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Online Diary 2007 September |
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The online diary started life as a blog of my strange 'other life' with the dog. I wanted to record some of the experiences that I had as a first-time dog owner. To access the archive, click on the appropriate month. The most recent articles are listed separately. You are most welcome to send comments about any of the articles. Record your comments via the Contact Me page. We are back online after a few weeks. We have spent the summer hols in the Lake District, mainly walking the fells. Beattie and I climbed 30 new fells including an exciting rock scramble up Swirral Edge on to the summit of Helvellyn. This is one of the highest mountains in the Lake District at 3118'. Our longest walk involved 13 miles and 4500 feet of ascent around the Coniston fells - quite magnificent walking. Beattie enjoyed every minute, especially chasing the sheep as far as she could on her extending lead. She nearly had my arm off on one or two occasions! We stay in our caravan and it is definitely a case of 'doggy heaven' as she gets to sleep on our bed! It's very difficult to prise her off the bed some mornings. Then there are the extra treats. On a few occasions we went to the local pub where the house speciality was 'lamb Henry' - a lamb joint the size of a dinner plate. Beattie had to have a 'doggy bag', which meant she was enjoying the remainder of the meat for the next two or three meals! No wonder she went off her dried food and refused to eat it. She was on strict commons for a few days to get her good and hungry and eating again! Back To post a comment click here
Comment from Tracey Lilly
MISTAKEN
IDENTITY Overheard on one of our walks in South Devon last week. Young girl: Mummy, what kind of dog is that? (Referring to Beattie) Mother: I think it's an Old English sheepdog that has been shaved. Howls of suppressed laughter by the owners!!!! Back To post a comment click here
A day or so after we returned from holiday, the combine was out in the field harvesting the wheat crop and baling up the straw into those huge cylinders leaving them dotted around in a haphazard fashion to be collected later. Beattie and I took advantage of the dry weather and the vast open space on the wheat field to explore off-lead. It's amazing how many creatures had died in that field, unseen until the combine exposed their remains. They were just waiting to be discovered by Beattie. As we roamed over the field, she would stop and inspect something I could not see. I knew it was something disgusting when she rolled over on her back and began to wriggle excitedly with her four legs waving in the air! Each time I called her, but with no response. The only thing to do was to drag her away and on to the next 'find' which was achieved by pacing the ground nose down and concentrating. On discovering another decomposing body the whole process would be repeated! What fun! Back To post a comment click here
Comment
from sablonneuse
SERIOUS
TRAINING Beattie and I are back in training after our long summer holiday. This coming weekend, we have an Obedience competition at an official Kennel Club registered Dog Show! NO more mucking about. This is the real deal! Beattie has been entered for the lowest class - Pre-beginners and also Beginners. Pre-beginners involved heel work, both on and off the lead, a recall and two stays, a sit stay and a down stay. Last week at Dog Club, Beattie was pretty useless and I stopped training her early as she had totally lost concentration. This week, she was better, although she could not manage to stay down during her stay. AT was giving me a hard time as I kept leading off on the wrong foot, kept moving my feet as crucial times when I was supposed to be still and generally scaring the shit out of me. I'm sure I will be a nervous wreck by Saturday! And AT says, 'Enjoy it!' Well, I will practice her this week and then see how it goes. It is her first show after all. Wish me luck! Show report to follow... Back To post a comment click here
Comment
from sablonneuse
NORFOLK EN
CHANCE Well, at least the weather was very good for the Open Show this weekend. I had telephoned AT for last minute advice on Friday. The Show commenced at 9.30 a.m. and her advice was to arrive at 8.30. It was an early start as Beattie had to be groomed before we left. Even if she didn't perform well in the ring, at least she could look good! The first task on arrival is to book in your dog in the various classes it is entering. I was entering Beattie in the lowest class (Pre-beginner) as well as the Beginner class where AT said I should 'train' Beattie. This means that the judge does not score your round, but you use it as an opportunity for the dog to practise the exercises. Beattie had been 'drawn' in Pre-beginners, which meant she had to work in the first hour. She was second in the draw and I waited apprehensively for my turn. Beattie's body language did not give me cause for optimism. Her head was down and she would not do any of her little 'tricks' used by me to get her moving and motivated. She seemed to be overwhelmed by the situation - a strange place full of excited dogs all hooked into their handlers and ready to walk over hot coals if necessary! Not so Beattie! She wanted out and it seemed to me that there was very little hope she would do anything. Then it was our turn. A little Cavalier before us had worked enthusiastically and as we entered the ring, a feeling of impending doom overcame me. I explained to the judge that this was her first show and said that she may not do very much. She didn't! Beattie just stood with head bowed and did not even try to get into the heelwork position. The judge suggested I pull on her collar and by doing so managed to drag her into position to begin. Imploring her to walk to heel we began the round, me dragging Beattie around the ring! 'Would she do a recall?' the judge enquired. 'She might', I replied. I took off her lead and sat her down next to me. 'Are you ready, handler?' asked the steward. 'Ready', I replied. 'Last command,' said the steward. 'Beattie ... Recall ... Wait!' I bellowed at her, and walked slowly away from her. When I turned around about ten metres away, I was amazed to see she had done as I commanded. 'Beattie come,' I shrieked in a high-pitched, unnatural voice. To my amazement, she stood up, ambled across the ring and sat in a perfect present in front of me! That was the highlight of the round. She was supposed to do heelwork off lead, but she refused to cooperate and in the end I put on her lead and thanking the officials, I left the ring. It was all downhill from that point. I took her in the Beginner ring to do a training round, but that was worse. This time she went to the steward in the recall exercise. Mind you, that was because the steward called out, 'Come on!' as she was moving slowly towards me, and immediately, Beattie changed direction and homed in on the steward! Still, we had some good company as most of the other members of Dog Club were there commiserating with me and saying that Beattie was still very young. During lunch, RB told us an amusing story about a dog breeder who named one of her puppies 'Norfolk en chance.' She entered the dog into Obedience competitions for two or three years before the Kennel Club realised the significance of the strange name and decreed that it should be changed! I'll leave it to you, dear Reader, to work it out for yourself. Suffice it to say, that this weekend, Beattie had 'Norfolk en chance!!' Back To post a comment click here
Comment
from sablonneuse
Comment from Tracey Lilly
FOOTBALL STAR!
