And finally the news from Beauclarke Mews!!

We are SO very sorry we have not blogged in ages...you know who to blame though eh? We have told Mum about making a New Year resolution to blog REGULARLY but don't hold out much hope. But Mum does have quite a bit going on at the moment folks. Both of her parents are not too good health wise and her Dad especially faces a New Year of daily radiotherapy and more chemotherapy so things have been a bit hectic for our Mum. Don't worry though fans, our Daddy had been brilliant looking after us all while Mum has been running around doing a great blue arsed fly impression. (We wanted to say headless chicken but Mum thought it might offend the vegetarians amongst us.)

And so on with the update from the past few months! Lilly is fully recovered from her bladder stones and apart from needing one more urine test this week sometime to make sure there are no crystals building up again, she is ok. What a year its been for her with the facial paralysis and the bladder stones! But she is still such a sweet girl and gets on with life in her own happy way. She LOVES rides in the car and Santa has bought her a pair of Doggles so she can have her head out of the window to her hearts content without Mum worrying about her getting anything in her eyes. (think of cavalier ears flying free in the wind and the theme tune to Titanic playing and you have a good idea of Lilly with her head out of the car window!)
LILLY ENJOYING HER 5TH BIRTHDAY CAKE (Dec 6th)

Charlie and Mum are now official Pets As Therapy volunteers and have been doing weekly visits at a local care home for the elderly for a few weeks now. Charlie loves all the fuss and attention and behaves impeccably. Mum wears her yellow Pets As Therapy T-shirt with pride and Charlie has his own uniform too. Anyone out there with a friendly dog should really think about having their dogs assessed to be P.A.T dogs and giving an hour of their time to this wonderful endeavour. It really is so very rewarding.

Mum had her Annual Winter Dog Show on December 4th and it was a great show too. There were 37 dogs in competition as well as a few along for a doggie day out. The funds raised went to Hounds For Heroes and a cheque was sent off to the value of £220. On December 17th there was the DY5 K9 Academy Christmas Pawty, Lilly and Charlie went along to represent the Beauclarke Bunch and had a lovely day. Those of us left back at the Mews didn't miss out though as the left overs found their way into our tummies. Oh, (whistful sigh), liver cake topped with cream cheese frosting and hotdog sausages is simply divine! The plan was to raise funds towards massive veterinary bills for a little Cavalier with hydrocephalus called Royston but sadly little Royston went to Rainbow Bridge earlier this month. The £120 raised will find its way to a deserving cause though. Little Royston we hope you are running proud and free at Rainbow Bridge, we will all see you there someday you brave little man.
CHARLIE AND LILLY ENJOY THEIR VERY OWN BISCUIT EATING GAME WHILE GUARDING THE MONEY TIN

And sadly Rainbow Bridge has claimed 2 more of our cat friends since we last blogged. First one of our stray cats friends, Bingo, was having problems breathing and so she went off to the vet. Sadly things were not looking good for her and Mum made the decision (in agreement with the vet) that it was time to say goodbye. Bingo was only a young cat and her loss came as a terrible shock, but in the end the right decision was made for her and her end was both dignified and peaceful. Then less than 2 weeks later, we had to say goodbye to Spike. Spike was special to us all because he was a cat that quite literally came in from the cold one icy February day some 11 years ago. He was so sick, full of fleas and ear mites and the tiniest little fully grown cat we had ever seen. (We called him Compact Cat too!) So Mum came home from work one day to find Spike snuggled up in Dad's arms and after a vet visit to sort out his problems and a short time in isolation so he did not pass on his respiratory tract infections he joined the Jezebell Cats. He was a gorgeous and friendly boy, his coat patten made him look like he was wearing a tuxedo, liking nothing better than a lap to snuggle on. Goodnight Spike, We all miss you so much. OUR HANDSOME BOY SPIKE
After such sad news we would like to end on a brighter note, and hopefully one that will culminate in more positive start to 2012 after the 'annus horribillis' (sorry Mrs Queen of England but the phrase just fits so well!) that 2011 turned out to be!! Drum roll please.........Pixie may be expecting pups! She came into season at the very end of November and went to meet her new 'husband' the rather grand Khatibi Angus Macoatup at Edenloch (Bailey to his friends). Lets just say they enjoyed each other's company and Pixie will be having a scan on January 11th to see if she is indeed expecting. There is a chance of all 4 colours in any litter that Bailey and Pixie would have, and Mum has decided that should we be blessed with pups in February, then the first born male will carry the name Beauclarke Royston The Brave in honour of little Royston Cavalier who lost his battle with his illness so recently. All we need is for Mother Nature to smile on us and of course we will let you know via the blog.

