January 2026: Welcome to a New Year

We began 2026 up at the cabin. It was bitterly cold, and snow was expected, but there were still signs of a bright future. Not for the pigeon that Poppy found dead in the woods beneath the ferns. Its throat had been ripped out, so it was probably not a victim of excessive Hogmanay partying. The Man disposed of the body in a bin bag to avoid the corpse becoming a Poppy plaything. She wasn't amused at only finding feathers on her next trip to the woods.

Poppy won't pose for long if treats are promised.

Of course, Poppy went into the freezing river.

A couple of days later, our noses took us far into the woods behind the cabin. I behaved and returned to the Man when he whistled. However, Poppy couldn't resist the lure. She gobbled up as many pellets as her stomach would allow - which is a lot. At dinner time, she was still so full she could only nibble her kibble, leaving most of it in the bowl, which never happens. Usually, it's gone in seconds, followed by a dog-food-flavoured belch.  

The humans were unsure whether the pellets
scattered across the undergrowth were safe for dogs to eat.

They hoped it wasn't poison.

The humans considered trying to make her sick, but held off as she seemed unfazed. The next day, she was fine. Thereafter, we were kept on lead and not allowed to return to finish them off. Spoilsports!

They did take us to a couple of restaurants, but not places where we got fed. 

The Atrium Cafe, CCW, Callander.

I'll have what she's having.

 

Nardini's at the Moorings, Rothesay 
No ice cream for us.

The cold persisted so long that the pond at Barshaw Park froze over. It was funny watching the swans waddle across the ice, slipping onto their bahookies. 

The Man didn't like the low sun while driving, so we didn't get to many places this month. Most of our walks were either at Barshaw or the Gleniffer Braes. Poppy loves it up there. She regards the field as a poop buffet. The Man's attempts to deter her have so far failed, though he watched a programme where an expert trained an owner to fix this problem, so we'll see how he gets on. To be honest, I like the odd poop sausage myself, but don't blame me for her behaviour. 

Should Poppy's bad behaviour be regarded as recycling?

The humans were recommended a walk called Knockmountain, near Langbank. After driving for ages along a single-track road, they found all the parking spots taken, so they ended up at Boden Boo in Erskine instead. Poppy loved running through all the dead leaves. 

Gotta love these views.

At the end of the month, the new couches arrived. We tested them and found them to be acceptable. 

And relax...

"You might want to move."

 

"I've got window viewing to do."

She's already tried to chew the backs of the couches on multiple occasions. She might not make it to February's blog alive. 

Sorry, that was in bad taste, given that we recently received the sad news that Miley, the lab from next door, sadly passed away after a vet home visit. Miley had cancer, but fought it bravely for five months. We're all going to miss her. She had such a gentle nature.