Day with Friends @ Wijk aan Zee

Update ...

Martin's daily schedule is currently boring; sleeping, eating and tiny walks in the area. It is difficult for Martin to be socially exclused but it is for the best. He is doing a lot better and is aware of the fact that his leg is slowly improving. In a few weeks time I am sure he will be running, swimming and jumping around again as if nothing happened.

Think twice ...

Martin seems to be less bothered by with the fact that he does not have full control over his leg.

The Vet was happily surprised to see a major improvement in Martin's situation and prescribed Prednoral (Prednisone) or simply "steroids" for short. This drug helps to decrease inflammation and it seems to be working. The only downside may include weight gain and this is for a Labrador not what you call a welcome side effect.

Update ...

Today Martin is doing much better. He seems to be aware of the fact that his left hind leg is not working properly. What injury triggered this sudden semi paralyzed leg? My guess is a good as any so-called vet and/or Orthopedic doctor so it seems.

We decided to let nature take its course, giving the fact that endless tests does not benefit Martin nor our nerves. I honestly think that the only party benefiting from stressful (needless) tests are those whom decided to make a living of clueless pet owners.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Two days ago Martin misstepped himself and is now currently limping with his left hind leg. A visit to the Vet seemed to be the next logical thing to do. Since the Vet could not diagnose the cause of Martin limping, we made an appointment with Orthopedic doctor. An orthopedic doctor is a surgeon who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of bone and skeleton-related problems.

After thoroughly examining Martin two X-rays were made. For the untrained eye there is not much to see other than a few bulging spinal discs. (see picture) It is still unsure what is causing Martin to limp, leaving us restless and worried.

In order to find out what is wrong with Martin, the Orthopedic doctor suggested a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) total cost EUR 850. Since no one really knows what's causing Martin to limp, I am hesitant to make Martin go through endless examinations leaving us with nothing to show for. Our insurance is covering most of the expenses but that is not what we are after. Lots of Vetinarians and other specialists seem to push you in undergoing unnecessary examinations, just so they can make an extra buck or two. Out of love for your pets we are ready to do just about anything for them. Nevertheless, this money making businesses are abusing and taking advantage of those owning pets, telling you indirectly that you do not love your pet unless you are willing to do everything necessary to make your pet healthy again.

Sunny days

Fun in Schoorl

Martin in Schoorl

Pic by Alix.

A little brother ...

Totally unaware of the fact that we are currently in the process of getting Martin a little brother, we are slowly trying to familiarize Martin with new toys and drop the puppy's name every now and then. Of course another male choc Labrador, what else *smile*

May I introduce ...

Philippe Duponant Chambon-Marques

Born November 17th at Breeder IJsven Bergeijk - Netherlands

PHILIPPE - A personal name, derived from the Greek Philippos (Φίλιππος), meaning "lover of horses" or "friend of horses".

DUPONANT - Meaning "from the west" In French it is an old navy word for west (in opposite to Levant).

MARQUES - The name Marques comes from the ancient culture of France. It was a Norman name for a nobleman who ranked just below the level of an Earl and is derived from the Old French word Marquis which signified this lofty position.

CHAMBON - as family name, Chambon comes from the Frank "ham" (strong), gallicized in "chamb", easier to pronounce for Gallo-Roman populations, to which the case subject -on was added. It is a very old French family name. Most of the Chambon names come from Auvergne.

Philippe will make his grand appearance on Saturday January 3rd 2009. He will be having his own blog then, so do not forget to go to check it out @ philippeduponant.blogspot.com.

Martin, Nr. 1 Fetcher

After I had enough of the fetching game, Martin still manages to bring the ball back to me.

Wrong Body Syndrome?

Many times I have asked myself; when we got Martin 3 years ago ... did we in fact get a dog or a Beaver? Labradors are known to be water rats but Martin takes the cake.

Martin showing off his good side, being a model ...

Martin @ Normandie

If there is one thing Martin loves more than anything in the world ... it's acting like a true rebel,showing muscle and his ability to be one with nature.

Weekend at the Veluwe

Temperature: 1°c
Humidity: 99%
State of Martin, the daddies and the clothes after the weekend: tired and muddy.
But happy.

Martin + friends @ Sea

Two and a half

Martin is now two and a half years old. In six month he will be a full grown adult. Obviously he will remain quite a short Lab, and also a cute one. For French standard he is alright. For Dutch standards, he is on the short side. He was the smallest of the nest.
We know him quite well now. He has a mind of his own, cannot resist playing with colourful objects or other dogs. He loves children and water, need a lot of affection, listens quite well and loves to hunt for objects or cats. He never bites, unless he is attacked by another dog. He has a good dog étiquette: sits before meeting, greets properly, never agressive... We're really proud of him.

