Social Media Mutt

Just big boned?

Last night, we weighed Bailey by the simple expedient of weighing me then weighing me with Bailey in my arms and subtracting the difference.

And what a difference! At just shy of 16 weeks old, she's damn nearly 20kg.

According to this survey, the average weight for a 4-month Golden Retriever is 29.5 pounds, which equates to 13.4kg. And that makes Bailey about 50% heavier than she 'should' be.

Why? She has no fat, we're not over-feeding her and she gets plenty of exercise. But everyday I meet one or more dog walkers who suck their teeth, give a low whistle and exclaim: "My, she's going to be a big one!" (actually it's usually "He's going to be a big one" cos Bailey apparently looks like a boy).

You can tell by the paws, or so I'm told. Personally, I can tell by the way that carrying her up and down the stairs leaves me gasping. I do this to help her avoid hip problems in later life. Not sure it's not doing my own hips any favours.

The irony is that Mrs M, my wife, didn't really want a dog in the first place. But if she HAD to have one - and having been married to me for 13 years, she kinda knew that she did, eventually - then she had certain perfectly reasonable conditions:

• It had to be a small dog, or medium-sized at most
• It had to be short-haired or definitely a non-shedder
• It shouldn't smell
• It had to be a girl

Um... so that's 1 out of 4 then. And even the last point is debateable. Sorry, Mrs M!    
 

Apple thief

   

It's a daily routine familiar to many/most/all dog owners... you drop something on the floor, usually in the kitchen, and within nanoseconds it's been swept away in jaws of streaked lightning.

This morning, we lost an apple while packing the childrens' school lunchboxes. But in her haste, she missed the ham sandwich. Dumb choice, dustbin dog.

Wash day!

  Soggy mutt 

She's something of a stinker, young Bailey. Getting constantly wet and muddy on walks doesn't help and after a couple of weeks she's badly in need of a bath.

So today was DIY shampoo and set day. Loved it. she did. No, really.

OK, she hated it. Really hated it. But now she's sparkling clean and smells sweetly of 'Fruit Smoothie'. And the hair behind her ears is beautifully crimped.

To the park later, and doubtless a puddle...

In which Bailey eats, er, meets Rocco

   

Quick walk in the park earlier with Rocco the 13-week old Manchester Terrier. The poor wee boy was feeling the cold and also, momentarily, Bailey's teeth. But check the video and you'll see it was far from a one-sided encounter.

Rocco: small dog, big balls.

Poser

We popped along to a Dogs Trust event yesterday - man, we're getting into this strange new pet-owning world with a vengeance - and Bailey was selected by Paul Walker from Paws Pet Photography for a promotional photo.

Top work, Paul. Click the photo to see more dogs from the day.

Dog + winter + Scotland

It's been a while in coming - 7 weeks, to be precise - but Bailey has finally discovered the delights of puddles. So while I'm on the lookout for stylish gaiters, should such a thing exist, or alternatively a decent pair of wellies, she'll be doing her best to become a chocolate Lab.

Next stop the seaside to see those webbed paws in proper action.

Best in show!

 
 

So yesterday I took Bailey to the local dog show, organised by a pet store and judged by Val Burns, Bailey's puppy trainer. Our preparation consisted of 90 seconds with a brush as we left the house. Euan and Calum, my sons, came along.

There were various competitions to enter and I boldly took the floor with Bailey for the 'Best Puppy' event. Did we win? No, we did not - not even a place. Gutted.

The the boys entered her in the 'Best Pedigree' event and to our amazement she won 3rd place and a yellow rosette. Hurrah!

We skipped the 'Best Trick' competition on the grounds that it would take more than pilchard-flavoured farts to win the judge's heart but entered her for 'Dog The Judge Would Most Like To Take Home'. And she romped it, bless her, taking 1st place and a red rosette. Well, she is a Golden Retriever pup, after all.

That victory earned her a spot in the 'Best In Show' finale. Again, the boys did the honours on the floor, figuring (rightly) that I was a liability as a show handler. And bless her doggy heart, she stole the show again and won first place. Top dog indeed.

Video below. Today, a local Church hall - tomorrow, surely, Crufts.

Killer puppy - smells bad

killerpup
Originally uploaded by Bailey the social media mutt

This is how Calum (aged 7) sees his new pet, Bailey.

Toilet training

  bailey_poo 
  Originally uploaded by Bailey the social media mutt

Yeah, she's heard of it. But this evening Bailey deposited this juicy turd on the living room carpet (the only carpet we have, natch) right in front of the fireplace.

To be fair, this is only her third inside poo in the six weeks that we've owned Bailey, and toilet training is 95% under (her bowel and bladder) control. So you've got to forgive the odd accident. Like last night when she came back from puppy training, a walk and ample time to do her doggy business outdoors... and promptly pissed on the same carpet. So that's one door that's staying very shut for a while.

The adventure starts here...

Exhausted after setting up her blog, Bailey grabs a cat nap and snores like a pig. Might turn this into a podcast.