Update with photos you can actually see!!!

This is Twiglet taking part in the "Have a go Search and Rescue" activity at Paws in the Park.  I had to hide in a tent without him knowing which one, and then he had to find me - clearly he was looking for me at speed!!  He also took part in Dash n Splash at Paws in the park and came 3rd in the small dog category, jumping 15 feet!  Twiglet does get cold, so unlike Elvis and Harry who can jump several times, Twiglet needs to do 3 jumps maximum and then be dried and wrapped up in his coat!  Any excuse for a cuddle!

Since my last post, Twiglet and Harry have become firm friends:

Clearly my dogs are not allowed on the furniture - although they seem to have other ideas and I couldn't resist the photo!

Twiglet came on holiday with us to Southwold for August where he learned to battle the waves and charged about on the beach.

I love this photo as he looks like such a happy dog!

He's come such a long way since we first saw him.

Twiglet tries flyball!

Twiglet has done so well with his dog training that we were asked to demonstrate some weaves in class the other day - impressive!  He now has one 6 week course left before we enter the Club Class which is the highest level class at our training school, and where Elvis and Harry are.
Now we have reached this stage we were allowed to try Fun Flyball for the first time this week.  We started on in a polytunnel with sand on the floor - just like a beach - and one at a time, the dogs, having warmed up with obedience work and different-paced heel work, had to go over 4 agility jumps off-lead and then stop!  We watched the first 2 dogs complete this with ease and then it was our turn.  Couldn't believe it, he went over the 4 jumps and stopped in a perfect sit at the end!  However, my relief was short-lived as, before I could get his lead back on, he launched into a "beach frenzy", completing 4 laps of the polytunnel in about 10 seconds, and was clearly not in the mood to be caught!!  Fortunately everyone found it amusing, but the only way to stop him was for me to leave the tunnel.  As I got to the door, I found Twiglet by my side in perfect heel-work position, panicking that I was going to leave him - one advantage of his separation anxiety!
When we progressed to the other indoor area to do flyball, Twiglet was a star, running to the box really quickly, retrieving the ball (he does still think he's a labrador), and returning to me faster than he went out (usually dogs go out faster than they return).  He was beside himself with excitement and we had a fantastic fun evening.  Can't wait to try this again!
Everyone at dog training thinks he's lovely and he had lots of cuddles.  Having DNA tested him we now know that he is first cross Bedlington Terrier and Whippet.  My trainer and I both thought that he had Collie in him as he is so clever and loves working, but this is not the case.
Twiglet and I are now booked into a heel work to music workshop with Richard Curtis in January so I'm sure there will be plenty of fun stuff to write about.

Autumn Update

This is Twiglet taking part in the "Have a go Search and Rescue" activity at Paws in the Park.  I had to hide in a tent without him knowing which one, and then he had to find me - clearly he was looking for me at speed!!  He also took part in Dash n Splash at Paws in the park and came 3rd in the small dog category, jumping 15 feet!  Twiglet does get cold, so unlike Elvis and Harry who can jump several times, Twiglet needs to do 3 jumps maximum and then be dried and wrapped up in his coat!  Any excuse for a cuddle!

Since my last post, Twiglet and Harry have become firm friends:

Clearly my dogs are not allowed on the furniture - although they seem to have other ideas and I couldn't resist the photo!

Twiglet came on holiday with us to Southwold for August where he learned to battle the waves and charged about on the beach.

I love this photo as he looks like such a happy dog!

Officially ours! - July 2013

We are pleased to announce that we have notified the District Council that we are keeping Twiglet and they are happy for us to do so, so it is official!  He is microchipped, vaccinated, insured, and ours!!!  Be have subsequently met so many people who witnessed him running around the village chasing other dogs months and months ago, so are delighted that he is now part of our family.

Twiglet does uninvited dock diving! - July 18th 2013

Came home from work and decided to get my swimwear on and go for a dip in our garden frame pool while there was no one around! Was lying on a semi deflated barbie lilo with my eyes closed enjoying the solitude when I heard whining. I opened my eyes to see that Twiglet had, like a mountain goat, climbed up a series of planters and was there, bright-eyed and ready perched on the highest plant pot!  He had a true dock-diving glint in his eyes!  With visions of it all going very pear shaped I intercepted the forthcoming leap into the pool and helped him in for a swim.  I then had to get both of us out of the pool safely. We achieved this with no elegance whatsoever only to find Harry at the bottom waiting for his turn.!! Dock dogs through and through! 

