Bracken's Blog

Hi all

Well I'm just fine and dandy!

Still on daily medication for my chronic arthritis but still very much Loving Life.

My eyesight is still poor but no worse and I sometimes have selective hearing (Mum thinks it's funny how I can hear the fridge door open but not her calling me when out walking)!

I've slowed down a Lot when out walking but being an ex-working dog if I see a rabbit or pheasant I do get a Little run on - just to prove I still can.

We went away for new year with friends and I Loved being in the caravan.

My Mums Mother-in-Law came for Xmas she adores me and me her. I follow her round everywhere.

I'm still the Leader of the pack with our springer group Mum can't believe I’ll be 14 this year x

Hi all

All well here thank you. I’m still going strong !

I’ve had a benign tumour removed from my back foot and it’s healed lovely , the cone of shame was a pain and I caused Mum lots of bruises on her legs!

My Mum and Dad went on holiday in September so I went to Nanny’s for the week and was very spoilt!

The vets told Mum that i’m really healthy for my age and i’m not going anywhere for a while which is good to know!

I still very much enjoy my walks although I do tend to wander off a bit and Mum has lost me a couple of times! So, now I wear bells on my collar so she can hear me!

We are all looking forward to xmas with the family and we’re going away in the caravan over new year - that will be fab!

Hope everyone has a lovely Christmas.

Bracken

Sorry for late update been really busy here!

I’m doing fine, Mum says she thinks i’m going a bit deaf and my eyesight is not so good. I’ve had a couple of wobbles on my legs but i’m still really enjoying life!

Mum and Dad have bought a caravan and so we are going more. I love being on holiday!!!

We still go out with the springer group as well and i’m definitely the leader of the pack - I love it! All the other dogs follow me around and look up to me. Mum says i’m a proper old gent and that they love me to bits.

I’m a very lucky boy.

Thank you from

Bracken x

Sorry for late update been really busy here!

I’m doing really well, my family bought a touring caravan in May & we have been on a couple of lovely holidays, Illfracombe in July & Cornwall in September. I absolutely love caravan life & love being by the sea.

We did a couple of coastal walks one of which turned out to be 8 miles round trip but I kept up & loved it, but I was a bit tired the day after though!!

I am slowing up a bit and my eyesight is getting worse I’ve developed a bit of a bladder control problem nothing serious and Mum says they wouldn’t be without me so I don’t think they mind too much! It’s just another thing that comes with getting older (apparently!).

Mum says, everyone who meets him falls in love, all out springer friends refer to him as old bones!!

I’ve recently had a little weekend away at my Grandmas, as Mum & Dad were away with friends to Church Stratton & it was a bit too much for me but I got so spoilt at Grandmas she loves me so much she kicks her husband into the spare room so I can sleep on her bed with her!

All in all i’m loving life & looking forward to more caravan holidays with my family!

Thank you from Bracken x

It’s been quite a while since I last wrote but I’ve been so busy having fun and going on lots of lovely breaks with my family! I’m doing really well, still maintaining a healthy weight at 22kg. My Mum has recently changed my food to a senior brand and I love it - I think it’s given me a new lease of life as Mum says I’m acting like a pup again!

Last year we had several holidays we went camping to the Gower and had lots of beach and coastal walks. I absolutely love camping and the beach. Mum says I make friends everywhere we go as I’m such a gentleman. We also went to Par Sands in Cornwall where we stayed in a caravan and from there to Newquay, Padstow and to Looe where we had loads of walks, although I was a little naughty and went after a seagull in Looe and nearly got swept out to sea! Mum says being an ex-working dog I sometimes get blind sighted by feathers!!!

Over on Cannock Chase		Me & my Sisters
My smart new harness		Woolacombe beach

We also went away for New Year to Devon and stayed in a little barn again lots of lovely beach walks and forest countryside to explore. Being on the beach on New Year’s Day with my family is the best! I do suffer a little bit with my back legs after big walks and sometimes it makes me limp when I’m tired. Mum thinks I might be going a bit deaf but I still hear the biscuit tin open a mile away!!!

We’ve recently joined a Facebook group called Springer Spaniels Staffordshire where we do monthly meets on Cannock chase where there are sometimes up to 25 Springers on the walk! I’m known as “Old Bones” as I’m definitely the eldest but I love to play with the pups!