It's a lovelee dae

On a nice sunny spring day in North Poitou, Émilie made nice pix of Martin...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilie-bm/

On the road again

Martin loves to fetch sticks. Émilie made pictures of Martin waiting for the stick to be thrown somewhere on the road to Mousseau... Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilie-bm/

Martin @ Bussum

A friend took Martin to Bussum, near Amsterdam, where he had loads of fun with kids...

On Daddy's lap

After a long day in Paris, Martin needs special attention. So he gets a cuddle on Daddy's lap. Looks weird, I know, but he loves being treated like a small baby.

Ice ice, baby

While we were in Paris's suburb (Massy to be exact), it froze like hell. Or just not, actually. Anyway. Martin loved it and didn't miss one opportunity to go play outside, day or night.
He tried to jump in the lake... to find himself on decimeters of ice, sliding. He then tried to make it melt by licking it. He didn't work but all the passers by did laugh a lot. Clown as he is, he stayed on the ice, sliding, happy to get everyone's attention.

Martin @ the beach

In the forest

Bloemendaal

Who's got a nice cushion?

Lovin' the rain

Taking the train

Martin took the Thalys with me to Paris and back to Amsterdam and did behave really well for such a young and enthusiastic dog. He mostly slept and cuddled. He also showed his sniffing talents by spotting a couple of mice in a little cage at the other end of the wagon. Wow, that's a sense of smell!
Martin even had his own ticket. Thalys is not getting poor from the dogs: no special space, no water, nothing, but they do have to have a ticket, not even cheap. Check on the ticket, it says "chien" ("dog" in French), and 2nd class.

Fontaine des Innocents

I took Martin with me to Paris. He behaved really well and got really popular in the métro, especially with girls. What a chick magnet! Since he had been so nice the whole day, I took him to the Fontaine des Innocents, near les Halles. He had loads of fun there, and made tourists happy by acting weird in the fontain so they could take cool pictures. At some point, he jumped on the fontain and found himself so far from the ground that he didn't dare jumping back. He tried a lot of possibilities, cried a bit, tried to look cute to get help from people, but finally just jumped and survived it. What a clown!

"Reading the newspapers makes me sleep"

In Poitou

Martin is having fun in Poitou (here in Angles-sur-l'Anglin): so many rivers, so many lakes... (photos: Émilie Broudy-Masson)

Gros dodo

This morning Martin played like crazy at the park and, of course, plunged in the lake. So afterwards it was time for a "gros dodo" (big nappie) in all positions possible. Isn't he growing?

Fredriksplein

One day, I was walking with Martin unleashed (not allowed but it's a good exercise) near the Dutch National Bank (Nederlandsche Bank) when suddenly he ran away like crazy. I ran after him and found him in a fountain I didn't even know existed. Martin, Labrador as he is, had spotted the place from afar, even hidden behind trees. Ever since, he's completely in love with the place and I take him regularly there if he's been a goof boy.
The other day we came back from the far suburb, out of the metro, and I decided to take him there. It was late, so the fountain was beautifully lit.

Jean-Louis's refuge

When Martin is too buzy following his masters around the house, Jean-Louis the cat can do what he likes best. Enjoy the bed and be deliciously warm.

Loulou dancing with Martin

Nap time

Sometimes it's nap time. And Martin joins very actively. He's a very relaxed dog, changing position regularly.

Cuddles

When he's been a good doggie, Martin is allowed on the bed. He really loves it.

Martin in Limousin...

Martin's gay secret boyfriend

There is a dog at the park who is gay and completely head over heels in love with Martin. Some people (including his owner) think it's embarrassing, but it's actually quite cute. When Martin comes along, this dog tries to mount him (OK, that's not always cute), but also wants to be with Martin all the time. He even follows him in the water (even though he's no Labrador and doesn't have a double fur). He barks at other male dogs approaching him too much. In doggy language it should be something like "Keep off of my man!"...
His owner told me that when he sees Martin he doesn't eat of the whole day and looks a bit weird, like he's lost in his thoughts. Isn't that cute?

Martin loves kids

It's not very clear on these pics (send by my parents) but Martin is learning to deal with kids (here my nephew Marie, almost 2 years old). He loves kids but has to learn how to control himself around them, since he's so big (he's a biiiiig puppy). Good doggie, Martin!

From outer space

We never knew Martin was from another planet, untill we got this picture made by a friend in Brussels... Now I'm scared.

October / Brussels

Some pix Mehmet took in Brussels and that I forgot to put online...