What a difference a year makes

 This time last year, Ziggy was still having lots of problems with his skin, with the bacterial infections and looking rather threadbare:

One year on and Ziggy is doing so much better.  His skin is smooth and free from infection, healthy enough now to grow some new fur, slowly but surely.  

He is happy and loves life and is so very loved:

 

Yesterday was a beautiful, warm spring day and we had arranged to take Grandyma out for a Mother's Day lunch in Cirencester.  In front of the Church of St John the Baptist which dates from 1115, Ziggy looked tiny!

We went for lunch and as always, Ziggy was a Very Good Boy

After lunch, we enjoyed the lovely day with a stroll around the town: 

We stopped for coffee, so Ziggy took the opportunity to have a little rest:

Despite loosing an hour's sleep overnight, today Ziggy spent some quality time rolling around with a toy:

Before having his Malaseb bath:

Mud Puddling

Ziggy likes puddles.  Ziggy likes muddy swamp puddles.  Ziggy thinks wallowing in muddy puddles is good for his skin:

When he hasn't been wallowing in puddles, Ziggy has been out and about, going to Sainsburys to collect a parcel from his Tweetheart, Poppy, who had addressed it to Ziggy Piggy Poos.  The notification said he needed ID to collect so I went in to explain that Ziggy is a dog and his ID is on his collar!  

Fortunately the customer service desk is just inside the foyer and the staff were happy to accept that Ziggy was indeed there to collect his own parcel.  After that, we had a walk around past the river, making the most of the lighter evening:

By the end of the week, Ziggy was happy to get in the field for a run around

And to spend some quality time in one of his favourite muddy puddles:

Sadly for Ziggy, he didn't stay muddy for long as he had a bath after that mud-puddling.

Yesterday we took Grandyma shopping and called in at the garden centre.  Our local Dobbies is dog friendly and the recently refurbished restaurant has a lovely area for customers with dogs.  Ziggy likes it there and recommends the sofa's after testing them out. 

After his busy day, Ziggy spent most of his evening upside down:

Today has been a beautiful spring day, so we decided to go out for breakfast by the river:

After recent rain, the river was flowing fast so Ziggy stayed on lead when he had a splash around:

We weren't the only ones enjoying the sunshine:

We had some errands to take are of but while we were out, we stopped off at the park:

Ziggy was having a good time:

The park was looking lovely in the sun:

And to finish off Ziggy's outing, we stopped off at Jollyes for cat food where Ziggy got lots of fuss:

Being a Very Good Boy:

Ziggy's Evening Out

Ziggy loves people. Ziggy loves going out and meeting new people.  Ziggy has quite an extensive wardrobe and likes to dress appropriately for an occassion.

So when we went out for supper with my mum, Ziggy's Grandyma on Friday evening, he went for a smart/casual look in his Black Dog Company bow tie.

We went to The Fleece in Cirencester which is very dog friendly so Ziggy was warmly welcomed and offered a water bowl and biscuts.  

 Even though it was a busy evening, our server took time to make a big fuss of Ziggy and made sure were were all settled.   

Ziggy was a Very Good Boy and made me very proud.  Lots of people came over to say hello to him and he loves all the attention and wants to lick everyone he meets.  When Ziggy saw the other diners, he was glad he had chosen to dress for dinner.

In other news, quite big news really, we have a new addition to our little family - Lula:

Lula has been with us for a month now after we adopted her from the Blue Cross in February.  She is 9 and previously lived with a dog and she has been settling in with us.  Ziggy lived with 2 cats in his last home and is in love with Lula:

She sleeps a lot, like him and puts up with him licking her head so they are good company for each other and we are enjoying getting to know her. 

Crufts and other things

Ziggy had a long but lovely day at Crufts on Thursday when we went to help out at the Labrador Rescue South East & Central stand within the KC Charitable Trust.  It was great to meet people and tell then about rescue Labrador's

It was the 2nd time Ziggy had walked the pink carpet and this year he was definitely looking better!

Ziggy got to see his friends Byron:

And also Bella:

Because he is such a  Good Boy and we love him, Ziggy's Grandyma and I treated him to a new Ruff & Tumble drying robe, which does look very smart, as shown here after today's bath:

On Friday we saw the dermatology vet and she was very pleased with how he is doing, slowly growing fur.  The medication and regular baths are keeping away the infections that had previously caused Ziggy so much discomfort.  

Today, we had sunshine and a few showers but mostly it was very windy and we were able to have a fabbie walk across the fields by the river.  Unusually lively, Ziggy wasted no time stretching his legs:

Mostly though, we wanted to splash around:

Ziggy had some serious ear flappage going on:

Happy Baldy Dog:

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Busy Baldy Dog!

Where did Februaary go?  We seem to have missed it but we are happy to say goodbye to dark evenings and snow days and instead enjoy each day getting a little longer.

Especially as it means we can get to the fields for our walks.

Ziggy is happy when it has rained and his favourite ditch fills with stinky, muddy water:

Unfortunately for Ziggy, his delight is short lived as we go to the field with the muddy ditch on a bath day so he doesn't stay stinky for long!

Ziggy likes coming out and about, especially to the garden centre.

And the garden centre restaurant:

We are still looking for new fur growing and little by little, there's new hair.  The fur he does have is fabulously soft and shiny but top coat only, no undercoat:

He thinks exposing his baldy bits is best for hair growth:

Ziggy took the opportunity earlier to sit and look handsome, ready for his trip to Crufts this week.  We will be with the LRSE&C Labradors in the KC Chritable Trust area of Hall 3 where Ziggy hopes to be on his best behaviour as an ambassador for recue Labbies!