Forever Puppies

When I was a little girl I loved puppies. I've always loved dogs with floppy ears - Spaniels, Labradors, Golden Retrievers. Floppy ears and longer hair and definitely a feathery tail is an added bonus.

For many years growing up and into adulthood I dreamed of one day owning a Pyrenees Mountain Dog - those huge big St Bernard size all white dogs. I just love the look of them even now.

Of course I didn't realize you also need a HUGE plot of land to run them around on....and they would probably have a HUGE appetite to go with it.

When I was 12 I finally talked my father around into letting me get a dog. I scoured the national newspaper looking for any all white dogs with floppy ears and amazingly on my first attempt at looking found a lady way way over the other side of town who had bred her Labrador with a Samoyed. The result being an all white labrador with floppy ears and a feathery samoyed tail.

He became a legend in the town where I grew up. I'll have to dig out my old photos one day and scan one in for you to see. His name was Andy.

But he's not the reason I'm writing today. It was when I had Andy that I remember wishing he would always stay a puppy - that cute playful face and the fluffy cuddliness that only a puppy can have.

As I've mentioned before I had never heard of Cavalier KCS before until 4 years ago when I was looking for Brinkley.

So you can imagine my pure delight to have discovered the only dog I believe in existence that remains
"PUPPY LOOKING"
all it's life.

Cavaliers just have that cute puppy face no matter how old they are. Those long floppy ears and those big warm brown eyes.

And because they are a lap dog and don't grow more than approximately 30cm they will always maintain their "puppiness."

I have children at the school calling my dogs puppies even though they are now fully grown.

I'm in love with my

FOREVER PUPPIES!

Watching Television

Someone once told me that dogs can't see what's on the television because it's two dimensional. I totally disagree. Marley is the funniest thing whenever there are other dogs on the television.

He will sit on my lap or with the children and look as though he is totally enthralled in what we are watching.

If a dog comes on the TV he will start barking at it. He's also barked at horses and cats and mice on the TV, but not people.

A few times now he's even barked at cartoon dogs.

They don't have to be barking, he just sees them - their shape, their fur...I'm not sure what it is that attracts his attention.

His favourite movie, believe it or not, is 101 Dalmations, the Glen Close version. He will actually try to chase the puppies behind the TV in the entertainment unit.

He will follow them off the screen and then try to climb in behind the TV to see where they've gone. I've never seen anything like it and I've owned a few dogs now.

Jasper doesn't take any notice of them, but to Marley they are real dogs! How bizarre.

Has anyone else ever heard of that happening?

Marley's "ME" Day

Marley and I spent some special alone time recently. We left Jasper at home with Daddy and headed off for the beach.

There are three beaches we love to go to all along the same headland. On the one side is the open ocean - a surf beach complete with surf club and all those lovely alfresco cafes. Walking along from there it corners into a bay and that's where we love to take the children for a swim. But our favourite beach to take the dogs for walks is a very dog friendly beach along an inlet where the fishing boats come and go. It then turns a corner and heads out to the ocean, but not on a swimming beach - it's a discovering beach, looking for shells in the rock pools and that's where Marley and I walked.

People were fishing at low tide...

Others swam with their dogs....hmmmm not too sure about this beach. They used to have shark nets up here in a semi-circle forming a pool for children to swim safely. They recently removed them. Fishing boats come and go and so do the sharks looking for what gets thrown overboard....

Marley was so excited to be going for a walk. Rules are dogs on leads until after 4pm so he was on his extendable lead until then....

He was just begging to be let off the lead...

This is "the place" to take your dog and Marley was curious to meet so many different dogs that day...

The tide came in quite quickly and in no time at all this entire beach was covered with water, no sand left to walk on....

I love to look at all the sail boats and imagine who owns them and where they've travelled...

Further around the headland we walked among the rock pools....

There is so much life hiding just beneath the rocks....my daughter arrived with her friends' family and they lay on their tummies in the water and watched the zebra fish swimming past...

These rock formations always amaze me....in parts they form perfect natural rectangles...they almost look as though they've been cut into pavers....

The rocks can be very sliperry and slimey to walk on without the right footwear...

Another perfect day out....

Now home to give Marley a bath!

He was so exhausted he could hardly stay standing for me to dry him off.

Treasure Hunting

Since the children were small we would take them on lots of walks and "look for treasures." To my son, finding treasures means bottles caps, car parts, rubber bands....anything that can be used for making inventions. For our girl it means butterflies, bugs, lizards, feathers or special leaves and lady bugs.

Going to the beach is one of our favourite treasure hunting places...

Shells are amongst the loveliest treasures to find and we have some lovely ones that we've found on our beach adventures.

You know how we love the amazing patterns and designs...

...but there are other treasures you can find on the beach....

ones that you pick up and visit but then leave behind when you go....

Some are past treasures...no longer living but nevertheless interesting...

This one made a very interesting "show and tell" time at school.

and then there's the interesting folks we meet on our adventures, like this little fella and his friends who popped up to see the children while they were swimming one afternoon....

We've tried to teach the children that not all the silver and gold in the world needs to be found on jewellery or in shops....some of it is free!

This tree was so much more amazing in real life than even the photos can show.

But perhaps my favourite moment on the beach was on a recent holiday, discovering what I call

"Paws, Claws and Digits"

Found all in the same area but made at different times.

The paws were from a dingo, the claws those of a seagull and then my daughters digits were last to follow the same trail.

As we leave the beach we explain to them to leave only your footprints behind and take the experience with you!

My name is Marley and I am a Chewer.....

My name is Marley and I am a Chewer.....I chew everything. I just can't stop myself. It all began when I was a little puppy...

I chew tennis balls.....and golf balls. I chew them to absolute nothingness.

I chewed this doggy toy to destruction in one sitting at 12 weeks old

I can't help myself.....

Nearly done....head is gone....but this rope is a bit tangly

Even my favourite Bunny toy that I came home with....Mummy had to keep sewing his ears back on...until finally he was unfixable.

The football rocket was very yummy too.....

Months on....and still chewing

Sometimes I chew things that it's okay to chew like my favourite pigs ears

I don't know how many golf balls I've chewed in my life, but there always seems to be more to find and destroy. Mummy keeps throwing them away and then I find another one in our doggy toy basket. They're Jasper's for his game of ball - but I JUST CAN'T HELP MYSELF....I'm sorry....think I need help.

I really am sorry Mummy - for all the school shoes I've chewed...for all the socks that I find and put holes in....for the cushion corners...they're particularly yummy...and especially for your good black shoes that I ruined.

I know you can't stay angry at this face?