Jiggery pokery

 

Jiggery pokery

Whereas Labradors will do anything for food, wherever it is presented to them, cats can be unpredictable. Jellicoe and Herschel are fed in separate rooms, because Herschel eats more quickly than Jellicoe, and then wants to eat his brother’s fare. In addition, each of them shows a preference for the other’s food, to the extent of walking away from their own bowls, and pretending indifference. Left to their own devices – that is, shut into their rooms - they will return to their dishes and finish their meals.

There has been a change in the last couple of days, with neither of them showing much interest in their own food. I have changed over the bowls and the cats, and that seems to have worked. It appears that they are fooled into thinking they are getting each other’s dishes, simply because they are each eating in the other’s ‘room.’

It is a little worrying, because Jellicoe is usually ravenous, but he has been a little spoilt recently with freshly cooked chicken, so he’s always looking around in the expectation of that particular treat.

We shall keep an eye on him. I’m sure he does it to keep us on our toes!

Poorly car!

 

Poorly car!

Marnie and Jake model a custom-built dog crate, many years ago.

Our sixteen-year-old car is languishing in the local car repair garage. It is the vehicle we use to transport the dogs. It is sturdy, workmanlike, and effective over rough ground as it has good ground clearance. It is not comfortable, and is only used for short journeys of less than ten miles.

Keeping dogs safe in cars is a concern. For a while, we had a crate in the boot and thought the dogs were secure in it. Then we read a couple of articles about cars being involved in accidents and the owners finding the crate impossible to open. Crates were abandoned.

Our dog box has a tailgate, through which the dogs enter the vehicle. There is strong netting separating their section from the driver/passenger compartment. Dogs have been ejected through the front windscreen on occasion, a horrifying accident which would surely never be forgotten, and so we took steps to avoid that.

The dogs are happy in their part of the car. One day, a following driver kept honking at us. We were puzzled, as we were not speeding or driving excessively slowly, and we were on a quiet road, the one we live on. Eventually, we stopped to find out what was causing the disturbance and discovered that we had not shut the tailgate. Three Labradors stood stoically and obediently, awaiting our word to disembark.

Waiting . . . 

We praised the dogs, shut the tailgate firmly and thanked the thoughtful driver who had alerted us.

Months ago, it became impossible to lock the dog car. That is, we could lock it but had to call the AA to unlock it, so we stopped locking it. The dog car is not a desirable automobile - no-one in their right mind would steal it, so we had no fears on that score. The most valuable things in it are our dogs and our walking poles, which we never leave in at the end of a walk.

Last week, the side door and the petrol cap locked themselves.

 Gremlins? Boggarts? Poltergeists?

Driver and passenger doors were still operational and so were the tailgate and the door at the passenger side of the rear compartment. The fear was that they too would lock themselves, and then the dogs would be trapped inside, with no means of releasing them. The strong netting has since been removed and the poorly car is enjoying an enforced holiday at the garage, awaiting spare parts.

Meanwhile, the dogs are appreciating the unexpected pleasure of travelling in the back of the eighteen-year-old estate car we use for journeys longer than thirty minutes – it’s more comfortable than the dog car.

People often ask why we use a car to take the dogs for a walk. We like to walk in the woods, which are a fifteen to twenty-minute walk from our house along narrow pavements. We prefer to take a short drive and let the dogs run free quicker than they otherwise would.

Ten years

 

Ten years

It is ten years since our last Dalmatian died. Frodo the Faller was fourteen years old, quite a good age, considering all the ailments he suffered. He was preceded by Buddy Liver Spots, Dominie, and Cariadd, all of whom lived long active lives.

Barry had run with them for years through fine weather and foul, but his knees were increasingly painful. Once his new chrome alloy knee joints were in place, he didn’t want to wear them out, so running, a life-long pursuit, was replaced by other activities, and another Dalmatian was out of the question. Thirty years of Dalmatians had been great fun, but we recognised our new limitations and anyway, Labradors are so much easier.

The only Dalmatians we now have are ornaments, and some Disney-type iterations. I think they were toppers from large tubes of Smarties. I always loved Smarties, and they’re so useful for number work and simple music theory with young children.

Dogs and chocolate

 

Dogs and chocolate

                            Whisky, gently taking part of a KitKat from my mouth.                         That was the year we had the same colour hair/fur, Whisky and  I, though hers was natural.

In the years before anyone realised that dogs and chocolate were a dangerous combination, we used to hang chocolate decorations on the Christmas tree.

We came home one day to find that all the chocolate had been comprehensively sucked out of the foil wrappings and our Labrador, Whisky, was looking rather pleased with herself. We knew it wasn’t our small children – they would have taken the decorations off the tree in their entirety. It was our fault. We had trained her with chocolate - she was the gentlest dog.

