In an effort to make better use of the day I’ve been taking Beanie for her morning walk a little earlier than usual. An unexpected benefit of this new schedule is that we get to meet up with another beagle pup, Sophie.

Beanie and Sophie running together back in January

As they are now: Sophie (closest), Beanie and a Spaniel friend

When Beanie and Sophie first met back in January they were great pals. Now of course they’re a little older, so there have been a few dominance tussles in between the chasing games. The best thing about this is that Sophie is confident enough to hold her own against our strong willed little hooligan. I think it’ll do Beanie some good to learn that she can’t always be top dog while she still has her “puppy license” ie. the recognition by older, bigger dogs that she’s still a pup rather than a serious competitor.

Speaking of bigger dogs, this morning’s doggy gathering included a Rottweiler called Chub. He’s as gentle as he is huge. I get the feeling that the biggest danger from Chub is that he might sit on your feet, causing you to need longer, wider and flatter shoes. Still, this big boy effortlessly commands the respect of humans and dogs alike. Imagine a doggy version of Samuel L. Jackson, lookin’ mean and packin’ some heat - something just tells you he’s not a guy to mess with. And that’s why there were a few uncomfortable moments when Beanie lost her Kong ball.

I took the ball out in an attempt to distract Beanie and Sophie from their wrestling match, and it got lost in the long grass. Chub found it, took a shine to it and after coating it in a thick film of slaver (nice), lay down with it between his front paws. There was no growling, no overt body language but the message was loud and clear: “This is MINE”.

Beanie evidently decided she would forgo her usual habit of snatching another dog’s toy in order to start a chase, because she kept a respectful distance from Chub. Equally, I decided that although the ball was Beanie’s, Chub could keep it if really wanted. It was pure generosity on my part of course, and nothing to do with the fact that Chub is really, really BIG. Curiously, the monster’s owner didn’t seem to keen to retrieve the ball right at that moment either. So we all stood there, chatting about other things, until a distraction gave the Rottweiler’s dad a chance to quietly hand the ball over to me, whereupon it went deep into my pocket and remained hidden there until Samuel “Chub” Jackson left for home

Chub

Swimming is just as good for dogs as it is for humans. It exercises muscles in ways that walking and running can’t, and does so without loading the joints. Unfortunately Beagles tend not be keen on entering water - a trait that Beanie shares. She became a little less reticent after the “Pool Party” at the Pets A & E therapy pool, so we decided to give her another, longer swimming session on Tuesday.

She was a little uneasy and splashy at first, but with gentle coaxing from the excellent staff she started to relax. By the end she was confident enough to show an interest in one of the toys.

The session concluded with a quick shower and good rubdown with a towel.

I think some kind of perfumed gel was used for the shower because Beanie smelled unusually fresh as sat in my lap on the way back home. Perhaps that’s the real reason why Beagles aren’t keen on swimming - one session washes away the delicate eau de toilet built up by hours of rolling around in dead frog carcasses and assorted wildlife droppings. Aagh! There’s never a pile of fox poo to hand when you really need it!

The day after her session at the pool I did note that Beanie was quite happy to wade through a stream at her local park, so it seems to have done some good. Maybe another session or two will make her brave enough for a little solo swim in the park’s lake. It would at least enable her to gobble up the bread that the silly two-legged types keep throwing at ducks

The Glasgow East End 5K road race was held this morning in Tollcross Park. Both Susan and myself had entered for it some time ago, but since we’re both carrying injuries we decided that I’d run (or more likely hobble) round the course while Susan took Beanie for a walk in the park. Or at least that was the plan, but when we got there we saw a couple of dogs wearing racing numbers, so we asked the officials if we could enter Beanie too. A couple of minutes later she had a number, an official T-shirt (small Beagle size, naturally) and was joining in the pre-race warmup!

