Cap the shop collie lived with Si and Liz in Marsden. He worked in the shop for many years and was a bit of a celebrity hound! In his youth he could run faster than a mountainbike and further than a marathon runner. Sady on 4th August 2010 after a few days of illness he died. We'd like to thank the staff at Manchester Street Veterinary Surgery in Oldham where they cared for him over the years and were there for him at the end.

In the shop, his main job was to meet and greet customers but he also spent time chilling out on his sofa plus chasing and savaging our sweeping brush – people came from miles around to watch him in action! Unfortunately, after a particularly athletic lunge, it broke in half – luckily Si managed to mend it and doubled its strength so was business as usual for a few more months...

Cap 'wrote' a regular dog blog which we hear was very popular with visitors to our website. As the best tribute to our adored and charismatic lad, we'd like to leave up the last few posts for you to enjoy...

He also had a big Facebook following. On his Facebook page there are loads of photos and videos of him – he spent most of his time away from the shop on the hills and moors around Marsden with Si and Lizzie but also travelled all over the UK with them on climbing, biking, sailing and paragliding trips.

Thank you darling Cap for being such a special friend. We''ll never forget you...

Cap's "Dog Blog"

Despite the devastating loss of our beautiful dog, Si has decided to carry on with Cap's dogblog and post his own thoughts on shop and sports life. But we're leaving up Cap's last few posts too...

18th August 2010
"The last two weeks without Cap have been very up and down. Lizzie and I got away as planned for a week in Wales but we were well aware that the lad should have been with us. There were so many times when we forgot he wasn't around and held a door open expecting him to run through. We rented a little cottage in the middle of nowhere and brought photos of him to put up around the place. Then we went ballistic doing as much sport as possible to stop us brooding too much. We took road bikes, mountain bikes, windsurfer, climbing kit and the canoe – the van was bursting at the seams...

The best therapy of all was remembering the amazing times we had with him up and down the UK over the fourteen years he lived with us – we had a lot of grins doing that and now it feels like he'll always be around..."

Si

Now Cap takes over...

22nd July 2010
"Knew I shouldn't have whinged about the hot weather – Si reckons it's MY fault that it's gone and we've had wall to wall rain for two weeks. And worst of all was that my summer holiday was in the middle of it.!

Me, Si and Lizzie all had a week off work but a couple of setbacks like the windscreen of the van shattering stopped us going anywhere till the middle of the week. But I got to go on a couple of massive walks locally and spent a load of time outdoors which was cool.

On the Wednesday, the twofeets decided to go to Dalby Forest in Yorkshire to mountain bike for a few days. This was a bit dubious to me 'cos I'm too doddery now to run alongside them and I often get relegated to the van. But when I found out we were camping I cheered up bigstyle!

I LOVE camping, even though Si doesn't. He grumbles but puts up with it 'cos it gets us to some ace places we couldn't afford to go to otherwise. And our old Buzzard tent is quite comfortable – I even get my own bedroom!

Dalby Forest is FANTASTIC for dogs and humans alike. The smells, the sticks and the lush carpet of pine needles and leaves for my paws kept me happy for hours and I was happy to let Si and Liz mountain bike once I was tired out. And we went to Whitby and had fish and chips on the quayside where I scrapped with a seagull who wanted the chip remnants that were MINE by right.

We had a crazy night in the tent on Thursday as the wind blew more than 50mph and at two in the morning I was woken by Si's foot in my basket as he held the tent up from being flattened. Then he put the van in front and between that and the splendid construction of the Buzzard we had a decent night.

I became an aristocratic hound the next day when we all went to the amazing Castle Howard (where Brideshead Revisited was filmed). I had to have my fur brushed to pass muster and enter the grounds – now I've seen how the other half live I'm not sure I want to slum it with Si and Liz any more...

Anyway, now I'm back at work – first thing I did was run into the boot room and give the brush a damn good savaging. There were bristles and splinters all over the floor – tremendously satisfying stuff!

Customers have been giving me loads of attention since I got back and my old mate Tony came all the way from Leyland to see me! Well, I think he might have bought a few things from the shop too...

Here's a picture Phil took of me hard at work – it's a dog's life here...

Looking forward to another week off fairly soon – this'll be the second try at a summer holiday. Hope the weather's better – think we're going to my favourite place in Wales, Bala.

Just seen this cool website – not only do they have all sorts of splendid things for sale but they feature a 'dog of the week'! How brilliant is that? I'm thinking of applying myself... Take a look yourself at www.pedlars.co.uk/dogoftheweek.html.

Right, time to go now – it's Bonio time..."

Cap XXX

5th June 2010
"This hot weather's getting me down a bit – might be alright for you guys but I can't just strip down to a T shirt. So my greatest pleasure at the moment is swimming up in the Wessenden Valley.

Managed to get tangled up in Si's paraglider the other day! All those bits of string – I couldn't see them as I ran to greet him when he landed. Luckily, I'm so deaf I couldn't hear the bollocking he gave me!

Chaddy, the cat next door to us has taken to tormenting me from our garden now he knows I can't get near enough to rip his head off! Actually, I wouldn't do that – I really like cats but they mostly spit, hiss and swipe at me when I go to see them. Can't see what they've got against a friendly old collie dog...

Was allowed to attend Dom Gill's book signing evening back in May. There I was schmoozing with the great and the good of the outdoor world when someone got the sweeping brush out 'for a laugh'...

