2008 has been designated as ‘Year of the Assistance Dog’ and, at last, I AM ONE!!

It certainly looks like it’s going to be an exciting year for me. It got off to a good start by my being awoken in a house which was not mine, being kissed by a lady who was not Kate……….
 

I hate to start on a grovelling apology, but feel I must pull my ears down, show you my belly and give you the ‘eye treatment’ as I am sorely behind with my blog. My excuse? Well, SO much has happened in the past few months that I have had no time to put paw to keyboard. I had a fundraising concert put on in my honour and I was revising very hard for my Final exams.

It all paid off, though, and on December 13^th, I became the 143^rd Support Dog with First Class Honours. I was hoping for a Blackberry for Christmas so that I can log on to blog (and shop) whilst I’m out with Kate, but was somewhat disappointed to be given a frozen one of the fruit kind. I tried to show willing by sucking on it (which is very heroic of me as I don’t like them) but just had to screw up my face and spit it out in disgust. What is it when you’re the only technical-minded one in the house………or was Kate playing a joke on me?

Anyhow, New Year = New Blog. It can hardly be called my training blog now, so I shall call my blog ‘Ernies’ Exploits’

Kate is due a knee operation in March, so I will have more time at home to catch up on the tail end of last year and put my pawnotes down in cyberspace, so please keep checking my blog pages for the appearance of my belated missives.

I have started the year as I mean to go on – we had a week away at Hornsea on the East Yorkshire coast.

And I have to say, it ticked everyone’s boxes. We stayed in the old railway station waiting room, which was just 200 yards from the beach and had the start of the Trans-Pennine route outside the back door (although I was disappointed that I couldn’t persuade anyone to walk all the way to Southport on the West Coast with me). I notice that the path deviates to Meadowhall, right by Support Dogs Training Centre. I wonder if I could persuade ‘Long-Distance Dave’ to accompany me on a fund-raising walk? Any of you out there willing to sponsor me? If I’m going to wear my pads thin, then I’d like to make it worth my while!

Norman got all nostalgic on me – apparently when he was a young dog, he and Kate lived nearby and used to visit regularly. I particularly liked Skipsea, even though the coastal road had literally fallen into the sea. It has a lovely sandy beach which stretched for miles and I had a brief flirtation with a local young lady there which involved chasing each other round and round and leaping off the dunes. It’s really great to be alive!

Norman’s arthritis had been really bad before Christmas. He could barely walk into the garden. He was so poorly that I had to give up stalking and pouncing on him for several weeks (and ‘hunting Norman’ has always been my favourite game!). However, I think I have found the cure for arthritis! Just take your friend (human or canine) on holiday! Just look at Norman enjoying himself at Filey beach – it’s like he’s a puppy again! I hunted him mercilessly all week, even daring to grab a bit of rump as he tried to escape. Kate says it’s like watching a lion and a wildebeest. Perhaps someone should give David Attenborough a call?

We arrived back to flooding (luckily we live up a hill, so didn’t get our paws wet at home). I really love aqua-planing across the fields flat-out with spray arcing up behind me. It wasn’t quite as drastic as last summer, perhaps because they managed to get the flood barriers up in time, so I don’t think we’ll get the lingering smells of river mud, dead fish, rotting vegetation and dead worms exploding in the sunshine as the waters recede this time. My nose isn’t sure whether it’s disappointed or relieved!

We had a weekend away near London too – it’s been a good month for jollies. Gavin took us to his college on a nostalgia trip. It wasn’t as exciting as my training centre, although it had some lovely grounds and I chased several squirrels.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express at Hemel Hempsted, which was great for two reasons. Firstly it accepts pet dogs. This doesn’t apply to me, of course, but Norman has been relegated to ‘pet dog’ status since he retired. Humph! As if he’d forget his training and years of experience! Norman always introduces himself as Support Dog (Retired), much like his human Wing-Commander/Colonel/Admiral counterparts. Seems a shame he doesn’t get some perks in retirement like a Assistance Dog (Retired) jacket. Mind you, Norman says that although there are some places he wishes he could still access, there are other, most big noisy places that he’s really not bothered about visiting any more. He likes a quieter life these days.

The second reason that it was so great was because it was right next to the Grand Union canal with a rather attractive towpath and many rather attractive ducks, moorhens, swans and geese. As you know, I am partial to the birds, but did resist temptation and managed to stay out of the water despite severe provocation. Well, I managed until almost the end of our walk, when a lone white duck looked at me funny………………….

On the Sunday, we went to St Andrews church in Chorleywood (again all part of Gavin’s nostalgia trip) and I made a new friend. One of the congregation is a Hearing Dog. ‘B’ as I shall refer to him for now since he has not quite finished his training, and I wouldn’t want to jinx him, was a very handsome yellow Labrador x Golden Retriever. We clicked straight away; even had matching blankets to lie on. We both wanted to run around and play, but had to remember that we were working, so we lay down quietly together and wiggled eyebrows in semaphore.

It was here that I finally achieved one of my life’s ambitions. I have had Communion bread………..and I didn’t even have to resort to stealing it. This must be a very enlightened and all-inclusive church. I lay extremely calmly whilst I was blessed and completely surprised myself by not wolfing it down in my usual ‘can’t-let-it-touch-the-sides’ manner’. Am I sickening for something or was it just the sense of occasion?

Well, now I have to move onto my next ambition – to have an ‘Ernie at Home’ photo spread in a glossy magazine. Centrefold spread of me lying on my back anyone?

Luckily, Kate and Gavin seemed to hit it off equally well with B’s charge too, so after the service we piled up to the common for a manic game of tag. It’s rare that I meet a dog who is as fit and fast as me, and we indulged in the ‘neck-chewing’ and ‘rump-nipping’ antics that only best friends who trust each other do. We ran for over an hour supplementing our fun with mugging other Labradors for their balls and scarpering with them. Fantastic fun! Kate often opines to people how important it is for all dogs, but particularly us working dogs, to have plenty of time to relax and run and just generally ‘be a dog’. I couldn’t agree more.

I also had ‘The Call’ – I’m going to Crufts! It has been whispered about for some time, but now it is a definite thing. I’m really excited and hope to meet Inca, Ben Fogle’s rather attractive Labrador, in the flesh for a flirtation, although Norman says that I’ll be very spoilt for choice for well-bred and charming young ladies. Norman went years ago, but found it all very noisy and not really his thing; this means it will be exactly up my street.