Buddy (Labrador) and Phoenix (Curly Coated Retriever) in a car at Crufts. Buddy's checking with me that he still can't get out and play with the children!
Buddy playing "dog in car" at Crufts. The dog on the left is Phoenix, a Curly Coated Retriever.
Buddy dressed to report on Crufts for Well Balanced Pup.
It was day two of Crufts today and while the terriers and hound fought it out in the show ring, Buddy and I spent some time on The Blue Cross stand. The Blue Cross is an animal charity and here's what they say about their role:
The Blue Cross is a registered UK animal welfare charity. Our aims are to:
Buddy and Julie on The Blue Cross stand at Crufts.
Life has been very busy the last few weeks, and one of the things keeping Buddy and me busy has been rehearsing with the Safe and Sound team, getting ready for Crufts. Safe and Sound is an excellent scheme run by the Kennel Club to promote the correct and safe way to behave around dogs. We will part of the Safe and Sound displays in the main arena at Crufts on the Saturday and Sunday of the show.
Buddy takes time out from training to enjoy some attention in his favourite position.
The snow seems like a distant memory now, but when it was here Buddy and Star had an encounter with a snowman. Just as they had got used to the field across the lane from us being covered in cold wet white stuff, the local children built a snowman. This was something new, an odd development in a usually flat area, and had to be carefully approached. It was interesting to watch their reactions.
They both noticed it as soon as we entered the field, and there was a slight stiffening in both their body language.
I watched the weather forecast this morning which informed me that the morning would be dry but by the afternoon heavy rain would set in. So I decided to switch my day around and walk the dogs in the morning to avoid getting wet. (Remember me not wanting to get wet later in the story.)
A few weeks ago we added two kittens to our growing menagerie. This was something we did with full commitment, but some trepidation as we obviously already have two dogs, plus Anthony is allergic to some cats. However, having made the decision to take them in, we were determined to make it work. You can hear more details in this weekend's show about how the canines and felines have settled down together, but as shown in the photos they are now perfectly happy and relaxed in each other's company.
