Just a few teething troubles... but others have suffered far worse...

I've been in the UK for three months now (but I have been on two trips to Brittany too so that's a month in France)... and it's safe to say it's all going well. 

Well... with a couple of tiny reservations... As you can see I am wearing a 'hat'. I am being bathed, pummed; administered with creams, lotions, forced to take potions and pills. All of this is accompanied by a mantra of... "Do you know how much all of this is costing, 'King Dog?"

Fortunately I'm not made to wear this plastic monstrosity when I go out for a walk... Others of my species would ROTFL or whatever is the modern parlance. It would certainly ruin my street cred. And I don't like to use the common name for what I've got, because it makes me feel... well, less than my best (and anyway I prefer its proper name, 'Mycosis', it, at least, has a slightly classier ring to it)... but it's Ringworm - see what I mean? Ugh!! And, whilst it is far from life threatening, it's a bit like having to admit that you've got some sexually transmitted disease... not great for the confidence. But it's important to talk about these things - so that other people know - that, for example, Ringworm is highly contagious... Apparently it's common amongst rescue dogs who have lived in close proximity to others and don't bath often enough. Once I succumb (because I always pretend I don't like to have a bath I really enjoy that squeaky clean feeling. I've heard it said that I might be getting a drying jacket like the Spaniel Sisters, that's Betty & Mabel,  next door.

Anyway, as soon as we got back from France the internet scouring and on-line buying began... A steamer... And everything... and I do mean everything, was steamed to sterility! Apparently the bill for medications is what one of the uprights has called ' 'bleeding stratospheric' whatever that is! I do not like the lampshade/hood thing at all and after each meal I run around the house avoiding all attempts to have it put back on! But I usually get cornered in the hallway by the front door (I must work out the working of these door handle things!).

I still go on two or three walks a day; most often this is the beach when the tide is right... That's when there is space to run on the sand and chase a ball around. I haven't quite worked out why it is that us dogs knuckle under so willingly... someone throws a ball and we just run like hell - what's all that about? I have also been down to the vets a few times - just to get weighed you understand. I'm up to 17.2 kilos now. And I think I was about 7.5kg three months ago, when I arrived. The vets here in Worthing - all young things straight out of vetschool - prescribed some steroid ointment to dab on when the uprights took me there when they first spotted my patchy outbreaks. Me? I lead a charmed life because I have two vets, one in Worthing and one in Brittany  (I know... there's posh!). Madame Otto, my French Vet... actually she is Dutch (and lovely) prescribed some pills to tackle the same problem better than dabbing individual outbreaks as they continue to develop (so much smarter) and it's all going very well now.

Some of you regular readers may remember that I was down for castration (ouch) before I arrived in the UK - but I was too young. Now though, that my voice is breaking - you should hear my bark, I have a few different ones for specific occasions - I am beginning to be too interested (that's what the uprights say) in other dogs. I, of course, call it just being friendly - especially with lady dogs... Anyway there is now a real danger that I will be going in for 'the chop'! Worried? So far it's just a word... I'll let you know. But one of the uprights is making cruel jokes such as how my walk may become a bit more 'girly' and would I soon be liking pink accessories - bowls, blankets and stuff, a new collar and lead etc., ... well he can't insult me - intelligent people have tried!!

See you folks!

And... PS:- Since you've made it this far... you may be barmy enough to want to have a look at my own FaceAche page...
https://www.facebook.com/RudyRescueDog1/?fref=ts