Clever Daysea Mae

Ahhhhhh Ra! Ra! Ra! Well...... hellooo. There you are. I was wondering where you had all gone.



It's nice to be back. Especially as I have been so busy. Its not so good now because the evenings are dark and boring. Just time now for snoozing, and being brushed. Mummy tells me that summer will return again, but at the moment, I don't know when. All I can do is dream about the days which have gone.

So, on this dark, showery and windy evening I thought I would take some time to catch up on the latest news in Daysea Ville.

Well, since my appearance on the t.v. programme Pets For Life I have been involved in another professional shoot. In fact all the photos here are from two of those shoots, and I would like to say a very big thank you to Karen Parker for these fabulous pictures which make me look as stunning as ever darlings xx



Of course darlings, with the economy in the state it is, one wonders if one is going to get so much commercial work in future, so that's why we are hoping to join up with Karen Parker for us all to promote our work and our skills to the best of our ability . As I am DaisyMae, I do try my very best, and like to give everything my full attention....... well, most of the time - providing I enjoy what I am doing, because if it is boring, then I don't like it and don't do it. Simple ! Get used to it mummy ! I am a Setter after all.

Barkley has been boasting in his blog about his swimming antics. Well, yes he is a swimmer and a diver, but of course, he is nowhere near as good as me. I am the best !


Like Barkley, I was rather fed up with the lack of water in the local river. As you can see, there is no longer any swimming to be had there, because the water has all run away. It's OK I suppose, and a good place to cool down after a good morning run.

However, we do enjoy a proper swim, so Barkley and I took off


and ended up at the Grand Union canal, where you can do this:



See - I told you. I am better than Barkley. Look how far I can fly !!!!

I might not be as elegant as Barkley, but it is still a great deal of fun.


Especially when the weather is still warm and you can come out and do this:


and still feel happy. However, now the temperatures have dropped, it is not so much fun, and now I avoid it like the plague. Brrrrrrrrrrr. I am a girl of creature comforts of course, being a star of stage and screen.


Mummy doesn't encourage me to chew sticks, as they can be very dangerous to us dogs, when they get stuck in our mouths and throats, but because I am so happy, she allowed me to be pictured with this one - on this occasion only.

So back we went again


At top speed


to the next shoot with Karen, and staring in pictures for our new website, which will promote the new aspect to our training school, which is for dogs who would like to become stars too. In this new classroom, they will learn tricks



and also how to pose like this:



to show just how good they can be for professional photographic sessions. Oh what fun we all have.

Now, I might be good at flying into water, but here comes Finlay Fur Flyer who likes to chase clumps of grass which have been kicked into the air:




Whooo hoooooo. He looks stunning, but I don't quite see the excitement in doing that. I am far too much of a Diva to be bothered with such things. He is quite entertaining at times though darlings, I must say.

Well, photography isn't the only thing I am into. I am now learning competition obedience. This is not something our mummy has had a lot of interest in, especially as she thinks it looks stupid for a dog to walk around with its head and nose pointed upwards to the heavens, BUT I LOVE IT and I LOVE learning all the new tricks. Because I love it so much, I have persuaded mummy that it is a good idea to become a faffy perfectionist, in a world where everything has to be just so and precise.... ooooh you can just hear her whinging and whining now can't you? But IT IS FUN.....



"No its not - its boring !!!! I would rather chew this flipping stick woman" !!!

BARKLEY, that is sooooo rude butting in like that! I think it is really funny, really relaxing, and I just love roping mummy into this exciting world and making her enjoy our together time too.

Take a look

and this is me doing Heel work (or hell work as Barkley calls it).

In fact I am giving so much of my attention to this, and doing my very best (only because I enjoy it darlings of course) that I have been asked if I would like to train towards the team event at Crufts. Yes, me a Setter in with all those collies ! Do you think I walk like this on normal walks? hahahahaha. HAHAHAHAHA. What me? Darlings.... I like to get to where I want to be as soon as possible, so that I can get down to the real stuff of running and swimming.....