That was the last year we put chocolate on the tree. Now, of course, chocolate is kept strictly away from dogs and cats.

However, Buddy Liver Spots once ate a complete chocolate cake one Christmas, to our grandchildren’s delight and admiration. He didn’t suffer any ill effects whatsoever and didn’t even look full or guilty. 

Buddy Liver Spots,counter surfing, supported keenly and optimistically by Dominie

Dalmatians are as greedy as Labradors, taller than them, and adept at counter surfing! We became quite used to placing food out of their reach  and have to do it still, since Jellicoe is a Labrador in disguise, always looking for something to eat. However, cats can and do climb, so it's even more of a challenge to keep them away from our comestibles!

Sixteen years

 

Sixteen years

Sixteen years have passed since these photographs were taken. Our Dalmatian years lasted for 30 years, the last one, my velcro dog, Frodo the Faller, leaving us 9 years ago.

                                        Frodo the Faller, my velcro dog

I’ve heard all sorts of stories about Dalmatians. Some people asked us if black-spotted Dalmatians turned brown in old age, or did the liver-spotted turn black with age? One person told me that liver-spotted Dalmatians were not regarded as proper Dalmatians. They are ‘proper’ Dalmatians and some breeders try to specialise in the liver-spotted variety. Many people were surprised to learn that the puppies are white when they’re born, developing their spots from the age of about two weeks until 18 months or so.

                                    Dominie of the thunderous paws

It is a fact that puppies born with coloured patches used to be destroyed at birth. Whether this was because it was thought the patches might become cancerous or because it demeaned the breed or the breeder in some way is unclear. Patched puppies are no longer destroyed and haven’t been for more than forty years. They make fine pets, though they will not be destined for a show career.

                                        Buddy Liver Spots

Like most white or piebald animals, Dalmatians have a tendency to deafness, but this is being addressed with careful breeding and BAER testing (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) of registered breeding stock. There are some unregistered breeders so deaf pups are still born. With careful, patient training they can be wonderful dogs, but they require a lot of work.

                        Buddy Liver Spots and Frodo the Faller

We greatly enjoyed our Dalmatians. They were fantastic running companions for Barry and would also walk for hours with me. Now we lead lives more suited to rambling, Labrador Retrievers have become our companions once again. We have come full circle. We started with a Labrador, then had the Jack Russell years, which overlapped the Labrador. The Dalmatians ran concurrently with the JRs for a while, and then led back to Labradors.

                Jenna. the little Labrador with the enormous paws, with her tracker and cow bell, never happier than when retrieving

What happened?

 

What happened?

When people ask what we’ve been doing, I always say, ‘Nothing’, or ‘Not much’, because what has been happening in our lives may seem inconsequential, compared to what other folk have been up to. Time passes and it’s not filled with exciting trips abroad or fabulous meals in smart restaurants or trips to the theatre. Nonetheless, our time is fully occupied.

Our oldest grandson was married in August 2021. It was a beautiful day with perfect weather and it was so good to meet all our family after such long times apart.  Our grandson and his wife are expecting their first child, a daughter, in March next year.

In March 2021, Ariella was born to our second granddaughter and in August 2022 her parents were married before their son was born in October. We were unable to attend as by then it was impossible to leave Gus because he fretted so much if he was left alone, despite having canine and feline company. He needed his own humans – no-one else would do. 

In 2021, we had a dog-sitter to look after the dogs (and cats) but a year later Gus was thoroughly dependent on us. He missed his sister, as Jenna had died in November 2021, at the grand age of 16, quite remarkable for a Labrador.

Jenna and Gus when young

 Jenna in old age

In April 2022, Bertie required extensive dental surgery and jaw reconstruction. He recovered well, but by May, a month or so after his operation, he began to be fussy about his food. Bertie was unusual, in that he was never greatly interested in food, and Labradors are renowned dustbins. Nevertheless, he had always eaten whatever was placed in front of him, but quite suddenly he turned his nose up at his rations. Veterinary investigations showed that he was very ill and not likely to linger long. He still looked the handsome dog he had always been, was keen to go out for walks, remained the perfect gentleman he had been since puppyhood, but he was losing condition rapidly, despite regular B12 vitamin injections and appetite stimulants. We could have stocked a pet food shop with the different brands of dog and cat food we bought to try and encourage him to eat. We bought two or three chickens a week and cooked them in the pressure cooker.

 

Bertie in his prime

Most things worked for a while but eventually he was eating only minute portions and plain yoghourt. Our beautiful boy was fading away and we braced ourselves for his departure and then, shockingly, in August, Gus died. 

