Poodle intelligence

Today I had to head off for the Talking Newspaper. It marked the first test for the poodles being fenced in the back of the garden.

Yesterday I built them a make shift tent and, before I left, I put Carmen’s blanket in it and their dog biscuits. This was to tempt them to sit in it rather than stand in the rain…as is their want.

Next it was their turn. They obediently followed me (clearly thinking we were going to the office), trying to avoid too much mud. It drizzled most of the night and all morning so the mud is now quite all encompassing.

Once beyond the Heras fencing (I thought Dave called it Harris fencing but I Googled and found it’s Heras), I showed them the tent (Carmen sniffed it then decided she preferred the rain while Day-z went for a wander up the back of the garden) then tied the makeshift gate off. Their faces were very sad as I went back round to the front door then upstairs, to spy on them from the green room. There was Carmen, standing, morose and confused but no Day-z.

There was a knock at the front door. Day-z had found a gap just high enough to squeeze under. That was the test and she failed (or passed, depending on whose side you’re on). I took her straight back and plugged the hole. Carmen didn’t move.

At some stage in the morning, I decided not to go to work tomorrow so I can be with them. The builders are hoping to pour the concrete on Saturday and once that’s done, the back will once more be accessible. Maybe it’ll also stop raining by then.

Satisfied that the poodles were safely behind bars, I set off for the Talking Newspaper. All the way there, I was worried about them. I kept telling myself it was pointless because I couldn’t do anything about it but I just couldn’t stop. As soon as I stepped into the studio and started working on the paper, I forgot all about them. Heartless, I am.

I was presenting the Haslemere and Liphook edition this week and had a great team. Ann (a newbie who has a fabulous accent and makes me laugh), Jacqui (she’s only been reading a short while and I was her first presenter) and John (the vicar with the beard and wicked sense of humour). It all went very smoothly.

After a quick stop off at Waitrose I was soon home to find that the boys had knocked off for the day. I went inside so I could change before braving the back garden.

I popped into the green room just to see how the poodles were. There was only one. Carmen was standing in the odd bulldog way she often uses to show her displeasure or confusion, still in the same place I’d left her earlier. I couldn’t spot Day-z anywhere. Then a movement caught my eye.

Day-z was on the wrong side of the fence, having a jolly good sniff of the digger. I quickly changed and went back out the front door. Through the garden gates I could see orange plastic netting and a big trench. The side of the house had been decimated.

I managed to make my way along one side when both the dogs noticed me. Day-z came bounding over while Carmen stood whimpering and shifting her weight from one leg to the other, which she does to show she’s excited or impatient.

I managed to get them both together and spent quite a while, quietening them down. Then I went to sort out the side gates (they needed securing in a closed position), the tree stump step for the back door and take a few photos.

Note that they kindly provided planks for walking on. This is very handy given the state of down the side of the house.

Tomorrow they want to finish the foundation trenches so the concrete can go in on Saturday. It’s going to be fun getting the digger out.