Newsletters & Blogs

Bill came into our lives in October 2019, as luck would have it (if you can call it that) just a few months before lockdown. Which meant, of course, that we all had to stay at home and take walks in the countryside together - a great introduction of what was to come.

We chose Bill (whose nickname given to him by the breeder was Nelson - due to him only having a single eye at birth) from a small litter of red retrievers born in July, whose parents were both gun dogs. We had actually gone to pick a Golden Labrador from another litter, having recently lost our beloved Colin - a gorgeous Lab who'd been with us for 13 years, but decided to also look at the litter of retriever puppies while we were there. 

It was love at first sight as 'Bill' (as he was to become) tussled with his brothers and sisters to get our attention, but kept getting pushed to the back of the pack. He was feisty even at an early age! So that was it - Nelson / Bill came home with us and the rest, as they say, is history.

Bill eventually became Bill after going through a whole list of names from Alan (my preference) to Captain America (that was Mr M's suggestion!). But Bill it was, and from the start he was quite a handful.

Destroyer of beds, toys, sticks, bedding plants, house plants, duvets and much more, the first months were spent hoovering up the desecration he caused - but who couldn't forgive that look of - 'who me' when discovered surrounded by chaos!

I'd love to say that having now grown up, he's grown out of his 'destroyer of worlds' behaviour - but as any dog owner will know (particularly of retrievers) that is not going to happen and Bill continues to find a way to tear apart all those 'non-destructible' toys that are marketed for heavy chewers!

Happily, the one thing that he has now got over is seizing the post as it comes through the door and ripping it to shreds - but if anyone reading this did not get a thank you for a birthday card, a bill paid, or a letter back, for a few years - now you know why!

Anyone reading our posts on Facebook and blogs on our web site will know that Bill has a fascination for water that manifests itself by jumping in muddy puddles, streams, rivers and pot holes whenever he gets the opportunity - and then looking extremely pleased with himself!

I should, of course, have seen the signs at an early age when walking along the River Derwent he became so interested in the water he fell in (recent repeats of this behaviour have shown that this was not just a one-off accident). But having not worked out how to swim at that time (even now he still looks very confused by deeper water) I had to haul him out by the collar - by getting into the river myself. As you can imagine, I then had to walk home looking like a swamp monster whilst the original 'muddy beast' trotted happily along after me - and yes, we did meet people we knew on the way back!

Who cannot forgive a dog though when jumping madly through puddles or lying down and gazing happily at you from a muddy field - not me for one - I just had to install a dog shower that's all!

When Bill was just a puppy we began to notice that he was scratching himself rather a lot. What followed were numerous trips to the vet as we tried various new diets, lotions and potions to cure him. 

We did think that once we got to summer it was perhaps an allergy to grass pollen, given the amount of time he spends rolling, but it was only when we tried limiting his food to none-grain mixes that we began to notice a difference, and he began at last to grow fur on his tummy. 

Even now we still have to be careful with what we use to bath him (Free to Live's range are most excellent for this) and he does still take his daily medicine - hidden within a piece of cheese, of course! But now we have a lovely fluffy retriever, who only scratches a bit, and looks gorgeous - well I am biased!

Bill's first Christmas with us was actually just before lock down, and at which he found out the magic of ripping open presents!

I am not sure who else's dogs get the excitement of Christmas morning presents around the tree, but Bill certainly learned very quickly. Although I imagine that it was something to do with sniffing out all the treats that I had hidden inside!

However, I am sure that every parent knows and has experienced with children, sometimes its the packaging that is more entertaining than the present - and that certainly was the case with Bill, as he seemed to love ripping up the wrapping and distributing it throughout the lounge.

Nevertheless, I think that his favourite Christmassy thing was the walk that we took in Sutton Woods with the entire family that year (including my now departed, lovely dad), which created some extra-special memories for all of us that year. 

  I should have really spotted that even as a very small puppy Bill loved posing for photographs, and would be the perfect model when we headed out on all our early walks. 

As our Bill Loves Partners that we walk with, and soon Members, I imagine after our walking events, will attest to, Bill will stop and let me take numerous photos when we are out on our walks together so that I have a range of lovely ones to choose from when we get home.

