canisfamiliaris

New website for Canisfamiliaris!!

canisfamiliaris — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:29:10 +0100

Thank you to everyone who has accessed this blog.

The blog continues at my new website, which can be found at:

http://www.canisfamiliaris.co.uk

Derek

Successful Training!

canisfamiliaris — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:21:48 +0000

Beattie resumed training after Christmas and I must admit that I was a bit nervous the first week I took her as I had done very little with her for quite a few weeks. The first week back, she was pretty unresponsive, which was not really surprising. I thought she might be coming into season as she was so lethargic, but could have been the onset of her infection (see earlier post).

We were practising the 'Retrieve' in which the dog is supposed to retrieve an article, usually a dumbbell, bring it back and sit in a front present waiting for the owner to take the dumbbell from doggy's mouth! Well, that's the theory, but nobody had told Beattie ( I tried but she refused to listen!). She would retrieve the dumbbell and then drop it on the floor about three paces in front of me. Frustration!

I had been trying this for several months without any progress being made. AT suggested I build it up in stages by just getting her to hold the dumbbell and then let me take it from her. The retrieve should be practised with me sitting in a chair, which I had not done before. We practised this every day and by the end of the week she would bring it to me without dropping it. Success!

The next stage was to get her to sit in front of me holding the dumbbell and finally to do this with me in the standing position. There was one glorious morning when she achieved this for the first time. I was so pleased I gave her a huge treat and then immediately stopped the training session. AT says it is better for the dog to finish on a 'high' as there is the temptation to get the dog to repeat the exercise, but terriers get bored quickly, not liking repetitive drills.

Over the coming days she was able to demonstrate that this had not been a fluke and the crowning moment was when she performed a retrieve at dog training this week!

We seem to be making some progress at last!

Another trip to the vet!

canisfamiliaris — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:58:19 +0000

Last week, Beattie seemed to be off-colour. She was very lethargic, not wanting to walk, even taking herself into her crate, which is a very rare occurrence. Then one evening I noticed she had diarrhoea and that she was bleeding from her bottom! I thought that might be serious and rushed her down to the vet the next day.

A trip to the vet usually holds no terrors for Beattie and she walked in happily for her examination. She was not so pleased when the vet stuck her finger in her bottom. Beattie yelped! The diagnosis was that she had an infection in her large intestine and that she would need an antibiotics injection, another injection which was the doggy equivalent of an Alka Selzer, a course of pro-biotic medicine (like that yogurt you can buy which encourages healthy bacteria in the stomach) and a diet of chicken and rice for three days.

Well, I was relieved that it was not more serious than that, especially as we were taking ourselves away for a weekend in the Lake District! I was a bit worried about the chicken and rice diet in a Travelodge, but I cooked some up the day before and kept it in a cool box in the car overnight so she did not suffer a bout of food poisoning as well as everything else!

Our visit to the vet was on Thursday and by Saturday afternoon, Beattie was bounding up the fells in the company of four other assorted canines and being a complete pain in the a**e!

Obviously, she had recovered!

Christmas presents and a turkey dinner!

canisfamiliaris — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 18:58:38 +0000

Today is Christmas Day. Beattie was woken up early at 6.30 as I had to take her out for a walk before starting to cook our Christmas lunch. The bird had to be in the oven by 7.15 as it would take the best part of six hours to cook. Our turkey was a very large 8kg bird as we were having company today, our good friends J & K with god-daughter K.

It was a swift walk for the 'necessaries' only as it was still pitch black outside and threatening to rain, which it did quite shortly after my return. I did not want to get involved with anything until the turkey was safely in the oven. It was a free-range bird from our local butcher. I had been given cooking instructions by the butcher, but these were different from the normal way I cook poultry so I stuck to the tried and tested 20 minutes per half-kilo and 20 minutes extra. It usually works for me!

