Canal No. 5............

Further to my earlier expose of Small Dog's odoriferous exploits this morning, she has taken to her bed in a huff, presumably at being denied the opportunity to stink like rotting carrion.

I've given her a few cautious sniffs but thankfully the only smell I can detect is the relatively pleasant aroma of dog shampoo.

However I can tell by the position of her ears that she is NOT pleased and is silently pledging solidarity with every other canine bath-despiser.

Of which there are many...........

Rank starlet............

Small dog is in disgrace.

She was up the garden mooching around for ages this morning then came back indoors looking very pleased with herself and absolutely reeking.
Closer inspection revealed that she'd been rolling in something hideously stinky, which she had managed to weave into her fur, along with a load of grass clippings from our newly mown lawn.

As PP has a bad back, I drew the metaphorical short straw, and holding Small Dog at arms length, marched her upstairs and deposited her in the shower, literally gagging at the stench.

It then took THREE shampoos to remove all the stinking debris and return her to a presentable state.

WHY do dogs do this?

What is it about rolling in something which stinks to high heaven that gives them pleasure?

We have scoured the garden and can't find anything which smells as bad as she did, although there was an alien poo which couldn't possibly have come from Small Dog, and may possibly have been deposited by the resident fox, which is the most likely culprit. Although what she had rolled in didn't smell anything like any animal poo I've ever encountered.

She is now curled up in her basket, having done her usual ''post bath' dash all around the house at 100 mph. At least she has had the sense to look a bit sheepish about the whole episode.

Eeeeewwwwww.........

Too hot to trot............

Small dog is indisposed.

She is not averse to a bit of lounging around in the sunshine, but the temperatures today have seen her beating a hasty retreat to her basket in the cool of the house.

If she gets really hot, she will stretch out full length on the tiles in the kitchen, near the door so that she takes full advantage of any cooling breeze.

I have suggested to her the notion of a cooling vest but she is a bit dubious about the effect it might have on her street cred. She never has been one to favour function over fashion and has chosen to suffer accordingly.

Camping doggy delight..............

Small dog is an avid fan of camping.

Not only does she get to spend all her waking hours in the great outdoors, there are also the added attactions of lots of other camping dogs, walks with excellent sniffing opportunities and nightly BBQ's to look forward to.

In other words, doggy heaven.

However our latest camping trip provided her with a constant grandstand view from her new camping chair of a never-ending parade of baby bunnies. After being told off the first time she attempted to chase them, she thereafter contented herself with being on 'Rabbit Watch', gazing at them intently as they nibbled the grass just a few feet away from her.

Self-restraint indeed from a terrier.

She's now catching up on her naps but here are some of her best bits.........

The art of packing.........

We always have the same argument with Small Dog in the run-up to any trip away, no matter how brief. For such a diminutive dog, she always seems to require a disproportionate amount of kit. This applies particularly to camping trips, despite having one whole locker in the camper van to herself for all her accoutrements.
We've tried in the past to whittle down her packing list, but she always manages to slip a few 'must have' items past us while we're otherwise occupied.

In addition to her new camping chair, which admittedly folds down flat and packs away into a discreet carry bag, she apparently requires the following items, all of which are stowed neatly in her locker.

• Warm, fleecy blanky, for chilly evenings round the campfire
• Muddy paw towel
• Jumpers x2
• Raincoat
• Treats and chews
  
• Collar, harness & lead
• Screw-in spike
• Poo bags
• Squeaky ball
• Favourite squeaky toy of the moment
• Brush
• Shampoo
• Detangle spray

According to Small Dog, these represent the absolute bare minimum of items required when camping.

However, she's been updating her packing list today and I noticed a few additional 'necessities' have crept onto it.

Most notably.



I wouldn't mind so much, but she doesn't even like getting her paws wet.

*sigh* It's going to be a long day.............

Carpe diem..........

Small Dog's motto is undoubtably Carpe Diem. If she ever has a coat of arms, it will feature a yorkie rampant, with the legend Carpe Diem, which for non-Latin scholars means Sieze the Day.

However, since having her own blog, her normally questing, ebullient spirit has gone into overdrive and she is having delusions of grandeur.

Apparently she now needs her own office space as she cannot be expected to share my laptop. She has also put in a requisition for a pink netbook, which predictably has been refused. So she is now in a huff, curled up in her basket, resolutely ignoring any friendly overtures.

I have pointed out that it's a bit early in the day to be acting like a diva, given that her blog has only been live since Sunday but it is not in her nature to take things slowly and in her mind she's already been presented with the doggy equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.

I'm sure she'll soon see sense, especially with the prospect of few days camping in the offing, which will be working break for PP and I, while Small Dog has expressed an interest in performing the role of roving reporter.

In addition, she has a brand new camping chair, which she is keen to test. She chose classy black, which shows off her fur to best advantage. It also has a handy cup holder, which she has decided to use as a collecting cup, charging 5p for a stroke from passing campers. Whether this 'stroke' of entrepreneurial business flair will work or not remains to be seen. However it should be remembered that some of the biggest business empires started from a tiny idea........look at M&S with their Penny Bazaar.

So watch this space........ we could be witnessing the canine equivalent of Alan Sugar, or Richard Branson. She'll be wanting a business suit next..........

Hot off the press........

Small Dog's blog is only a few hours old and already she has her first followers (apart from me).

So welcome Debbie and PP!

SD has been bustling around officiously all day, notebook in paw, on the lookout for newsworthy scoops. I even caught her earlier on ebay, bidding on a green eyeshade so she can look like a proper editor. She's certainly never knowingly underdressed.

In fact she's been so busy, that she's been forced to retire for a nap, and is currently flat out on a cushion in the workroom recuperating.

After all, she doesn't want to end up like this poor little pup reporter............

Welcome.........!!!

Welcome to Small Dog's Blog.

There was a certain inevitability to this development. Tales of a Toymaker started life as just that, a way of documenting my work and projects.......but gradually over the past 3 years has somehow morphed into catering mostly for Small Dog's rapidly expanding fan base.

However, I simply cannot keep up with her requirements for column inches on my blog, and frequently have to deny requests for dog-related content on the basis that, when all is said and done, it is MY blog.

Since she shows no signs of backing down (she is a terrier after all) I have bow(wow)ed to the inevitable and helped her create her very own dog blog.

As a result, after extensive negotiations, during which Small Dog argued fiercely for complete editorial control, we have reached a compromise as follows:

Small Dog will dictate her posts, while I take notes, which I will then check for veracity, grammatical correctness, spelling etc, and upload onto her blog.

The only exception to this will be if I am too busy or otherwise occupied, in which case, Small Dog will type her own posts and be responsible for all content etc. This has proved to be a thorny issue, as Small Dog's spelling can best be described as experimental, but she will be allowed an initial trial period, after which we will re-assess the arrangement.

She is particularly keen to amass more followers than me, especially if they are of the canine persuasion with appropriate profile photos to prove their credentials, so don't be shy.

And so, I give you, Small Dog's blog.

Enjoy............