Birthday Boy - 13th July

Hey dog fans, how's it wagging? Well yes I know it again has been an age since I've been on here, but with all the sunshine I've been somewhat distracted sunbathing and playing in the big outdoors. I hope that perhaps you've been enjoying the weather too...and therefore I won't have left you in eager anticipation of this my latest blog.

Today is my 2^nd Birthday...

and as edible treats could cause issues with my current type of alert training (L & M have to be quite strict), I was taken out for a nice big walk around 7am before it got too hot and then we did a quick drive to Pets@Home where I was allowed to pick whichever toy I wanted. Well my first choice was a lovely little brown bunny…or maybe the brown and white one or…anyway apparently they weren’t toys so I had to move on to the correct aisle. So next option was the food one and I had fun sniffing all the bags of dog food while L seemed distracted looking for something in her pockets. Unfortunately her mobile phone was out of juice so the photo of me picking a toy didn’t get to happen. I’m not too bothered anyway, sometimes with L it’s like having the paparazzi with me as she always wants to take photos to ‘capture moments’. I found a really cool blue & red fabric football…which had two pieces of rope at each end. The red was very similar to my work jacket and I was sniffing, just about to pick it when a cocker spaniel puppy at the other end of the aisle gave a few excited barks. I think she had the task of picking out a new lead. Anyway as I turned my attention back to my red/blue ball another ball on the other shelf caught my eye and I opted for that one instead. It’s not quite so colourful BUT it did appear to be a bit tougher and as Bracken will also want to play ball with me it seems like the more sensible mature 2yr old doggie choice. So this ball is rubber and has the piece of rope at each end also. As you can see I like it very much…and L has charged her phone since we got home. With it being so hot today we will be spending a good amount of time indoors. I feel quite lucky I’ve moved into a house which has traditional brick/tile floors downstairs. The floor is so cool to lay on in hot weather its bliss. L & M have promised when we do go outside that Bracken and I can have some iced lollies too. And there is always plenty of shade available in our garden, along with two very large bowls of water which get replenished regularly. So as I don’t yet know what the rest of my day/evening holds I’ll update you in the next blog.

As I mentioned last time, I had the adventure of visiting a local primary school to give an assembly presentation with L. It was a lovely sunny day and we had to arrive at the school promptly before 9am. When we arrived I saw a big horse that was all different colours in the car park.  I wasn’t sure that L & M had noticed it so I gave a bit of an excited bark (we would have hated to reverse into it as we parked). I soon found out it wasn’t actually a “real” horse but it was just the same size and I felt it was only fair to let people know it was there. When we got out of the car I rushed to sniff it and find out exactly what it was. M thought that was cute and tried to take a photo but I was sniffing it at super speed and she didn’t manage to press the button in time (as you can see below)…

After the horse statue meeting a nice man came out to greet us and escorted us into school. We signed in to announce our arrival and then got led through a large hall into the staff room where I got to say hello to a number of the teachers who were all very smiley and happy to meet me. Once again I was in my work jacket and so they could all tell I am “something special”. Our neighbour Ali was there too, so I was very happy to see her. But she must have forgotten to bring her dog Max with her cos he wasn’t about anywhere??? After L & M had stopped talking with Ali and the teachers, we were left alone in the staff room. In the background I could hear the noise of lots of children and chairs being pulled on classroom floors. Our big moment was about to begin…

