About me....

My name is Kobe and I have a big family!

Pete, Allison, Daniel, Georgie, Tash and Tan

They are great for walking me, giving me cuddles and most importantly, lots of treats to eat!

What do you need to know about me?

well... I love water, anytime and anywhere! But i hate Bees! thats probably because i tried to eat one and it stung me in the mouth. (cost my mum £80 to take me to the vets because my family were soo worried!) Cats are ok... we generally have a love-hate relationship, some days they chase me, other days i chase them.

Most of the time I just sleep (apparently it's because i am growing really fast) But when i do go for a walk, I like to carry the lead in my mouth myself, if i am not allowed to i tend to jump up and try to get it..... everything is a game to me :D

What are my Interests???
My Favourite film is Marley and Me! But i don't like the end when he dies.
My favourite book is Twilight, my owner Georgie reads it to me every night.
My favourite food is probably Chicken! if i am lucky Daniel will give me some without my mum seeing... she doesnt like me to have "tip bits" ooh and sausage... yum yum

I will try to keep you updated on my busy life... I am of to Pembrookshire next week, can't wait to go in the Sea! I have heard its 10 times bigger than the river severn.

Keep it real.........Kobe x

Everybody loves the sunshine... (except perhaps Ted!)

Spare a thought for this big fella as we all enjoy the sunshine this weekend. This is Ted and he's one of the first dogs Archie ever met, over three years ago. I took this shot when we bumped into him on Lyth Hill last week and he's a big lad who looks like he's desperate for a swim. Hopefully he'll head to the walk soon and take a dip just by the weir with all the other characters who like to get wet and cool off at the first opportunity! Archie's already been in a couple of times over the weekend and anyone who has seen him in the water will know just how much he enjoys it and the odd games he plays while he swims.
It's been an odd week on the walk as the headlines have been grabbed by unsavoury goings on involving, "local youths". Well done to all involved in keeping the situation under control - you know who you are - and I'd also like to echo Sarah's thanks to Boris and everyone who does their bit to try to keep the fields as tidy as possible. Unfortunately I can't get my head around the kind of people who choose to spoil everything for the majority, but they will always be here so it's up to us to do what we can to keep the area as clean and safe as possible.
Moving on... please welcome Kizzy to the cast of characters! It's been a while since we've had a new face up there but I must admit it gives me great pleasure to see Border Collie numbers on the increase. That said, the Black Labs will always be a major presence and sooner rather than later, there may be another little visitor to the field although I'll leave any big announcements to the owners, as they may choose to make this the subject of their first blog post...? Apologies for going all cryptic but hopefully you'll find out all the details sooner rather than later! (See my previous post for massive clues!)
One last thing. For those of a certain age, have a look at "Blast from the past" on the video clips. Aaaaah! Those were the days...
Enjoy the sun.

Beautiful River Walk with a bit of Litter thrown in.

This morning Cadbury and I took a lovely walk along the river its was just beautiful, no one around just the calm river with a life bouy ring gently floating toward the weir...(reminds me I need to report that). We really are lucky to have such a beautiful little spot right on our doorsteps, as we strolled back along the grass I threw the ball which Cadbury loves to chase, it landed right by 2 plastic bags and a bottle of beer, I picked them up put them in the bin by the play park, threw the ball again toward the little collection of trees this time, which provided welcome shade only to find the ball had landed by 2 plastic drinks containers and various wrappers so again I did the decent thing and put them in the bin!!...I know Boris the owner of Della, does a lot of litter collecting and thankyou to him. The End Sarah

Kobe

I have been tonight to have my post op at the vets. I then heard the dogs on the field and mum took me along to have a play. I am growing very quickly now weighing 14.4 kilos so I am hoping some of the bigger dogs will soon except me as I grow out of my puppy play which they find very annoying. I am sure I shall be just the same with puppies when I get older. I did have a good time tonight though. Cadbury came for a short while, I am bigger then him now so we had a good role around (not many dogs I can role about). Hope I did not hurt him when I sat on his head.

