Sorry its been so long...

Kimba here... sorry it has been so long but we have been really busy. First Sally went on holiday to see Auntie Kay in Florida. Me & Kofi stayed with Nan & Grandand... the cats stayed there too! We were all very good animals and Nan says we can come again anytime we like.. and we do like it lots because when we stay at Nan's we go to the Chase. Kofi and me like it there because we can chase and chase and chase through the trees ... that's why it is called the Chase!

Since Sally got back she has been busy rewriting her website... and taking us to training classes... oh and Kofi has got something called dermodex which is a sort of mange (I told him it makes him look funnier than he is already... I think I have told you before that I am the handsome one! Anyway it is getting better now.

And then just a couple of weeks ago when I went for a chase with Kofi in the Chase I cut on of my pads and then had to have a minor op to have a bit sliced off my pad cos it was so deep. I had a bandage on it for about 4 hours before I managed to get it off... but the next one I kept on until the nurse took it off. But that's almost better too now which is just as well cos I get grumpy when I am not allowed to go on walks!

On Saturday me and Kofi are doing some more tests. I am doing my Kennel Club Gold Award... and Kofi is doing his Bronze.. and if he passes he will do his Silver...and if he passes that as well he will do his Gold.. all on the same day. So fingers crossed that we will both pass all our tests!

These are some of my favourite pics from 2007

Sunday's Playday

Kimba here. On Saturday Kofi and me go to our training classes in Burghfield Common. Sally's idea is that we show off what we have learnt in the week when we've been doing our practising. My idea is that is a good chance to play with my friends... and Kofi's idea is that he has been hired as a cleaner so he has to go round cleaning up all the scraps of treats left by the other dogs.

On Sunday we don't have to do any work. We just play. Here are some pictures of us playing this morning.

This is me playing quietly by myself



Now look who's trying to pinch my toy and my bed!



Here we are fighting over the toy (not sure where the toy is though!)



Now we are having a rest (Springer style)

Six Months Old

Hi.. Kofi here. Just wanted you all to know that I was exactly six months old yesterday. To celebrate such a momentous day in the life of a young pup like me Sally took me back to training classes - now I am in the Bronze class (Kimba is in the Gold class). Sally said that I wasn't very good really.. and Phoebe's mum said that it was good to see that even I could have "off days". So Sally said we will have to work hard over the next week cos usually I am the best in the class.

On Friday I had adventures. We went to the meadows and I went off chasing Kimba - then I spotted what I thought was Sally going back to the car and that she was going without me. So I slipped under the gate and on to the lane where Sally's car was. But when I got out on to the lane she wasn't there so I ran around the lane looking for her. Then 2 people called me and put me on a lead and took me back inside the gate to find Sally. She had been calling for ages... and was very grateful to the people for catching me and bring me back because apparently it is very dangerous to be out and about on lanes. Now she says we will have to be more careful where Kimba & me are both allowed off the lead so we can't just run off chasing anymore! Hope you like my 6 month portrait pictures.

So pleased I've got a brother.. I think!

Kimba here.. it has taken me a long time to recover from my exhausting holiday on the beach. I know I'm a Springer and I should be able to run and run but my little brother is a very good chaser and he's getting quite fast now. We had great fun on the beach together.

I'm really pleased Sally got me a little brother because most of the time we have great fun playing and chasing around. I do get a little bad tempered with him when he tries to sneak up and pinch my bed or nick the toys I have reserved to play with (i.e the toys I think I might play with.. or might not as the fancy takes me!!!!)

Here is a picture of Me and Kofi at our holiday home.

The Crow on the Beach

Hi.. Kofi here!

I'm just back from my very first holiday... I am writing today because Kimba is too shattered to do anything but sleep. I am sure he will write more about the holiday when he has recovered in a few days.

I loved the beach. We went twice a day and had a great time... running after Jack's ball, playing with Kimba, paddling in the sea, and chasing the birds.

One day I had a great game with a crow... although Sally says she thinks it might be better put that the crow had a great game with me! I first saw it perched on a sand dune at the top of the beach. I thought I could catch it so I ran towards it as quickly as I could... but just as I had very nearly got there it flew up it the air. And it flew round and round in circles... so I went round and round in circles chasing it. It led me down to the sea... and back up to the sand dunes. Sometimes it swooped down low and I jumped really high to try and catch it... but every time I just missed it. The crow squawked at me... Sally & Nan thought it was laughing at me! Once it sat down on a rock and but again just as I nearly got there it flew up into the air again. I ran and ran and ran ... then I spotted a bit of fish which I thought would make a good snack.. but Sally said not and put me on my lead. And that was the end of the game when I very nearly caught a crow.