We went into the big hall and there were two chairs at the front. As we were getting settled lots of children started to come in. They walked in in long lines and all sat on the floor in front of me (smallest ones at the front & biggest at the back). They were all watching me as they walked in…I hadn’t expected to see quite so many. As more and more came into the hall, we even had to move the chairs back a bit to make more room for them. L asked me a few times to sit, but when I tried my back legs slipped away from under me (imagine how a frogs legs stick out at the sides) and so I decided it was probably best not to sit if I really didn’t have to. I stood and looked at all the children…who were all looking back at me. Then the assembly began and Ali explained to the children who we were and that L was going to tell them about my very special job. Medical Detection Dogs also have a power-point presentation which has been written to educate children about what dogs like me do. So this was on a screen behind us. L asked who had dogs at home and lots of the children raised their hands. We talked about how well behaved I had to be and how it was important for me to follow commands when out in public working. L asked me to do the sit command, which I did to the delight of the kids but she finally noticed how slippery the floor was, so she asked me to lay down which was more comfortable. After this one of the boys wanted to know if I could roll-over on command? I didn’t get the opportunity to see though as L explained that rolling over wasn’t needed that much when we’re out, but that she was sure the boy must have a very well trained and clever dog at home. The children raised their hands to tell us about all the different assistance dogs they know that belong to family and friends and then it was the children’s turn to ask questions. Lots of the questions seemed to be more statements about their own pet dogs and what they could do…but there were also a few good one’s like “Can Frodo go to toilet in the park?” All in all the assembly lasted for about 30 minutes and as the children stood and left in the same long lines I got a lot more smiles and a few waves goodbye. It was nice to see all the children and apparently it was a good bit of training for me too. In fact things went so well that we have been invited back to help with a couple of classes in the next school year. This is good as Medical Detection Dogs are actively seeking to educate about what they do and have invested time and effort into creating a Curriculum Guide which allows schools to link teaching and learning to real life and purposeful learning experiences for school children. So the school has a choice of what sort of lessons it can be included in and for how long a duration (week long, term long or more). All of this resource can be found on the Medical Detection Dog website 

http://medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/schools.html

I am beginning to adjust to my celebrity status as I get out and about more. L & M took me for a quick shopping trip into Sainsbury’s. While we were walking around, trying to locate all the items on the list a lady approached and asked L if she could take a photo of me. She explained that she follows Medical Detection Dogs on Twitter and thinks the dogs like me are wonderful. So if you happen to be the nice lady who I met in Sainsbury’s and you are reading this…Welcome to my blog. I told L she should have mentioned that I write one. I’m hopeful with your technology prowess that you will have found me! I haven’t seen the photo yet on Twitter but I do hope it’s a good one and I’m looking as handsome as normal.

OK, enough of this typing on my birthday…we’re all going out in the garden to enjoy the sunshine and my new ball toy…

 … well it didn’t survive as long as we’d hoped…but I’m still having fun though…

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and I’ll catch up with you soon.

 Woof woof,

Frodo xx

Sun Dog Millionaire...one day....

Hello world, I’m sorry this blog is late arriving but heck I’ve been sooooo busy recently my paws have hardly had chance to hit the ground, let alone time to type. Busy with what? I hear you ask…well let me think back and share my exploits.

To start with let me ask if you’ve been enjoying the fantabulastic weather we’ve been having recently?

Sun dog who looks like a millionaire pose...

 I have been enjoying it, as it means that I get plenty of chance to lounge in the garden, sometimes chasing butterflies…although the cat tells me that “Cats chase butterflies and you must therefore be a cat”, which I know I’m not as he also tells me “Cats rule and dogs drool” and I do drool, so that makes me a dog right? Hmmmm…anyway, I tend to drool a lot in the sunshine as the likelihood of getting doggie ice lollies (yum, see the pics) or sniffing out BBQs increases. If you don’t know what doggie ice lollies are then you’ve been missing out!!! L & M make them especially for me & Bracken, and they usually have spares should some of our other furry friends pop in to visit on a hot day. Basically it’s a small plastic cup which has some of our dried food added to water and is frozen. They even add cooked vegetables to it sometimes and if the water that the veg gets cooked in is available, well that’s added too. Plus there is a neat trick they do where they add the biscuits and some chopped veg, then half fill and freeze. And when that’s frozen they top up with more biscuits and water. From what I gather this makes sure that the biscuits and veg are stuck in the lolly at different levels so it’s tasty all the way through…otherwise you might just get the biscuits at one end with the rest being frozen water. So, thought I’d mention that to make sure your ice lollies are as nice as mine.

Notice the layering???

If the sunshine melts this I'm gonna be a slush puppy!

SLUUURRRRRPPPP

Well since I last wrote my blog I’ve been doing all sorts of things. I attended my first trip to church on 18^th May as L was going to see her youngest niece perform a 1^st Holy Communion. And that also happened to be her niece’s birthday so after going to the church (which was nice but full to the brim with children & adults) we then went on to a pub for some food, before heading back to L’s sister’s house to open gifts and cut cakes. While I was at the house I got to meet another dog friend called Tink who’s a Beagle and a Golden Retriever called JJ. They were both lots of fun and we had a nice relaxing play in the garden before L & I headed home. That was a busy day for me and I slept lots when I got home…ZZzzzzzzz

Introducing JJ, my new friend

During my first visit to church I had a few pictures taken and rumour has it I was behaving like a furry angel while I was there. 

