Rolo's Blog: My Apprentice

Well, we've had a busy and poignant few weeks with Teddy, our foster Border Terrier. Unfortunately the health of Teddy's owner continued to deteriorate and we got a phone call to say she was very poorly and asking for Teddy, so after phoning the hospital to check it was okay, 'Her Indoors' took Teds over there to see her. Even though she was very ill, her face lit up when Teddy licked her and lay on her bed. She checked that 'Her Indoors' had everything she needed for Teddy and thanked her for looking after him. She departed over the rainbow bridge the following morning. We'd like to share a big, generous barking with Maidstone Hospital for having the compassion to allow Teds and his owner this final goodbye. It was a special, if very sad, moment and one 'Her Indoors' says she'll never forget.

Teddy, having been a star at the hospital, is now staying with us for good as his permanent foster carers for the Cinnamon Trust. 'Her Indoors' celebrated this by making him a bandana with his name on it which he is very pleased with. He wants to watch out that she doesn't get the knitting needles out though, Dog knows where that could end! I've been stepping up his training however, and now that Teddy is relaxing into his new home, we're getting a clearer picture of his personality.

On the plus side, he's upped his game on the low level disobedience, which is encouraging. When we had some workmen in to replace the fence around the veg garden, they made the mistake of leaving their lorry cab door open as it was a hot day. Teds waited his moment and was in there like a shot, rooting around for the packed lunch on the passenger side. The first 'Her Indoors' knew of this was the workman shouting and running up the garden. She was then in the familiar position of dragging a reluctant Border Terrier out of someone else's vehicle and apologising. This was a display of excellent initiative from Teddy and something I would have done myself, in my younger pre-arthiritis days.

He's also trained 'Her Indoors' into making some purchasing decisions, by putting his rather big and fluffy paw down. She took him for a walk on the Ashdown Forest, and thinking he'd be thirsty, visited the dog drinking bowl at the Visitors' Centre. Teddy was frankly horrified at the whole idea of drinking from a communal cup and refused point blank even though he was clearly thirsty and drank lots when he got home. 'Her Indoors' has therefore bought him a travel drinking bowl and a little water flask so he can have his own refreshments. He will of course be sharing with me, but then I'm not just any old fur.

He's additionally shown some skill in the gardening department. As well as upping the anti in the on-going feud with Ben next door, he's started digging. 'Her Indoors', rather than seeing this in the correct light of Teddy taking the initiative and providing assistance, has taken a dim view. This is all excellent stuff but he wants to be careful. He's an entire male and 'Her Indoors' is starting to mutter about a little visit to the Vet's. Still, they tried this with me and I didn't even break my stride, so much so that 'Him Indoors' did wonder if they should consider removing a few other superfluous body parts to see if that helped. It's just as well I've got a sense of humour.

On the negative side, Teddy took advantage of my good nature and, when 'Junior Her’ was visiting for the weekend, broke the bedroom protocols and went for a little upstairs wander into her bedroom and stole illicit tummy tickles. He is firmly behind me in the queue for that kind of thing and needs to remember who's boss. Still, I got my own back when 'Her Indoors' allowed us both in her office, to take advantage of her fan, on a hot day. I pinched Teddy's crate and drank his water, so he had to lay on the hard floor. That'll teach him!

Still, I have to say I'm pleased with the way things are going. Teddy is a fine fur and it's nice to have some canine company. I was a bit worried about his initial good behaviour, but although I suspect he'll never reach my high standards, he has shown himself to have some potential for mischief. What can I tell you, I know how to pick a good apprentice!