The Bobster visits Helmsley, again

Here I am at the iconic ruins of Helmsley Castle

Dear reader, my apologies for the lack of blog posts recently. My laptop screen has been shattered and is still broken so it makes it very difficult to see what I am typing. I really must remind the human to get this sorted!! Anyway, I will have to persevere with things as they are so please excuse any typos. It is difficult for a dog to keep a blog in the first place (woof!)

Helmsley is a picturesque town in north Yorkshire and very dog-friendly. In fact, a human would almost feel lacking without a fur-friend as an accessory while strolling along its charming streets, eating in the local pubs and cafes or browsing the many gift shops.

We visited the town in October and the shops were geared towards Halloween.

But the town is always well dressed with an abundance of flowers on display and is really quite quaint.

This time on my morning walks I discovered a new shopping area, up an alleyway next to the Edinburgh Wool shop. The Pet shop is really great and has all sorts of goodies like Pawsecco (woof!) Yes Please!!! The Human got me a tartan bow-tie for my upcoming visit to Glasgow (more on that later)

We stayed at the Feversham Arms hotel and Spa, in the centre of town. Our room was a suite near the pool and had a lovely log burning fire, ready to light each night. Though the weather was quite mild, light it we did, as we lack the glow of a real fire at home and there's just something so wonderful and relaxing about it.

The Feversham Arms really makes us dogs feel welcome, they even had a statue of me to greet me on arrival.  And I was welcome in the bar area to eat with the humans, and drink, and eat some more. The Hotel has a spa, and provides guests with  Temple spa products in the hotel bathrooms. As you can see, there is an outdoor heated pool which people were enjoying in October. This photo was prior to my morning walk so no skinny-dipping for me. There wasn't anything provided for me during my stay here, no treats, no dog bowl, or blanket but then again, the human doesn't recall there being any extra charge. 4 🐾🐾🐾🐾 the staff on the other hand get my first ever 6 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 amazeballs!

Here are a bunch of photos of me looking cute outside the cute shops in the town,  taken during those early morning walks while the rest of the town slept, mostly. The local deli, which sells VERY good cuts of locally sourced meat and produce opens really early, so the human treated me to some roast beef. Well, I was on holiday!

I also recommend the dog-friendly Black Swan hotel. I've stayed there before and had lunch here during this visit and it really is very good indeed.

Places of interest nearby are Reivaulx Abbey and The National Centre for Birds of Prey

the Walled Gardens in Helmsley are also worth a visit

Birthday celebrations

I celebrate my birthdays like a Royal - I have two! woof! woof! My actual birthday falls on July 9th but the humans like to also celebrate it on September 26th, which was the day they first brought me home.

My human companion often tells the story. She was looking on the internet one day and saw this beautiful little cocker spaniel puppy...

I was one of a litter of six, and I was born in Wales, and because of that, and my colouring, the breeder had named me Taffy (like toffee). However, Taffy is sometimes used as a term for someone from Wales in the same way that Paddy is used for the Irish. The river Taff flows through Cardiff, so Taffy comes from that, I suppose, and even though the Welsh name Taffy means beloved, which is delightful, my new human family had heard the following nursery rhyme so changed my name to Bobby.

Taffy was a Welshman

Taffy was a thief;

Taffy came to my house

And stole a piece of beef

I went to Taffy's house,

Taffy was not home;

Taffy came to my house

And stole a marrow bone.

I went to Taffy's house,

Taffy was not in;

Taffy came to my house

And stole a silver pin.
I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was in bed;
I took up a poker
And threw it at his head

Anyway, they decided to drive all the way to Wales, North Wales, in the shadow of a great mountain, and there I was with my mummy and my little brother Ben. To this day they cannot understand why I was not the first of the litter to be picked, I was so handsome, unless it is because I have a distinctive white patch on my neck. Perhaps others wanted a pup to be a show dog, and thought that patch detrimental, but my humans love that it makes me easily recognisable. I think, perhaps I was simply meant to be with them.

