Does anyone know of anyone who would be willing to help to hand strip my cocker spniel.After the really poor winter Ihad to lose his coat but I am hoping it may recover for next year.If there is anyone willing to help in the derbyshire/yorkshire area I would be most gratefull.

Drat, I'm in Suffolk! Fancy a holiday in this area? :-D

Thanks for reply but whats a holiday?

:-D I know the feeling!

A holiday I believe is  a very short time period when you are seperated from your dogs. You spend a weeks or often months before hand arranging where the dogs will go for these few days- This is most often hundreds of miles away at a fellow breeders home and gives the enjoyment of many hours in the car in heavy traffic just before you have to leave. You pack a bag - for the dogs of course with everything a dog could ever need in your absence and in the remaining minutes throw a few items in a bag for yourself. On route to the holiday you ring just to check the dog is ok and spend everyday on the holiday hoping the same in between picturing horrific scenarios your dog could face because you are not there to look after this. You do all of this with a smile on your face pretending to family/friends/partner that you are having a lovely time. At the end of the few days you go through the whole process again in reverse and are so glad to get home!

Come down here to sunny Hampshire where Hillary strips mine 8 weekly!!!

No no, a holiday is where you plan months and months in advance to book dog friendly places. You pack a small case for yourself a huge one with vet bed/cage/bowls/food/towells/frisbee/combs/leads ect. Then you get their seat belts on in the back seat, stop for walkies and pooh/pee and for the dogs!!

Pay extra to clean up when you do it yourself, look vainly for dog bins then travel around with little baggies in the car. BUT, you get to walk, swim, and play with those that mean the world to you and cuddle up with them at night (and OH if you have one) and find 100's of dog photos and not one of you!!

Bliss - two this year so far and Centerparc and a narrow boat to come all with my mates Whistler & Jake! Oh and Colin comes as well he drives and can read a map.

Ann, You reply made me laugh so hard!!  Brilliant and oh so true.
Whistler, We are now in the process of pet passports as OH has decided that if the family have to take me away again, they might as well bring the dogs as then I might get dome enjoyment out of the trip!!

A holiday I believe is  a very short time period when you are seperated from your dogs

I thought this was the definition of a recurrent nightmare :)

My holiday this year will be a fundraising weekend next month spent with between 100-200 other welshies and their owners--a working day, a fun day and a communal dinner for the owners on the Saturday. I've been looking forward to it since it was last held two years ago. Needless to say I can't mention it to my family, who are waiting for an excuse to send for the guys in the white coats.

I have managed to get out of a holiday this year as we are moving house. I have of course managed to look suitably disappointed!!

I have of course managed to look suitably disappointed!

Takes practice, but congratulations on mastery of an ancient and highly effective technique! It's come to my rescue before now: getting a bicycle as a present as a kid (always much preferred to walk) and getting thrown off the school hockey team as a teenager (absolute ecstasy, but it would never have done to look less than completely crushed) :)

Happy days!

On a similar subject, I am of course very upset that my friend who was to look after my puppy this Sunday isn't free after all. Instead of going to my baby nephew's christening when he is only 10 months old and isn't aware of what's going on, and then going to a party with 30 total strangers who are friends of the parents and 10 screaming small children, I shall have to stay home with the puppy and watch the men's final at Wimbledon. I am of course very upset! :)

That's TERRIBLE Lucy, poor you! :D

>I shall have to stay home with the puppy and watch the men's final at Wimbledon. I am of course very upset!

You must be so disappointed. ;-)

oh LucyDogs, we are all crying for you!

Serves me right for smirking, I've just discovered that the important choir rehearsal I thought was on Saturday, so my husband was puppysitting, is actually also on Sunday. So I actually do have to try hard to find a puppysitter now!

For a story like that, if you are anywhere nearby I will gladly babysit your little pup anytime!

A holiday with out my dogs! This would be my worst nightmare.  when I am on holiday we all have time together. we may have a lazier breckie and go our walk half an hour later but spend longer on our walk and maybe fit in things that its a bit more  difficult to do while not on holiday.  OH HOW I LOVE MY DOGS. I CANT IMAGINE GOING AWAY VOLUNTERALY AND LEAVING THEM BEHIND.

Maybe just a coincidence but woke up this morning in a panic from my nightmare, the first in years--dreamt that my pup had run on ahead down a street, I turned to deal with the other two and when I looked up he'd vanished, and all the terraced houses looked the same...now I twigged pretty quickly it was just a nightmare because he would never ever be off the lead in a residential area...but I was ready to panic,.

I hate doggy nightmares Jay, I occasionally dream I am trying to get them out of the house in a fire or something. And we're in Suffolk if you are interested! :-p

I have to go back to work Monday anyway so they'll be left for 4 hours from then, so I think I will go to the morning rehearsal so it'll just be leaving for 4 hours then too. Puppy is very strong and as only 1 she can easily avoid efforts by Mum to plonk herself down. Watched her pull herself out from underneath a back leg this morning! And that makes Mum sounds like she's hopelessly clumsy which she isn't, if she does sit down partly on her she generally moves after a few seconds when she realises.

i knew i needed to move out of this area :) and if you are wondering why the lack of caps, i have in my hand a tiny black bantam chick, hatched sometime this am, but rejected by the hen, whose other chicks are several days old. so thanks to communal broods this one was kicked out to die, and i thought it was dead when i saw it, cold and still but the saw it was just about breathing so have been warming it up in my hand, trying to give it a drop of water. revived it enough to go back with the hen, but after an hour it was clear she wasnt having anything to do with it. so now sat on the sofa with three gundogs licking their lips. hot sweaty hand makes a good incubator wish the little one luck. it will probably turn out to be a cockerel lol

Does anyone remember the original question ?

oops, well spotted!

Can you look up breeders of the breed in those areas. If they show they will groom. Maybe they will do an extra one for a small payment. Funny thread - sorry it went off topic :-)

sorry Robert :( --back to your topic, I wasn't clear if you needed help or wanted to learn--if it's the latter, Redcape are doing a handstripping masterclass 10/07/2010.