April was a good month weather wise and while we’re still home alone the garden’s been getting a lot of attention. Apart from the fact that the pups love everyone being at home and the sun is shining they also like to “help out” in the garden.

Hattie especially will join in if she sees you digging, weeding or planting so we have to be extra careful when planting bulbs as she’ll wait until we're done and when my back’s turned she’ll trot over and dig them up. Normally this would just be annoying more than anything else but there’s a lot of plants and bulbs e.g. Amaryllis, Lily of the Valley, Hyacinth that can do her a lot of harm if swallowed.

We already know a few things that aren’t good for dogs – chocolate (especially dark), onions, raisins, avocados, grapes, turkey skin (apparently) and the sweetener Xylitol which is very common in chewing gum amongst other things - but I didn’t realise that are quite a few plants found in many gardens that can make your dog or puppy ill or that can be fatal if ingested. I knew about daffodil and tulip bulbs but didn’t know about rhododendron and rhubarb leaves, holly and mistletoe berries, kale and clematis to name just a few. The Dog’s Trust have put together a more comprehensive list which you can find here. Better to be safe than sorry.

I usually work from home so nothing new for me but odd having everyone here all day, every day. What saves the situation has been getting into a daily routine - bookended by Joe Wicks at 9am (not me) and online yoga at 7pm (again not me) - which has been remarkably easy and quite reassuring to follow.

After the morning “gym” session the first walk of the day with Sid and Hattie and then with the neighbour’s two dogs followed by some lunch. In the afternoon a bit of knocking the garden into shape for the arrival of spring and then another dog walk with our two plus the other neighbour’s dog Tess. Last week totalled almost 60km – not bad, if nothing else we’ll all be as fit as fleas when this all over.

Needless to say the pups are delighted, not only have they got more company but the dog walking has gone up a notch or two as we’ve got more time on our hands, decent weather, the clocks going forward and also because we’re walking neighbours dogs - one’s a nurse and the other has health issues (the neighbour not the dog). It also helps that the weather’s been pretty good, thankfully the virus didn’t appear in February when it seemed to rain every day.

So, on the plus side what have we got? More exercise, giving lots of attention to the garden, being able to wear dog walking/gardening clothes all day every day, no rain and mud to wipe off dogs after being out, saving money on petrol and shopping, more quality time with family. The flip side of this is obviously that work coming in has fallen off a cliff, jobs that were agreed a couple of weeks ago have been put on hold indefinitely. No business wants to spend money when it has none coming in and has employees and potential customers stuck at home. The weekly trip to the supermarket has also become slightly unnerving, some people seem to find the new social distancing concept hard to grasp, especially when pushing a trolley and what is it with picking items up and putting them back down constantly?

One of the joys of living out in the sticks (especially in times like this) is that you don’t see many people but I’ve noticed that there’s a lot more around here at the moment, usually it’s just one man and his dog (me) and the postman. People are obviously driving out from town, parking up and walking around here which I’m pretty sure they’re not supposed to be doing. There’s also a lot more cyclists – get a bell or at least some sort of indication when you’re coming up behind us!

Hopefully they won’t make a habit of it once this is all over as we quite liked our original social isolation.

The Jack Russell terrier is a small dog with a big attitude. They epitomise the phrase “Small Dog Syndrome” when they try and make up for their size with a bigger personality and, as is often said, inside every Jack Russell is big dog trying to get out. They were originally bred as hunting dogs so running and chasing are second nature and having plenty of energy require adequate exercise and activity as without stimulation they can get bored and sometimes destructive quite easily. Terrier comes from 'terra' (earth), as they were bred to control vermin, frequently chasing them below ground.

The breed was originally known as the Fox Terrier, often used by fox hunting enthusiasts over 200 years ago and was renamed in the late 1800's after the hunting enthusiast, Reverend John (Jack) Russell. Born near Dartmouth in 1795 the son and grandson of a parson he was educated at school in Tiverton and then attended Oxford University. In 1819 he was ordained as a minister and appointed vicar of Swimbridge in Devon. The local pub was subsequently renamed the "Jack Russell Inn" and it’s still there today.

As well as his church activities Russell had a passion for fox hunting having been introduced to it in his late teens while still at Oxford. Among his contemporaries, John Russell was well-known as an enthusiastic and excellent participant. I think it’s fair to say that our he didn’t fit our image of a conventional Victorian clergyman. Apart from his horses and his dogs it was known that he liked socialising and a bottle of port or two. To be fair, for a country parson in the 19th century working life was minimal – he would have had about 10 services a month including marriages and funerals, and had to preach only twice a month. He fitted hunting around his spiritual duties - 3 or 4 days most weeks which took him all over the county and by all accounts had the stamina to stay in the saddle for hours on end and was still enjoying the sport in his seventies.

This love of hunting sparked his interest in terriers which were used to track down foxes that had gone to ground. The original Fox Terrier breed that Russell started with was very different to its modern day counterpart. In the early 1800's the breed was slender and taller and the colouring was predominantly black, tan and reddish brown, very close to the foxes being hunted (not always ending well). Depending on which source you go to Russell either bought Trump from a milkman or a passing stranger while in Oxford (apparently there is an oil painting of Trump which belongs to Prince Charles). This crossbred terrier bitch caught Russell’s eye because in addition to being white, helpful in distinguishing it from foxes, she was rather unique in that she had dark tan spots over her eyes, ears and tail. Russell used Trump as the foundation for his breeding program, breeding her with the standard Fox Terrier of the time in order to create a new, more distinctive colouring pattern, while still retaining the desirable traits already present in the breed.

