Right so I just came across this on FB and it moved me to post here becuase I have a problem - but first read on.
 
"Ten Things Your Dog Would Tell You....
1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be painful: remember that before you get me.  
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3. Place your trust  in me- it is crucial to my well being.
4. Do not be angry at me for long, and do not
lock me up as punishment.
5. You have your work, your entertainment,and your friends. I only have you.
6. Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don't understands your words, I understand your voice when it is speaking to me. 
7. Be aware that how ever you treat me, I will never forget.
8. Remember before you hit me that I have teeth that could easily hurt you, but I choose not to bite you because I love you.
9. Before you scold me for being uncooperative,obstinate,or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I might not be getting the right food, or I have been out too long, or my heart is getting too old and weak.
10. Take care of me when I get old; you too will grow old. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say: "I cannot  bear to watch" or "Let it happen in my absence." Everything is easier for me if  you are there, even my death.
Remember that I love you."

(Right this is me now) OK so I applaud the sentiment of being kind and treating your dog(s) with respect etc., but dogs are NOT people!!!! I cannot get along with the notion that animals with such basic cognitive abilities can 'love' in any human sense. Once we go down that road the next step is to see them as humans in lots of other ways - for example to see their short lives as tragic and something we must fix because it is an injustice, etc., etc.. For me it's quite straightforward; dogs benefit from contact with considerate and rational humans because they get easy access to food and shelter, which makes their lives easy. As pack animals they of course develop relationships. They are, after all, extremely close - genetically speaking - to their ancestral wolves and they follow the rules of pack life, not some constructed human ideal of 'loving' one another in the way that one person may feel about others. Human love is outside of their ability or comprehension.
What do you think?

Life really does seem to get in the way of blogging sometimes, doesn't it? Anyway, since I have neglected the site for a while I thought I would post a selection, nay a compendium of photos from some recent walks with the pooches. Both the dogs are a little quiet today - Buckley has been off his food for a few days and Bosco has today shown some sigsn of a digestive upset (I'll leave you to use your imagination to do the rest) while on the walk. As I type both are lying at my feet and gently drying off after a rainy wander through the forest.

I hate it when one or both of them is not 100%, but I am also a believer in minimizing medical (and therefore chemical) intervention unless really necessary. If Buckley is not better tomorrow it will have to be a visit to the vets to sort it out because he is showing signs of losing weight now. Both dogs are tremedously fit and typically carry no extra weight so after a few days off their food it begins to show. Of course with them moulting/shedding their winter coats it constitutes an extra strain on their systems. Poor little guys! Fingers crossed it will pass and they can be back firing on all cylinders again very soon.

In the meantime, some more pictures as promised:

Meet our new friend, Brendan the slug...one of many we meet on our walks...

I have now added a 'Pin it' button to the 'About' page - please take a trip there (it's just a click of the mouse after all) and 'Pin' the site! More pictures coming very soon....Leo