January is the month when the Beaglemobile has to go for its annual service and MOT, and this is the time when it gets its most through clean – both inside and out. For some reason I never put in the same amount of cleaning effort when it’s just for us, but when I’m sending it in to be checked by anonymous mechanics I suddenly feel motivated  do things properly.

As part of this process, I inevitably end up bringing a bag of assorted junk in from the van: tools, gloves, USB and audio leads, and of course the ever-growing collection of tennis balls that Biggles has rescued from the beach. Out of laziness I just dump this behind the first door I come to, creating the perfect conditions for a Beagle rummaging session. And there certainly has been plenty of rummaging! Over the last couple of days I’ve collected two shredded tennis balls from the corridor by our bedroom, and spent several minutes extracting the rubbery guts of a ball from between Biggles’s teeth. At first I thought he’d grabbed somebody’s discarded chewing gum, but no, he’d been flossing with tennis ball innards.

Rummaging is just so exhausting, but a Beagle boy must do his duty

This time around it’s not just garage bills to be paid, but vet and canine physio bills too, because Beanie has developed a mysterious condition that may or may not be wholly physical. Over the last couple of months she’s become increasingly hesitant about jumping onto things, has occasionally been a bit prone to slipping on our laminate flooring and in the garden, and her rear legs have been shaking more than Elvis Presley’s. This all started around the firework season and just after Biggles fouled her lead twice as she was jumping into the car boot, causing her to fall. We weren’t sure if she’d injured herself in these falls, or become fearful, or if these were symptoms of some kind of neurological issue. We took her to the vet who promptly ruled out a neurological cause but found that she was putting significantly more weight through one of her rear legs. The vet told us to cut down on jumping opportunities and include a bit more rough and hilly terrain in our walks, and I’ve been doing exactly that ever since.

As things stand now Beanie has improved considerably; when she’s running on the beach or playing in the house there’s no sign of anything amiss, but at other times we still see the occasional hint of instability or dented confidence.

Scrambles on country walks are no problem for Beanie

And she still takes the lead on hillwalks and runs

If it wasn’t for the occasional uncharacteristic stumble when jumping onto the sofa or chasing around the garden you’d think there was nothing wrong.

Knowing Beanie, it’s perfectly possible she’s got both reduced confidence and a minor but persistent niggle (I’ve certainly had plenty of  soft tissue niggles myself!) so just to be safe we’re shelling out for a visit to a canine physio. If there’s a rehab or massage exercise we could be doing to help her along, hopefully the physio will be able to point us in the right direction. Fingers and paws crossed for a good outcome!