Tiring…..

Caring is tiring!

Greetings Labrador Lovers!  The Pocket Sized Labrador here….. phew I gotta tell  you I think MH and I deserve a medal!

It is so tiring looking after FH and the puppy one… they are a bit of a challenge at the moment, one of them has damaged himself speeding around and is now on enforced rest and rather sorry for himself and the other can't see her feet anymore and 'oofs' with every movement.  They need some looking after… and as there doesn't appear to be anyone else to share the load it's up to me and MH.  I have wondered about asking those pesky mules in to the house to help with the 'baby'sitting but alas they will make too much mess and there's only so much poo hoovering even a labrador can manage.

When the day is done there is only one thing for it, yep you've guessed it!  A good jowl spreading snooze!





Although sometimes even my peaceful snoozes are interrupted by the puppy one needing my comforting ways.

My puppy shadow…. always there

I even tried to find a little peace and quiet by having a rather sneaky snooze on the sofa, alas no the puppy was right there needing me…..

Even the sofa wasn't safe

I guess it's nice to be needed even if it is tiring?

I'm off for a little snooze somewhere quiet, MH and I need to keep our energy levels up, I hear there are likely to be even greater calls on our energy soon, I am in denial…. my ears do not look like comfort blankets and my tail is not made for grabbing by teeny tiny fingers ….. I shan't enjoy any of the attention for a second…… honest :-)

Wags and woofs friends, stay safe and spare a thought for us carers trying to keep their charges under control!

If Dogs Could Smile

Greetings Friends!  Well of course we can smile!  I heard the humans say if dogs could smile the Cloth Dog would be, duh well look at me.... I'm smiling!

Yippee, hooray, it's a Dartmoor doggy day!  My favourite place in the world for a lovely winter walk.  The sun was shining, the bushes were ripe for sniffing and peeing on and my naughty puppy was occupied with dashing and playing and chasing.

I always know when we're in luck and about to escort the humans on to the moor..... we head up this little track.  The edges are great for sniffing and it's definitely a doggy racetrack, Milo might be fast but I make up for his speed with experience.

He is rather prone to prancing and dancing and forgetting which way he's supposed to be going...

I think he rather enjoys running around in the long moorland grass!

I have to keep my wits about me as he is prone to flybys at great speed.  Oops this photo shows that even the inside of my ears are going grey, honestly folks if you had to bring up this pup and look after the humans your ears would be grey too!

There's always time for a quick look at the view in amongst running around. Sometimes we'll explore far and wide over those hills but today we made do with a bit of a meander, splash and soak up of the sun - it feels great on my back :-)

Just when I was enjoying the view it came from nowhere... beep, beep, zoom! Come back here rascal!

Have you ever seen such funny ears on a pup? Tehehe they rather make me smile just looking at them.....

One final thing before we head home.  I've spied a little bit of a swimming spot, time for some peace and quiet in the chilly water - one place the puppy won't follow! Something about it being cold, he needs to grow a labrador coat, no worries here!

You know what folks?  Us dogs definitely can smile.... I'm doing it right here, loving being a Dartmoor Dog.  

Woofs and Wags everyone, have a lovely weekend.  I'm looking forward to an afternoon snuggled with my mistress bonding with my next pup in the making, babysitter Murph at the ready.... I've heard that my ears will make the best baby comforter..... ah well guess I can cope ;-) I wonder if Human Foal will call me their Cloth Dog too?  I sure hope so!

Berry Nice!

There is one thing that all Muleteer HQ inhabitants share..... a love of food!

Imagine my despair when I looked over the fence and saw what those naughty puppyteers were up to!  They had spied the juicy blackcurrants all ready for picking...

FH had picked a lovely box full of blackcurrants and that naughty puppy was trying to help himself! Well FH spied him and soon put a stop to it.....

Blackcurrants are not suitable food for dogs.... they are much more appropriate for herbivores.... like Mini Mules!

Hmmmm try telling that to the Pocket Sized Labrador.






The PSL has had many years of perfecting his fruit picking technique, he is a successful picker of apples, blackcurrants, blackberries and well anything that he views as edible (which is most things, he is a Labrador after all).  He dived right in to the blackcurrant bush once FH had picked what she wanted..... a few unripe berries or slightly squishy ones?  Delightful if you're the PSL!

And then..... can you believe it?  He decided to teach the puppy the skills too, apparently it's important to pass on these techniques to the next generation of fruit picking connoisseurs. Hmmmmm me thinks that PSL might regret this, Milo can reach rather higher than he can these days!

The blackcurrant bush provided plenty for all, nearly two kilos for the humans, scraps for the dogs (and entertainment!) and I even got to taste some berries too, mmmm :-)

I was not to be outdone by those pups though, anything they can do I can do better!

