2003

Moving house
Bob was determined not to be left in Gainsborough....
On Holiday
To prove that he was well behaved enough to be let into Scotland......
We were dog-sitting for a couple of days and Bob had to share a bedroom with his new girlfriend Junior. Neither of them seemed to mind.
Junior took any opportunity to get into water. This included the messiest of bogs. We developed a walk strategy which included stopping off at a river for an extra mini-walk in order to clean her up on the way home. Here she is trying to show Bob how good it is too go for a swim in the sea.
Bob on the other hand was not so keen on the idea of getting wet.
Here is the nearest Bob got to swimming when he accidentally got three feet wet as a wave caught him by surprise.
Not in Scotland but in Epping forest. It's not often you see a dog in a tree!
Playtime
Frisbee (6 pics) During the summer the water company were putting a new pipeline across the fields near us. That meant extra places to walk as they cleared paths through the fields. More importantly for Bob it meant he could play with the discarded plastic caps from the pipes - we threw them like frisbees and he chased them. So far they have been the only 'toys' which made him bark with excitement every time he played. Looking at the teeth marks in the first picture this is one we'd played with several times.
Top of the stairs. Favorite indoor game is to take a ball (preferably chase one that has been thrown) to the top of the stairs then carefully lick it over the top step so that it will bounce (noisily) down and someone will come and throw it back to the top again. This game takes up many hours each week.
Balloon dog. Here Bob is meeting the 'dog' David made from balloons. To his credit he didn't kill it - but we put it out of reach anyway to remove temptation.
Worktime. Bob has been going to school since February. This was intended to show off his regular classmates but after I took the camera for the first time (intending to take a few snaps each week) the camera packed in. Here are the few I took.
Little Taffy is a Yorkshire terrier who has been brought up as a dog rather than an accessory. He is able to perform all of the exercises that Bob aspires to and always impresses onlookers. His only failing is that he will growl at most of the other dogs for the first half hour untill he settles in. It is quite amusing to see him going for a Rottweiler or an Alsation as they walk past.
Kate is a very well behaved Collie. She will tolerate Bob's advances to a point. When we see the curled lip of the 'Collie smile' we know it's time to remove Bob for his own safety.
Jake is simlar to Kate in temperament - except that he has a lower tolerence threshold.
Schaeffer otherwise known as 'Excellent boy!', is the most accomplished of our group. He is capable (amongst many other things) of being instructed from 20 yards away to go through a series of stand, sit, down in any order - impressive or what?
Tyler is a rescue dog abondoned outside a shop. He normally stands to one side as he doesn't get on at all with some of the dogs - however, as soon he is doing any of the exercises he is very good and can ignore the others until he has finished.
Partytime. We didn't know what to expect from the dog training club Christmas party. It started off with a fancy dress competition for the dogs followed by games such as musical chairs (the handlers had to sit on the chairs - not the dogs). Bob came first in the 'waggiest tail' competition - which could have had something to do with the lady dogs he was stood next to. He was also first for an exercise where two lines of sausages were put down on the barn floor and each dog had to be set at one end and then be called directly through between the lines without eating any of the sausages. It is amazing how many sausages some dogs could eat between the point where they were not on line and when their owner could next catch them. Bob was second equal in the fancy dress competition as 'Santa's little helper', along with a great dane in a santa outfit.
The fancy dress competition winner.
Santa's little helper. (Unfortunately we missed getting a picture of 'Santa')
And third prize went to....
Sleeptime. I suppose like most dogs, Bob has such a varied range of places and positions for snoozing that at one point I was considering making a book of 101 'comfy' positions.
On the feet. You only have to stand for a few moments for Bob to settle on your feet - so sitting watching the TV is an open invite.
Stage 2. We don't know any other dogs who do this but one of Bob's regular positions has been designated stage 3. Stage 1 is lying with his back alongside a bed or settee. Stage 2 and he rolls over so that his feet are up and resting against whatever.
Stage 3 and he's fully on his back - legs in the air. He can stay sleeping in stage 3 for a long time so it must be comfy.
On people. Bob's other favorite is to sneak up when you are settled. If you sit down in the morning he will leap onto your lap expecting to sleep there for at least 15 minutes.
In the evening he'll come up to sit on your lap but gradually ooze along until he's well stretched out.
Girlfriends. Just a few of Bob's girlfriends from last year.
Junior with whom Bob stayed in Scotland. There won't be any problem in persuading Bob to go back there.
Jessie. not good pictures but you can just make out that Jessie is a labrador of walrus proportions. Bob didn't mind that at all...
Pip is a getting on a bit and would have preferred that Bob's attentions were a little less persistent.
Jess was not too keen on Bob but they still had a good walk doing their own things. Bob kept checking to see whether she would change her mind.
Lucy only lives across the road. Since staying there for a day Bob now stops and stares at her door each time we go out - we think he was smitten.

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