Here are some pictures of me on the beach and one of me having a rest afterwards.

What a clever chap I am!

Kimba here again! I just wanted to tell you how clever I have been... and Sally says she is very proud of me. On Saturday I did some tests.. I did the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Bronze Award and Silver Award tests.

On the Saturday before we had done a dress rehearsal with me going to both the Bronze and the Silver classes. Unfortunately I didn't do as well as Sally had hoped I might. I was far more interested in meeting all the dogs in the Bronze class that I didn't know. So when Sally took my collar and lead off I tried to make a dash for it...and left Sally sprawled all over the floor trying to catch me. And then I jumped up at the lady Sally was supposed to be having a conversation with.. not once but twice... and then we did loose lead walking.. but I just wanted to play with the other dogs.. so my lead was not really loose!

But when it came to the proper tests I knew I was meant to behave properly because Sally had baked my favourite liver cake, and she only does that when I have to be really good. So I didn't put a foot wrong all afternoon and ended up with two lovely certificates and two rosettes.

Nan & Grandad's Golden Wedding Day

Hi...tis Kimba here!

Sorry we've not been around for awhile but Sally's camera is broken.. it is probably going to have to go off for repair! Never mind Sally has borrowed Grandad's camera to get this blog up to date.

First of all I wanted to tell you about a very special day. On Friday 10 August Nan & Grandad celebrated their Golden Wedding. Me, Sally & Kofi all went to Nan & Grandads on Friday morning for a very special day (Pippin & Willow were not invited for some reason). Rob & Maria were already there... and at lunchtime Tony, Karen, my special friend Carl & Leigh arrived. All the humans had a buffet lunch which looked and smelt lovely... Kofi was shut in his crate because he has no food manners yet.. he would think nothing of climbing on to the table and gobbling up all the yummy food. Me and Jack would like to do that too... but we have manners and know it is not an "allowed activity".

In the afternoon we all gathered round that box with moving pictures. Sally told me that Rob had made a DVD of Nan & Grandad's fifty years. I had a good time to because Leigh made a big fuss of me, and Kofi settled on Sally's knee.

Then we went for a walk.. and silly little Kofi had what he said was a frightening encounter with some giant ferns. All I know was that he went missing for five minutes and Sally was worried that instead of everyone having a lovely family dinner at The Carnarvon Arms that evening, everyone would have to come down to the Chase to look for Kofi! However he came back in a bit of panic after five minutes, and was very subdued for the rest of the walk. And that meant everyone could go out and have their lovely dinner. What a wonderful day. Here is picture of Nan & Grandad cutting their Golden Wedding cake.

Puppy School is over!

Kofi here! I finished at Puppy School yesterday so now I think I am a fully qualified puppy. Yesterday as it was the last session we had a party which I thoroughly enjoyed but Sally says was exhausting! (I keep telling her she'll have to get fitter to keep up with me!). I won the musical sits and the musical statues... the sister Springers (Daisy & Lottie) won the musical downs. We had lots of other games too like the egg and spoon race (funny though I could have sworn the eggs looked just like Jack's ball).

I am sorry Puppy School is over because I had such great fun and I liked all the other pups in the class - especially Jackson (except I did find him rather rude as he kept barking while the instructor Kris was trying to speak ... but Sally said he was just wanted to remind everyone he was about .. and that he reminded her of her black lab called Heidi). The other pups were Stanley & Raffles (liver & white springers like me.. but bigger) and Plum, Phoebe & Tia.

At the end I got a frilly thing called a rosette which Sally made me put on for this photo ... Sally thought it would have looked nicer if my ears had been neat and tidy but I like wearing my ears like this!

I also got a certificate which Sally won't let me eat... but the very best thing was my party bag which was full of yummy things to eat.

Our New Friend

Hi this is Kimba here..

Haven't been around for a little while because everything is so busy with little Kofi living here too. We have both been very good lads and working hard at our training (leg weaving is my favourite thing at the moment.. I will do that for a long while even if I don't get lots of treats).

Me, Kofi & Jack have a new friend. He appeared in Nan's garden the other week with Sally's sister in law. He is a German Shepherd puppy who is 7 months and already about 100 times bigger than me (and I'm 14 months old now!). I don't know how he got to 7 months cos I've never seen him before anywhere - perhaps he had just been living in their flat. His name is Aldo apparently.

He is good fun to play with. Kofi thinks so too. Kofi runs under a chair whenever he wants a rest.. then he just taunts both me and Aldo from under the chair until he is ready to start playing again.

