DON`T MAKE ME LAUGH...

Golden Retrievers seem to be the most popular dogs in our village. We have Barney (pictured) of course and next door there is Abby; three doors along is Max, there`s Star in a few streets away and in the next road to us there are at least seven others with names like Wilson, Shane, Tiffany, Polly and heaven knows what else.

One or two of them perform in the Southern Golden Retriever Society Display Team. I caught a glimpse of their act on a live stream from Crufts Dog Show last evening and I have to say that I was impressed with the intricacy of their movement and the precision of the coreography. One of the ladies performing in the Display Team comes from a nearby village and she takes the puppy training classes which Barney has been going to for the past few weeks. He seeems to enjoy that and he`s coming along nicely, although Mrs. Snopper needs to work a bit harder on her begging I feel.

Anyway, given the local connections, I just wonder whether Barney might be tempted to join the Team when he grows up. Here they are performing at Crufts a couple of years ago - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAfmyD7WsRw. I showed this to Barney but as you can see from the expression on his face, he`s not keen, preferring instead to eat anything and everything he sets eyes on and waking us up before 5.00am each morning. A recent meal which he picked up whilst running across a nearby field, included a black and pink sock, which has so far shown no sign of coming out at either end. If it doesn`t appear soon, I`m told that an expensive visit to ace vet Dave Cocker might be necessary. And he certainly won`t make the Display Team:-

(I`m beginning to wonder why Golden Retrievers are as popular as they seem.)