So to you all may we wish you a Very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful and Plentiful 2012.
PIXIE THE RED NOSED REINDEER

AND BUDDY CHRISTMAS

Poor baby girl Lilly

Poor baby girl Lilly is once again at the vets having yet more invasive surgery. She has been having problem peeing for a while and has recently become incontinent. dipstick tests have shown blood in her urine and walk have become horrendous with her stopping every few feet and straining to pee. The urine was spun to check for crystals but nothing showed up. So today she has gone in for an x-ray and has a bladder full of calculi (large stones). Too large to be flushed out and so she will need a cystotomy to remove them. Lilly must be going for the record number of problems in one year!! The surgery itself is fairly straightforward and has relatively few complications (thankfully for you know what our luck is like!!) so she should be her old self in a few days. The stones will need analysing to see what they're made up of and it may be that she will need a special diet to prevent stones forming again. We'll keep you posted.

The BEST news

Just had a phone call from delighted puppy owners to tell me that the Cavalier Puppy stolen on Thursday has been returned safe and well. A happy ending!
Those of you who have dogs of your own, give them an extra hug tonight.

STOLEN PUPPY

STOLEN from West Bromwich B70 on 25.08.11. King Charles Cavalier Puppy, male, 16 weeks, red/white, MICROCHIPPED. Attached is a still from CCTV footage of the theft. If you recognise the thieves or know where the pup is please contact K9 Search UK in the strictest confidence or alternatively contact West Midlands Police (West Bromwich).

This little chap has a medical condition requiring surgery and needs to come home...
PLEASE psot this on your Facebook pages and send to everyone in your e-mail contacts. Lets see if we can't get this little fella home where he belongs...EVERY LITTLE HELPS

Farewell Felix

Very sadly we have to report that we have had to say a fond farewell to Felix Cat. He was a little over 12 and lost his battle with FIP on Saturday 20th August. He was gently put to sleep and gave Mum one last head rub before he slipped away. Felix enjoyed a short show career and won the Best in Show Household Pet accolade on several occasions, his show career ended prematurely when we were diagnosed with FIP in our cat colony. He was a huge boy before his illness robbed him of his size and weight, but his personality remained as large as ever. One of his favourite pass times was drinking from a running tap and he would miaow constantly until someone turned the tap on for him. He will be missed. Goodnight Felix, sleep peacefully and we will see you at Rainbow Bridge.

Not wishing to end on a sad note, Mum took Pixie and Lilly along to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club Show in Worcester today, both were entered but not for competition. It was a very very hot day most of it spent queueing for heart and eye testing, but it was all worth it as Pixie was clear of both heart and eye problems and has the certificates to prove it. So we are one step closer to becoming an accredited breeder! All we need now is Pixie to have her next season and to get together with her 'fella' so we will have a litter to register! Watch this space.....

