Walk in the Peaks!

Recently, one of my humans moved up north and it was time that we paid them a visit.
Living just a few minutes away from the Peak District, there was no doubt at all that we would be taking advantage of this on our weekend away.
There are many, many walks to be done in the 1,437km2 stretch of beauty that is the Peaks but for our first walk we chose the village of Castleton.

Famous for its Blue John rock, Castleton is situated next to Mam Tor, a 517m hill, and is home to many pubs, restaurants and cafes to, of course, assist your exercise.
After driving through the winding roads of the Peaks (and waiting for a huge pack of beagles and horses to get a move on), we parked our car on the road that heads towards Mam Tor, which seemed to have free parking- bonus!
As it was lunch time, the humans and I fancied a Sunday roast to kick off our stroll. Humum had done some research before getting to Castleton on dog-friendly pubs, and Ye Olde Nags Head seemed like the place to go.

We certainly weren't the only one to think that.
Whilst we did wait, the waitress got us a table as quickly as she could and it wasn't long before the humans were enjoying beef, roast potatoes, veggies and the essential Yorkshire pudding. Delish.
And what was I doing whilst they indulged themselves?
Well, I was getting stroked by every human that walked passed and politely waiting for my serving in between. There was no chance that I was missing out on my portion.

The waitress kindly got me a bowl of water and sat it by my spot under the table, which was very much appreciated. There is simply no better pub than a true dog-friendly one.

Following the Sunday feast, it was time to head out on foot into the Peaks. We decided not to tackle Mam Tor this time but walked through the town and up to the base of the hill to a small cave via a footpath that bordered fields of sheep. On the way back, we took the road route for a circular alternative, which provided a lovely view across Castleton, Hope Valley and beyond. The autumn colours were particularly stunning and the lowering sun shone across the hills. Certainly a walk to bring your camera for!

On return, the humans popped into the village bakery, Peveril Store, for some flapjack and brownies, which were very, very good indeed. A well-deserved treat!

I genuinely had a brilliant time up in the North. At 11-years-old, the humans were worried that the hills would be too much for me but our little trek was perfect. We all highly suggest Castleton as a place to visit if you intend to take to the Peak District at any point! The humans and I stayed overnight at Novotel Sheffield after the walk, which was extremely convenient for visiting the city as well as for accessing the glorious hills with your canine friend.

Talk soon, Jasper x

Two of my humans returned later on to walk up to the top of Mam Tor without me and report that it's a dog-friendly hike and definitely recommend it. They walked from Castleton, up the front of the hill, past a cafe and then took on Mam Tor from behind. On reaching the top, the trekked along the ridge on the hills and covered two more peaks, before heading back down into Castleton, finishing with a pint back at Ye Olde Nags Head. Superb.

Walkies with Jester!

A few days ago, I went on a walk with my friend Jester, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He's recently been in a dog hospital too, with a poorly stomach (though they never found out exactly what it was), so we were both supposed to be taking it easy. Of course, us Spaniels find that fairly difficult... We sprung from one side of the path to the other the entire time we were off-lead and, every time one of us sniffed something, the other came pounding up behind them, to see what was going on. It was tremendous fun!

Sadly, the humans didn't manage to get many photos of us doggies together as, obviously, we run pretty fast. The only other photo my human has of us outside together features me relieving myself on a big bush... It's a delight.
Afterwards, we visited a cafe where dogs are made welcome on the top floor of the building- unusual or what?! The humans had to carry me up and down the stairs because I'm not allowed to run up staircases (yet I still manage to a LOT) and I felt like a prince! "Oh, look at that puppy!" One couple commented. Yup, I'm an eight-year-old pup!
If you've got any recommendations for dog friendly cafes/restaurants, please tweet or comment below and let me know of them as my humans are always on the look out for places that I can go along with them to!
Talk soon, Jasper x

Easter!

Happy Easter everyone from a now cone-free Jasper!
Yep, that's right; on Thursday, I returned to the hospital to have my thirty-something staples and cone of shame removed. The past two weeks have been so undignified but now I could happily stroll about the town- if I were allowed on walks... Although the vet has said that I'm allowed to be driven to the park, I have to remain on a lead at all times which, the humans found out, is torture for a Springer! All I wanted to do was sniff and run, and sniff and run again! Therefore, no walkies at the park for me- grrr...
However, today is Easter Sunday so all is well! Sadly, chocolate is very bad for us doggies so no Lindt bunnies for me but I've got my paws crossed that I get sneaked a few pieces of meat under the table whilst the humans eat their roast...!
Have a brilliant day and eat lots everybody!
Talk soon, Jasper x

  The best photo the humans could get of me this morning...! 