Attention FH this berry picker is ready for action, let us go searching!

I spy with my little eye something beginning with 'S'

Look!  Some wild strawberries, these are my favourite!  They're all hidden away in the hedgerow like perfect little jewels.  Much smaller than the ones you humans normally eat but so much tastier, all in a tiny package, they say good things come in small packages..... I'm sure they're right ;-)

They're a little hard to get to.... could you oblige please FH? Yummy!

What's that I see?  Surely humans don't like strawberries too? I'm sure they're not good for you.... only good for mini mules in need of extra condition (stop giggling FH).

Only one thing for it.  I'm going in.  Berry picking lips at the ready, time for 'Pick Your Own'. 

Do you know, I think strawberries may be my new favourite thing.... mmmm, maybe I could find a full time fruit picking job, I'd be very dedicated!  

Have a Berry Nice Weekend All!

A Dog's Life...

One day I want to grow as big as you.....

Greetings Wooferteers!  I am starting to realise that the life of a dog is well, errm, busy....  I have had another puptastic week making loads of new friends and having lots of 'first time' experiences.

Before work was out for Easter I had a work meeting with some of my senior work colleagues.  I was taken to the creche for the meeting, odd.... no not a creche for pups but one for donkey puppies, at least I think that's what they're called?

These work colleagues of mine are really very big even as puppies, I think maybe they're Great Danes in disguise?  I have noticed something about them though, they haven't grown in to their ears yet, come to think about it, to do that they will have to grow to be giant pups? Hmmmm....

Another strange thing about them, try as I might they didn't seem impressed by my puppy barks and bows, they just kinda stood there and looked amused.

One of them did seem a bit impressed though, this nice girl, donkey puppy was very enthralled with me.....  we spent a long time snuffling and wagging and butting noses with each other until my human got bored and cold.... I'll be back sweet friend!

Yay work was done for a few days!  Woohoooo!  Puptastic!  Time to show off my new improved moves to the Cloth Dog.  I have been practicing my lurcher run a whole heap and am hoping to outrun him.  First off though I thought I'd test out the lurcher run on Cousin Archie who is a senior puppy to me but still young enough to get up to all kinds of mischief with when the humans aren't looking.  Cloth Dog stayed at home as he finds having to keep us both in check exhausting!

Cousin Archie took me to one of his favourite places..... a place with sand and lots of funny tasting water and loads of doggy pals.... it's called a beach apparently.

What fun!  Cousin Archie and me ran and ran and ran and ran and ran........

Those ears are way outta control Arch!

Oh yeah and then we ran a bit more..... 

Thank goodness for my Aunty who had treats available for tired pups, my energy was getting low.... hah only for a second though.... right let's run again Arch!

I felt that my training with Cousin Arch had left me in tip top condition ready for showing off to The Cloth Dog.  He couldn't fail to be impressed of this I was sure.  A dog's duty is to look his best at all times so here goes....

Look!  All feet off the ground sporting the upward ear look... I've been learning from those long ears :-)

Next I tried on my racing ears.... AKA bat ears, whoosh... blink and you'll miss me!

Finally I showed off an advanced skill known to motorcyclists everywhere, the 'lean' in to the corner.

Cloth Dog watched for a while and then sped off saying 'sorry can't stop I have a ball to catch'....

Haha, two can play at that game, ok so mine is a beginner ball with a rope attached but I still look good with it hey?

Puppy Beginner Ball!

As my attempts at impressing my Cloth Dog were not working I decided to have a go at impressing the most senior member of the Muleteer clan, apparently he's a tough man to impress.... his name is The Mini, hmmm can't be that big and tough then can he with a name like that?!

Whoa.... I was a bit wrong, this mule puppy is quite large for a Mini?  Hmmm I better have a closer inspection.  Nope he doesn't smell like my Cloth Dog, he has enormous ears and teeny tiny feet for his size, they're almost the same size as mine? Most peculiar. He seems friendly though.  FH is busy telling The Mini puppy to be nice to me and not do what he does with strange dogs..... not sure I want to know what that is?  A puppy eater perhaps?

When Mini met Milo

Nah, not a puppy eater but a puppy playmate, quick Mini come with me!  Let's drag the human exploring, I've heard you're good at this? Don't dilly dally, there's grass to eat (both of us), poo to hoover (me), mountains to be climbed (both of us), strangers to greet (me), strangers to be scared of (you) and adventures to be had (all together!).

Lead training for the mini mule and his puppy.....

Doing this kind of thing is sooo tiring and not in the slightest bit exciting....well maybe just a little bit ;-)

Exploring with Uncle Mini, the mule who is nearly dog sized.....