Once the oven door was closed I could relax for a while and watch Beattie open her presents, two different doggy toys, a snowman and a reindeer. The snowman did not last very long in her jaws as the head and body were connected by green rope, which she had soon separated and that was the end of the snowman. As the reindeer was made of plastic it survived the whole day! She was also given a bag of large doggy treats meant to aid teeth cleaning! She was well through the first one when I read the packet which stated that these treats were meant for full-size adult large dogs! Beattie was having no trouble at all in munching her way through the entire bone!

At least this meant that she was not very hungry for the rest of the day. I saved her some turkey breast and vegetables to add to her dried food and she enjoyed her turkey dinner in the evening! After this, all she had the energy for was to lay on the sofa next to the recumbent body of A and doze for the rest of the day! Lucky dog!

Sick as a dog - Part 2

canisfamiliaris — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:24:45 +0000

I let Beattie chew away at her bone for nearly an hour. By this time there was very little meat left and she was even cracking into the bone. I decided that enough was enough for one day and I took it away without too much protest this time.

Meanwhile I was busy cooking dinner for A and her sister JT, who had flown up from Exeter for the week. They arrived just about the time I took Beattie's bone away so she had lots to occupy her for quite a while...

Dinner was served. We had just sat down when Beattie, very suddenly and very quietly vomited! A huge pile of undigested lamb lay on the floor in front of her! Great! I hadn't even taken my first mouthful! I grabbed some kitchen towel to clear up the mess when, bingo! a repeat performance in another part of the room! Poor thing! How could one little dog be so sick? Just how much had she eaten? Was it just the lamb or was breakfast there as well? I grabbed another handful of kitchen towel and cleared up a second mess!

I remembered then that she had been off colour the last time she had lamb. On that occasion she had widdled in her crate! (quite unlike her). That was it! No more lamb! I telephoned AT to tell her what had happened.

'Never mind', she said, 'Try her with a beef bone next week!'

Beattie seemed quite unperturbed by her experience, as if bringing up the entire contents of her stomach was a normal occurence! Half an hour later she was clamouring for her 'dental stick' as if nothing had happened!

I had heard of the phrase, 'sick as a dog', but I had never seen it in action before that day!

Sick as a dog! - Part 1

canisfamiliaris — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 22:13:36 +0000

Last week, AT came to dinner. During the course of the evening she suggested that I buy Beattie a lamb chop from the butcher, for her to gnaw. Consequently, when I next visited the butcher I asked him for a lamb chop with a nice bone and plenty of meat. He did not have a chop, but suddenly he disappeared into the back of the shop and reappeared a minute later with a lamb's foot for her! It was exactly what I had asked for - a meaty bone!

I took the lamb's foot home and decided to give it to Beattie in the evening instead of her usual tea. I decided she was going to have the bone in her crate so as not to make too much mess. When I gave it to her she looked a bit uncertain and sniffed at it for a few minutes before trying to 'bury' it in the bottom of her crate. This meant trying to conceal it below her vetbed.

After a while when nothing had happened, I decided to take her bone away and try again the next day. Perhaps she was not hungry. I opened her crate door and bent down to retrieve the bone. But Beattie had other ideas! She was not going to allow me to take back her prized posession and growled quite menacingly in a way she had never done before!

Wisely, I thought, I retreated and considered what to do. I decided to call AT for advice as Beattie had never reacted like this before. When I described her behaviour, AT was quite unphased and told me that she was just behaving like a dog, guarding her food and warning me off.

'The trouble is', she said, 'You have already backed off and that is not what the Alpha dog would do. You will have to take that bone away and risk getting bitten', she concluded. 'My advice is to put on a garden glove and grab the bone quickly whilst the other hand hooks her collar. You may not get bitten that way!'

I was not brimming with confidence at this suggestion, but said I would give it a go. I rang off and went to the shed to find my gloves - not easy in the dark! With the glove on my right hand, I summoned up my courage, took a deep breath and opened the cage door. Beattie was instantly alert to what was happeneing and went to grab the bone. But I was determined to win and grabbed it from her before she knew what had happened. With the bone safely retrieved, I held on to it for a short time before returning it to her.

