Harry and the strange lead day

A strange thing happened the other day. Harry and me were out walking when we realised we had lost Harry's lead (leash in US parlance).

I asked a couple with their dog if they had seen a red lead.

They said they had not, but they too had lost their dog lead and were looking for it, and they'd never ever lost a dog lead before. (I must admit we have, several times.)

Later that day my wife went to a friend's house where there were two dogs near each other tethered with leads. A little while later the dogs were heard and seen bounding round the house. Both had managed to chew through each other's lead.

Harry gets groomed at Honey Bottom Kennels

We drove Harry down to Honey Bottom Kennels, between Steventon and Hanney, for his annual strip and trim. Being a border terrier most of his old fur just pulls out this time of year to reveal the newer sleeker Harry underneath. He now looks very smart.

Harry and The Football

Harry will very soon ruin a good football but while a football lasts it provides Harry lots of fun and games. We got Harry this ball for £1 a couple of days ago, and he never tires of playing with it - as the video shows.

Harry and the lost dogs' toy

Harry started today by eating Pushkin's special diet food - prescribed for cats with overactive thyroid gland. I don't think it did him any harm. I just cut back on his Baker's dog food as an antidote.

Harry then went for a walk over the other side of the River Thames, chasing sticks, until we came across a lost and broken dogs' toy. It looked up with sad entreating eyes saying "Be my friend! Play with me!"

But Harry just looked the other way.

I'm sure there will be other dogs that will be interested.

Harry's take on the anti Dog Crap Campaign

Ugly notices have appeared all along the Back Street saying "Area Under Surveillance - £50 penalty for dog fouling."

Most dog owners are very conscientious in picking up their own dog's crap nowadays. But apparently there is one particular dog owner that is letting the side down.
 
There is a BBC Radio 4 programme called The Manifesto where people came up with ideas to make their area better. When it came from Bridport in Dorset last week the second favorite idea was "anybody walking a dog should pick up any dog crap they pass."

Don't let your felllow creatures down. Clear up after yourself. Worse thing is the plastic that comes with alcohol cans. I have seen it strangling a duck.

Harry Flying

This picture of Harry was taken just before he put his paw on the ejector button by mistake.

Harry on snow, sulking, ironing boards, and slimming

There was unexpected snow last Sunday and again today.

My wife has started trying to do joint dog walks with a friend, but noticed that Harry has started sulking when they spend a long time talking together. My wife wonders if this could be an old age thing. I think sulking is more a babyish thing.

Our daughter returned home this week bringing her kitten cat. The ironing board causes Harry to worry at the best of times, but this morning the kitten cat tried leaping onto the ironing board, and knocked it over. The kitten cat ran upstairs and Harry crept very very slowly out of the kitchen, at half his normal height, with tail between legs.

On her return, our daughter said that Harry must have been slimming. But he has not been on a deliberate diet. I think we are all looking slimmer since she was last here - at Christmas.