Me Hounds HeverEarly Sunday morning, up with the birds again, pile the hounds into the Furry Dogmobile.......destination - Hever Castle for Castle Canines.

Protests from Mr Furry about why we can't ever have a lazy Sunday like everyone else.  Not in this house sunshine!  It's go, go, go!  I explain to him that being active is healthy and keeps you young unless of course, you die from exhaustion which, to be fair, could be a possibility!

So we arrive at Hever and unload the hounds.  Usual expelling of "aahhhhss" and "oohhhhsss" following by "4 of them?!".  Off we go the ticket office.

Start off with Buddy and Lily with me and Peach and Daisy with Mr Furry.  We try various combinations of the 4 throughout the day finally settling on the 3 girls with me and Bud on his own with Mr Furry.  This because he is Captain Slow and insists on peeing up every post he comes across.  It crosses my mind in his short lifetime, I wonder how many ancient ruins and monuments he's peed up............a lot!

Hever CastleSo we enter the castle and grounds and WOW?!  Hadn't realised how big Hever Castle and the grounds were and the second WOW  is followed by "is this it?!"  Bit disappointing to be met with a ring in the middle and half a dozen stalls around.  Not exactly what I was expecting.  Never mind, we are here now so we may as well take the opportunity to scale the castle grounds and, they are beautiful.  I explain to Mr Furry this was where Ann Boelyn lived to which he replies......."not for long!"  Mmmmmmm there's a cheery thought!

Crowd SurgeAs usual the Bassets are the crowd pullers.  Loads of other dogs of varying shapes and sizes but the Bassets are the ones who get all the fuss.  Which Daisy and Buddy lap up as usual!  Peach and Lily are really not that bothered.  I go into the gift shop briefly for a browse and come out to see a huge crowd of children surrounding Mr Furry and the hounds.  Ermmmm guys, I think you're probably here to see the castle!  Makes me think it must be quite annoying if you've turned up to visit the castle on a day where they're having a dog event and the place is literally teaming with dogs.  Well, that's just poor planning on their part as far as I'm concerned!  Daisy BellyAs per normal, Daisy has no shame and is all too willing to roll over at any willing victim's feet for a belly rub!

We come across 3 little kids selling doggie cakes and a sweet little girl is waving a tray in a dangerous Basset height with only 1 cake on it.  I said I don't think it would be a good idea to buy 1 cake when we have 4 dogs as there will be a fight and she says "there's some more being made over there" and sends her little friend off to get them!  She comes back with a huge tray of doggie cupcakes and goes to put it on the floor.  So at this point the hounds are like Greyhounds waiting in the traps!  I said "oh no I wouldn't put those down there, they'll all disappear!"  Doggie CupcakesAnyway, much to Buddy's displeasure we make him and the others wait for a photo opportunity before the cupcakes disappear................in a flash!  Maybe I should have called him Flash after all?

Off we go but are then beckoned by another little boy asking if we'd like the hounds to have a go at Flyball.  Mr Furry repsonds "these dogs can't do that they're not clever enough!"  I mean, how rude is that?  If you replaced the ball with a sausage, they'd win medals at it!  Maybe I could be onto something here?  Fly Sausage for Bassets?............could you see that at Crufts?

Moving to the arena we watch a little of the Southern Goldern Retriever Display Team doing heel work and dancing to music in a formation.  I lean down and say to Buddy...."you see that Bud?.......that's obedience" to the amusement of the other spectators!  I laugh to myself thinking what carnage it would be doing that with the Bassets!Retrievers

Off we go again and come across some of the Newfoundlands who are there doing a display of cart pulling.  Bud starts to shout at one of them, I mean seriously pick your opponent Bud!  Pick on someone your own size!  Nope he picks the biggest black Newfy he can find!  I have no idea why but,  large black dogs he's really not keen on!

Head off back to the car park and cannot believe the queue now to get in.  You see Mr Furry, there is a benefit to getting up early and arriving early!  Usual comments from the crowd of "Oh look, Beagles/Bloodhounds/Sausage Dogs!"  Now the favourite comment seems to be "Oh look the dog from The Secret Life Of Pets".  Yes, you're right but thankfully without the wheels!  I cannot tell you how many times I've now heard the phrase "Oh Basset Hounds, you don't see many of those anymore" seriously, it's into thousands !

So that was it, our sunny Sunday out with the hounds.  Lazy Sunday?...........NEVER!........Live long and slobber!

 

Castle canines Sally xx 

(I've posted more of our photos from the day on the Facebook page)

Monty gets his claws clipped regularly at home. Lovely lady always on time, very good with Monty, all over and done with in 10 mins. I highly recommend the Furry Dogmother
Angela Cabrera
Angela Cabrera Client
Very helpful & great service cutting the nails of my 2 guinea pigs. will use again next time & highly recommend.
Rachel Hagger
Rachel Hagger Client
Outstanding service, I am so pleased from the pick up and drop off service to the perfect groom. I actually can't stop smiling how gorgeous my little boy looks and smells. Thank you so much
Lindsey Tunbridge-Adams
Lindsey Tunbridge-Adams Client

Bud Me Baby

How It All Began

You sometimes hear people say that a dog changed their life. It seems quite a dramatic statement but I now totally understand that because there is no doubt in my mind that Buddy-love did exactly that to me. If I didn’t have that dog, I would not be doing what I’m doing now. Some of my closest friends are people that I met because of him. I wanted to do something that didn’t mean leaving him at home all day or ironically having to rely on a Dog Walker so this is where the Furry Dogmother idea was born.

When the stars collided and a few months after getting this bundle of puppy in 2009 I was made redundant, it was meant to be. If that had happened a year or so earlier, I would most likely have gone into the same sort of job but Buddy-Love somehow gave me the strength to try something new and self-employment and setting up a business based around him and his needs. The rest as they say is history.

This is why my boy and his image will live on in the spirit of Furry Dogmother. Dogs are not our whole life but they make our lives whole.

FurryDM Large TM Strap

Strapline