This is what AT said I should do. She said that the message to the dog would be that it was my bone but I was letting her eat it until I decided otherwise!

Triumphant, I phoned AT and when she answered I said, 'Piece of cake!' 'Well done, she replied. 'You have done the right thing now.'

I told AT that Beattie had now decided to tuck into the bone and that all seemed well now. Little did I know what was to follow ...

Cat and Mouse

canisfamiliaris — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:41:44 +0000

Letting Beattie off the lead on a walk is becoming more of a game of 'cat and mouse' nowadays. The problem is not that she runs off - she usually stays quite close, unless she finds something dead to roll about in, and then she will not come if I call. I usually have to walk back and shoo her away.

No, the fun begins when I try to put her back on the lead. She very quickly senses that I am trying to catch her and she will lay down as if she is submitting to the inevitable, but you can see that she is poised, muscles as taut as a clock spring, ready to fly as soon as I go near her! I know it's going to happen and as soon as I put out my hand to catch her collar, she is off, up and running and barking excitedly!

The first time this happened, I found a stick which I would not give her until she would let me put on her lead. That trick worked twice, but she had now got wise to that particular gambit and the third time she was not playing ball. The stick was not a powerful enough reason to allow herself to be caught. In desperation, I shouted at her, 'Do you want to see mummy?'

Poor A hates being called 'mummy' but Beattie knows the word and immediately she looked interested and I had her on the lead very quickly.

Yesterday, I was having the same problem but I tried a different tack. I had 'treats' with me, but even a biscuit, which she loves, was not inducement enough to be captured straight away! We had to go through the little charade where she would try to snatch the biscuit away from me and I held on tight with my other hand hoping to catch her by the collar.

Eventually, she gave in, but I had the feeling that it was her deciding to be caught and not being lured or tricked into it! It's as if she was saying, All right, I've had my little game, now we can go home!'

In this game of 'cat and mouse', it seems to me that the roles are reversed!

In the Dog House!

canisfamiliaris — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:26:24 +0000

Beattie was very badly behaved today. It happened at lunchtime. I made A her lunch as she is still off work because of her tooth trouble. All she wanted to eat was some bread and Marmite as it is easy to chew! I carried the plate of bread and Marmite through to the lounge and set it down on the arm of the chair and called A through from the conservatory.

My eyes had only left the plate for a few moments, but it was enough time for the dog! When I turned back and looked at her her nose was uncomfortably close to the plate!

'Get away from there!' I ordered. She turned to face me, rather startled at my tone of voice. When I looked at her all I noticed was the half slice of bread protruding, guiltily from her chops! In another second, the bread had disappeared completely, with no chewing!

'Beattie!' I yelled, even louder. A had just come through the door, and, sizing up the situation, grabbed Beattie before she could escape and dumped her in her crate for a 'time out'!

Naughty girl! She was literally in the dog house today!

Beattie's 214 Challenge

canisfamiliaris — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 21:29:01 +0000

We were back from the Lakes this week. Unfortunately, we had to cut the trip short as A was having trouble with a tooth which had to be extracted, so Beattie and I came home early.

We had five good days walking and climbed another twelve fells. Beattie has climbed 69 fells this year - her first fellwalking season. This is just about one third of the fells known as 'Wainwrights' after the 214 fells described by Alfred Wainwright in his seven Pictorial Guides. I have now climbed 175 of these fells, 41 this year.

The highlight of the week was our walk to the summit of Low Fell in the western Lakes. For the most part, the ascent was along a grassy track which led gently up to the summit. When we arrived at the top we were rewarded by superlative views of Crummock Water and the surrounding fells. My photo does not really do justice to that wonderful view.

