Introducing... The Pocket Sized Labrador!

Woofs and Wags Muskehounds!  The mules have taken pity on me as I am house and lead bound after my little accident.... oops.... I am now 3.8 legged and well on the way to recovery.  I have been so bored that those long ears have allowed me to steal a blogging spot!  Maybe this blog should be called Dogtanian and The Three Muskehounds like the original inspiration?  So as I'm the longest standing member of the clan I guess I should introduce myself, I hope you'll forgive the fact that I am not an equine.....

Name: Murph, also known as the Pocket Sized Labrador

Age:  7 1/2 years going on 6 months.....

Breeding: Labrador Retriever of the gun dog type

Size:  Pocket Sized!  I wasn't fed very well as a puppy before I found my mistress so I didn't grow, I am a very petite labrador which means I can comfortably sit on your lap or the sofa, you'll never notice me, honest.

Coat Colour: Black with a few salt and pepper marks to show how distinguished I am, if you'd lived with FH most of your life you'd be grey too... just ask MH, hehe!

How did you come to be a Muleteer Muskehound?  In a galaxy far away (I try not to remember) I was an unwanted labradorian.  My old humans got me as a puppy and kept me locked in a room all day long on my own and then beat me when they came home because I had been bad (I was teething and had to chew something!).  I never walked anywhere and didn't know what the world was except for shouting and the four walls I lived in.  One day when I'd nearly given up a kind man came and carried me away, he looked after me while he set about finding me a new home, would you believe he knew FH!  A very unsuspecting FH got more than she bargained for in her first dog - me!  We had to learn lots together, I had no idea how to travel in a car, how to walk on a lead, how to socialise with humans or dogs, how to wag my tail... you know I don't think I knew how to live.  With time I found my wag and found out life was brilliant, I stopped dipping my head away from hands and started forcing my head in to hands :-)  After a while FH even found me my old friend Indy and MH, it was nice to have some boys around!  I still don't trust many people but those I do trust I love fiercely, although I don't mind sharing the humans with The Muleteers they are not allowed in the house - woof!

Favourite Pastimes: Chasing my ball, giving the 'hungry eyes' to my Granny and sneaking on the sofa with FH when no one's looking ;-)

Favourite Food: Everything! I will eat anything except for polo mints, they are the work of the devil.  I have been known to eat garlic, whole chillies, a whole bag of flour (I turned myself white, the mixture of drool and flour was very sticky...MH was not impressed), the majority of a sack of dog food, FH's coat pockets when she leaves treats in them and anything else that's left in sight.....  I have gotten in to a little bit of trouble with my eating habits in the past, my finest moment (not) was the consumption of enough grapes to kill a St Bernard (I picked them delicately off the vine), two avocados and a kiwi fruit in one sitting, the vets were staggered, I however, was fine :-)

Favourite Drink: River water ingested whilst swimming for my ball. 

Favourite Car: I DO NOT like cars.... when I first arrived with FH many doggy years ago I was very traumatised about life.  One of the worst things for me was going in the car.  I was sick every time, FH had to do months and months of training with me, we ate our dinner in the car, we played in the car, we went to the park in the car, all to no avail...FH needed to take out shares in car upholstery shampoo.  The secret to my tolerance of cars now?  CHEESE!  That's right folks FH used to drive down the road chucking cheese to me in the back of the car to take my mind off feeling sick and trick me in to thinking cars were nice.  Guess it worked ok, I will tolerate cars now and we don't need the upholstery shampoo anymore but my favourite car is one that is not moving!

Favourite Movie: Lassie Come Home - Classic!

Favourite Music: Anything that MH plays, his music taste is more sedate than FH's, hers is too loud, it's no wonder I need flappy ears is it?

GH...supplier of banned substances!

Favourite Book: What's a book? Can I eat it?

Favourite Words:  W.A.L.K.  the humans think I don't know what this means, gosh they're really stupid if they can't spell!

Favourite Person: Granny Human for supplying banned food substances like sausage rolls, bits of her meals and providing ample cuddles and sympathy, Granny also allows me on the sofa, throws my ball and calls me her darling a lot :-)  I do love my FH and MH too but nothing beats the naughtiness of a Granny!

Unique Talent: Wagging so hard that I regularly knock things over including myself.  I can also 'speak' on command and sing.  The humans taught me this to stop me from barking at things... I have simply widened my vocal repertoire :-)

Guilty Pleasure: Lying on the sofa in MH's place when he's not around and placing my head in FH's lap for cuddles and attention.  In our house we all pretend this doesn't happen, dogs don't go on the furniture.... ermmm no one told me.

Least Favourite Thing: The V.E.T. or the car... I'm also a little uncertain about new people I don't know.

Favourite Vice: FOOD!  I'm an eating machine, well I am a labrador?