Doggie Sleepover!

Last week, my humans informed me that they were going to be meanies and leave me with some other humans while they went away for the weekend. Understandably, I was very annoyed. I knew that some of the humans were going to have the week off so why weren't they spending it all with me?! I just couldn't understand it.

Right up until that Saturday when they were leaving, I was worrying about it.

But I needn't have worried: I was going to spend the weekend with my pal Dasher and her lovely humans! Those of you who follow me on Twitter will have probably seen pictures of Dasher before so will know that I meet up with her regularly. She's a gorgeous black Dachshund x Spaniel with a very waggy tail. When the humans bid me goodbye, I felt a little sad but was excited for the weekend to come as I knew we were going to be going to lots of trips to a HUGE nearby park that has a HUGE lake; I think it's fair to say this park is one of my favourites.

Over the weekend, my humans missed all my snuggles and my happy self (who doesn't?) and were continually texting the humans for updates on how I was. On Sunday, they were VERY pleased to have been sent a photo of me and Dasher. 

On. The. Sofa.

Yep, you read that right: we were allowed on the sofa and the humans never- not even once- told us off. Boy, was I treated that weekend or was I treated that weekend? And that wasn't even the best bit.

I slept in a HUMAN bed!

Thank you very much to the lovely humans for taking great care of me and to Dasher for letting me receive half of your usual attention. I had a fantastic weekend!

Talk soon, Jasper x

Trip to the Sea!

At the weekend, I travelled down to Dorset with the humans for a swim in the sea.
The sea. Oh, how I love it.
It's a commonly known fact that I am indeed OBSESSED with water so you probably wouldn't be surprised if I told you that I 'sang' (or howled, depending on how you look at it) when I could sense the sea... Yep, I actually did that! However, it was 15 minutes after the singing began that I could finally gallop through that chilly water... Ah, it was soooooo refreshing- even if it was near-freezing temperatures outside! The humans were complaining that they were cold but they're just pathetic; if I can withstand those temperatures, anyone should be able to! Maybe they just didn't want their swimming skills to be put to shame...

Along the way, as usual, I made friends with many water-loving spaniels and, of course, gulped down a lot of salty water even though my humans kept telling me off for doing it. They put me on the lead when I risked it a few too many times...

Days spent in Dorset are always among my favourites so hopefully we have many to come! 

Talk soon, Jasper x

P.S Sorry about the wonky camera angles... Boy, do we need PhotoShop!

Water Everywhere!

Recently, as you will have probably gathered from the news, there have been some pretty major floods across Britain. I happen to be a HUGE fan of water so, when the humans said they were off to investigate the floods in our local area, I jumped at opportunity of going along.
I don't think any of us had predicted the water level to be so high...

This is one of the many roads completely covered by water...

              

                          

     One of my parks is submerged in water so it is now a lake- woop woop! 

I most definitely made the most of this, you can be sure of that... 

 Spot the Springer...!

Anyone want a seat?

Looks like someone's going to have to swim... Lucky them!

As you can imagine, my humans took a LOT of photos of the flooding but, for once, I wasn't the focus... Don't you worry though, I'm sure I'll be back in the limelight soon enough!

Talk soon, Jasper x

P.S If you've got any snaps of the floods, be sure to tweet me them as I'd love to have a look!

My Crate.

I love my crate.
It's my own space that my humans can't fit into- what could be better?! Ok, I have to admit that I do like to snuggle my humans but sometimes they are just plain annoying and I want them to go away; when they're vacuuming, for example.
My crate offers me a space where I can get away from them all and have some time by myself. And what makes it better is that it's normally in the car- woop woop!
As you may know by now, I'm slightly obsessed with travelling in the car. It means that I'm going out somewhere- why would anyone not like that?!
Often, when I think my humans are going out, I pick up my lead and do massive springer leaps with excitement as normally my humans then remember to take me with them. I run out of the house and then jump up at my human's car. As she opens the boot, I constantly jump so I can get into the back as soon as possible. Following this, I bound into my crate and sort my comfy bed out. My crate is VERY comfy!
So, if you're ever considering to buy a crate or not, get one as (most) dogs will pay you a thousand times over for it!!
Talk soon, Jasper x