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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.
THE BEDLINGTON TERRIER RULES
Tue 02 Sep 2008
1.
The Bedlington terrier is not allowed in the house.
2. OK, the Bedlington terrier is allowed in the house, but only in
certain rooms.
3. The Bedlington terrier is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off
the furniture.
4. The Bedlington terrier can get on the old furniture only.
5. Fine, the Bedlington terrier is allowed on all the furniture, but
is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.
6. OK, the Bedlington terrier is allowed on the bed, but only by
invitation.
7. The Bedlington terrier can sleep on the bed whenever she wants, but
not under the covers.
8. The Bedlington terrier can sleep under the covers by invitation
only
9. The Bedlington terrier can sleep under the covers every night.
10. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the
Bedlington terrier.
The rules as set out above are those that will be familiar with many dog
owners. I hasten to add that not all the rules apply to
Beattie, particularly 7, 8, 9 and 10! But,
do read again rules 5 and 6, and note that we have just had a new bed
delivered! A has decreed that rule 6 no
longer applies to Beattie!
Hmmmmm! For how long, I wonder?
Back
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CLIFFHANGER!
Mon 08 Sep 2008
We have been
away this past weekend in North Norfolk at Happisburgh (pronounced
‘Haisboro’ for the uninitiated). It is quite a remote spot and has its own
problems with coastal erosion. Basically, the cliffs are steadily crumbling
away and a good winter storm can bring disastrous results for the owners of
properties too close to the edge of the sandy cliffs. Rudimentary wooden
erosion defences have not stopped the inevitable march of the sea, which
nibbles away at the land constantly.
There was an
archaeological dig being conducted on the beach this weekend. Half a dozen
brave souls spent Saturday in a deep hole at the base of the cliffs sifting
through the pebbles that used to lie at the bottom of a riverbed half a
million years ago. An elephant’s tooth was discovered her a few years ago
and there have been regular digs here for the past four years.
On one of our
beach walks, Beattie was ahead of me and
reaching the foot of the cliffs where there is a flight of steps up to the
top, she suddenly became very excited and started to climb the cliffs. I
was a little way off and could not see what had excited her to act in such a
strange way. I was rather alarmed as these sandy cliffs are not at all
stable and I was worried that Beattie might
fall, or dislodge some of the sand causing her to be buried! When I arrived
at the foot of the steps, she was about four foot from the top of the cliff
(about 30 feet up) and was still looking for a way to the top! The upper
part of the cliff was overhanging and there was no way she could make it to
the top from her position. Frantically, I called her down, and, thankfully,
she obeyed and made her way back down to the beach. I put on her lead and
we took the safe way to the top. Later, I heard that she had spotted
AJB's husband with his nephew, and that was why
Beattie had become so excited. If she had
an ounce of intelligence, she would have used the steps, but she was unable
to make the connection between what she wanted and the means to achieve her
aim!
Based on this
evidence, dogs will not be ruling the world any time soon! Back
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HEALTHY LIVING?
Fri 12 Sep 2008
The weather is
still doing its best to depress everybody. Today, more rain and yet more to
come. During the morning, I drove over to see
Grandma. She is off on holiday for a week tomorrow so I wanted to see
her before she left. Besides, Beattie also
loves to visit and I don’t think it’s just the treats that make her so
enthusiastic about the prospect to seeing
Grandma again!
When I
arrived, I was given an envelope containing a copy of the latest Healthy
Living magazine. I made the mistake of buying something from this
magazine a few years ago, and ever since then these catalogues have been
arriving on the doorstep at regular intervals.
Never was a
catalogue so misnamed! Grandma was telling me that she finds the adverts in
there and similar magazines very depressing. After a quick glance through
this issue, I had to agree with her. Talk about having one foot in the
grave! If you half suspected that you were getting older, and not quite so
active as you once were, well this magazine not only confirms your
suspicions, but also positively encourages you to believe that you’re on a
one-way trip to the nearest care home … or worse …!
Here is a
selection of the delights on offer:
Help Prevent
Bathtime Slips With A Full Length Bath Mat
Waterproof Pull-On Pants
Thermal Joint Supports With Copper
Easy Clean Commode Chair
Stiff Or Painful Knees? Try This Special Knee Strap
Motorised Pedal Exerciser
Caress Hurting Hands In Healing Heat
Rise From Your Chair With Ease
The ‘Donut’ Cushion (for haemorrhoid sufferers)
Amazing! A Lightweight Wheelchair In A Bag
Help Yourself In And Out Of The Bath
Hernia Briefs With Adjustable Pressure Pads
Age Proof Your Skin
Reduce Stomach Bulge And Stay Securely Dry (Slimming Incontinence Panties)
Adult Full Size Meal Protector (Protect your clothing from mealtime spills
with this large full-size adult bib)
Portable Swivelling Seat (To help you in and out of a car)
One Minute A Seat! The Next A Walking Stick!
