The Abominable Snow Beagle

Today’s heavy snow may have caused hassle for the human population, but it’s been blummin’ brilliant for dogs. Neither of our two pups had seen a decent covering of snow before, and when they got out into the garden they went absolutely wild. Needless to say we rushed through breakfast and got them to the park as quickly as we could.

As I noted in a previous post we’re still walking them separately so they can’t go running off together, and as usual the first off-lead slot went to Beanie. When we first got to the field there was no-one else about, so I loaded up her trusty slit tennis ball with treats and threw it as far as I could. It buried itself in the snow, but with treats at stake Beanie was willing to dig it out. I think she got the Beagle equivalent of an ice cream headache when she first picked it up…

IMG_3806

but she soon got used to it!

IMG_3810

IMG_3813

Soon she was not alone – a huge yeti appeared at the top of the hill and she bravely gave chase with her ball still in her mouth.

IMG_3835

Unfortunately the yeti was so fast that Beanie had to drop the ball to gain that extra gear!

IMG_3846

IMG_3841

She chased the creature up and down the hill and round and round the trees..

IMG_3848

but somehow it escaped her clutches and is still at large, ready to pounce on unwary travelers and cause them to lose their balls.

IMG_3859

Beanie may have lost her ball in the encounter, but at least I didn’t lose her. That was a major concern when it was time for Biggles’ off-lead session! The snow had started up again in earnest, and Biggles’ mostly white coat gave him very effective camouflage. He still had time for a brilliant run with a corgi called Polo before we called it quits, but sadly due to the blizzard-like conditions I couldn’t get any snaps.

I did get plenty of photos of a great walk on Saturday though. While Beanie was having her weekly (formal) agility session, I took Biggles for an off-leader. I wasn’t expecting to run into many other dogs, but for some reason the park was packed. We soon met up with some of Beanie’s old pals Barney, Buster, Ben and Ellie. Biggles hit it off with Ben immediately and the two of them played constantly as the group made a circuit of the park.

IMG_3751

There were moments of excitement..

IMG_3757

..moments of almost balletic grace..

IMG_3761

..and of course, moments of naughtiness

All that running about is thirsty work, so there were a few unplanned pit stops along the way.

IMG_3771

The more we walked, the more dogs and owners joined our band, and Biggles and Ben soon admitted Troy to their pack. The three canine musketeers charged round having adventures in every corner of the field.

IMG_3781

IMG_3783

As we reached the upper level of the park a longstanding tradition was observed – the line-out along the wall. The dogs happily lined up to receive their treats with only minimal direction – much more civilized than the mobbing that accompanies a treat handout in our usual park.

IMG_3795

IMG_3797

The Biggly-boy had a brilliant time, and left the park a little gift to show his appreciation:

IMG_3803

Look at the height of that leg-lift! Faultless leg-cocking technique from the Bigglet!

6 Replies to “The Abominable Snow Beagle”

  1. Buster

    great photos – i live with bebe sargent in orford nh and one of my best buds is paul gardner – bebe is a photographer and thinks your photos of beanie and the yeti are awesome. she wants to know what kind of camera you are using – i hope she publishes some pictures of me soon on my dog blog.

  2. Paul Roberts Post author

    Thanks everyone! The photos were taken with my Canon EOS 40D, with a 70-300 zoom.

    Beanie & Biggles are looking forward to seeing some photos of you Buster!

  3. David Evans

    Hi Paul – great website – I was directed to it by a lady I met on the hill in Rouken Glen who advised me that my dog was the Yeti!! The yetis’ name is, in fact, Skye, an 18month old Gordon Setter who just loves to chase, be it beagle, squirrel, pigeon, or cat. Sorry about the ball, but Confucious he say … “He who take their balls out in the snow, run the risk of losing them!”

  4. Paul Roberts Post author

    Hi David,

    It’s great to be able to put a name to Beanie’s Yeti! Our little girl had an absolutely brilliant time with Skye – hope they meet up again!

Comments are closed.