On another day, I had planned a walk to climb four fells, one being Base Brown, which was a single fell in a group that I had not yet climbed. To make a day of it I planned a circular walk to take in three other fells that Beattie had not climbed. We started off in sunshine although I could see that there was cloud on the highest tops, but not those that we would be climbing. However, as can happen, the cloud dropped down as we ascended to the first top on the round. By the time we stood by the cairn on Grey Knotts, grey was a good description of our surroundings! We battled on to the summit of Brandreth, the mist getting thicker and conditions more unfriendly by the minute. When the summit cairn appeared out of the gloom, I decided to retreat and tackle Base Brown another day! We retraced our steps and descended to Honister Pass. We had dropped down out of the cloud by this time and it being past lunch time, I found a suitable rock to sit and munch my ham and pickle sandwiches, helped as always by Beattie, who is always up for the ham filling even laced with sweet pickle. She is not fussy!

Considering the lateness of the year, we had some lovely autumn weather on the other days, often misty, but with enough warm sun to burn off the cloud by mid-morning. The conditions were just about perfect for walking and we made the most of our five days there.

With another 39 fells to climb in my own 214 Challenge, I am hopeful that I might finish the task by the end of next year. By then, Beattie should be well on course for completing her own challenge!

Conkers!

canisfamiliaris — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 21:25:25 +0100

On our walk today, Beattie and I passed a horse chestnut tree still in full leaf. Nothing unusual in that, you might think, but this tree was still full of very ripe conkers just about bursting from their green, spiky cases.

In past years, it would be very lucky if any horse chestnut tree was still hanging on to its fruit at this time of year. Nature's harvest is the prize waiting for myriad small boys brave enough to shin up into the topmost boughs to recover the coveted treasure.

How many times does one see a small group of hopefuls standing under a horse chestnut waiting for conkers to fall when various missiles are thrown up into the canopy? More often than not, gravity brings the projectile down on to the heads of the watchers below!

Why is this time-honoured custom not being enthusiastically re-enacted this autumn? Simply because the game of conkers has been banned in most British schools on health and safety grounds! We cannot have the poor children putting themselves in mortal danger from the flying remains of a defeated party!

What's happened to our society when children cannot amuse themselves with the innocent pursuits of childhood? How many generations of youngsters have played and survived this dangerous sport? Wrap 'em up in cotton wool and allow no risk-taking. No child must be out of sight for longer than the blink of an eye of its over-weaning parent!

My heart sinks when I hear of the suffocating, over-protective lives of the children of this country. They are like dogs on short leads. Never allowed to run free. What sort of childhood is that?

Conkers should not still be on the trees!

Razor blades? Yummy!

canisfamiliaris — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 20:08:20 +0100

Last week, Beattie was in one of her awkward moods. She wouldn't settle, even after a long walk, and she did not see why I should be allowed to work. She tried the usual strategies (see Communicating) without any success. I refused to be wound up by her antics. As I wanted peace and quiet I had even let her into the 'Holy of Holies' to sleep on the bed!

Instead of enjoying the privilege, she decided to rummage in the shower and discovered a new chewing toy - A's razor!! It is one of those twin blade plastic razors and I was suddenly aware of its existence when there was a loud cracking noise coming from the hall.

Imagine my horror when I realised that Beattie had been steadily chomping her way through the head of the razor, including the twin blades! Hurriedly, I retrieved the mangled remains of the razor and prised her jaws apart, convinced I was going to see a mouthful of blood!

Amazingly, everything looked normal, so then I examined the razor to see if any slithers of the blade could be lodged on her mouth. Although it was well chewed, the blades still looked intact! I heaved a huge sigh of relief. It looked as if she had not done herself any lasting damage. No expensive trips to the vet were required today.

Kennelled!

canisfamiliaris — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:10:59 +0100

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!

Wet paint!

canisfamiliaris — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 21:35:10 +0100

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 obtructions 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!

Communicating

canisfamiliaris — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:39:34 +0100

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' - got 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!

Football Star!

canisfamiliaris — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 22:34:21 +0100

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!!

