Hello, my Name is Wilson and I'm a white whippet with brown splodges :-)

Hello. This is my blog that I started when I was a puppy but life got in the way and I've not been here for a long time!

I've so much to tell you since last time but I would be here for ages telling you everything and you would probably get bored of my yapping away and anyway, it's nearly dinner time and then it's doggy park then nap time and I don't think I would be able to tell you everything before our bedtime story with mum.

The biggest thing to tell you is a that I don't live in Canada anymore and I now live in another big country call America. It's really nice here and I've been to so many different places and it's all been really exciting but scary too as things are a little different. We used to have to be careful of big bears and cats on our walks but now it's horrible scaley things that hiss or horrible little sting.

The good thing is that they still have doggy parks here and even though they aren't as big as before, I can still run around and chase my ball or Frisbee lots. I used to go to the big boy side but I'm only little and I got picked on so I now play with the little dogs and have so much fun playing with them.

My sister Brandy is awesome because she not only protects me from the bullies but also all our friends and she barks and body barges them if they're nasty. If a strange dog comes to the park she tells them off and says,  "get out of our park!" But if they try to make friends she lets them in. All the little dogs love her and try to climb on her because she's so big and cuddly, and then they try to pinch my toys but I'm too fast for them and they can't catch me : )

At the dog park

I'm a little sad that I don't get to run with mum much at the minute because it gets really really hot here, but she says in winter we can run again and I'm so excited! I can't wait! We were on holiday last week and mum ran with me and I loved it so much that I yapped and yapped all the way and got a horse voice and started neighing. Haha! See what I did there?!

When it cools down me and my sister will be doing that agility thing again and we get to run and jump and climb and tunnel and eat Pupperoni treats again. My sister will be in the same class this time too so we'll be racing each other. I think I will win though although my sister is clever and learns things more quickly than me. I just want my ball!

Me at agility last year and ready to start again in teh fall :-)

Even tough summer is hot, mum and dad have tried to take us out at the weekend and we've been to some lakes and done swimming. My sister doesn't swim much because it makes her hair frizzy,  but I look well cool with wet hair. I went to diving class too for a while and you should've seen me flying through the air! I did a few belly flops by mistake and my boy bits hurt sometimes, but I was so excited to run and jump and dive and swim that I didn't mind. Mum says she wants me to compete but I'm a little shy just in case I win and everybody looks at me.

Diving Lessons

At the Lake

Where we live, there is a park next to us and me and my sister roll in the grass lots and ewe go up and down the slide and have a really good play. There are some other dogs that live by us and they bark to tell us go away  but we bark back and I show then my Mohican to frighten them and I make myself look really scary....ggrrruuufff!

Because it's so hot sometimes, mum and dad bought us a swimming pool and even though wee can't really swim in it, it's ace lying down to cool off in the cold water. And the toys! Oh woof, the toys!  I've never had so many balls and teddies and squeakies and tuggy things!  It's really ace playing with them all at once and I can now fit a ball, a tuggy and a smiley in my mouth in one go at the same time. My sister is naughty though because she keeps pinching my toys and shredding them and pulling all the stuffing out. I have to tell her off and shake my toys at her to show how angry I am, but she just laughs because she's bigger than me.

Our swimming pool :-)

Another ace thing here is that we had a new truck and we can a stick our heads out of the roof. Sometimes me and my sister squash on the front seat together because it's so big but mum and dad don't let us stay there too long. They don't think there is enough room which is a silly because you could fit 5 dogs on the front seat easily.  What do humans know though? !

In our truck : )

Well I suppose that as it for now as my big toy doggy needs humping and it's been 3 days since I last snuggled him. I might write more often and then again I might not. Being a dog means such a busy schedule what with eat, sleep, walks and playing ball, but if I can I will be back soon.

I'm off now so qwqoof gruff woof and don't forget...balls are my fave toy and I love dentastix and bonios to maintain my doggy smile :) I will waggily accept deliveries,  any size accepted!

Yappy New Year

Gosh, this year has gone by so fast but me and my sister have had an absolutely brilliant time and I can't believe how much fun we've had. You can tell we've been good because me and my sister are more chubby than we were and our new coats that Santa brought for us last winter have had to be adjusted a bit - actually, in my sister's case, A LOT! She has this thing for rawhide chews and if she had her way she would eat them none stop forever - she even tries to pinch mine off me so I have to growl at her to back off. I don't actually like rawhide chews - do they even taste of anything? - but I would rather guard them in my bed and not eat them than let my sister guzzle them when they aren't even hers. 

