They Love Me Don't They?

By Baz and Jasper

This is not a story of great suffering or extreme cruelty. But a Dogs eye view of his first three years of life. How after an unsettled first six months, fate then brought him, a middle aged couple and another dog together. The fun and scrapes, he and his mate Jasper got into. And how after developing serious leg problems. These problems were overcome to allow him to live as a dog should.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jul 21, 2006
• ISBN: 9781426997204

Baz

Born in Norfolk England 1950. basic education, worked on farms and in engineering, before spending 25 years as a truck driver, nine of which were as an owner-driver. He now works in a supermarket and is a distributor for Ecoflow Plc promoting healthy living and life style. Enabling him to spend more time with his wife Janet and their two dogs, Baz and Jasper, who inspired him to write this book.

Book preview

They Love me Don’t They?

As Told By

BAZ

with help from Jasper.

Richard C Gray

© Copyright 2005 Richard C. Gray.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Note for Librarians: A cataloguing record for this book is available from Library and Archives

Canada at www.collectionscanada.ca/amicus/index-e.html

ISBN 1-4120-4860-5

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Printed in Victoria, BC, Canada. Printed on paper with minimum 30% recycled fibre. Trafford’s print shop runs on ‘green energy from solar, wind and other environmentally-friendly power sources.

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Offices in Canada, USA, Ireland and UK This book was published on-demand in cooperation with Trafford Publishing. On-demand publishing is a unique process and service of making a book available for retail sale to the public taking advantage of on-demand manufacturing and Internet marketing. On-demand publishing includes promotions, retail sales, manufacturing, order fulfilment, accounting and collecting royalties on behalf of the author.

Book sales for North America and international:

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Contents

1.   My new home.

2.   The arrival of Jasper

3.   Fun and Games

4.   Fun walks

5.   Bondage

6.   An embarrassing moment.

7.   Pain and agony.

8.   My first operation

9.   More pain.

10.   Operation and aftercare.

11.   Am I ever going to get better?

12.   The final furlong

Thanks

I decided to write this book, which is about the first three years of my life, to share with you the pain and the joys I have experienced, but most of all to thank the people whom through their dedication and skills enable me to live the rest of my life in the way a dog should live.

Firstly the people I live with Dick and Janet, who continue to put up with my bad behaviour, like chewing slippers, sneaking food from the table or foraging in the rubbish bin. And their daughter Donna, who I harass every time she visits.

Vets Ruth Parker, Michael Charles, and Jonathan Kirby. And the staff at Glaven Vet Practice Holt Norfolk. UK For all their work keeping me healthy.

The Surgeons

And staff at The Grove Veterinary Group Fakenham Norfolk

Whose skills have enabled me to walk and run pain free.

ECOFLOW PLC For helping me to recover and keep fit.

MORE TH>N Insurance co. for prompt and no quibble service.

And not forgetting my little mate and buddy Jasper who’s been with me through thick and thin.

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Chapter 1

My new home.

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Hi I’m Baz.                                                   And I’m Jasper.

This is the story of the first three years of my life. I am a pedigree Labrador, and was born on 12th April 2000 at breeding kennels. At first I was happy living in a big cage with my mother, brothers and sisters. Then after six weeks I was taken away to another place, where I lived in a kennel with two other adult dogs. I did not get a lot of exercise there, nor did I receive any toilet training and when the food came it was every dog for himself, that is why even now as soon as my food is in the bowl, I’m at it as if there is no tomorrow. The other dogs were not interested in playing or having fun with me. I just could not get on with them, I suppose I was homesick because I really missed the fun I had with my siblings. I must have been a bad dog because in the end, my owner, sent me back to the breeders to be sold to someone else. By this time I was very traumatised and did not really know how to behave properly, I had even become very wary of men with sticks and was unable to show any affection to anyone. When I got back to my birth place, I found that my brothers and sisters had all moved away, nor was I allowed back with my mother.

I was put in a run with some big adult dogs, although I got well fed, I did not get much exercise or have long walks, nor were there any dogs of my age to play with, this made me very fed up with life. I was advertised in the local paper as a puppy wanting a good home. I had several people come and look at me, but Because I was such a big puppy, I weighed about 25 Kilograms and stood 40centimetres high and was very boisterous, nobody seemed keen to take me on. I guess most people were looking for a small soppy puppy, I did not want to think what would happen if nobody would give me a home.

Then on Sunday 5th November 2001 suddenly this all changed. I was taken inside the house to meet another couple, there I saw a middle-aged couple sitting on the sofa, with the woman nearest to me, they looked at me and as our eyes meet it seemed that time stood still, to this day I do not know why I was attracted to this couple, or them to me, but something told me that this would be the couple, I would live with for the rest of my life. I was so excited, I leapt upon the man’s lap, whose name was Dick and started licking his face, he gently pushed me away and rolled me on the floor and started rubbing my belly. This could be it I thought, I’m going to try out his patience now so I started to chew at his shoe laces, he just laughed and continued to play with me. As I had not been played with like this before, I was pleased and happy for once. I then turned to the woman called Janet and she responded in the same way. I really hoped that this couple would buy me as I liked them and thought that they would look after me. I was then hustled out of the room, I thought. Oh dear, I’ve blown my chances by being over friendly. Ten minutes later I was brought back into the room and Dick fastened a collar around my neck, clipped a lead to it, then took me out to their car. Yes! I thought I’ve got new owners and I am convinced that things will improve now.

On the way to my new home the car stopped, and they both got out and walked off leaving me alone, maybe I have made a mistake and they have left me. I just sat and looked at the big building which they had disappeared into, after a few minutes they emerged carrying a big bag, when Dick placed it in the car, I saw that it was dog food, so I felt a lot better. Away we went again, it was not long before we stopped in the driveway of a detached house.

As I got out of the car, I saw that the front garden was bordered by a tall hedge, and on each side of the drive was a tall white willow tree. I was then taken through a side gate for a tour of the back garden, I realised that it was enormous to what I had been used to. First there was an area of lawn, then some apple trees, a shed, a greenhouse and a further area of shrubs, then at the back was a privet hedge, and the whole area was surrounded by a chain link fence.

Although at the time I felt subdued and a bit insecure, at the back of my mind, I felt sure that this was going to be my home. I could have fun romping around this garden. But where was the kennel and cage I was supposed to live in? We then entered the house through the back door, into a small hall with three doors, the one on the left was a toilet, and the one on the right was a cupboard for boots and coats, the one in front led into a big kitchen, which