Archie and Missy were chasing the ball, but I have already learnt that I will get a good telling off if I get in Archie's way, so I am biding my time to join in with them. I just watch looking for weaknesses in their technique so I can have a chance at getting the ball in a few months time,

Monochrome dogs

Now I know that Anth has got the Photographer In Residence position pretty much sewn up  on here, indeed, without his superb portraits,  the Cast of Characters wouldn't exist at all, and some of you may not have visited the blog quite so frequently -  it's amazing to think that we've had nearly one thousand hits to date in less than a month, very encouraging. So, inspired by the master himself, and armed with a new creative photo gismo for my iPhone, I couldn't resist snapping a few shots of the dogs Lily and I bumped into on our travels today, you can judge the results for yourselves, but we had fun taking them.

Our first encounter was the comedy Lab' puppy double act that is  Alfie and Inca, and in the absence of Archie to referee, there was some spirited neck biting, rolling and general mayhem. Will they ever grow out of it, I for one hope not, it's just great to watch, who needs clean jeans anyway?

We saw "Little Miss Sunshine" Sophie twice today and she has never looked fitter, it must be the Pigeons her mum is feeding her on. Whatever the reason, she has definitely got her Mojo back, so much so she's even taken to barking loudly at other dogs and chasing the ball down with the best of them, good girl Sophs, keep it up.

Another adorable Castle Walk regular who seems to have slipped through Anths' photographic net is Mindy the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, and what a  plucky little girl she is. I was amazed to tonight as she slowly stalked a hefty looking Doberman on the field,  come on now Mindy, know your limits. Maybe, as the sap rises, this fine weather just brings out the best in us all, dogs and owners alike. See you all down the field.

Adorable black Lab pups looking for homes...

Every morning Archie runs out with two of the most beautiful gundogs, I've ever seen. No offence to all of the beautiful black Labs on the walk (and let's face it, there are quite a few!), but these are two stunning bitches and one of them has recently had a litter of six adorable puppies. The parents are both excellent pedigree, working dogs and their owner is very keen that they all go to "dog people". Obviously that's you, and so I mentioned our little blogging project and he has given me permission to bring them to your attention. I took these shots last week and most of my lunchtimes are now spent in the company of this lovely litter. Archie doesn't know quite what to make of them yet, but like I said, he has a wonderful relationship with the mother and and she is of a fine temperament. Should any of you out there be interested in an addition to your family, then please let me know and I can pass your details to the owner and take it from there. The puppies were born on Easter Sunday and will be ready at the end of this month. There is obviously interest from the shooting community, and if I wasn't such a 'Collie man' I'd definitely have one! As far as money is concerned, the owner is asking £350 for the bitches and £300 for the dogs. Just let me know if you're interested and we'll take it from there.

Eastenders!!!

We, the undersigned, wish it to be known that we are not associated with the soap .....(only bath bubbles ha ) tho maybe we are a bit thuggish! Well, when one's fluffy fox tail toy is marmalised by the big chaps, we stick together and steal it back when they are not looking! Loved the dog bics! We shall get the boss to make some...plus find out how to make the liver bics...yum yum yum! Heard the cuckoo at Haughmond on Monday and saw a few baby buns....didn't know what they were!?! We were hoiked out of a large hole...VERY interesting, and then went and got muddy in a sludgy pool.....oooh...it was delicious!!! (don't think the boss thought so! tho she was too bust looking at bluebells to get cross) Weve been helping unplanting her veg pots today....summer broccoli huge and needs staking, which I am sure we can undo!! ah well.....the Kray Brothers!!