The Northern Newfoundland Club Fun Day

As you may know, our Charlie goes to regular Hydrotherapy with Jacqui Woodhall at Bearhugs Hydrotherapy. Jacqui owns, works and breeds Newfoundlands and is heavily involved in all aspects of the breed. She is Membership Secretary for the Northern Newfoundland Club (NNC) and was involved in organising a Fun Day held at Chasewater near Cannock on Saturday 13th August 2011. For a change Mum had the day off from her Training Empire (hehehehehehehe)and so roped Dad into going along with Lilly and Charlie. Mum and Dad would have liked to have taken us all along but just decided on taking 2 of us, Charlie had to go as he is Jacqui's Honorary Newfie and Lilly because she LOVES going out in the car. The plan was to enter Charlie in a couple of classes in the Companion Dog Show...but in the event Mum entered them both!!! Here are some pictures and clips of their day.... Lilly and Charlie wait their turn in the show ring
Lilly looking lovely
Charlie asks if there is a pinkest tongue competition
Lilly wants to enter it too
Practising their cute look for the judge
Charlie perfects his just in time for his first class - Handsomest Dog
And here he is taking 3rd place in Handsomest Dog

Lilly enters Prettiest Bitch

And takes 4th in a large class!!

Charlie WINS waggiest tail!

Lilly is thrilled and wants to get in the ring to congratulate him

And here they both are taking 4th place in the 'Dog the judge would most like to take home' class....look out for next weeks foray to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club show......

Getting up to date!

Well hello again Dog Bloggers! Very sorry we have been away for awhile again! (Blame Mum....always blame Mum!!) But we do have some things to share with you and some pictures and video clips to make up for us not blogging for awhile (again....MUM!!!) We are still waiting on the go-ahead from Pets As Therapy to begin visiting. They did warn us that the wheels of a charity run slowly and so it could be up to 12 weeks, but one of Mum's referees is on holiday at the moment so that could well be holding things up. Charlie is looking forward to his debut and can't wait to tell you all about it! Pixie continued on with her phantom pregnancy and mum decided to step in and get her to the vet to make sure there were no puppies. A thorough investigation and examination ensued and she was declared not pregnant and so she had to have some medicine to make sure stop the phantom pregnancy. Mum gave her the first dose and all was well until she came in from the garden a few hours later with this in her mouth.............

Mum and Dad almost had a heart attack! At first glance they thought she had a dead puppy in her mouth! As it turns out it was a chunk of Spookie Cat's fur (Spookie will NOT be groomed under any circumstances and is better off left to moult naturally, because she is long haired she moults like a camel!) Since this escapade Pixie has been good as gold!

Here are a few piccys and clips for you......

Charlie free swims at Bearhugs Hydrotherapy


Penny looks guilty and her devil horns are on display (look at the top of her head!)


Who shot Penny Pyewacket????


And who shot Louis?????


And Felix the cat!!!!!?????!!!!!!

Charlie, Lilly & Pixie's news

Well, only Buddy, Penny and Louis have escaped having something to blog about this time!

We'll begin with Charlie who had his assessment for Pets As Therapy this morning. Mum is SOOOOOO proud of him. He was just BRILLIANT, no, PERFECT in fact. Not one negative thing on his report! But it was almost a disaster thanks to mum's bad planning. His assessment was over in Shirley near Solihull where Mum used to live 20 odd years ago. Its been a very long time since Mum had been over that way and so she forgot that the 17 or so miles to the place takes over an hour to travel to. She allowed and hour and 15 minutes just in case, and time for a quick run and pee in the park.....except the traffic was AWFUL and there were roadworks everywhere and it was pouring with rain so the run in the park turned into a lead dash on a grass verge...where Charlie decide to forage in the long grass and came out GREEN! Covered form head to toe in a million billion grass seeds! DISASTER!!!!!! So back in the car and a quick brush at every traffic light and traffic queue for the remaining few miles!!! But we arrived with seconds to spare and time for a thorough brushing to turn his coat a beautiful flowing Ruby again! There will be grass growing in Mum's car for ever though!! Soooo many seeds! So, the assessment went VERY well indeed. We will be sending in all the forms today and have a wait of up to 12 weeks for them to be processed and the final judgement to be received.