Gus 

Gus was a big, strong dog, with the heart of a lion and the gentle temperament of a capybara, always inclined to avoid trouble. He had the sweetest smile and the most beautifully shaped front paws. He had developed arthritis in recent years, which was being well managed, and always enjoyed his walks. One night, he was crying and I had to get up to him several times, to soothe and comfort him. (Our dogs have always slept upstairs with us, often on the bed.)The next morning, after he had taken the morning air, he was suddenly unable to stand and I could see the pain and fear in his eyes. That was his last day with us. He was nearly thirteen.

Those of you who have read earlier posts may recall that we called him Augustus Lazarus Cooke, because as a newborn pup he had to be encouraged to breathe. Just at the point his breeder was about to abandon her efforts, he took a breath and never looked back. He remained very puppy-like in his ways.

We had expected Bertie to be the first to leave but he clung on until one day he was no longer coming to lay his head on my lap to have his ears stroked and was not interested in going for a walk. So that day, in October, Bertie departed this life. He was eleven.

Roxy with Bertie

Now, abruptly, we were reduced to one dog. Roxy is seven years old and has never known life without another dog.

It is clear that she is missing her companions and although she enjoys the company of our daughter’s working cocker spaniel, Arthur is not a Labrador, and more importantly, he doesn’t live with us.

Arthur 

Roxy and Arthur with Barry

Every time she goes out she gravitates towards other Labradors. There’s only one remedy . . .  

What happened next?

‘Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.’ Agnes Sligh Turnbull.

What's been happening?

What’s been happening?

(Clicking on the photos enlarges them - usually . . . )

The days and weeks and months pass so quickly and when I look back I can’t see that anything much has happened. So, what has been happening?

In February and August of 2016, after years of increasing immobility and pain, Barry had two knee replacements. The result is that he is taller and can do so much more now. He was a very good patient and did all his exercises assiduously. His physiotherapist was extremely good and got the measure of him very quickly, recognising his very competitive spirit, and warning advising him not to overdo things.

 In February last year, 2017, Susannah treated us to a trip to Tromsø in Norway to see the Northern Lights. If proof were needed of the success of Barry’s knee operations, it was provided by that holiday. We went out at night into the fjords to see the Lights and Barry stood for several hours, filming them. The next day we went out again, in the hope of seeing orcas and humpback whales, though the majority had left the area, and again Barry stood for several hours taking photographs. We saw a couple of orcas and one humpback.

Aurora Borealis, Tromso

In the summer, Susannah and I went to Lucca in Tuscany. She was going to a friend’s wedding and I was going to look after Frankie. However, Frankie didn’t come with us in the end. It was very hot!

Villa Cheli, Lucca, Tuscany

Italian wall lizard

In August, our eldest grandson, Callum, came to live with us. He is on a year’s work placement from university. It’s lovely to have a young man in the house and beneficial for Frankie to have another good male role model. We see a lot of his girl-friend, Kat, too.

Callum and Kat at the helm of Appaloosa. 

In September Frankie started full-time school. As he had been attending pre-school in the same school since he was three, the staff and facilities were familiar to him. However, quite naturally, he was a little anxious and wanted to know if there would be toilets there! The uniform was a challenge for him. No longer was it a case of pulling on a tee-shirt and trousers. Now he had to manage shirt buttons. I have watched my husband countless times as he strains and contorts to fasten the wretched top button. Although Frankie had practised fastening buttons before term started, he could not manage the top button and found it frustrating. In fact, the thought of undressing and dressing affected his enjoyment of school and there were several occasions when he said, ‘I don’t like swimming/PE/school.’ It passed, of course, and now he is proud that he can get undressed/dressed quicker than his peers. Like his grandfather, Frankie is very competitive.

First day of school - so many clothes!

 The watchword in our house is, ‘Practice makes perfect’ and so it proves with many things. Frankie asked me the other day why I could write so quickly and I told him it was because I’d had lots of practice.

We hosted Christmas 2017, the first time we’ve done that for several years. Bethan and Robert and Charlie came, with Lolly, of course. It was fun and we were so well-organised, unusually for us, that we could have eaten lunch at 11.30. Susannah, a dedicated vegetarian, was in charge of vegetables and I was responsible for cooking the meat. The thing that delayed us and made us laugh was part of the vegetarian element. The Brussels sprouts were not ready! Even so, we ate at 1.00 which was just as well as small children cannot wait long for food without becoming fretful.

Charlie and Frankie

On the animal front the Labradors keep us busy and make us go out. We may sometimes be reluctant but the rewards are many, not least seeing the joy of our dogs playing. We both use walking poles as the ground we cover is rough and full of ruts and roots and often extremely muddy.

