Poorly Pippa

Happy New Year everypup. I hope you all had lovely holidays or howlidays if that is how you bark. Not that I ever bark, apart from when it is breakfast time, but it is always more of a Ha-Roooooo than anything else. Today it was a Haroo followed by a RUFF!

Now I like to do a review of the past year. Misery does one on her blog so I should get to do one as well I think. But as I've not posted much this year there is nothing to review. Sad Pippadog.

Instead I shall tell you about my poorlinesses. I didn't tell you when I was very poorly, but I am feeling better enough now to say a little bit. But not much, Misery can write vast boring reams about it on her blog for anyone interested in techy detail. Or in this case, ticky detail. Haha!! I hope Ammy likes my joke.

Last month I was feeling a bit listless, but one day, I really couldn't be bothered to go anywhere. I didn't even want to go down the stairs to go out in the mornings. Not even to chase cats.

Poorly me on my sofa


Master and Misery were so concerned that she even got out of bed early, and they bundled me into my Land Rover before 8am and we shot off to see my nice vet, Pedro. I had only seen him the previous week for my jabs and I seemed ok then.

Pedro gently felt me, and said I had some pain. Clever Pedro. While I was lying on the floor with my head flopped in Master's hands, Pedro and his assistant took some blood from my front paw (just like Skye had at her vet's), and then they cut some of my toenails.

We had to go back in a couple of days time for the results of the blood test but in the meantime, Pedro gave Misery some painkillers for me. Previcox. I can recommend those to everypup. They are chewy and taste of caramel and smoke.

My cocktail cabinet


When we went back to see Pedro I was already feeling a bit better, but he gave me some more painkillers, and some new tablets. I wasn't very keen on those, they don't taste nice. They were called doxycyclin. He hadn't got all the test results through but he told Misery I needed one of each every day. A couple of days later he emailed us and said that the test for erlichia canis was positive. I had very high readings of this and Misery had to double the dose of the little yellow doxycyclin tablets for me.

I have erlichiosis. It is a nasty tick disease. I will say no more except that I am still eating those nasty tablets for the next few weeks to try and get rid of the horrid organism and its effects. I will let you know when Misery writes about it, and you can read all the ticky detail then.

Not having my photo taken. Don't like nasty tablets


Here is something more interesting. We all went geocatzing to Comares before I was poorly. Master and I decided to admire the view while Mistress was sent off to hunt for the geocache. Master thought there might be catz near the castle so that's why we didn't go. I must say that puzzled me, I thought the whole point of these expeditions was to find catz. Geocatz or otherwise.

Here I am standing and thoughtfully sending out radar to detect nearby catz


Yes! I found one. I would have had him too but Master didn't want to go diving under the car with me. So we set off back for my Landy to avoid anymore catz. But on the way down, I found another one and nearly had him too. Mistress didn't find her cache. I found two catz but didn't get them. I think my expedition was the most successful though.

[They went back on New Year's Day without me and found the real cache. Master did anyway, Misery was her usual useless self. She reported back that there were no catz around - huh, a likely tale]

Back in Gib again and feeling better after my tabs.

One of my nice Christmas cards with doggies on


Looking for my friends - the monkeys

My corner

Let's be clear. This is my corner. Not my only corner because all corners are mine. But when I bark my corner, I mean mine, not someone else's.

Someone who is trying to grow spinach. And do I care about that? No.

So it is not important if I lie on, or at the very least, put my delicate little patitas all over the spinach bed.

My new raincoat and other stuffs

I have a raincoat.

Those pups on Facebook will know this, but others of you who are not addicted to that silly website will not.

Misery ordered it from the Internet from doggiecoats.co.uk. It is olive green (Master insisted on that to match the Land Rover) and has a nice warm lining too.

But when it arrived it didn't rain so we couldn't try it out. I couldn't see much point in wearing it in the flat even though Misery seemed to think it was a good idea.

One evening we all went out for my walk and it started spotting. I didn't have my coat on. What is the point of having a coat if persons don't put it on for one and then it starts to rain? Huh?

Since then we have had torrential rain. Misery put her paw, I mean foot, down very firmly and has insisted I am coated whether it is raining or not. I am still not sure whether I like wearing a coat though. But at least I don't get half as wet as I did. And some people we have met have told me I look very smart.

Getting ready


Out. In the rain.


Master and I with our bare wet legs


Water everywhere. Wet pavements. Wet people. Wet Pippa.


A couple of other snippets.

I received an award the other day/week/month from the lovely Islay. Remember Charlie from Australia who left us on Anzac Day for the Bridge? Charlie's person has jumped halfway across the world and been taken on by Collie pup Islay. Islay is a Scottish Island in the Hebrides which Misery assures me is very beautiful and has lots of nice single malt whisky. Whatever that may be.

Islay has given me the Versatile Blogger Award. Perhaps that is because sometimes I blog and sometimes I don't. So therefore I must be versatile. Anyway, seven things about me....

