Hearts and chewed rose blooms ..

Feeling very pleased with myself because I have managed to complete my five 'Teddy Bear & Friends Picnic' show bears a whole week ahead of schedule!  They will be unveiled on the show website on Friday 28th June and until then, I will be working on finishing an order for 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich ... the first shop exclusive big 'un is an absolute beauty (if I do say so myself)!  There will be plenty of new bears to show you in a few days' time, but in the meantime as everything else is under wraps, I hope you enjoy this Polly update instead ...

Sixteen weeks of large bouncy puppy wreaks havoc on a garden, let me tell you!  She eats my rose blooms, sits in the lavendar chasing bumble bees and even digs holes our lawn ... but I confess, one look into those beautiful soulful eyes turns me to mush!

Caught in the act!

Don't get me wrong, it's not been all hearts and chewed rose blooms, she can be also be a little monster when it suits her ... in fact, after a positive start, I was beginning to despair of ever getting her to walk nicely on the lead when she decided chewing the lead and 'hooning around' was more fun, so I bought a new lead and only then did she decide she would oblige by walking again!  During the past nine weeks, we have been chewed, nipped, sat upon and jumped at ... in fact almost every 'crime' a puppy can commit without being intentionally nasty, has been committed, (including a poo on the carpet - groan!) but when all is said and done, she has already learned so much (thankfully including how to do her business outside!) and continues to teach us how best to teach her.  I am happy to report her 'sit' 'stay' 'down' 'come' 'shake hands' and 'walking' are coming along beautifully now.  (We're still working on 'off the couch Polly'!)

She's cheeky, loving, exuberant and curious ... and we haven't laughed so much in a long while!

Oh and did I mention she's a fast learner too?  The photo above was snapped after her first spontaneous swimming lesson in the river a couple of weeks ago ... a chocolate lab dived in to fetch a stick and before we knew it, our Polly followed his example and jumped in for a doggy paddle too!

I can't tell you how happy I am this bundle of naughty puppy has come to share our lives; she has already become a very special member of our family and as a bear maker at home, I honestly haven't felt a single moment of loneliness during the day since she arrived ... and for that I will forgive her every single rose bloom in my garden if necessary!