2017: Betty’s first year with me (part 3)

October

Betty goes on a day trip to the beach:

She discovered squizzles…..

…..and had a very boring trip to the Renault garage.

November

There is no longer any privacy, even in the bathroom.  Our bond is now so strong that we must be together at all times.

Betty continues to enjoy her walks around the local park, now with a good game of fetch included.

But it is, of course, very tiring.

This was also the month that the ‘dressing up’ started. It began fairly practical (though entirely unnecessary in Betty’s book)…

December

In December the snows came….

…it was great fun.

But the dressing up became ridiculous!

 

2017: Betty’s first year with me (part 2)

June

Betty’s adventures continued with cookery lessons….

…..and a trip to a plant sale (think Betty thought I’d bought too much!)

Betty enjoyed more walks…

….and the antedotes to all the walking…sunbathing and snoozing.

July

This month Betty went camping and made some new friends…

…ate a bubble bee (they bite back you know!)…

….and swept up at PetsatHome.

August

In August, Betty had to go to the vets again. Don’t worry, it was just a check up, not that Betty knew that….

….on the plus side, she got a new sofa….

…and she tried some new foods.

 

2017: Betty’s first year with me (part 1)

As you do around this time of year, I’ve been looking through photos and videos of the past 12 months.  #BeautifulBetty features heavily and I want to share with you some of our best bits!

March, our first month together

How could not fall instantly in love with this beautiful face?!

This was also the month in which Betty was spade 😦 (LPT: use a baby grow rather than a cone).

 

April

The month that Betty started to win my OH over 😉

May

In May, Betty’s confidence with my pony Abbey grew and grew….

….so much so that she started cleaning up her scraps!

Unfortunately Betty also learnt that horsepoo is a tasty treat!

May was a month for running through the daisies….

…it was exhausting!

Taking photos for ebay…

…and Betty has been helping. Reckon they will fetch a higher price with a cavalier in the frame?! 

Betty gets a new sofa

Well, it’s supposed to my new sofa but hey, I  live with a Cavalier so…..

Great list of toys for dogs that love food

http://pitlandia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/top-10-food-dispensing-dog-toys.html?m=1

Product review: ThinkPet Rubber Treat Dispenser Interactive Dog Toy Red Small Size

This is one of the first toys Betty had, and along with her Kong and Busy Buddy Dog Toy Tug a Jug, it’s stood the test of time (well 3 months).

Pretty quickly she understood that she had to make it roll to get the treats out.  After 3 months she’s the knack of kicking it so it rolls the length of the room and stopping it from going out of reach (under furniture etc).

The maze inside slows the release of treats which means she uses more energy getting them out and once filled, it’ll keep her entertained for half an hour or so  (depending upon the size of the treats I put in).

It’s easy to clean, both inside and out (which is surprising given there is a maze inside).  The only thing is that it picks up the hair and fluff from the carpet – but I think that says more about the regularity of my house-cleaning than the toy!

I’d definitely recommend this for any dogs that are food orientated.

From show dog to yard dog

One of the many things Betty has had to get used in her new home is yard life.  Cavalier’s aren’t know for being street-wise and Betty certainly wasn’t yard-wise when she first came to us.

At first she stuck to my heels like glue, couldn’t bare Abbey between us and couldn’t connect Abbey’s front legs with her back legs. On more than one occasion she ran under Abbey’s belly to come to me on the other side.  :O

Now, she’s a healthy respect for hooves, horse-legs and giant heads. The latter a result of trying to steal some of Abbey’s dinner. Yes, ‘Betty the Belly’ will eat chaff and pony nuts!

3 months into dog ownership…

Betty’s been with us for 3 months now and already, it’s hard to remember what life was like before she moved in.

In the last two months she’s been spayed (LPT: cavaliers fit into 12 month baby grows, stops them getting at their stitches and the awkwardness of a lampshade!), had 11 teeth out, caught up with her jabs and settled into a routine.

It’s not the routine I had envisaged but that’s not how it seems to work with animals.  The pony is the same – there’s no point in enforcing a routine or approach that doesn’t suit, it’s easier and less stressful for everyone if there is flexibility in system. On the whole it suits us:

Betty’s first 10 days; finding a routine

Betty’s first 10 days were very busy.  Her previous owner did say that if we had any problems she would take her back but Betty’s taken everything in her stride.

With some bank holidays and working from home, I’ve been around full time for Betty’s first 10 days with us.  We’ve taken her to the pub, she’s been to the yard and met Abbey the horses as well as cattle, met my parents (and their cat), visited my Gran in her nursing home, met the neighbours dog, met the yard dogs and we’ve started training (who says you can’t teach an old new tricks?!)

On the whole she’s settling in very well.  It’s a big change from her previous home where there were lots of other dogs.  Here she’s the only dog in the household.

Her previous owner warned me of Betty’s passion for food….she wasn’t wrong, it’s definitely her weakness! It’s all food…dog food, human food, horse food….