Twiglet has now moved from the Special Dog training class into Novice where he is doing really well.  His off-lead recalls are pure comedy due to the speed and enthusiasm involved and we are now walking him with the other dogs off-lead without incident!  We haven't even chased any rabbits.  Twiglet now looks really well - all his fur has grown back, his ears are repaired, he is a healthy weight, with bundles of energy and enthusiasm for life! 

Twiglet Goes Dock Diving - 7th July 2013

Off we went to All About Dogs Southend-On-Sea with all 3 dogs to compete at Dock Dogs.  As Twiglet's experience of being with Elvis and Harry has led him to believe that all dogs jump into the water, it came as no surprise that parking our caravan next to the Dock Dogs pool created huge excitement!  He has now watched Harry and Elvis train, compete, and win 2 competitions and quite rightly felt that it was time for him.  George took him up on the Dock with a tennis ball.  Twiglet barked and leapt about, got to the end of the dock, looked down and stopped.  Oops - I think it was higher than he thought!  We took him onto the ramp, dropped the ball in, and let him make his way down the ramp to retrieve it in his own time.  This, we repeated throughout the weekend until we decided to let him watch Elvis jump from on top of the dock.  This was it - Twiglet, leapt off the ramp with gusto and retrieved his ball.  George then took him onto the dock where he ran down the dock, put the breaks on at the end, and leapt from a standing start!!  Brilliant!!  Harry has always just jumped off the dock - his first jump was about 18 ft and he has won all competitions in the UK this year, but Elvis started the Twiglet way, with tentative 8 ft jumps from standing and now jumps 19 ft plus!!!  George entered Twiglet into a wave (competition) and he (Twiglet) jumped 9 ft 4".  What an achievement. We are now a 3 dock diving dog family!!!

Sunday 16th June 2013 - Twiglet's not so great escape!

Three days post op, Twiglet has decided that he can now revert back to running as fast as he can up and down, round and round the garden, in through the patio door and back again.  Noooooooo!!! To my surprise he did an excellent "stop!" mid garden when I shouted with my arm raised, only to look at me and continue at the same speed - need to work on that!  I then caught Elvis barking at his crate, only to discover that Twiglet had settled himself down in Elvis's crate for a snooze.  He was promptly removed!  He does like to sneak into Harry's bed when Harry emerges, and I get him out immediately to stop him getting another pasting!  I did not see him get into Elvis' bed so have to watch this.  It is possibly because their beds are more comfortable because they have not shredded their vet bed!
Just had my neighbour knock on the door to say that Twiglet was in her garden and she didn't know how he got there but didn't want to scare him!  Whilst we were having a conversation over the fence, Twiglet appeared looking very smug!  This was a huge surprise to me as having had 2 labrador puppies with no escape, we were convinced that our garden was escape-proof but Twiglet, being part Whippet, is distinctly slimmer than a labrador puppy and had pushed one of the fence sticks across to make a hole just big enough to get through!  There was also a clear trail of flattened plants showing his route through the fence so he was not stealthy enough!  We then set about sorting out the fence which typically was between  a holly bush and a Yukka plant - poor Chris, trying to do a professional repair whilst being attacked by prickly plants, was a true comedy moment!  Having said all that, Twiglet is doing well with his training and has almost learnt to "stand". 

Thursday 13th June 2013 - Twiglet's Funny Moments

Sorry - it's been a while since the last post.  Twiglet has settled in really well and is now actually Jumping into the lake with Elvis and Harry like a true Dock Dog!  To be honest I think this is his first experience of swimming and he thinks that that is how dogs get into the water - doesn't know any different! 
All dogs have now been banished from the sofa - a long overdue disciplinary situation - and so we have Harry sleeping in his crate, Elvis sulking on the floor in the lounge, and Twiglet asleep in the laundry basket!

