H&C

“Ruby’s first Christmas started early, at around 6.30 a.m., when the oven had to be turned-on in readiness for the specially-prepared turkey. She was not overly-keen to head out into the garden, snow and ice still thick on the grass, but returned to find a small bone-shaped present in her basket (courtesy of my Mother, acting as a canine-friendly Father Christmas). Ruby successfully removed a yellow bone from the dog-covered wrapping paper and, much to our amusement, spent the next few minutes chasing the paper around the kitchen – complete with play bows and furious tail wagging! Eventually, she discovered that the bone was actually more fun to play with than the paper, especially so when it squeaked, and the next 30 minutes were spent in happy play (including ‘borrowing’ the pink and blue bones from our other dogs and making off with them as well). The remainder of the morning was spent on a brisk walk through snow-covered fields, followed by a present opening session around the Christmas Tree with Ruby ecstatically rolling around amongst the pile of wrapping paper – definitely her favourite new play substance! After an extended, delicious lunch (for us humans, not the dogs) and a breath of fresh air in the garden, Ruby succumbed to the inevitable and settled down for a long sleep under the branches of the Christmas Tree, not stirring until her evening meal. The next few days included family get-togethers, quick trips to the local supermarket and long, country walks. As usual, Ruby has accompanied us everywhere, and she has definitely been on best behaviour! Of course, she has also been able to spend some time playing with her yellow bone, which seems to be no less attractive without the squeak (removed for her safety). Definitely a fun-filled, first Christmas, and now looking forward to a happy and healthy New Year!”

“The last week before Christmas is flying past in a flurry of snow, parties and last-minute preparations – all of which appear to appeal greatly to our eight-month-old black Labrador-Retriever cross, Ruby. The snow is of particular fascination, and she has run around madly in it, rolled over and over (what is the dog-equivalent of snow angels?), eaten it and attempted to catch the flakes directly into her mouth! Today I walked around a couple of snow-covered fields near our village where there are no crops or livestock and Ruby was able to run free with our other two dogs. I am not exactly sure of the rules of their game, but they seem to take it in turns to chase each other, lying in wait to pounce then realising that they were about to be pounced on themselves before scampering off in a mini-snow storm. Ruby managed to stay still for one quick photo call by a gate, but, otherwise, it was all-out fun-filled play! Which was very much in-keeping with an enjoyable and very social gathering earlier in the week, when we attended a Dogs for the Disabled Event for Puppy Socialisers and Temporary Boarders at their Training Centre near Banbury. Around 100 people were present plus puppies in various stages of training, and the Charity Team ran an enjoyable morning of puppy party games (musical ‘Sit’ and ‘Down’ competitions, a relay race and a surprise visit by Father Christmas with a sack full of puppy treats!) followed by a delicious lunch (for the humans) and an awards ceremony to say ‘Thank You’ to the Charity’s supporters. I was delighted to receive a glass award in recognition of the 12-months Puppy Socialising I have previously completed with our first puppy, Winnie. It was a lovely way to complete the year supporting Dogs for the Disabled, and I would also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas, and look forward to sharing more of Ruby’s progress with you in the New Year.”

“During the week I worked with Ruby in the town centre and at the local supermarket, spending time on her walking to heel and ensuring that she continued to focus when confronted by a variety of experiences. I do find that the supermarket is a great training environment, not just because of the large number of people, levels noise and general hustle-and-bustle, but also because there are always unexpected distractions to handle and put the training to the test. During the training visit on Wednesday, Ruby was working really well and very focused, with nothing really throwing her off her stride. Until we turned to walk up the dairy produce aisle and she started to pull to the left towards a discarded piece of French Stick bread that somebody had dropped. Fortunately, I was able to issue her a quick “Leave it!” command, followed by a positive reinforcing “Good girl!” when she immediately looked towards me. We were then able to continue walking on down the aisle, having successfully put the training into practice! To finish the week, I attended our village’s annual tree lighting event at the church, where the Christmas lights are turned on on the living Christmas tree with stars attached to remember loved ones, carols are sung and money is raised for a local charity and for the church. This year I was delighted that Dogs for the Disabled was chosen as the local charity, and so I was able to organise a stall of merchandise in the church room where villagers were able to warm themselves with mulled wine and tea. I was ably supported by my Mum, and also arranged to have a fully trained dog in attendance as well, to help villagers understand what their donations would support once the socialised puppies, like Ruby, are returned to the Training Centre. It was an enjoyable afternoon, Ruby behaved well, and the event raised over £350 including generous support from Bibby Financial Services. As an added bonus, I discussed temporary boarding with one of the event attendees and have been able to put them in contact with the Charity, so hopefully that is another, much-welcomed and highly-appreciated volunteer to add to the programme.”

“It was a dark and stormy night, the perfect evening for sitting by the fire and watching a good film. And, as I was recovering from the flu, that is exactly what I did. Which meant that my husband, Tim, did the honours by heading out into the rain with Ruby to attend a Christmas Charity Evening in support of Dogs for the Disabled at Barn Farm Plants, a local garden centre. The annual event featured mulled wine, mince pies, a festive raffle, a Dogs for the Disabled merchandise stall run by volunteers and, of course, a much-anticipated visit by Father Christmas! Ruby managed to resist the temptation of the plates of mince pies as she walked around the shop, receiving a lot of attention from the customers and only momentarily being distracted by a movement-activated teddy bear singing carols. The highlight of the evening was the arrival of Father Christmas, and Ruby happily settled down next to him in the role of Santa’s Little Helper for a few minutes, unperturbed by his bright red outfit, long white beard and succession of loud and jolly Ho-Ho-Ho’s!”