Lilly has yet another problem, poor love! Now she had a huge abscess on her bum which has burst and left a monster of a hole. She's on 2 types pain killers and 2 different antibiotics. She is being a very good patient for Mum when she has to clean out the wound.

And Pixie is being a monster! She's decided to have a phantom pregnancy! She has been nesting for the past week and has taken to 'mothering' a green rubber crocodile!!!

More news of Lilly

Hello dog blog followers.....

We hope you are all healthy and happy this fine July day.

Our beautiful Lilly is having yet more problems. We noticed that her recall has become almost non-existent, unless she is looking at you, and she doesn't wake up even if you yell and drop things by her. The only way to wake her is to touch her and then she jolts awake. So off she went to see the vet today and he confirmed she is deaf. Also he checked her eyes and her 'good' eye has a cataract on it and he's surprised she has any vision in that eye as he can't see back to the retina with the opthalmascope. Lilly seems happy enough and is plodding along as usual. That's our brave big sister for you.



Our other news is that Charlie has his PAT assessment on July 21st so wish us all the best of luck for then. Mum has mentioned his 'thing' for having his lead in his mouth but the assessor doesn't think that will be a great problem.

We have to say a big thank you to Charlie's hydro therapist, Jacqui from Bear Hugs, who planted the seed in Mum's head and for the lovely comment in her recent e-mail saying
'Who wouldn't want our web footed wonder to visit them and make them smile'
She's exactly right! Charlie has whispered a poem to mum too about his swimming expertise......

My name is Captain Charlie Beau
I'm Captain of THE boat
I can swim for miles and miles,
While other dogs just float.

I practise all my swimming strokes
In water deep and blue
You can join me if you like
But I'm way faster than you!

I still refuse to chase the duck
That Jacqui likes to squeak
I prefer to swim and swim
I can't wait for next week....

I don't like the pesky jets
That make the water swirl
I prefer the languid strokes..
Just watch my silky fur curl
As I swim away the miles
With Jacqui close behind
I could stay in here all day...
I wonder if she'd mind?

An update on Lilly and Penny surpasses herself in the naughtiness stakes.

Welcome one and all to our Blog. Its very very hot here already today at 8am we have 30 degrees C recorded on our thermometer! TOOOOOOOO HHHOOOTTTTTT! Already we are lying flat out under the ceiling fans and trying not to melt. Lilly is doing ok. She is no better really and still has a lopsided smile, but her appetite is back with a vengeance now she has learnt to cope with just one side of her mouth working. We have ruled out any ear disease as when she shakes her head she doesn't fall over, often dogs with vestibular disease will shake their head and loose their balance. So we are still none the wiser as to the cause of her facial paralysis but Lilly is coping really well and we are less worried about her now. Buddy has developed a lump near his 'armpit' area, the vet thinks this is possibly a swollen lymph node. We are keeping an eye on it. Buddy sees the vet every 4 weeks in any case when he has his allergy injection, so the lump will be monitored. Penny surpassed herself with naughtiness the other day. We were all in the living room having our morning treats (pork luncheon meat and Markies) and Penny had rather unusually disappeared into the hallway and was very quiet. Dad rolled her Markie out into the hallway for her and was concerned when Pixie went trotting out and came back in with Penny's Markie. This is what he found....... Penny in her cheekiness has raided Dad's work bag and stolen the swiss roll cake he was saving for his lunch break at work!!! We know Penny has a sweet tooth and you have seen evidence of her bin raids...but this really does take the biscuit...or should that be cake??....... Other news is that Mum is applying for PAT (Pets as Therapy) dog status for Charlie and hopes, if he passes his assessment, to be able to visit local hospitals, the local hospice and care homes with him to help bring a little joy to those people there. Charlie is such a loving boy so full of the joy of life, just being around him you can't help but smile. His lust for life in quite infectious. Also on June 19th Mum held her Summer Fun Dog Show. Pictures can be found at www.puppy-dog-training.co.uk. The event was very well attended with 87 dogs entered in the 25 classes. The weather was overcast and windy..but dry ...and so the show was held outside on the playing fields right outside the Community centre. The event raised £554 in all which went to DogA.I.D and some towards treatment for Royston the Cavalier with hydrocephalus (Lizzies Barn) And so we leave you with Lilly, Louis and Charlie in a perfect pose.... and the Jezebel Cats teasing Pixie who like to play chase with them...please excuse the muddy doors..with 24 muddy paws in and out we gave up trying to keep it clean!!