Favourite Clothing: My Argentinian Polo dog collar, I show that Dragon mule who has the nicest bridle leather in this house.  Apart from that I need no clothes I am invincible!

Favourite Possession: Doris Donkey my favourite toy.  Doris needs to be paraded and presented to the humans when they return from work, she is my very favourite toy at the moment, I show her this by carrying her around and drooling on her.

Alternative Career:  Chief Crunchy Biscuit Tester

Describe Yourself in Three Words: Loyal, Starving, Obsessive

Favourite Quote:

This would make the world a better place :-)

In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semi-human.  The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.
Edward Hoagland

Your Perfect Day: 

Wake up slowly, no need to tax yourself too much...

Eat breakfast and then become turbo charged

Hopefully it will be a Granny Day, I know Granny's car when she arrives and cry and woof until she hurries up and brings me chews and strokes!

Time for walk number one, this must include ample time with my ball, 

I would like to swim after it..

And then I can soak the humans and hear them laugh!

Then it's time for a little rest and some crunchy biscuits

Next W.A.L.K number two, this should involve some Moorland exploration with the humans

Time for a snooze now...

Finally after some dinner it's time for evening funny five minutes with Doris Donkey

Night night must be time for sleep now, I am an eating and sleeping machine :-)

Wags and woofs to you all, thank you for letting me get my paws on a blog post :-)

Roller's Summery Favourites!

Greetings Muleteers!  Alas the summer is nearly at an end... the days are getting cooler and the nights longer, I have been growing my winter woolies in preparation for the best season of all for Shetland ponies!  We haven't had much of a summer this year, officially the UK has had the wettest summer for 100 years... I can't remember that far back but it sure has been a bit on the damp side of things :-(

There is always fun to be had though and I thought I'd share with you my favourite things of the summer!

1/. Sunshine!
Occasionally we got a glimmer of sun muleteers!  It peeked through the cloud and said hello whenever it could frighten away those nasty rain clouds.  When the sun shone my coat gleamed like golden sand, the sun even kissed my mane and gave me highlights.

2/. Wind!
I know muleteers this is not a 'normal' choice but here at Muleteer HQ we like a blustery day.  The wind stops the nasty midges from attacking my BF The Mini and it blows my mane around making it look super swish!

3/. Bananas!
When the temperature goes up in the Humans' stable their food goes 'off' more quickly.... this means that their bananas turn a delicious shade of brown more quickly.  For some reason MH doesn't like them when they've gone brown and gooey so he fetches them for us muleteers.  We are only too happy to ensure that nothing is wasted in this household.  In the winter we look forward to the root veg like carrots and parsnips.  Sadly our apple tree hasn't produced a single fruit this year as the wind blew away all the bees - now that is a shame!

4/. Gardening
Summer is the time when MH gets a little over zealous with the saw, secateurs and shears.  This means lots of yummy branches and twigs for us, at this time of year there is even lots of yummy leaves still on them.  I've heard that MH has ordered in the logs for the wood pile.... this is a good thing muleteers, we like to strip them of bark before the humans burn them.  They have such rubbish coats that they need fire to keep warm, shoulda been a Shetland pony folks ;-)


5/. Grooming
In Summer it is essential to look at my best as we have more visitors and you never know when a lady might be watching one's handsomeness.  One of my favourite things this summer has been the loving attention I have been given by my many fans.  Grooming is a good time for a little chat and snuffle and of course makes me look even more mulificent!

6/. Shoes
Shoes are one of my all time favourite things!  I love the smell of shoes and when FH or the unsuspecting wearer isn't looking I often like a little chew on shoes to check how they taste.  In the summer I get to see a larger variety of shoes, not just boring wellies, this makes me a happy Roller.

7/. Walks

In the summertime we have more light so we can go for walks after FH has finished wasting time working as well as at the weekend.  This summer I have enjoyed taking lots of friends out for walks and teaching them the delights of pottering along with the odd stop for a hedge picnic or two....

8/. Friends
The best bit of all seasons is the friends that you get to spend time with.  This is my first summer with my big protector, sometime girlfriend and all round drama queen Dragon.  I have enjoyed lazing in the sun with her and using her as a sun shade to graze next too.  I do feel a little bit on the short side next to her though!

When it feels like this I always have my number 1 friend The Mini.  We are the best of buddies and never far away from each other.  Although we may bicker a little and he is the most annoying big brother always putting me in my pace and telling me off for being uncool I know that secretly he is kinda fond of me :-)







So Muleteers as we move in to Autumn and Winter I am already planning the things that may come along.  Maybe there will be snow? Maybe I will get some new shoes for Christmas?  Hopefully FH will remember our warming peppermint tea?  There will be some frosts on the ground and plenty of time for snoozing!  Whatever happens I will be correctly attired in my magnificent winter woolies.... unless global warming catches up with us!

My Winter Woolies will be magnificent!