Norfolk en chance!

canisfamiliaris — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:36:21 +0100

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!!'

Serious Training

canisfamiliaris — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 23:26:13 +0100

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 ...

Apres Harvest

canisfamiliaris — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:26:39 +0100

A day or so after we returned from holiday, the combine was out in the field havesting 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!

Mistaken Identity

canisfamiliaris — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:13:14 +0100

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 supressed laughter by the owners!!!!

We're back!

canisfamiliaris — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 22:45:13 +0100

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!

First Anniversary

canisfamiliaris — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:10:26 +0100

It was a year ago today that Beattie arrived on the scene to change my life completely. Before she arrived, I had been very neutral about dogs - could take them or leave them - usually the latter. Beattie changed my perspective completely. In fact, I almost regret all the years of not owning a dog. Almost, but not quite as both A and I were in full-time, demanding workplaces and it would have been unfair to expect a dog to fit into this hectic schedule.

Now I am retired and up to a year ago was quite happy to do some supply teaching whenever anyone asked. Now, the most I will do is a half-day as I need to get back to Beattie to spend 'quality time' with her.

What a difference she has made! Everything I do has to fit in around Beattie and her needs. All has to be planned like a military operation. But the pay-off has been wonderful with a constant, faithful companion. She has made me go out and walk every day - which I love - but now there is a purpose to it. It's amazing how people will stop and talk when you have a dog by your side. And, of course, Beattie is perfect as she is so affectionate and greets strangers enthusiastically, which is a very endearing quality. Mind you, not all 'strangers' are keen on this canine interest. You have to exercise caution!

It was all so different a year ago today. Then I was very nervous about accepting the responsibility of this helpless creature. But it did not take her very long to settle in and become part of our family. I kept a diary of those first few weeks. I dug it out yesterday and read about that first day again ...

'I collected Beattie from SH at 11.30 as arranged. Lesson One was for her to learn where to widdle! AT had said that I should decide where she should perform and take her to her 'spot' and wait. All very well in theory, but things did not quite work out that way. A and I had decided to train her on concrete as it would be easier to clear up and we would not get all those brown rings on the lawn! ...

... I carried her to the shed where I attached her collar and lead (with difficulty). She did not like these restraints at all and started to pull away. I had to bend down to reassure her and then I waited. And waited. It was a very hot day and stuck between the shed and garage, it was even hotter. At least Beattie was in the shade. At intervals she whined and tried to get free, but eventually, she resigned herself to her position and went to sleep! Obviously I was getting nowhere and decided to take her inside. I gave her some food and drink. She ate some of the food before walking over to the fridge to relieve herself! Well, that was not part of the plan! ...'

A year on and how things have changed since those first tentative days. After the first few weeks, she settled down and now I really cannot imagine life without her. Every day is a joy!

Barking mad!

canisfamiliaris — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:38:58 +0100

It doesn't take very much to wind up Beattie!

Lately, the cat next door has been honing his skills of the perfect wind-up. Around ten o' clock in the evening, Beattie goes outside for the last time before bed. She is supposed to be relieving herself, but, of late, she has been having a fine time running around the garden barking madly! Of course, it is getting dark so it took a while to discover what was making her so excited.

It was Billy, the next door cat, who lives an outdoor life, according to the neighbours. I spotted him last week walking very slowly and deliberately along the fence at the back of our garden. Beattie was jumping about following his stately progress getting very agitated because she was quite unable to reach the cat or do anything at all about her obvious taunting. We have a thick, prickly hawthorn hedge in front of the fence, which abuts farmland. Many years ago, I lined the fence with double thickness chicken wire to prevent the cat that we had then from bringing us the local rabbits as tokens of her affection!

Consequently, for the dog, the back fence is as secure as Fort Knox! All of which she is finding very frustrating and B has learned that Beattie is completely helpless and that all the dog does is bark!

Maximum enjoyment for very little effort!

