There's a New Pup on the Block...!

Who doesn't love a snuggle with a very wiggly puppy?

Admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of their slightly exhausting demeanour but my humans- along with the majority of the nation- are huge admirers of puppies. So, when a family friend revealed that they had taken on ownership of a tricoloured Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the humans immediately saved a day in the calendar to meet him.

Yesterday, that day arrived. 

Introducing eleven week-old Junior!

Oh, yes. This little pup definitely has a lot of energy for his tiny frame.

 He never, ever stopped running.

Well, apart from the few moments my humans managed to catch him for a snuggle, of course!

I'm not one for puppies (they're too hands on for us seventy year-olds) but even I have to admit that he has the most adorable face. Junior is the proud owner of puppy eyes even I would fall for...

As you can see from the pictures, Junior's supersonic speed meant that even sports mode on my human's camera could not keep up with him. Probably not the best of models at the moment, right Junior?

My humans are very much looking forward to watching Junior grow over the next few years. As I was in the hands of my old humans when I was a puppy, my humans missed the majority of that part of my life so are thrilled to be able to see another Spaniel go through those early stages.

Good luck, Junior's humans!

Talk soon, 

 Jasper x

DISCOVER DOGS 2015!

"What a lot of dogs," exclaims one of the thousands passing through the doors of ExCeL London. Well, there's only one reason to blame for those many dogs: Discover Dogs 2015 had arrived!

Although I did not attend the show myself this year, two of my humans were there to report back to me about London's biggest dog event and, from what I've heard, I missed out BIG TIME by not being there. Fortunately, they did take a few pictures (erm, 494...) of the scenes to share with me...

Where better to start your trip to the dog show than the "Discover Dogs" section itself? Over two hundred breeds had a stand at the show, just so we could take photos of them and have many a snuggle.

Discover Dogs aims to raise awareness of what it takes to make a dog happy and healthy so it is always sad to hear from the volunteers at charities such as English Springer Spaniel Welfare who have witnessed cases of animal cruelty. This young Spaniel did not have the best start to his life but has fortunately since been rehomed and is now lot, lot happier- yippee!

Agility. Oh, how I miss agility. My humans decided to reminisce about our agility days by watching it in the Main Ring- but with a twist. Instead of the standard, individual categories, there was a competition between major rescue homes, with relay teams made up of past rescue dogs at each centre. Some of the adorable dogs competing had even featured on Paul O'Grady's "For the Love of Dogs". And look at the smile on that proud human's face!

As readers have probably gathered from the past few years on this blog, my humans love the Southern Golden Retriever Display Team. So, of course, when they checked their programmes to see what was on and noticed that the Goldies were performing, they raced over to the Training & Display Ring to see the group. 

They were brilliant- so brilliant that I've included two pictures of the seventy taken from their display!

Following the displays and competitions, my humans returned to the Discover Dogs zone, where they snuggled with yet more dogs (I try not to feel too offended). This lovely Field Spaniel seemed pretty chilled modelling the stunning qualities of his breed. He never left that bed the whole time my humans were there.

Without doubt, the noisiest dog sport of them all, it was time to watch some Flyball. Man, those dogs were showing some speed- almost too quick for the camera!

Those competitors were certainly raring to go.

What is fantastic about dog shows is that there is always something new to see, whether that be a new sport, shop or display. A new demonstration for my humans today was once performed by the Royal Air Force, who demonstrated just how strong their canines have to be to work out on the field. This determined dog managed to jump from the ground to the very top of the blue axle. Incredible.

Another "Discover Dogs" treat: a meet and greet with a gigantic St. Bernard. It's not every day that you come across one of these huge dogs- look at the size of those paws!

Puppy alert! Yep, the Metropolitan Police treated visitors to Discover Dogs to a viewing of the police dogs of the future, these German Shepherds. These puppies certainly have very exciting prospects ahead of them.

Wherever there is a puppy, there is a crowd.

After a spree in the shopping area of the dog show, it was sadly time for my humans to bid Discover Dogs farewell. My humans can honestly say that this year was one of, if not, the best dog shows they have been to in London and cannot wait to find out what is in store for next year's show. 

Next stop: Crufts 2016!

Talk soon, Jasper x

For more information on Discover Dogs, visit www.discoverdogs,org.uk

So Which Breed is Most Popular Where You Live?

As I've mentioned just a couple of times already (I'm one excited dog, that's for sure), this weekend, Discover Dogs is taking place at ExCel London. A large part of the dog show is the meet and greet section, where visitors can snuggle over two hundred breeds of dog (try and get them all, I challenge you).

