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G-d dammit I need to get in the habit of wandering about with some sort of camera / video recorder when I walk Coco as I missed another great opportunity today! On her lunchtime park visit today, it was the first time I let her off leash.
There was a lovely peppered Cocker Spaniel who was very cautious but oh so curious-about-Coco who slowly made her way closer to where we were wandering. Coco - on the other hand was standing at full alert and yapping at the Spaniel.
After asking her Human if it was OK to let them say 'Hello', they very nicely greeted each other (no yapping or jumping up from Coco - to my AMAZEMENT) so the Spaniel wanted to play chase and Coco was rearing to go - so I let her off! And she did so well. Well - apart from not being able to keep up with the leggy Cocker Spaniel puppy - which was most hilarious for her human and I to watch.
Then a lady came in with her chocolate Lab, which the Cocker Spaniel man knew by name and then all three were bounding about the little park. Coco had to take to barking at her new friends from between our legs after a few minutes though so as to remind them that she was still there as she couldn't keep pace with them!
Though I keep looking at Coco in amazement of her growth spurt and chunky Pug-ness - I was reminded today that actually?-she's a dinky pup and no wonder people keep looking bemused when I dismiss their opinions when they keep telling me she's tiny! It's gotten cold in London so I've taken to putting her in a jacket for the journey home. I can't believe the grey fleece hoody actually fits her now...
Oh she loves it!
Since I'm now of an age where being honoured with bridesmaid duties means making sure that all of the hard work and organisation pays off - I'm in the process of putting together the Emergency Kit to pack for the day for my Godsister's wedding this Sunday. This should include...
- Sewing Kit, including safety pins and small scissors
- Clear nail polish (helpful for stocking runs)
- Nail polish in the bride's shade
- Makeup (you'll probably have this there anyway!)
- Straws (for drinking without messing up lipstick
- Bobbypins and hair elastics
- Baby powder (also useful for getting out last-minute spills on a white dress)
- Eye-drops (look for redness reducing)
- Skittles (Brides choice!)
- Headache medicine (bring two different kinds in case one of the bridal party is allergic)
At this rate, I think I'll need my old D of E rucksack...
...as I'm feeling like I'm having a progressively crappier time as the weeks are passing on (crappy commute, crappy targets at work, frustration at work, Coco attacking everything that moves (sometimes it doesn't even have to move), no time for exercise...this list could go on and on) I need to remind myself of some good things so here goes:
- Mum's yummy Spag Bol that we had last night.
- Coco's Pugtonas (how I missed them!)
- just over a month till Christmas!
- the prospect of being a home-owner and in co-habiting bliss with KS next year
- knowing there is a crumble waiting in the fridge
- having warm, snorty, snorey and inexplicably sweet oatmeal scented Coco in my lap as I write this
- the fact that is it Thursday and is, therefore, almost the weekend, a brief but much-needed respite from the general crappiness.
In other news - KS and I inspected Coco's teeth this morning and can see another row of teeth starting to appear behind her puppy teeth on her upper-front chompers...no wonder she's taken to attacking me with a newfound ferocity. Honestly - you'd never think to be a little frightened of a 20week old pug when she bows down in POUNCE! mode.
Had a fairly hassle-free commute into work this morning, despite feeling very reluctant to leave the house this morning due to having spent the previous two hours before having to get up hearing the elements raging - GALE force winds plus RAIN...
Fortunately I when I timidly stepped out of the door, holding Coco close to shelter her puggy eyes from the wind and leaves (and actually ended up with something in MY eye. And no, KS, not chicken) to find that it actually felt a lot milder than I was expecting.
Found a window seat (it minimises the chances of multiple people trying to pet at sleeping Coco and thus annoying grumpy-morning-me), train delays as per usual but didn't have to wait long for my line on the District. No seats on the District so had to deal with a backache from carrying Coco on front and a backpack to the rear...tried to relieve the weight from my back a little by leaning against the side of a door - was quite comfy to be taking the weight off the small of my back. Till I remembered that I'd popped my brand new iPod Nano into the top inside pocket of my backpack - right at the same point that my relieved back was putting all it's pressure onto 0.o
Fortunately, iPod Nano is unscathed and not horrifically cracked like I was worried it would be. *phew*
Shame this wasn't during the week as it's just round the corner from my office, being held at Earls Court 1!
T'was our first visit to London's apparently biggest dog show - and boy are we KNACKERED. Learnt lots though (Coco's inherent cheeky, hyperactive nature makes her half-way to being a brilliant agility training dog and black pugs inexplicably have bald necks till they're about 8 months old) and bought a few bits - we managed to not go overboard but I did indulge in a Santa outfit for Coco...
Kien-sen felt the need to spoil our girl and bought her a lush new bed. We bought her some dehydrated carrot slices (love love LOVES them - and they make her breath smell sweetly carroty) as well as her very first rawhide - which she's been merrily, snortily chewing at by my feet for the past 20 minutes.
A great day out - though I almost cried when I petted the gorgeously chunky pawed Basset Hound and we now have one happy pug, with all her new treats!
KS has decided that Coco looks like Falkor if Falkor was of black fur...
Head of Falkor.
Chest of a bear.
Body of a dog.
Tail of a pig. This being the same man who (delightfully) said, as he was having a Coco cuddle "Her ear's in my ear!".
It's cold. It's dark. I've spent the best part of my day scanning from the Meat Loaf archive.
I'd like to go home now please...
...as I begin to literally dress Coco in baby's clothing.
It does the trick and it's about a quarter of the price of actual dog clothing!!
Got this fleece hoody for a newborn baby for £5 in Ethel Austin, need it be said that this seems to be an awesome way forward, especially as a cold snap seems to have hit London.I bought it in preparation for her first trip to the park. We figured we'd take her to the creme de la creme of parks and take her to the beautiful Greenwich Park on a crisp winters' day. She enjoyed crunchy leaves, was lavished in lots of (annoying) attention and managed to thoroughly terrorise a dog whose neck reached my hip, it was that big. Yep - she is that much of bully that the poor dog was actually backing away from her.
As we enjoyed a double date in great company, Coco seems perfectly at ease and enjoyed a drink in Greenwich Market.
I've learnt 3 things in the past 6 weeks.
- Coco is very curious and more-than-a-little greedy (eats things that she shouldn't)
- Out-of-hours / Emergency vets service is expensive
- Pet Insurance is likely to come in very handy
We've had Coco for like...6 weeks now and she's been to the vets for three treatments already. Once for the wasp sting, again for gastroenteritis and on Sunday afternoon for another muzzle ballooning incident of unknown cause. With her little squooshed in nose I worry about anything affecting her breathing so we took her to the vets for yet another anti-inflammatory injection to bring the swelling of her face down. Vet reckoned she ate something in the garden that she's allergice to - only we have no idea what as she's pretty much always got something in her mouth. Poor pickle. At this rate, she'll need a muzzle just to go toilet outside!!
Also - the out of office vet was very grumpy and had terrible 'bedside' manner.
Unfortunately didn't manage to get Coco a Halloween outfit - I figure I'll wait till next year once she's grown to as big as she should get and just go nuts with clothes-buying.
Oh she loves it!
