shoulder. Yes, that’s correct. Pulling to the left, her right shoulder and leg were taking the brunt of the effort. Visualise. See, I’m right. I knew I was.

LaceyLu did very well with RustyRu, not once making that guttural sound which strikes fear into the heart of man and beast, and by the end of 3 laps of the Crescent, she was walking reasonably well with RustyRu on her heels. When he was backed towards her muzzled nose, she did nip his rump, so he was loath to repeat that procedure. No fur or skin broken, but never the less, still a nip with her front teeth. All the time she was pulling sideways and keeping an eye on RustyRu, LaceyLu’s tail was wagging like mad - as a visiting doctor once commented ‘her back makes a liar of her front’.

Since learning the ropes from Julie, I have upped the anti on our training and now carry the muzzle with me at every walk, trying to find suitable candidates for our practise. No use practising on an elderly woman with a little fragile dog or a dog with a child under 20, but there are some around who are ideal. I am cutting down on the 2.½ semi detached houses distance, and am now working on 2 semi’s this week and hopefully 1.½ next week. What happens is that as soon as I see a dog and owner, if it is, in my eyes, suitable, I immediately call LaceyLu to SIT and RELAX and STAY. She may be in that position for several minutes if the dog is a bit away, before it arrives on the scene. She has to remain in SIT, RELAX and STAY until the dog has disappeared from view. If she stands up, I clasp her sides between my legs, and as quickly as I can, put her muzzle on her. Then I SIT, RELAX and STAY her again, and once she is in that position, I take the muzzle off.

I am not quick at getting the muzzle over her nose and ears, so I have made the clasping between my legs the speedy part of training, and then when my little bud is firmly held, I bend down and do the muzzle bit. I cant help having 90 yr old thumbs and wrists on my 63 yr old body!

The idea is to stop LaceyLu lunging at dogs, all be it with her tail wagging furiously in a ‘lets play, let’s play’ manner. The other dogs humans fail to see the tail end if the business front end is rapidly approaching them.

I practise the SIT, RELAX and STAY at several places where LaceyLu and I both know dogs live, but where I know the times that the dogs are not in their gardens. The last thing I want is to distress other dogs, so I assure you that I am very careful to make absolutely certain that the dogs are indoors. As we approach these homes, LaceyLu will go into stalking mode, prior to the lunge towards the gate she thinks the dog is behind. As soon as she goes into that state, I make her SIT, RELAX and STAY for a few moments, before we walk forward. As she pulls, we repeat, until I can get her to walk past the gate with only a sideways glance. I am doing this 5 times a day now, in order to make LaceyLu aware of the rules and come into line with them.

Sometimes, however, the best laid plans of mice and men - sorry, mice and women - go slightly off kilter. Yesterday we were walking up old Broadway, (not humming that tune) when two dogs appeared from a back garden to look over the wall of their house, immediately at LaceyLu. 　Now the little white bull was taken unawares and so was I. BUT, LaceyLu stood on back legs, tail wagging, and touched noses with the two, no sign of aggression on anyone’s part. I didn’t chance a long encounter, and the man of the house arrived and genially called his two scamps back into the back garden, but it gave me such a boost. LaceyLu was happy with the dogs and they were happy with her. I do think she gives off the completely wrong signals to dogs with her lunging at them, so this de lunged encounter was wonderful. Little LaceyLu positively shone for the rest of our walk. Me? I floated all the way.

This morning, too, we were just coming into the home stretch when I saw Mandy chatting with the man who has the elderly brown and white springer spaniel. I knew Mandy would have Milo, her barky little miniature dashound, with her, so I began to cross the road when Milo arrived, off lead. OK. Tiny little barky dashound and anxious miniature EBT isn’t a fair match, so I got hold of LaceyLu’s collar tightly as Milo barked his way towards us. LaceyLu was not impressed and did her version of the crocodile roll to try and escape me, but failed. I turned her so that her bum was facing Milo and her teeth were no where near him, which annoyed her more. I hollered for Mandy, who arrived full of apologies and finally retrieved her little barky bud. I told her that it was fine - LaceyLu had turned to face Milo and her tail was wagging, no noise from her throat (although in fairness her collar was tight from me holding onto her) and she didn’t seem in any way like a dog going in for the kill. In fact, she trotted home with me, casting Milo a mere cursory glance over her left shoulder as he went his way and we came ours.

