Ruby’s story……………………
I liked going to the seaside, I always had fun running around on the beach and playing in the sea, but I loved the Lake District, this was a whole different place. Instead of the beach the Lake District had fields to run in and hills and mountains to climb, but best of all it had water and plenty of it.
The first time they took me there, we stayed in a pub, it was great fun, lots of people to fuss me and give me lots of treats. The first night they took me out for tea in the pub, the smell of the food was almost unbearable, but I’d walked my little legs off that day, I just couldn’t help it I feel straight to sleep under the table. I didn’t even notice mummy and daddy having their dinner !
What was even better than going into the pub, was that I was allowed to sleep with mummy and daddy. At home there was a gate across the stairs so even though I know they used to go up the stairs, I never knew what was actually up there. But here in this little room that we all stayed in, it was fabulous. They took my little bed with them, but if they thought that I was going to be be sleeping in that when they get to sleep on a big bed, they’ve got another thing coming, I’m on my holidays after all. So after a long day of walking we all three collapsed onto the big bed and went to sleep. My dad tried to lift me off and put me back in my little bed on the floor, but I was having none of it, back up I jumped and got the best place right in the middle, it was lovely, I could spread out and stretch all four of my legs, and that’s where I slept quite comfortably all night.
The next day, we all got up feeling refreshed and ready for another day. Off we went in the car, this was so exciting, But it got even better when we stopped, there it was stretched out in front of me….water….. and it was water as far as the eye could see. I jumped out of the car, hardly able to contain myself and I was off, heading straight down to the water and in I jumped…… I was in heaven. Even though I loved the water, I still liked to keep all four paws on the ground, so I didn’t go too deep, and even though they had a habit of spoiling my fun, I always kept mummy and daddy in sight, after all this was strange place and I didn’t want to get lost.
There I was splashing about in the water with mummy and daddy standing on the edge watching, when daddy picked up a stick and threw it in to the water. I had to get it, I don’t know why, but I was desperate to get the stick and take it back to daddy, I just had to. So in I splashed after the stick, but I couldn’t quite reach it, it was just a little bit too far. But my urge to get the stick took over and I pushed off with my little paws and I was swimming, this felt good. I reached the stick and grabbed it in my mouth and back I went back with it, I was swimming towards my daddy with the stick in my mouth, proud as punch, I was, I was carrying a little trophy to my dad, and when I got out of the water, I dropped it at his feet. With that daddy picked up the stick and threw it again, but this time he threw it much further out, I almost couldn’t see it. But then I spotted it, it was bobbing along, and that urge, the urge that I had first time just took over and off I went again splashing in and when I got deep enough up came my feet and I was paddling as fast as my new found paddles could take me. The stick was much further than before so when I got to it, I was puffing and panting, but the urge to get it back to dry land and to my daddy propelled me on. Once again I was out of the water and dropping it at his feet. This game was good, it was much better than any of the games that we played in the field with a ball.
The retrieving the stick from the water game went on for a good half an hour and I was getting good at this. But then in the distance something caught my eye, a group of people all sitting on the floor and what was that they were doing……. did they have food….. I think they did….. and then the smell hit me, it was definitely food, and just as the urge to retrieve the stick hit me, the urge to get to the food was even greater, so off I went. I could hear mummy and daddy running behind me and shouting, but if they wanted some too they’d have to keep up.
When I got there the food was all over the floor just ready for the taking, there it was all spread out, just waiting to be eaten, so I jumped right in and helped myself. It was like a feast, but all the people who had been sitting so nicely suddenly jumped up and started pulling all the food away from me, but they weren’t quite quick enough and I managed to get mouth fulls of pretty much everything before it was moved. But then yet again, as always happens, along comes daddy to spoil the party. He grabbed me just as I was about to help myself to some tasty looking sandwiches and as usual I was hoisted away. Mummy on the other hand was flapping about making a fuss of everyone and as I was being put back on my lead and taken to the car I heard mummy saying something about would twenty pounds cover it. Mummy must have helped herself to some of the food also because she was paying for it…………….
Mummy’s story……………..
We’d always loved the Lake District and had been many times before as a couple, but this time was different, this time we were going as dog owners, and not very experienced dog owners at that.
We’d taken Ruby out in the car plenty of times and whilst she still did get very giddy and overexcited in the car, we could just about contain her, but this was a whole different matter, this time we were taking her away and staying away for a few days and nights.
We had booked into a lovely dog friendly inn, which had an annex attached which we thought would be best, after all we didn’t want to be in a room above someone else, if the puppy was going to be running around and barking all night, we had visions of us being asked to leave the next day and to never come back. So a room separate to the main building it was, and then if there was any noise it would only be us that was disturbed.
