Last week Beanie’s park pal Sophie joined her at the race track. This week she had the company of more friends from the park, in the form of Dillon – a cuddly Tibetan terrier she loves playing with, and Nollaig (Irish for Christmas) – a beautiful Beagle who’s only recently had pups. Nollaig’s owners Kathleen and Neil also brought along two of the pups to spectate, and three more of their nine (yes, NINE!) Beagles to participate in the racing.

The Beagle newbies all finished their races and had a great time doing it. That’s a good start, and should make for some interesting races later in the season when they really find their feet. The final was dominated by the regulars however, and this time it was Milo that took 1st place.

Milo wins the race and Murphy’s face says it all!

Beanie’s playmate Dillon got to run in his own race against Titch and a Jack Russell terrier.

Titch in the lead, Dillon in second place just before it all went wrong!

They were all doing well and clearly having a ball, but unfortunately the lure lost its appeal before they reached the finish line. Race protocol was cast aside as Dillon decided he’d rather have a playful runabout at the halfway point, while Titch embarked on her own new race back to the Start line.

The day concluded with an all-in final race. I have to say this is always my favorite. No vests, no recorded results, just a big bunch of dogs tearing down the track and having fun.

With so many dogs running, both Susan and I were down at the finish line to help out with the post-race catching. We fully expected that Beanie would forget all about the lure and go play with Dillon, but to our complete amazement she actually won! Apparently she got a little bit of an early start, but barefaced cheating has always been allowed in the Beagle rule book :)

Murphy’s last second Superman impersonation is not enough to beat Beanie!

Beanie deploys her ears as an air-break while Nollaig secures an impressive 3rd place

Guided by his Beagle chums, Dillon finally makes it past the finish line!

There appears to be some controversy over the second photo of the final, erm “Fun” race. Here it is, in its full uncropped glory – click the link to see it.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2003/2701447941_37a9c6d14c_b.jpg

Did Beanie win? Did Murphy win? And if the Apollo moon landings really happened, how come there are two light sources in the photos :)

Beagle racing time again! Today’s turnout was small due to a clash with a dog show in Alva, but happily Beanie’s friend Sophie was there, along with two of her pals: a whippet called Rosie and Mac – a Fox Terrier. A cute little Jack Russell called Titch also joined the gang.

Rosie getting her first taste of racing

Once the whippet racing was over Sophie lined up with Beanie and Murphy for her first ever race. Sophie’s currently suffering from a phantom pregancy (apparently quite common in unspayed bitches) so she wasn’t in her best shape physically. Nevertheless, Beanie apparently felt threatened by the new competition and resorted to dirty tricks to increase her chances of a win. Just as starters orders were being given she unleashed a silent but deadly “bottom cough”. This noxious naughtiness gave rise to some expletives from the officials but once the air had cleared the race got under way.

Murphy finished first, no doubt spurred on by the desire to stay safely upwind of Beanie’s backfiring bum. Sophie finished last, but she ran the full length of the track without any hiccups – more than Beanie managed in her race debut.

Murphy (1st) and Beanie

The final race had all dogs, including the two terriers Mac and Tich, and Rosie the whippet, running together. I think Rosie thought she was out for a gentle stroll, because she was beaten into fourth place by Murphy, Beanie and little Titch.

You saw it here first – a Beagle beating a whippet!

Despite some rather threatening gray clouds the racing ran to conclusion without any rain. Beanie got a third place overall, though she had a little unexpected help to reach that position – some of the competitors got a little distracted and didn’t really finish the race. However, she seemed to be very focused on the lure, and on the chicken I had waiting for her just past the finish line. She even managed to pick my pockets and get an extra helping of chicken while I was trying to stuff my camera back in its bag.

Milo (I think!) and Beanie running together

After the race Beanie had a great time with Murphy, a heavy but gentle lump of a Beagle who – despite being somewhat older than our pup – was well up for some playful rough-and-tumble:

Beanie and Murphy