Roman Has A New Friend!

I have had a really nice couple of days so far this week and just hope it’s a sign of good times ahead! I got up really early for me today – I was awake and up by 8.30am! That must be some sort of record, I’m sure. I really like getting up early as I feel like I have so much more time to do stuff – in reality I have the same amount of time no matter what time I get up but if I am up early I have more time during office hours and this is the only time I can actually try and contact people!

I had a really nice evening last night with my friend. We were meant to meet up on Sunday night but one of her friend’s had a bit of a drama so we had to put it back to last night. It wasn’t all bad though as I got an Italian meal cooked for me to make up for it! Spicy tomato soup to start followed by spaghetti and meatballs with tomato garlic bread. I have to say, it was delicious and I am really looking forward to living in a country where this kind of food is the norm.

Dinner was washed down with a couple of glasses of wine and then a few bottles of Kopparberg pear cider – I’m sure I have said it before but that really is the nicest drink on the planet! I can drink a bottle so quickly as it is so refreshing – it can be slightly hazardous though as you can get drunk fairly quickly if you’re not careful!

We were going to watch The Hangover but it was a bit of a dodgy copy so we decided against that and watched Stigmata instead. It was really funny because I knew I had seen it before and remembered everything literally just before it happened. I couldn’t remember anything about it before we put it on though, it’s funny how some films stay with you whilst others seem to vanish completely from your memory!

I got my friend Nathan to come around and let Roman out for me last night as I didn’t know what time I would be back – it proved a smart move in the end as I only had jeans and a t shirt on when I went out and it went pretty cold late on so I stayed over the night on the sofa. I think that was probably the reason I managed to get up so early – somebody to wake me up! I got home at about 9am today and sorted some breakfast for me and Roman before taking him out for his first 5 mile walk of the day.

I met up with my friend again tonight after taking Roman out for a 3 mile walk and we took both of our dogs out together for an hour or so. She was really worried how Roman would be with her dog and I can understand how people can be hesitant. It doesn’t help that his way of working other dogs out is to bounce around and growl – he’s only talking but people always assume it means aggression.

Once we actually got them walking they were fine together and by the time we got to the field it was like they had known each other for years! We let them off on the field and they chased each other around for about half an hour. It’s really nice to see Roman enjoying himself with other dogs, I feel so sorry for him at times as he rarely gets the opportunity to socialise like that as people are immediately worried he’s going to go for their dogs.

I had to reassure my friend a few times as she was pretty worried but after about ten minutes she relaxed and the dogs were getting on fine. We walked around for about an hour and a half in total and must have covered about 3 miles in total before having a quick brew. By the time I got Roman home he must have walked about 7 miles tonight so he has had about 12 miles in total today. There is still no sign of his limp returning so I think everything may be alright now – I’ll still be careful not to rush him into more exercise but it’s certainly a weight off my mind!

If my friend is reading this I would just like to say thank you for a really nice couple of evenings - the food was delicious last night (I hope the Italians cook it as well as you do!) and it has been really nice to catch up. I am really looking forward to catching up again before I leave for Rome! It's going to be weird not being able to pop and see your friends and it's making me appreciate people a little more while I am still here.

I’m probably going to sound like a right idiot now but I love Roman to pieces! I really couldn’t imagine life without him even if he can be a bit of a pain in the backside sometimes! No matter what mood you are in you can guarantee he’ll be there to give you some love and affection.

It’s funny to think of the reputation that Rottweilers have – if you saw some of the things Roman did you would be very surprised. Despite his obviously huge proportions and reckless energy he really is the sweetest dog in the world. He loves nothing more than kisses and cuddles and at times it’s a bit like having a kid – I am the only person in the world he depends on but he depends on me fully for everything. When you contemplate getting a dog I don’t think you realise the responsibility you are taking on – it’s huge, but so rewarding!

I’ve not bothered ringing Jennie from the Rottweiler Welfare Association or Simon (the guy who is supposed to be getting me in the papers) but will try again tomorrow. It’s quite frustrating to be trying your best to raise money for a charity and not get a call back from them. It sometimes feels like they aren’t really bothered about the money and the effort you are putting in on their behalf. I know that they are grateful really but when you hear nothing back for days it does start to get to you.

I didn’t hear back from Natalie at P&O Ferries today either. I have decided that if I have heard nothing by lunchtime then I will try calling her up to see if she has got anywhere with getting a free ticket for us. It’s not really a lot of money to a big company like that and it does paint them in a good light but to me, having to fund everything myself, even a token sponsorship worth £50 makes a big difference.

I have just noticed that I have received another £30 in donations tonight from a lady by the name of Christine Webb - thank you very much, it's greatly appreciated by both myself and, I am sure, the charities concerned! The £30 was split into £10 each towards Help For Heroes, Medecins Sans Frontieres and the Abruzzo Appeal. I can't help thinking that those poor Rottweilers are missing out now though, I really hope I can get hold of Jennie tomorrow and get this sorted out once and for all!