We've done lots this year and mum has taken me on lots of runs with her, and even my sister has joined us sometimes when it hasn't been too far. We got to meet some new human friends called Glady and Michelle and we love running with them as they are such nice people and so friendly. They even asked Santa to bring us some new toys this year because they knew we were good dogs.

I've been up some mountains again this year and in the summer I went up a really good one called Jasper Mountain with mum. We did walk up rather than cheating and going in the cable car thing, and we got to meet lots of people on the top although we both said we would have preferred things if it had been quieter. I saw lots of little critters up there too and of course I wanted to chase them but mum wasn't too impressed with me dragging her all over the place!

We've been really outdoorsy this year which has been ace as we have got to act like proper dogs. We've been camping in a tent lots and lots and although I was scared about the bears and other big things out in the woods, my sister is so big that I knew she could protect me if needed - see, I'm only a little dog and my sister always looks after me when I feel frightened - even at the dog park. We did see some bears early in the year and we did try to bark at them to get them to go away, but thankfully they weren't too close and didn't come any closer so we didn't need to bark very loud at all really.

Mum and dad also introduced us to this game thing where we chase a plastic bag around a field and it moves really really fast and you have to sprint for ages to try and catch it. Everybody kept shouting "get the bunny" but it didn't look like a bunny. I got really really excited anyway, and barked all the way around and even though I am not really a pure whippet, I got top marks for being the "cleanest" dog there. I'm pretty certain they didn't mean clean clean because I was covered in dust and dried mud when all the others had had a bath and smelt like pretty flowers, but even so, I felt really proud to be told I was cleanest. My sister had a go at chasing the bunny too and even though she is a big girl, she did really well and she made me and mum and dad really proud. It was so much fun and really hope we get to go again next year.

With chasing bunnies around a field, we thought it would be ok to chase the bunnies around the Mahogany Wetland thing but mum and dad keep telling us off when we try to go after them, so we just eat their poo instead as it's the closest we can get to them - the bunny poo that is, not mum and dad's - that would be weird and quite frankly pretty disgusting.

Both mum and dad have started new jobs this year, and mum especially now comes home with the smell of about 20 dogs on her everyday. Me and my sister are not amused, as mum is turning in to a right trollop with all these other dogs she's mixing with. The good thing though is that mum says that she still loves us more than anything else in the world, so me and my sister feel much more comfortable with things. Because mum started the new job, me and my sister had to do some doggy training. We were really nervous about it as it meant we would have to meet with other dogs and humans that we didn't know and it took us out of our comfort thing. It was really snowy and cold too so we wore our coats and we felt a bit self conscious that the others would laugh at us. We had to do lots of sitting and walking and things, and then one day I got dragged to the front of the class with a complete stranger and had to demonstrate the sit stay. I was so nervous, I was shaking, I  was licking my lips and sending out all these signals but nobody came to rescue me, and then when I didn't understand the down word, I felt really stupid and embarrassed and felt that I had let mum and dad down. Both me and Brandy were also sent to the naughty step at our first lesson so I think they were just picking on us because they saw us as trouble makers when really we didn't know what we had to do because it was all new and stressful.

There have been big changes at home too. We used to have the run of the whole neighbourhood and had tons of space to run around in when mum and dad let us outside as we used to knock down the fence so we could go further. For some reason, mum and dad decided to put some wooden stuff up and now we can get under or over it and even when we try to body barge it, it is solid and won't budge. It means we now have to just run around in circles in the back garden instead, and because we can't see the neighbours dogs anymore we can only hear them, we have to jump at the fence and bark lots just to let them know we are still here and it is still our turf. Talking of turf, mum and dad put lots of lovely green grass down in the summer and it was ace going outside and having a tumble in it. They even put some trees in so I now have 2 piddle posts to choose from. My sister thought it would be funny to dig some holes, so she got told off by mum and dad and she went all sulky because she'd got dirt under her claws, even though it was her own fault.

Gosh, I hadn't realised we had done so much and there are lots of other things that we have done this year like swimming, rolling in mud, digging in the snow and things. Ah well, maybe another time I can tell you all about it.

I've gone really tired again now because mum's been at home today and we've been out walking with her and not had much sleep so now I'm going to bed because she has promised me a run with her and Michelle tomorrow and maybe my sister will be able to come too because it's only a little run and it won't be fast.

