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I turned 6
months old a few weeks ago. Daddy cooked me a soup bone and I had a wonderful
time chomping on it.
I’ve made a few Wheaten friends. We had coffee and a walk with Mokka and Ninjo in Schwarme.
  
They
are a result of Dagmar falling in love with Róisín at the optician’s. Then
with Ruby and her Havanese sister Minou in Schwaförden.
And of course Daniela’s Karamelka.
 The other
night Mummy was closing the bedroom window and heard “Hello!” in our Ukrainian
neighbor’s voice. Olha was giving Mr. Schubert (huge Black Russian Terrier) his last walk of the day, so Mummy went down
to chat. She then let me come out and Schubi and I played in the driveway. He’s
a wonderful playmate and careful not to hurt me with his 110 pounds. But it’s
hard to see a Black Russian in the dark!
Mummy and I
left the house with her fleece jacket and sunglasses. Mummy was telling me
about Camelot, where it rained at night and was sunny during the day. We had
just reached the halfway point of our walk, in the woods, when it started to
rain. One loud bang from the sky and she put me on the leash. She didn’t think
I would run away and I didn't seem spooked, only surprised, but I didn't like
it nor the pouring rain nor the little white balls dropping from the sky onto
my head. Just call me Chicken Little. (Mummy told me that fable after we got
home.) Right at the same spot where the same happened with doggie friend Karin
a few weeks ago. Only this time the car was farther away. The track we use was
now a brook and Mummy’s shoes won't be dry by tomorrow. Despite being
leash-trained, I hurried Mummy to get back to the car faster but a soaked
fleece jacket is heavy! At home she toweled me semi-dry. I went under her desk
and attacked my chew bone like I never did before! Then I needed a nap.
Daddy and
Mummy decided to drive to the Altes Land, an orchard area that is in full bloom
now that spring is here. Mummy put my special collar from Godmother Michaela on
me and I knew something was happening; water bottle, my prepared lunch etc.,
went into Daddy’s car with my crate. When we stopped at a restaurant renowned
for its trout, Mummy and Daddy took me for a few steps and I did all my
business on command. The restaurant was not what it used to be, so on a whim
they decided to go to Der Kleine Heinrich – renowned for its pickled herring
creations and eel soup - instead. Many, many miles away. Back in my crate. We
had to wait for a ferry across the Elbe River but we weren’t on a schedule. I
was an angel under the table, drank from the water the waitress brought me and
got the last piece of fried potato as a treat. Back into my car crate. They had
seen the kilometer-long line of vehicles waiting for the return trip on the
ferry so decided to drive along the Elbe River to Hamburg and cross it there
through the tunnel. We got out for a few minutes in Blankenese, the wealthiest
part of Hamburg, and everything was paved. As we came back to the car, Mummy
said she’d see if she could find something green for me. There was a dandelion,
Mummy said “go piddle” and I did. I had Róisín’s shoes to fill and I am doing
it well. Like with her, they are beginning to ask, “Did we put Caoimhe in the
car? I haven’t heard a sound from the crate.”
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Daddy had
physical therapy in Bremen, so Mummy and I went along and walked the streets to
practice “city”. Then we drove to the Rhododendron Park where everything is
blooming in dramatic colors. I was more interested in the occasional dog or
human, but it was a nice stroll for an hour.
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Our main
town of Bassum had its first Hollandmarket: 32 stands with products from The
Netherlands. Mummy bought agapanthus tubors, Daddy got cheeses and three bags
of treats for ME! The market was packed but that didn’t bother me at all and I
was good on my leash. Daddy planted the agapanthus and I dug it up. Mummy
planted it again and put fencing around it and I snitched the plastic marker
out of the middle. Twice. They can’t figure out how I got it and I’m not
telling! A few days later I dug up Mummy’s nasturtiums, which were just
beginning to bloom. They say the blossoms are tasty in salads. She replanted
them, moved the fencing and they are growing and blooming again and one
agapanthus has come up. But I keep them on their toes.
My favorite
toys are now stolen ones: the nozzle to Daddy’s garden hose, their underwear
and socks, Mummy’s enzyme capsules, Daddy’s heart pills, recipes, … . I’ve
graduated from toilet paper rolls to plastic flower pots, with which they humor
me. I snitch underwear, unroll the toilet paper and have dug up Daddy’s tomato
seedlings. Today I thoroughly destroyed the good sunglasses Daddy left within my
reach. He has learned to put his wallet up high, though. I have left toothmarks
on it and Mummy’s sunglasses case. My signature.
Mummy moved
my crate to Daddy’s car, packed a few things for me and we headed off for
Dorum, between Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven. It’s not really the North Sea yet but
the mouth of the Weser River. Still, when the tide is out, there are miles of
wet sand and mud to walk on and they let doggies run off leash. We were
practically alone out there; only one dog came to say hi, but didn’t want to
play. I tore around in circles for an hour, but never got very far from Mummy
and Daddy. Mummy showed me a wee crab but it got away from me and I dug and
dug; the crab was headed for China. At home they don’t laugh when I dig in the
yard; here they even filmed me. I didn’t like the showers on shore to clean
legs and dogs - except to drink from it after all that running. So there we
were, all caked with sand and mud and Mummy had forgotten towels. At home it
took her half an hour to shower me. Then clean the shower, my crate and wash my
blanket, … Now I’ve eaten my dinner and I’m ready for a long spring nap.
 Next
adventure: Mummy and Daddy go to a church in Bremen which has a retreat in the
woods about an hour from here. Mummy
packed an Icelandic Skyrtorte, a taco salad, deviled eggs, a picnic basket and
my lunch and paraphernalia into my car and off we went for Ascension Day at the retreat.
Since they eat and have a service outdoors, I could go, too. Everybody said I was perfectly behaved, better than the adult dogs. I made friends with
one little girl who let me hug and kiss her. I
even got to stand calmly between them in the communion circle. The walk in the
woods was too short, so Mummy took me into the fields when we got home.
 If it rains, I get muddy feet and have to go in the shower. I now know “go in the
shower” and “turn around”. Last time I jumped back into the shower twice after
being toweled dry until she shut the door.
I must be
doing well in puppy agility (no jumping or climbing until I am a year old) and Rally. They say “ja!!!!” a lot and give me treats. It’s an age of training, practicing, learning and playing tricks on them. Today I
shredded two sponges. But I also ran fast through two tunnels and two hurdles. Daddy found a bowl that I can practice my left turns on for Rally, like an elephant in the circus. As long as they give me treats...
  My Wheaten friend Ruby and I represented our breed at the British Weekend on the lovely
grounds of a villa near Hannover. Daniela came and spruced up our haircuts for
the occasion. Sebastian did a great job describing the history, use, character
and care of each breed. We just had to look pretty. Mummy wanted Ruby there to show what an adult Wheaten looks like.
Two days later I went into heat for the first time. Now Mummy makes me wear panties
in the house. I park between her legs to get them pulled on and then I get a
cookie. They call me teenager now and Daddy removed the baby gates at the top
and bottom of the stairs.
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