I am very sorry that it has been so very very long since I posted an update but I have been very busy having very exciting time. Here's the deal: how about if I tell you all about my adventures since I last posted and show you all the photos and then my Nanny can tell you about what is happening to me? Brill. That way I get the good job :o)
First of all, Mango and Mika had their birthdays. I think it was about when I last posted so I can't remember if I told you or not. Them lucky cats had sossidges and we did not have ANY! Not fair I say. Anyway, the big gingers reached 2 years old and Nanny says that it is a miracle they've made it this far because they are very very norty.
Nanny told some of her friends in the internet about how I get very cold sometimes and can't make myself warm again very easily and so some of her lovely friends sent me presents to keep me warm!
These were from Amy who works with the Oldies Club that Bear came from. The lovely red one her mum knitted especially for me!
And this one came from Nanny's friend Helen's friend. It was very comfy and I have worn it lots and lots.
The next exciting that happened was that I went on my first ever holiday!!! Sophie's Nanny and Grumpy had gone on holiday to Cornwall and we went to stay with them in their caravan for a few days. Flora was not happy because she was still not allowed out of the crate and so she was not allowed to run around on the beach with me and Bran (I think she was very lucky because the beach is horrible! It is cold and wet and windy and it is funny to walk on. Bran seemed to think it was the best thing ever though so I don't know what Flora thinks of it!).
This was my other new coat that my Auntie Nettie knitted specially for me too. She usually knits coats for dogs what are greyhound size so this was something very new for her. It kept me nice and warm when it was blowy in Cornwall.
I found out what hot chocolate tastes like for the first time! I liked it!!
I did sunbathing with my Grumpy.
And we went for lots of walks. Well. Some of the walks were a bit too far for my little legs so I went for lots of carries.
Not long after we came back from Cornwall (back to the lovely warm house!), Flora had to go back to Langford Hospital and see the special doctor who did her operation to see if she was all better and the special man said that she was and that she didn't have to stay in her crate any more and that she could go for walks and play in the garden and everything!! Nanny said that she ran out and jumped straight into the car without having to use her ramp.
When she came home she did celebrations in the garden with Bran like this....
Because she had only ever been in her crate since I came to live here, we had not ever been able to play together so we had lots of making up to do!!
A little boy like me managed to win at tug with a great big girl like Flora!! How funny!!
I even managed to beat her up at wrestling!
The best thing about having a big sister though, is that they are great to snuggle with xx
My mummy and Jacob have been playing with lots of friends in our house: some I have met before but lots of them were new and I gave them all kisses and made them fall in love with me. Mwahahahaha!! Jacob stayed at Tom's house quite a lot as well so he's been away for long times.
I got to go to my first ever party and it was coooooooooooool!!! Nanny's friend Jenny was having a birthday party and it was something to do with rock music. I dunno what that is but everybody dressed up in strange clothes and painted their faces and wore jangly things in their ears and around their necks and wrists and then there were LOTS of people and very loud music. First of all, I was a bit frightened, but I got lots of cuddles and then I found out the best bit about parties - the food table!!! I was a very clever boy and sat right by the table looking very sad and I got all sorts of yummy treats from people who felt sorry for me ;o)
I am going to be a television star soon! A lovely lady called Heike adopted a dog from Lizzies Barn. He was a very handsome collie called Jasper and Heike is a vet in a place called the Silly Islands! Anyway. There is a programme on the telly all about the people who live on Silly Islands called An Island Parish and Heike is often on it and so they came to do filming at my house when Heike and her little boy met Jasper. Heike's little boy liked me lots and the man with the camera and the other man asked lots of questions about me and did some filming of me. I think they are planning to give me a show all of my own because I am Very Special!
Flora had her birthday. She was 3 years old. On the same day, it was my half-birthday - I was 6 months old!! Flora very kindly shared her day (and the food) with me!
Mummy and Nanny made us some deeeeeeeeeeelicious cakes
I helped Flora to play with her new toy
Mummy helped me to play with my new toy
And I got my first ever bone!
And then I had to sleep all the excitement off
Mummy and Jacob went to Cornwall again with Granny and Grumpy for a few days and so me and Nanny and Flora and Bran went to go and stay at the Barn with Auntie Fi for a few days. While I was there, I caught up with some of my friends who were there when I was staying before and met some of the new dogs who were looking for homes.
I was very sad to see that my friend Whitney was still there. She is great fun and loves to bounce and play and give the people big kisses (just like me!).
She even sleeps in silly ways just like me!! I hope she finds a new home soon.
Me sleeping in an even sillier way than Whitney!
While we were staying at the Barn, I did this for the first time too......
Nanny got wet eyes when she saw us all snuggled up together. Silly Nanny!