Night night everybody. I will post again soon I think :-)

Yappy Puppy Days

It's a sure sign I'm now 3 years old as I forgot all about this and can't believe that it's been so long since I last wrote anything on here, and it's been such an amazing year although ages ago I was beginning to wonder what it was going to be like.

At the start of the year, I heard that my best friend Jakey Boy had been killed by a cougar and I was really upset and very down for a long time. I used to love going around the lake and having a play and swim with him at Bragg Creek but his mum and dad moved away shortly afterwards and with no Jakey to play with, we haven't been out that way too much this year. Not only that, but I heard another little dog had been attacked shortly afterwards, so mum and dad were obviously worried about me because I'm only a little dog and so we stopped going until things calmed down.

Since then though I've got a new bestest friend and although I still think of Jakey sometimes when it's quiet and I'm alone, I'm finding that things have got even more bonkers since my new friend came along that those quiet times have become few and far between.

Brandy is my new friend and big sister - well, she's only one year old but she is soooo big. We moved house when the Easter Bunnies were out in force and that's when Brandy joined our pack. She was only little then, but as the days went by, she just kept getting bigger and bigger and now she sits on me to try and squash me just so she can pinch my toys whereas before she used to run under my belly because she was so small. She really is pretty though and we really protect each other when we go the doggy park and mum and dad say that we have bonded really well. 

I remember when she came along and she was such a girl. She didn't like mud or water, and she wanted a girlie pink sparkly collar and whilst she would still like to walk around with fairy wings fastened to her back (because she really IS girlie!), she's also a bit of a tom boy and likes a bit of rough and tumble. You should see her at the doggy park - I just keep myself to myself and play ball with mum and dad, but Brandy is always in the thick of it and is usually chasing after another dog's ball or being chased because she keeps stealing the other dogs' balls. She also does this body barge thing and pushes her bottom into them to knock them over, but she comes to me for protection when they bark or growl at her and I end up having to threaten them with my ball and shake my head at them to tell them off.

She also likes her food and sometimes I have to tell her off for trying to have my portion as well even though mum and dad give her a little bit more because she is bigger than me.

Brandy really is pretty so when we had a visit off my nana and grandad and then my uncle carl and kevin, I was so excited to introduce her to them but didn't want them to prefer her to me, or take her back to England as she's my sister now and nobody else can have her. Thankfully we were both treated equally and I was told I was still a handsome little chap and Brandy was told she was a pretty lady. We couldn't stop smiling and wagging our tails for days!

Me and my sister playing at the doggy park

This year I've done lots more running with mum and we have done lots of running in woods and on trails and a little bit in the mountains. I've always loved my running, but recently I've started to dribble because I get so excited, and I can't catch my breath in the first 5 minutes of running because I have to bark and tell everybody how happy and excited I am. We run around the lakes now and it's so good because we keep seeing lots of Jack Rabbit although I've also seen the big local coyote and I wouldn't want to cross him as he does look big and furry. It's been really good though as Brandy has done a few little runs with me and mum too, but it's obvious I am the lead dog as I just focus and look ahead whilst Brandy just stares up at the stars and mum has to keep reminding her to focus and move on.

Puppy cuddles and kisses for mum after a run

We've got some new collars and harnesses and they are nice to run with as they are more padded and it feels like I am more free as they are longer than the old ones and I really am leading the way. I wore mine for the first time at a race with mum recently, and I felt so smart in it and everybody commented on what a handsome boy I was. Even Brandy was told she looked pretty in hers when she ran with mum later the same day and we both look like professional huskies but without the big fur coats. I get so excited when I see mum get the harness and leads out of the cupboard now and I just know that we are off on some other running adventure and have to howl in excitement. Even Brandy has started to howl with me and it makes us all feel like we are a proper pack – its ace.

Me and mum with our medal

Me racing along the river with mum

It was my 3rd birthday recently and I had a new toy and some really posh dog biscuits. I thought that was it, but then mum surprised me and I went on a run somewhere with lots of other people. Well, I had to bark at them of course to let them know I had to be at the front, but when we got going, some of them thought they were faster than me so I had to go really fast to get ahead of them and dragged mum along with me. There were some pretty lights in a park that we saw,and when we stopped running it didn't feel like I'd been far enough so I encouraged mum to do some more and we ran in some deep snow for a bit longer. I was so happy and it really made it a good birthday - especially with dad been at home all day, and having a cuddle off Brandy once I'd done my run.

