Wiggle - Day 1,259

Wiggle and Sofy have been celebrating WiggleWednesday - with a nommy sandwich!


They didn't mind that it was on the reduced shelf in the shop on my way home, they each ate their half at high speed!

Wiggle - Day 1,258

Wiggle and Sofy are mostly relaxing, having walked in the wind and rain this morning and then again this evening after the rain had stopped and the weather turned colder. They're hoping for a cool morning tomorrow as they love running around in the frosty field, but for now, its all about the lounging....

It's been a couple of weeks now since the Symply food arrived for Wiggle and Sofy to product test:

http://www.petscorner.co.uk/dogs/dog-food-dry/symply-senior-dog-lamb-and-rice

Being possibly the least fussy of breeds, they have been enjoying their new food, eating with their usual enthusiasm. For the last week, they've had only the Symply, after it was introduced gradually and reducing their usual brand of food.

So far, so good - The transition to the new food went smoothly and Wiggle especially has had bags of energy, so the Symply definitely agree's with them!

Wiggle - Day 1,257

Yesterday I was looking on the Labrador Rescue South East & Central Facebook page and this gorgeous girl caught my eye:



Her write up says: "This lovely girl is Lily who is three years old and spayed. Lily is a very uncomfortable girl at the moment as she has very itchy skin due to allergies which has made her lose her fur from scratching. She is currently on treatment to try and settle this down and make her more comfortable. Lily has lived with small children and is wonderful around them, she also has lived with another dog.

Our helper described her as the 'perfect dog and an absolute sweetheart'. Lily will need a home who are prepared to follow the instructions given by the vet to the letter. She can only be fed her special food and is currently attending the vet for anti allergy injections on a regular basis. Hopefully, once these start to work, the visits will get less and less until hopefully her condition is under control. Lily did have a problem with her hips when she was little but has not had any trouble now for over a year. This side of things we believe can be managed by keeping her weight strictly under control, managed regular exercise and perhaps a supplement for her joints-hydrotherapy would be great idea also!

All in all Lily is a wonderful, kind girl who really does deserve a lovely home where someone is prepared to get her skin under control. We have had many dogs through Labrador Rescue with a similar problem to Lily (Wiggle to name a famous one!), and they have proved that given correct treatment, and with patience they can live a much more comfortable life.

The Charity will continue to assist in funding treatment for Lily's skin in her new home. If you would like a chat about the lovely Lily please contact Barbara 01234 831854 or Jacky 07736 791899"

She sounds so sweet and with skin problems no worse than Wiggle. We're keeping fingers and paws crossed that Lily finds her special forever home very soon!

Wiggle - Day 1,256

Even though its the weekend, this morning we were up and out early, while it was still dark and dreary but Wiggle and Sofy didn't care about the weather and enjoyed themselves, running around. They slept while I got on with stuff around the house and this afternoon, we went out to catch the last sunshine of the day.

Waiting for the ball to be thrown:

Sofy was fastest:

Wiggle, looking super-cute, tilting his head as if to say: "Please throw it more in my direction next time!"

Indeed Wiggle did get the ball, and ran off down the slope with it:

Running with the ball:

The low sun, casting a shadow of all 3 of us:

Wiggle was ahead while Sofy was pootling about nearer to me:

Sunny Sofy:

The sun was fading as we walked back up the field:

Running to the sun.....

Wiggle - Day 1,254

Friday photo....

Wiggle - Day 1,253

Wiggle, Sofy and I would like to wish all our American friends and readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!

We're very thankful to have had the wonderful support of LRSE&C since the day Wiggle arrived here back in June of 2008. And also, so thankful to everyone who has supported Wiggle, strangers who have become friends and followers who we will never meet.

Wiggle - Day 1,252

Sofy thinks its good having Wiggle as a brother - especially when he makes such a good pillow!

Wiggle - Day 1,251

For Sofy, Wee Strike entered another day today. She is still refusing to wee out by the patio while Wiggle is less fussy!

Last night we had heavy rain so the ground was wet this morning, which meant that if Wiggle and Sofy could have gone on the grass, they'd have got very muddy! We have heavy clay soil here which really holds the water, so over the winter, the garden can turn into a bog, which can't be very nice for paws.

A few weeks ago I had cleared out a dead conifer at the side of the patio, so combined with the pea gravel and fallen leaves, Wiggle seems quite happy with the new bathroom facilities. I don't know how long Sofy will last with her protest, but the irony is that when we stay with our London friends, she has no problem with going to the bathroom in their paved garden!

Wiggle - Day 1,250

Wee strike entered Day 2 today, with both Wiggle and Sofy refusing to wee on or by the patio. Last night, neither of them were giving up their protest, and did not have a pre-bedtime wee:

We went across to the field for our morning walk so they wee'd as much as they could, in between running around. This evening, Wiggle's need to pee got the better of him and after only one day, his WeeStrike was over and he used the gravel alongside the patio to relieve himself.

Sofy is still maintaining the protest. I did remind her that last year, the temporary fence went up at the end of October, so this time, they have had a few more weeks:

http://wigglethedog.blogspot.com/2010/10/wiggle-day-864.html

Despite both Wiggle and Sofy being unimpressed with the new bathroom arrangements, during our walk this evening they both happily wee'd as we walked on the pavement to the shop and back. I'm not sure there's a huge difference between wee'ing on the pavement and on the patio...

