This is our beautiful Standard Poodle; Flora. Flora is 14 years old, almost blind and mad as a box of frogs. We think she's a bit like 'Patsy' in AbFab. We love her dearly, though. She struggles a bit with her mobility these days but she still gives it a go running after the youngsters. At the moment she's being walked separately from the others as it's a bit muddy over the fields and she's not great at keeping upright but come the Spring she'll be well and truly back with the pack.
This is our 7 year old Giant Schnauzer, Freya. She's a huge lump of a thing who thinks she's a lap dog but we love her to bits. She is the gentlest, loveliest dog you could ever wish to meet. The Woo actually calls her 'Best Dog in the World'! Her favourite occupation is running after Bobby on a dog walk; barking loudly and incessantly. I'm surprised the poor little bugger isn't as deaf as a post by now. We nearly lost her to GDV the year before last. She had to have emergency surgery and it was really touch and go for a while but she pulled through and you wouldn't know now how close a call it was.
...and so to the aforementioned Bobby; our English Springer Spaniel. Bobby is a 6 year old rescue dog and was originally mine before I met Woo. You wouldn't think that now as she is his firm favourite and the only time I get any attention is either when she is out, busy or I have food! Bobby is a renowned thief who will steal any food, any how, any where...he has actually been witnessed stealing whole cheeses from the breakfast bar during one of our famous (or is it notorious?) cheese and wine parties. A loveable rogue about sums this one up.
Angel was our first Greek immigrant. We fell in love with her on our second trip to Skiathos in June 2014. She was found starved and with a broken leg; tied up outside the wonderful Skiathos Dog Shelter on the island. I was lucky enough to fly out and collect her in the July and bring her and four other dogs back to the UK via Germany. It's a long story...maybe to be told another time. Angel is now very much part of the family and, as you can see, a lot better of than the poor starved thing that was abandoned outside the shelter.
Finally we come to Kouki. Named after the beautiful Koukinaries Beach on the island; she came to us in the early summer last year. We holidayed there, as usual, in June and fell in love with her at first sight. She's as bright as a button and within a few seconds on her first walk with us identified which pocket I had the treats in and spent the entire time trying to mug me! Kouki has what I would describe as an 'independent spirit' - she's a right little minx!! She's probably an even more prolific thief than Bobby and we have had to completely 'Kouki-proof' the kitchen cupboards, the shoe cupboard; in fact we can't leave anything, literally anything, lying about. It's like having a two year old child in the house. Kouki's two main claims to fame are - teaching the others how to chew through six cans of dog food and eat the contents - and climbing up onto the breakfast bar and eating some chicken which had been left there as a trap. We actually caught her on the kitchen Mac which had been cunningly turned into a CCTV camera by The Woo!
So that's our pack. We might be completely mad having five dogs (and the cats - don't even get me started on the cats!) but they fill every day with joy and we love them to bits.
PS If you want to find out more about the Skiathos Dog Shelter and the wonderful work done by Jan, Lee, Bob, Lou and their volunteer helpers you can search for it on Facebook.
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