Recently, the Kennel Club has released figures that show Britain's most popular dog breeds, and the study has found that a number of "endangered" breeds have been making their way up the popularity scale. One of these breeds is the Queen's Pembroke Welsh Corgi, which saw a 54% increase in the number of dogs registered in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year. Similarly, the Miniature Smooth-haired Dachshund has seen a rise in numbers, with 34% more of the breed registered within the past five years. These increases have been largely thanks to social media, where animal accounts and canine-fan celebrities are showing just how wonderful these dogs are have encouraged users to take on the breeds (after thorough research, of course.)

Ever wondered which breed is the most popular in your area? Well, now you can find out. New for this year is the Kennel Club's interactive dog map, where you can see the most registered dogs in your local neighbourhoods. In my area, I was disappointed to see that apparently English Springer Spaniels aren't one of the top five most popular breeds- you crazy London dog owners...! Surprisingly, the adorable Pug makes up 4.1% of dogs living in my local neighbourhood- who would have guessed?!

I hope all you Discover Dogs-goers have a fantastic time at the show and be sure to send me your pictures!

Talk soon, Jasper x

 If you would like further information on Discover Dogs 2015, visit www.discoverdogs.org.uk

To buy tickets to the show, click here

Discover Dogs is Nearly Here...!

It's that time of year again when I get very, very excited because London's biggest dog show is back in town... It's finally time for Discover Dogs!

Discover Dogs 2015 is taking place THIS WEEKEND- on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October and it promises to be more exciting than ever before.

This year, things have slightly changed with the dog show. As you may remember, Discover Dogs has taken place every year since 1996 at Earls Court but it will now take place at ExCel London and I, for one, am extremely excited to check out its new look.

We met this very handsome Springer on
our last visit!

The purpose of dog shows like Crufts and Discover Dogs is to emphasise the importance of happy, healthy canines and how this can reflect positively back on you. No one likes to see a distressed animal, which is why it is critical that awareness is raised on how to keep us animals feeling fabulous.


It is extremely important to have knowledge of everything that comes with owning a dog. Oh yes, it's not all snuggles and kisses (though you certainly do get a lot of them, too). When choosing which breed of dog you want to take on, make sure you know what level of exercise they're likely to require as well as their possible health implications as knowing this information will make caring for your pet a WHOLE lot easier.

Richard Curtis and Mary Ray will be taking
their dancing shoes to Discover Dogs 2015!

At Discover Dogs, you will have the opportunity to meet and greet over 200 different breeds of dog so what better opportunity is there to find your perfect match?

Just to show you the wonders of  finding the perfect breed of dog for you, the Kennel Club has produced this very adorable video with some very adorable creatures in it... I recommend you have a watch:

So, if you're around this weekend, why not head to the best dog show in London? My humans certainly will be!

Talk soon, Jasper x

If you would like further information on Discover Dogs 2015, visit www.discoverdogs.org.uk

To buy tickets to the show, click here

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

Oh, yes- it's time for presents, hugs and (pup)cakes as I have  reached DOUBLE FIGURES. Some may say that reaching 70 dog-years of age is pretty daunting, but I disagree. Although I'm getting a little more achy than I used to be, I truly am looking forward to spending more time snuggling and snoozing on the sofa.

This morning, I was performing my best Springer leaps as I charged around the room looking for more gifts to open and eat. Coincidently, I share my birthday with one of my humans but no fear- my birthday is absolutely the most important event of 8th October. The perks of sharing your birthday are that everybody is in the party spirit and, of course, the fact that I have more opportunities to sink my teeth into layers of wrapping paper to shred to paper snowflakes.

When it was finally time to open my presents, I discarded of the unnecessary covering of my gifts (though, obviously, wrapping paper adds to the fun) and found myself the proud owner of a packet of Jumbones, a tennis ball toy and many other things. My humans gave me one Jumbone to eat earlier on and I can safely say that I broke the record for the shortest time required to destroy and diminish the whole thing: sixty seconds. Just another achievement to add to my ever-growing list.

Man, birthdays are just good for everything.

Talk soon, 

Jasper x

Puppies are Crazy.

Yesterday, I learnt that puppies are unruly, irrational, manic balls of enthusiasm.

For a while now, my humans have been yearning for another doggie. Obviously, this is a completely insane idea as, er, I am- and will always be- the only canine in this household, thank ya very much. Fortunately, this worry has faded as a result of a recent event. Six weeks ago, one of my humans' relatives took on ownership (or, so they think) of a Hungarian Vizsla puppy, who they named Rocco. So, when my humans were offered the opportunity to meet their now fourteen-weeks-old puppy, they sprung at the chance ( whilst I tried not to take offence). 

