Her first pal was a black labrador cross called Ben who was several months older than Hannah.  They met in Ben's back garden.  Hannah waddled around the lawn unaware of what was about to happen, a tiny puppy exploring this new place, when all of a sudden a great black boisterous apparition bounced into view, bounced round her, bounce on her and continued bouncing as if bouncing was very much in vogue and it was determined to follow the fashion!  Ben was a lovely natured dog but very energetic and one became giddy trying to follow his progress round the garden.

Hannah's initial reaction was to try and get away from Ben, making a funny baby growling noise and trying to burrow underneath us where we sat on the lawn.  Soon, however, she was getting her own back in hilarious fashion, wrinkling her little muzzle and boxing at Ben's nose with her paws like a cat!  Any thoughts that the encounter was worrying her were dispelled when Ben bounced off to sniff at something on the other side of the garden and Hannah toddled after him, ready to continue the game!

                        

Soon Hannah was making friends at our local park. As she got bigger and stronger, she enjoyed running round with the other dogs and indulging in rough and tumble games.  She counted a rottweiler, a whippet, a yellow labrador and two German shepherds amongst her friends.  

Why Macedonian? Heaven only knows.  Hannah didn't tell us what she thought and perhaps that's just as well!  The asylum awaits!

Dog training classes are excellent, we recommend them.  Hannah learnt much more than just obedience.  She was able to mix with dogs of all shapes and sizes and ages but she really liked a fellow golden retriever, Gemma.  They always made a beeline for each other  and during the serious part (the training), they would sometimes watch each other, however far apart they were.  I'm sure they were communicating telepathically!! 

The highlight of the year at dog training was the Christmas party.  The village hall was decked out in Christmas decorations.  There was food and drink and games for everyone to play.  The fancy dress competition was really funny.  The dachshund came as a sausage roll, (what else?!).  He sauntered around inside a giant imitation bread roll, looking very confident.  Hannah and Lorna won the musical chairs.  Well they weren't chairs they were sheets of paper placed on the floor, which the dog had to sit on when the music stopped.  However she was useless at 'fetch the sausage', half way back to Lorna the temptation was just too much, so she changed the rules and ate the sausage before it could be delivered.  Hannah thought this was a far more satisfactory version!

Ben and Hannah enjoyed their romps together in the countryside.  Now they were both roughly the same size, they played with and chased each other tirelessly.  Hannah definitely caught the bouncing bug!

It's a shame that Hannah's best friends lived far away in The New Forest in Hampshire in southern England, a vast and beautiful National Park of hills, moor and woodland.  In spite of it's name The New Forest is ancient and has history and traditions going back centuries.

click here for walk in the forest

Elaine and Dudley live deep in the forest, in an idyllic valley. They have a cottage, two American quarter horses, (Amber and  Indy), lots of chickens and two golden retrievers, Ali-B, (short for Ali-Baba) and Willow.  When Hannah first came to the Forest her companion was Elaine and Dudley's first golden retriever 'Hazel', a beautiful Brackengold bitch from Mrs Coward's kennels at nearby Ibsley.  It can't be said that Hannah and Hazel hit it off straight away but they grew closer over the years through mutual respect and eventually became firm friends.

Hazel was a real character, she craved attention.  She was very vocal and liked to join in the conversation with barks and OOO's and AAAHH's of all kinds.  Whenever we arrived after our long trek from Kettering, she would make sure we were very welcome but was always rather concerned that we usually had to dive for the bathroom and she would stand outside the door going WOOOHOOO OOOO until we emerged to see her with the kitchen towel in her mouth, joyfully thrusting it at us as if it were the most wonderful of presents.  The towel was always retrieved and hung back on the cooking range oven door handle but it usually found its way back into Hazel's mouth for any amount of useful purposes!

Hazel was a keen gardener and enjoyed harvesting the broad beans.  A remarkably small amount reached the table, however.  Can you guess where they ended up!?  Another of her hobbies was 'retrieve the panties'.  She was liable to burst into your bedroom at a very early hour, yodel a quick 'good morning', seize intimate garments and run round the house waving them at anyone who'd care to look!  She was such a happy, boisterous dog and knowing her enriched our lives.  It comes hard to think she is now gone from the world.  I'm sure she is waiting to give us a real Hazel welcome in heaven, when our times come.

                                                    Click here for Hazel's Poem