Roden Open Day

Just found Roden Open day and Fun Dog Show leaflet. Sunday 4th July 11am 4pm All dogs and their owners welcomed. £1 entry
Attractions include: Prison dog demo. Breed Rescues, Sponsor Dog tent, Licensed Bar ,Cake stall Rescue Dog Parade. and much much more.
I set a cheque to the Breast Cancer campaign for ( drum roll) £1082 . So once again thanks to every one

Popping our blog cherry

Mmmmm whats that I smell baking - could it be the much discussed but never delivered home made dog biscuits! Finally after much public demand I have got around to posting a blog on here and baking the dog biscuits. Taste tests so far are encouraging, but then again I'm not sure Mollie has the most refined pallet. I'll post the recipe here for anyone that wants to try it and I will be down the field tomorrow evening with free samples....enjoy!

Gourmet dog biscuits (makes approx 50 small biscuits)
50ml water
2 eggs
220g plain flour
150g mature cheddar, grated
3 gloves garlic, chopped
125ml vegetable oil

• Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F)
• Line a baking sheet with foil
• Whisk water and eggs together
• In a separate bowl mix flour, cheese, garlic and vegetable oil
• Slowly add water/egg mixture to form a dough
• Knead dough for approx 3 mins
• Roll out dough to 1/4"/0.5cm
• Cut into shapes and place on foil lined baking sheet
• Bake for 15 mins
• Remove from oven, turn biscuits over, return to oven for further 10 mins
• Cool on a wire rack and store in a container (can be kept for 3 weeks)

Bone appetit!

Lynn/Sophie

Hello Furry Friends & Owners!
Firstly thankyou lots & lots for throwing the ball Nick I loved it & it was also nice to see Katie & my mate Lily even if i was chasing the ball.Kobe looked well after her operation & appeared none the worse at all but full of it,great but i had to let her know who's boss at one stage Kids!! I do like her though, so what is everyone else up to?
It's been abit busy at home what with a Pidgeon down the chimney,mom & dad would not let me at it-totally unfair don't you think mates? It was still alive 24hrs later & made a huge mess i was looking forward to a pidgeon supper!!!
Dad's been gardening and the greenhouse is full of flowering plants and veg for the allotment talking of which I've just had an early tea with a little of dads first of the year cauliflower yummy but it's dad's carrots i like best raw,cooked i love them,yep i'm a lucky girl ,but don't tell mom i admit to that,i like playing the hard done by card(you all i know what i mean).
I'm off now for a well earned sleep, now shall i curl up with dad or behind the settee hmm! decision's,decision's!! woof woof slurps!

Pint pull mayhem at the D and P

It's a question that has perplexed mankind since the dawn of civilisation, just how many pints can one man pull in a 60 second free for all behind the bar at the Dog and Pheasant? The answer will be hotly contested for years to come, some say he managed 14, others 18, we may never know. One things for sure, a jolly time was had by all and a bit more cash was raised for charity, I'll drink to that. 

Pets and politics

Well not really, as I feel it inappropriate to blog about politics, or religion for that matter. But I get the feeling that, who ever is victorious in todays general election, we have some austere times ahead of us. Walking the dog may become the only activity not governed by Whitehall or Brussels and taxed accordingly. Having said that, spare a thought for the good dog owning folk of Nottinghamshire who's' council have banned all dogs from 72 parks because of," a persistent problems with dog mess." Surely the persistent problem in this case is the handful of irresponsible owners who are just too lazy or stupid to clean up after their pets, deal with them and we wouldn't need these draconian measures. I don't wish to scare monger but, I hope you will join me in full scale rioting if SABC ever get any funny ideas about our public parks, they wouldn't dare, would they? Anyway, enough, I'm starting to sound like Jeremy Clarkson, I just hope I don't start dressing like him too. 
On a lighter note, the cartoon above made me chuckle, I think the dogs could well be Sarahs' Coco and Sophie. So let's make sure we don't all go back to incessant barking and keep the blog rolling along. Thanks to those new authors who have posted recently, and to those yet to do so, as Anth says, make this the week you get involved. I for one am eagerly awaiting the full story behind Katie/ Molly and her dog biscuit making Christmas present, complete with little bone shaped cutters. Funny isn't it, just because you own a dog, friends and family assume that every gift they give you should be dog themed. We received a smashing door mat for Christmas with two handsome Scottie dogs emblazoned on it - we're saving it for a special occassion, like a car boot sale! Mind you, one familiar face on the field does I know have a penchant for twee little plaster of Paris Border Collie ornaments, you know the kind you see in charity shops. But it's OK Anth, your secret's safe with me.

