The dreaded V word!

Lottie being a typical Westie, suffers from the common allergies they are prone too. Today was our regular 2 monthly check at the vets. Luckily, up to now she only suffers very mild, with it mainly affecting her pads on her feet, mouth and ears.

We go our local vets which is a short car journey away. I must say  they have always been great with us, I think it really important to have a good relationship with your vet and luckily for us we see the same one each time we visit.

From a very early age I made sure Lottie was comfortable with a trip to the vets, all the staff always make a fuss of her. She's quite content in the waiting room although she's not to sure when it's her time to be seen, but its getting better each time and a few treats normally do the trick!.

As you can see Lottie is always up for a pose for the camera even in the vets!

She also seizes the opportunity to make a few new play mates (Some good has got to come of some bad right?)

I'm still fairly new to blogging and I have recently created a Facebook, Twitter and BlogLovin account. I would really appreciate it if you could give me a like.

https://www.facebook.com/waggytales1

https://twitter.com/WaggyTales1

http://www.bloglovin.com/jessicahandley

What does your dog think of the dreaded V word?

Jessica

Please mum may I have some more!

Lottie is very excited, tomorrow she gets a day visit to my grandma's while I am at a hospital appointment all day about my planned operation.

With me not being around in the day Lottie normally gets a special treat in the form of her "Special Kong". We absolutely love Kong and I don't know what I would do without them. It has kept Lottie good on so many occasions.

For any of you guys that are not aware of Kong's (Although I'm sure most of you are) they are a cone shaped dog toy with a hollow center that can be stuffed with yummy treats and frozen if wished.

There are lots of different recipes out there but here are two of mine and Lottie's favorites.

Special Kong - for special occasions and a treat. 

A small amount of peanut butter to plug the end and place on top.
A few dog biscuits crushed.
4 small pieces of cheese.
A few doggy chocolate drops.

I normally layer them in this order and them freeze it. Lottie has a medium Kong so you may need to increase the amounts for a larger one.

Fruit and Veg - The one Lottie has most of the time

A small tin of baby food. (Lottie likes rice pudding best).
Fruit / veg - Lottie's favorites are: carrots, potatoes, sprouts, broccoli, swede, banana, apple and pears.

For this one I place a small amount of baby food at the bottom of the Kong then place the fruit/veg and cover in a generous spoon of baby food with a small dog biscuit pushed in and pop into the freezer overnight.

As you can see Lottie enjoys them very much.

These are just a few of our Kong recipes. What do you guys find the best to stuff your Kong with?

Jessica

Mum's Little Helper

As many of you will already be aware. Lottie is officially not an assistant dog, however this does not mean she cannot help me around the house (And believe me she does).

All the 'tricks' she knows I have taught her using the Clicker training method, which I will do another post on soon.

So far she can tidy her toys away,  pick items up off the floor and bring them to my hand, find and fetch my slippers from anywhere in the house, walk slowly on a lead when I tell her to (This comes in really handy down steep hills).

Training for us is very much on going and I don't take the approach of "We have finished the 6 week course, I have a perfectly trained dog".

As you can see in the video, Lottie is very eager to show of her new found skill!.

What ''Tricks' do you find the most useful to teach?

Jessica

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Collagen - if only it grew on trees!

Most of the time you probably don't give your collagen a second thought, in fact half of you may have not even heard of it.

For a select few of us, me included, it completely dictates our life.

Every time I had a limb in plaster as a child many people would ask, "what happened, did you fall off your bike?" Every time I would give them the generic answer. "Nothing, I suffer from brittle bones disease". What happened next was usually the most frustrating, "Oh I see, you have osteoporosis." By this time I had normally just smiled and given up. 

Unbelievably, it isn't just the general public who think this, I have had nurses, and scarily even doctors, confuse brittle bones with osteoporosis!

I'm unique and everybody who knows me will agree. After all I am a 1 in 20,000 baby. You see that's the chance of being born with brittle bones! Many people are aware of 'common' disabilities but mention brittle bones and many people reply with "never heard of it"

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bones) is a genetic condition that you are born with. It causes defective collagen, or the inability to make it. This results in bones that break easily, for little or no apparent reason. It can come in many different types, which means it affect people in so many different ways. This is why it is commonly referred as the condition where every sufferer is different.

The main differences between brittle bones and osteoporosis, is how a person develops the condition. All people with brittle bones disease are born with it; some however may be completely unaware they have it until much later in life. Osteoporosis on the other hand is a condition that develops over time, normally as a person becomes older.

