Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – Jamie Came to Stay

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – Jamie Came to Stay

Well it has been a bit quiet on the dog front lately, apart from Henry (my neighbours dog) of course, who I have the pleasure of walking twice a week, but on Friday 20th January 2012, little Jamie arrived  He was a 15 week old black Labrador puppy.  I was asked if I would have him for the weekend for the Hearing Dogs For Deaf People,  to which I am a volunteer.  Jamie’s socialisers were going away for the weekend and needed someone to look after him.  Little Jamie arrived early Friday evening complete with his food, cage, blankets, toys, bones, plastic milk bottle (which is a great help for him to chew on, with his very very sharp milk teeth).  

He surveyed his new surroundings and it wasn ‘t long before he made himself at home.  I took him for a short walk around the block before settling him down in his cage for the night.  I have to say that I thought I would be in for a disturbed night, but was completely surprised as I never heard a peep out of him all night, even though his socialisers did say that he loved his bed and slept right through.  I thought that being somewhere unfamiliar to him, he would not have settled, but I was wrong.

I went down and woke him up at about 8.30 a.m. and after his breakfast  it was down to the park, for his morning walk.

The first thing we encountered as we came out of the house was a horse and rider coming up the lane behind our house.    Obviously Jamie had not come across one of these before, but he was totally unphased by this monster and was straining  at the leash to go and say “hello”.  The lady rider was very friendly and said that her horse was fine and was quite happy to stand and wait whilst Jamie took a closer look.  When the horse and rider continued on their way, Jamie and I headed on down to the Park.  Well we must have come across about 10 different dogs, including a young German shepherd puppy, to which he had a rough and tumble with,  and Jamie ending up looking like a brown Labrador instead of a black one, as he was now covered in mud.  He was also surrounded 6 golden retrievers, to which  he  did not know  which one to  annoy first!   A few more 4 legged friends were met  before we arrived back home exhausted with his first walk,  being quite a challenge!

After a rest, some more play and lunch it was time to give him a taste of our little piece of Dartmoor, just a little walk away from our house.  Well, to get up to the moors we have to walk up a farm track and this time of year is part of it you have to walk through about 4 inches of gloopy  mud.  Jamie trotted through quite happily, coming out the other side looking as if he had 4 brown wellies on.  We got up on the moors, let him off the lead and he was very well behaved, just wandering off a little to have a sniff at all the new smells, before joining myself and Steve.  We were really impressed how good he was.  When we came home, Jamie was very tired and  fell promptly to sleep for while.

The following day (Sunday) he had another lovely walk on the moors and then his socialisers came and picked him up about 6.00 p.m that evening and our house was quiet and peaceful once more, although I did enjoy having him around, but he was a bundle of energy and you had to have eyes in the back of your head.  We were warned that Jamie did like eating soil and sure enough, every time he went out in the garden, it was over to the pots where a mouthful of soil was consumed before you could stop him.  It didn’t actually stop at the garden, he even managed to take sly mouthfulls of the compost in the pots inside the house.  Before you had time to say “no” as he was heading towards one, it was too late, and his head came out of the pot and the excess was then deposited all over the cream carpet!!!

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – Jamie Came to Stay