And besides, I could have been a champion showdog, because my grandfather was a champion at Crufts - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, people!

So the humans met my mother and the breeder in her home, and decided on me🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

While chatting, the breeder mentioned that this was my mother's first litter and, when each of her puppies were collected she had cried. This made my human sad, so sad, that when the day came to collect me, she arranged for the breeder to meet at the nearest garage.

 My mother was very young when she had me so sometimes my humans wonder whether we should go back one day to Wales to see her. They wonder would I recognise her as my mother, would she recognise me as the boy she lost? They wonder what happened to my other 5 brothers and sisters -where did life take them? What type of owners do they have? Where do they live now? They would like to do a Dogs' Lost Families episode with me at its centre (pitching it here, any TV execs out there reading this). Maybe a website Furiends Reunited!! Woof!

Basically, birthdays are about reflection, celebration, and new starts. Oh and don't forget cake.  And biscuits. I love biscuits. Lots of biscuits.

My human got me these fabulous pupcakes and biscuits from The Doggie Patisserie 5 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

The Bobster's favourite pubs - The Village inn

I wanted to label this blog entry, I'm one of the Village People but the human thought it would lead to too many questions, like, am I the Policeman, Cowboy, or Biker? Do I spend all day humming catchy disco tunes? You get my drift.

The Village Inn in Ealing is my local, or, as the urban dictionary describes it, my neighbourhood pub.

Just what is required of a good local pub, I hear you ask (we dogs have extraordinary hearing!). Well, here's my list.

1. You must be able to walk to it (bringing the car is an impediment). The fact that my local is halfway to the park means I get to walk to it twice, so double the chance the human will bring me in.

2. It will have regulars who seem to be propping the bar no matter what time of day it is, or which day.

3. You and the regulars might never speak, but the occasional nod may lead to conversation - about the weather. No one will have a spray tan!

4. There will be NO fruit machine, jukebox, or TV blaring in the corner even though no one's watching.

5. You may be over 40 but you will still feel like one of the youngsters.

6. You will know who the landlord is, even though you have not been formally introduced as such, it will be that evident by his/her welcoming skills.  

7. You will always find a table, or place at the bar while they clear a table.

8. The food will be proper pub food, not gourmet, and plenty of it, served by friendly staff. No nasturtiums will have died to add a flourish.

9. They will offer a pub quiz - you will never go.

10. The décor should be cosy, comfy, with no glaring lights, where you can relax while you sit out the rain, or that heat (with your dog!).

The only Cockerspaniel in the Village Inn

The Village Inn fulfils all the above requirements and more. There is ample outdoor seating and a special seating area which is for non-smokers 5 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 , dog biscuits are offered (woof!) and, as the landlord has a dog himself, he very much welcomes dogs on the premises. I am allowed to eat in the bar area and in most of the dining area 5 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

I recommend a visit here with or without your fur friend so Ill leave you with a quote from W.C. Fields "Everyone's got to believe in something, I believe I'll have another beer."

I had a little Tea Party...

The Tea Party

I had a little tea party
This afternoon at three.
'Twas very small-
Three guest in all-
Just I, myself and me.

Myself ate all the sandwiches,
While I drank up the tea;
'Twas also I who ate the pie
And passed the cake to me..."
Actually, those words are from  Jessica Nelson North  but may as well have been said by me. Today, as the little humans were in town, I had a little tea party to celebrate my upcoming birthday.