Now it is winter again, I have started to wear my coat and booties, and mum has made me wear a Buff thing on my neck to keep me a bit warmer. I don't know exactly how cold it has been but my whiskers have frozen lots recently, and a couple of weeks ago, my paws got so cold that I had to keep holding them up one at a time for mum to rub them to keep them warm. It's hard work in the snow as well as although I've got long legs, I am only a little dog, so although I love bounding through the deep stuff, sometimes I get buried in it so I really do have to bound to make sure I don't sink. It makes my tummy really cold sometimes and other parts that I can't really disclose on here because it sounds cheeky. For Christmas, I asked Santa for a new coat to keep my belly warm, and he brought me a Canadian Dog Arctic Explorer Jacket and it is really really good and really really warm. It’s red like mum’s and has a furry hood which is ace as it keeps my ears warm although it really tickles as well. Me and Brandy had some new toys too although my sister pinched my squeaky duck and started to pull the stuffing out and she’s already shredded her smiling octopus so mum and dad have told us no more toys – yeh right!

Ready to explore the arctic

I have got so much more to tell about my brilliant year - things like the new house which is so big that we can run round and not really need to go outside, or meeting the dogs next door who think they own our turf so we have to bark and tell them off, going on holiday to different places and staying in a log cabin, swimming in the rivers and lakes, walks with Brandy up her very first mountain, and so many other adventures, but I'm tired now and need to sleep as I've only had 17 hours so far today, but what I will say is that I really do feel like a lucky dog and I am so happy to have such a loving family around me :o)

Yappy New Year - Woof Woof!

There have been some nosy pups out there that have been curious as to what I’ve been up to over the past few weeks, and all I’ll say is that it’s been a dog’s life! 

First and foremost, I found a girlfriend :o) She’s a bit of a wild lady – I think mum and dad said she’s called Coyote or something which is a funny name but still. I met her late one night in the field when walking with dad, and she stopped and kind of barked at me. Well, I shook my toy bunny at her and barked back and she ran off but I’ve seen her a couple of times since although she is quite shy and doesn’t come too close. I saw her again when we went down to Fish Creek Park for a walk, and she was playing in the snow and I wanted to go and say hello but mum and dad shouted me back, so I looked on longingly from a distance.  I can smell her all the time when I’m out for a walk and she smells so different from any other dog I know, which makes her unique and I can’t wait to get to know her better if I’m allowed to.

Mum and dad are still on about getting me a friend so if I am a good boy, maybe Coyote will be allowed to move in with us although I’ve heard mention of lady huskies, border collies and retrievers, so I suppose I just have to wait and see what happens.

I’m also now officially a mature boy as I was 2 years old in December. I had an ace birthday as mum and dad let me watch Snow Dogs and I couldn't contain myself - I had to keep jumping up and barking at the telly and shaking my head every time the big huskies appeared on the screen. The telly is so big, I thought they were real dogs and I got all excited at the thought of playing with them, but then I felt stupid when mum and dad laughed at me. I got my own back though as it was dad's birthday too, and he had a stupid film about aliens or something called "Men in Black 3". Like a stupid human, he left it on the table when he was out with mum and I was curious to have a closer look and before I realised what I was doing, it was in my mouth and being shredded. I spat it out as it really wasn't very good, and it was in shreds - I howled with laughter as I knew how annoyed dad would be, but at least he wouldn't laugh at me again. It backfired though and he didn't get angry - he just started calling me names, some of which I'm too young to repeat on here!

Me and my brother Khayman

Now I am a big boy and no longer a puppy, mum has allowed me to be a proper whippet at last and takes me out for training runs. We’ve had some ace runs together and I’ve got up to a whopping 12 miles but didn’t feel tired at all, and so we spent another half an hour playing ball in the garden afterwards, but that just got me even more excited, so I ended up playing “Chase the Cat” in the house with Khayman instead. Khayman torments me and likes me to chase him, but he has nasty claws so I'm always wary as he's really grumpy sometimes when I catch him and punches me which hurts.

I know when mum is going out for a run as she puts on her smelly, scruffy shoes and her daft woolly hat, and I get all excited and jump around her. Then she puts my harness on and well, that’s it – I completely lose control and can’t keep still, howling and barking with excitement, and then we hit the street and I’m off, dragging mum behind me like I’m the one in control – it is so much fun! Mum lets me off the lead when she  can and I sprint off ahead of her before charging back at full pelt to see if I can knock her over with my body weight when I jump up at her in my excitement. I feel so free and I do get overly excited but I am a good boy when I go back on my lead, although I do have to bark at other dogs I see to let  them know how happy I am, which usually results in mum nearly falling over on the snow and ice, and scowling at me like I’ve been a naughty boy. I just smile back at her, giving her my Wilson grin and waggy tail, and she'll ruffle my head and call me a silly pup before we carry on.