Beattie has discovered football (or soccer, as our friends across the pond call it). This came about last week when I retrieved a football from the field at the back of our bungalow that one of our small relations had accidentally kicked over a while ago. I threw the ball into the garden where it was immediately seized upon by Beattie who gave a bark of joy and she set about dribbling the ball with her nose around the lawn! Eventually, the ball contrived to get itself jammed under the hedge and that was the end of the game except for some very excited barking from the dog! I had never heard her bark like this. Was it excitement or frustration at having lost the ball. When I returned to the garden, I picked up the ball and Beattie immediately jumped round in mid-air as if to say, Throw the ball to me, throw the ball to me!' I did throw her the ball and the barking recommenced at a furious rate! Soon, I took the ball away and she just sat where she was. There was no doubt that this was a very exciting game for her and to have it ended was totally inexplicable to Beattie! However, it is good training for her to realise that all good things in her doggy world come from me! The ball has been out on a number of other occasions, and each time she becomes more proficient, chasing the ball a bit longer around the garden. This is her favourite garden toy at the moment. On this form, she will have to be a serious candidate for the England Ladies Football team!! Back To post a comment click here
Comment
from sablonneuse
Comment from
Gary
For a dumb animal, Beattie has developed a range of strategies in order to communicate her needs to me. It's called 'Trying to get your own way! No. 1 The Stare When I am engrossed in something, maybe working on the computer, reading a book, watching television, Beattie will come up very quietly, place her chin on my thigh and stare unblinkingly at me until I look down and talk to her; usually to ask her what she wants NOW! Of course she does not answer, but continues to stare until I stop what I am doing and try to work out what she wants: to play, to be fed, desperate and wants to be let outside... No. 2 The Big Hint Another ploy when I am taking no notice of her is for her to give me a big hint that she wants to play by finding the appropriate toy and dropping it loudly at my feet again and again until I have noticed she is desperate to play... No 3 Direct Action If the above strategies do not produce the desired effect, then things usually take a turn for the worse as Beattie will employ her 'Direct Action' method. This involves finding things she knows she is not allowed to play with and bringing them to me before running off with them to another room, the garden or wherever, knowing that almost certainly it will evoke a response from me (usually to chase after her to retrieve the stolen article). It could be a tea towel, a J cloth, her bedding, A's slipper (if I have left the bedroom door ajar), or, a real favourite, a loo roll! The loo roll is a dead cert as it can be very quickly shredded and left all over the back garden in seconds!! She knows I will chase her for the loo roll. The problem is that it is virtually impossible to get these things back without The Bribe - a treat in exchange for the stolen item! And Beattie has scored a 'double whammy' - grabbed my attention and a treat into the bargain! You'd think man against dog would be 'no contest'. But Beattie is very resourceful and it's amazing how many times she gets her own way! Back To post a comment click here
Comment
from sablonneuse
Comment from Tracey Lilly
Comment from
Gary
If you have ever seen the movie, 'Ring of Bright Water', then maybe you remember the scene where Graham Merrill, having acquired an otter, has to accommodate it in his London flat. This involves erecting makeshift fences and obstructions to keep the otter in one place so as to minimise the damage it does! Well, it was a bit like that scene in our hallway today! I was repainting the front door and had to leave it open for the rest of the day. Beattie would have been confined to the kitchen if I had not come up with the idea of using a ladder and two garden chairs to block off her means of escape! It all worked fine until A came home and opened a bedroom door leaving Beattie an escape hatch by neatly circumventing my home-made dog barrier! I was cooking tea when A suddenly shouted to me that Beattie was in the front garden! The next stop was the road. Quick-thinking A soon coaxed her back with an extra-large treat!! By then, the front door was dry and I shut it firmly to prevent any more untimely escapes. Phew! Back To post a comment click here
Beattie has been taken to kennels today! A and I are off to the Lake District today for the weekend. We are attending the Wainwright Society Dinner with guest speaker, Bob Allen. Sadly, Beattie is not welcome and we have nowhere secure to leave her, so she has been banished to kennels for the weekend. Ahhh! She will miss the Society walk, which is taking place on Saturday afternoon. This is a walk on to Scout Scar just outside Kendal. Hoping to meet up with some of the members we have met before and have a good chat! Back To post a comment click here
Comment
from sablonneuse
Comment from Tracey Lilly
Photographs taken with a
Fuji MX-2900 Zoom or a Canon EOS 20D |
ARTICLES ARCHIVE 2007 ARCHIVE YEARS
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