We went to the Egerton House hotel, on Egerton Terrace, Knightsbridge. Parking was nearby, which was great, and the staff were very welcoming and helped with the little humans on arrival. I was greeted by name and offered water straight away. They knew of my upcoming birthday and treated me (and the humans) like royalty (woof!). The humans have had afternoon tea in many of London's more famous hotels but they wanted me to accompany them, and the Egerton allowed that.
I was offered the Doggy Afternoon Tea, which consists of meatloaf, biscuits, all followed by dog ice-cream. I did not have to have it. To be honest, I simply had biscuits, homemade. The humans and little humans who accompanied me really enjoyed their time here and their afternoon tea. It feels grand, but not too grand, and pampering without being pompous. I think this is down to the staff and their welcoming, friendly manner. For me, the important thing was, I was able to take part in this traditional London ritual, which is a great thing for anyone who is a dog tourist in this fine city who has travelled with their tea loving humans, as well as locals. To quote Cole Porter, I had a swellegant, elegant time and look forward to doing this again (woof!) 5 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

The Bobster's favourite walks - Windsor

Windsor is a very nice place to visit and I am very fond of it. Whether it's a walk along the river, down the Long Walk,  through to Windsor Great Park, or simply wandering through the town window shopping and mingling with the tourists, it's always a good day out. It's a short drive from London and there's parking aplenty with several car parks centrally located. My human companion tends to park near the train station so we get to walk all the way through town. Woof!

Here I am waiting for the Royal invite

Although I am not allowed to visit Windsor Castle, I am very welcome to eat (and often do)  at The Windsor Castle pub, on Kings Road just alongside the Long Walk. 5 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

The Two Brewers on Park Street is just yards away from Windsor castle and the entrance to The Long Walk . Do take note that while well-behaved dogs (that would be me - woof!) are most welcome to eat inside. However, children are NOT.

The Human likes to wander around the Windsor Royal Shops and, as it is all covered, so, even in inclement weather, I can eat at any of the restaurants as they all have outside areas.

And if you want to buy some fresh farm food why not visit the Windsor Farm Shop in nearby Datchet which sells fresh local produce and meat from the Royal estate. Woof! 5🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

That's my shopping at the Windsor Farm shop done. Home, human, and don't spare the horses!

A warning - Grass seed, and the hazard it can be to dogs.

It may look innocuous, you may even think that wild look pretty, but I have suffered the effects of getting grass seed in my ear twice. It is nasty, and it can happen very easily if you have cocker spaniel dangly ears like me and like to run in the grass and sniff around trees. This is usually where that nasty stuff grows and, as anyone with a dog knows, this is the first place a dog off-lead will head.

It looks like an arrow head and, once in the ear, makes me and other dogs, shake their heads non-stop. It's not only annoying, it's painful and dangerous. I had to be sedated (dangerous in itself, and costly) by my vet in order to have this removed, as, once anywhere in the body, it will try to make its way out causing all sorts of havoc.

Last year, my local council (Ealing) thought it a great idea to cut less grass in all of the borough's parks, in order to save money, or let wildlife thrive (I know which I believe. If they really wanted to attract bees and help nature they would plant lavender, which smells and looks divine and won't harbour ticks either!!!). What happens is they cut only by the footpath edges, not anywhere near or around the base of the trees, or, if there is a group of trees, anywhere in that vicinity.

My human (bless) bombarded the council with emails and letters, put up posters to warn others of the danger of grass seed, but got little response until 3 months, and several letters and emails later, other to say this will be their policy for the next 5 years...

So, here we are, another year, and the same policy. If only they would leave just one of the borough's parks (they are parks, after all, not meadows, or woodlands) well kept and the grass cut short, so that I, and all my fur friends, could run off-lead without facing this hazard. It is also a pity that the little humans have very few nice patches of grass to picnic on during summer months. Grrrrr!!!

To cheer me up after this rant, my human has promised to take me to Windsor where, hopefully, I can run off-lead on the Long Walk, and avoid this stuff. In fact, we have gone on days out ( you know, further afield - get it? woof!!) simply so that I can avoid it, so perhaps there's the silver lining. We will let you know how Windsor fared. For now, here's some information taken from the Kennel club website on grass seed injuries to dogs.

Grass seeds injuries

Dogs with injuries caused by grass seeds is an extremely common seasonal and painful problem.