1 I have a new dog coat
2 I don't like going out in the rain
3 I like chasing cats
4 I like to eat my breakfast on the sofa
5 I am a cross husky/GSD (I think)
5 I found Master and Misery on the streets of Spain
7 i love toast (you all know that but I thought it was so important I would mention it again)





And the last thing I want to write happens to be from something we saw on Facebook last night. Normally I would not be writing about Facebook, because I am sure I would be busier on my blog without silly Facebook, but we read a link that Khyra had posted, and thought it was worth repeating.

Facebook dog linky thing

Every year, millions of people consider adopting shelter dogs or cats, but many don’t follow through because they assume there’s something wrong with shelter pets.
Those of us who share our lives with adopted and rescued pets …. know that shelters and rescue groups are full of great pets – dogs with one ear up and one ear down, senior dogs content to cuddle on the sofa and watch TV with you, and frisky young kittens with a passionate interest in your computer keyboard.

Er, ~I think we will ignore that reference to pesky kittens, but otherwise anything that alerts people to the fact that rescue dogs are as adorable as me is worth doing. So we posted a linky on FB, and here is another one. Only a day late too, quite good for me. Happy December pups and lets hope some more shelter pups are rescued this month.

Girlfriends - yet another take

I was thinking about all my lovely girlfriends the other day. As my older pals (in terms of been reading my blog for some time, not in years) know, I was quite the dog about the Internet a few years ago, happily seeking girlfriends all over the place.

Being a happy-go-lucky sort of dog, if they were pretty and nice, I would invariably ask them to be my girlfriend. I lost count when I acquired more than 20. Didn't matter if they were big or small, pure bred or crossed, rescue dogs or from distinguished kennels, if they were happy to be my girlfriend, I was happy too.

Naturally being a husky/GSD cross I asked lots of huskies and a few GSDs. Some of those young huskies were little minxes though and went gallivanting off with younger pups leaving me in the lurch. Well I would have been had I not had a zillion other girlfriends to soothe my aching heart.

But some of my older girlfriends were much more faithful and remained by my side. The lovely Ammy at Ao4 of course, who faithfully comments on my infrequent posts or one of the pack does, Randi the cross Lab/Newf, even Sophie La Flirtador who sent me a note on FB the other week telling me she still loves me. Ah!! Sigh!!

Then there were the ones who looked a little bit like me - Misty who fostered at the Stoutino Inn, and Mati, who looked after handsome Rockstar. Some of my earliest and smallest girlfriends were Bella from Aus, and dachsies Roxie and Lorenza.

And I have to mention my first GSD girlfriend - Guinness also from the Stoutino Inn, but Guinness has gone to the bridge. I was very sad about that. Two other lovely girlfriends are no longer here but they are still in my heart, Kelsey Ann (Kapp Pack), and Tasha - who was Eva's older sister. Eva was also my girlfriend at one point, but that was before the young and handsome Brice bounced onto the scene. Pretty much like Ethel of the long legs and pointy teeth who suddenly fell in love with her new bro look-a-like, Oscar.

Back to GSDs, I added the lovely Lola Smiles to my list. Not sure if I ever asked her, but she is so gorgeous I just swoon at her beautiful face. And the equally lovely Narra from Tracing Lucky Skies is another GSD heartstopper.

OK, who does that leave? Penny of course, the beautiful boxer from Jackman Ave who had probably as many beaux as Sophie La Flirtador, but still accepted me as one of them. And my exotic girlfriends in Asia - Jazz and Dixie in Japan, and the lovely Cleopatra in Malaysia.

I really thought I was getting a bit long in the tooth for a new girlfriend but how could a dog resist the lovely Skye from Moondance Huskies? Well I couldn't.

Now the reason for reminding you all of my long list of long-suffering girlfriends is because I have become rather close to one in my village who lives near my finca in Spain.

She is - or was - a street dog like me and was rescued by our wonderful Swedish neighbour who lives just down the street. Ms Swedish has taken in lots and lots of homeless dogs and cats and is a fine person with a very big heart.

I don't know what my girlfriend is called. Sometimes she is behind the gate so Misery goes to say hello to her (Misery thinks my girlfriend likes her but we all know she is only interested in ME). But if I am very lucky, she is sometimes out to play and she comes to give me kisses. Isn't she gorgeous? :)

Oh and that other pesky little pup is her street bro. He was also adopted by Ms Swedish as they were wandering around together. He thinks he is her protector but she just nips him and tells him to go away when I am around. Exactly the sort of assertive girlfriend one wants I think.

I still love the rest of you too though. Of course. xx


Here she is, telling that little pest what to do


And again


I'm in on the action here, see that assertive paw on that silly little dog's back from her?


Oh what a flirt!!


Isn't she lovely?


And a side view


Here is that pest again. What is he poised to do now?

Facebook friends

Master and Misery went to see my Facebook friend Fiona.

She is my Facebook friend too so I don't see why I couldn't have gone as well.

I would have been very good and nice to the dog who lived in her hotel, and just really lay around and gone to sleep. Pretty much like I usually do.

But I had to stay at home. So here I am thinking of my friend Fiona and wishing I had got to see her. I would have given her a big Pippahug, or at least a Pippapaw to shake.



And here is where she was staying up in the mountains in Andalucia in Spain. It was a cloudy day. I hope she had a nice holiday and maybe if she comes back I might get to see her too.

