Pets on the Settee

I have noticed that at Easter you humans like to have a day out on the Easter Sunday or Bank Holiday Monday. Pepsi the Westie (one of my many chums) had a day out at her beach hut. Lots of people go past the hut, stop and give her plenty of attention, which she loves. Everyone gives Pepsi a fuss and loves to stop, and some people even know her name. Is there a dog you see on your walk that you always stop and say hello to? I would love to know.You probably make a special little dog feel as if they have a very waggy tail indeed.

So what did we do over Easter while Pepsi was lapping up fuss at the seaside? I’ll tell you what – not much! Poor Mummy has been working terribly hard and needed some R&R (that’s Rest & Relaxation you know) so she took it easy at home. Of course we had my walkies, but Mummy had some time with her feet up (though up where I don’t know when I looked they were on the footstool) with a glass of that whining stuff you humans like. She had a few dozes and frankly so did I, all nice and cosy at Mummy’s feet. It was a very enjoyable Easter indeed. We had some tasty food.Well, I say ‘we’ but mainly it was Mummy as I only had my choccy dog treats. Mummy had some Simnel Cake. I wondered who Simnel was, and if he knew Mummy had his cake but turns out it was a traditional cake that girls in service made for their mums to give to them on Mothering Sunday, and it was traditionally eaten on Easter Sunday. How interesting! Do you have any facts like that which you could share with me? I thought I might collect facts, like I collect handbags.

I haven’t mentioned the cat next door for a while. He is, I’m afraid, still living next door and he still sits on the wheelie bin staring at me getting right on my nerves. I popped my head outside the back door to see if he had any facts for me. He did. He said never eat yellow snow.What? I don’t know what he means! Why would I eat snow, it’s jolly cold, and snow isn’t yellow, it’s white! And anyway, that wasn’t a fact it was a tip! I insisted he gave me another. He said I should get back to my silly column. Oh, he really is difficult, isn’t he! I wonder if his tummy smells of wheely bins, what with all the hours he sits on his. I bet he’s right whiffy.

Actually, he scared me during the winter. I looked out the back door one day when it was really snowy and frosty, and I saw a grey bundle of fluff frozen solid on top of the wheely bin. I could see little tufty bits of solid furry bits sticking up like matches. It looked very cold, and was very still. I gave a little yelp, and turned round and ran into the house and through the kitchen scattering doormats and dog bowls as I went. Mummy, I woofed, mummy, mummy, quickly!! As much as I dislike the silly cat next door I was horrified to think it was frozen to the top of the wheely bin. Mummy heard my woofing and came rushing through. I bravely clasped the sleeve of her new cashmere sweater in my teeth and pulled at it as hard as I could. She must have felt my anguish as she wailed with horror too and together we ran through the kitchen, me keeping a firm grip on the sweater sleeve. I got Mummy to open the door, and I ran out to the wheely bin – woof, woof, woof! To cut the embarrassing bit out, the frozen grey bundle on top of the wheely bin was Mummy’s old cashmere sweater. When she got a new one at Christmas, she had thrown out the old one muttering something about stretched sleeves.The cat next door probably fashioned it into a shape roughly the size he is, and left it there to scare me into thinking he was dead.Well, it nearly worked!

So from a very chilly tale (and tail) to a warm one. It is becoming more summery isn’t it, now the clocks are back? I know it’s not quite flip-flop wearing weather yet but with the buds on the fruit trees and the snowdrops gone, we are heading towards summer. I don’t like to get too hot, but I like to feel the sun on my nose and feel my fur all warm and soft.The warmth of the sun does good things to arthritic bones like mine.The warmer weather really does put a spring in your step doesn’t it!

With summer comes holidays. Pepsi is going to Scotland on a cottage holiday. She is really looking forward to it, and has promised me some pictures so you can all see her enjoying the Scottish countryside and coast. As she points out, she is from the West Highlands so she is expecting to see lots of other Westies and possibly recognise a few of them as her long lost rellies. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her Mummy said she came from a breeder in deepest Lincolnshire. She’s no more Scottish than I am - bless her.

I have mentioned Tilly before, the Jack Russell Terrier who lives near Pepsi. She had puppies you know – gorgeous! One is completely white, with two brown eyes. She looks like she is wearing a bandit’s mask.When she was a tiny puppy her eyes looked as if she had fallen asleep without taking off her mascara. Tilly had five puppies, two boys and three girls. Gorgeous. And there are nine black Labrador puppies next door to Pepsi!

Have you had puppies in your house, or have you recently got a new puppy or a young dog from a rescue centre? I would love to know. I would love to hear if you have been on a doggie friendly holiday too. I'd love your facts too, for my collection. Do write. Lots of love and shiny coats,

Carrie xxx