Shhhh don't give away my secret..... some might say it's a dog's life?? I don't know what they mean? ;-)

This Bed Ain't Big Enough For The Both of Us

Greetings Woofeteers!! Sleep, play, eat, sleep, play eat..... golly it's a hard life!  I have been such a busy puppy making friends and influencing people (the puppy dog eyes work a treat ;-) that when I get a quiet hour or two with the Cloth Dog I am just exhausted!  Have I told you before I love my Cloth Dog?  He's my hero!  This means that at every opportunity I have to be as close to him as possible.  He is very fluffy and is so lovely to snuggle up to, his ears make exceptionally good chew toys and I really like to wrestle with him.

There is just one problem with all of this.....I don't like sleeping in my own bed.....

I would much rather sleep in the same bed as my Cloth Dog.  This has started to pose some problems as I have been growing just a tiny little bit and the Cloth Dog has been sending pained looks to the humans....

Try as I did I just couldn't quite get comfy except for when lying on top of the Cloth Dog who got grumpy after a while, he said I was making his paws go to sleep?

Finally the humans got the hint!  Off MH set to the shops to purchase the biggest bed he could find.....

He did good!  He was stopped in the car park of the pet store by someone who wanted to know what kind of dog could possibly be big enough to fill the monster bed, a Great Dane, a Bull Mastiff?  Not quite.... one Pocket Sized Labrador and his Lurcher puppy.....

It would seem that word of our magnificent bed spread like wildfire.  FH came home and thought that the bed would last us boys a while but told MH in no uncertain terms that I am gonna get much bigger and perhaps we might need an even bigger bed..... MH paled a little at this statement!

To check how comfy our bed was an invader appeared.  FH decided to get in to the bed too...

There was only one thing to do, we all decided to snuggle in and check out the full capacity of this monster bed.... yep, it can take two dogs and a human and I can report that FH thinks it's comfy enough for her boys, in fact she's threatened to move in permanently.

I checked if her nose made a good chew toy.....

I can confirm that it didn't, my Cloth Dog's ears are far superior and taste nicer too.  

Alas there was only one thing for it after such a busy day, a nice snooze for everyone.  

Sweet Dreams Friends!

My Little Pony Meets My Little Puppy!

There's been a new member of the Muleteer clan, I think you've all met him, the cute and mischievous Milo.... well, I decided that it was my turn to make his acquaintance!  I've heard he's small, cute, full of beans and has appalling wind.... hmmm are they not talking about The Mini?  FH likes to call him My Little Puppy, she says there is irony in there somewhere?

So I invited him over for a closer look.... it's hard to see him over the fence when you're my height!  This 'Little' puppy is actually quite big.... have you seen the size of his hooves? They're massive!  I think he will grow in to My Big Puppy and might even become as big and strong as me :-)

Here I am teaching him the value of hoovering carrot pieces from the floor.  He loves carrots, I think we will have a lot in common.

I also noticed that the puppy had brought along his Cloth Dog chaperone. Someone needs to keep the youngster in check :-)  I rather like the cloth dog, in fact I would go so far as to say that I was rather mesmerised by his handsomeness.  He has a very interesting tail that I just had to investigate.... it wags around a lot and looks quite different to mine, it isn't very flowing, I thought I'd better check by giving it a nudge and snuffle, the Cloth Dog didn't seem to mind, he told me that I was much more gentle than his puppy charge who seems to think his tail is a toy for pulling on.... yikes, better watch out for my splendid hairdo, don't want that messing with!

After sharing the carroty goodness MH brought out another treat, an apple, now I wasn't aware that dogs ate apples and carrots?  I hope they don't like grass and hay or us Muleteers will have to compete with them!  My Little Puppy tries to look very cute.... I must try and master that sit thing, it seems to work in all instances!

Uh-oh the Cloth Dog's getting in on the act too, surely he doesn't like apples?  Hmmm FH says he is a labrador and this means that EVERYTHING is edible.... an interesting concept, I really must get to know this wise man further.

After the food was all consumed there was just a little bit of time left for cuddles and snuffles, now look here my canine friends FH still loves My Little Pony prowess, she says my mane is superior and I smell delightful so I'm happy I haven't been ousted!

Finally it was time to say goodbye to my new friends, I would really like them to come and play again, I'll even share my carrot treats with them.  I've heard that dogs like to greet each other by sniffing so I thought I'd try it for goodbye as well..... FH says I sniffed the wrong bit, The Cloth Dog didn't seem to mind though, he just stood and gave me a very patient look?!

Bye bye friends, is there room for a little one in that big bed of yours?  I'd be ever so good?

What a lovely time with my extended family, where were the mules in all this?  Stood at the top of the hill swishing furiously!  Mini was having jealousy issues and Dragon was bored with all the boy talk.... can't please everyone!