Portable Loo
Got the
picture? The only surprise is that they are not taking bookings for
cut-price funerals! Back
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Comment from
sablonneuse
Thank goodness your mother has a sense of humour! By the way,
there's an award for you chez-moi.
RATCATCHER
Mon 15 Sep 2008
If you read
accounts of the history
of the Bedlington terrier, you will discover that these little dogs were
used by miners in the northeast of England to rid the mines of rats.
SH told me that
P caught and killed a rat that appeared in
their back garden one day. My question is: has that instinct been passed on
to Beattie?
I was idly
looking out of the conservatory window this morning when a rat’s nose
appeared out of the undergrowth next to the shed, and twitched. Gradually,
the rat’s body emerged into he sunlight.
Where was
Beattie? Glory be, she was sunning herself
on the lawn about 30 feet from the rat. Neither was aware of the other’s
presence – yet! Would Beattie be able to
catch the rat after all I had heard about P’s
exploits? Cautiously, I opened one of the top lights and gently called
Beattie. I was not really sure how I was
going to handle this, as we had not practised this manoeuvre in any of our
training schedules. I called again when there was no response. She heard
me this time and I pointed out the rat to her. ‘There’s a rat,’ I hissed,
‘Find it!’ The said rodent was still visible. Why could
Beattie not see it? ‘ ‘Find it’, I
commanded, more loudly this time, pointing in vain to where the rat was
washing its whiskers. Beattie knew the
command. It usually meant, find the treat or one of her toys. Her slipper,
called Wensley as it has a sheep’s head on top, lay close by and she ran to
get it. ‘No! The rat, kill the rat!’ I pleaded. She was half the distance
to the rat now, but still was not aware of it. It was hopeless. She just
did not understand. I left my post and headed for the kitchen door.
Beattie ran to meet me and the rat beat a
hasty retreat!
I did manage
to get her interested in the end and she did pick up the scent at least
once. She was quite excited barking at something under the shed. Probably
the rat was taking shelter right in the middle where
Beattie could not catch it, wise fellow.
Well, her
first attempt at rat catching was patently not successful. It was a shame
really, as I had high hopes of her abilities. Anyone watching my feeble
attempts to make her understand what I wanted would have been most amused.
But I’ll be on
the lookout for that rat now! Back
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TRAINING
Wed
17 Sep 2008
I took
Beattie training again last night. We have
not been for a few months, partly because we have been away in the Lake
District, and partly because I decided that I did not want to take her to
Obedience shows any more and felt she was trained enough for my needs.
But lately I
had been thinking that I would return as regular training is good discipline
for Beattie and gives her another interest
in her life. It also is stimulating for her, as she has to learn what she
has to do to get a lovely treat! Not only that, but meeting other dogs and
socialising is a positive influence in her life. Besides, they are such
lovely people and I was missing the abuse from
AT. Oh, the joys of being called a pillock in public!!
Of course, I
was a bit apprehensive as I had not trained
Beattie for a few months and did not know whether she would remember
anything at all. My fears were unjustified as she leapt out of the car as
soon as she realised where she was and began pawing at the door. There were
cries of ‘Beattie’ from
AT as soon as she put her nose in the door
and she bounded in before crawling up to AT
on bent legs in a most comical ingratiating fashion!
Her favourite
doggy chum, a saluki, was not there last night, but she soon reacquainted
herself with the other canines at the class.
Considering we
had not been training for a while, she did very well, relearning how to
touch a marker at the end of a ‘sendaway’ and retrieving a dumbbell once,
perfectly. AT was very pleased with her
and I really enjoyed my evening.
And I think
that AT enjoyed putting her ‘industrial
language’ to good use again! How she has missed me? Back
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Comment from
sablonneuse
Beattie is so much better than the collie cross we tried
(unsuccessfully) to train. Classes were a nightmare!
Comment from
AT
Very pleased to have you both back....we had all missed you. Beattie
certainly showed that she was glad to be back and her footballing
skills were a sight to behold. Now get that enthusiasm transferred
to retrieve!!
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Photographs taken with a Fuji MX-2900
Zoom or a Canon EOS 20D
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