THE ELIXIR OF YOUTH...

GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!

MAXMOM here...

Hello there to all my friends across the globe...

It’s been another invigorating week!

Toby was 9 weeks old on Thursday and is using every gram of his being to refurbish and reorganise our household.

I can’t believe how the time has flown. It seems like yesterday when I held my little one-week-old Golden sausage in my hands; a little bundle of canine potential which time itself would graciously unwrap.

Our energised “white lightning” now weighs in at 7.7kg and gets up to all sorts of puppy mischief. Our household is in a state of rapid transformation! 

 “7.7kgs” has certainly changed my own sleeping habits. Not only do I sleep soundly when I can (from utter physical fatigue), but we are all dragged up at the crack of dawn for an early sunrise "rumble in the jungle".

This energy can usually be dissipated with Toby’s regular ‘puppy-play-sessions’ with Asta. She is a good match and generally allows him to understand his limitations. At home however, Tammy-Girl is best...

Thankfully, we have had few accidents of elimination - he’s been marvellous with his housetraining! Indeed we’ve not had to ‘train’ him much – Toby’s choice of newsstands has been instinctive – he is polite and I am eternally grateful! 

However all is not calm. Overnight our laundry is usually redistributed around the rooms of the house, shoes are extricated from solitary corners and items that have been abandoned for eons have suddenly come to light. It’s been interesting to see what strange treasures have been unearthed. Toby has proved himself to be a ‘retriever’ of note!

King Toffee – the wise one – has stayed out of harm’s way.  The wisdom of old-age has descended on his royal crown and he has finally learnt that the best form of defence against youth is simply to stare into the blue yonder and pretend that nothing has changed.

Toffee's rank as ‘King of Laps’ remains unchanged. One of the blessings of life is that retrievers grow fast and their occupation of the ultimate ‘lap space’ is short lived. In essence...King Toffee’s throne is intact! He remains small, cute and pampered.

Tammy-Girl, on the other hand, has discovered the elixir of youth. This fountain has thrown all its glory her way – she has another bubbly partner to accompany and the world is good again!

She has introduced Toby to the tantalising taste of Carob pods, encouraged him to bark for his food and shown him the ropes of alerting us to front-door activity. “Toy-boys have their advantage!” she says, “Especially when you are the apple of their eye!”

As for me:  My family is home for a long weekend, the weather is glorious, the garden is Eden, the swimming pool is calling and I am getting puppy-fitter by the day.

Life is good...and Toby continues to grow in leaps and bounds!

 One week to go and then his all-important “Puppy Classes” commence. Oh Boy!

Sending lotsaluv to you all.

Have a wonderful,happy and energised weekend!