Hungarian Vizslas are infamous for their athletic build, their intelligence and their overwhelming trainability.
Well, that may be so but it evidently is not obvious when a Vizsla is still a puppy... Obedience? Is there such a thing? Rocco was consistently on the go, his legs sprawling behind him as he ran mercilessly after the innocent parakeets in the garden. I am not exaggerating when I say that he was chewing everything: shoes, bags, cushions, table legs and even the stairs. You name it, he had it.  As a dog who's going on seventy years of age, I can fully appreciate it when someone wants a quick nap. Rocco, we learnt, is exactly the same- except, prior to twenty minutes of rest, one must appreciate three hours of complete and utter mayhem. I certainly don't do mayhem.


However, even I must admit that he was very, very cute, and my humans took hundreds of photos from their visit.

 Introducing... Rocco!

Just dealing with my latest victim

Swim?! I wouldn't dream of it...

Poor duck.

Chewing is tough work, what can I say?

Peace at last.

On a more serious note-

Today marks the final day of Puppy Awareness Week, which aims to make puppies the happiest and healthiest they can possibly be. If you are considering taking on a puppy, or know someone that is, please: fully research the breed and its requirements; find out as much as possible about the breeder of the potential puppy; visit the home you are getting the puppy from to check the environment he has been brought up and aim to meet at least one of the parents. Puppies are hard work and the commitment that comes with them is substantial. Puppy farms are all too common and usually result in ill dogs and hefty vet bills. To find out more about Puppy Awareness Week, click here. 

Life as a Sailor

The sun was out and the sky was clear- the perfect weather for a trip on board a boat, don't ya think? My humans have always been avid fans of those plastic things powered by motors that float along the river so, whenever the opportunity arises (i.e when it isn't raining), my humans abandon me at home for a trip down the Thames.
However, on this special occasion, I was once again permitted on to the humans' treasured raft. As some of you may know, as a water addict, I can sometimes find boats a little... restricting. More often than not, the humans have spent the entire duration of the trip preventing me from diving off the back of the boat into that murky channel of loveliness. Such killjoys, those humans.
Having had a break from the boat for a while, the humans finally thought that it was time to allow me to enjoy/stress myself again, so on the boat we jumped.
Admittedly, the first twenty minutes or so were slightly, er, frantic, as those humans just kept getting in the way. I'd slyly nudge my way over to the side, discretely put my paws on the edge of the boat and then, WHAM, a human would intervene and knock me off from making my break into the Thames.

After a while, when I had tired those humans out (always works, trust me), I decided that perhaps I wasn't in the mood for the water that day, and made myself at home on one of the humans deckchairs whilst she was helping sort out the ropes at a lock- warming up seats is my speciality. As a dog of higher status than my humans, obviously the only solution was to then pick me up and lay me down on her lap for the rest of the journey. Snuggles, up and down the Thames... Bliss.
Unfortunately, there were two things wrong with my day as a sailor:

1. I had to wear a fluorescent-orange lifejacket, which was simply humiliating (but, of course, safety first!)

2. The humans decided to stop to have a barbecue halfway through the journey and yet they didn't give me a single sausage. Not ONE. Just cruel...

On the whole, I had a pretty fantastic day as a sailor, and the humans have said that they will definitely be more willing to take me out on it again (and I should hope so!).

Talk soon, Jasper x

Introducing... Meow Meow

Firstly, I would like to apologise for the lack of blog posts. As always, the humans were being a pain and were apparently 'overcome by work' so I wasn't able to get posting. Usually, I have complete control over my family but, when it comes to laptops, well- erm- I need a little help tapping away at the keyboard. Don't worry: I have given them a good telling off and I don't expect them to make any poor excuses for a while.

In the time that I have been absent from the blogosphere, an unwelcome thing has tried to take control. I'm not having any of it.

For the past year, we've had the occasional visitor in our garden.  At first, I could tolerate him; they only came once a week, and usually avoided me. However, things have changed- for the worse.
Oh yes, this unwanted visitor then increased his number of visits to twice a week, then four or five times a week and now every single day. Who is this visitor, you ask? Well, I'll give you three clues. He doesn't belong within the regions of my property. He has four legs and whiskers. And he 'meows'.
You got it- a cat has taken over my home.
I say home; well, he isn't really allowed in the house, thank paws. Despite that, has he been inside the house? Yes, on more than one occasion. Once, one of my humans was working in the office upstairs and heard a meow. He didn't think anything of it- until something furry brushed against his leg under the table...

