Bigglander

Posted on April 6, 2009 by Paul

What a day Sunday was!

It started with a trip to Balloch for another lesson with the Lomond Flyball Club. Unexpectedly good weather allowed the class to be held outside, and for the first time the sides of the course were fenced off. I don’t know if it was the fencing or the change of location, but both Beanie and Biggles suddenly became more focussed! They had a couple of stutters on their first run, but after that they both retrieved the ball flawlessly several times in a row. The last three runs were timed and though neither of our two were blisteringly fast (6.4 secs for Beanie, 7.5 for Biggles) it was just amazing to see each run completed without any unsheduled sniff breaks.

After flyball we drove over to Kincardine for another round of Beagle racing. Plans for a prompt 2.30pm start were quickly abandoned. We had a long chat, a hole-digging session..

..a raffle draw and an impromptu dog show before the racing got under way. That was OK by us though, because a certain little Beagle boy did rather well in the show.

Rival Murphy is looking good

So Biggles wows the judge with his classic pose: Blue Steel!

Murphy looks longingly at the winner’s rosette, but it’s destined for the Biggly boy!

Beanie tries to eat her runner up rosette while Biggles enjoys a cuddle from the judge

Yep, Biggles won the prestigious “Best Beagle” award, and Beanie came second. As we celebrated, the whippet show got under way..

The competition was intense..

..but a winner was finally chosen

Having won their respective breed titles, Biggles and his Whippet counterpart would now face each other in a walk-off for the “Best in Show” title.

That’s right – it’s a walk-off!

Biggles has to pull out something special to win. And there it is – the new look: Magnum!

Our little boy’s superior ~~catwalk~~ dogwalk technique won again. He was declared Best in Show, and unlike Derek Zoolander he didn’t even have to remove his underpants while still wearing his trousers. He got a lovely gold medal for his trouble which unfortunately wasn’t edible, but we had plenty of treats to make up for this critical oversight.

Finally it was time for some racing! Since the first few weeks of the season don’t count towards any prizes, racemeister Graeme gave us a series of quick-fire, handicapped races to give each dog a taste of glory. It was a great recipe for fun! Here are some of the better shots. Firstly, a little series involving Murphy, to make up for losing out to Biggles in the earlier dog show:

Beagles weren’t the only ones racing on Sunday!

And now a rare sight – Beanie’s pal Sophie charging to victory (although Beanie almost caught her at the line, despite a huge handicap):

And here’s an even rarer sight – little Biggles not coming in last!

Interestingly, both Beanie and Murphy seemed to run their best when they started from slightly behind. With other dogs already ahead of them I suppose they ran harder right from the start line. Biggles also runs better with other dogs in front of him – not because it spurs him on, but simply because he hasn’t yet twigged that he’s supposed to be running after the lure. He certainly does understand a good old fashioned chase though!

Water Babies

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Susan

Beanie and Biggles had their monthly swimming session at Allers Farm today with Beagle buddies Tess, Clara & Tara and crazy Lab Cullin and his sister Jamie. The dogs aren’t all in the pool together – only two go in at a time, but the others get to roam about the outside of the pool and watch. Which makes the whole swimming experience more enjoyable and relaxing for them.

Biggles is doing great! It really paid off introducing him to the water from a very young age.

No photos I’m afraid as Paul & I both go in the pool with Beanie & Biggles. I’ll try and get someone else to get a few snaps next time.

Little Devil’s Staircase

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Paul

Yesterday the weather forecasts predicted one more good day before the clouds and rain returned. Determined not to waste it, we set out towards Glencoe to take in some of the glorious highland views. Neither of us were up for a heavy duty climb but after a little research Susan found a shorter, lower level walk known as the Devil’s Staircase. When I heard the name, it instantly conjured up memories of treacherous roads and long, punishing walks. I’m from Yorkshire and I’d advise anybody visiting that county to avoid any natural features that have “Devil” in their names! In this case however the demonic title was earned from soldiers losing their lives to exposure. On a bright, sunny day I figured the four of us would OK.

The Devils Staircase very easy to get to – we headed for the Kings House Hotel (PH49 4HY for those with sat nav) then drove on a little further until we reached a layby on the right with a sign indicating the start of the walk. As we got our own little devils out of the car we got talking to a couple who were familar with the area. They told us of a truly magnificent viewing location just off the staircase. Following their directions, we walked up the winding “staircase” until we reached a cairn. Beyond that point, the path descends into Kinlochleven, but if you turn left you can walk to the top of a very minor peak that may or may not be called “Stob Mhic Mhartui”.

A pitstop by the cairn for some treats, just before we went left off the main path

For the most part there is an obvious path to follow and it’s pretty easy going the whole way, so long as you don’t let any excited Beagles take you on a more direct route over marshy, heather covered ground. It may smell great to them, but you will end up with wet feet.

Clouds?

What clouds?

A spot of “leave” training can help to reign in the excitement..

..just so long as the treats are worthwhile!

You don’t have to walk long before you start seeing some really breathtaking views

At the top: the Three Sisters of Glencoe (we think!) in the background

Viewed again, from just beyond the summit

White-topped Ben Nevis in the distance (left hand side)

Hmm.. I think it’s treat-time again!

Now you may recall that on our last mountain walk Biggles was a very noisy boy. Well this time he’d been much calmer and quieter, putting more effort into tying up my legs with his lead in pursuit of the ultimate sniff. I thought we’d made a breakthrough. Until that is we started back down and the wind changed direction. Grunt! Squeal! Aaarf! Arroo! All the way back down!

Nearly back at the car, but there are still raging torrents to cross

The scenery’s nice, but the heather smells fantastic!

By now it was lunchtime. We had a couple of options: drive back to the Kings House Hotel (or further, the Bridge of Orchy Hotel) and hope they’d allow our Beagles inside, or drive forward to the Glencoe Visitor Centre and grab some sandwiches and coffees. We did the latter, and I’m very glad because even if the hotels had let our two doglets in, their behavior would soon have got us barred for life.

Beanie was the worst offender; just as I sat down at our bench outside the cafe to tuck into my nosh, she leapt right up onto the table. Suddenly one end of my tuna mayonnaise baguette was in my mouth, and the other end was in Beanie’s. It was very romantic, a bit like the spaghetti eating scene out of “Lady and The Tramp“, but she can eat a lot faster than me and I was really hungry, so I grabbed her and put her back on the ground. Needless to say I then tore off the rear end of my baguette and shared it between her and Biggles. I love her to bits, but her oral hygene leaves something to be desired and I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day with a sick stomach.

As we were eating I noticed a beautiful little bird land on our table. It was completely fearless – presumably it was used to getting tidbits from visitors. Biggles very nearly had it for lunch. He generally prefers sheep and socks, but there’s always room for a side dish of tweety pie.

Eventually we set off back home, but we stopped the car a couple of times for some more photos. There were lots of beautiful views to be had even from the roadside: