Mmmm...i'm looking just a wee bit worn out there. This Labratouring is rough on a person. No updates tonight as I'm going to crawl into bed even though it's only 9pm. Ok, 8pm UK time. Gosh, that's sad! It was a good day at Hampton Court Palace for me along with a bit of driving (4 hours). Tomorrow is a big old day of a 10-11 hour drive which I'm thinking of splitting up and maybe hanging out in France for an extra night. Normally I don't mind a long drive day or two, but I'm really beat. Or maybe I'm just procrastinating crossing the German border and being somewhere where I once again am linguistically challenged. Sigh. It was so nice to speak English for 2.5 months. That's the longest I've been in an anglophone country in seven years...you all spoiled me in more ways than Labradors and ready-meals! So more updates tomorrow...now it's bed time for me. It's a real shame I don't have Benson here as I'm already feeling that my ears are a little bit dirty again and could use his attentions.
Hope you have a good sleep If you’re tired an overnight stop on the way home sounds like an excellent plan. We want you to make it in one piece.
Sounds like you need a rest from all your touring and ear-washing Safe travels Emily! Drive carefully!
Just a quick note to say I've not fallen in a hole, I just took a step away these past few days and had a good rest while catching up with my last trickles of work. Actual work I get paid for vs. Labratouring, that is! I ended up doing the drive from Calais to Regensburg all in one day last Sunday and it went really well. Nearly no traffic and a long but easy drive of 11 hours. I'm officially caught up on every podcast ever. I've got a lot of thinking to do as well as tons of photos that I've not posted yet, so even though Labratour Part II is officially over, I'll continue to toss posts on here. I'll give a more detailed summary of the whole shebang later (you all know how I love my "posts as long as a novel"), but to cut to the chase: no, for the moment, there is no puppy imminently on the horizon. Though I will cryptically say, that's not for want of POSSIBILITIES. How's that for vague? And if that's frustrating to you all here on the Forum, consider the case of my best buddy here in Regensburg. We did our regular Irish pub evening earlier in the week and while she will NOT talk dog search with me anymore (for obvious reasons, poor thing) she did say, "So, did you find one?". Me: "Um, not really?" Her (wryly) : "Well, at this rate I'll be DEAD before you decide, so I guess I'll never get the chance to meet him." Ouch. But deserved and...touché. And by the way, she's only 40 years old, so the "I'll be dead" comment was particularly, shall we say, "barbed".
Hey, the longer this story goes on for the better! In fact, please string it out as long as possible so we get to enjoy many more episodes. I’m serious!
Well we've still got the Australian and Canadian legs of the Labratour to come so tell your friend to settle in for the ride
I had my first Labrador sighting here in Regensburg since my return a week ago. While this may not seem so momentous to most people on the Forum (in the UK, every third dog seemed to be a black Lab), Labs are a pretty rare sight around here. The one I saw was enjoying sniffing around the Christmas market and was long-legged field boy - also a rare sight as you see more of the small and light field Labs around here, when you see them. And while it has zero to do with the Labratour, it was also our first snow of the year in the old town. In honour of Brogan and his love of snow, I plonked on my big coat and gloves and went out into it to do Brogan's evening walk. Nearly two years on and I still think of it as taking myself out for Brogan's walk. And I still don't know what to do with my hands without a leash. I'd like to think my boy is still right next to me, enjoying the first snow and doing his happy little snow dance. That dog LOVED snow. Not the best photos, but here's "Brogan's walk" - a little tour around snowy Regensburg. My street in the old town... Snowy bike seats in one of Regensburg's several central squares (that's going to be cold on the posterior later tonight after beer in the Haufbrauhaus)... One of the town's five Christmas markets (or the very edge of it anyway)... The old town hall... A hidden little court behind the cathedral ( @Rosie will recognise this!)... Fountain/well across from the cathedral and then on the way back home!
Oh, that's just wonderful! Thank you so much for showing us round where you live in Germany, Emily. It's gorgeous - doesn't everywhere look gorgeous in the snow? Ah, this has warmed my cockles, thank you for sharing Brogan's walk and your home
In addition to hunting for my own dog and meeting Forum dogs, I also got to visit two dogs from Spain. I've already mentioned Toby (now known as Alf), who was my former foster. I've finally organised his photos and will be posted them as well, either here or on his own thread. But my first visit was with George, who was known as Crios in Spain. George is actually the reason I ended up fostering Alf. I saw just a head photo of him on Facebook and the description that he was a chocolate lab and Spanish mastiff mix and as I was very enthusiastically looking for a rescue last January in Spain, I asked if he was still available. It took a while before all the stars aligned, so it was February before I actually got to meet him. What a surprise when I saw him - the photo of just his head, with nothing else in the photo to provide scale, did not prepare me for the pony-sized dog awaiting me at the private dog sanctuary. Therefore while my first thought was "Wow! He's gorgeous!" my second thought was, "Yikes, he's never fitting under a plane seat!". Still, I set off on a trial walk with my rescue group connection and a young girl who was the daughter of another volunteer. The girl was a complete blast, both wanting to practice her (already very good) English and doing the slickest sales job imaginable to convince me that Crios was the dog for me. What I noticed most about him was that he was very curious about everything and very good with the girl. He pulled like a tank, though, which is logical considering he'd had no training. There was also no way I could get around his sheer size. This was NOT a dog that was going to fit under a plane or train seat. Just no way. And for me, that is a must. So I was very honest with Miry (my rescue connection and co-head of the group) and told her that while I was really sorry, Crios was just too big. I also said that if there was anything ELSE I could do to help the group, to let me know. And anyone who knows about Toby the Bodeguero knows the rest of that story: Miry called me about a week later and asked me if I could take on Señor Toby. So I owe Crios a lot...namely my whole experience with Toby, which I wouldn't trade for anything. Poor Crios, however, did not find a home for many more months. The rescue group lost their private shelter and when all the dogs went into foster care, Crios' foster home fell through at the last minute. Literally the last minute, like at midnight. Crios ended up back where he'd started, with an older lady on a finca (ranch in the country). This is the same lady who had Tiger (Toby's Big Black Beast), a dog I'd been visiting for months, hoping HE may have been my dog. Oh, and Crios and Tiger are half siblings. Are you confused yet? Anyway, Crios ended up in a cage, not very happy. We let him out one evening so that he could stretch his legs and he simply refused to get back in. What can you do with a dog who weighs over 60 kgs and doesn't want to move? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I remember standing in the Spanish twilight, getting eaten alive and thinking, "Good grief, I'm going to end up spending all night outside with this dog and all that will be left of me after the mosquitos have their way will be a bloodless corpse." Then suddenly (well, suddenly after an hour or so), Crios looks around, spots his cage and simply runs back into it of his own accord. Thank you, Crios! Miry and others were worried sick about Crios as he clearly was NOT doing well in the kennel, mentally or physically. Just as things were looking desperate, he got an offer for a foster home in the UK. Crios' luck had just turned. Within two weeks he was shipped out to Bristol from Malaga and in his new home. Within a month, he was a foster fail and adopted. I got to meet him and his human. Now called George, he still has some pretty challenging training issues - he still pulls like a train and has the rather odd habit of standing on the dining room table. Yes. STANDING ON THE DINING ROOM TABLE. But his human is working with a trainer and making slow but stead progress. But what a difference. Whereas before he was quite a serious dog, he's now reverted to being a goofy puppy. He has toys, his own garden and cuddles on the sofa with his new human. I'd call it a happy ending, but it struck me more as a happy BEGINNING. Crios in Spain... In Bristol with his scary face on... And his baby face... Just a lap dog really... And finally a big doggy smile...
Oh, Georgios (yeah, I know, I like it, don't you?) is just lovely! He's quite Dane-like the way he moves. The head is so Labby, I can't see the Mastiff in there, but those ears are HUGE!
I DO like it! Yes, this was my guess as well - mainly Lab plus Dane. He doesn't have the mastiff backend that you can see in half-sibling Tiger. The mastiffs always have that "bum higher than shoulders" thing going on. Crios and Tiger as puppies... Tiger as an adult... Funny how the "gene soup" gets mixed up in different ways with different dogs!