That is, of course, unless he spots something he wants to chase after or he's decided that it's time for some crazy running or rolling.

I do sometimes wonder, however, if he's rolling his eye at me and thinking - "what another photo break - really!" or "can we get on now as I really want to get home now for a snack and a lie down"! Who knows, I am though very thankful to have such a gorgeously photogenic dog, or well at least I think so!

Bill loves to play, and as I have often described, he can be pretty bonkers when he gets going. Even when he was a tiny puppy his favourite games were hiding in his dog bed and attacking a very fluffy floor cushion.

I don't know about you, but I have always loved to watch dogs playing, and Bill makes me laugh such a lot, when he gets the zoomies - even if he does knock me and other flying occasionally - or when he gets together with other like-minded dogs.

On two play-dates recently he spent most of the time running, bouncing and barking, first with Herbie who he met at Field House Coffee Barn, and then with Ollie who we walked with only recently around Nafferton & Driffield. I am sure that your dogs often do it, unless it is a retriever thing but I find the 'boxing hares' game particularly entertaining, which obviously Bill and his friends do too - I just think its mad - 'mad-march hares'.....

I know that this is not strictly about Bill, but I just wanted to talk about the dogs that we had when we were young and who had a huge influence on our love of dogs in  our adult lives. 

I am sure that most people who have and love a dog today had dogs when they were growing up. I certainly did, and I just found this photograph of our very first dog, Jason. This is actually a photo of him guarding either mine or my brother's pram, although I am not sure which. I like to think that it was mine and therefore that I always had a four-legged friend looking out for me, as now.  

Jason was a Labrador / Golden Retriever cross, which today I guess would be a Goldador (?), although when I was little this term did not exist. All I know is that Jason was most gentle, affectionate dog and would let us do ridiculous things with him without any complaint. He must have been, though, pretty old when I was born as he died when I was fairly young. But he is buried in my mum and dads garden, where my mum still lives, so I can visit him often. 

Back to Bill, and the influence that dogs have on us when we are growing up. Even though, technically both my son and my husband say that Bill is my dog (particularly when he is misbehaving!), I know that my son Dan, does love him very much and before he went off to university spent lots of quality time with him. 

I love the fact that Dan and Bill have such a strong bond and that, when Dan does make it home, Bill is so incredibly excited to see him - although saying that, Bill is also incredibly excited when I come home after only nipping to the shops!

I know that, however, next time Dan comes home before heading off on his next great adventure, Bill will be here for him and as soon as he sits down in front of the TV, Bill will choose him as his seat and snuggle partner, rather than me. And that's fine, as I do get to enjoy the dog hairs and muddy paws prints the rest of the time!

I’m guessing that all dogs have weird things that they do on a regular basis, and, as dog owners, we often find ourselves wondering ‘why the heck do they do that’?

So, one of the things that Bill does everyday without fail when he wakes up, is to pick up his bed and trot through to the living room with it with enormous purpose! He’ll then come back and does the same with all of his toys, one after the other, until they are all in place. I’m guessing he’s telling me that he is up and about and ready for the day ahead. 

Then every day at more or less 8pm on the dot, he will come and deposit a toy on my lap, and that’s his signal that he wants to go to bed.   And off he goes with me dutifully coming after him so that I can give him a few ‘sweeties’ or dog treats before lights out, and starting all over again the next day. I love it!

Isn't it funny how dogs seem to know their own breeds and automatically gravitate towards them, or play in exactly the same way. 

When we met up with an old school friend with her lovely golden retriever, it was if they had known each other for years, and just settled in walking and playing alongside each other.

Then, of course, there is Ollie, Alex's beautiful boy, who Bill always loves meeting up with and having a good romp whether that's on land or water. Although, if truth be known, Ollie is a lot braver than Bill at leaping into streams - Bill just tends to watch him either in awe or confusion - I can't tell which.

Even when Alex brought along her boarder Robbie, yes you guessed it another gorgeous golden, off they all trotted happily together to have fun, zoomies and play fight like boxing hares!

What a fab breed of dog - but aren't they all?!