We had a really good run the other day and I ran and ran and ran. Mum let me off the lead, it was cold and snowy but really sunny and I just couldn’t stop! Before I knew it, I’d lost mum and couldn’t see her and all I could hear were the ducks and geese on the river. Then I saw mum in the distance but I was on the wrong side of the frozen pond and I couldn’t get back to her as I knew ice could be dangerous. Mum was shouting me by then and I could tell that she was worried about me, so I ran all the way back around the pond to find her. I was so relieved to be back together, and she gave me a big puppy cuddle and I couldn’t stop kissing her and wagging my tail, and didn't leave her side after that.

Me and Jakey on Christmas Day

It’s been Christmas too, and I had an ace time as we had loads of snowy walks and also we went to see Jakey and had a play around the lake on Christmas Day. We tried to see who could find the deepest snow and the most mouses, and I won both because I’m not as tall as Jakey so the snow touched my belly despite my long legs, and because I am a good hunter and have a good sense of smell, I found the most mouses. We both had sausages and turkey for Christmas dinner, and Santa bought me some new toys including a new ball that I absolutely love and I can’t stop throwing it at mum and dad hoping they’ll play with me. I even take it to bed with me in case I wake up in the night and want to play.

Spud and Khayman – my two half brothers – also had stuff, but I didn’t see the point in a bunny having a full packet of carrot yoghurt drops all to himself so I merrily chomped through them, whilst Khayman never plays with his toys so I’ve now got loads of cat toys with little bells on them to keep me amused and to destroy. I know that I shouldn't have the bells, so I make sure mum and dad see me playing so they rip the bells off first and then I have a line of defense when they accuse me of damaging everything.

It went really cold over Christmas too and because my ears make me look like Dobby from Harry Potter, they got really cold and my hair stood on end. Mum and dad blamed it on me being part whippet, and whippets are usually skinny with very little hair, so they bought me new coat and some booties to stop my pads getting ice and snow in them and to prevent frost bite. If I say so myself, I look quite handsome in the coat as it’s a bright red colour and I really stand out, and it’s fleecy lined and really warm, and I feel all special when it’s wrapped around my belly to keep me warm. The booties are a different matter and when I first wore them, I felt stupid and lost all control of my feet, waddling around and slapping my feet down like a stupid frog or a duck or something. They felt weird and mum and dad laughed which made me get all embarrassed. But then I got used to wearing them and as I only wore them when going out to play, I didn’t mind them and now when I see them, I get all excited as I know we’re going out for a play. I do make my legs go all rigid though to make it harder for mum and dad to put them on my feet, and I secretly laugh when I see the frustration in their faces – revenge is sweet!

Me, my coat and my booties

It’s now 2013 and I am so excited that I have nearly been here a year and I haven’t had to go back to England on a big aeroplane all on my own again. I hated that, and have now decided that I no longer want to be a pilot when I grow up, but would much rather be a doggy of leisure but with the opportunity to train as a semi-professional ball and Kong chaser, both of which sound far more appealing. I’ve heard that we are moving house again in the next few weeks, but I have been assured that it’s only down the road, and I have been shown the new house and it is massive with lots of rooms and stairs to play on,and a big garden and lots of open space.  We went there the other day and I saw 3 jackrabbits running around nearby so I know there will be plenty of things to chase again when I move, and mum has said that we will still run and will go around the nature reserve when it opens, although I will probably have to stay on my lead because of all the animals there.

As I said at the start, it is indeed a dog’s life having so much fun, love and attention, but I guess one of us has to do it :o)

Wild Puppy Days

Being a dog is so exciting and for the past few weeks, I've had so much fun.

Dad got back from his trip to somewhere called Switzerland, and I was so excited to see him that my tail went out of control with all the wagging and I couldn't stop smiling at him. He obviously loves me more than mum as he brought back some new squeaky toys for me and I haven't stopped playing with them since. One of them was just like Snowman except that it had ears, so I ripped the ears off to avoid any confusion, and then pulled out some of the stuffing which was so much fun. The other is a squeaky lion and I love it so much that I take it with my every time I go out and shake my head at people whilst making it squeak which everybody finds really scary.  