Well, I had my usual instinctive reaction to it which is to chase and savage the brush – that scattered a few people as they saw the colour of my teeth! But then a small crowd gathered – apparently they found it highly entertaining!

See you soon,"

Cap XXX

30th April 2010
"Just getting ready for the Bank Holiday and as usual the weather's looking pants! Now that doesn't bother me as my coat is breathable and waterproof but it means the humans' plans might change and I might not get out as much as I normally would. The old back legs have been wobbly this month but I still need a couple of miles walking a day otherwise I get mad bored...

A little girlie border collie visited the shop today. 'Cos I'm old enough to be her great, great, great grandad, I didn't take a lot of interest but Si gave her a LOT of fuss which made me seriously jealous... I'm the top dog round here thanks!

I got lost the other day up in the Wessenden Valley after going for a run with Si. He legged it while I was having a sniff at something interesting and when I turned round he was out of sight. PANIC!!! I ran after him but unfortunately it was the WRONG WAY! Anyway, after 10 minutes I met some walkers and they took me back down the valley where Si was waiting. He didn't seem worried and told them that he knew I'd come back and was just a bit old and confused. THE CHEEK OF IT!

Anyway, we've made up now as he gave me a wacking great piece of pork chop last night when Lizzie wasn't looking. So we're mates again...

Got orders from everyone in the shop to tell you to come in and look at our brilliant new Rab products. I think this is animal exploitation and is why I shall be voting for the Dog Party in the forthcoming election. The humans'll be making me wear a sandwich board and sending me down the High Street next with a Mountainfeet advert!

See you soon,"

Cap XXX

4th April 2010
"Had ANOTHER holiday in Doncaster as Si was away in France on the shop ski touring course. But I've been struggling a little bit with arthritis lately and now Si is trying to strengthen my back legs up by doing some physio and taking me walking up steep hills. Si's back is in better nick now so we're out running a bit up on the Pennine Way.

Great now the evenings are lighter – just need some better weather and we can go and climb on Pule, my second home and favourite hill.

Had to go to the vets a couple of weeks ago for a check up. Although I hate going, the guys and girls at Manchester Street Surgery in Oldham are brilliant and really look after me. Got more stuff to ease my joints and now I'm bouncing around like a pup (see photo below!).

Stayed at home today 'cos Si went to go to work on his motorbike and I can't hang on and haven't got a helmet. Parking for workers at Mountainfeet's end of town is £4.60 a day. That's a lot of dog food money that Si's spending so when he can he's going to use two wheels to get into town..."

Cap XXX

12th March 2010
"Have to be a short dog blog this time as I've got sheep to herd and people to see – been helping Si get back in to running this last couple of weeks. Now the daft human has put his back out hoofing his dinghy out of the water at Carsington so his running and more importantly MY RUNNING has bitten the dust again...

Still, my arthritis is loving this nice weather and Wessenden Valley where I spend loads of time is looking brilliant. We had a picnic up there a few days ago and I dropped grass in Si's tea which made his face turn purple!

I have my own 'collar' torch to go with Si's head torch when we're out on the tops at night – how cool is that? At first it used to do my head in having a light follow me everywhere but now I'm chilled with it. Because I don't hear too well these days it means that Si can always find me in the dark.

Hope you're all getting out loads, I'm not in work this week but I'll be available for social calls after the 20th March. See you then!"

Cap XXX

18th February 2010
"Have to say that I'm glad the snow's mostly gone – I was struggling to get though it and missing out on a load of exercise. While Si and Liz went gallivanting off to Courchevel I went to the well known dog holiday destination of... ...Doncaster! It's great there – I go there thin and come back fat again as Mrs Howard feeds me up when Liz's parents aren't looking with shedloads of biscuits!

Si and Liz came back raving about their holiday and the ace crowd they stayed with out there. Two brilliant sets of farmers who have dogs, cows and sheep, a great couple from the Midlands who are crazy about skiing and the amazing Roger and Julia who were from so far down south they're almost French! Apparently they've been invited up North to see how we live without water and electricity!

Now I'm back into working life – won't they ever let me retire? Two Bonios a day is not much of a pension considering the number of people who come in to see me...

Si's was running around like an idiot the other day with a bunch of other guys who've left it to the last minute to get Valentines presents. We're not exactly the kind of shop to sell romantic gifts so he went to see the ace girlies at Beaverbrooks at the Spindles in Oldham – he says they are the friendliest most helpful people around. But surely he means, after us...! "

Cap XXX

10th January 2010
"What about this weather!!! First of all I was so excited by it – white fluffy stuff I don't see very often and Si and Liz took me out loads in it. But then it got deeper... And deeper... And even DEEPER!!!

I'm only small for a border collie and in loads of places I couldn't even see over the snow and had to walk in fat Si's footprints... But boy, have I been having a good time in it and getting back home ABSOLUTELY knackered!

Here's me forging my way through the snow on the Pennine Way – I feel very sorry for my friends the sheep as they can't get the grass. Luckily, the farmers are putting out hay where they can but it can't be easy...

I went down to Wales again just after Christmas to see my collie mates Nipper and Tucker. Lots of growling, snapping and chasing around till we got the pecking order sorted – yep, I'm top boss dog again even though the young'uns always think otherwise...

Gotta go now, sheep to herd, vacuum cleaners to savage etc etc – back soon..."

Cap XXX