Mum says “He is such a joy to have around can’t believe it’s been 2 years and we love him dearly”. I’m such a lucky Spaniel!

Thank you from

Bracken

It has been just over 6 months since my last update... boy doesn't time fly! I wanted to write to say a big thank you and to let you know how I’m getting on.

My health is okay, although we did have a little scare after the holidays, when they all thought I might have diabetes as I lost weight and was drinking lots more, however my results all came back negative so we think this weight loss must have just been down to the wonderful holiday I had been on and all the walking I did.

Mum says I’m still a little unsteady on my back legs after a big walk, but I keep telling her this is non-sense, it’s just an old working dogs leg wobble that is all. She says it’s fine and it is just what is expected at my age.

I went to Bideford for the Christmas holidays and stayed in a fabulous barn with acres of land. It was absolute doggie heaven. We spent Christmas day on the beach!! I love the sea and enjoy crashing through the waves, whist trying to chase the odd seagull or two of course.

I get lots of friends visiting (well, they are here for a haircut but I get to play too). All the human visitors give me lots of fusses too. I love to share my kisses with these lovely people.

I have two springer sisters, one called Daisy, who also lets me share her basket. I have settled in very well and I love my whole family.

In March I went to stay with my Nannie for a few nights whilst Mum and Dad were away. Oh boy was this fun!! Nannie spoilt me rotten. I didn’t want to go home!!

I love to always have something in my mouth, a ball, a teddy or a dog toy, I’m not fussed. I love to bring them on walkies with me. Mum usually ends up carrying it home though, whist I have sniffs in the undergrowth hehe.

Thank you for sponsoring me, and helping me to live a happy retirement.

Thank you,

Bracken

Bracken`s Journey

Just another ordinary Monday night 14th July, when I saw a post on Facebook asking if someone could possibly look after a springer boy who had had surgery and needed to recuperate. He needed re homing eventually but needed to stay somewhere where he could be looked after. As an ex game keepers dog he didn’t need a lot just somewhere to sleep for a couple of weeks. Having never lived in a house CAESSR were just asking for a tiled floor or porch.

After a quick discussion with my husband we decided we could offer our support, we already had two springer girls and one more would be no bother. We contacted John at CAESSR and filled in a really simple foster/adoption form online and arranged to pick him up from the Meir Park Vets in Stoke.

Well Thursday 17th July our lives certainly changed!

After the drive up to Stoke (getting lost, wrong turnings and a petrol stop) I finally arrived at Meir Park vets and met John in reception. I had a quick catch up and signed some paperwork and the boy Bracken was bought out to me.

Well he was very happy considering he’d had surgery on Monday to remove a carrier bag from his intestines and a rag from his tummy and he had also been castrated. The lovely vet nurse that bought him out carefully explained about all his medication and feeding and gave me details should I need to contact them.

I helped him in the car and we made our way back home. He had his head on my hand all the way back.

Once home I got him out the car and we made our way inside, carefully introducing him to Millie and Daisy. They all had a good sniff of each other and soon settled down.

Bracken was especially hungry for the first few days as he hadn’t eaten in a long time and was desperately underweight being only 17.2kg, however he quickly realised that he was going to keep being fed and calmed down.

As he had never really lived in a house before we were a bit worried but we let him out after every meal to go toilet and we only had a couple of accidents.

After he had been here for a week my husband and I had absolutely fallen in love with him, as had all our friends and family and no-one was surprised when we called up John and said we wanted to keep him!

The support we received from John is second to none, calls to check we were all ok we gave updates regularly and John still calls now and promises to come visit when he is in the area.

Since Bracken came into our lives we have done so much with him, long walks over Cannock Chase, been on holiday to Wales, he has welcomed many dogs into our garden as I am a dog groomer. He doesn’t bother our cats, is great with my friends children and generally it feels like he has been here forever. He had us a bit worried when he swam the whole length of a lake after a Moor Hen thought we were going to have to get in and save him, and we have recently had to purchase a super king size bed as all 3 of them take up so much room.

Post surgery he is doing great all healed up thanks to Meir Park and is now 18.8kg and looking so much better. He is the most kind natured and loving dog considering his back ground. I would fully recommend getting a rescue dog from CAESSR.