My New Squeaky Lion

Dad only bought chocolate for mum and of course I knew she was going to share some with me, so pinched some off the kitchen worktop when she   wasn't looking. She also puts food up there for Smudge the cat and because he doesn't eat it straight away, I have to drag it off the worktop to eat it so that it doesn't go to waste. I keep getting told off, but I don't see the point in food going to waste and I don't want it when it's gone all dry and crusty.

I've been down to the doggy park quite alot this past couple of weeks and it's been ace. I love chasing my ball down there, but all the others dogs like my ball too so come charging in trying to pinch it off me. I'm so much faster than them though, so when mum and dad throw the ball for me and there are hundreds of other stupid dogs chasing after it, I'm way out in front and I feel so confident knowing they won't catch me. It's ace at the doggy park as there are doggy only beaches, so I go down to the beach and have a swim in the river. I'm quite a good swimmer and I enjoy a race with the other dogs, but the best part is being soggy wet and then rolling in the sand to get dry, which gets me absolutely filthy and then I look for a stupid human in light clothing to go and say hello to. Mum and dad are never impressed, but then humans really are thick and don't fully understand the needs of dogs.

Today I've been over to Bragg Creek to see my best friend  Jakey and we had a brilliant time chasing each other and having a wrestle. Then we had a squirrel chase and because I'm younger than Jakey, I can jump much higher and run alot faster but the squirrels always have a head start and just avoid me - one of these days I'll catch them!

Me and Jakey having a wrestle

We went for a walk around the lake again which I love, but I'm starting to get frightened when I go because there are funny smells that I don't recognise. I've heard mum and dad and Jakey's mum talking about mooses or something, and cougar. I think they meant mouses and big cats, but Jakey reckons that mooses and cougar shouldn't be treated lightly and it's made me wary. Jakey is so sure of himself and last week  when I saw him, he ran ahead and a big black thing was coming towards us so I barked a warning but Jakey went running in. I scarpered in the opposite direction and yelped a warning at Jakey, but then mum shouted me back so I knew it was safe and it was just some stupid female dog trying to show off so I growled and snapped at her and told her off for making me look stupid in front of my friend. She just wagged her tail at me and I think she was struggling to understand me - I still can't quite shake off my English accent, so when I say woof, it clearly means something else over here. Mum got a little annoyed at me and I didn't know why, so I just gave her my sheepish look and wagged my tail, which made her smile and then everything was ok again.

Sooo tired from all the running around :o)

I'm trying so hard to be a good boy at the moment, but sometimes I forget things and I get into mischief. I'm getting paranoid that mum and dad don't love me anymore as they are talking about "another dog". I have to keep cuddling up to them to let them know how much I love them, and they always seems happy when I do that and I feel safe, but I've caught them looking at pictures of other dogs. I've mentioned this to Jakey and he reckons they are trying to find me a new friend to help build my confidence and give me somebody to play with every day, that's closer to my age and will keep me company. I'm not sure though as I've got Smudge and Spud that I play with, although sometimes Spud will grunt at me (strange for a bunny!) and Smudge will hiss at me and try to punch me, and I think I may be too heavy pawed with them and get a bit carried away.

But I'm not going to worry too much as I am enjoying myself so much at the moment, and I know that mum and dad have lots of things planned over the next few weeks that mean I will be having lots more adventures.  The snow will be here soon too I think and I keep looking at my doggy coat and booties hanging up and can't wait to go out in them again like I did last February when I first came here - as I say, life as a dog is VERY exciting!

Mountains of New Toys.....or something.....

It's been a funny week as dad has been away and because i  know mum misses him, I get up to mischief because I know it makes her laugh. Trouble is, she thinks it's me seeking attention because I miss dad - humans are so stupid!

I got a new toy this week too, called Philly Monkey. Dad went to Philadelphia a few weeks ago and brought back this monkey for mum, but it was just sitting at the side of the bed, so thought I may as well make use of it. I ripped the eyes out as they were quite scary looking - and then I started throwing him around the house and having so much fun. Mum spotted me and I was scolded, but I know she didn't mean it, and when she wasn't watching me, I pinched Philly Monkey back and ran into the garden to play with him. He's much nicer than Snowman and Squeaky Squirrel, both of which I've now completed empted of stuffing and there is no longer any joy in playing with them as I can't make a mess.

