Coco

So I am now the new dog on the block, a working cocker spaniel and that is a good description of what I have to do, work. Not only am I expected to look after Errol and Sue, a saint of a woman if ever there was one, but the young family of Peta-Jane and Martin, Sue's daughter, not to mention their children Julian almost 8 and Miles almost 5 and Katriona just 3. The telephone number of the RSPCA is kept on the side of my basket in case the effort of controlling all these people is too much for me. When Errol and Sue leave for their time as gypsies, they think I do not know their game, I will be living with Peta-Jane and her tribe the other side of Salisbury.

My first few weeks in the Rectory were a little strange as Errol covered all the floors with paper and every time did a "job" he would clap and say good boy. Did he not know that we spaniels would rather do what we have to do on the grass or against trees? Thank goodness after a while they gave that up and I can now do what is needed without the clapping.

The children seem very nice and sensible, I plan to sleep in their beds, given a chance, and all their shoes are just right for running off with. They understand that we children need to run around, getting wet and dirty and then we need to eat. Should be fun living with them but I will miss the Common and all my new found friends. Being the dog from the Rectory should have given me some edge over the rougher elements on Common there but there were still some who insisted on taking my ball away. Wait till I am bigger

 

Ozzie

Not just Dog of the Month but Supreme Winner at Wherwell's PTA Dog Show

As you can see I am a young, 2 year old Lurcher and my mother is Fisby who looks after the Youell's at  Bannuts Barn. I now live in London but come down to Chilbolton very often to restore some order to dogs on the Common.I was booked to come to the Wherwell Dog Show but it was impossible to imagine the inconvenience when I found the Royal Wedding had clashed with the show. It seemed that the better hairdressers had full diaries and I was left with either Jules at Dogs are Us or the dreadful Orlando at Pets Parlour, just imagine! My poor house mates Shane and Hugh were at their wits end and decided to attend to my grooming themselves. After days of indecision they agreed on a natural look for the big day, just a light perm and set without too much in the way of highlights or the Queen Mother look as Shane says. Having avoided Crufts in order to confuse the bookies, we arrived to a windswept Harewood Forest and a mass gathering of dogs and their owners. Channel 4 and BBC were missing I noted but Hugh said they were on their way,what a liar that man is. In the event I swept to victory in almost every event and won enough food to keep me and the children in goodies for weeks to come. My fans were overwhelmed and I promised to grace next years event with my presence, if they cannot get the Spice Girls to come.

 

 

Billy Baxter

 

Talk about landing on my paws!  Six weeks ago I was unwanted, a victim of a broken home. I was so thin that I could have been a supermodel on the dog walk and I had nails that Shirley Bassey would have been proud of.

Thurrock Services, I’ll remember them for a long time, that’s where I met Sarah & Gordon. I was picked up by a lovely lady called Marion who works for Basset Hound Welfare. She introduced me to my new parents and boy was I lucky. They took me to my new home in Chilbolton. Sarah & Gordon had only moved in three days before, so it was an adventure for us all.

Since I found my new family, I have been well fed and I am so much more handsome now. I have filled out some of my wrinkles and am starting to get woof whistles from the local ladies.

 

I am really friendly and love meeting new people and new doggy friends. I’ve been told I have a stubborn streak, not responding to my masters calls unless I want to. My latest trick when I am on the common is to mingle with other dogs called Billy, so I can pretend that I wasn’t really being called at all.

 

Well I really ought to go now as there are lots of bunnies to chase and friends to see, and Oh if you’re wondering why there is a new Calor gas sign at the village store, well, best ask Richard.

	Ollie in a Pointing Mode

 

Ollie

I was given a "right of reply" to put my point of view following comments made about me in Family of the Month last month. I am a ten-year-old English Pointer and life has not always been easy for me. I was originally rehoused after 8 months, can you believe that, but luckily, I picked a more responsible family to look after for five years until, would you believe it, they put me up for adoption again. I think they just wanted to get their hands on my Madonna cds. Therefore, I ended up in the Salisbury Pointer Rescue Centre and picked Susanne and Peter to look after. 

They are now almost house trained but eighteen months ago, they brought a bundle back from Tesco’s or somewhere, which I thought was a squeaky doll, but turned out to be a baby. I thought after a week or so they would get tired of it and, if they had kept the receipt, take it back as all it seemed to do was make a noise and smell. However, they have persevered with the bundle, now called Ben who is a wonderful friend. He shares his food with me and after I have licked his face and the floor under his high chair, it fills a gap. However, and this is the point of the story, I understand every thing they say not just "biscuit" & "walk" as has been said. The reason I lie in front of the Aga is that it is their most valuable possession and it needs to be guarded. I love where we live and have made many friends on the Common. It really is a wonderful dog’s life with Susanne, Peter and Ben.

 

 

 

Tuppeney Button

When my friend Shortie became the Dog of the Month in fact the first Dog of the Month on the Chilbolton web site I knew this was for me. I found that the web masters were easy to flatter, what men aren’t and with a few flattering of my eyelashes, here I am as dog of the month. As you can see I am a very highly pedigreed miniature poodle, French naturally not to be confused with the Belgium type, very vulgar dogs those. If pressed I would admit to being four years old which makes me fully grown and able to deal with the world and the daft humans I live with. Glynis is fine she will respond to my merest whim and freshly roasted pieces of chicken will be placed on a platter for me to dine on. However recently they, Mark and G, have gone on a diet and I am expected to be a part of this; I ask you who ever fed a dog radishes and iceberg lettuce, the RSPCA should be told of this cruelty. I am forced to supplement my diet with the entrails of rabbits, which luckily are easy to find around Drove Road, as the foxes seem to just eat the heads and bits of the bodies and leave the rest; I always have plenty to spare so if you need any please call.

 

Shortie, Dog of the Month

I am Shortie a Miniature Long Haired Dachshund who will be 7 years old this September. I expect you will be asking how I ended up on wheels. Well, in order to keep my houseguests, Janet and David, under control I always raced around, up and down the stairs and on and off chairs. This frantic life style led me to a slip a disc which impacted on my spinal cord .Despite having 3 discs removed (for good measure) I have still not regained control of the muscles, which move my rear legs. Thanks to an American company called Dog-on-Wheels, we found a device, which fits me snugly and gives me the mobility to go 'walkies' again . I do not wear it in the house as I can slide around the carpet without it although it does make my bottom a little sore, sometimes.