Wiggle - Day 1,249

Wiggle and Sofy's day started off well - Wiggle had slept on my bed, then in the early hours, he got up and when I woke, Sofy was laying next to me, on her back with her paws in the air, snoring loudly. We were up quite early again and went to the field so they had fun, running around, chasing the tennis ball before coming home for their breakfast and Sunday morning treat of a splash of milk after their kibble.

Then, as far as they were concerned, the day started to go downhill. Wiggle lay upstairs in the bedroom while I changed the bedlinen, realising that the clean covers meant he wouldn't be sleeping on my bed tonight.

Late, while Wiggle was snoozing on the sofa, I snuck outside and put up the temporary fence, separating the grass from the patio. This time of year, Wiggle and Sofy don't spend so much time outside and with the ground being clay soil, it just gets boggy and eventually muddy.

Once the fence was up, Wiggle and Sofy came out to see what I had been doing and were not impressed!

They both tried to find a way through:

But realised there was no way to get through the fence!

Sofy may have been considering jumping, looking up to see how high the fence is:

Wiggle and Sofy say: "Wee Strike has now started!"

Wiggle - Day 1,248

This morning we were up and out early, before it was properly light. Wiggle and Sofy didn't mind and enjoyed themselves, running around in the field. After they had had breakfast and were happily snoozing, I went over to my parents and there was a gift for Wiggle and Sofy - some tennis balls!

As its been a nice day here, Wiggle and Sofy were keen to play out in the garden with their new tennis balls:
Sofy was chewing:

And then trying to chew two balls at once, which of course is not easy!

Wiggle was happy - boinging with his ball, then bringing it to show me:

Both happily chewing on their new toys:

Wiggle - Day 1,247

Yesterday evening, while I was upstairs doing stuff, Wiggle had followed me as he often does, to keep me company. While my back was turned, he decided it was bedtime and got up on my bed!

I did try to explain to Wiggle that he was a couple of hours too early for bedtime, but he just looked at me like I was silly, and when he was on my bed, anytime was time for sleeps!

Wiggle - Day 1,246

Not much to report today - I've been at work so we walked early this morning, leaving the house before it was even light! Wiggle and Sofy had fun though, running around in the field before spending a lot of their day lounging around and napping.

This evening, once dinner had been eaten and we'd had our walk, it was time for more snoozing for Wiggle.....

Wiggle - Day 1,245

It might be #WiggleWednesday - but there's not much wiggling going on!

Wiggle - Day 1,244

The mystery of the big box is revealed!

A big bag of Symply dog food!

Wiggle and Sofy were approached and asked to be product testers for the Symply range of petfoods. Of course asking Labrador's to test a food product may not bring the most scientific results as to be honest, there's not a lot they won't eat! However, the nice people at Pets Corner asked for feedback, so Wiggle and Sofy were happy to oblige - it is food after all!

The Symply range isn't one I'd come across before but having read the information on the website, it looked like a good product to try. We were sent the Senior/Overweight variety, which has added fish oils and glucosamine supplements, so for Wiggle being older and Sofy being, shall we say, 'chunky', it was a good choice. Here's the product info:

http://www.petscorner.co.uk/symply/

When introducing any new food, it's important to change gradually so today, Wiggle and Sofy had some of the Symply food mixed in with their usual kibble:

Wiggle didn't hesitate and was happily tucking in:

Sofy was much quicker and had finished already!

I will continue to replace their usual kibble with the Symply food and report back over the coming weeks!

Wiggle - Day 1,243

Once again, thank you to everyone who has ordered a LRSE&C 2012 Calendar, we really appreciate the support and we're glad to know that calendars even sent to the other side of the world have arrived safely!

Wiggle's best girl Lucy was so excited that she even blogged about her calendar!

http://lucythelabseattle.blogspot.com/

It's not too late to order your calendar and support Labrador Rescue South East & Central. Ordering details are here:
http://wigglethedog.blogspot.com/2011/10/wiggle-day-1218.html

In other news, this evening a neighbour brought round a parcel that he'd taken in for us, but it wasn't for me.....

Wiggle and Sofy were quick to claim their parcel and will be explaining all tomorrow!

Wiggle - Day 1,242

This morning we were up early and out in the field before it was even properly light but Wiggle and Sofy didn't mind and enjoyed running around in the wet grass.

While I got on with the boring cleaning and laundry chores, Wiggle and Sofy snoozed, saving their energy for this afternoon's walk along the old railway track. Wiggle, as usual, ran on ahead:

Sniffing the interesting smells in the fallen leaves:

Sniffing gave way for running after the ball:

Funghi in the leaves:

Wiggle wasn't interesting in the mushroom though, preferring to run ahead....

And then run with a cyclist who had over-taken him!

Having given up on following the cyclist, Wiggle wandered along the path while Sofy was more interesting in the smells:

Wiggle didn't want to let go of his tennis ball:

One dog and his tennis ball, leading the way....

Wiggle found the way into a field:

But decided it wasn't very interesting and came back again:

Nearing the end of our walk, alongside what had been the old station platform, many years ago:

Wiggle and HIS Halt!