Hoooooooooooowl hooooooooooooooowl How true everyone - I can vouch for that. Hooooooooooooowl.

and finally. I must add that I too am soooooo happy about how well Tallulah is now. I love Tallulah very much indeed, and she makes a truly wonderful hot water bottle at night.



See Barkley's Blog for the whole story.

Lerve yew orl darlings.

Daysea Mae, Tallulah, Barkley, Alfie (little white), Mia (bigger white) and Finlay Collie

RA RA RA - RA RA RA!!!!!!




Mwwwwwah! Darlings. What an exciting, busy and stressful time I have been enduring of late. You know, things can really start to get to you when one is in such high demand. Especially when it comes to male admirers, which I will come to shortly, but still, I suppose one has to learn how to deal with those over the course of time.

After the successful photo shoot of last year darlings, the phone has hardly stopped ringing, and once more I was selected to make another appearance at a place with lights, people, food, lots of attention - ooh all so very nice.

It was a horrible day to start off with. We left at silly o'clock in the morning, well before the crack of noon, and off we went down the motorway, to a place called "Lundun".

The rain had just stopped as we left Milton Keynes, but as we reached "Loo'un" the heavens opened yet again, and it rained so hard, that we could barely see where we were heading, or even hear ourselves speak. The traffic came to a dead halt for what seemed like an eternity. The humans had become very bored and were listening to the Chris Evans breakfast show, and you should have heard the singing !!!! As for the seat dancing - well that was another matter!!!

Eventually we reached our first destination which was Wimbledon Common, where I was to be filmed running around... but oh no. The weather had other plans, and was still throwing it down by the bucket load, so we had to go to a large spooky house in a place called Cheam to film the indoor scenes. They do ghost hunts there you know, but on that Monday there were none to be seen, or growled at unfortunately, although mummy said that she could sense their presents.

My first job was to lay behind a vet who was being interviewed about nutrition. I settled myself down and went to sleep. That part was very boring, and the man with the camera asked if I could move myself, because I looked like a dead dog lying there, which wouldn't do their product any good at all. I wouldn't like to tell you what mummy thought about that..... hehehe.

But just then the exciting things started happening......

Mummy had a cold ghostly message from the house spirits ........ "pssssssst you" they whispered into her head ....."what if the product Daisy is to promote is Beta or Bakers??? heh heh heh". Mummy gulped very hard as she was listening to the vet speak. Suddenly she had a real urge to visit the toilet - just as she realised the food I was to promote was Beta!!!! Her face went a whiter shade of pale. She wished it could have been almost ANYTHING rather than that. But we had travelled a long way, in appalling conditions. The house ghosts all laughed out loud as they watched mummy squirming and wondering where the loo was.

When I finished filming the interview, mummy was asked to take me in "to do the kitchen scene". Uh ho....... "and what does that entail?" enquired mummy, who had by that time shrunk to the size of mouse!

"Oh we want her to eat a bowl of the food, will she do that?".

"yes yes yes, I will do that.... yes yes yes, let me go there now.... food, food, hungry, not eaten all day, mummy starve me, look how sleek I am".

"awwww no" said mummy, can't you give her something else in the bowl?

"like what?" they asked,

"well anything other than that or Bakers" cringed mummy.

"It's a good product" they lady retorted

"but it's NOT" mummy wailed, "its awful and gives dogs behavioural problems, we see it all the time. Have you got some ProPlan or Purina One - anything, anything please other than that stuff.

"Oh yes", they said and then disappeared.......

then they returned......

"Sorry, but we have looked and there isn't anything else".

The house ghosts watched mummy's face and laughed so loud among themselves that the house vibrated .... "hahahahahha, they have come all this way, in the biggest downpour London has seen in years only to be told that Daisy is required to eat some Beta hahahahaha".

Mummy went right inside herself, and said a quiet sorry to poor Kille dog who had suffered a gastric torsion years before, and it was because of him that mummy had done a lot of research into pet foods. "Oh alright" she snorted, as she resigned herself to my eating some out of a bowl, "BUT ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT YOU HEAR?".

