31 March 2018

Here I Am Again

I have been unwell.  Paul and I were both hit by a nasty flu-like bug that left us with a cough, chronic fatigue and loss of appetite.  I even stopped drinking wine!  Today I am starting to feel more like my usual self again.  The weather here hasn’t helped, cold and wet.  Poor Rick has been a very soggy doggy but he does enjoy being rubbed down with a warm towel when he gets home from his walk.  Well, who wouldn’t?  The trick is to catch him before he gives himself a massive shake and splatters the wall with mud.

We have tried and failed to get Rick to walk to heel on the leash without pulling.  Finally, as a last resort, we bought him a Gentle Leader, a collar that goes around his nose as well as his neck.  It’s not a muzzle, he can still bark but it stops him from lunging forward. It works like a dream and he doesn’t seem to mind it at all.  It’s great for walking in traffic and busy areas when you want good control; we will use his other harness and loose lead when we’re in quieter places.  I certainly feel more confident that he won’t catapult me into space now.

Kat is flying out to Cyprus today for a two month posting. I think she is going to enjoy that sunshine. I have asked her for regular updates but I'm usually the last to hear about her escapades. I really must stop being an inquisitive mum and living vicariously through my children.  Now, I wonder what Sarah is up to in Australia....



24 comments:

  1. ...And I wonder how your trip to the Lincolnshire Wolds went last weekend? Did you spot any possibilities? Sorry to hear that you and Paul have been unwell. I hope that you are both back on top form very soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sadly that trip was cancelled at the last minute, the bungalow I had set my sights on was snapped up by another purchaser.

      Delete
  2. Sorry to hear you were so sick. Lots of people got hit with the flu where I'm from because this year's flu shot wasn't a good match to the actual strain. So, even if you had a flu shot, you still could get sick. My daughter doesn't update me often, either. -Jenn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was certainly a nasty litte virus - knocked us both for six.

      Delete
  3. I'm glad to see you posting and sorry you've been unwell. The Gentle Leader sounds great. In fact, based on this I might go get one for George. He's much better walking on a leash than he used to be, but when he gets excited he can be hard to control. He's strong and 88 pounds so you can imagine. ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should try it, I was amazed at how quickly Rick adapted and responded to it.

      Delete
  4. Once a mum always a mum I am afraid - it doesn't ever go away.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So glad you are back to blogging. We've missed your humorous entries. Please keep them coming.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Sue, found your blog a couple of weeks ago via John Grey and have read your blog from the beginning! Glad to hear you are both feeling better and the house search can continue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Janice! I shall be over to check your blog out later.

      Delete
  7. Sorry to hear you have been so under the weather... in many different ways !! This house hunting is not easy is it?
    Well, to answer you ... down here in Oz the weather is still very warm - well at least here in Brisbane it was still 24 degrees at 11:30pm last night!!
    PS. Happy Easter

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy Easter Helsie. 24 degrees would be very welcome right now. Hope it warms up here before your trip.

      Delete
  8. Bok does pull a little bit, most dogs do; but my dislike of any type of lead other than a simple round the neck job would stop me from trying this.

    There's been quite a bit of ill health around here, luckily we've managed to avoid it so far. Lady M goes to UK next week, so I'm sure she'll bring something nasty back with here; SHE ALWAYS DOES.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rick's pulling is in a different league when he sees a car or bicycle. It was a last resort but I was surprised how 'gentle' it actually is, he doesn't seem to mind it at all.

      Delete
  9. I missed you Sue. I'd prefer your absence was for house-search and not because you were unwell. Glad you're on the mend.
    Happy Easter to you, Paul and your beautiful girls. To Rick too.
    Greetings Maria x

    ReplyDelete
  10. So sorry to hear that you've both been under the weather, but glad you are now on the mend.
    I used a Halti, years ago, on a couple of our Labs., it's something similar to a Gentle Leader. Luckily Inca doesn't pull and just walks by my side, mostly off the lead. I use a very simple slip lead in a soft fabric, when I need to reign her in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rick has now accumulated a whole selection of different leads!

      Delete
  11. Cheer up, you've still got France. Happy Easter Sue x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy Easter Rachel. Things are looking up!

      Delete