Its the VET again !!

Whilst I really like our trips in the "blue tin box on wheels", one place my people seem to like to take me I HATE.

This morning I suffered the indignity of having a thermometer put (well you know where). Now why is it that you humans have your temperature normally taken in your mouth or with an ear thermometer, and I suffer with one up my....@@#$#?

Then I got "stuck" not once but twice with a needle, ouch that second one hurt.....I guess though its for the best as us canines out here in Greece can catch an awful lot of "nasties". My Pet Passport was accordingly updated by "Maria" the vet, and my people bought me a brand new collar...I'll show it to you on my next picture.

Good fun......

We started out very early this morning on the beach run, mainly because my people had to go shopping in Kalamata and it was going to be far too hot for me to go with them. As temperatures reached 36 C I took cover in what is now my favourite cool place, under the caravan !

Anyway I had some good fun this afternoon as Mrs Stop'it called out for my master to get rid of a big bright green lizard that had entered the basement. Well try as he did he could not catch it and it ended up running up into the motor of the deep freezer and there it is to this minute, so I'm keeping watch on it . Anyone for lizard pie ????

No go area

We have not been anywhere interesting over the last few days, but my people have been busy in the garden. As you see they have made a "Rosie no go area".

Now I think the idea is to stop me digging up what they have planted, gee..sometimes they are no fun!

I think I'm in trouble.....

I think some time back I told you all that from May 1st until October us dogs are not legally allowed on the beaches here in Greece. Now I know there are all sorts of reasons for this but many of the beaches where I live are totally deserted and wild, so we would not upset the tourist, because there are hardly any here! This means my people take me out early and I'm only allowed to walk the roads around the beaches and fields opposite. The other day we went out and I guess other people us dogs look after had the same idea and I came across several potential friends. Now just how do I tell the Stop'its I only want to play with the other dogs and not fight them? I have tried barking out loud, I've tried yelping and I tried pulling at the leash....all seem to fail, all I get is my people yelling my name out loud "Rosie Stop'it"! Then I get put back in the blue tin box on wheels........

Mr Stop'it will not speak to me now........I think I'm in trouble.....

Live time

Well my blog is now up to date in live time. Over the last few months I have told you about me, my people and how I got to be a "very lucky dog" alive and well in Greece.

From now on my blog entries will be details of my daily / weekly life "as it happens".

This morning started with Mr Stop'it getting up and giving me more training on the whistle. Now when I do what he wants he started giving me a small food rewards, but I'm not really into that.....ugh the other day it was doggy chocolate drops, not my scene either; now if ice cream was on offer that would be another matter!! We only spend a short time doing whistle training because I do get bored.

Its another hot day today, temperatures already in the high 20's, so I think it'll be another lazy doggy day for me.....

Its two nights out on the tiles.......

Well these outings just get better and better! I now know why my people were looking at sites for their mobile kennel. The other day the human kennel on wheels was hitched up to the blue tin box on wheels (quite clever these humans being able to make your kennel follow you everywhere you go) and I was allowed to go with them.

We stayed at a place called Kyparissia for two nights, I heard my people telling others that it was to see how I behaved in their kennel so they could plan longer trips with me. Knowing that I thought to myself I had better be good. Unfortunately I was tied up though, however I had a long rope and could get about quiet a bit. In the night my people gave me my own room (with hot & cold running water) made up with my bed basket, I even had my own window, (Really it was the kennels shower room)..... I was quite glad of that because I know I tend to snore when I fall asleep.......

More outings................

As time went by I was taken on more and more outings, the photos above are of me and Mrs Stop'it in Finikounda, another village on the sea front near where we live. This time besides being allowed to run on the beach we went visiting mobile kennel sites (caravan camping sites), some were really good but there was one by the main road that had a cat! I decided to jump out of the window of the blue box on wheels to sort that out. Mr Stop'it was not at all happy with me though, for the rest of the day I decided I had better keep a very low profile......

Stoupa visit

Now very often the Stop'its go back out after taking me to the beach and returning me home, but this time I was to go back out in the blue tin box on wheels with them. We drove quite along way and with my head out of the window I could smell lots of different areas as we passed through. Mr Stop'it is quite good to me really as on the way he stopped at a convenient place for me to errrrr "stretch my legs and do what us dogs do", a relief I can tell you when you are on a long journey.

We ended up at Stoupa where the Stop'its ordered breakfast. It was my very first time I was allowed to sit with them in a cafe so I thought I had better behave. Other people in the cafe spoke to me also, gee this is the life I thought!

Its like back to school.......

Most mornings Mr Stop'it insists I learn some lessons, often on the beach and sometimes in the garden. Now as I said yesterday despite me having to learn what he wants in both English and Greek he now has some obsession with following his commands with a whistle! So I have learnt that a series of short whistles means I have to come to him, and one long whistle means I have to stop in my tracks and sit......well I do it to humour him, as it seems to make him happy for some odd reason. In my picture today Mr Stop'it has just told me to "get on", this means I can have a good run about and search for new smells on the beach.