I think though that the seats can’t have been too comfortable as people just kept sitting, then standing, then sitting, then standing. Up and down and up and down. In the end I just lay down and slept. At one point some of the people round me even knelt on the floor. I will maybe write a thank-you letter to the priest for letting me attend but politely mention that they get the humans some cushions in future…

Lots of people came over to ask L what I did… luckily I had my working jacket stuffed with Medical Detection Dog leaflets so they had something to take away with them after L answered various questions and I got strokes and praise. I also got a few cuddles off of the children there too, which is nice. However, not to speak out of turn, but some children don’t even ask if they are allowed to cuddle me…they just grab hold of me around the neck and squeeze. Now I don’t mind this but I think it would be safer and nicer for all if parents taught children to ask permission to pet a dog before they attempt to cuddle it. I just think that these sorts of precautions can help prevent anything unpleasant happening. I know that not all dogs like cuddles and so if I happened to be one of those dogs, then having a child launch at me could lead me to bark, growl or worse…and that wouldn’t be my fault as the child hadn’t checked I was safe to pet first. But being a dog I know that we are usually the first to get blamed.

As well as visiting Church for the 1^st time in May, I also made a second visit to our local church too. L & M collected some food for their local food bank and we had to drop it all off at The Church of the Ascension in Burghclere. When we arrived we received a very nice greeting from the church wardens and they seemed very pleased to meet me too. This time the church was empty; so while L & M and the wardens chatted I sat in the aisle and enjoyed the peace and quiet. This church seemed a lot older than the one I’d visited before and it has some lovely stained glass windows (if you’re ever in the area and fancy popping in - http://www.ubbnes.org.uk/building/description.htm ). Oh, and if you’re wondering what a foodbank is…well it’s a really great way to help the hungry and those a little less fortunate. All you do is collect non-perishable food items (tinned food etc.) and then donate it to a local foodbank. Then people & families who are struggling financially can come along to the bank and be provided with food they need. If you’re interested, there’s more info in this link . I’m thinking with my weight-loss regime going so well I might have to sign up to a foodbank…being a lab I’m always needing more food.

I also took a visit to L’s doctor’s surgery. When we got there we had to sit and wait in a room where there were several other people sat around in chairs. The chairs are all arranged so that they are sited around the edge of the room and everyone faces each other. When L and I sat down I noticed all the people looked a bit glum and grumpy…but as I looked round I managed to get a few smiles. I think it’s my nice bright red working jacket that cheers people up and makes them want to grin at me. We waited for a long time, and even though they had magazines on a table in the middle of the room none of them were very interesting. Thankfully L had thought to bring along a copy of the Medical Detection Dogs “The Sniff” magazine to give people something interesting to read while they are sat there. The Sniff is also available to read online . It’s a great read and you can find out about all the exciting stuff the charity is up to as well as learning about other assistance dogs like me. 

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, so we’re in the waiting room and the Doctor calls us through to see L. When we get into the room he is very excited to meet me and learn about what I do. I’m still wearing my work jacket so I just sit next to L and act all professional. They talk quite a lot and then he asks if he can bring some of the other doctors through to meet me? So while we waited L let me have a quick sniff of the human organ body model (looks like a 3d jigsaw of a human torso with all the different organs and no skin) and then 4 other doctors came in. Again they all seemed quite excited to meet me, so I sat down next to L and looked professional yet again. One of them even comented that I must have a super nose. If a doctor tells you that well, you know you've got something special! Once they all finished asking questions about what I do and how I do it, L and I went back to the room with the chairs and waited for her medicine to be ready. This time I sat near to a nice couple who chatted to me and told L all about their black lab called Yogi. The lady even sneaked in a little stroke on my head so I wagged my tail and noticed everyone else was watching and smiling.

As I’m getting out and about I’m learning more about where I now live (and the gazillions of walks sat right on my doorstep). We have cows at the bottom of are garden along with a big orange bull called Colombo! Ok, they are in the field at the bottom of the garden sometimes and they move into all the fields around here. We play a little game of Spot the Cows every morning and afternoon, so we don’t plan a walk through the fields with them in and can choose an alternative route to walk. I’ve even met some sheep and lambs out in the field, although I am always on lead around them as otherwise they get a bit scared and worried. When you are a dog living in the countryside you have to follow certain rules relating to cattle and livestock!  And when we popped down to the farm the other day to get some eggs there were loads of chickens with these little fluffy things running along behind them. Bracken told me they are chicks, which are baby chickens but I’m not sure something so small and fluffy can actually grow up to be a chicken with feathers. Here are a few photos from our walks!