My poor darling Misery (she is my darling of course because she has just fed me so therefore I love her very much. Well, I did just before I was fed) has been so stressed that she didn't realise for days that our camera was not stolen. It was in a different bag to the stuff that was stolen.

It is past its best (as are lots of us) but anyway, I have retrieved some piccies for you all. Well, not many really, but something of our last trip.

And you can see why, when we are all in the back, drinking water and eating our sandwiches, that the world and their dog could sneak into the front.

So Top Pippa Tip - never ever leave your front doors open and go round the back even when you have a super dog like me with you. After all, water and sandwiches are more interesting than thieves.

Never leave anything at all - make sure to lock it up, or take it with you. Master and Misery should know better as they have been doing this sort of stuff for years, but everyone gets it wrong sometimes. They did. Don't let it be you next time.

Heh! I sound like a public service advert.



Ah, this one is when they snuck down the beach without ME! And look there is a special doggy seat to give us all a shower. I am not sure that is a good idea.

Not the best picnic ever

Misery has told me that sometimes, our pawsome thoughts just don't work out. I am sorry to say that Blaze went to the Rainbow Bridge in spite of all our thoughts and love for him. Thanks to Mango who left a message to let me know while I was off line. We send all our love to Joan and Skye and all the other Moondance Huskies.

I was going to post a nice photo of me in the back of my Landy when we stopped for a picnic break on our way to Spain. But as some of you know via Misery's FB page, on our picnic break coming back down to Gib, someone stole our bags with the camera and the iPhone and all our money and passports - even mine!! - and ID, and bank cards and all the rest of it.

It wasn't my fault. I am not a guard dog, and I was happily drinking water and chatting to Misery in the back while it happened. You see, there is a screen between the back and the front, and there are no windows in the side, so Misery didn't see the bad people who snuck into the front of the vehicle. She thought she heard something but when she hopped out and looked around there was no-one.

So here I am, just before we left for Spain, on the toast hunt.







I think Misery needs to get us a new camera, so I can post some new pictures of me though.

Blaze

This post is for my friend Blaze.

Blaze lives with my beautiful girlfriend Skye. I think Blaze is exceedingly handsome. He looks like me. Jake and Just Harry think he looks like me too. Not that I say he is handsome because he looks like me, well, OK, maybe I think that a little teeny bit. Beautiful Misty looked like me too, and Mati and Rockstar, and even Canyon looks similar, and nearly all the OP Pack - except for Phantom - look like bits of me as well.

Back to Blaze. He has been poorly for a few days, and Skye and Joan have been updating us on their FB pages. (You can see why I am in love with Skye - she is savvy enough to have her own FB page, as well as being stunningly beautiful. As are all my girlfriends, I add hastily.) Anyway, poor Blaze has been having problems with his pee pees, so we have all been sending lots of good wishes and keeping our paws crossed. And hopefully he is on the mend, as he managed to pee at the vets the other day. All over the floor. What a good dog.

Us dogs need to pee lots you know. But we are still keeping our paws crossed for him until we hear he is 100 or maybe 200%. Please send him your good thoughts too.

You can see a piccy of blaze on the Moondance Huskies blog post here. Well actually you can see his tail and his back legs but they still look like mine.

Updated to add - Skye has now written a super post with lots more pix of Blaze on their blog - here.

Thinking about Blaze


Master and I sending our Power of the Paw thoughts to Blaze


Get better as quickly as poss Blaze, and Skye, look after him please.

The Tardis

My Landy has turned into a Tardis methinks.

Well it transports me all over the place and time just seems to disappear and jump forwards so that is perhaps right.

But this certainly looks different.

Where is my sofa and all my windows?

Huh.

Still a picnic stop is always welcome, whatever the Tardis.







And speaking of food, here I am resting my head in my tin. Waiting for it to refill as we all do. I wonder if any pup has ever been successful with the automatic refilling tin?

My new Superchef

I have a confession. I have promoted Misery Mistress to the position of Super Chef de Cuisine.

Or something like that. So the reason is, much as I love master, he was not very imaginative with my food. After all I am not in prison, and a dog needs tasty goodies with his food, not just boring old biscuits and water.

Misery, on the other hand, cooks delicious pies, lasagna, casseroles and all manner of wonderful smelling things. And I need more of those tasties in my dog dish.

I decided to leave the odd biscuit in my tin as a subtle message.

'Master,' said Misery, 'Pippa needs tastier food.' Yes, Misery, of course I do.

She surprisingly quickly swung into action, and stock suddenly appeared with my every meal. Very nice stock I must say, low salt organic vegetarian stock no less. Much nicer than boring old water. I have another tin that is always full of water anyway.

Extra large portions of lasagna were made, and pie, and casserole, and every other type of goodie.

My food suddenly became gourmet quality. This is what a dog needs. Not the same tedious old stuff day after day. Some tasty extras on top of my biscuits, and that delicious stock to go with it.

Right now there is a pea pilao on the go, so there had better be some for me for my breakfast.

But in case anyone thinks I love Misery more just because she does a bit of cooking, here are some pix of me and my very favourite Master.