The cast of characters is looking better than ever thanks to the addition of a couple of new faces and the amazing leaping Ebony, I don't know what her owner feeds her but I could do with a bowl full of it myself. I'ts the eagerly awaited pint pull at the D and P tonight, so I may see some of the more thirsty amongst you down there later.

52 dogs! Who's missing?

It seems to have been a bit of a rest week on the blog, as for one reason or another people have been unable to post. Very busy at work for me, but I have been able to take a few shots over the last few days and my efforts to capture Ebony, the Cocker/Lab cross jumping over the trees on the field, sort of paid off. I've added one of her flying leaps to the, 'cast of characters' along with two very beautiful dogs who go by the name of Finn (one 'n' or two?) and Will. Both are particularly handsome Lurchers and Nick and I agree that if you could build a dog from scratch, a kit-dog if you like, then it would probably be a bit like Fin(n). He's great! You'll hopefully see for yourselves should you be lucky enough to meet them on the field some time soon. The title to this post is "52 Dogs! Who's missing?" Obviously it's difficult to capture all of the characters who appear through the course of a day/week on the walk, but I'd be interested to hear from anyone who believes that certain regulars are still missing from the portrait gallery, as I'd hate to miss anyone out. Dogs aside, no post from me would be complete without a plea for more of you owners to get involved with our little blogging initiative and share your stories, experiences, dog treat recipes (Katie!), whatever, and help keep things ticking along. The number of hits (see bottom of page) shows that plenty of people are following along but we would still love to see more contributors. So, if you haven't blogged yet, then make this the week you get on board!

The accompanying picture, by the way, is Elsa the Rhodesian Ridgeback and I think she's just spotted a lion. All the best all. See you soon.

Correction to my last blog. The Pint Pull is Thursday not Wednesday as previously stated.

Rain

Hi from damp 3dogs plus me.all our beautiful hairdo's are now curly and we are drying out in front of a fire! What a brilliant day we all had on Sunday...........whoopee, over a grand!!! Well done absolutely everyone dogs included. They were the stars, of course! BBQ sounds tanfastic...go for it! dogburgers as well! For those of you who know Jo Hart..........she made the Marathon on Sunday! Well done Jo, that was a supreme effort, and you must be rather proud of yourself.........Fin and Zak send you their undying admiration! Carry on raining....we need it...but only today Ha Ha

Finally found how to post( I think I left the few brain cells I have, up the hill)
Well, didn't we have a lovely day the day we went to Haughmond Hill, the few showers didn't dampen our fun. The total so far is (drum roll) £1012-25 pence yes folks not £300, not £500 but the amazing £1012-25p.
The dogs were stars, so many and as far as I know no trouble. Roden brought some lovely dogs for a visit I was very tempted with the staffy cross she was so friendly but I don't think Tally would be too happy at the moment. They managed to sing up a few volunteers as dog walker.
Tally had a great day she was on duty with Dewi by the tree helping to tie ribbons on and bouncing (on little kids in particular) There were a few tears up at the tree and I think the dogs helped to reduce the tension
I think the hang glider was a bit bemused when the hill was invaded by dogs and families. Lets hope he had a safe landing.
We sold all but 6 of the 150 dog bandannas and didn't they all look great. I saw a number of dogs that had managed to change the colour from pink to black, embarrassed or what. I also saw a number of husbands who had refused to let their dogs wear pink, being made to wear the bandannas themselves
Wasn't Elvis fab but I thought he was bringing Johnny Cash with him . But he sung his heart out all for free.
I went up the hill on monday just to clean up and take the ribbons down I was surprised how clean it was
We re- raffled the 1 minute behind the bar at the Dog and Pheasant (known by the in crowd as the D and P) and raised £100 which pushed us into the £ 1k bracket. Hot news -Andy the guy who won the raffle will be 'pulling' next wednesday and hopefully the Star will come and take some pics.
I am still amazed at how generous and supportive people have been. So from the organizing committee thank you all.
Off to the hill today before the rain comes
Jill
Ps my camera wet on strike and I need to send some pics to the Breast Cancer Campaign can you email any specially nice ones, the one with cadbury, friend and tree. Really want a good one of the tree jillwestcar@yahoo.co.uk

