Before I tell you about the new friends I made in Ireland I must have a little rant. I am so mad!

Last night that scruffy little dog Jake, who unfortunately shares my house, stole Top Dog Spot and I had to sleep on the other sofa, across the room, where it is not so warm. Can you believe it, he actually showed his teeth at me and refused to budge when I politely pointed out he was sleeping in the wrong place. 

TDS has been mine ever since I moved here and I love it. I snuggle down on a lovely soft fleece blanket and know I will be cosy all night. I can luxuriate on my back and put my head on my special cushion and have a very comfortable and restful warm sleep. I will tell you more about my special dog cushion later. It's the ultimate in luxury for dogs and I have been testing it for a couple of months now. It will go on sale soon and I can really recommend it.

The other sofa is not bad, but as it is not so near the wood burner it is not quite so hot. You can see me on the left in TDS before that runt of a thing stole it. Don't worry, he won't get back on it again in a hurry, I will make sure of that!

I have been so busy I have not been able to do my blog! I write and talk too much, that is my trouble. I am going to join something called 'Twitter' soon where you have to get to the point quickly, so it will be good training for me to keep things brief.

I was just telling you how I was rescued in Ireland as a puppy. A lovely lady called Eva saw me wandering around the shops near Dublin and she enticed me into her car with some yummy puppy treats. I liked the car and felt very important sitting in the back looking out as we sped along. She took me to the Blue Cross Animal Shelter in Dublin where she worked. How lucky was I to be picked up by someone who loved animals and was prepared to help me?

Here's a photo of me when I was found. As you can see, I was very thin and my coat was dull and lifeless. Don't my eyes look amazing!

I had a thorough check over at the wonderful Blue Cross Centre and they gave me all the treatments I needed. I had a full MOT! I was given wormers, a flea treatment, my teeth and claws were checked and a blood sample was taken. I felt like royalty! I loved all the attention and, best of all, I was given some very tasty dog food and clean water and lots of fuss and attention. I love fuss and attention.

I was also microchipped so if I got lost again whoever found me would be able to ensure I was returned to Eva who was registered as my owner.

When the kind vet had finished Eva put a smart collar and lead on me, which made me feel very important, and then she took me back to her car and then to her home. It was wonderful to be taken to the lovely flat she shared with her husband Dave. It was so warm and clean and I  had my own bed with my own blankets. I was so happy. Best of all I had more tasty food to eat - I was so hungry, I gulped it all down in one go. I did not realise how hungry I had been before Eva rescued me. After dinner I had a good sleep and when I woke up I found I had two new ready made friends. I was so excited but I am not so sure they were quite as happy when they first met me! I will tell you all about them soon.

Here I am again, ready to continue my story. Where was I? I know - wandering around the shops in  Dublin trying to find some scraps. Yes, that’s right.  It was raining and I was wet and cold when I heard someone call to me in a soft kind voice. I looked up and saw a lady looking at me. It was so nice to be spoken to kindly as most people up to then had just shouted at me and pushed me away.

When I told Jake this story he did not believe me as he said she could not possibly have called to me, as she did not know my name. Now, doesn’t that tell you how dim he is? He never listens, as he thinks he knows it all. I told him she didn’t call out “Boomer” she called out “here puppy, here boy". I told him I was not Boomer then, I was a nothing. He couldn’t understand that at all and asked how I could be a nothing when I was Boomer! He said he had always been Jake and had never been a nothing. I had to explain I had lost my name when I lost my home and became a no one and I only became Boomer later. And they say terriers are bright! Not this one if you ask me. He can’t even remember to keep with us on a walk and has to be put on a lead all the time. How embarassing! If you let him off he just runs in whatever direction he is pointing at the time and never comes back.

Here are some photos of us at Sudbury yesterday. We love going to Sudbury to see Jason about the website as we always have a really good walk across the water meadows by the Mill in the town and we both have a good swim in the river.

I had a bit of a narrow escape there actually. I was minding my own business, admiring the view, when two swans sneaked up behind my back and started hissing at me. I was not at all bothered but then one of them started flapping its wings and it suddenly looked just that bit too big for my liking. It so happened that precisely at that very second I decided it was time I looked for some more entertainment, so I hastily got up and headed off across the common - as fast as my legs would take me if I am honest!

