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In the recent wet weather we put Jazz into her Equafleece for the first time this autumn. It was about two inches too short so her bottom got rather wet. We should have realised the problem- we bought them when she was 9 months old and she's grown a bit since then! We've just got her two new...

Jazz was violently sick on her walk yesterday, and spent the rest of the day retching. We did the usual rice/chicken/boiled egg regime, but she want interested. The real worry was that she wasnt drinking which could be serious in a heat wave. Normally we wouldnt bother the vet with tummy...

Jazz was spayed this morning. We brought her home about 20 minutes ago and she’s now dozing in her basket. We're keeping her in the living room so life will feel as normal as possible. All her exciting toys have been hidden but we've left some of her chews around. For at least the next two...

Some good news for those living near the Forest of Dean. The cafe at Beechenhurst has been refurbished and reopened this week. Best of all its now dog friendly. We tried it out today and the food is just as good as before. The room on the right of the counter is for dogs. They’ve put a wood...

Jazz joined our family today. The three hour drive home went smoothly, and she's settled in quite well. Her first hour has been spent exploring her new home and playing in the garden with all her toys. She's finally collapsed so I have a few minutes to post this. More later.

At the weekend we went to see a litter of cockapoos and have chosen a puppy. She's a white cockapoo with black ears. Like Holly, she was not pushy with her littermates but holds her own in the rough and tumble of puppy play. Her name will be Jazz, or Jazzmyn when she's naughty! Mum is an F2...

While we're between dogs OH and I have been visiting Coffi Lab in Monmouth for our elevenses. The Coffi Lab theme is a coffee shop which is built around dog friendliness, so they have dog drinks and snacks on the menu as well as human ones. The aisles are wide so there is space for the dogs to...

Its almost a year since we lost Holly. After she died Ruth and I decided that we’d donate future royalties from her two books to dog charities. Last night we donated the 2023 royalties to Forest of Dean Dog Rescue. They foster and rehome dogs who are abandoned in the Forest, including bitches...

Some of the SW pack members will remember Ted, our next-door neighbours black Lab. Ted and Holly were great pals and created their share of mayhem together, often visiting in each others houses and gardens (whether invited or not!) Yesterday we learned that Ted has cancer. It's not clear how...

It's 8 months since we lost Holly and the house is awfully quiet. We're missing our daily walks, plays, snuggles and the general silliness that goes with sharing a house with a Lab. Over the last few weeks we've been talking about getting another Lab but are unsure about whether to get a puppy...

We've just received a lovely bunch of flowers from our forum friends. At a time like this its very reassuring to know that so many people remember Holly and the special place she held in our hearts. Thank you all for your kindness.

Holly died peacefully this morning. Ruth and I were holding and stroking her as she slipped away. Her heart condition had been stable for over two months but she started a rapid downhill slide on Boxing day. A vet visit on Tuesday tried to stabilise her again. This morning we took the...

I thought we'd have a nice quiet game. I had this image in my mind of my loving Labrador and I lying on the floor. Between us would be three plastic tubs with a nice treat under one of them. My attentive dog would watch me mix them up then gently overturn the right one with her nose and eat...

Holly's friends will know her as a gentle soul with a love of all-day country walks and muddy wallows, founding member of the SW pack, and as the author of two dog-walking books. It looks like her walking career is over. During the hot weather she was panting on her early morning walks. We...

It's been a crazy academic year. All my students are now busy preparing for exams and panicking to get assignments submitted so the email deluge has reduced to a trickle. My 'problem student' has formally withdrawn from the course. The Covid rules have stopped changing and been withdrawn so I...

My lovely gentle mudloving swimaholic is 9 today. This morning we‘re going for a long romp in the woods. She can get as dirty as she likes today as we’ll come back via a pond. I’ll be sneaking a couple of biscuits into my bag for a doggy picnic, and nice treats for a big game of seek!

Holly’s had a very confusing week. Today we had new carpets fitted for the lounge, dining room, stairs and landing. We spent this week moving furniture around, which upset Holly a bit. She dislikes change and is a real creature of habit. Yesterday I took up all the carpet, so we had bare...

Eight years ago the lovely Holly came into our lives. She looked so lost in her bed found the whole thing very strange.

I'm trying to create ebook versions of the 'Holly's Walks' books for Amazon. I can convert them to KPF files for Kindle very easily, but they don't seem to want to convert to Epub. There is a work-around but it will take a lot of effort. Before I go any further - do people want an Epub...

Holly's just had her annual checkup. She appears to be in good shape, and has lost a bit of weight (down to 26kg). Her perfect weight is about 27kg so we'll increasing her food slightly to arrest the weight loss. I can't see her objecting to slightly more food! The only minor issue is a skin...