I said earlier that we were both being very good.. well to be absolutely honest I am being very good.. but Kofi is doing something Sally calls "testing the boundaries". But what she means is jumping on to the chairs and then walking on top of the kitchen table! I did try jumping on to the kitchen table once when Sally was eating her tea. As I am a Springer it was not a problem to land on top of the table on my four paws. Sally was very surprised and quite cross. So I never tried it again.

Here is a picture of me with Sally, Jack, Aldo & Kofi. And another one of just me with Kofi.

A Day Out at the Seaside

Kofi here.. we went to the seaside on Thursday and had a great time. Kimba and I played on the beach.. he went in the water but as I am a sensible little dog I thought it would be too deep for me so I just watched him chase the seagulls.

We went with Nan, Grandad and Jack. I had lots of admirers. I do try and say hello to as many people as possible because I know everyone in the world wants to meet me. Here are some pictures of our lovely day out. (The weather was really nice.. which is a great change as it rains most days where I live).

Off to Puppy School

Kofi here… I went to my first puppy class on Saturday morning and had a great time! There were nine puppies in the class including me.. and four of the others were liver and white Springers like me... except that they were all at least twice my size even though three of them were only about a week older than me!! Sally says I musn’t get a complex about it..cos Kimba was just the same as me and I am a very special type of small Springer.

The trainer (Kris) said I must have had an excellent breeder cos I am a confident little chap and I am very happy about being handled (that means being picked up and hugged which is one of the things I like best).

We did like paying attention when our name is called, and towelling down without playing with the towel, and picking up, and play-biting (how not to do it!) and we did some recalls and playing. I’ve got some homework to do before next week.. it was all great fun.

Kimba said to say that he went to a new class as well. He had the same trainer as me. It was much better than his old class cos there were 12 dogs and 2 trainers. They had to do recalls when there were lots of other dogs around and loose lead walking between other dogs. They also did spins and bows and he said he had great fun. Here are a couple of pics that Sally took of me on Friday on the patio.

Me and My Brother

Hi .. Kimba here. I' m writing this because my little brother Kofi has just crawled on to Sally's knee and gone to sleep... but he won't there for much longer because he is getting too big. I can see he is about to slip off any moment. He is my new best friend.. like any brother he can be very annoying .. specially when I want to sleep and he is full of beans but Sally gives my "my own space" so I don't get too cross.

But most of the time he is great fun and we love playing with toys that we can both get hold off. We run round and round the garden with them or just have a good old fashioned game of tag. He still is too little to go out for walks.. but Sally says he can go out in 10 days time. On Saturday he starts at puppy school. I'm going to a new class too - for improvers. Here are some pictures that we have had taken this week.

Hi.. I'm Kofi and I'm new around here!

Hello there. I'm Kofi and I am nine and half weeks old. I am Kimba's "sort of" brother not sure what "sort of" means but I think of him as my big brother

I moved here about a week ago from my first home where I lived with a lovely family of humans and my doggie mum who is called Holly and my four sisters and two brothers. But when Sally came to steal me away there were only two of the girls left (Roxy & Tally) - the others had already been taken to their new homes.

I have had such fun here in my new home. I play lots of the time with Kimba although Sally puts me in my crate when she thinks I'm bugging him! I like my crate because the green blanket in it smells of my doggie mum and littermates.

In the last week I have met lots of new family and friends... and Sally has carried me to the park, and round the local roads, and to the shopping cente to see how many people we can meet. I like everyone because they make a great fuss of me. Oh and I forgot I went to the vets - he looked me all over and poked and prodded and stabbed me with a metal stick... and I didn't mind at all! Here are some pictures of me and Kimba.

My Visit to a Grand Old Lady

While we were on our holidays we went to see Auntie Edna. She is Sally's great aunt and almost 99 years old. On Monday we checked it was alright to go and see her and it was although she hadn't been too well recently. On Tuesday morning while we were having breakfast we got a message to say she was "failing fast". I'm not sure what that meant but I know that it was decided that although Sally & Nan could see her it was thought that it would no me a good idea for me to see her! That was a big disappointment for me - but I was allowed to go in the car and we left almost straight away. When we got there I stayed in the car while Nan & Sally went to see Auntie Edna. They came back after a while and we went to have lunch. After lunch I had a great surprise - I was taken to see Auntie Edna as she was brighter than before. Auntie Edna was in bed so Sally sat on a stool and put me on her knee. Auntie Edna had a great big grin for me and Sally said her face lit up! She stroked me and kept trying to get closer to me. She was very very nice. She made a great fuss of me which is what I like best. We stayed until Auntie Edna fell asleep and then we said our goodbyes.

Very sadly when we were out walking on Thursday we got a message to say that Auntie Edna had passed away. I'm not sure what that means but I am sad because Sally said I won't be able to see her again - she was a grand old lady! Here is a picture we took of me and Auntie Edna when we went to visit in November.