At night, of course, all dogs are in crates!  Twiglet has now done his first training class at Charlie's in Soham with the other dogs who are older than a year, but who have had no training.  He went with Chris and the children and did very well. He has a lightning recall and a pretty good sit and down.  They all really enjoyed themselves so thank you Anita and Jess.
Gorgeous moment this morning.  Twiglet is allowed no breakfast as he is having his op today (no testicles by this evening!).  Elvis was scrounging for food so was sent to his crate where he proceeded to whinge.  Twiglet went over to Elvis' crate and started pawing at it, trying to release Elvis!  So sweet, but fairly concerned that at some point Elvis and Twiglet might start plotting evil deeds together!  Elvis can already open the back door from both directions and regularly lets all 3 dogs out into the garden, or back into the house.  Twiglet can climb and is clearly stealthy and cunning.  If they pool their resources........................!!!  Now getting myself prepared to leave Twiglet at the vet's.  :(   Will update with a later post!

Friday 7th June 2013 - Good food manners at last!

Wow - Twiglet did a sit, wait for his food last night along with Harry and Elvis!!  We put his bowl down and made him sit and wait and make eye contact before diving in like he'd lost the winning lottery ticket at the bottom of the bowl!  He's such a sweetie to get it so quickly. Well done Twiglet!  This morning when I came down at 5am to do some work, I let all 3 dogs out into the garden and then all 3 went back to bed!  I left the crate doors open.  Harry went into his very comfy dark stinking pit (needs a wash and which Twiglet tried to curl up in yesterday), Elvis climbed onto the sofa, and Twiglet went back into his crate to sleep.  So pleased that he associates his crate as a place of safety.  Since we've had him we have given him treats and used the word bed every time we have put him in there, but to start with he would go rigid and do a sort of Garfield -like refusal while we gently but firmly encouraged him.  He has torn up some of his vet bed so we need to keep an eye on this but at least he hasn't eaten it! I am delighted that he has chosen to take himself in there and has gone back to sleep.   All quiet this morning.

Thursday 6th June 2013 Tigger Twiglet

Since I last posted, Twiglet has made an amazing recovery.  The antibiotic injection has sorted out his sore foot and when I came home just now he ran about 8 laps of the garden at full speed and a half just out of pure excitement.  He actually bounces like Tigger!  Definitely booked in for his neuter on Thursday!
Twiglet is getting used to being in the car and the van and we are taking him out at every opportunity to help with this.  We went into the Village and visited the bank this afternoon.  Thank goodness he didn't pee in there!  Everyone we meet asks after him and I am so grateful about the support we have received.  The dogs are a well formed pack now and frequently curl up asleep together.  We have just bought a new crate so that all 3 can go in the van together without Twiglet having the status of being on the front seat!  The fur on his bald patches is now growing back with a silky sheen and his limp has gone completely.  Twiglet has brought so much fun and laughter to our home we can't imagine it being any other way.  We are now having to brush him every day to stop his fur from tangling, but he is still scruffy black dog afterwards!  He loves being brushed and the only issue we have is that he gets so relaxed that he leans against you with his eyes closed making it difficult to do his whole body.  We have also made huge progress with mealtimes.  Now all 3 dogs sit and wait with Harry and Elvis' food bowls on the floor and Twiglet's bowl in your hand.  Twiglet no longer tries to eat the other dogs' food as soon as the bowl goes down.  Harry starts his, then Elvis and then we put Twiglet's on the floor.  Next stage is to get him to wait with the bowl down.  We have been practicing this with a treat in a bowl during the day but I  think that right now doing it with a full bowl of food is just one step too far!  Won't be long though so watch this space!  Thank you to all those who have been following our story.

Feeling a little poorly :(

Twiglet wasn't himself today.  He has a small wound on one of his pads which seems to be hurting a great deal today.  Yesterday he seemed fine, but today he has a pronounced limp once again and it is clearly the pad as it is sore to touch.  It needs proper investigation to see if there is a foreign object in there but we will wait until he is under anaesthetic for his castrate and microchip.  Took him to the vets as he coughed a couple of times this morning.  Hasn't coughed since and his chest sounds were all fine but he has a slightly raised temperature so has been given an antibiotic injection.  Hopefully this will help his sore pad.  I hate to see him limping, particularly as he is following me around everywhere at the moment - should have called him Shadow!  Had a lovely moment earlier when he curled up actually leaning on Elvis - very cute.  All at the vets were very impressed with his sit, down and wait, and he was very stoical with his treatment, particularly as there was a problem with the antibiotic and the vet had to have 4 goes at it!  Just hoping that he mends quickly.  We have postponed his op to make sure that he is really well.  His fur is already growing back in the thin patches and he is defending the garden quite fiercely if he hears someone at the gate.  Gorgeous scruffy black dog - you are now truly part of our family.