The cat wears no collar. We have absolutely no idea whose cat he is. We've asked around the local neighbourhood but are yet to find the owner of this creature.
As this cat began to take over our residency, I'd thought that the humans would want him out; I mean, who wants a cat prowling around your garden when you have the most delightful dog you could wish for?
Sadly, I couldn't have been any more wrong. The humans are besotted by this cat. So much so that they've decided to call him Meow Meow as he makes that very noise continuously. Of course, I am anything but jealous of Meow Meow. But, when he sleeps on the human chair that I'm supposed to be sleeping on...Well, that's just out of order. And when my humans go outside to stroke him, instead of to let me out... Well, that's exactly how it should not be.

Admittedly, when Meow Meow started sleeping in the garden, I was slightly taken aback. Another pet, in my garden? Well, I've not had to deal with that since I lived with my previous humans, over five years ago! Meow Meow was very disrespectful towards me the first few weeks that he visited every day. He would hiss at me, and would even get his claws out on the odd occasion. But, did I play victim? Of course not. Never would I, a canine of a higher status that the Meow Meows of the world, cave from that pathetic behaviour. I definitely did not sprint across the garden, back into the house, every time the cat dared meow at me, nor did I jump up at my humans to save me from his poor attempts at scaring me. Certainly not...

I must say, I have got used to Meow Meow's visits. In fact, I would even go as far to say that I enjoy them a teeny bit. Now that Meow Meow knows where he stands in the hierarchy of the household (Me, parakeets, pigeons, humans, woodlice, cats), he knows that fear is exactly what needs to be felt in my presence, so I try to give him a good ol' sniff every time I am unfortunate enough to come across him. Having said that, I don't anticipate idly allowing this cat to roam around my land.  I continue to (attempt to) torment him, which is the least he should expect from a dog whose house clearly does not need another animal living in it...

Talk soon, Jasper x

A Year Since the Accident... And I'm Back in a Cone.

On 4th April 2014, something happened that changed everything. When I was out on a walk at the local park, just chasing a ball like I always did, I suddenly fell to the ground in agony. An overnight stay at the vet told us that I had broken a leg. A trip to Fitzpatrick Referrals (home to 'The SuperVet') told us that my joint had shattered on both sides of one of my legs. Following a surgical procedure the day after and another two nights spent at the dogspital, I was finally able to come home- but I couldn't walk.

After surgical procedures... My titanium right leg!
Thank you to Fitzapatrick Referrals for sending me the X-rays

Obviously, as a very active English Springer Spaniel, my lack of mobility caused me a few issues, to say the least. Eight weeks of no walks and the cone of shame followed the accident but a trip back to Fitzpatrick Referrals gave me the all-clear and I was able to start the wonder that is hydrotherapy. A positive can always be made out of a negative! Except the fact that I will never, ever be allowed to play with a tennis ball again...

A year on and my titanium leg is causing me no problems at all- but the other one is. Recently, I began persistently licking my leg, which resulted in a very nasty gash appearing. Off to the vets I went again! After my past experiences at the vet, I am not a massive fan of the place, but this recent visit confirmed my hatred of it: I am back in the cone of shame.

Feeling sorry for myself...

Oh yes, that irritating piece of plastic that causes us doggies nothing but grief... I'm back in it. I know, I know, in the long-run it's for the better but that doesn't end my despising of that cone. Urgh. Oh legs, why do you cause me problems so...?

Despite my not-so-pleasant experiences at the vet and the dogspital, my humans and I are very grateful for everything you have done over the past year. We're not sure where we would be without you! Fitzpatrick Referrals is truly an incredible place, full of incredible people. Thank you!

Talk soon, Jasper x

My AMAZING Day at Crufts 2015!

So, that's it. Crufts 2015 is over. And what a weekend it was!

Saturday 7th March. The day I stepped inside the halls of The NEC as a guest to Crufts 2015.
When I woke up, I noticed that something was up. Usually, I'm the first one to wake up but yesterday all my humans were hustling and bustling about. What on earth was going on?! Well, after our two hour journey, it finally occurred to me that this trip was no normal trip.
Barks? Check.
Lots of things to sniff? Check.
Thousands of dog-mad humans? Check.
This could only mean one thing. I was at CRUFTS 2015!
The first exciting event of the day was trying to find the right entrance to go through. When your visiting as a canine, you have to enter through a special dog door- I felt like a V.I.D (Very Important Dog, that is)!

Obviously, it was then time to have photos with the Crufts logo... 

 Bench picture! Every competitor and display dog is given one of these benches so I had to pose with one like a proper show dog.

They may be far away but there are Great Danes in this picture. Yes, GREAT DANES. 