Lilly cav and Poppy cat

Helloooo blog followers. We begin today with the sad news that we said goodbye yesterday to our cat friend Poppy. She was a noisy little creature and we will miss hearing her telling mum and dad off for not being quick enough getting her food to her. Night night little Poppy cat. We all miss you XXXXXXX



Our big sister Lilly is also not very well, if you have time, please send some healing thoughts her way to help try to make her better. It all began a few weeks ago when she seemed very stiff getting up so mum and dad took her to the vets and rather than her legs being stiff (she has had surgery on both knees for luxating patellae) the vet said it was her back that was hurting her, so we began some pain killers and cartrophen injections. Then she had a REALLY poorly tummy, so the pain killers were stopped. Then about 10 days ago the right side of Lilly's face became paralysed and her head tilted to the side. So off to the vet she went again. The vets opinion echoed mums'. It could be something as simple as a middle ear infection, or as serious as a tumour or Syringomyelia (SM). Hmmmmm. Lilly was booked for an MRI scan. Lilly has had her scan and a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)was taken. She has a huge bald patch on her neck where they shaved the fur to take the sample. The interim report from the scan has revealed glue ear both sides, an inflammed facial nerve and meninges (brain coverings) on the right, evidence of an old brain injury possibly a clot of some kind on the right side (although none of have have any idea what this could be)and perhaps most worryingly that she has mild Chiari Malformation (CM). And this is the INTERIM!!!! Mum is dreading the full report! For those of you who don't have Cavaliers, SM is becoming worryingly common and is the most awful disease. I won't go into detail here but you can find lots of very informative articles about Cavalier health in general on the website www.cavalierhealth.org. In a tiny nutshell SM results from the Cavalier's brain being too large for its skull. So for Lilly, there is the possibility that her problem are related to meningitis. But we won't know for sure until we have the CSF results back and the full MRI report. In the meantime Lilly is not eating and sleeping a lot. We will keep you updated.

There have been some brighter moments since we last blogged... Here is a rather gulity looking Penny after raiding the bin for her Dad's apple pie....



Our beautiful Lilly before she became unwell...



Charlie perfecting his 'cute' look.


Lilly and Penny adopt their usual sleeping position...


And more sleeping positions....


And finally, a Patient Pixie Peruses a Pork Pie!!

The end of the Beauclarke Puppy Diary

Oh dear! Sadly the Beauclarke Puppy Diary has come to an abrupt end. Despite quite liking her rather gorgeous boyfriend, Pixie decided that there was not enough wining and dining, flowers or chocolates for the relationship to fully develop this time around. However she was very happy to snuggle up with him when she thought no-one was looking. So this time there will be no pups. She will be going back to see him again possibly later this year, but more likely in a years time. Obviously it all depends on timings of her season and when pups will be born, I have to be sure that I am around for her and the pups as much as possible. I will only be working 10 hours a week over 3 days the next academic year, but in the past I have missed a litter of kittens being born despite coming home every hour when she was due, I WILL NOT repeat that mistake again! I nearly lost one of the babies who was breech and ended up down the back of the sofa cushions, I found him bruised, stone cold and gasping his last breaths, luckily I did manage to revive him, thanks to the expert telephone help of a very good friend (that's you Heather!) but he was slightly brain damaged as a result. And so, Beauclarke Pups 2011 are now not going to happen.....watch this space for developments this time next year though!!

