Canine Chaos

Having been away for a few years I have missed having pets. I was born into a family with at least two dogs, sometimes we’ve had as many as 7 or 8 and that doesn’t include when there have been puppies. Then the whole house is filled with dogs.


Unfortunately I found out that I am allergic to dogs. Being born into a home filled them must have meant I built up a resistance pretty quickly. In my absence that resistance has diminished, so no matter how much I love the dogs, their hairs drive me potty.

Over the past few days I’ve been left in charge of 5 of the 6 dogs, which means I have to get up early in the morning to let them out and feed them, they also have to be walked whatever the weather and that’s not fun in the rain (wellies must be worn). It goes to show that however much I love the dogs, I do like the lack of responsibility. Plus, I’ve not been around for much of their training, I have no idea if they will obey me on walks, it wouldn’t be fun to let my mum know I’ve lost one of her animals. So far they’ve been rather good, or I’ve been overly paranoid and not letting them out of my sight. Some of them won’t leave my side, but I’m not worried about them, it’s the ones who I’ve not succeeded in bribing into behaving!

Anyway, I thought I’d introduce the hooligans…


Wren is the oldest of the lot at 11 years old, but is still perky and jumps about. But the old age thing is happening, if she doesn’t want to do what she’s told, then she won’t, she’ll pretend to be deaf. She’s a sweet black lab and at least a grandmother who will put the younger ones in their place if she feels the need.


Lia is a completely loopy golden retriever, she’s very loving but totally over the top. She’ll retrieve your arm because she can’t find anything else to bring you as a present and is rather enthusiastic when she does so, but it is out of love. Or so I keep telling myself.


Sedge is an absolute sweetheart, she is always carrying something from a tiny scrap of paper to her dog bowl. If she doesn’t have anything to carry, she’s not a happy bunny. Sedge does wonders for the wood pile in winter as she retrieves a stick, branch or some piece of wood on every walk. She’s also the most protective of people, she’s the guard dog of the house and is totally devoted to everyone once she gets to know them.


Puzzle is a darling too, he seems to be able to jump twice his height, which can be daunting when he jumps up at people! But he also a big softie, he adores attention and will snuggle up with you for hours on end, he’s also happy to just lie at your feet as long as he knows you’re there and he’s not being left out.


Tag tries to be a macho dog, but fails completely. He’ll melt at your feet if he thinks you’re going to give him a stroke. He lies there belly up, begging for more, then tries to put the other dogs in their place, it doesn’t work!


Moss is the baby of the family, she’s just turned one and gets away with murder, well getting away with stuff the other dogs would be told off for. But that’s the advantage of being the youngest. She also just wants to do what will please people, but she knows who her boss is and will push the boundaries with other people. This means that I have little control over her and just hope for the best, I’m still working on the bribery part…