On Saturday, LaceyLu rendered Martin speechless. We were having our tea, and at tea time, LaceyLu has a small plate with something like a slice of boiled ham, or cooked meat as a treat for after we have finished our meal. I began this on her first day here, so that she would know that we eat and when we have finished, she eats. It didn’t work using her main meal, so I introduced a treat for her if she sat quietly during our meals. On Saturday we had lamb chops, and I had cooked one for LaceyLu’s treat. I find that lamb chops can be a tad creasy when they get cold, so when I had finished my meal, I told Martin that I was going to give LaceyLu her plate before he had finished, since I didn’t want her eating greasy stuff and being sick.

Martin still had his meal on his tray when I gave LaceyLu her plate. She wouldn’t eat. So I picked up a piece of chop and offered it to her. Nope. Not interested. I said to Martin, as much in jest as anything ‘She knows you haven’t finished eating because I haven’t cleared your tray, so she won’t eat hers til you finish’ and sat down again. When he had finished, I moved his tray and offered LaceyLu her plate again. Martin was saying that he would die if she ate - but she did. She put her little head down and thoroughly enjoyed her lamp chop, grilled to perfection by her momma!! I looked at Martin with an ‘I told you so’ face - and saw that he had been rendered totally speechless.

I have often told him that even if things seem a tad irrational to us two leggeds, the 4 leggeds know the rules of life in the wild, and they know the system of top dog by instinct. Top dog eat first, go through door first, etc. Others follow when top dog say. He believes me now.

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle

30 June 2011

I believe in Karma - that we are the people we are meant to be, in the place we are meant to be in at any given time. However, logically, everything has two sides, and so sometimes we find ourselves in Alter Karma for want of a better word to describe it, when we are all out of synch with ourselves and the world around us.

Yesterday tea time I was in Alter Karma and, boy, did I know it. Once a month, I have to be at a meeting which begins at 7pm, so in order for me to be on time, I take LaceyLu on her tea time walk an hour earlier than customary. Namely, 4pm instead of 5pm. What a difference an hour makes!

To keep LaceyLu in her routine, I take her on our regular route up to St. Anne’s Road, crossing over at Arnold Avenue and walking its length to Lytham Road, where we turn left past the school and turn into St. Luke’s Road for our walk back down to St. Anne’s Road, over to Lennox Gate and round to home. Last evening as we got to St. Anne’s Road to walk towards the crossing, I could see two dogs and humans walking towards us from the direction we wanted to head, so I did TURN, and saw that another dog was coming towards us. The road was busy, but I did manage to cross over without being squashed by cars, buses and vans, and took LaceyLu up St. Luke’s Road. A few paces up St. Luke’s I spotted dogs coming down towards us, so I turned into First Avenue and headed alongside the playing fields towards Arnold Avenue.

Still with me? It gets better - or worse!

Reaching Arnold Avenue, I could see dogs in both directions, so crossed over towards where a milkman had parked his float to go collect money or something from one of the posh houses. I had been asked earlier this week whether I knew of any milkmen who delivered in this area, by a lady who moved in around March and then broke her arm, so was finding carrying milk rather difficult. So I lingered by the van in order to request the milko to call on the lady and arrange delivery for her. This done, we continued up towards Broadway (or Old Broadway as the song goes….) spotting the heads of two elderly people coming around the corner ahead. With dogs as it happened, so good job I put LaceyLu into SIT and STAY until I was certain.

We TURNed and retraced our steps, by which time Arnold Avenue was clear and we could meander its length to Lytham Rd and along to our turn into St. Luke’s Road.

