Life has been very confusing over the last few weeks. We have been in the car more than on the sofa driving for miles and miles although I don’t know why. And people have been upset, we can tell. Archie has one skill which is better than any other and that is cuddling. And he’s been doing a lot of cuddling these days. I don’t know what happened but one day we were just messing about in the garden and then we were in the car and driven for miles and miles to this house I had only been to once before. Archie said he’d been there lots of times and was quite excited when he saw it but when he got in, he sniffed and sniffed all round the house and the garden and couldn’t find what he wanted. It was a man, he said, who was also good at cuddling and very, very kind and Archie couldn’t find him which made him very sad.

People kept arriving and lots of people were crying. After just one night, we left again with the old lady and went home. I asked Archie why people were sad, including him, and he said “The great man has gone to the park in the sky, to play with other dogs, cuddle and stroke them and throw balls for them” and with a sigh, a great tear rolled down his face. We took the old lady back to our home and she keeps telling us off and calling me a boy. She says I kick her and bite her and I DO NOT!! She wants to have the whole sofa to herself. And she’s brought a big white and ginger cat which lives in her bedroom and taunts us from the window. It actually looks like it wants to come out but nobody’s letting it. The whole house felt sad and I didn’t know what to do. Mum sat in a chair so I tried to jump up and cuddle her but it was a bit of a squeeze. She still cuddled me when she could, though, and she let tears come out of her eyes when she was cuddling me sometimes so I tried to do extra good cuddling but it’s hard to know what to do with humans sometimes. They don’t like licking or making smells so it’s beyond me. After a week or so, we went on another long journey and stopped at a big noisy place to collect Fran. There wasn’t much room in the car because her belly is bigger than it was and I don’t think anyone has told her. Maybe she eats too much cake. I will ask Archie. She did have a big bag, too, though, to be fair. Perhaps it was full of cake for later. Then we carried on until we reached the Sad house and there was lots of work to do in making up beds and eating although the people didn’t eat much, Archie and I were starving.

There was a lot of to-do in the night time. I thought I would sleep with Mum and Fran and cuddle them both but the old lady kept on coming in and tried to make Mum and Fran go to another bed. Mum was very firm, though, and took her to the bathroom for a hurry-up, I think, and then put her back to bed like a baby. She seemed very confused, as I was. All the time we were in the Sad House everyone seemed to feel sad or cross or upset. It wasn’t good at all. After a couple of days, we left the Sad House and did everything in reverse. We packed the car as full as can be and then drove back to leave Fran at the airport. I didn’t see her eat very much while we were away (and I watched specially) but her belly is still getting bigger. Another question for Archie, I suppose.

I keep getting told off by the old lady and I heard her say “I don’t like dogs” but when anyone comes in, she always says how lovely we are and how well behaved. I don’t get it. So now the old lady has gone to live somewhere else for the time being and we have the fat ginger and white cat, Rooney, living under Mum’s bed. Honestly, he’s only been here 5 minutes and he sprawls all over the bed and spits like a big spitting thing when he sees me and I only want to sniff him and say hello.

The house feels happier but all upside down at the same time and somehow heavier. Maybe I’m imagining it but I can’t wait for things to get back to normal. I think cuddling is the way.