Being boating dogs

I'm ten months old today. It's been a good and a bad day. This morning I got into bad trouble and even though it is my sort of birthday mum smacked me. You see, I got so excited and Toby was growling at this little black dog so I thought I'd growl too. We were both on our leads fastened onto one of mum's crutches because she's got a very sore leg just at the moment. I decided to chase the little black dog and off I went with mum's crutch and Toby dragging along behind me. That was a bit of a surprise and then I got an even bigger surprise. The little black dog's mum caught me and then my mum really smacked me!

We are being boat dogs again. After spending ages in the car because the M6 was so slow we arrived at Jennyanydots yesterday lunchtime. Mum was so pleased to be back at the boat and dad seemed quite happy too. Everything was a bit damp so they lit the fire and put all the clean bedding out to air. I was so pleased too and when I saw Rocky and Tess (Toby and Foxy used to moor by them at the other end of the marina) I just jumped off the the back of the boat, across the pontoon and leapt over the water. I didn't even get wet. I was so pleased with myself but mum was cross and put me on my lead and headcollar to walk round the marina. I do keep trying to be calm and good but sometimes, lots of times, I just can't help being jumpy and rough and bouncy. Mum keeps saying that I am very stupid sort of dog for someone with severe arthritis to have, but it's not my fault and I will calm down sometime! I know she loves me because I get lots of cuddles and strokes and she doesn't get cross with me very often.

Last night my people put us in the car and we went to a pub called The Golden Cup at Yoxall. They brought us out a doggy bag of leftovers when they had finished their dinner.

Dad has been to Stratford today and Toby and I have just played around. The video shows us having a wonderful time chasing a stick and running through the mud by the canal. I fell in the water so that washed all the mud off me but poor Toby had to be washed under the tap. He wasn't happy. As it was my special day mum gave us meat out of a tin for our dinner. It was so yummy we both just gobbled it all up, but she never gave us seconds.

It's lovely and warm in the boat now. Mum and dad seem very relieved that everything seems to be all right after the winter. She's a bit nervous about the new water pump so they keep switching the fuse off when they don't actually need water. Mum keeps saying she must check the stop tap under the deck to make sure it isn't leaking but it is such a pain to do she keeps putting it off. I'm going to have a sleep now by the fire to finish drying off and mum is going to cook a chicken meal. I do hope I get some of the chicken too.