Everyone, including me, was happy. I thought the food was delicious, but then I don't understand humans and what they do, and what they term to be 'nutritious' so I just trusted that because it smelt good, it must be good ... so I sat there and drooled as the bag was opened and the product tipped into a bowl.

The vet lady told them to take the bowl away because I was eating it very quickly, and not used to the product, so mummy was happy about that.

I then went out into the garden to play



NOOOOOO...... not with them..... wrong picture, but with a Hungry Viszla puppy who was also starving and had to eat some of their food.

We had a great time running around in the garden, because by then the rain had stopped, and all the humans were very happy again.

By now it was lunch time, and mummy was happy, because there was some gluten free food there for her and the really nice lady who lives in the house was very up on good food for humans, so had some gluten free cake and gave it all to mummy. She said it was really delicious, and made a nice change.



After lunch, I played again with the Hungry puppy. By now the sun was shining very brightly, and it had suddenly become quite hot, so after all the playing, my tongue hung out lots.



But there was no time to relax and go to sleep, because back into the car again and off we went back to Wimbledon Common.

It is a huge place, and lots of things to do:



and lots of places to run. There was a man with a camera, and he was really funny, and I smiled at him as I ran by.




Because of all the rain that morning, I managed to get my feathers all wet, and got quite a bit of mud on my coat, which spoilt my film star image a bit, but what do I care? I had a great time all round..... even watching mummy cringing during the morning. It was sooooooo funny.


I do hope we go there again one day. I would love to see the Hungry Vizsla puppy again and play with her. We got along so well.

Here is the show I was on, so that you can see me with the puppy. I come on at various points throughout the show, although the dog they describe as being a Red and White Setter at the start of the programme, is not me. In fact it is not an Irish Red and White Setter at all. It is an English Setter ! Thank you to Zola Boland, and to Marta Resio for giving me the video link to share, and for making it a very happy day for me.




I was sad to say goodbye to everyone on the common. It was almost as nice as the seaside, but not quite as, but at least it had dried out and we had a very uncomplicated journey home.

The interesting thing is, that after I had eaten that food, something very strange happened. I suddenly developed a smell around my rear end...... Barkley thought I smelt very attractive, so I had to keep running away from him.



and running, and running and running. He thought I was in full season, and was absolutely besides himself and threw himself into contortions:


Yes - that's him alright, and look at all that slobber !!!! This is how he normally looks:
.......
if you can call that 'normal' hahahahahahaha!!!!! As I said earlier, I suppose this is the price you pay for being a t.v. star. Barkley is a married man though, and he certainly should not be after a Red and White maiden like myself...... although he is a bit of alright really. A real handsome man.......





Well, that's it for another blog now. I wonder what the future holds for me now. I am so excited by everything darlings xxxxxxxx

DaisyMae

Getting better all the time

Hoot hoot hoot hoot!


Ha ha. That's what I say when I bark now I am all grown up. I am quite grown up now, well almost. I'm now 16 1/2 months old and in agility terms that means I am almost grown up enough to be able to jump FULL HEIGHT !!!! That's what they say anyway, but mummy is being rightly cautious and wont allow me to do that until I am nearer two. She knows my growth plates do not close at 18 months, and wants to give me more time to mature, but more about that later.


Barkley was boasting in his blog about how he helped mummy whilst she was unwell, and how he wants to become a medical alert dog, so that he can assist mummy when she becomes very pawly.

Huh - but I am Daisy, and I can help mummy by leaping all over her, and bringing my toys, demanding walks, and barking at her when she can barely walk to the bathroom, let alone walk us. I thought that was really funny. This is the Daisy way of helping mummy. You keep on and on at her "COME ON, GET UP - there's a life out there which is for living, there is no time to be pawly and lie there sleeping.

You see, when you keep on, and on and on, eventually she gets up from her sick bed, takes us out, and then makes a recovery. If it were left to the Barkley way, she would lie there and he would fetch her medicines, make her hot soup, do the washing, hang it out (even when the rain comes) and then snuggle up next to her pawing at her until she wakes up again. You see, he is FAR too sympathetic. I think the Daisy way is far more positive, invigorating and motivational. Yah!!!!!