I'll sit here and wait for you to decide which way we're going...

Sheep?

Introducing Colombo (who looks a bit like Bracken...I wonder if he's his dad?)

Nosy cows!

I also wrote an article for the local village newsletter, which had my photo in too (see, I’m not just busy writing blogs) and I think I am becoming quite a celebrity... Well I was mentioned on my vet’s Facebook page :  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Falkland-Veterinary-Clinic/143359139021610 on the 7th May and the vet also took my photo. It hasn’t appeared on the page yet but no doubt it will and then even more of the people around here will recognise me and learn about the great work I do on behalf of the Medical Detection Dogs charity.

Right now, back to the great weather and BBQs :)

I love how whenever the sun shines I am lucky enough to lounge in the garden and stalk BBQs. It seems to me that L & M have some sort of BBQ addiction. During the 1^st May Bank Holiday they had five days of eating BBQ food back to back, and then last Bank Holiday they had BBQs for 3 days in a row. At first I thought that perhaps it had something to do with it being a Bank Holiday but this weekend just past, when we had more glorious sunshine shining down on us they had another 3 days of BBQs back to back!!!  What I like is how close I can get to the food  that is cooking and how many different types of food they cook. It makes my mouth water soooo much. Bracken told me when he first moved in with L & M it was September, but the weather was really hot, so they had a BBQ during his first weekend. And Bracken was a bit cheeky and stole a sausage off the BBQ while it was being cooked. He’s lucky you see as he’s a bit taller than me so can reach the BBQ more easily. However he doesn’t seem bothered by BBQ food now though and he doesn’t want to steal it either! He just said that last time the sausage was very HOT and hurt his mouth a bit, plus he says it upsets L & M if you steal food as they provide plenty of food for us so we need to show some gratitude. He also told me that when he first arrived he knew how to open the fridge and the oven and even stole L & M’s lunch that was cooking while they had popped out. He says he had to learn to be able to feed himself from his time living on the streets. He was proudest admitting how he opened the oven, took the food that was in a dish out and placed it on the floor and then ate every last bit…but he didn’t break the dish!

Right now, I shall get back to the sunshine and glorious sunbathing in the garden whilst we write up a presenation to give during assembly at a junior school in a few weeks time!!! Along with that I'll be playing fetch, catch the frisbee, chasing Bracken and Bracken chasing me, running through the sprinkler, eating ice lollies and dreaming of BBQ food.

 Man, I'm just loving the summer so far. I hope you have been having just as much fun as me? Until next time…may the sunshine be with you x

The Story So Far…

Hello again, I hope you’re feeling well and happy. Right as I mentioned in my previous blog 1, this one here will take us back some ways to the beginning.

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…a gorgeous little black puppy was born on Wednesday 13^th July 2011. When I was born I was intended to be a pet dog…however due to circumstances beyond my control the family whom had taken me in as a pet found I wasn’t suited to life with them. If my puppy memory is correct I think an allergy might have been involved…although that may not be 100% accurate. Anyway as they had heard about the Medical Detection Dogs charity and the great work it’s involved with they donated me to them. I like to think that they knew I had big important things I would accomplish in my life and so they kindly set me on my way to learn and support someone in need…”

In order to be placed with L, once we were matched I then had to learn to recognise her “Hypo odour” so that I would be able to warn her whenever I’ve smelt it. Now this; my friends I’m afraid is a top secret type of training, so I’m not at liberty to share the details. However I can tell you that us dogs do enjoy doing it and the fact that it can help people makes it something AMAZING to be part of.

My Intensive Scent training took 8 weeks to get me ready to recognise L’s hypo scent. I hope I’ll get to assist L with it, keeping her safe and making her very happy!