If you want me to do aerobics, show me the treats

I have run with Beanie on lead before, but always with extender unlocked so she could go at her own pace and have the odd mid-jog sniff. This time she had to run with a fixed lead and I wasn’t sure whether she’d like it, but as it turned out she was great. Every time we passed other runners we’d hear “Awww look at that little doggy”and I’d slip her half a gravy bone as a treat. She really loved the cheers and applause at the finish, and although she wasn’t the first dog to finish the race (we took just over 27 mins) she was certainly the first Beagle!

Beanie and me after the race

 Another race, another medal

Beanie’s not done running today, though. Shortly we’re driving up to Kincardine for another round of Beagle Racing. Let’s hope the weather is kind!

P.S. At the end of the race, I had a bit of trouble locating Susan in the crowds, so figured I’d try to use Beanie’s amazing tracking ability. In an excited voice I told Beanie “Where’s Susie? Find Susie!” To my amazement, Beanie sniffed about a bit and picked up a scent. Unfortunately the scent led to a discarded sandwich, which she promptly scoffed. That’s Beagles for ya!

Today Beagle Racing wasn’t an option - the club has closed for a few weeks due to an outbreak of kennel cough - so we headed off to the park for a short walk on nice, flat ground. We were still feeling the effects of yesterday’s journey up Ben Lomond, and I think Beanie was too. When we let her off lead she didn’t run around madly as normal, and stuck close to us.. and the treat bag, of course.

All that changed when we ran into a lovable collie cross called Tessa. Susan checked with Tessa’s owner that she was up for a bit of rough Beagle-style play, and when we got the OK we let Beanie off lead again. The two immediately got down to some vigorous play fighting:

Although Tessa was bigger than Beanie, they seemed to be pretty evenly matched and took turns being in the dominant position. Tessa had no problem keeping up with Beanie’s rapid fire direction changes, and after a few minutes Beanie was happy to call a timeout.

They had a couple of treats and went at it again, but yesterday’s exertions - combined with Tessa’s boundless energy - left Beanie feeling thoroughly pooped.

We said our goodbyes and headed back home with very sleepy little Beagle!

The forecast for Saturday told us to expect a hot sunny day, and for once the weathermen got it right. We decided to take advantage of the good weather by taking Beanie for a walk up Ben Lomond.

Ben Lomond is one of the most accessible mountains in Scotland - it has a well worn, gently winding path - but the walk to the summit and back takes a good 4-5 hours, so we packed extra water and treats for ourselves as well as Beanie.

We got there a little later than planned but happily still managed to get a parking place, and set off. From the start all the way up to the summit, Beanie positively charged up the mountain. I don’t know why, but she really loves to climb - it’s much more than just the lure of fresh, free-range sheep poo that keeps her going onwards and upwards.

After a while though even she started to feel the heat. We stopped for a breather at one point and Beanie found a pool of muddy water. Rather than standing at the edge and drinking from it as she usually would - and given a choice between fresh clean water and a mucky pond, she’ll take the pond every time - she waded right in up to her neck. When she emerged she was coated in mud, though thankfully she shook off the excess before she came into contact with anybody else. I suppose there’s a first time for everything

On park walks I often tell people that Beanie is virtually self cleaning, though I’m sure they don’t believe me. Well, here’s the proof. This is Beanie at the summit:

We didn’t wipe her down, and she didn’t lick any of the mud off, but it’s nearly all gone! It must be a combination of her short coat and whatever oils she produces. Whatever the reason, it’s a good thing.

On the way up, Beanie really was an asset. She often found little deviations from the path that were easier on the legs, and she was pulling strongly enough that whoever was holding her lead noticeably quickened their pace, regardless of fatigue.

The path back down from the summit may have looked inviting…

..but it was just as punishing on the legs as the climb up, and a pulling Beagle doesn’t help when you’re trying to keep your balance. Beanie’s path finding abilities were still useful though. She took us on a couple of grassy shortcuts that were much easier, faster and probably safer than the standard rocky trail.

Although there wasn’t really any point on the walk when Beanie seemed to be tiring, when we got back home she flaked out completely. Ordinarily that would have given us a chance to get on with household chores in peace, but we were cream-crackered too and just vegged out in front of the telly.