From the top end of St. Luke’s Road you can see the bottom end. It is long and it is straight, so I got good view of lady and two large dogs walking upwards. Not a problem - there are two cul de sacs on our side of the road, into which I could take LaceyLu for SIT and STAY practise. I estimated I could get to the second road before I needed to turn into it. But from our right, St. Jame’s Road, came a man and Labrador so we nipped into the first road, SAT and STAYed until they had passed (no reaction at all from LaceyLu) and we walked back to St. Luke’s. The lady and her two large dogs were still some distance away so we walked to the second road, turned in, SAT and STAYed by a neat fence with baskets nailed to it and bright flowers cascading pavement wise. A pleasant place to SIT and STAY.

Lady and dogs came into view - and turned into the road we were in. LaceyLu was not amused. She got up and pulled towards them. I moved her to behind a handily parked car - to discover that we were standing directly outside of the lady and two dogs home. Now what are the chances of that?

LaceyLu didn’t have a hissy fit, but she did tug mightily towards the legs of the two dogs which she could see from beneath the sills of the parked car.

Once we had returned to St Luke’s our walk home was uneventful, but I was left wondering about Alter Karm as I drove to my meeting on Mereside.

I had definitely been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Our 5pm walk of exactly the same route only very occasionally brings us into contact with anyone other than the odd returning home from days labours occupier of one of the houses. Or Arnold School children still loitering without intent near to the school entrance.

Next month I shall take Her Ladyship a completely different route at 4pm and hope that Karma will be restored.

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle

26 June 2011

I expect that most of you have felt sympathy for LaceyLu at some point in our conversations, for having to live with my good self. Yesterday would have been one of those times.

LaceyLu demolishes toys with squeaks inside of them in an average of 30 seconds. Be they cuddly squeaky toys, rubber squeaky toys or plastic squeaky toys, she purposefully attacks the area in which the little squeaky balloon is hidden and covered in fluffy stuff, rips a hole in the toy, and shoves her nose deep inside, to emerge triumphant with the now dead squeak in her mouth. Several shakes later (to ensure that it is completely defunct) she drops the squeak and happily tosses the toy around in play.

Yesterday I happened to be in Pets At Home and see a range of toys called Kong, which to the untrained eye look like the industrial version of soft, fluffy, squeaky toys for pets. Felt heavy enough to be industrial, too. I gave the red bulbous portion of the toy a squeeze and sure enough, it did squeak like a regular, non industrial toy. The material was tough - I mean you could wear this stuff on your feet and hike over mountainous terrain without ever wearing it out - so as tooth proof as you can buy, so I purchased from a very nice pimply youth on the check out both the round and the cylindrical shaped of the Kong Wubba.

I also got a bullet proof ball with a little tinkely bell inside, just for fun. LaceyLu enjoys chasing a ball around the flat, but I shall have to ensure that I refrain from flinging this one with enthusiasm or it may well dent my living room walls. The problem with balls is that she pulls apart the fluffy tennis type ones, and pulls little bits of rubber off of the other kind, leaving a sort of rubber confetti all over the floor. Maybe this one will last a tad longer and give more enjoyment to us both.

Anyway, once home I delighted in presenting LaceyLu with her new, squeaky, industrial strength Kong toy - and as with all toys I give her, she raced around the flat with it in her mouth, went in to make sure dad had seen it, then realised that it squeaked, and lay down with it between her front paws and tried to rip it open. No luck. She bit it this way, turned it over and bit it that way, tried to undo the stitching - everything you can imagine - but still Kong squeaked. So she tried again. Still Kong squeaked. I, by this time, had had to sit down because I was in such a state from laughing at my little bud trying to work out how to access the dreaded squeak and kill it. She shook Kong and she threw Kong. She bit Kong and she pulled at Kongs seams. But still Kong squeaks. She went for a drink of water and returned to sit and think about the situation. Cautiously she walked back to where Kong lay on the carpet, and put her jaws either side of the bulbous part. She stood there for a second or three, then closed her jaws. Squeak. Infuriated, she tossed Kong into the air and chased after it. Tried all of the above actions again - and then sat panting, looking at the toy which had gotten the better of her, and the heap of a mother who was now weeping tears of laughter and almost rolling around on the floor in a most unsympathetic manner.