My goodness, who's this cheeky little chap emerging from the woods in his dog motif Terry towelling T-Shirt? Er... it's me, in one of the old photos my mum likes to send me occasionally, I'm not sure of her motives. Either she is reminding me of what a handsome, well norished, style savvy little boy I was back then or, more likely, she is trying to warn my wife Katie that if she does ever bear my children, they are destined to have pudding bowl hair cuts, painfully thin legs and dreadful fashion sense!
I've added a new video clips section to the blog this week, I hope you enjoy them, and if you have any clips you'd like to include, just send me the link and I'll get them added.

Hi, this is our first posting onto the blog, the picture shows Cadbury and his girlfriend Juno, sitting perfectly for a photo meant purely for this site, I must have taken a hundred useless shots of them chasing each other all the way up the hill and then bingo! even got the tree dressed in all her lovely pink ribbons.

This morning Cadbury met Didi with Fin and "sorry cant remember the other little one", along with Ben and Cody, while we were out with my little boy Charlie on his thomas the tank bike.

right time to press publish post...hope this works see you in the park...Sarah

In the wars

It seems like spring madness has caused a few of our canine friends to injure themselves recently, the cash register at the local vets must be singing. First it was Max the Greyhound gashing his leg chasing a cat, then Lily decided to split open her paw, Coco ripped her dew claw apart yesterday, and not to be left out, the ever accident prone leg cocking calendar boy that is Dylan decided to cut his paw too - bang goes the no claims discount Stuart! Talking of Dylan, on Haughmond yesterday I may just have discovered why his picture is never out of the top five of "most viewed" photos in the Cast of Characters. It seems he has an ardent fan club in the form of a charming young man named Edward, Kate and Scott's son. Edward really loves Dylan, and pestered Scott all the way to Haughmond yesterday with, "We are going to see Dylan aren't we?". And who can blame you Edward, Dylan is a fine looking dog, keep clicking away, and who knows, when mom and dad finally move back into the Castlefield fold, they may consider getting you a Dylan dog of your own.
I hope the Haughmond walk raised lots of wonga for Breast Cancer Research, it was lovely to see the event so well supported, well done Jill et al for making it happen. But now the events section of the blog is looking a bit forlorn, but watch this space because I am hatching a plan for a monster Castle Walk BBQ in the summer, details TBC.
On a final note, Radio 4's The Unbelievable Truth programme made me chuckle tonight, it was asserted that guide dogs for the blind were colour blind at crossings, and merely waited for a break in the traffic to cross safely, which gave rise to the question, "Is that why we don't have Greyhounds for the blind?".The answer came that Greyhounds would make excellent guide dogs for blind, but only for blind people in real a hurry!

Coco under the knife!

Hi All,

Coco has snagged her dew claw.. I thought she was acting strangely.. more than usual. Sarah took her to the vets today and it was decided she should put under the ether and operated on. I have had just had a report from concerned dog parent Sarah that Coco has come round and all is well. Our main worry now is coping with Coco in her deranged drug addled state.. we know, we have seen it before.

Dylan also has an injury, a split/cut pad but it doesnt seem to be bothering him much so leaving it for now. Giving Dylan drugs is like fighting fire with fire.

Sandy is making the best of it and the stress of the injury to her sister doesnt seem to have affected Sophie's appetite.