A holiday in the Peak District

I have just had a lovely holiday in the Peak District. I went with Sally, Nan, Grandad & Jack. We did lots of lovely walks in the warm sunshine. We had a lovely little house to stay in which was airy and bright and had great views from the windows. I liked looking out of the windows. There was a nice orchard where we walked in the mornings and the evenings.

I saw lots of lovely countryside and cows, sheep, deer & ponies! I saw rabbits and birds too - but I wasn't allowed to chase them. Now I am a big boy we didn't have to take my crate. I slept on my duvet (from home) in Sally's bedroom and was ever so good because I didn't even try to get on the bed. Our favourite walk was Lathkill Dale because of the very pretty river.

When we were walking through a field of cows on this walk one of them was very rude! It made it quite clear that we were not welcome! It followed us all the way up the path to make sure we left straight away! I wasn't very happy about that!

Here are some pictures of the view from our window, the bossy cow and Nan & Jack by the pretty river.

My Birthday Present

Last week I was one year old!!!! Sally sang Happy Birthday to me but I didn't like that it was a very peculiar sound. It worried me a lot. She got me some special chews for my birthday but I decided to save them for another day.

Then I found my own birthday present. I saw it in the garden when Sally was doing some watering. Then when she went upstairs to do some work I went and collected from the garden. I tossed it all around the kitchen. It was great fun. Then as it was one of my special treasures I put it in my bed beside me and my teddy and went to sleep.

When Sally came down she said "What are you doing with that Clematis plant?" I rather gathered from the tone of her voice that it wasn't meant to be my birthday present. This is a picture of me in my bed with the Clematis plant.

My New Bed

Big news... I have got a new bed. It is absolutely fantastic. I loved my old crate as it made me feel very safe and secure. But my new bed is so soft and comfy I get into to it to have a sleep whenever I get the chance. It was a surprise. One day I came in from the garden to find my old crate had moved to under the TV and in its normal place was a great big bed with a great big soft duvet in it. I jumped straight in without any hesitation and snuggled down into the duvet.

That night I was not quite sure at bedtime whether I was meant to go into my old crate or into the nice new bed. But Sally said I should go in my new bed. I didn't need telling twice!!! I have worked out why I have got a new bed.. it must be so my little brother can have the crate (he is arriving in 3.5 weeks time!). That is fine by me. But the bed is really big enough for two so perhaps one day we'll share (that's if I like him of course).

Here is a picture of me in my new bed and other one that Sally took of me lying on the garden table.

I have decided to drop "recalls" and "getting into the car"

Training.. training and more training. Sally has stepped up my training recently.. most of it is great fun but I have decided I don't like recalls... and I don't like getting into the car any more. I have heard that human children can "drop" subjects at school if they are big enough and don't like them.. well I am big enough and I don't like them. So I am dropping "recalls" and "getting into the car". I have only recently taken a dislike to getting into the car but I know I don't like it now.. so its dropped. I haven't told Sally about this yet but I know how to get around her.. and anyhow I've made up my mind and that's it.

These are some pics from Easter day in the Chase.

My Brother

Sorry I haven't written for a while but today I have got the most exciting news for you. On Tuesday Sally decided it was nearly time for me to have a dog to come and live here so she emailed my breeder (that is my doggie mum's owner) to ask if she knew of any Springer puppies. And she got an email back to say that my half-sister (Holly who is exactly 3 years older than me and my brothers and sisters) had pups just 2 weeks ago and what is more these new pups have the same Dad as me. So the pups are my half-nieces and half-nephews on my Mum's side... and my half-brothers and half-sisters on my Dad's side.

So today Sally went to see the little puppies (I went to but couldn't go inside because they are far too little to see big dogs like me!). Sally has chosen one (there were 3 boys and four girls). Sally has called the little boy coming to live with us - Kofi.
Here are some pictures of Kofi and his Mum and brothers and sisters.

Pictures from Today's Walk...(or Run)

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Most days me and Sally go for a walk in a lovely place that she calls the Meadows. Well to be more precise Sally walks and I run! In fact I normally run and run and run and run! It is such great fun... and there are lots of smells and birds! I do chase the birds.. but I haven't caught one yet .. they go up high into the sky where I can't get them. Its just not fair... but I am sure that one day I will find out how to fly in the sky with them. But come to think of it I haven't seen any other dogs in the sky.. not even Springers. Oh well.. maybe not! Here are some pictures from the walk. Mostly taken when I am not running because Sally says I run so fast that I am just a blur on a picture!

Me surveying the land (and showing off my lovely tail)

Me going into a hedge (I love hedges!!)

Me running through the middle of a hedge!

Me coming out of a hedge!