Visiting relations

canisfamiliaris — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:31:31 +0100

We were very kindly invited by SH to accompany Beattie when she went round to play with her mum and big sister. P and R have been round ours to play and SH was returning the invitation. SH brings her dogs past at least twice a day and she says that her two always stop in the hope that they might see Beattie.

It's always lovely to see them together. P seems to derive particular pleasure from seeing her 'little one' again - her whole body wags with delight!

R has just been mated for the first time and it was very funny to watch her and Beattie together. R could not understand why Beattie was not taking any 'interest' in her. R kept jumping round to display her back end, but Beattie, of course, showed not the slightest interest apart from the normal 'sniffing' ritual that all dogs perform on meeting. The apparent 'rejection' made R even more frantic and it caused great amusement to observe her efforts to persuade Beattie to cooperate!!

All this permissive behaviour left Beattie nonplussed and she soon tired of the attention and curled up on A's lap and went to sleep!

Meanwhile, the adults enjoyed a BBQ and a bottle of wine before we took Beattie home for an early night. We were rather concerned that she might become even more of a tart than she already is!

Back in training

canisfamiliaris — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:02:31 +0100

After Beattie had finished her season, I telephoned AT to ask whether she may resume her training at Dog Club. AT told me to give Beattie a shower and then spray some of A's perfume on her rear end to mask any 'seasonal odours' that might excite the male dogs!

'What perfume does A use?' enquired AT.

'I can't remember, I'll have a look,' I replied. I trotted through to the bedroom to find a bottle of Chanel No. 5 on the dressing table.

'Right, give her a squirt of that up her arse', AT ordered. 'That will mask any doggy scents!'

Well, I always do what AT tells me when it comes to Beattie, so I obeyed her command. When A came home from work and I told her what AT had said, she nearly hit the roof!

'You are not spraying my expensive perfume on Beattie.' A was very firm about this. What a pity it was too late!

Training went very well that evening despite the fact that I had done very little with her for the past few weeks due to her season and the fact that Beattie and I were in the Lake District. Only one of the dogs showed any interest in her, which showed that despite the expensive camoflage, the odour of 'I'm still interesting, come and get me' could beat anything I could find to fool the other canines.

Now, why isn't that a surprise?

Hot stuff!

canisfamiliaris — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:08:05 +0100

Beattie has always been a scavenger! Whenever I am preparing a meal she is always hanging around hoping to pick up the smallest morsel that might accidently drop on the floor.

Yesterday she got more than she bargained for. I was baking salmon and ran out of pepper at a crucial stage. I refilled the pepper mill with peppercorns before finishing off the salmon preparation. As I carried the tray to the oven, Beattie nipped in to 'clean up' and must have eaten a peppercorn! The next thing I saw was her trying to get rid of the peppercorn she had crunched up. It was quite comical to see her using a paw to get rid of the last vestiges of this strange 'hot' food.

I doubt even this experience will cure her of her scavenging ways!

False Alarm

canisfamiliaris — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 13:49:03 +0100

For a moment I thought Beattie was going to die! She was foaming at the mouth, retching horribly as if she was trying to get rid of something she had swallowed. What was it that had caused such a violent reaction in her?

I rushed to her side and tried to prise her jaws apart to see what the obstruction was. A was filling a jug full of water. I thought she might not be in time and called her urgently. I really thought that her number was up and she was about to expire! A arrived with the water and unceremoniously, she tipped the contents into her mouth. Beattie did not like that at all, but it seemed to help a bit. I carried her into her crate in the kitchen and rang the vet. It was 6.30 and surgery was now closed, but, luckily, the vet was still there and I was able to talk to her. I described her symptoms and said that earlier in the day she had swallowed a piece of thin bone. Could she be trying to bring it up, I wondered. The vet suggested I wait for two hours, but I said I wanted her seen straight away.

'There will be a £75 call-out fee,' she told me.

'That's fine,' I replied. Whatever the cost I wanted her seen a.s.a.p.

'I'll see you at the surgery in 40 minutes,' the vet said.