Although there is no cure for brittle bones, there are several treatments that can help with pain and the amount of fractures. There is also plenty of support from the Brittle Bone Society. It is a UK based charity that aims to provide support to people affected by brittle bones and like many of their members my life would be very different without them.

The 6^th May is Wishbone Day which is an international awareness day for brittle bones. Check out the Brittle Bone Society website: http://www.brittlebone.org/

Floppy eared rabbit sock

I have always been of the opinion that no matter how old your dog gets, they always keep that puppy instinct in them that comes out every now and again to reveal their mischievous side. Lottie will be 3 this July, although sometimes she acts more like 3 months. Today she did her usually trick of what we like to call the floppy eared rabbit sock. Here's Lottie's take on the situation...

Ok, right listen up my four legged pals. As you might be aware I'm going to be the big 3 in July and I can't wait! Today however I made sure mum still understood that I'm still very much able to act like a puppy. It all started when mum was doing some washing (which she tells me is the bane of her life) there across the room stood the basket with the nice fresh clothes in that had just come out of the dryer. Put yourself in my place there I am lying on the living room floor, dozing contentedly, when the washing basket is placed a few feet in front of me. One sock in particular is peeking out over the rim, kind of like a rabbit ear peaking over a blade of grass. Suddenly you are more awake, look over at the rabbit-sock peaking out. Did it just twitch? It did! It did! I leap to my feet bound across the living room floor, grab the rabbit (which by this time, is 100 percent rabbit as far as I'm concerned). I throw the rabbit around a bit encouraging it to try too esspace my mouth. By this time, mum has returned and suddenly seems quite cross, but don't despairs this is where the game really becomes fun as it soons leads to a game of chase with mum. If I carry this on long enough she eventually go to the fridge and come back with a tiny piece of cheese, which I will be offered in exchange for the rabbit-sock. By the time I smell the cheese I'm normally able to give up the rabbit-sock, fun as the whole experience has been and let mum carry on with her normal business, and me the important task of a dog nap! 

I'm pretty sure your dogs equally do the same kind of thing as this. And as furiating as it is at the time, I wouldn't want it any other way. 

Jessica 

Follow my lead

 Leads.. They are an essential for any dog owner, but with so many different types it can sometimes be tricky to choose! For a wheelchair user this decision is even more difficult. Ok, here I have two options I either buy a standard or a short lead. You would think the short would be the best option, however this gives Lottie no freedom to smell the many different new scents a walk can provide. I opt for the standard length and am left with half the lead wrapped around my hand with my fingers blood supply really feeling the strain by the time we return home. It does now however look like my prays are answered, as I have seen advertised a Grippy dog lead. A normal length lead with a difference, it has 5/6 loops along the lead so you can hold it at whatever length you feel most comfortable. I ordered mine today and me and Lottie can't wait until it's delivered. 

Our weekend has been filled with a visit to our local Pets at Home store. These days it's becoming a weekly visit, I just can't seem to get enough of the place or as my mum tells me "you know the products better than the staff who work there". Luckily for me and my bank balance, this visit was a relatively cheap one. Lottie gained a new purple spotty collar which she seems very impressed with, and some new flavoured biscuits which seemed to go down equally as well, if not better. 

Jessica 

And so I started blogging

I’m new to this whole blogging concept, but I have had a dog blog in mind for a while now and thought it might be fun, so here I am, finally starting one. First I guess I had better introduce you to my dog Lottie, as she will likely end up being the main contents of this blog. 

Lottie is a three year old, West Highland White Terrier. She has changed my life from the day she first arrived home, at around 8 weeks old.

I suppose I should introduce myself, as well. Well... My name is Jessica. I'm twenty two years old. I'm studying for a degree in Business Management at my local University in Staffordshire. Up until now things have been pretty standard about me, but there really is something quite unique. I suffer from a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta or in plain english it means my bones break easily.Although I try to be as independent as I can, it does mean I have to use a wheelchair full time. This in its self can put some pretty big obstacles in my way, but I don't let that stop me.

Strangely the main disabling obstacle I face from having a disability, is having to use a wheelchair full time. You might think this sounds bizarre, but people just view me 'different' from anybody else, which can really hinder my social interactions. This is where Lottie comes in. Since being a dog owner, this is now what people see me as, and not as a disabled person in a wheelchair.

My intention is to share mine and Lottie adventures, write about the joy of living with pets, and the many trials and tribulations us dogs owners face on a daily basic, but mainly the most important aspect I want to share is my day to day experiences with my furry four legged best friend, and how one small dog has changed my life more than I ever thought possible.