In the meantime Pixie is back home and snuggled up on her favourite chair again, chasing the cats to her hearts content and having a good old bark with Louis....when she came back home, bless him, Louis brought her a half chewed cow's hoof as a present!! Usually he's stealing stuff off her not bringing her gifts!! but he came over and gently placed it down in front of her nose! Soooo sweet!

Charlie has to go and see Uncle Steve the vet on Monday as his hydrotherapist's report mentioned his 'good' knee 'popping' and so the vet wants to check it over to make sure its not in need of surgery....here we go again!!! In the meantime Charlie's stint as 'Captain of the Boat' has seen him loose 1kg in weight as well as putting on 4.5cm (cm NOT mm) around his thigh muscle! (No wonder the weight loss has been slower than I expected if he's gained that much muscle mass!! I don't know about Captain of the Boat...more like Popeye!!) We are continuing his hydro for another 10 weeks just because he loves it so much! Charlie Beau the water-baby!

We'll keep you updated of Charlie's progress.

Woofs and licks The Beauclarke Bunch

Replies to posted comments

I am glad that people are enjoying the blog, I am enjoying writing it...I just wish we had more time to put paws to keyboard!!

In terms of Pixie's health checks....the plan was to have her MRI'd but the decision to mate her on this season kind of crept up on me! That said it is not a decision I have taken lightly or without thought, and this mating has been several years in the planning process (way before Pixie was even a twinkle in her mum's eye!!) IF I decide to breed from her again (chances are if all is well with her conception, pregnancy and birth this time, and that she enjoys being a mum, then I will) she will be MRI'd before her next litter. I feel it is paramount that only the healthiest dogs are used for breeding to eradicate and reduce as far as possible the inherent problems in this wonderful breed. As far as possible I have checked the health histories of parents, grandparents and other litters to ensure that as far as I can tell, Pixie is free from any hereditary conditions and the risk to her babies will be minimal. Of course there are no guarantees as genes can be fickle things and it is very much luck of the draw as to which genes are expressed in a particular puppy. (I am one of these sad individuals who will sit pondering punnet squares to determine possible outcome of coat colours!) In fact in my 'day job' as a part time lecturer in health & social care I get my students to look at Cavalier coat colours when teaching them about genetics!! (Far more fun than the usual things like babies eye colour!!) I am responsible for bringing these new doggie lives into the world and I take that responsibility VERY seriously and will do all I can to ensure that Pixies pup's will be as healthy as possible. They will be much loved, well socialised and well trained before they leave me and their mum to begin their own stories....

Louis birthday, Beauclarke Puppy Diary part 3 and Cavs doing what they do best

Louis reached the grand old age of 2 on Friday May 6th. As usual the event was celebrated with chocolate treats, chicken and a specially baked liver cake. The birthday boy is as handsome as ever and still running around like a puppy - well at least he was until his sister went on 'holiday'....Pixie went to stay with her boyfriend on Saturday morning. Stanley's photos really do not do him justice, he is far more handsome in the flesh than his photos show. He is the same size as Pixie and they took a liking to each other right away. Pixie is not quite ready to declare her undying love at the moment though and so will stay a few days to get to know him better!! (The reality is that she is likely a late developer in terms of her heat cycle, and ovulation has not yet occurred, until it does she will keep Stanley at arms length) She is ruling the roost at her 'holiday' home and has made herself comfortable on the laps of Stanley's family finding it much harder than I thought having her away from us. I knew I would miss her, she is such a larger than life character and a real love bug, but its like I've lost a limb! There was a huge space vacant on the bed next to me last night and I didn't like it one bit! Louis is REALLY missing her and so is Charlie. Taking the dogs out for a walk this morning was a really subdued affair without Pixie tormenting them all, and Louis was actively searching for her when we were out going to all the usual places....I can't wait to get her home, but must be patient. One thing is certain, if we are blessed with a successful mating, the resulting puppies will be STUNNERS..I don't say this just because Pixie is my baby girl, but because its a fact! As I hope you will all be able to see as the blog progresses! But in the meantime, here is a short video clip of Penny and Lilly taken today, doing what Cavaliers do best!
And here are Charlie and Louis looking glum missing their baby sister. Mark was soooo impressed with this footage of an electrical storm he took on Friday evening that he insisted I publish it on the blog, so in the interests of a harmonious marriage here it is....(be patient, the exciting bit is towards the end!!)