Me guarding Philly Monkey so mum doesn't pinch him

I've had some ace walks this week too. It's been so hot but I never turn down a walk and I've been playing with Kong in the fields and down by the river. I went for a swim on Thursday and came out smelling fishy which promptly resulted in mum trying to put me in the bath to freshen up - she clearly doesn't understand a dog's need to disguise his BO - and she's supposed to be an experienced dog owner having owned dogs for years - yeh right.

I've been getting so hot when out walking that now when I get home, I climb into my dog bed and mum turns the hosepipe on to fill it up with water, and it's like my own doggy pool. It's ace and I love lying  in it for about 15 minutes to cool down before throwing myself around on the grass and then the carpet to dry off.

My doggy pool

Today has been the bestest day of the week though as I climbed my first mountain. I always know where I'm going so when mum got out of the car at the foot of this mountain I had never been to before, I saw that the path went up, so just followed it and dragged mum along with me. It was a bit rocky and my paws got a bit sore, but I loved being in the outdoors, loved all the weird and strange smells that I couldn't identify, and loved been out with mum who was so happy. It was a tough walk and it was so warm, and mum kept stopping to give me a drink and dousing of water to cool me down which I really appreciated. She seemed a little twitchy and kept going on about bears, but I knew there were no bears around and was more interested in chasing the squirrels in the trees, dragging mum along with me  so that she nearly fell over a couple of times. I found it funny, but she just kept scowling at me, and then laughing, so I wagged my tail and gave her to reliable Wilson look, resulting in my head being ruffled and me getting a kiss!

Walking up the mountain, there were some other dogs and I needed to tell them this was my turf. I had a bark and shook my head at them, and they didn't dare bark back at me as I looked so ferocious. All the humans were laughing and it must have been at the other stupid dogs for giving in so easily.

Me and mum got to the top of the mountain and I was disappointed to see that all the trees had now gone meaning no squirrels. Mum had a sandwich and gave me some cheese and a doggy biscuit, but I just wanted to get down to the trees again and pulled like mad once we set off again.

Me at the top of the mountain, and looking for squirrels

We got down that mountain in about half an hour we were going so fast. Mum kept stumbling as she couldn't keep up with me - I'm quite agile and with having 4 legs I can balance better, and I kept looking up at mum and laughing to myself  when I saw the exasperation on her face.

We are now back home and I am so tired. I tried to go to sleep when I got back, but Philly Monkey was teasing me so had a good hour running around the house with him, mum following and trying to get him off me. I'm exhausted now, but think I will have trouble sleeping as dad is back tomorrow, and I'm going to the doggy park for a walk and swim before fetching him from the airport.

I love days like today, and the weekend is only going to get better with dad being home, and I reckon I'll be off to see Jakey on Monday for some proper doggy play. Life is great :o)

A Puppy's Life so far...........

Hello!

My name is Wilson Granville Wilberforce - or Wilson Bilbo for short. I was born on 19th December 2012 in a little village just north of Congleton in Cheshire, England. My real dad is a lovely graceful placid brindle Whippet, whilst my real mum is a working Border Collie from Flash near to Buxton in Derbyshire. As you can see, as a young puppy, I looked just like them :o)

Me when I was 8 weeks old

I have 9 brothers and sisters but I don't remember them as we got split up when I was just 8 weeks old. What I do remember is that nobody wanted me, and out of 10 puppies, I was the last one to go. If I hadn't gone that night, I would now be living in the same village in an outdoor kennel, with my real dad, 2 Jack Russells and a load of ferrets, and would have been made to hunt rabbits for my dinner!

Thankfully my adopted mum and dad found me, fell in love with my cute stumpy body and baby blue eyes, and they were hooked on me :o)

After mum and dad fell in love with me, I was collected in a cardboard box and moved to Stoke in February 2011. I ended up with a big brother named Sammy, a thing with big claws and a grumpy face (I think it was called a "cat" or something), and two funny looking things that had big ears and hopped around and they looked just like the rabbits that the ferrets used to bring back.

Me and the big eared things

Being a Young Pup!

Life as a very young pup was very exciting and I was always up to mischief and getting dirty, usually with Sammy. Sam was much older than me but that didn't stop me pouncing on him and tormenting him. He used to try and hide in the spare bedroom, but I always found him and made him play with me in the garden.

Me and Sammy playing in the garden

We usually ended up playing in a big pile of mud or in a murky river where we used to play fight for sticks and balls, and if it wasn't that, I would grab hold of his tail and swing from it with my teeth, or run under his belly to see if I could make him fall over. Sammy used to play hide and seek with me, and he'd go into the spare bedroom to try and get away but I always found him asleep on the bed, so I'd jump up and nip him on the cheek with my needle sharp puppy teeth and he would sigh and groan and run away from me so I could chase him some more. At least I think that's what he wanted.