Sunday 2nd June - off to the County Show

Took the family and the pack to the County Show yesterday.  Twiglet was a star!  He walked with Harry and Elvis, although he did pull on the lead quite a bit, and was friendly to everyone he met - human and canine!  He really wanted to join in the terrier racing but obviously wasn't allowed!  Elvis and Harry did really well in the novice scurry and Twiglet got very excited watching this activity too.  We managed to sit on the floor and have our packed lunch without inadvertently sharing it with 3 dogs which we considered to be a huge bonus.  He is still very nervous about travelling in the car and van so he was put in a harness and seatbelt and stayed on the back seat next to the children which helped him to feel safe.  All 3 dogs went to sleep really early when we got home.

Sat 1st June 2013 - Making himself at home.

Today felt like a normal day with Twiglet in the house.  Usual dog walk with Twiglet on a long line and wanting to go and visit every dog he sees!  Feeding time is fun.  We need to feed the dogs in the correct order - Harry, Elvis, Twiglet.  Harry and Elvis will sit and wait in front of their bowl until told to eat, but Twiglet behaves like a greyhound in the stalls!!!  While we are restraining Twiglet - who needs to eat last, Harry takes advantage and tries to eat - so he gets told off and has to wait,  and in the middle of this Elvis just sits there like the 1 well-behaved child in the class wondering if he will ever get to eat again!  This needs work and at the moment works best as a 2 man job!! I can understand Twiglet's enthusiasm for food but he needs to learn some manners! 
Caught Twiglet opening the - now dug up and retrieved - dog treat tin and helping himself this afternoon.  He is much more steathly and silent in his approach than Harry and Elvis so needs watching more closely - they would have been far more clumsy and knocked the tin off the worktop with a huge crash!
Later in the day I had a huge fright as suddenly, Twiglet started barking ferociously and charged out into the garden, with barking Elvis hot on his heels, and Harry last - who was asleep in his bed and thought he ought to join in!  It appeared that next door but one's bitch had made it's way into next door's garden again and Twiglet thought it might be encroaching on our territory.  All 3 dogs were barking and I think that the poor thing was grateful to be captured and returned.  Twiglet clearly now sees this as his patch!
I went to bed fairly early to as I had to get up early to do some work.  I must have left the door at the bottom of the stairs open as Harry and Elvis are not allowed, and do not try, to go upstairs.  Having  drifted off to sleep, I woke to find the small black scruffy dog curled up asleep on the bed next to me with Chris trying to persuade him to move!!!  Twiglet was so relaxed / stubborn that Chris had to carry him back down to his crate!  I think Twiglet feels at home!

Fri 31st May - Pirate Twiglet

Twiglet has a new coat for the cold weather which makes him look really tough!  He went for a walk in the field today with Elvis and we discovered that he will need to stay on the long lead for quite some time as he wants to greet every dog in the distance.  Had a pleasant surprise though - he loves swimming!  This is really good news as our dogs swim every day and stay clean.  Nothing worse than being the new boy on the block without being the smelly one too! 
Had to laugh this afternoon when I noticed that a large tin of dog treats which I had left on the table was missing.  It couldn't be Harry or Elvis as they were out having a run, but surely a small scruffy black dog couldn't have picked up such a tin!  We eventually found the tin - after some hours searching - buried in the garden!  He hadn't managed to open it, but had carried it off and stashed it for later.  It is becoming clear, just how this little black dog has survived for so long!  The vet thought he had been stray for several weeks as she had had reports about him. He is delightful!

Thurs 30th May - visitors!

Twiglet is a bit of a local celebrity and we have been visited by people who tried to catch him earlier.  He is often greeted on the street as everyone is really pleased that he has a home.  I made the mistake of talking for too long when we were out walking and got caught out as Twiglet lifted his leg and peed on my boot!   Harry always lifts his left leg and has never peed on me!!!  Those nuts are coming off!!!!