Beauclarke Puppy Diary Part 2

Pixie went for her booster vaccination today and saw a different vet, she was much calmer today and has received a second very clean bill of health, so its all systems go for Saturday's trip to see her boyfriend. In the meantime Charlie continues his hydrotherapy and here is a video clip of him enjoy his free-swim sessions....he's such a natural!!!

Beauclarke Puppy Diary Part 1.

Today Pixie has been to see our vet for an 'in season check' and letter confirming she is fit for going to stud. Apart from Pixie deciding that she doesn't like Uncle Steve much and wriggling the whole time, she has come out with a clean bill of health. Her heart is fine, temperature normal and no sign of any problems with her hips or knees. Tomorrow she goes for her booster vaccination and then it is all systems go for going to see her boyfriend on Saturday. I have checked my whelping kit and all is in good order, except I have had to order some new milk formula as my original stock goes out of date this month. I have also ordered plenty of good quality puppy food for Pixie to eat during her pregnancy and for the pups to be weaned on when they are ready.

If all goes well on Saturday and Pixie and Stanley like each, then an ultrasound examination will be booked for 4-5 weeks after that to confirm a pregnancy. I am not sure I will be able to contain myself during the wait but providing Mother Nature smiles on Pixie and myself we will have cause to celebrate her future motherhood in early-mid July.

I plan to record all events in the form of diary entries which will find their way onto our blog. I do not plan to photograph or video the mating or the birth, some things are meant to remain very special and very private, but there will be pictures of Stanley and Pixie playing together (taken by Stanley's owner Sue) and pictures to chart Pixie's stages of pregnancy and of course (providing all goes well) pictures of the puppies as they grow and develop.

So for now I shall leave you with a photo of the prospective mum-to-be (middle) with her 'brothers' Louis (left) and Charlie (right).

Wish us luck on our exciting journey.

Update on life the universe and everything

Buddy Bear had his 8th Birthday on April 14th and Charlie was 2 on 26th April (Louis is next on May 10th). Despite our diets mum gave us a proper birthday feast! We had yummy chicken livers, meaty bones, lamb, chicken and liver cake topped with cream cheese and of course a scrummy birthday chocolate each! Mum rocks!!! Here is Charlie enjoying his birthday duck!!
Pixie is in season again and has a boyfriend lined up for next weekend. He is a rather lovely black and tan boy by the name of Stanley. Here he is She is going to meet him on Saturday to see if they like each other. She hopes he has flowers and chocolates waiting for her...or failing that.... he likes a good game of chase and will share his toys! We think Pixie is part Greyhound she is soooo fast when running, either that or she is made from Ferrari engine parts! Charlie is still LOVING his swimming and doesn't need to wear any floatation aids at all, he swims nearly a full hour with just one or two short rests. Mum will try and remember to get some video for you all to see him looking so lovely in the water and showing off his swimming skills. He is doing very well on his diet and has lost a whole kilo now. (That's 1000g or 2.2 lbs in old money!) He enjoys his swimming sooo much that mum says he can have another course of 11 swims straight after this one. We want to win the lottery so we can all have our very own swimming pool!!

Charlie's Progress

We're handing over to mum this time so she can tell you all about our brudder Charlie...and probably Crufts too!






Charlie is doing REALLY well with his weight loss. As you can see he has started swimming again, this time at a different pool where the lady gets in the pool with him and he gets to have a fab time! She breeds and works Newfoundlands and was so impressed with Charlie's steady swimming action that she says he can be an honorary Newfie! An honour indeed if you know what wonderful and brave rescue dogs Newfies can be! Many a human life saved by this bold and beautiful breed.

