And baby makes three!

[diamondlil]

So as yesterday was blazing hot again, we went to the reservoir. Plenty of shade and water, not too much mud, and as a bonus we got to see the Great crested grebes have 3 chicks!

 

[MegF.]

Looks like a nice relaxing day. The grebes were a great find!

 

[diamondlil]

The most relaxing thing about it was that Bertie stayed with us! He did little exploratory side runs, then rejoined us every 5 minutes or so. Much less stressful. The dogs are getting so much running time that he's lost his frantic need to bolt off, for now.....Obviously I'm carefully choosing where he can go offlead, still getting them to run with me with the 'puppuppup' command and if he's starting to go off in a direction I don't want 'Here, this way' is bringing him back to the pack.
Flash's growth rate has slowed right down now, so I'll schedule his neutering for a couple of months time. So far he's maturing nicely without too much tension between the boys, although Rosie does escalate the small spats they do have if I don't set her in her pace quite firmly!

 

[MegF.]

That's great to hear! So much nicer when they stay close by. I used to trick my ridgeback by hiding out if she got too far ahead while out in the field. One time having to find me and she wouldn't get more than a few yards ahead

 

[diamondlil]

On Sunday there was an ideal opportunity to expose Flash to big crowds and noise, as there was a celebration of our Armed Forces on the lower part of the park, with a funfair as well. He didn't like it much but heeled nicely.

 

[diamondlil]

Today the park is back to normal again...

 

[diamondlil]

But it's blazing hot, so getting the dogs to stop for water breaks and shade instead of just charging around like fools was the plan. Flash has a new trick now, carrying the toys home!

 

[MegF.]

Well that's handy!! At least you don't have to carry anything!

 

[diamondlil]

My baby is all grown up! Flash is a year old now. So for his birthday morning we went down the river

 

[diamondlil]

Then in the afternoon I took the dogs out for another run. They got to play with a new greyhound friend and a sibe

 

[diamondlil]

Home for the birthday tea of ambs hearts and time for his presents!

 

[insomniac101]

Wow, a year already - Happy Birthday to Flash! J9, I always enjoy your photos!

Kathy

 

[MegF.]

Love the photos of Flash! I like the one of him alone in profile the best. Looks like the perfect birthday! My girls just turned 10 on the 6th of June...time flies!

 

[diamondlil]

I think I can safely say he enjoyed himself! We got drenched today going out walking and caught 15 minutes of torrential rain on the way to the river. The dogs had a great time swimming but I had to keep moving as I was soaked through!
Here's a few more shots from yesterday. I still can't believe how huge my 'baby' turned out but I wouldn't change any of them for the world!

 

[MegF.]

Great photos! They look like they are having a blast!

 

[diamondlil]

My girlie has been poorly! I noticed Rosie seemed to be scratching frequently and found several nasty wounds under her thick fur. The worst ones were pretty sloughy. So I made sure to give her a salt bath, dry her properly and tried Manuka honey for 2 days. The wounds were getting worse and she'd lost her bounce, so off to the vets. 6 days of antibiotics later and thankfully she's healing up nicely.

 

[diamondlil]

Madame was able to rise from her sickbed at regular intervals to beat the boys up and insisted on still coming out for a run around. Checking the boys over, I found that Flash has been skinning his hocks playing fetch as the grass is so dry, so I'm using vetwrap to protect them and looking into pads if he keeps on doing it.
Bertie has suddenly decided he wants to join in with the fun and games and has discovered the joys of playing fetch!

 

[MegF.]

Do you know what caused the sores on Rosie? Was it moisture staying trapped in the fur?

 

[hypnoctopus]

They look like they're having a lot of fun. One of my dogs LOVES to chase the ball, and he often would get his pads torn up from skidding on the dirt and dry grass. I had to take him to an area with better grass to prevent it from happening.

 

[diamondlil]

Do you know what caused the sores on Rosie? Was it moisture staying trapped in the fur?

Nope, it was either the sap from the plants or from midge bites. Thankfully she's completely healed up now, just a couple of bald spots that will hopefully grow back soon! Needless to say we are staying away from that area at the moment and the local Environmental Dept are going to be both clearing the plants and dealing with the rats.
The pest controller asked me to meet him there so I could show him exactly where the rats are coming from and a huge one ran across the path! He joked he'd like my dogs to help him, especially Bertie who was very keen to show what he does to 'em!