It’s getting serious!

Puppy class took a serious turn in more ways than one tonight.

So as usual Dyls bounced into class. Lots of playing and jumping with Boo. She even decided to spare the time to play with Boycie the feisty pug.

Her latest crush Aslan the Leonburger is in holiday, but undeterred Dyls turned her attention to Nico the pointer, who seemed very happy that the most popular puppy in class was giving him the time of day.

He’s a bit younger than Dyls, but clearly she likes a bit of a toyboy – the little minx.

Mind you, given how I have a crush on Tom Hardy, I can’t really criticise!

Dylan’s other bff, Molly was back tonight, but was in a foul mood. The reason came to light later.

Though Dyls and Molly started off playing nicely, Molly suddenly turned and had Dylan’s Salvador Daliesque moustache in her mouth – ouch!

Uh oh, since the summer Dyls has found the ability to lose her temper – look out for a separate blog on those events- and I worried that Dyls was going to kick off, friend or no friend.

But phew! Dylan got free and calmly strutted back to Nico, her little Welshie bottom wobbling seductively.

So we start with recall – yep Dylan did both legs perfectly.

As she did the gate, the trainer, whom I think despite everything has a soft spot for Dylan, looked on with pride.

The other trainers at the back of the hall beamed. Not an exaggeration, but you can hear them saying “Ooh Dylan’s up next” and sitting up in anticipation. Though I’m sure that because they look forward to the chaos which usually ensues, rather than seeing an exemplary performance!

Sit and stay and Dylan again did it perfectly.

Then came the first bombshell of the night, turns out we have all been entered for our Good Citizen award in a few weeks!

Yep even Dylan! Yikes!

The trainer looked at us – “On tonight’s evidence, Dylan will pass with flying colours”.

Mmm…. famous last words… because after that it all went…well Dylan shaped!

Off lead walk and yep Dyls headed for the mop and bucket. But breaking the habit of a lifetime, she raced around the hall with the bucket in her mouth. At one point it was over her head – think puppy in a plastic bucket version of the Man in an Iron mask!

Still didn’t slow her down though.

Dazed and a bit confused, we finally got it away from her.

That’s the trainer and I dazed and confused, not Dyls who wasn’t finished yet.

We had to do sit stay again. The trainer told us this is a key element of the test.

First time Dyls nailed it – this time she yawned, had a scratch and decided she was more interested in jumping on Nico again- blimey she’s insatiable – and then doing complete rollovers, looking very pleased with herself – a trick, among others, she learned from Harley in the summer. But it’s taken her this long to perfect the move. Pity she doesn’t put as much effort into puppy class.

In vain I tried to get her attention and get her to sit. But she gave me stink eye, a deaf ear and carried on doing what she wanted to do. Situation normal.

The trainer shook her head.

At the end of class she called us over, we were in detention and we’ve been given homework.

The trainer is determined to get us through the test.

Apparently in the last three years she hasn’t had a single fail.

I fear her clean sheet is about to be blotted!

And finally we found out why Molly was so angsty.

While Dyls and I were in France, Molly’s mum got a new puppy – another Cavapoo called Maisie.

Last week Maisie got a tummy upset and on Sunday they took her to the vets who diagnosed gastroenteritis and said she needed to stay in overnight and be given intravenous fluids but they could collect her Monday.

But on Sunday evening they got a phone call from the vets. There had been an grave error and instead of the fluids going into little Maisie’s tummy, they went into her lungs and tragically she died.

Maisie was four months old.

Her mum Louise is heartbroken. Molly is missing her baby sister.

We all cried when we heard this. A life needlessly cut so short.

So when I got home , and reached for the red wine, I watched Dylan do her usual celebratory zoomies round the garden, and I thought how blessed I am every day that I have this little monster in my life.

So today let’s all hug our dogs extra tight because you never know what lies ahead.