Meanwhile, A had telephoned AT, who thought that Beattie may have been stung by a bee. Whatever the cause, she would be seen now. As the minutes had passed, Beattie seemed to be getting less distressed and before we left she was very quiet, but was breathing normally without retching.

We had to take her to the emergency surgery and on the way, A sat in the back to check the Beattie was all right. If she lay down, A called her to make sure she was still conscious!

We had a 25 minute wait for the vet to arrive. I apologised for ruining her Friday evening as, by now, Beattie appeared to be perfectly normal! The vet was perfectly charming and said that it was no problem at all. She had been the vet I saw when Beattie had her first ticks removed, so she knew her patient.

After an examination the vet decided her stomach was normal, but asked if she could X-ray her as a precaution. We waited anxiously for the result, but were relieved when the X-ray showed nothing in her tummy. The vet told us that the stomach acids in a dog can dissolve bone very quickly. Perhaps it had been a bee sting after all, or maybe something on one of the plants in the garden. Beattie had been nosing about in the flower border just before her spectacular antics!

I was just grateful that she had recovered and did not even flinch when I was told the bill for treatment would be £221!

'Are you insured?' enquired the vet.

I confirmed that we did have pet insurance, so at least we would recover the money. But that was not really important. Beattie was back!

The silver lining for her was that the vet prescribed a diet of chicken and rice for the next 24 hours, so we had to call in at the supermarket to buy the best chicken breasts to cook up for her tea.

At least she was very appreciative of her late night feast, when it finally arrived!

A Cautionary Tale

canisfamiliaris — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:17:33 +0100

'Before you go, can you put a new cuttlefish in the budgie's cage?' This innocent request from my mother nearly led to a fatality!

How was I to know the budgie was a chancer, looking for any opportunity to escape. Freedom is a precious gift, but, for a budgie, escape into an unfriendly world, 'the other side of the bars,' is fraught with hidden dangers. In this case, the 'danger' waiting to pounce was Beattie!

I opened the door of the cage with the cuttlefish bone in my hand. I had to attach it to the bars of the cage with a thin, bendable strip of metal. I reached to the back of the cage and as I did so, the budgie fluttered around in alarm before making its bid for freedom through the open door. Not realising the danger, I worked away to fix the white bone on to the bars. The next thing I was aware of was a squawk from the budgie, but it was too far away - not in the cage. I turned around just in time to see Beattie pounce on the unwilling victim and engulf the hapless creature in her jaws!

I threw myself to the floor in an attempt to rescue the poor bird, but in that moment it escaped Beattie's clutches and fluttered away, only to be caught again a moment later! I grabbed Beattie's neck hard and she yelped, dropping the bird which waddled away to safety whilst I had tight hold of the dog.

When I studied the bird to make sure it had not dropped dead of the shock, I realised that it had no tail, and glancing down at Beattie could see the long, white tail feathers hanging out of her mouth!

Mother came in to see what all the commotion was about and I had to confess Beattie's crime. The budgie was very quiet, but seemed to have survived the ordeal. Mother put him back in his cage and shut the door.

We reflected on the trouble that her bird has had with its tail. When she bought it a few months ago it had a fine tail, but a few days later mother telephoned me to report that the bird's tail had mysteriously disappeared! Had it pulled its own tail out? Nobody could account for the missing tail! Eventually it grew back - until yesterday! Now we will have to hope it can regenerate its tail for a second time.

As for Beattie, her disgrace did not last very long. At least the tale had a happy ending. I telephoned mother later in the day and she was able to report that the bird was quite well and chirruping loudly once more.

Thank goodness!

Whitsun Holiday - Part 4 'Tick trouble!'

canisfamiliaris — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 09:59:06 +0100

After all the trouble that we had with ticks the week before our Whitsun holiday, I should have guessed we would have to suffer further tribulations from the little devils when we returned to the Lakes!

