A different perspective!

Bobby

So Sharon and Mark pick us up today from the kennels in Northumberland after they’ve been sunning themselves in Kefalonia whilst looking for their new home. We’re so pleased to see them, that we practically throw ourselves at them and then make a mad dash to the car (not forgetting to leave our signatures on the buddleia bush) in case they change their mind and take us back to the kennels. It's good to get out of there. The Kennel Commandant waves goodbye to us. If we could just get our teeth into her… They don’t take us straight home though, they take us up to Longhoughton, on the Northumberland coast, for a run on the beach.

Bobs… "Come on..come on.. Where’s the ball - I don’t think they’ve realised that I’ve completely lost my voice by barking continuously for a week in the kennels! I’m trying to bark but nothing comes out. What sort of Jack Russell doesn’t have a bark? It’s embarrassing. My throat is a bit on the sore side too. Still… running on the beach is great. They’ve brought a ball with them …Yay….I’ve had withdrawl symptoms. Not content in running me ragged (they must realise I’m under the weather), they insist on practically drowning me to “get me clean”. I know I’m not a big fan of the kennels, but it’s not like they bed me down at night in a thick layer of my own poop. I’m now drenched, freezing cold, have a very sore throat and it’s a long walk, no make that run, (due to my short legs) back to the car."

Rocky

Rocky… "At last, back to normality. For God’s sake.. I’m coming up 12 and they stick me in kennels at my age. Bobby has been barking incessantly since we were dumped at the kennels one week ago. At last now he’s lost his voice - may it continue forever…

It’s great to have a run on the beach. I’m used to being on a lead. The beach is the only place I have a bit of freedom. I know, I know, if I was off the lead I’d run away. I can’t help it my ears are over sensitive. If a gunshot goes off 5 mile away it seems like it’s been directed down my ear canal. It’s not just gunshots though - cars backfiring, nutters on motorbikes who insist on hammering the accelerator just when they pass by, aeroplanes with their reverse thrusters - just to name a few. The beaches up here at Howick are my safe haven. I can run and run and run to my heart’s content. I like rounding Bobby up too. It’s a control thing. Bobby takes some rounding up though. He’s constantly running for the ball. I need to get him sorted, in the pen so to speak!

I have to own up to something. I’ve been trying to drown Bobby ever since he arrived on the scene. The little git gets on my nerves. When the ball goes in the water, I swim out, pick it up and swim further and further out, then drop the ball. Bobby then has to swim quite a way to retrieve it. Unfortunately he’s not a bad swimmer. He has a long tail which he uses as a rudder. I’m sure Cesar Milan has had him in his pool at some time in his life! It’s been 6 years though and he’s still around, making my life a misery.

Well it seems that they've found a villa on Kefalonia - You just know what that means.....they'll be buying a camper van. It's a 2000+ miles journey to Kefalonia and yes - we'll be riding in it!!!!"

On reflection - the kennels didn't seem that bad really!

Our four legged friends

Introducing....... Rocky

Otherwise known as Rock, Rockstar, or Big Fella.

He was rescued from the Dog & Cat shelter in Longbenton, Newcastle upon Tyne on 31st January 2006. He had been found wandering the streets of Ashington in Northumberland.

He's a very handsome black & white Border Collie with an unusual mostly white face. One ear is black and one white with black specks. He looks like he has black eye liner around his eyes and white eye lashes. Truly handsome! He's quite big for a border collie, long legged and lean – frighteningly so at times.  A gentle giant. Our son named him. He was into the Rocky films at the time; though looking back, not a very fitting name. Not a true reflection of his character - He's very nervous of noises and really a big chicken. 

A trip to the vet showed that he was approximately 18 months old.

He's now nearly 13 years old and little does he know what awaits him on our trip to Kefalonia.

Introducing...... Bobby

Otherwise known as Bob, Bobs, Bobsy, Bobalobs, Bobbles, Bobsicle, Boballonius, Big Ears, Li’l fella and Piglet. A few of many, some of which can't be mentioned here!

We rescued him from the Rising Sun Country Park in Newcastle Upon Tyne in December 2009, where he was found just wandering around with no collar, cold and frightened. A trip to our vet showed he was chipped, but to cut a long story short, nobody wanted him.

He was approximately 18 months old at the time.

Bobs is a Jack Russell, proud of it, with a very fox like dark brown face with long pointy ears. He is mostly white in the body with dark brown splodges. His best feature is his tail, long and white, curling up and over his back. He's muscular, very well toned and has tons of character. When he stands perfectly upright on his back legs with his ears down, he looks like a MeerKat and when he stands slightly forward with his ears up with his tail wagging, he looks like a velociraptor!

At the time we already had Rocky and didn't intend to have another dog, but it was hard to resist him and so....yes you've guessed it..... we took him in.

He's now 10 years old and little does he know what awaits him on our trip to Kefalonia.