Daniel Oakley

This is the story of Pip and Jet and of our adventures together. Pip had been our loyal friend for 15 years and Jet was with us for a brief 5 months. We lost them at the end of Oxtober 2008 within 3 days of each other, but though the pain of their passing lingers here is a celebration and record of the many happy memories gifted to us.

My beloved Pippy

Here she is looking her cutest, Pip asleep in the sun

A close up of that face showing all the grey hairs

And she was a girl who loved er food…….giving her paw for a biscuit.

Pip was a Beagle cross, and had a really rough start in life before she came to us at 8 months old. We were her fifth home and she had previously destroyed two kitchens and the inside of a BMW. Fortunately we had Roly, a three year old male Sprolly, who oozed confidence and doggy sense, ad who made Pip feel relaxed and confident.

Pip was very bright and spend some of her early years with Roles working at the Camomile Centre, assisting with the client therapy/development sessions. Pip was very bossy and loved to get people and children trained to throw her ball. She loved the sound of her own voice so a lot of barking was usually involved, until her trainees got the idea anyway.

When Roly died at the end of February this year, Pip became very sad and wouldn’t play with her toys much at all. Walks didn’t really interest her and she even went off her normal food a bit (managed to force it down though)!

Paul and I thought another confident boy might help her to get a new lease of life, as although 14 1/2 years old, she still moved well an was very well in herself.

So welcome Jet.

Jet was a 10 year old male spaniel X. He spent 2 months at the Blue Cross rehoming centre at Lewknor, just south east of Oxford. Jet came to live with us on Saturday 17 May, and we discovered he could be a real hooligan…
head straight in the rubbish bin, up on the sofa to join me when I sat down with a cup of tea. Then at half past 9 in the evening he took himslef off to bed – our bed. And when I said to him “What is this?” he just lifted his head from the pillow, wagged his tail and looked at me as if to say “Yes its bed time, are you coming?” Also he had no manners when we were eating, trying to grab food off our plate!

However, lots of new experiences like…

getting on and off the boat and going through locks, gave him lots to think about. Also learning to stay in his bed while we are eating or doing other things…

Here are some more pictures of Jet. He has tested out all the beds and although Pips is comfy its a bit small

and he loved being brushed….

He liked to lie in the front cratch watching and waiting for us to take him out

He and Paul got on really well. Pip liked Jet too, though she often just sat and watched him, not quite believing what he was getting up to.

Jet settled in though it wasn’t easy for him as only a few weeks after he arrived we lost Paul’s Mum, Joan and he went with us first to Paul’s Aunt Pat and then to Penrith in the Lakes. He seemed to love all the attention and coped well with different sleeping arrangements as we moved around. Here he is with Paul’s Aunt Pat (who wanted me to leave Jet with her)

Here are the dogs with Paul and his Dad Raymond at Lowther by the river.

Jet made friends with Anne too. Though Anne called him “asbo boy”

Jet loved to find “treasures” in the bushes and undergrowth. He adored rubber, tyres and innner tubes especially. But he also liked the odd can or two

though he sometimes tried to crush the odd one, with disasterous effects on his gums – stupid boy!