Everything about the Jack Russell has fox hunting in mind... colouring, conformation, character, agility, intelligence, stamina and flexibility allowing them to dig out foxes which had gone underground - something we’re acutely aware of when walking close to badger sets or rabbit holes. At the turn of the 20th century it seems that Bull terrier stock was introduced to strengthen the breed which may have caused the creation of a shorter legged variety of Jack Russell terrier (take a bow Sid).

The Jack Russell terrier and Parson Russell Terrier breeds are similar in temperament and character, sharing a common origin, but have several differences — the most notable being the difference in height, Parson’s have longer legs (step forward Hattie). Jack Russells are predominantly white in colour with black and/or brown and/or tan markings they can have either a smooth, rough or a combination of both - known as a broken coat. The Jack Russell terrier type dogs of today are all descended from dogs of the nineteenth century and, in particular, Trump.

John (Jack) Russell died on 28 April 1883 and is buried in the churchyard of St. James's Church, Swimbridge and his dogs were taken on by other hunt enthusiasts. The actual name “Jack Russell Terrier” was coined after his death…a rather good testimonial.

In his lifetime Russell would become one of the original founding members of The Kennel Club, the oldest recognised kennel club in the world and in 2015 the Kennel Club recognised the Jack Russell Terrier as a pedigree breed making it eligible to enter Crufts.

Rudi, a rescue dog, arrived from Hungary last month thanks to Wags N' Wet Noses Dog Rescue who specialise in rescuing dogs from the EU Balkan region, primarily Hungary and Bulgaria, but also occasionally from Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia.

Rescue dogs are from kill shelters and abandonment and they are treated for all diseases, vaccinations, titers, neuters, worming, flea treatments etc., and then re-homing them in new families in the UK.

Wags N' Wet Noses Dog Rescue is a philanthropic voluntary rescue, not a registered charity or a business. It is staffed by unpaid volunteers and all donations go towards the boarding and keep of the dogs that they rescue.

Rudi is approximately seven years old and had spent the best part of his life in a kennel presumably not being treated well as he still seems to flinch when you reach out to pat him. He wasn’t particularly house trained at first but has got much better in the last few weeks and is settling in very well. He is very gentle and unassuming but obviously loves being in his new home that he also shares with Echo, a goldendoodle. The cost to Lindsay was about £350.00 which went towards bringing Rudi to the UK from Hungary and any treatment he required prior to being handed over. Since then of course he has been to the local vet for a check-up and to have some teeth sorted out.

If you are looking to re-home a rescue dog or would like more information find out about Wags N' Wet Noses Dog Rescue and the volunteers at their Facebook page.

A lovely, sunny 31st of December so the beach seemed like a good place for the last walk of the decade as we've been coming here for most of the last ten years, plus it's the pups favourite place where they can run themselves ragged for an hour and a half. Usually we have the place pretty much to ourselves and if the tide's out there's a great expanse of sand where they can chase each other, balls, sticks and seagulls.

Being during the holidays it seemed quite busy (by busy I mean there were about 8 or 9 other dogs and walkers), which is fine because all the dogs are pretty sociable and wanted to say hello to each other. Sid has been known to trot half the length of the beach to meet another dog in the distance and has a particular affection for labs and retrievers for some reason. Much bigger dogs don’t faze him in the slightest, presumably because in his head he’s a big dog.

If you have a dog you'll already know this but dog walking is a great social activity, the dogs always want to say hello to each other and inevitably you end up chatting to the other owners so there's rarely any such thing as a quick walk. Strangely, owners rarely introduce themselves to each other but almost always introduce their dogs by name and you always reciprocate. Even people who are out without a dog want to pat it and make comments or ask questions - try stopping and talking to complete strangers without a dog and you’ll get some odd looks. This isn't just a beach thing, it happens out and about anywhere, in countryside, in the park and towns and cities - although we don't take them there often. Once in Edinburgh during the festival was enough. Small dogs on leads and very busy pavements do not go well together.

Going out walking with a dog whatever the weather (they don’t care) is a good thing. The hard bit is getting motivated to go, especially in the winter - extra fleece, hat, gloves, wellies...but once you're out there it's actually ok. You get time to think, time to play, meet other people, it helps to keep you fit and you always feel better afterwards. Sociable and healthy – what’s not to like?

...dog-friendly accommodation naturally, for a week of walking and relaxing. The cottage really is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forests and a couple of miles from Nethy Bridge and it's unnervingly quiet. Strangely for rented accommodation there is no TV (no bad thing for a week), presumably down to the remoteness of the location and being surrounded by very tall trees but there is Wi-Fi so you're not completely cut off.

There's plenty to do in the area especially around Rothiemurchus which has plenty of activities for adults and kids or adults who are just kids at heart. Clay shooting, fishing, Treezone (a sort of Go Ape thing), quad bike hire, pony trekking, archery, canoeing and more. Close by Rothiemurchus is Loch an Eilein (loch of the island) and one of our favourite walks (main pic). At just over three miles around the loch it's relatively flat and suits all ages although in fine weather it can get relatively busy.

Another new favourite thing is now Nethy House, a café that sits at the centre of Nethy Bridge (on the left, just over the "Bridge"). Great menu, home cooking, lovely staff and dog-friendly. They also have some self catering en-suite rooms to let and deserve a mention in our Accommodations listings section.

Just round the corner is a fabulous deli which serves a range of organic produce and their sausages are brilliant. There are two or three good walks very close by to either work up an appetite or to burn off the extra calories acquired at the café. The dog-friendly bar in the hotel nearby is a good place to round off the day.

All in all a great week in a lovely part of the country and if you don't mind spending time driving on the A9 to get there we'd certainly recommend it for a visit.