Retrieving sticks

The cats are six in number. We have our three Ocicat brothers, who will be six this year. Susannah’s much loved and characterful Abyssinian, Cleopatra, known as Pats or Patricia, died in 2017. Susannah already had two Somali brothers (Somalis are long-haired Abyssinians) and now has a tiny, exquisite Abyssinian female, Zula, who was one year old on 1^st February. The cats adore the dogs, Bertie in particular, and you may be sure that if you are making a fuss of a dog you will soon be joined by one or more cats.

Zula

All the animals love Callum and pile onto and around him and also Kat. I think they respond positively to youth!

Callum with four dogs and two cats

So there you have it. We have done very little other than look after our family. We are older but not much wiser and still look to the future though with less optimism about our lovely country. Politicians of both main parties, at least those in the headlines, the ‘leaders’, prove their incompetence almost daily. MPs of all persuasions demand that more money should be thrown at whichever problem is causing the most unease at any time. That is not the answer but it impresses the voters . . . maybe. Plus ça change!

Snack time

Snack time!

Why do dogs always manage to look half-starved whenever food is in the offing?

Jenna and Roxy are always the first to show interest but Roxy is the only counter-surfing Labrador we have had. All the Dalmatians were inveterate thieves and we are tempted to give some credence to the theory of transference of souls as Roxy was born just three days before Frodo the Faller died.

To be fair, the dogs were called over by Susannah to be tempted at close quarters by peanut butter on toast.

Isambard, one of our Ocicats, is always to be found near one or other of the dogs. He does not like peanut butter but joined his friends anyway.

As the smallest – even Roxy, at not quite eight months old, is taller than her - Jenna is often to be found on hind legs, greying muzzle and questing nose searching for the hint of a sniff of a smell of food.

Eventually patience and perseverance were rewarded when the plate ‘fell’ to the floor – I believe it may have been after a nudge from Jenna’s nose.

Footnote: did you know that peanut butter is believed to promote shiny coats in dogs? Just the thought of peanut butter seems to have had the desired effect on our dogs!

Bertie and the rain

Young puppies need to be taken outside at regular intervals to relieve themselves. Small bodies can’t store very much and when they have to be emptied they must be accommodated promptly.  

A few days ago, in the middle of the night, though that’s a contradiction, I took Bertie out in pouring rain, under an umbrella, and he was quick to discharge his load and hop back indoors out of the wet.

We’ve had a lot of rain recently but on Tuesday it was coming down like stair-rods. I’ve always thought that a strange expression since stair-rods are placed horizontally and rain falls vertically – usually! Anyway, it was raining extremely heavily and despite a large umbrella covering us, Bertie didn’t want to stray away from its shelter or my feet. 

He was not a happy boy! 

It was, after all, not his choice to go out at that time. We thought he *should* go out!

Humans don’t always know what’s best for puppies!

It is funny how dogs that are bred for the great outdoors dislike going out in the rain when they’re at home, yet when they’re out they can’t keep away from water. Frodo, our Dalmatian, makes a beeline for ponds when we’re walking, being beaten to them only narrowly by our Labradors. 

My World Tuesday

It was a fine, frosty morning yesterday but as the day grew up so the sun shone warmly. Our walk was a delight - the bluest of blue skies, the sweetest of bird songs and fresh, clean air to breathe. 

The waxing gibbous moon shone palely, surprised at its eminence in the sunshine.

There are a number of new ponds in the forest. 

They were dug out recently, in the last couple of weeks, so the surrounding ground still bears the scars carved in it by the heavy diggers and has yet to recover. The mallards are quick to discover new waterways. We see these drakes every year. They usually accompany a single duck but she was nowhere to be seen.

Book ends, anyone?

Preening is important. A chap's got to look his best!

Aircraft flew high above, little sound audible in the clear atmosphere.

This one is a British Airways aircraft. How do I know? The BA fleet is the only one whose planes have blue undersides.

 Vapour trails dispersed quickly, an indication of a fine day in prospect.

There had been some logging. The smell of pine resin was quite intoxicating.

Strange fruit in a Scots Pine. Can you see it?

Have a closer look . . . No?

There, now! It looks like an apple or maybe an orange. Odd! 

I wasn't with Barry on the day this fruit 'ripened'. 

 It is usually to be seen in a Labrador's mouth. 

Yes, it's a Kong - the orange thing, not Gus!

The one in the tree? Barry threw it rather enthusiastically and it caught in the branches. So it hangs, being tested by the elements. I wonder how long it will remain there. The Labradors are clever and persistent but tree climbing is not one of their skills - not to twenty feet, anyway.

This is the retrieval ground to which they are accustomed . . . 

 . . . or this, though this is not strictly 'ground'!

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