Well after a long day of walking, we went into the bar of the inn to get some food and a couple of drinks before retiring for the night. Again this was a whole new experience, not only for us, but for Ruby too. We’d never taken her out with us before when we had gone for something to eat and seeing how greedy this puppy was, this could go one of two ways. To be perfectly honest with you we couldn’t have been more proud of our little puppy that day, everyone gave her a fuss, and everyone commented about how beautifully behaved she was. She just laid under the table and went to sleep, it was as if she knew what to do.
After we’d eaten we went back to the room to settle in for the night, we’d taken Ruby’s bed and the other half had set it up on the floor in the corner, we’d brought all her cushions and blankets and everything else that goes in her bed, including her little elephant toy.
We got ready for bed and got in and Ruby was put in her little bed in the corner. Off went the light, and onto the bed jumped Ruby. She was jumping around, kissing and licking our faces, she was just so giddy. At home she wasn’t allowed upstairs, the main reason being Labradors suffer with their hips and elbows and stairs are the worst thing for them. So her being able to get on the bed in this little room was so exciting for her.
The other half in order to show who was in charge picked her up and put her back down in her little bed in the corner, he’d not even managed to get back in bed himself when up she jumped again and settled herself down in the middle, and that’s where she stayed all night flat on her back, all four legs in the air, snoring like a jack hammer. But to be honest at least she was asleep, and at least she wasn’t running around barking, so that’s where we left her, spread out in the middle whilst me and the other half were perched on either side of the bed clinging on for all it was worth, so as not to fall out of bed or more importantly to wake Ruby. I think I actually spent the whole night with one foot down on the floor trying to balance myself so as not to fall out.
Finally when morning came, our worst fears had been alleviated, Ruby had slept all night and we had not disturbed any of the other residents and we weren’t going to be asked to leave. Us on the other hand had not slept a wink all night and were feeling anything but refreshed after a long night of clinging onto the bed. But we were on holiday we weren’t going to let lack of sleep stop us going out and exploring, so off we went in the car again.
Today’s trip was to Derwent Water, it was beautiful, and as it was fairly quiet when we got there so we just opened the car door and let Ruby jump out. She was off, heading straight down to the waters edge and straight in. Bless her she was splashing about happily when the other half picked up a stick and threw it in for her. I didn’t know why to be honest, whenever we take her into the fields at home and throw a ball, she runs after it and runs straight past, she’s not brought one back yet. “Your wasting your time”, I said to the other half, but he threw it in anyway, and we could hardly believe our eyes, she was off after it, and she grabbed it in her mouth and bless her she brought it straight back and dropped it at the other half’s feet. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing, so to prove it wasn’t just a fluke he threw it in again, but this time he threw it longer and further, and off she went again, “she won’t get that one” I said “its too far out”, but she ran out and then as the water got too deep, she started swimming, she was like a little otter in the water, swimming towards the stick her little legs paddling away and her tail (which is called an otter tail) acting like a rudder steering her where she needed to go, this was unbelievable. She swam straight to the stick, got it in her mouth, swam back and dropped it at our feet, in the exact same spot as the last one, we were so proud. It was just as if this little, stubborn, difficult, un-trainable puppy, was now a perfectly trained gun dog retrieving from the water.
When I say we were so proud, we were, but we could not take any credit from this, this was all down to her breading and her heritage. Apparently, we’ve found out later that chocolate Labradors were used in years gone by, on hunts to retrieve any birds that were shot down and landed in water. The chocolates were sent in to bring them out. This show of perfect retrieving was all down to our little girl, her parents, grandparents and great grandparents.
But as usual with Ruby, this perfect behaviour was short lived. After about half an hour of being the perfect puppy, the other side of her chocolate breading kicked in and she got a sniff of food. We’d come to know when she got the smell of something, she froze, her nose went up in the air and her hearing seemed to disappear, “oh no, what’s that she’s smelt” we both said, and just as I spotted the family sitting down to have a picnic in the distance, she was off, “oh no, get her” we both shouted, but she was a 6 month old puppy, she could easily out run, two, 50 (ish) relatively out of shape, exhausted from no sleep, us……..
By the time we caught up and reached the picnic she had already caused carnage. It looked like it had been a lovely picnic, gingham blanket on the ground a couple of wicker hampers and even a bottle of wine, this family knew how to picnic. But now this lovely scene of a happy family day out was being trashed by a rampant Labrador, trampling all over the carefully prepared food and scoffing everything in sight. The family were speechless, they just didn’t know what to do, so when approached by two out of breath puffing, red faced people holding an empty lead, they realised that this little wrecking machine was ours. The other half was sent in to grab her just as she was working her way through a plate of sandwiches. Luckily he grabbed her on the first lunge and managed to drag her away to the car before any further carnage was caused. Me on the other hand was left to apologise profusely, and to try and explain our inexperience as dog owners and cover the cost of a wrecked picnic…………..