LaceyLu decided to leave Kong for another day, and ignored it for the rest of yesterday evening. This morning, she began again to try and de squeak Kong - and has again had to admit defeat.

Moral of this story is = go get a Kong for your dog. They cost a couple of quid more than regular dog toys, but the amusement value is priceless.

Long live Kong.

27 June 2011

Isn’t it hot! LaceyLu and I have strolled rather than walked, and taken plenty of water with us. This morning it was stifling at 6am when we were first out so later on it will be worse unless we get a storm to clear the air.

When we turned into Highfield Road from Acre Gate, ahead of us were the two Aketa’s with their mom and dad, so I had LaceyLu SIT and STAY to allow them to get our traditional 2.½ semi detached houses in front. She had no problem with that at all, and once we continued to walk, she didn’t pull in an effort to get up to them. A little shy of the gate to the field, the Aketa’s crossed over the road to walk back towards us, so again I did SIT and STAY, this time with a handy parked car directly next to us, and the dogs and owners passed us without LaceyLu giving a single glance in their direction.

I am working on CLOSE, which, as the name implies, means she has to stand (sitting is optional but not compulsory at this stage) with her shoulder in line with my leg. Since LaceyLu walks on pavements in this proximity, I can be seen and heard walking along saying Good Girl, LaceyLu. CLOSE.

We tailgated a white boxer dog on Saturday evening, our 2.½ semi’s distance, also without any problem, and we were tailgated by a black Labrador one evening last week, again without problem. But let a small dog come too close and I have to immediately TURN and correct LaceyLu. Odd how only the humans of small white dogs can love them!

At No 21 on our crescent lives a disabled young man - well, in his late twenties or early thirties - a wheelchair user due to him only having 1 leg. Since LaceyLu’s arrival the guy has stopped to talk to her, saying that he wanted a dog etc. Now he has one. A nice little brindle Staffie, very pleasant dog, BUT, he simply opens his flat door and allows the dog out on its own! He sometimes takes it out, but not on a lead, so all you hear is him bellowing the name of the little dog and see it taking absolutely no notice of him whatever, as it is now used to being out on its own.

On Saturday, I was bringing LaceyLu home when said Staffie trotted towards us. At such times I really don’t know what is the best thing for LaceyLu and the other dog. So I sat LaceyLu down and took very firm hold of her collar so that I could turn her head if I needed to. Up to us came little brindle staffie, and you know, I swear that LaceyLu would have been over the moon to go play and greet her. However, I held tightly to LaceyLu and told wee brindle paws to go home - which she did.

Should I have allowed LaceyLu to greet this dog? Did I give out the signal that dogs are to be avoided by shooing the dog away? Will LaceyLu transmit this to other dogs she meets? If mom shoos the dog away, it must be dangerous to us, so I will growl/bark/bite to protect us from every and all other dogs? Or am I making too much of this? Analysing too deeply?

HELP

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle

24 June 2011

Hands in pockets for contributions to the Get Well soon bag of bones needed to comfort RustyRu during his recovery from surgery to reattach his tail and vital organs!

Only kidding. Only kidding. It was fine yesterday and RustyRu is alive and well, although he did have to resort to a comfort break during our walk around the block to get behind LaceyLu!!! I thought, when I looked over my shoulder and couldn’t see Julie, that she had decided to about turn with RustyRu, and I expected to see her coming towards us as we got to the bend in the road, but it was merely RustyRu attending a call of nature which separated us.

By the end of our session, Julie and I were sitting on the same bench, with LaceyLu and RustyRu alongside us, and although LaceyLu wasn’t completely relaxed, she behaved herself and STAYed SITting in the RELAXed mode I put her into. It helped that she was clamped between my legs, but the lead was loose, and she could have pulled away had she set her little bullie brain to go.