As luck would have it I found my new entertainment almost immediately. A huge flock of seagulls had descended on the common and were having a doze in the sun. Being the friendly chap that I am I decided to say hello and raced up to them at some speed. I was quite put out when they all flew off just as I was about to wade across the stream to introduce myself. You can see me in the photograph below, just about to cross the ditch to say hello to the gulls.

I am slowing getting the hang of this blog business. It’s not as easy as I thought it would be and I am having problems resizing the photos and putting them where I want, so you will have to bear with me. The font size won't go smaller and I cannot find out why. I hate computers!

If you follow my blog you will find I jump about a bit and digress, like that funny man on the telly who told stories sitting in a deckchair,  you know, Ronnie someone , short guy with glasses. He starts on one subject and goes onto another and then back again and I think I might do the same as my mind jumps about quite a bit, like the rest of me does.

I ought to start my story at the beginning, so we need to go back to Ireland, as I am an Irish dog. You didn’t know that did you? I have almost lost my Irish accent now but I still say the odd “begorra  “ now and again and my mate, Jake,  the scruffy white chap who lodges with me, sometimes has to ask me to repeat what I said to him and makes jokes about bogs and leprechauns, but I just ignore him.

Now, I must warn you, you might need to find a hanky as the next bit is very sad. It sometimes brings a tear to my eye as well when I think back. The first time anything definite is known about me was when I was found wandering the streets in Dublin in March 2008, or, to be quite accurate, I was found wandering around some shops in a Dublin suburb. I remember clearly how cold and hungry I was - and how alone.  No one wanted me near their shops and they shouted at me to go away. I was very thin and tired and was only trying to find something to eat. I could not understand how or why I had been turned out on the streets to fend for myself in the middle of the winter when I was only a few months old. I am such a happy kind dog and have never done anything wrong, so why I lost my home I do not know.

I had better cheer you up before I go on, so here's a photo of me relaxing on my luxury fleece bed that's got a real duvet in it a few months ago. Remember this photo as the bed cover is no more! It came with me to the kennels and 'had an accident'. Roughly translated this means I ripped it to shreds, but more about that later.

The lovely kind people who have helped me since my early days suspect I was bought as a present for someone at Xmas but when I started to grow bigger and  cost more to look after I became a burden. My cute ways as a puppy, always wanting to play, were gradually seen as a nuisance and the people who bought me were not true animal lovers and had no conscience turfing me out of my home to get rid of me.

I have learnt that there are hundreds of dogs like me around that no one wants and many are not as lucky as me and get put to sleep because no one wants them. Many are older dogs who are thrown away to make room for a new puppy and, sadly, thousands never find a new home. Some become ill and die on the streets and others find themselves abused by people who like to be cruel to defenceless animals. Some are just tied up and left with no food or water. I hope that when you read my blog you might be able to help some of these poor dogs by becoming aware of the problems so many face on a daily basis. We are going to try and help by advertising a few rehoming sites on my site to see if we can find some dogs like me new homes.

Goodness, that was a sad paragraph, and here I am looking almost miserable, which is not like me at all. It's so hard to get a photo of me looking sad so this one is a repeat, but if I'm ever sad again we'll try for a new photo, just for this page!



I am now going to wipe my eyes and I promise the next time you hear from me I will cheer you all up with what happened next! 

It's been snowing here today and I love it! We walked up to see to the horses twice, so I had a good play in the snow both times. I don't feel the cold, even though my coat is not that long, as it is nice and thick and shiny and the snow just falls off. 

When we came back I had a good towel off and then I relaxed on one of my beds. I have a choice of several beds as I try them out before we sell them, which is great fun for me. As I was damp I had to go on the waterproof ballistic nylon bed, but I don't mind as it's nice and comfy, but as soon as I could I was back on my favourite bed - the old sofa by the woodburner!  

When I went out into the back garden it was completely white, and I couldn't find any of my toys. I know I have a rather nice ball on a rope somewhere, but it was nowhere to be seen. I was quite cross! I had it back in the summer and, just to prove I am right, here's a photo of me playing with it.