Crufts Crufts Crufts Crufts

At the sides of the show rings, my humans had to try and hide me from the competitors so that I didn't distract them. I mean, as if I would ever distract the gorgeous Wheaten Terriers...!

The first event we watched in the Main Arena was one that my humans watch every year: the International Freestyle Heelwork to Music competition! Every routine was original and there were some seriously impressive moves from these dogs. Definitely know which tricks I'm going to be working on now...! 

My human was a silly sausage and forgot her zoom lens... But here is a picture of a hilarious routine based on magic. At one point, the dog pushed the lid down over their human who was laying down inside the box and then pushed a (pretend) sword back and and forth. So clever!

The effort that had gone into some of the costumes was unbelievable. Just look at that!

And the winner is...  Slovakia! This poignant routine has the most adorable (and heartbreaking) ending. Watch the full routine here!

The Main Arena is seriously impressive. What a place to do doggie sports!

Me, posing with one of the many rings where the top dogs in each breed battle it out for their chance to win Best in Show. 

The judging of the lovely Airedale Terrier. 

My favourite photo of the day goes to... This gorgeous Standard Poodle, poking his head out of his crate! What a dude.

Fun fact: Crufts stretches across over 25 acres of the The NEC's halls. That's a lot of shopping to be done!

The tens of thousands of visitors that visit Crufts every year...

Woooo! A picture of me having a GREAT time!

 In the Dog Activities area of Crufts, you can learn about all the different things dogs can get up to, with typical breeds from each option available to meet and greet. My humans were particularly taken by this stunning Bloodhound. Just look at that sit!

A group of happy Retrievers!

One of my humans' favourite sections at Crufts is the Discover Dogs area, where visitors are able to learn about more than 200 breeds. Obviously, we had to take a trip to the Gundogs section, where I met some more of my breed- the English Springer Spaniels! Check out this stunning Spaniel.

I was probably the cheeriest dog in the world on Saturday!

So much to see and dog- come on, humans!

The irresistible Hungarian Puli. Man, I have serious hair-envy over their coats... So impressive!

Later, we visited the Young Kennel Club ring, which demonstrates the work of the next generation of dog handlers. The ring involves many of the same competitions that are held in the Main Arena, but for people that are from six years of age up to twenty-five. The work this organisation does to help young dog lovers is fantastic. 

After a look round all the stalls and rings, it was time to head back to the Main Arena to see everyone's favourite Goldies: the Southern Golden Retriever Display Team. Following their amazing display, every single Retriever in the team headed back into the arena to film something very special... Saturday Night Takeaway came to Crufts! The winner of Take Home the Ads was selected on the screen in the arena, whilst the Goldies ran, jumped and climbed around the ring. An extremely entertaining sight!

 It was then time for the Large International Agility Finals! As an Agility dog myself, this event is adored by my humans, and it did not fail to impress.

The course proved particularly difficult, with only TWO out of the fourteen competitors completing it with no faults. 

 The judge of this competition was an ex-YKC member, just proving what you can do within the organisation. The most challenging part of this course seemed to be where the tunnel and the dog walk are lined up beside each other, with quite a few of the dogs taking the tunnel instead of the climb!

All the competitors did a fantastic job- well done to all!

 Our final viewing of the day: the Flyball Team Finals! Every year, this sport excites the audience beyond belief and this year was no different. Spot the Springer in the bottom right-hand corner of this picture...

 After an excruciatingly-close final, the Dream Team South-East took home the trophy for the flyball, thanks to their incredibly rapid Pointer, who ran last. Go team!

 On the way out, my humans had time to check out the filming set for the Crufts coverage on Channel 4, which had a very special feature...

The Crufts 2015 Best in Show trophy!

On the final day of Crufts 2015, the seven finalists from each of the groups came together for the prestigious final of Best in Show. There was no clear guess as to who the winner was going to be as all the dogs were just THAT good so the judge had a very difficult to decision to make. After some deliberation, he awarded the title of Best in Show to Knopa, the first Scottish Terrier to take home the title since 1929! Owned by Rebecca Cross, Knopa was bred in the U.S and won Best of Breed two years ago at Crufts. Reserve Best in Show was awarded to the Dublin, the Flat-coated Retriever with an extremely waggy tail, from Sweden. 

Congratulations go to all the winners from across the weekend- you all did a fantastic job!

This year's Crufts was, for me, the most special as I was able to attend myself and I truly did have an incredible day. 

Talk soon,

 Jasper x

For more information on the show, visit www.crufts.org.uk

To watch highlights from the show, click here  to be taken 

to the Official Crufts YouTube Page

Me, licking my lips at the number of the treats we brought home... Yum!