I think you could say this has been an eventful week. Just as I was starting to get a bit fed up with sharing and all the arguments about toys and food and stuff there was a big change. The first of these was another short ride in the car for all of us and a visit to something called the VET. Well, the less said about that the better is all I can say. It was all over very quickly but I sure won’t be going back there in a hurry if I can help it. Nice treats after though.
The hoomans then started coming in and picking us up and cuddling us lots more and making sad little sounds. We did our best to use our positive puppy super powers on them but that seemed to make them even sadder for a bit before they started to chuckle again and we knew we’d done our job.
Then Mummy Faith sat us all down and told us that we had to be very brave ‘cos even though things were changing, some really good stuff was coming. So we believed her and waited.
And then yesterday Netflix, Click and Collect were taken out and they still hadn’t come back when night time came so we figured that’s what Mummy Faith meant. Gin and Tonic went this morning and made a big fuss but I’m sure they’ll be all right. Furlough didn’t even wake up when she went and that left just Hope, Zoom and me.
The three of us were rolling around together when the hoomans came in and there was some discussion that gave me a funny feeling in my tummy so I snuggled up to Zoom and after a little soft playtime we fell asleep. Zoom woke me up when he had a funny chasy dream and we kind of knew that we had to remember right now. I put my nose up to Zoom’s nose and we exchanged a silent puppy bond and sure enough, in a moment he was gone. My nose will always know him though and I’m sure I’ll see him again.
Hope and I sat quietly next to each other and I was glad that I’d been left with her ‘cos she always knows what to say.
And as I look about me now in my new home with a huge soft bed and the biggest teddy to snuggle up to that’s all my own and new hoomans who have gentle hands and soft voices and know how to play with me and give me time to sleep when I need to and even though it’s been a bit scary I’m not afraid to admit and everything smells different and the light and the noise around is strange, I think I’ll like it here. And when I had a little wobble early this afternoon when I woke up and for a moment wondered where all my brothers and sisters were I remembered the words of my amazing sister Hope, who I now know for sure has a line of communication with some higher being. It was simple really, but it will help in the coming days and weeks I think.
She said…
Everything is going to be all right
‘A puppy called Lockdown’ is an eight part series written and released during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.
We have something called a ‘routine’ now. After breakfast we are now getting taken outside straight away. They take us to a bit of the garden with little stones and they put us down so we can sniff around. Whenever we do what comes naturally after breakfast the hoomans get really excited and we get lots of praise which makes us feel all fuzzy and smiley. They then let us go and play in the other grassy bit of the garden and we have noticed how in the past week things have got a lot noisier and the air has smelt different.
The hoomans have been talking about “going out in the car” and they keep looking over at us and today we discovered what that was all about. After our morning playtime and just as Zoom and I had cornered a particularly sneaky flutterby, our hoomans came and scooped us up. They gave a little ‘oomph’ and said that Zoom was getting a bit podgy. The hoomans do seem to have a funny addiction to our tummies and sometimes stick their noses right in and sniff. They don’t understand you really don’t have to get that close but, “whatever tickles your whiskers”, as Gin and Tonic would say.
Anyhow, we were taken through the side gate and round to the front of the house and they opened up the big door and there was the whooshy big metal machine that’s called a car. We know all these things now and feel very grown up. They took us over to it and opened up the back door. There was a lovely bed inside a cage and they popped Zoom and me in. It was nice that I had my brother with me cos it did feel a bit strange and I couldn’t for the life of me work out why they would want us to operate the car when we have perfectly good legs on each corner to get us where we need to go.
Well, next thing we knew, the door closed and we were shut in. Zoom and I sat very close to each other and we heard a deep rumble around us and we started to move. I tried to put my paws up to look out the window but lost my balance and figured that sitting down was much better. Zoom lay down on his tummy and dug his claws into the bed. After a few minutes of wobbling around we could see trees and things whizzing past when we looked up and just as we both started to feel a bit queasy the car slowed right down and stopped. A friendly hand reached in and a soothing voice told us we had done really, really well and much better than Gin and Tonic had on their turn. I did wonder about the smell in here. Not sure what to make of this new experience but it was nice to get home and we got lots and lots of cuddles and some special treats so it wasn’t all bad.