The day after Beattie came into season, A found a tick on her during a routine inspection. We had been conducting these inspections every day since the problem had first emerged. The vet had said that 'Frontline' should keep the little beasties at bay, or at least they should drop off in a couple of days.

We decided to keep an eye on her. The next day the tick was still there, its legs waving about demonstrating it was very much alive and kicking. I decided to take action. After all, the vet had removed two ticks using forceps. AT had told me that people used various substances to 'soften up' the tick - vaseline and olive oil were supposed to restrict the air so the little beggar could not breathe, making resistance to forced removal much easier!

We only had olive oil in the caravan so we poured on a little of this on to the tick. The results were not what I had expected. The oil seemed to spread out everywhere, but after a few minutes of waiting I used A's tweezers to seize hold of the body and gently twist it anti-clockwise as I had been told to do. I was amazed when the tick just came right out - all of it, the body, legs and head. What a triumph! I never expected the job to be that easy.

When we found another tick the next day, I was full of confidence about removing it and set to immediately. Perhaps it was overconfidence, or maybe I did not wait long enough after administering the olive oil, or was it the I tugged too hard instead of twisting. Whatever the reason, this time only the body came out! Disaster! Feverishly, I tried to pull out the head, but it was hopeless. I knew this was serious condition as a nasty infection could follow. Luckily, we were returning home the next day and would be able to visit the vet on Monday.

Postscript: I took Beattie to the vet, who removed the reminder of the tick using a surgical needle and he also gave her a dose of antibiotics, which seem to have done the trick. Thank goodness!

Beattie has had enough excitement for one week - so have we! We need to go home for a rest!

Whitsun Holiday - Part 3 'Bone treat'

canisfamiliaris — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 09:32:00 +0100

Dogs love bones!

I give Beattie a butcher's bone most weeks and she gnaws away on it very happily for an hour or more.

Last week we went out for a meal one night and I came back with a lamb shank bone for her as a treat. I attached her lead to the tow-ball of the car and left her to it. After a while, I happened to glance out of the window and noticed she had broken off the end of the bone and was trying to crunch it up, but it was obvious that the bone was stuck awkwardly in her mouth making it impossible for her to chew.

I went to her aid and found that the bone was lodged between two of her teeth and the roof of her mouth. I tried to shift it without success. My task was not made any easier by Beattie herself, as she thought I was trying to steal her treat!

A came out to assist and I held her jaws apart as A tried to remove the bone. This was a serious situation as she could have choked to death if she had swallowed the bone! We decided it a job for a vet so I went to put my shoes on while A looked after Beattie.

I was just tying the laces when A shouted that she had managed to remove the bone. She decided that she would have to do something even at the risk of hurting Beattie. What a relief! There was no doubt in my mind that A had saved Beattie from near disaster.

That would be the last bone she would have for a while! (At least, for the duration of our holiday!)

Whitsun Holiday - Part 2 'A dog for all seasons!'

canisfamiliaris — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:18:52 +0100

Beattie came into season while we were away. Of course, I had been expecting the event sooner or later. SH told me that her dogs came in at fourteen months. Still, it was rather a shock to be told by A that she had found blood on the duvet when I had taken Beattie out for her early morning walk last Thursday.

I had asked SH if there were any signs to look out for before she came in and I was told that Beattie would be a bit dopey a day or two before she started. When I thought back, Beattie had been in a very funny mood yesterday. She did not seem at all keen on going for her walk and kept hanging back at the end of her lead - most unlike her, she is usually forging ahead.

There were hurried texts sent to AT to ask her advice. 'Don't worry', came the reply, 'She is not ill! Just keep her on a lead and don't let her come into contact with other dogs.'

Well, since then, Beattie has been pretty good at keeping herself clean. On our return, I telephoned AT who gave me more detailed advice including telling me that Beattie could not come back to training until her season was over - about three weeks. 'But you can still train her at home,' she added!

She will still be in season when I take her away again the week after next. But, at least by then it will nearly all be over!