Beagle Cam

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Paul

For some time I’ve been wanting a video camera small enough and light enough to attach to Beanie or Biggles to get a true Beagle’s-eye view of the world. Unfortunately everything seemed to be too bulky, too expensive and of very low quality – or so I thought until a running friend showed me a small key-fob sized camera he’d bought from a Hong Kong retailer via ebay. The camera, known by the instantly memorable name “808 version 11” (!!) is small, ridiculously light, shoots in 720P HD and can be had for £40 or less. Everything you may ever want to know about the camera, including which ebay retailers to use and which to avoid, is contained in the following wonderful article:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1362692

That article was written by a remote control enthusiast, and the qualities that make the camera ideal for attaching to RC planes, boats and vehicles should make it equally suited to serve as a Beagle-cam. Obviously I had to get one, and I put it through its first trials yesterday. I still haven’t worked out how best to attach the camera to our dogglets; for now I just popped a harness on ’em, then used a velcro strap to secure the camera to the harness mid way along the back. As you’ll see in this first clip of Biggles doing a fetch, that’s not an ideal position for the camera:

Biggles Fetch from Paul Roberts on Vimeo.

It’s jerky and you can’t really see what’s going on, but I still get a warm feeling every time I watch the back of his head and his flapping ears as he gallops back to me for a treat!

Later the same day we tried the camera on Beanie and Biggles at their agility lesson with Carol Rogers. We’ve been having lessons with Carol about once a fortnight and both our dogs and us have really come on leaps and bounds (no pun intended). Anyway, first here’s a clip of Beanie doing the course with me holding the camera:

That’s pretty good quality for such a tiny camera in such poor indoor light. Straight after that, I attached the camera to Beanie and she ran the course again. Unfortunately the poor light combined with the speed and vibration of doggy movement made things very hard for the camera, and again the mounting position is less than ideal. Still, I think the result is amusing, especially the first round when the camera falls off and nearly gets swallowed! Word of warning – if you suffer from epilepsy or have just had your lunch, you’d better watch this one through your fingers:

BeanieCam from Paul Roberts on Vimeo.

Obviously I had to try the same thing with Biggles:

Biggles Agility Cam from Paul Roberts on Vimeo.

So, we’ve got to find a better way of attaching the camera to our dogs. The top of the head would be about the best position – that way we’d get to see pretty much what they’re looking at. Susan’s considering making some kind of head gear out of tights or other underwear. At one point she tried fitting a pair of pink knickers onto Biggles’ head. He didn’t mind one bit, but I had to draw the line – no way is my boy wearing pink knickers in public!

Glencoe Day 3

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Paul

Still tired from the previous day, we spent the morning following the Glencoe Lochan Trails. As far as I can tell, the Lochan is effectively the local park for Glencoe but unlike most parks it just happens to reside in one of the most beautiful locations in Scotland.

The trails are short but interesting, winding through woodland and around the water. The local wildlife is remarkably trusting; the ducks think nothing of swimming within a couple of feet of you, apparently unaware that to Beanie and Biggles they’re Happy Meals with webbed feet.

As it turned out our Beaglets never got their Happy Meals, but there were so many sights, smells and sounds to experience that they didn’t seem to mind.

In the afternoon we decided to check out Signal Rock. The conventional route was closed due to a damaged bridge, but an alternative route was available starting at the Clachaig Inn. Much of the walk was through forest, but occasional gaps in the trees made for some beautiful views..

If any signalling was required, Beanie and Biggles were certainly up to the task. They both bayed their heads off whenever they got a scent, and additionally Biggles peed and farted his way right to the top of the rock.

Steps behind the rock lead up to the top

“What are you doing down there Dad?”

Just like the ducks earlier, a little bird diced with death by landing within a foot of Biggles. Fortunately my boy was a bit slow on the uptake, but if the bird had done the same near Beanie, the outcome may have been rather different!

Beanie listens attentively to the “leave the birds alone lecture” but Biggles has heard it all before

The “signalling” continues long after we’ve left the rock!