So once I’d completed my 8 week training the next stage was to begin my training with L. So she came along for 3 days to the Medical Detection Dogs centre and worked with the staff to learn about me, learn about dog behaviour and general welfare requirements, learn how to take me into public places, learn how to hold me and control me as well as being taught all of the important rules that Assistance Dogs and their handlers/partners have to follow. This makes sure that society is confident we will know how to behave appropriately and trust us to attend all sorts of places where pet dogs aren’t allowed to go. Once I’ve completed my training phase and passed an exam (…I’m pretty certain L & I have to be tested to prove we are capable of my being a Qualified Assistance Dog) then I will even be allowed to fly in planes. This time next year I’m planning to be writing from Hawaii ;)

After L had learnt all about the rules, then she had to learn about my Alerting behaviour… Shhh, again this is TOP SECRET so I’m very sorry but I can’t share exact details. Never mind though I’ll have plenty of other bits of interesting information to share with you guys…I promise!

If however you’re very interested in learning a bit more of the training stuff, then my friends at Medical Detection Dogs have released a video about an Alert Dog like me called Coco, who helps his partner Karen every day.  You’ll get an idea of how we get trained and what’s involved if you just watch this. 
Happy tail wags till next time, Frodo xx

After L having spent her 3 days at the Medical Detection Dogs centre, the next stage was for Lydia the Assistance Dog Instructor to visit my new home and provide insight of how to successfully manage our partnership. Some details of what we got up to are covered in my other blog.

So I hope to see you back here from time to time to catch-up on all my adventures and just see what an Assistance Dog in training gets up to.

Happy tail wags till next time, Frodo xx

A dog’s perspective… on hypo dogs, seizure dogs, detection dogs, medical dogs & generally working with dogs.

Hi there, thanks for stopping by. I will begin by assuming you are reading this blog of mine because you’re a) interested in detection dogs, b) have (or know someone with) a condition where an alert dog like myself would be of great benefit to you (them), c) have heard about the charity I come from and want to learn a little more or d) find the whole concept of what dogs can be trained to do when assisting people and are interested in a little insider knowledge.

Well I am the insider you most definitely want to hear from: I am a hypo alert dog in training and have reached a phase of my life where I have been matched and placed with a lady…let’s call her L. L has type 1 diabetes and has had it for 26 years. Unfortunately she has lost her hypo awareness…this is where her blood glucose level falls and if she doesn’t eat/drink something to raise the glucose in her blood then she could potentially collapse and even fall into a coma. As she no longer feels the symptoms of when her blood glucose is dropping her life had become quite a scary struggle, especially as the number of hypos she’s been experiencing have also increased too and so that’s where I come into the story – Ta Da!

 Oh gosh, I’m sorry I forgot my manners…you might even be reading this as you are e) one of those great people who just love all things “dog related”…did I mention I love people like you <wagging tail>. Anyway L heard about a charity “Medical Detection Dogs” who train dogs to detect these serious medical episodes through scent and alert the person they are partnered with to it before it becomes a problem. So she contacted the charity several years back to see whether she would be eligible to get a dog. She proved to be eligible and so the journey of L, I & Medical Detection Dogs begins.

If I’m honest this is likely to be quite a long story… I just hope my paws are up to all the typing! You see you’re meeting me here after I’ve already been matched and placed with L, so if you’re interested in starting from the beginning I’ll go back, way back, to where this blog of mine should start in another post shortly: let’s call that one, The Story So Far…

Right…so where am I now? Oh yes, that’s right I am at the stage of home placement…which means I have been matched in terms of my ability, temperament and the lifestyle I need to fit in with in order for my partnership with L to be successful. From this match the Medical Detection Dogs staff have focused on my training to get me ready for my ‘public working life’ to ensure that I am happy and relaxed to visit all the types of places and events L will require I accompany her to. As a Medical Detection Dog I am very lucky to say we all receive the very best of this sort of training as we are placed with volunteer fosterers who will take the time and effort to introduce us to a variety of places and situations in a positive manner (the charity are keen followers of Positive dog training…) Some of us even get to spend time living with a variety of fosterers so that our social experience of different home environments grow wider. As with all puppies and dogs, the more experiences we encounter in a positive way the happier and more confident we become in new situations. This is invaluable for our work as assistance dogs where we are required to fit-in at school, offices, supermarkets, shops, pubs, restaurants, libraries, hospitals, doctor’s surgeries and all sorts of other places. The variety of dogs that Medical Detection Dogs has and works with are as mixed as you can imagine too. There are all sorts of us showing what great noses we have, regardless of our breed. Some of my friends so far are Spaniels, Poodles, Labradors, a wire-haired Viszla, and also a somewhat small Chinese Crested Dog who was named Tiny. We have all been, or are being, trained to detect different conditions via the scent it releases. When I mentioned earlier about my laid-back temperament and ability…another reason I was picked for L is due to my size. As she already had a large pet dog living with her she didn’t want me to be too small and risk being intimidated or stepped on by Bracken. I think if Tiny had been the match dog then life would have been…what do we say...interesting for sure. Bracken is my new dog brother and I like him a lot…he’s very good at sharing his toys and bed. The only thing I’m not so keen on is the fact he eats all of his food…and doesn’t leave any scraps for me. With me being a food motivated Lab I thought he would have better manners and would have welcomed me more into the home with a bit of food sharing! Anyway, here are a few pics of Bracken and I, from the first “Matching” weekend where I got to stay at L’s home to see what I made of it and how I settled in.

