06-10-2011

Click on the thumbnails for the full size photos.

To start with, our original "pack", Barbara used to breed Shetland Sheep Dogs, when we met she had Asher (left) and Kirsty (right), son and mother, in between are Gemma, who I described as British Standard Mongrel and Dapper a Foxhound Cross.  Dapper could scrounge crisps the length of the bar if I took him to the pub !!

The last survivor of this  quartet was Gemma who lived to be something of a grand old lady.

Before Gemma's demise we had got two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Waltzing Matilda and Lady Elizabeth otherwise known as Tilly and Lizzie.  The first picture shows them hanging on to their lunch time Bonios just in case there was something more interesting on offer.

Cavalier's are adept at making themselves comfortable, Lizzie gives a demonstration in the next photo.  They are dedicated lap dogs, if you have them you have to provide a lap, at night they're quite likely to finish up curled around your head on the pillow !  Unfortunately Lizzie serious problems with her back legs and she was put to sleep in 2009.

Lizzie will let you do just about anything with her, including getting her to try typing!

Both of them seem to enjoy dressing up, as long as they can sprawl around in whatever they're wearing.  Lizzie predominates in these photos simply because Tilly is so hard to photograph, unless there's a light background she simply doesn't show up.

However I have caught her on camera a few times, such as this puppy photo of her.  When she looks like this at you there's two possibilities, either you've got food or she's hoping you won't notice that the bin has been knocked over.

A last look at the pair of them, as I said before they'll do just about anything, including riding in a doll's pram.

Ours aren't the only soppy Cavaliers, one of their half sisters was very nicely dressed for their first birthday party.

Our Cavaliers have just been joined by Star (full name Sasparrella Shooting Star), a Standard Poodle.  In this photo (May 05) he's smaller than the other two but now he's about 25"at the shoulders.

Another photo of the three of them, dogs just don't understand "look at the camera"!

The first time I saw Star at his breeder's house, he soon seemed totally at home on Lorna's lap.

Some of Star's 10 litter mates, the black one certainly wasn't camera shy!

By the beginning of August Star was rather bigger than the Cavaliers as this view of the three of them during Star's first picnic shows - don't know what they were looking at but it was obviously far more interesting then me and my camera.

Star on his first birthday, an exhausting session on "guard duty" in the living room window was followed by a siesta!

Star was obviously intrigued by something in the water of Loch Lomond but he wouldn't actually swim in it!

Star is big enough that when you give him a hug he hugs you back!

His height means he can rest his head on the table but he is well enough behaved that he just looks longingly at food (or crumbs!) and waits to be given something.  He is wearing a Halti collar which stops him pulling rather than a choke collar.

When he saw someone looking over he had to have look too - a marvellous view at Symonds Yat as it happens.

In this photo Star is thoroughly enjoying a ride on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway

In January 2011 we got Charlie through Dogs Friends.  He was meant to be a Toy Poodle (up to 11" in height) but grew well beyond this to 17" - to big to be a Miniature Poodle - and this along with bereavement meant his first owner couldn't cope.

The size difference doesn't seem to matter, Star and Charlie play together, indeed Charlie is such a dominant little dog that he often bosses Star around!

Charlie making himself comfy in the back of the car - by laying across Star.

The pair of them sat on a seaside bench enjoying the attention of being photographed.

Another photo of the pair of poodles, this time in the doorway of our motorhome - no way could I get them to look at me as Barb was inside!

Some photos of the two lads in the process of wrecking our lawn just a few days after Charlie joined us, when they first met Star's reaction was a "play with me" stance, they have a great time together.

The energy of youth - Star in usually the first to need a breather, Charlie just seems inexhaustable!

Charlie is the "mascot" of our web-shop:-