A better night with Sam driving off to take him to the Norfolk Vet, and to hear of the Ropes Hill Dyke break in next door.
Advice on Sam’s heart murmur and diet before back to get the dressmaker to try the curtains and also to chat to Jack who had come by and wanted a key to Harnser in case of trouble
Sam woke me up at 6.20am this morning but I was so sound asleep at first that Diana woke first and roused me. I quietened him down and made him wait until 7.30am which time suited me, but I could not get back to bed and so opted to get ready to leave early. I had breakfast, washed and was on my way around 8.15am, missing most of the traffic through both Cambridge and Norwich. I stopped for refreshment en route and then made for Ropes Hill Dyke thinking to have a relaxing half hour with Sam before confining him again for the journey to the vet.
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However, I was met by an anxious Doris Vincent who told me of a break into Trevor and Joan Grey's house next door. Jean Burton had noticed the curtains drawn the evening before and then, this morning, Doris came across two youths on a motor bicycle in the grounds and took the number before reporting the incident to the police. They arrived as I was due to leave, but I had a short chat with them and told them what Doris had told me. I thought I was early on my way to Norwich to the vets and so stopped for some petrol and supplies. Unfortunately, the traffic was then horrific and so I ended up fifteen minutes late and nearly missed the surgery altogether!
However, I met Mr Brigham (the former owner and breeder's husband) in the vet car park who was bringing in two barn owls to be examined prior to exportation. We exchanged information about how our puppies were doing. Their bitch puppy is not feeding very well and has not yet been house-trained so that they are changing back to Repnor Gold, the food they always used to use. I have the other problem with Sam eating huge amounts and having loose excreta as a result of taking too much I think. I learned that they never trim the dog's nails and do not bathe the dogs kennelled outside which was interesting and valuable information.
I left him after attending the vets, still full of mutual conversation so that we resolved that I should visit them with Sam sometime soon. The vet found Sam all right but could still hear a heart murmur which she described as a "whistle". She asked if Sam had any coughing fits, but I said no. Other symptoms are exercise intolerance or laboured breathing, but Sam is so fit and keen to roam and run that I hope that he will grow out of this and not show any of these signs. On the question of food, the vet said that Sam should have lots of protein and may be eating so much food and passing much of it through to get the proportion of protein that he needs. I visited a pet shop afterwards to try and get the Repnor's Puppy Gold but was talked into getting some biscuit fragments to add to the food and prevent him being so loose.
Once back at Heronshaw, I ran into Trevor Grey who had come down from Sheffield to see his house and he was with the police. The burglars had made off with their TV and microwave oven but had done no damage which was a relief. I then had to chat to him about this and the road repairs, went to go and get the dressmaker to try the curtains and also chatted to Jack who had come by and wanted a key to Harnser in case of trouble.
All this took all afternoon and then I sorted through the alarm components this evening and fitted the control panel ready for adding the sensors etc to form some security for my new building. Up late working on my journal afterwards but was still in bed by 11.00pm ready for whatever Sam had in store for me in the night!