I find that LaceyLu pulls incredibly when we are doing the walk around the grass close to home, grass upon which I allow her to run at extended lead with no check unless there is someone around, which there seldom is. It is rather like her unfenced garden, and when I walk her on short lead with RustyRu, I do think she is objecting to the constraint in her usual free area, because when we reach the pavement around the corner, where we either CROSS to go on our long walk around Lennox Gate, or we turn up past the two spotty Pointer dogs who rage against our presence outside of their window no matter what time of day we are there, and the grumpy terrier who lives next door to them, she walks to heel immediately whether RustyRu is with us or not.

Indoors, Julie modified LaceyLu’s half link collar and when I was out with her last evening and this morning, it is working much better. I had it too loose, so it was tightening too much, if that makes sense to you.

What we have to practise this week is CLOSE, so that I get LaceyLu to stand with her shoulder next to my leg. This morning as we were walking along, she close to my leg, I was encouragingly saying CLOSE and bending down to give her a tip bit - should do wonders for my waistline!!

We were at the time of morning where we meet the man with the 3 Staffies always on leads. He comes along St. Anne’s Road, and into the field from that entrance, walks diagonally across the field to the Highfield Road entrance, out of that, down past the shops and continues down towards Common Edge Road. We exchange cheery waves as we hold onto our leads. This am I could see him on the field headed for the exit as I came out of Acre Gate into Highfield Road, and between us there was a timid looking woman in a cream rain jacket with a neatly clipped Shitsu on its lead. I immediately CROSSed over the main road, and stood at the side of the big motoring goods store, in clear view of both humans and their dogs, which means that they were in clear LaceyLu view.

I told LaceyLu to SIT and gave her a gentle helping hand, then I put her into RELAX mode, and clamped my calves either side of her. I let the lead be loose and in stern voice said STAY. She fidgeted so I said STAY again, and when she sat still I gave her a treat and big praise. I purposely kept my eyes off of the dogs opposite us - LaceyLu somehow reads my mind if I even glance at other dogs, and she will be 10 times more likely to react if I don’t ignore the dog - and concentrated on communicating with LaceyLu. She sat there as the man and I exchanged our morning waves, without any reaction at all. Oddly enough, LaceyLu seems to want nothing more than to play with Staffies - Tess whose home we pass several times a day is a 3 yr old white staffie and both Tess and LaceyLu are desperate to run together - but when the little Shitsu came into view, LaceyLu stiffened so I said STAY again. She did. So she got another bite of chewy training treat and a big praise.

When all dogs had gone, I had a huge cuddle and praise with LaceyLu, and we continued our walk happily across to the field and around it.

Which reminds me. Anyone know whether snails get anaemia? And if they do, does it turn their shells whitish in patches? My snails on the field have very large white patches on them, and I initially put this down to them wandering around and across the white markings for the football pitches. The grooves in the grass where the white paint - isn’t it lime based? It used to be - continually goes is deep enough for snails travelling along it to get their shells ‘painted’ by the edges of the groove. But its not football season and the paint has long since been washed away by rain, yet the snails still sport white patches on their shells. There are young snails now, too, and they also have white patches, so I am wondering if its an inherited trait for Foxhall Football Field snails.

One day last week I had LaceyLu over on Mereside with me and we walked around the field at the side of Deepdale Road where LuaBelle and I spent so many happy hours. I looked out for the snail colony I used to wander amongst and found them feasting in the deeper grass close to the exit for the garage where Wicked Lady used to reside when I didn’t have her on the road. There was no white spots on these snails - yet Deepdale is also used for football matches and the grooves on the earth similar to Foxhall.

So, if any of you are latent snail experts, can you enlighten me, please. Otherwise, you know that this topic will crop up again and again over the course of LaceyLu’s lifetime and you will all get sick to death of it.

Maybe there is a book on snails I could buy. Mmmmmm. Ebay here I come.

With Love

Viv, Lacey Lu

And the Spirits of

Wobble, Biscuit and LuaBelle