Auntie Fi went on holiday for a while and Orca came to stay with us. When Orca came before we did some scrapping and Auntie Fi said that it was something to do with balls. We didn't even fight over the toys most of the time so I don't know what she's on about!! Anyway, before Orca came to stay with us, Auntie Fi took his balls away (I think he must have been very naughty) and so we did not do fighting any more.
Well......just a bit.......and we managed to drive my mummy crazy......
Remember I mentioned the Oldies Club earlier? Lovely Amy sent me lots of coats. Remember? Well. Lots of people who do work for the Oldies Club or have adopted a dog from the Oldies Club or help the Oldies Club or just like the Oldies Club got together for a holiday!
Me and Mummy and Nanny and Bran and Orca went to the holiday where we stayed in our tent at a lovely campsite called Cotswold View. Some people weren't as brave as us and stayed in a building called a Bed and Breakfast on the campsite. Chickens ;o)
I got to do lots of walking with my friends Jed and Bo and China and Toastie and their mummy, Georgina.
I got to meet lots and lots of new people. Somebody thought it would be a good idea for me to have my photograph taken with a very famous bear called Sirius (he is a "roving reporter" for Dogstar Foundation who help lots of dogs in a place called Sri Lanka). Unfortunately, when the photograph was taken, I was having a bit of a tantrum and I was not very nice to him. Oops!
My mummy decided to let me have a go at something called "agility". It meant that I got to do some exciting things like running through a tunnel and weaving through poles and jumping over things. It was fab fun!
And guess what? I did the second fastest agility run and I got a rosette that said that I was Special!! My mummy was very proud of me.
You know how I said that I was a bit rude to Sirius? Well. Actually. I was a bit rude to lots of the dogs. My mummy and nanny told me off and told me that I should be a bit more respectful because they were all older than me. Well I tried! But it's hard. And barking is so much more fun!
I was even rude to my friend Toastie and I am very sad that I did that because not very long after the holiday, Toastie went to live at Rainbow Bridge :o( I hope that he knows that I didn't mean to be rude to him. He was a very lovely friend x
Lots of people had cameras while we were on the holiday and one lovely lady who is my Nanny's friend was there with her very nice husband and her very beautiful dog called Cherry (who is a bit of a tart!) and her very handsome old man dog called Spike. They loved me lots and kept trying to steal me away from my Mummy!! Anyway, the lovely lady (who is called Marge) took this very lovely photograph of me and my Mummy having a cuddle. I think it is my favouritest ever photo of us.
I was not rude to Marge's old man dog Spike just in case she did manage to steal me and I had to go and live with them. Not very long ago Spike went to live at the Rainbow Bridge as well. Spike and Toastie were great friends so I like to think that they are running and playing together again now x
A very exciting day what was nothing to do with me really happened a bit after our holiday. It was my Mummy's birthday!! Nanny and Jacob put lots and lots of balloons and banners and sparkly things over the house when Mummy was in bed and so it was a big surprise for her when she woke up in the morning. Lots of people came to visit and brought presents for Mummy and there was lots of yummy things to eat.
Us dogs decided that there were so many presents that we should help Mummy with opening them
But then me and Orca got a bit bored and did some wrestling instead
Nanny decided to go camping with her friend Dee and my internet friend Muppet to a place called Bo-Peep Campsite and only took Bran and Orca with her :o( Me and Mummy and Jacob and Flora stayed at Nanny's house and I think we probably had much more fun than they did. At least I didn't end up looking like this......
Although they did come back and say that they had a brilliant time because there were walks specially for dogs all over the place and they went to the pub for lunch and chased ducks and pigeons and went swimming in a river and found a very special muddy spot that only dogs could get to and not peoples so they could get as muddy as they wanted and Nanny and Dee could not stop them! Harrumph!
And then we went on yet another holiday. This time we went to a place called the Peak District. There were loads and loads of sheep and cows and lots more new people and lots of people who I had met before and everybody took it in turn to give me big cuddles.
While we were on holiday, I did a very clever trick to gets lots of extra fuss and treats: I made my gums change colour and refused to play much. Nanny worried and took me to see a new vet. He was very surprised when he saw me and looked like this -----> :oO He said that he had read my history and had expected to see a very poorly puppy. Silly man. By then, I'd got bored with the game and had made my gums pink again and was bouncing all over the vet ;o)
When we came home from Peak Camp, we brought home Jacob's friend Tom and Sophie's friend Bethany as well. While they were here I demonstrated my amazing skills.
