Wiggle - Day 674

Today we went to the Bowood Rhodeodendron Gardens. The gardens have opened for the season, although as the winter was long, the flowers are a bit late. If anyone is in this part of Wiltshire, until next weekend, its free entry to the gardens:

http://www.bowood-house.co.uk/rhododendrons.html

Dogs are allowed, but on lead, although I'm sure that didn't stop Wiggle and Sofy enjoying themselves.

Start of our walk:










Some colour in the background:













Although lots of the flowers are late, there were some out already:



















Wiggle, in front of the Mausoleum:










At the front:









Pretty paths to follow:










Flowering Magnolia:










(Wiggle took special interest in the Magnolia, thinking about his LucytheLab!)

The leaning tree:













Pretty flowers:




















Somehow, I don't think Wiggle and Sofy enjoyed the flora quite as much as me!



















This plant is apparently a Skunk Cabbage Plant!













We had a lovely walk, hardly seeing another person. It was lovely and peaceful, wandering along the different paths, in the sun and the shade. Years ago, long before Wiggle, I took my grandmother to the Rhododendron Gardens and she enjoyed it, so its a special place for me.

Back home, it was time for ice lollies!

Sir H was first:



















Then it was Wiggle's turn:













Then Sofy:











"Any more?"

Wiggle - Day 673

This evening, straight after work we went up to the Downs. Normally, Wiggle, Sir H and Sofy get their dinner when I get home but when they realised that we were going out in the car, they didn't mind!

Wiggle, concentrating hard on the ball in my hand:













"Where did the ball go?"










After Sofy found the ball, Wiggle follows:






















A short video of this evening's playtime:



Sir H, watching. Unimpressed. As always.....












Wiggle and Sofy:











Sir H, looking slightly happier:










Sofy and Wiggle, still playing:











While the youngsters were busy, Sir H sniffed out the treats in my bag:











And decided to help himself!










Waiting for the ball:










Sofy:












Wiggle:













Sir H, unhappy that I'd removed the treats from his reach, trying the begging approach:













Last game of fetch before heading home:

Wiggle - Day 672

We're still having lovely weather here and Wiggle and Sofy have had fun this evening when we went for our walk across the field next to our house.

Both were keen to run around after the ball:




















After stealing the ball, Sofy brings it back to me:



















Wiggle got sidetracked with some interesting smells but with ears-a-flapping, soon caught us up!










Sitting in the evening sun:












Back to running:










The moon, in a cloudless blue sky....













The sun was starting to set:









So it was time to get ready to walk back home:

Be Puppy Farm Aware

Today's blog entry isn't about Wiggle, but it is about another subject very close to our hearts - Puppy Farming. And a new website, giving information about puppy farms and what to avoid when looking for a puppy:

http://bepuppyfarmaware.webs.com/

Those of you who have read this blog for some time will know that before this blog was started, I shared my life with 2 very special chocolate girls - Poppy and Dolly.

Poppy and Dolly both spent the first part of their lives as brood bitches at puppy farms - producing litter after litter, from their first season until they were no longer worth anything to the farmers. Luckily for them, Poppy and Dolly were given up to rescue and even though their time with me was short, they both got to live life as pets, loved and cared for in a happy home.

Poppy:













Dolly, with Poppy:













Dolly:











As anyone who's read this blog from the beginning, will know that sadly Poppy died of a heart condition just a few weeks after I had adopted Dolly. Poppy was only 10 years old and had spent 7 years as a breeding machine. Purely by chance, Dolly was given up to the same rescue but due to a massive tumour, only had one year with us before she passed away. She was only 7.

Sadly, their stories aren't so rare. Puppy farms exist, with dogs living in awful conditions, with the sole purpose in life to make money for the owner. There's no health checks to ensure the health of the litters or much regard given to the health or welfare of the mothers. These dogs aren't bred to continue bloodlines - they are bred purely for profit.

Litters of puppies are often passed on to dealers, who sell the pups. Most people know that they should see the parents, or at the very least the mum, but when faced with cute puppies, common sense can just disappear!

The sad fact is, that by purchasing puppies in this way, people are providing an outlet for the puppy farmers to sell 'their goods'. And all the while there are people to buy the puppies, there are dogs just like Poppy and Dolly, living sad and squalid lives, producing litter after litter until they are deemed worthless......

Wiggle - Day 670

We went up to the Downs this evening, as once again, we've had a lovely day here.

Wiggle and Sofy did lots of running and chasing after their ball while Sir H pottered around, happy in his own little world....

Wiggle - Day 669

After our walks in different places at the weekend, this evening we stayed closer to home and walked across the fields. Despite the weather still being so nice and such a lovely evening, we only saw one other dog being walked!

Once we were home, it was playtime in the garden. When I'd bought dog food on Friday, I'd also got a new toy for Wiggle and Sofy but today was the first time they'd seen it!










Sir H, as you can see, couldn't have cared less!

Wiggle and Sofy started off with a little game of tuggy:










Which Sofy won!












After some boinging, Sofy had a little chew:








Before Wiggle snatched Snake and did some boinging of his own:











More tuggy then followed:











Being a gentleman, Wiggle let Sofy win:












Poor Snake was soon showing signs that he'd be needing a little trip to the Toy Hospital:













Sir H, completely unimpressed with snakes and tuggy games:













After Snake had been despatched to a place of safety, Wiggle decided to chew on his rope toy for a while....