More playtime inside and then we settled down for another snooze. As dreams came and brought the flutterby back, my tail wagged all by itself.
‘A puppy called Lockdown’ is an eight part series written and released during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.
I can’t wait to tell you what happened today. I watched something really amazing happen with my sister Hope.
After days and days of warm sunshine it was raining and dull so we were all inside. Click and Collect were dragging all the toys into a big pile in the middle of our pen, apart from the one that Furlough had decided she had to sleep with, and Netflix was trying to get our attention without much luck when we heard a new noise coming from one of the other rooms in the house. It wasn’t scary, but it did make me feel kind of quiet and not quite right. Mummy Faith wasn’t with us but she came in and sniffed us all and Zoom and I could tell she was checking us a bit more than usual.
The little hoomans were outside so we knew it wasn’t them making the noise and then it went a bit quieter anyhow so we went back to ear-chewing and important paw-boxing.
Footsteps made us look up. Was it time to go outside now?
One of the big hoomans stroked Faith then stepped into our pen and sat down in the middle of us all. When I looked closely I could see that their face was all blotchy and red and their eyes were puffy. They kept wiping the rain falling down their face – I didn’t know hoomans could make rain but the world is full of surprises. They had been making that noise for sure, so that was that mystery solved. But then the amazing thing I meant to tell you about happened.
Hope went straight over to the hooman and put her paws into their lap and tucked her nose under their hand and pushed at it. And just like magic, the weird noise stopped and we could feel a change in the air. They picked up Hope and smiled, burying their face in her fur. Hope tucked her head into their shoulder and gave them a little ear-lick and that just completed the whole transformation cos a loud chuckle came out of the hooman’s mouth, and we know that is a really happy sound.
We all piled over then and climbed all over our hooman, covering them in protective positive puppy magic. Is this the best super power we have or what?
‘A puppy called Lockdown’ is an eight part series written and released during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.
Well today there was no time for wondering about super powers. We keep hearing that we are special, but we’ve been way too busy lately to think about what that means ‘cos we’ve been doing something called “positive socialisation”.
Part of this is spending more time with the little people in our home. They are such good fun to play with but we’ve been told that using our teeth to taste them is not allowed, not never ever. Licking is OK sometimes, and does make them laugh a lot.
This morning we were carried outside to the garden bit that we hadn’t been to before. They wouldn’t put us down no matter how much we wriggled and suddenly there was a huge big noise and the air felt all different. “Whoosh”. A big metal thing went past very quickly, dust and smells all went up my nose and I sneezed and buried my head in the arm of the hooman holding me. They made soothing noises and said that one big noise going past was the “rush hour” these days. I’m not sure but I don’t think I like it very much.
We hung around for a bit longer until we felt another rumble approaching and this time I was ready. Zoom and I peaked out very bravely and watched as the metal thing went by. There were hoomans in it! Well that was odd, but I guess they do only have two legs so they need some help to get where they want to.
We went back inside and snuggled up with Mummy and everything was all fine. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.
‘A puppy called Lockdown’ is an eight part series written and released during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.
We are going out into the light every day now. It’s always bright and warm and the sky is very blue. The hoomans come out with us and they stand still and look up a lot and breathe and say how quiet it is. They have started to notice the stuff we all know is important like the birds flying in and out and teasing us and the buzzies and hoppies and crawlies that we chase. Some of the small people play with us and they make a very happy sound which also seems to make the bigger hoomans relax a bit.
Being outside makes us more adventurous and Zoom nearly got me into trouble today. He never thinks about what I’ve learnt is something called “consequences”.
So, when no one was looking Zoom ran in through the back door and, naturally, I followed him. We were in the little room with metal boxes that we know make big whizzing sounds and steam comes from the one that makes clumpety clump sounds. Sometimes our blankets appear out of these boxes and they smell all funny.
