31/05/2026
āļø The Great Heatwave Shuffle āļø
Wellā¦ what a week.
First of all, a huge thank you to all my lovely mums and dads for being so flexible this week.
Iāve spent most of it checking weather forecasts, setting alarms earlier than Iād like and getting very creative with the diary to make sure everyone could still get out safely. There have been early starts, woodland adventures, garden visits and more route planning than Iād normally do in a month!
The dogs, meanwhile, have been amazing.
Whilst Iāve spent the week hot, sweaty and carrying enough water for a small army, theyāve taken all the changes completely in their stride. Weāve swapped some longer adventures for shady sniffaris, woodland potters and garden mooches, and everyone has coped brilliantly.ā¤ļø
I now know every shady spot, every patch of woodland and every cool corner of Northwich. Between checking weather forecasts, filling water bottles and constantly weighing up what was safe for each dog, itās become a bit of an obsession this week.
Most importantly, all the pups have stayed happy, safe and waggy tailed, which is exactly how we like it ā¤ļø
Anywayā¦ enough about me slowly melting into my leggings while the dogs somehow still had energy.
On to this weekās adventuresā¦
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Marble, Maui & Monkey ā The Heatwave Survivors āļø
Whilst most dogs were dreaming of adventures this week, this trio sensibly decided that shade, cuddles and minimal effort were the way forward. Monkey spent most of her time tucked up in the shade requesting cuddles ā¤ļø whilst Maui and Munchkin made brief appearances before sensibly heading back indoors. Marble, meanwhile, remained absolutely convinced that ball was still a fantastic idea despite the weather šš¾ and needed a few reminders that turning himself into a furry puddle wasnāt part of the plan.
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Parker & Chester ā The Garden Gentlemen šæ
With temperatures soaring, Parker and Chester swapped walks for a garden visit packed with cuddles, enrichment games, water breaks and plenty of shade. Both boys coped brilliantly and seemed quite happy with their slower afternoon. Sometimes the smartest dogs are the ones who know when to stay cool.š
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Dozer ā The Good Boy Era š
What a week for the big man. Despite the heat meaning slower, sniffier adventures, Dozer absolutely smashed it. We saw Labradors, Cockerpoos, fluffy dogs, Frenchies and even a barking Lassie lookalike, and his ability to check back in with me just keeps getting better and better. There were a few famous Dozer hellos š, plenty of sniffing, lots of cuddles and more than one occasion where he headed straight to bed afterwards to sleep off all his hard work. The progress this boy is making is honestly lovely to watch ā¤ļø
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Penny ā The Hydration Negotiator š§
Penny approached this weekās heat with her usual diva energy. Whilst I repeatedly suggested a sensible pace, regular water breaks and generally preserving her dignity, Penny had other ideas. After a brief stand off over drinking water, common sense eventually prevailed (just about), and we enjoyed a lovely slower adventure together. Gorgeous girl, as always.
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Dexter ā The Honourary Labrador (Apparently) šæļø
Dexter spent much of the week enjoying woodland walks at Marbury where the shade and breeze made life far more pleasant. He was his usual lovely self, sniffing, exploring and taking everything in his stride. The biggest surprise remains his complete lack of interest in squirrels. We must have seen enough of them to test any Labradorās resolve, yet Dexter simply carried on with his walk as though they didnāt exist. Iām still not entirely convinced heās read the Labrador handbook š
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Prince & Princess ā Calm, Cool & Collected š
These two handled the week beautifully. Princess had a little wobble after a loud bang on one walk but recovered quickly and carried on like a superstar š. Prince remained wonderfully chilled throughout, taking his sniffing and neighbourhood patrol duties very seriously. A lovely pair to spend time with ā¤ļø
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Peggy ā The New Girl Whoās Always Been Here ā¤ļø
My gorgeous new girl has settled in so well already. Peggy trotted happily around the park, enjoyed some gentle off lead fun and took the heat in her stride with plenty of shady walking. Sheās got such a lovely nature and has approached everything with that easy going Labrador enthusiasm, happy to sniff, explore and just enjoy being out and about. ā¤ļø
It honestly feels like sheās been part of the gang forever already, and I absolutely love spending time with her.
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Daisy ā Miss Independent š¾
Daisy enjoyed a lovely change of scenery with a river adventure this week. Squirrels, birds, interesting smells and plenty of exploring put her firmly in her happy place. The only slight disagreement we had was over drinking water, which Daisy felt was entirely optional. I disagreed š. For that reason alone, the walk stayed a little shorter than she would have preferred.
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Odie & Zac ā Business as Usual (Mostly) š
After the traditional āOH MY GOD YOUāRE HERE!ā welcome, both boys were brilliant this week. Odie continues to impress with how calmly heās handling other dogs, staying focused and making fantastic choices even when we passed Labradors, Cockerpoos and an Alsatian. Zac, meanwhile, continued his self appointed role as Stick Collection Manager, although there was slightly less stick carrying than usual thanks to all the exciting smells around. Bonus points also go to Zac for successfully completing the famous wee and poo combo š which is no mean feat for such little legs.
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Otto ā The Sun Worshipper āļø
Whilst most of us were searching for shade, Otto was quite happy soaking up every bit of sunshine he could find āļø. We kept things slow and sniffy, although I did receive several looks suggesting that my preferred pace was nowhere near fast enough. He remained his usual sociable self, making friends wherever possible and reminding me why I love our walks together so much.
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Harley ā Whitegateās Most Eligible Bachelor š
Harley was on fine form this week and apparently proving very popular with the ladies š. He played it cool, of course, focusing instead on important business such as sniffing, exploring and generally being handsome. Once his duties were complete, attention quickly turned to the far more important matter of securing his post walk ham.
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Laika ā The Ball Protestor š¾
Much to Laikaās disgust, there was no ball this week. I suspect this decision may not be forgiven any time soon š. We enjoyed a lovely shady river walk instead, and although I repeatedly suggested āslow and sniffyā, the look I received suggested she had very different plans. One of my absolute favourite welcomes every week and a girl who never fails to make me smile ā¤ļø
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Herbie ā The Mere Explorer š¦
Like Laika, Herbie also found himself subjected to the no ball policy. He wasnāt entirely convinced by the decision either. Luckily, the lovely breeze off the mere softened the blow, and he spent his time happily sniffing, exploring, marking and saying hello to everyone. We even spotted ducklings, and he was an absolute superstar around them š¦ā¤ļø
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Barney ā The Chaos Coordinator š
Barney remains living proof that āslow and sniffyā means something completely different in Cocker Spaniel language. Thankfully the cooler weather suited him much better, and we enjoyed some lovely lead walking, long line exploring and several excellent hedge investigations. There was also a fantastic moment where he sat beautifully focused on me while another dog walked past. For a boy who likes to keep life exciting, that was a huge win š
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Anyway, thatās enough excitement for one week!
Apparently rain is on the way and I donāt think Iāve ever been quite so happy to see little rain cloud symbols on my weather app. āļøš
Hopefully weāre heading back towards a more normal week next weekā¦ although with this lot, Iām not entirely sure ānormalā is the right word š
I hope youāre all having a lovely weekend.
Right thenā¦ letās do it all again on Monday, shall we? ā¤ļøš¾
