A Temporary Tail Of Woe

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Paul

We had the beach to ourselves on our run today, due most likely to the relentless rain and wind we’re getting now we’re into October. Things were very different a few days ago, when September gave us one last blast of summer.

The conditions were perfect: clear skies and warm sun, but with a pleasantly cooling breeze. We headed down to the beach around low tide, and Susan volunteered to tie herself to our two crazy mutts. It’d been a while since Susan had run with them, so this was an extra-special session for the pups, and Beanie marked it by doing her very best bouncing bomb impersonation as she bounded across the water.

Biggles just powered through it like normal, but all the while the naughtiness center in his brain was encouraging him to forget the running thing and just have a good old fashioned playfight with his sister. Eventually the naughty side won out!

That’s the funny thing about Biggles. When he’s in the house he’s very respectful toward his sis; he’s always doffing his furry ginger hat to Lady Beanie. But outside… a whole different ruleset applies. He instantly becomes bold and playful, and his respect for Beanie is replaced by an irresistible desire to shoulder-barge and wrestle with her. I can’t help smiling when this happens on a run. It’s kind of disruptive if it occurs in the middle of a speed workout, but fun nonetheless!

Unfortunately this great day out on the beach ended with a mild case of “Beagle Tail” for the Beanster. Apparently it’s a kind of whiplash injury to the tail caused by a particularly vigorous shake, often occurring after the Beagle has become very wet. So I guess it could have been this shake..

..that did the damage and gave Beanie a sad, droopy tail for the rest of the afternoon. Happily Beanie’s wagger was completely recovered by the next day, but thinking about it, it’s remarkable that neither of our pups have experienced this condition before now. Beanie often gets hyper when she’s wet and shakes very vigorously, and – wet or dry – Biggles sometimes shakes so powerfully that he nearly knocks himself off his own feet!

Coolwave

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Paul

The heatwave is well behind us now and we’re in the grip of a “coolwave”; it feels like we’re well into Autumn and yet it’s only part of the way through August! This may not be a popular view but I actually prefer this weather to the unrelenting, energy-sapping heat we’ve had this summer, and Beanie & Biggles seem to feel the same way. They’ve been much perkier (and peskier) on walks, and when I took them for a run on the beach this morning the chilling wind ensured we pretty much had the whole thing to ourselves.

Trips to the enclosure have seen a vigorous return of the “hunt the Beanie” game, where Biggles tries, and usually fails, to chase down his sneaky sister.

Of course the jungle-like foliage doesn’t help

Yep, she’s doubled-back and lost him again!

Now it’s cooler the Beanster’s been putting more energy into keeping the local squirrel population in check.

Got him!

A harsh interrogation ensues…

…And Mr Squirrel agrees to show Beanie where he’s begun hoarding his supply of nuts. Go get ’em beanie!

Mr Fox got a good “doing” as well. He needed some stitching therapy after this encounter!

The cool weather has also prompted us to get our agility gear out for the first time this year. With such a long break since our last session we figured Beanie & Biggles might have forgotten how it all works, but we needn’t have worried. Even as Susan dragged the collapsed tunnel down to the flatter part of our garden, an eager little Beagle somehow made her way inside it. Jumps were likewise no problem for our team of flying Beagles!

Biggles’ Great Bed Expedition of 2013

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Paul

Say the word “expedition” and you probably think of legendary explorers such as Magellan, Marco Polo, Edmund Hilary, Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong. Now you have to add Biggles to that illustrious list, because he’s just come back from an adventure of Beagle proportions in our local Pets At Home store. He didn’t bring back potatoes, or tobacco, or set foot on a new world, but he did return with a pair of exceptionally comfy beds for himself and his sister.

Although he really likes his crate in our bedroom, he hasn’t been at all happy with the bed inside it. Originally he had a big super-comfy paw-shaped bed just like Beanie, but recently we had to throw that out after it got a bit wet. Well, a lot wet actually. I don’t want to start a rumor that Biggles – who’s going to be 5 years old later this month – still wets his bed but.. well it’s like this. If you send him out into the garden to “do his business” you’d better hope he doesn’t get distracted by anything before said business is completed, because there can be.. repercussions. After one too many goes in the washing machine his old bed was finished, so I bought him a new one from Amazon. I got the best reviewed and most economical replacement I could find, but you know what they say: buy cheap, buy twice. It doesn’t fit his crate too well and the stuffing has already lost a lot of its spring, and his lordship was stiff and uncomfortable when he got up this morning. Time to get something better!

We decided to take him on a solo outing to Pets At Home to try out a few of their beds. It was far from his first time in the store, but it was his first time in there without his pesky sister. The bedding section was towards the rear, and I have to say it took a while to get there. For some reason, we experienced quite a few delays in the cat aisle..

Cats have loads of cool stuff that dogs don’t.

I mean look at this! You can get your head right in it!

And here’s another one in a different color!

Progress was slow in the food section too. Ever helpful, Biggles wanted to make sure that none of the big bags of kibble had split and spilled their contents at the back of the shelves. I mean, if the staff had missed such a spillage they could soon have a mouse problem on their hands, and no-one wants that, right?

No, nothing here…

Or here. Bugger.

Aha! Now you’re talking. No need to worry the staff about this, I’ll take care of it.

I don’t know what’s in there, but I’d like to be right in there with it..

At long last we did make it to the bedding section. A lot of the beds were like the one I’d bought; filled with low quality stuffing that wouldn’t provide any decent support. I found one by Wainwright that was better, and although not cheap it did come with a detachable bone-shaped pillow. Biggles seemed to think that it was OK, but nothing to write home about.

Then Susan spotted a good deal on Pets At Home’s own brand memory foam mattress. It seemed much more substantial than any of the other bedding. The price included a cover of our choice, and we could also get a waterproof liner to keep the mattress safe from any, er, wetness. The only downside was that it was apparently filled with “crumbs”, and Biggles had already demonstrated how he deals with crumbs in the food aisle.

Despite that slight concern we decided to give it a go. It was easily the best bedding in the store, and quite reasonably priced. Of course we couldn’t get a brand new uber-comfy bed for Biggles and not get one for Beanie too, so we loaded up with two of everything and headed straight for the tills before we could be tempted by anything else.

Back at home, we made up the beds and plonked them on the sofas for testing. Biggles immediately took to his and within barely two minutes of getting on it, he was on his way to the Land of Nod.

From awake..

To snoozing.. in barely 120 seconds! Can’t be bad!

Beanie took a little longer to nod off, but soon she too succumbed.

For the rest of the afternoon it was as if both of them had been drugged. No bouts of restlessness, no noisy bed telling-off incidents. Obviously only time will tell if these new beds are all they’re cracked up to be (and don’t get nibbled for the crumbs they contain) but I have to say they’re off to a good start.