Charlie's weight loss has now topped 650g....not much you might think but an excellent step in the right direction. As he can build up his swim time (he did 35 minutes last week), we are hoping that the weight loss will continue in leaps and bounds. I've certainly begun to notice a difference when I have to carry him upstairs. He remains a happy chappie and my beautiful big boy!

The rest of the Beauclarke Bunch are doing well, Buddy took a tumble over the wood the other day but seems none the worse for wear, Louis is his usual barky self as is Pixie who keeps us amused with her crazy antics bouncing around the place...and the other girls, Penny and Lilly remain their usual stately selves!




The highlight of the doggy calendar came around again last week with the annual Crufts dog show held over 4 days at the NEC in Birmingham. I went along on Day 1 for the Gundogs and Day 4 for the Toys. This is the first year I have done 2 days at the event and have to say it was much better doing it this way round. More time to see everything and also plenty time for shopping!! Next year it will be Day 1 (Toy) and Day 2 (Gundog) for me, I wonder if 2 days in a row will see me off!!! I'd better start my Crufts 2012 savings fund going now!
Here is Pixie sporting her free Continental Airlines towel (from their stand at Crufts)...she wants to be their mascot!!




My oldest human child is 18 today so I had better begin some decorating for her to come home too from college!

More soon.......

A birthday, a bath day and Charlie's leg.

Well, so much for Mum promising to Blog weekly! We knew she wouldn't manage it! But to be fair she is not lazing around doing nothing and has lots to keep her busy.

One of the things she is working on is a children's story featuring us, The Beauclarke Bunch, but mainly about a magical spaniel (of the Cavalier variety ...goes with out saying!)at the moment called Spangle....but Spangle might become Dizzy....So far our lovely dearly departed Golden Retriever sister Ellie Bear has a mention as does Lilly, famous for her snoring, and some of the Jezebell Cats, but we'll all end up on there somewhere with Spangle, or Dizzy or whatever he ends up being called! Charlie and Pixie are modelling for Spangle and Dad is doing the illustrations for Mum's book. Here's on of the illustrations..... Dad's GOOD!!!




Annnyyyywaaayyy, the birthday was Pixie's. Princess Pixie of Beauclarke is now the grand old age of 1. We celebrated with some nice bones and a special doggie chocolate each. There are no doggie birthdays in March but we have 2 coming up in April. The Busdter will be 8 and Charlie will be 2.




Speaking of Charlie, he has been back under the knife again with his leg. He is still having problems walking and limps very badly, so the vet had him in to see what was going on in the joint as his knee is very stable after his original surgery. A new set of X-rays showed up a piece of bone floating around so the vet opened him up to take a look and remove it.....but as our usual luck goes, the bone wasn't free floating in the joint but is embedded in his tendon which is massively swollen. Its too risky to start poking around in the tendon to find the bit of bone as this could easily rupture the tendon. If his tendon ruptures he would most probably loose his leg, if he looses his leg he would have to be put to sleep because he would not cope on 3 legs as he's such a chunky boy (If it came to it mum would buy him wheels rather than loose her boy just because he likes his bones and had 3 legs!)



So he is on a serious diet...in fact all of us Beauclarke Bunch are on a serious diet! We get bones once a week and chicken or liver once a week, but other than that its a diet food for us....actually it tastes OK and we all will eat it. Mum has been hand feeding us so she knows that we are all getting the right amount each. Charlie has lost 300g in a month...it might not sound like much but he can't exercise fully yet, as he needs to rest the tendon. Mum is taking him back to hydrotherapy again this week, so I'm sure he will tell you more.

And today, mum made all us Cavaliers have baths!! Buddy gets away with it becasue he's too big for mum to lift up! Us Cavs had very muddy paws and tummies, so mum trimmed out feet and coats a bit yesterday and made us all have a bath today. Mum says she not sure that we are any cleaner...but we are much wetter as you can see..!!