Me as a mucky pup!

Sammy disappeared one day - one minute he was there, the next he was gone, and mum and dad told me that he had gone to a place for good boys up in the sky - a place called Doggy Heaven or something. I didn't understand and thought they were stupid, but I did miss Sammy as he was always trying to teach me to be a good patient little dog, and to teach me some manners, but I never listened to him and now I miss his wise barks and calming nature. I know he got poorly and I used to lick him alot as I'd heard that dogs have healing powers in their tongues, but it didn't work and he just went.

I did lots of other things as a young pup - I went wild camping in the Lake District and protected my mum against big woolly smelly things trying to get in the tent - a growl from me and they soon bolted - and I used to go to Hanchurch Woods chasing the squirrels and things. 

Camping in the Lake District in mum's sleeping bag :o)

My Dadda keeping me warm at Hanchurch

I loved living in Stoke and knew that I owned the neighbourhood and all the other dogs used to turn away in fear when I barked and shook my head at them whilst holding my toy bunny in my mouth. Boy were they scared! 

Then mum and dad started talking about a new big adventure and I got excited. Apparently I was going to a big place called Canada, where there were lots of big dogs and other animals, and I got really excited and couldn't wait. It took 3 attempts flying across the sea for me to finally get to Canada properly and I love it here now. There were some things that I didn't like - I wet myself when I had to go to Dr Vet to have big needles stuck in me, and then I had to sit in a kennel in the dark for what seemed like hours and I really needed to go peepee poopoos, but I managed to hold it in until I saw mum and dad and then I wet myself anyway through all the excitement. I was so happy to see them again and couldn't wait to start my new life as an English dog living in Canada.

Life as a Canadian

Ok, I'm not really Canadian, but having met Jakey, my new best friend over here, he's taught me how to speak with a Canadian drawl and to blend in. I'm quite skinny and bald compared to the other dogs over here, and I'm tiny in comparison, but I've now got a doggy Canadian accent. Mum and dad can't tell the difference, but all the dogs here seem to understand me, so I must be doing ok. Jakey has also taught me proper doggy etiquette and rather than panicking and running away when a dog sniffs my bum, I stand my ground and let them get to know me better. I also now know that a waggy tail with bum in the air means playtime, and I am starting to behave more like a dog.

Jakey trying to teach me Canadian - "Woof" means "hello"

The only sad thing about being here is that my friend Bunny had to join Sammy in doggy heaven - except I think he went to Bunny Heaven but mum and dad said it's the same place. Me, Bunny and Spud were really good friends, and I miss Bunny, but Spud still lets me play with him and he doesn't grunt and charge at me like Bunny did.

I've now been living here for ages and I know why there was all the excitement about moving here. I love it  and feel so happy and healthy that my nose is continuously running, and everybody comments on what a nice looking dog I am! I've been mistaken for so many different breeds - the best one was an Irish Wolfhound which clearly I am not ;o) But I am frequently told that I am a grand looking dog, and I can see the pride on mum and dad's face.

Me looking like the handsome boy I am

It's so wild over here, and I've already chased deer and loads of squirrels, I've been swimming in massive lakes and rivers that are freezing cold but so refreshing on a hot day, I've been to the doggy park and met loads of other dogs, and I've experienced really deep snow that I absolutely love, and was so proud to wear my booties and coat in the early spring. 

Me and Dadda in the snow at Bragg Creek

I love my coat and booties - it can get very cold over here!

I've already had a bit of drama over here - I got spiked by a stick in my chest and it was touch and go whether I would pull through and uncertain what damage had been done. But I was ok - I'm a fighter and know that my mum and dad love me to bits and I try to be strong and brave for them - I love them so much and just want to be with them all the time.

So, that's me so far in a nutshell, but there will be lots more adventures to tell you about for those of you that are interested. I'm only 2 years old in December and I've already had some amazing adventures both in the UK and over here. I secretly opened a shop in Lake Louise just to get my feet under the table, and I'm now training for my pilots license so I can add more Air Miles to my account - flying across the Atlantic 3 times is worth alot you know.

My shop ;o)

I've got so many things planned and I'm so excited, I can't stop wagging my tail at the moment. Hopefully I'll have lots of stories to tell, and hopefully you won't be disappointed.