When we were out the other day I found a giant turtle lying on the beach, but it was dead so I was very quickly stopped by the boss from having a good sniff at it......

2010 New Year

The New Year started just like the old year ended really. Most mornings I was taken out to the beach in the blue tin box on wheels (thats me in the back). At the start of each day Mr Stop'it would get up and give me a good brushing, I quite like that because it tickles and also helps me stop itching from any of my loose hairs. He then takes all my pillows off the balcony (where I sleep) and shakes them out, often leaving them out for an airing if its not too damp. Then I get fed !!

One thing he does more and more with me now though is giving me commands and using a whistle at the same time....I'll tell you about that tomorrow

Parties at New Year as well !!!!

Christmas led very quickly to New Year and my people decided to give a party for their friends. Pal and Sally dogs people came and so did some of the Greek neighbours (at least I could understand more of what they were talking about !!!), and I even ended up with some sparkling drink stuff.

Not bad either !

At midnight the traditional Greek cake, "Vassilopitta" was cut and I had ice cream.....yummy......The humans also at midnight all joined hands and formed a circle singing some song that certainly was not Ring-a-ring-of-rosies!!!!!!!!

I'm full up.........

I opened lots of my presents and had a whole load of things. Chewy bones and bone shaped biscuits to name but a few. Not long after present opening my people started to make my dinner, strange I thought at first but then I remembered I get early dinner when they are off out for the day and staying out a long time. I guess they are going to have their Christmas dinner with Pal's people because I know they are great friends. I learned later that they actually went to have dinner with "Sally's" people (Now more about Sally Dog later).

For my part I just took it easy after my Christmas dinner........after all 22 degrees centigrade on Christmas Day what else can a dog do?

Presents........

After my normal morning beach outing we drove back home in the blue tin box. Mrs Stop'it made my master his morning coffee and came out of her kennel with lots of packages all wrapped in pretty red paper. Each package had a name on it and I could see MINE !!!!

As they were done up with lots of cello-tape Mrs Stop'it opened some of it for me. Not only were there presents for me from the Stop'its but some from Mr Stop'its mother and sister.....Yippee, I got lots to eat and play with.....

Christmas morning 2009

Even on Christmas Day my people started the day like most other days, a walk on the beach for me. With temperatures in the low 20's degrees centigrade it was a nice way to start Christmas. Now I was told by some other canines that some humans give us dogs presents at Christmas as well as giving presents to other humans.......yippee I thought! I started by throughly searching the beach for my present, but sniff and hunt as I did I could not find anything. I got a feeling it could be a lean Christmas for a Greek dog !!!

Christmas 2009

Well my first Christmas in my new home....

I can remember my previous Christmas with the Greek people I used to look after, but whilst they seemed to celebrate I certainly was not included. Now this Christmas was definitely different! Mr & Mrs Stop'it had lots of hanging things in the house and on the balcony and for some strange reason Christmas morning they gave me a collar type thing to wear. Now I ask you do I look a "prat" or what? I left it on though to humour them.

Hes gone !

Well Pal has gone back home with the people he looks after and its back to normal for me. Now my people look after me very well indeed, with walks on the beach most mornings and regular meal times, but yes, I do miss playing with Pal.

The time of year is now coming towards winter (as you know my blog has not yet caught up to current day events), and whilst I am very much an outside dog I do not really look forward to winter nights. So the other day I had a great surprise when some men turned up and started building me a giant kennel area! Well truthfully it was clear balcony blinds for the Stop'its, but that still meant a giant winter kennel for me... Yippee I am going to be warm this winter.......

Going home tomorrow

I heard the Stop'its talking and Pal's people are going to collect him and take him back to his home. Now I am very glad the male human Pal looks after has recovered from his operation, but I was really quite sad to know Pal will be going and I will be alone again. Well I guess I am not really on my own, as I have the Stop'its to look after; that is far better than the days when I was....what you humans call a stray. The truth is us dogs do not recognise that word, it just does not exist in our vocabulary. Lost dog, unwanted dog, dumped by humans dog all exist, but "stray" definitely not! You see all us dogs want to care for a human, look after them and their belongings; in return all we really ask for is a little food and shelter.......

Too hasty

Did I really say ''I hope he could stay for good?'' Perhaps that was a comment made in too much haste. Some days I think both of us got on Mr & Mrs Stop'its nerves, I heard him say goodness knows how Pal's people had me for 9 weeks (now I ask you as if I would be trouble?), but I know the Stop'its were ever so grateful they did, but not as much as me because if they had not I would have been put in the Kalamata dogs home as a stray. However he soon used to forget about our little irritations we caused him, play games and have some good fun with us. There was the odd occasion however that Pal and I fell out, nearly always over food! Then he would sulk and not speak to me for ages..........