I must say, mummy must have been quite ill actually, because it has taken her quite a time to fully recover, indeed that's if she really has, because there are still a lot of things she wants to do but can't at the moment. However, she did take me to a lovely agility workshop which was run by a really nice lady by the name of Toni Dawkins. Mummy was still incredibly washed out that day, so didn't do a great deal with me, but what we did do was really good, very exciting, because the nice lady stood at the end with my toy and then when I got things right, she threw it for me and I had a good chase. What she said was also very interesting.



So I spent a good deal of time watching........


and listening. Unfortunately, because mummy had turned into a muppet who had just been let out of the washing machine, she forgot to charge up the camera, so there are no pictures or video's of what I did, because the machine thing was as dead as a door nail!!!!



Toni made a big point of the fact that many dogs are having to retire from agility early because of structural problems, because of the way they have been taught, particularly in how to turn off of a jump. We had to practice some new ways of doing things, which really confused Barkley, because he has been taught for 3 years to do it a particular way. However, because I am still very young, I have cottoned on to the new way very quickly and think it is great fun.

The interesting thing is that Barkley has now picked up the new way of doing things, and he has told mummy that he is FAR happier! He turns tighter now, and as he turns towards mum he is already onto his stride, so no more pounding upon landing, running on and then taking a sudden sharp turn back towards mummy. He says the new way has much more of a flow, and is much kinder on his front legs and spine. We know when Barkley is happy about something because he shouts '"AROO ROO ROO'" at the top of his of his voice - even when his mouth is stuffed full with a ball, so that it comes out more like "A-RMMM RMMMM RMMM"

Any new way of learning agility which takes into consideration our structure and the effects this vigorous sport has upon us, is more than welcome, because poor Tallulah is suffering.


It could be that all the pounding and sharp turns she has made over the years has damaged her spinal cord, and started to make the sheath which surrounds her nerves break down. Mummy really doesn't want this to happen to me or Barkley in a few years time, so what Toni has been teaching us is very much appreciated. We are looking forward to another session with this lady and learning much more.



I must say, I do prefer shows where I am actually doing something and judged on my skills and ability rather than the way I look. In fact I would rather be out pointing at birdies, if the truth were known. However, my dog mum, grandmadog, and two of my sisters did very well at Crufts. My grandmadog and dogmum won their classes and my sisters came 2nd and 3rd in theirs. It was a great day for my family and there was much excitement. Mummy was very upset however, because she missed the great occasion and spent the day in bed instead. She was really happy when she saw all the photographs, but also very sad at the same time that she couldn't have been there to cheer them on and join in the celebrations.

I don't think you will ever see me at Crufts strutting around on the green carpet. I am a real outdoor girl who loves to run, and run and run. Jump and jump and jump, and oooh whose that coming towards us?



Ah - the other love of my life - it's Finlay



and we love to play, and play and play.



After all, that's what life is all about. Having fun and getting on with it ........ isn't it!!!!! Yah!!!! Let's play
xxxxxxx

ARA RA RA RA!!!! RA!!!



Things outside have become so different. What has happened to the world? Why has it suddenly become covered in this white stuff which is freezing cold? I couldn't believe my eyes at first, and had to have a good think about it. Mummy said there was some around when I first arrived at our home, but I was so upset about leaving behind my sisters and brothers, that I didn't notice anything in particular going on outside. In fact, I cannot remember much at all about those days, as that was thousands of years ago and my memory doesn't extent back quite that far.

Out in the garden, I thought mummy had put the white stuff out especially for us to play in, but when I went out for my walk, I realised that the whole world was covered in it, and I thought WOW....


Once more, I didn't know quite what to do. So, I sat down in it, to have yet another think.

Tally was quite confused too as she said she had never seen quite so much snow, so that made it all a bit more unsettling.

That didn't last though, and I shall show you soon just how much fun it has all been for me.



But before I do, there is a little bit of catching up for me to do. November saw my first birthday. A year ago I looked like this:



and as you see, my name was Dotty. I am now Daisymae and I do prefer to be called Daisymae as I am definately NOT Dotty in any shape or form.