Where do grass seeds commonly affect dogs?

The two most common presentations of a dog with a grass seed are the foot and the ear, although other places on your dog's body can be at risk too. Grass seeds commonly get in between the toes of the dog's foot, referred to as the inter-digital space. The grass seed already attached to the surrounding soft feathery fur now makes its way towards the foot itself, penetrating with ease the thin skin before starting to burrow deep into - and through - highly sensitive tissues of the foot resulting in extreme pain, discomfort, infection and sudden onset (acute) lameness.

The second most common place for these seeds to cause problems is down the ear canal, their uni-directional nature and shape allows the grass seed to work its way from the fur around the ears down along the ear canal, and come to rest right up against the delicate ear drum.

Your dog may shake its head and vigorously lick its paws. They may also look uncomfortable, lethargic and in a lot of pain. If you notice any of the above signs, especially head-shaking, paw-licking or any other abnormality - then call your vet straight away for the most successful treatment outcomes. Finally, please help to raise awareness and tell others, especially first-time dog owners, of the symptoms to look out for, as a tiny little grass seed can often be the cause of one of the most painful, expensive, and common conditions our beloved dogs can suffer from.

What treatment is available for dogs that have been affected by grass seeds?

As grass seeds are made from vegetable matter they're invisible on x-ray (unlike bone or metal) so their exact location within the paw is usually a mystery. Sometimes a second hole is detected where the grass seed has already travelled through the entire foot and exited through the other side leaving a narrow empty tunnel, or 'sinus', connecting the two.

If it is the ear that is affected, your vet may examine the ear to confirm the diagnosis and remove the grass seed with tweezers. Your vet may prefer to sedate your dog as they may be in too much pain to allow your vet to examine and for safe removal.

The Bobster's favourite walks - Chiswick House and Gardens. Dog show - a date for your diary

One of my favourite jokes is the one about the dyslexic insomniac who lies awake each night wondering if there is a dog. That's not a very pc joke but if there is a dog, or God, I am sure he/she created Chiswick House and Gardens for us all to enjoy and escape from the city. With its well kept grounds, river walk, magnificent cedar trees and the house itself, it is a pleasure to walk in.
There is also parking by the entrance on the A4, or free parking off the back roads.
A paws up, fur pals and human companions: Chiswick House and gardens will host a dog show on September 24th 2017. Be there if you can to support this wonderful park.

There is a also a very nice café on the grounds, which is a favourite with dog walkers, and they provide bowls for drinks after a walk, along with a variety of tasty stuff and really excellent coffee. (woof!) Dogs are not allowed inside but there is ample space outside and we like the fresh air (woof!)

The House and gardens host weddings and many great events, such as open air operas and the Festival of Lanterns is a great recent addition to these, which coincides with the Chinese new year - the little humans love it.

Maybe it's because Im a Londoner...a day out in our great city

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner, that I love London so.... (as the famous lyrics by Hubert Gregg go). The song was written in 1946 just after the second world war, which took its toll on London but never broke its spirit. I think of this song in light of the events of the past few days and today I decided to go out and about visiting some of my favourite places in this beautiful city.

First stop, which may not surprise anyone, was food related. I nipped in to Mungo and Maud's Elizabeth street branch for some of my favourite treats- peanut butter biscuits.

Then it was the human's turn to visit the very pretty Peggy Porchen's cake shop at the corner of Elizabeth street and Ebury Street.

You can tell, even before you enter the shop , that the cakes are going to be delicious; if they make such an effort with the décor, of course, they will do their best with everything. The human loved it but restraint was exercised and only one cupcake bought.

As the rain had subsided, it was then time we exercised ourselves, so it was off to Holland Park!

Those perceptive among you may recognise that the above is not my human companion but rather The Walking Man, sculpture by Sean Henry. You can see more of Sean's great work here

And I couldn't possible end my walk in Holland Park without a visit to Lord Holland.