Anyhow, Zoom saw the round door on the whizzy box was open with a pile of clothes in front. He went right up and jumped on the clothes then bopped the round door with his nose. It swung across and nearly shut, making a nice sucky sound. Then he put his teeth on the bottom bit that he could reach and tugged a bit and it swung open again. He fell back and rolled off the clothes pile, which I thought was really funny. Not wanting to look scaredy though, I went up next and put my paws up and had a look inside cos, nothing ventured, nothing gained right? It was all dark in there and I put in my head and… “Woof”… Mummy Faith gave one big bark that we knew meant we had to stop what we were doing right away.
The hoomans came and picked us both up and put us back in the bed pen, so I figure we’d done something wrong. But then one of them said that we were discovering our super powers early. Super powers?
‘A puppy called Lockdown’ is an eight part series written and released during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.
It was very quiet in the house this morning but Zoom and I woke up as soon as the light started to come. We enjoy snuggling up together and after having a nice big feed we had another snooze.
Mummy Faith has started to leave us alone a bit more now and we are all getting to know each other.
Furlough sleeps a lot and spends hours trying to chase the shadows like she’s doing something useful, Click and Collect get lots of praise from the hoomans who say they are ‘picking things up quickly’… Gin and Tonic are so greedy and feed first and longer than the rest of us and then they sleep and sleep and we really have to pester them to wake up to play. Netflix keeps us all entertained. He is really funny and finds all sorts of adventures for us. And that leaves Hope, who we all sense is a bit special. When Hope stops, we all stop, when she tells us to be careful, we listen, and when we are a bit scared she reassures us that everything will be all right – nothing ventured, nothing gained, Hope says.
Hope led the way today when we went out into the light for the first time. She told us that all the new smells and sounds and sights wouldn’t hurt us and that this new experience was just the beginning of wonderful new things to look forward to. And as we felt the sunshine on our fur, rolled around in the grass together, pounced on beetles and fell over trying to catch dragonflies, we kinda knew she was right.
‘A puppy called Lockdown’ is an eight part series written and released during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.
Turns out we all have names here. My bestest brother is called Zoom, then there’s Furlough, Click, Collect, Netflix, Hope, Gin and Tonic. Mummy is called Faith. I learnt today that the furless creatures are called hoomans and they said that we are all they need to get through this. Whatever ‘ this’ is.
Zoom still hasn’t learnt how his paws work very well, so I woke up today with his bottom in my face. I thought I’d gone blind all over again!
‘A puppy called Lockdown’ is an eight part series written and released during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.
Today I decided to take a peek at the world and I opened my eyes for the first time. In my warm and snuggly bed everything smelled lovely and I really wanted to know what the noises were that I could hear around me. Squeaks and snuffles and a deep rumble from Mummy as we all fed. Gentle thump thumps on all sides from other bodies around me and further away I could hear a weird clip clop coming and going and other creatures taking it in turns to make sounds that went up and down, loud and soft.
I wriggled about and with a big yawn, I opened first one eye, then the other. You’ll never guess what, there are lots of us here with our Mummy. I felt her soft breath on me as I looked up and she gave me a reassuring nudge. There was so much to look at!
We were all in bed together and I snuffled at the one closest to me. ‘Hello’, I pulled myself forward a bit and he stuck his paw up my nose which made my eyes water. Hmmm, this moving with seeing lark would take some practice. One of the others started to clamber over us all to go to Mummy for food. Time for a little explore I think.
Just as my nearest companion turned to me I felt the bed move a bit and there above us all was a big creature without much fur and they squeaked really loudly and showed their teeth to us. It was a bit scary but Mummy gave us a lick and we felt she was calm and happy so we went towards the furless creature a bit.
‘Oh look at you, you’ve decided to open your eyes today. Well done Lockdown, we were wondering when you’d join the others.’ Lockdown?
They tickled me a bit round my ears and made lots of happy sounding noises so I relaxed and thought to myself, there’s so much to look forward to! Then I fell asleep.
‘A puppy called Lockdown’ is an eight part series written and released during the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown 2020.