On the way bag we stopped off at Glencoe Pass to get a closer look at the “Three Sisters of Glencoe”.

I could just make out a few intrepid walkers following a path up the sisters, possibly to the “Lost Valley“. The path looked impossibly steep, and according to the guides I’d seen this was another trail that could end in death. Maybe we’ll do that one in years to come, if/when our pups aren’t quite so keen on “signalling”…

Back at the caravan park Beanie & Biggles had a final session of snoozy sunbathing, then next morning – just as the weather returned to its normal overcast state – we headed back home.

Glencoe Day 2

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Paul

We slept surprisingly well the first night, even though we had a couple of adventures taking Biggles for pee walks. He’d insisted on downing a whole bowlful of water just before bedtime, and each time we took him out through the awning flap he managed to get himself tied up in the guide ropes as only a Bigglet can. He even had a short woofing outburst at someone emerging from the shower block, but it didn’t interrupt the spectacularly loud snoring coming from one of the tents so I guess no harm was done.

The next day was thoroughly action packed! It started out with a short trip to a chemists in Fort William, because an excessively chewy chocolate eclair had stolen one of the fillings from my teeth. We then drove to the Glen Nevis visitor centre (where I put my new temporary filling kit to use) and set out on the 8 mile long “Glen Nevis and Polldubh Falls” trail. The walk basically takes you right round the loch at the foot of Ben Nevis. The first half of the walk is stunningly beautiful but the path is narrow and there are a few obstacles to negotiate!

The walk starts as you cross a little suspension footbridge. Signs warn that it’s only rated for 5 people at a time, but it doesn’t say anything about Beagles.

The first obstacle – sheep!

Obstacle#2 – walk the pole, jump the stream or just plain get your feet wet. The choice is yours, as long as your Beagles agree with it!

Obstacle#3. At least it’s low enough to see over.

The scenery is worth all the effort though

And there’s plenty of fresh water for refreshment

..and for recharging Beagle cooling jackets

The halfway point of the walk is marked by the beautiful Polldubh Falls.

And if you’re brave enough – or dumb enough – the bottom of the falls is so deep you can jump into it from the bridge above!

The second half of the walk is a fairly typical wide forest walk. It’d make a pretty good course for a training run as much of it is uphill and Ben Nevis is almost always in view to the right, but it pales in comparison to the beauty of the first half.

Eventually we arrived back at the visitor center, watered and fed ourselves and our beaglets, then headed off on yet another adventure: the Nevis Gorge and the Steall Falls. Just as you start on the trail you see a sign cautioning you to wear appropriate footwear, and a warning that there have been fatalities in previous years. This didn’t bother me because I’m quite sure-footed, and it didn’t bother the Beagles because (a) they can’t read and (b) they enjoy trips to the vet, but it did bother Susan. She’s not keen on heights and her hip problem makes her feel unsteady on narrow paths. Nevertheless we ventured onwards, and the sight of small kids and wobbly pensioners returning safely from the walk served to put the warnings in perspective.

If the warning at the start of the walk doesn’t scare you, maybe the rock formations will. Can you see the skull?

Just take it steady..

..and keep a firm hold on your pooches, and you’ll be fine!

Suddenly the narrow rocky path explodes out into a wide flat valley with the falls just visible in the distance. The photographs just don’t do it justice; the terrain and scenery changed so abruptly I was instantly reminded of all those “hidden valley with dinosaurs” films I saw as a kid.

On your way to the falls you pass a cable bridge, which as far as I can tell serves no purpose other than amusement. There are plentiful opportunities for crossing the water using more conventional means, especially if you don’t mind getting your feet wet.

The falls themselves are the third highest in Scotland, and again despite trying my best I just couldn’t capture their spectacular beauty with the camera (although an Italian family that insisted on trying to get into every shot didn’t help!)

We were there quite a while. I think you could quite easily spend the a whole day there – it’s just so relaxing with the sunshine and the sound of the water.

Later that evening I got a few more general shots of the Glencoe area. When I got back to the caravan the pups were mostly in comas after such a long and stimulating day, and despite my best efforts to stay awake, I soon joined them.