My humping skills
My getting stuck on the patio table skills
My hogging the big bed skills
My sharing the best sunny spot skills
My chomping on the biggest bone skills
My keyboard mastery skills
And I got the other dogs to help me to display our colour co-ordination sleep pattern skills
And then Auntie Fi came back and stayed at our house for a little bit. While she was staying with us one of Mummy's friend's called Sian came to visit and she brought her dogs who are called Rhomi and Rocket. Rocket is a bit taller than me but barks like me and has furrier hair than me. Rhomi is GIGANTIC but I told her who was boss and she accepted that (or something like that anyway).
Then we went on another holiday!!! Bran and Flora went to stay with Granny but me and Mummy and Nanny and Jacob and Auntie Fi went in the van and on a boat and went to a place called Ireland.
I travelled in the back of the van with Mummy
I got to stay in a hotel for the first time ever
I was in charge of waking Auntie Fi up because nobody else could do it!
I sneaky pinched some of Mummy's holiday breakfast
I met some famous people who didn't move very much
I went paddling in some fountains
Why we had to come to Ireland
Their mummy and daddy ended up at a rescue there called the Galway SPCA and Auntie Fi sometimes helps them by bringing some of their dogs that they can't find homes for to Lizzies Barn where she finds them brilliant homes. When the mummy and daddy went to the rescue they were so thin that nobody knew that the mummy was going to have babies. Auntie Fi had already said that they could come to Lizzies Barn so when they had 10 babies she said she'd help them too. As there were so many of them, she thought it was best if we went to collect them so that we could look after them all the way home. We brought home some other dogs too, including another girl dog and her puppies. They were found by the side of a ditch when the puppies were only 4 days old :o( You can see photos of them on Auntie Fi's website: Lizzies Barn website
Just after we got back from Ireland, Grumpy came back. He had been to China to work for a lonnnnnnnnnng time and I missed him lots and lots. He was very pleased to see me and I gave him great big kisses to let him know that I was pleased to see him too.
Just the other day we went over to Wales again. This time we met Auntie Loobie and Mummy and Nanny went shopping whilst I waited in the car with Jacob. He said we were the lucky ones because shopping is borrrrrrrrrring but when Mummy and Nanny came back I thought he might be wrong!! They came out with bags that smelled of treats and toys!
We drove in the car to Auntie Loobie's house and I had to wait in the car again while everyone went to coo over this little dog.....
His name is Stanley and he is only 5 weeks old so he is not allowed to meet other dogs yet. When he is a bit bigger, Auntie Loobie has promised that she will bring him to my house for a visit when I can play with him.
Stanley has got a big sister (just like me!) and her name is Ashley. Isn't she beautiful?
When we got back to our house, Nanny let us see what was in her shopping bags and I was right! There were treats and LOTS of new toys.
Me and Flora played tug....
and then I had to stop everybody from playing so that I could tidy up
So that's nearly the end of my bit. See what I mean about being busy??? I'm very happy and have a lovely time playing with everybody in my family.
I love my big brother and sister
and I get bigger and more handsome every day!
The last very important thing to tell you is that today I am 9 months old. Nanny has been getting wet eyes again because I don't think that they thought I would ever be 9 months old for some reason. Silly Nanny!!!
Nanny's update: As you can see, Hugo is still very much our Hugo at the moment. You may remember at the end of our last update that Hugo was being treated for a persistent cough: this turned out to be a collapsing trachea. It doesn't bother him, just causes him to cough from time to time.
However, back at the end of July we noticed that Hugo had lost weight and he went back to Oliver (his cardiologist at Highcroft Vets) and had a day visit for several tests. Sadly, the scan confirmed that Hugo had gone into right sided heart failure. Oliver put him on some medication and told us to make the most of our time with him. He gave us a month's supply of medication, but I don't think he was really expecting us back. A month later, we were back for more meds, but Oliver confirmed that the heart failure was progressing, that Hugo had lost more weight and increased his medications to stop fluid build-up. Again, we were given a month's supply of meds and told to make the most of each day. We also had The Discussion. We're shortly to go and collect more medication!! And we still have to wait outside each visit as Hugo causes so much disruption each time we go in!
Overnight, it would appear that Hugo's heart output and circulation drop dangerously low and so he starts each morning with very grey gums and feeling very cold. Within half an hour or so of waking, he is generally nice and warm and pink again and causing his own brand of chaos.
So it would appear that our little man is something of a medical miracle. Despite being given 6 months back at the very beginning of May, the changes in his health have been so drastic that we really didn't think he'd still be here. In a few days, he will have been us for 5 months! Whilst the little man is still living life to the full without pain and suffering, we're happy to follow his example and ignore what's going on inside and concentrate on just enjoying life!!
I promise to try to keep the updates shorter and more frequent!!
Thank you all immensely for the ongoing support. It means more than we could ever say xxx