Wed 29th May - Twiglet has learnt to sit

Twiglet has now learnt to sit, and walk to heel with a treat.  I am teaching him to weave through poles as I think he will be a fab agility dog.  We are booked into the classes for dogs over a year who have had no training and can start in a couple of weeks.  The children have decided that they will take him to classes which is great!  Twiglet is now living in his crate in the laundry with the other 2 dogs.  Harry has taught him some doggy manners and Elvis isn't quite sure, but they are beginning to settle down. 

Tuesday 28th May - To the Vets

The District Council have contacted me and are sending over the paperwork.  They have given me permission to vaccinate and neuter Twiglet, although I haven't told him about the neutering yet!  He is now vaccinated against everything and was very well behaved at the vet's. They also think he is lovely.

Monday 27th May - walking with the pack

Twiglet is learning to walk with our dogs and they are slowly becoming a pack. He is very scared of buses and lorries and slightly nervous of different noises in the street.  He is trying to mark every 10 paces.  We have been teaching him to play with a tennis ball in the back garden and he is clearly feeling much better as he is charging around like the fastest, scruffiest dog in the world!

Sunday 26th May - To the dog school.

We bought Twiglet a new collar and ID tag and took him along to see our dog trainer.  Twiglet is not allowed into the dog school as he hasn't been vaccinated, but she comes out to meet him and thinks that he is lovely.  It is clear that he loves people and is interested in making friends with other dogs.  She advises us on how to introduce him to our dogs.  

Sat 25th May - Settling in.

Twiglet is loving his new home and is seeking cuddles from the whole family.  He smells much better, but the worms are horrendous!  Double bag poop scooping!  I can't believe that he has managed to get any nutrients into his system with this number of worms.  He is not allowed to meet our dogs yet as we want to get advice from our dog trainer first.  I update the lostdog post with a photo and let the District Council, Police, local animal shelter and RSPCA know that we have him.  He is very cute.

Friday 24th May. We've caught him!

Friday 24th May.  I return to the cul-de-sac with another food bowl and once again, Twiglet starts to come towards me.  It is raining and I squat down on the pavement and start to throw dog treats casually in his direction without making eye contact.  He comes towards me and I throw the treats closer and closer to me so that Twiglet is close enough to touch.  I didn't want to get it wrong so I let him back off, and started the process again.  Eventually Twiglet was so close that I was able to put my hand gently on his collar and get a lead around his neck.  Nothing happened.  He just stood in the rain and looked at me with truly grateful eyes.  My husband then carried Twiglet back to our house where I waited for him to return from the woods with the crate.  We took him straight to the vet and discovered that he was just over a year old, very friendly, and riddled with worms.  £50 lighter and armed with special shampoo, and various parasite medication.  We set about cleaning him up.  We put him on our bath on a towel and showered him down, putting the special medicated shampoo on him and rinsing it off.  Twiglet was a star and looked so skinny when his messy fur was all wet.  We then dried him, fed him, and put him in the crate in our garden building with the heater on.

Friday 24th May, Starting to trust me.

I venture forth with a metal food bowl and enounter Twiglet on the street.  For the first time he seems to come towards me so I place the bowl on the floor and retreat.  Twiglet eats the food, and whilst he does this I walk casually up and down the road avoiding eye contact with him and trying to ignore him.  Twiglet finishes the food and walks away.  I pick up the bowl and leave.

Thursday 23rd May. Horrendous rain and hail.

Horrendous rain and hail downpours all day, leave us with no choice but to install our spare dog crate in Twiglet's woodland den.  We give him a bed, a waterproof cover, camouflage it with sticks and leaves, and chain it to the fence.  We hope and pray that Twiglet seeks shelter there overnight.  I have noticed that he now has a pronounced limp on his front left leg, and patches of fur missing from his hind quarters.  He needs to get to a vet.

Monday 20th May - Twiglet has a den in the woods.

Twiglet has a den in the woods where kind folk have been leaving food and water.  We start leaving food and water also, but never meet him there.

May 18th - Living alone in the woods.

Living alone in the woods, Twiglet was spotted, and despite the efforts of half a dozen well-meaning villagers, managed to evade capture.  Instead, we found ourselves slowing the traffic and leaving him be.  He is the scruffiest black dog ever with the saddest eyes. I post a description of him on the doglost website.