Here I am again, and this time I am with my sisters and 2 brothers. I am the third from the top on the left:


I am eating my dinner with my family. I do love my dinners you see, that's why I decided to select this picture. I LOVE FOOD X X X its my favourite.

The picture below is of my friend Pebbles Wood. She was a year old this month.



As our birthdays are within weeks of each other, and we have known each other for hundreds of years, we decided to hold our birthday parties together, and invited lots of other doggies along to celebrate the oocasion. We had a great time and managed to raise some money which will soon be sent to Irish Setter Rescue and West Highland White Rescue.

At out party we played games, such as "sharks and islands" and a recall relay, which was divided into two classes: a large dog recall relay, and a little dog recall relay. Everyone had a great time, and when the party reached the end, the young puppies all went home, whilst the older dogs remained behind and braved the freezing temperatures for a game of chase around our field.

It was such a lovely afternoon, and we all came home very tired, and slept for a hundred years...... yawn !!!!

and then.......

One night, mummy woke us up and said "come on, its time to get up!"

Oh but it can't have been. It was still the middle of the night. I stuck my feet out of the duvet, but soon whipped them back in again when I realised just how cold it was outside. There were icicles hanging outside the window ... and the fog was sooooo thick that you had to cut it with a knife to move around, honestly !!! Eventually, mummy hauled me, Tallulah and Barkley out of bed, and loaded us into the back of a strange car. We were then driven off to a place called "LUNDUN". Well, that's what Barkley told me it was called. You see, he went there last year and knows all about "LUNDUN".

It was a slow journey, probably because the humans were having to cut their way through the very thick and icy fog. We eventually arrived in "Lundun" and by then it was daylight. I was lead into a small building, which eventually opened up into a very large studio.

There were lights, people, a couple of other dogs, and some sausages, which were used to pay me when I did things for the production team and then got those things right.

There was a man who was sitting on the floor, and he had a very flashy thing called a camera. He flashed the flash at me and then laughed out loud, because he said my ears looked funny as I flew across a thing, which was supposed to be a jump. I didn't realise it was a jump a first, and mummy had to show me that I had to leap across it as I would one of the agility jumps in our field. It didn't look anything like an agility jump though.

I also had to jump higher than I have been trained to do. I am still only a baby, and am learning over very small jumps, so that I don't put too much strain on my growing joints. Mummy was a bit concerned about the height of the 'jump', but as I was landing on a heavily padded mat which absorbed the shock, mummy decided that it ought to be ok.

The people at the studio were very understanding, and didn't ask as much from me as they did the older dogs.

However, they did ask me to perform some other things, such as a play bow, which I had to hold for hours whilst the man flashed the flashy thing at me. Not satisfied with that, the man with the flashy thing then asked me to hold a play bow and to put my head down between my front paws, which I did...... and then not satisfied with that, he wanted me to hold a play bow, put my head between my front paws, and then turn my head towards him..... which I did. With that, mummy said "that's enough, if I had known you had wanted all these extra things, I could have had her here ready trained to do them". However, she needn't have worried, because I did them all anyway, because I am very clever and learn quickly.

To end on, he wanted some head and shoulder shots, and with that, I posed, and posed and posed. I absolutely delighted in the experienced and just bathed and gloried in the warmth and gaze of the spotlights. Oh darlings, oh lovies, I did feel a very special and pampered lady that day.

In fact, I love posing:



in the snow.


I love the cold........


I have decided the snow is great fun and want it to stay.



Tallulah loves it too, and tried to turn herself into a red and white setter - like me hahaha.



If you would like to book my services as a photographic model, please contact my agent......

Mummy !!!!

Before I close, I have some very sad news to impart:

A couple of days before Chrismas, one of my litter sisters met with a very tragic accident, and she is no longer here with us. Mummy cried for hours, as did a number of other people. I might write about it in my next blog post when I have had a little time to recover from the shock of what happened. Indeed a very very sad end to 2010.

I hope 2011 brings good luck and good times for all.

Lots of love,
Daisymae
x x x