A long walk with Sam along the Crabbetts Marsh sawdust road and several opportunities to practise him staying as I walked ahead quite long distances
A long walk with Sam along the Crabbetts Marsh sawdust road and several opportunities to practise him staying as I walked ahead quite long distances

I awoke earlier and managed to walk Sam before he messed his run but then had a worry as my ‘poop scoop’ had broken and I had to rush off to buy another. There were more gales and rain today and so, after a long walk for him along the Crabbett's Marsh, I loaded up the car and headed home.

A quiet afternoon and evening, servicing Diana and finding out her news, tending to Sam and then updating these last two days' journal.

There were more gales and rain as I used the alarm radio this morning and was ahead of the game and washed, shaved and dressed when Sam started up. He still had to wait until after I had eaten my breakfast before he got his but did so without fuss after being told. In fact, he was particularly good as his run was clean and then, after eating, he relieved himself three times in the approved area so that the "poop-scoop" seemed to weigh a pound heavier when he had finished! I still marvel just how much goes through a growing puppy of this size and how much lighter and more comfortable they must be after episodes like this. A long walk for him along the Crabbett's Marsh sawdust road and several opportunities to practise him staying as I walked ahead quite long distances. Between times, he enjoyed galloping along the soft track which is kind on his young feet and legs. We met Doris Vincent on the way and he still jumps up at her but I shall teach him not to.

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An hour and a half loading up the car which was longer than I had planned but I did clean up and take some good interior photographs of Harnser to finish our album. Then the journey back, stopping off at McDonalds in Norwich en route for a take-away lunch to save time. Back in Paxton at 1.30pm and pleased to see how easily Sam settled into his other garden and kennel. Daniel was hot on my heels, arriving half an hour later from Norwich. A panic this afternoon, as I found out that my "poop-scoop" was broken and, fearing that we would all disappear under mounds of excrement and so I rushed off to buy another one quick! Strange to find that, although there are three pet shops in St Neots, none of them had any decent poop-scoops for sale which does not say much for the activity of the local District Council and dog-warden. A quiet afternoon and evening, servicing Diana and finding out her news, tending to Sam and then updating these last two days' journal.