 Now I’m here as a more permanent feature I’ll be sure to add feedback on what I’ve been doing and where I’ve been visiting so you can watch my progress. I’ll include a few pics too so you can witness my journey as if you were there… Now we’re all caught up with the How’s; I’ve actually been living here with L, her girlfriend M, Bracken and my cat brother Molly since the 26^th April 2013. During this time I have been busy learning the new home routine, new home smells and noises as well as learning to Alert to L’s “live hypo scent” which just by not coming from a sample pot has a significantly different whiff to it I can tell you. Now don’t get me wrong and think I’m complaining, as I’m not, but that is A LOT of adjusting to do and it’s taking it out of me a little. I feel like whenever I’m awake I’m constantly processing information of smells, locations, commands, behaviour, routines and so much other information. Now I’ve been told that this is quite normal for a dog in training and that as each day passes I’ll improve and not feel tired by it. So each day I’m here I’m busy adjusting and settling into my new life.

Since I’ve been here I’ve had a few mini adventures. I caught the Cango bus into town when Lydia the Assistance Dog Trainer spent 3 days with us for home placement training. It was a nice sunny day and whilst in town we visited the library (apparently L intends to take me to visit the library (where everyone is sooooo quiet) frequently. I’m just hoping even though I’m bright with all this training she won’t be expecting me to learn to read too! I also took a run in the park, walked around the high street (where lots of people looked at me as they recognised what an important dog I am) and finally ended up having lunch out. Well I didn’t actually get to eat any lunch (food sharing manners seem to skip human’s sometimes too) but I did enjoy laying by the table and listening to the canal whispering past as the sun shone down. When we had to catch the bus back to our home it appeared someone had dropped chocolate on the floor. Mmmmm chocolate <drooling>…and this lovely chocolate (don’t worry, I’m not stupid and know chocolate is poisonous to dogs) had melted into a big delicious mess. I settled down on the floor of the bus as I’ve been trained, lying just in front of L’s feet. The sweet smell of chocolate wafted over to me and I tried to do a little stretch, just to get that bit closer without anyone noticing. I stretched as far as I could in my laying position but darn, my body wasn’t quite long enough to reach the messy feast on the floor. So I instead closed my eyes and dreamt as we continued our journey home. And even when we reached our bus stop, I resisted the urge to lick up the melted chocolate as we exited the bus and proved I’m “a very good boy”.

I also had fun attending a May Fair in Ecchinswell village, which is the next village along from where I live. We went to the Royal Oak Pub and the pub and its garden were filled to the beams with adults/children and lots of dogs. They had a number of stalls…including a cake stall which I think smelt fab. And a BBQ (mmmm…sausages) and music and activities all going on around me. I behaved impeccably (even when I went across to the lambing area and 3 little lambs bleated at me. They wanted me to play, but as I had my work jacket on I had to let them down gently to say I couldn’t… and to make things easier I just lay calmly on the floor next to their enclosure) and watched all the other people, dogs and activities going on around me. The lambs belong at the farm just across from my house…so on some days I have got to meet them without my work coat on. But as all good doggies should know, it’s never ok to chase livestock so I simply listen to their bleats and wag my tail happily.

I’ve also been kept busy attending the office too while L works. It’s not too bad…she has plenty of space around her desk where I can be busy sleeping. I’ve even got my own office bed there. And there’s another black lab called Snoop who is my office colleague. When the mood takes us we’ll pop out for a run in a nearby field or play chase around the office gardens during lunch break. Snoop is the Managing Director of Whitehorse Telecoms and he’s been very helpful in introducing me to office dog etiquette.

Anyway, thanks for your visit and I’ll keep you up to date with my adventures over the coming months.

Big tail wags till then, Frodo xx