We had a quiet New Year’s Eve at home with the dogs, hoping that they wouldn’t get stressed by the fireworks. Or at least it was meant to be quiet. One of our neighbours popped round just to let us know that they were having a party and to appologize in advance in case it got rowdy. As it turned out, we never heard a sound from the party, but we heard plenty from our two pups. Quite late at night Beanie decided to have a long distance shouting match with another, unseen dog. Little Biggles didn’t really know what it was all about, but he didn’t want to be left out and so provided the backing vocals. When we finally got them back inside they decided it was time for a noisy play fighting session, with Beanie doing her impersonation of a  disgruntled pirate (“Harrrrrr!”) and Biggles sounding like an old cassette tape played at tripple speed.

In the morning, we were woken by the unmistakable sound of Beanie vomiting. I’ve grown to really dread that sound since her swallowing episode, and it looked very much like she been at it again, because she regurgitated a grimy lump of aluminum foil. Not a good start to the New Year, though we subsequently found out that it had belonged to a boy who’d been playing with her in the park yesterday, and had wrapped a chunk of ham. Still not great news, but better than the idea that she’d been swallowing anything and everything on the ground.

Anyway, we put the vomiting session behind us and headed out to the park. I expected hardly anybody to be there, but I was proved very wrong. There was a big turnout, with lots of Beanie’s friends from the past year. Here are some of the better shots:

After some great chasing, Amber is hunted down by Penny and our two Beagles

Apparently she found the whole thing quite invigorating!

Time for more fun – come on Biggles, keep up!

Biggles tries unsuccessfully to gate-crash a play session between rising agility star Murphy and her pal..

..and has no better luck with Amber and Rannoch

No problem! He just starts his own game..

And Tara happily joins in. Success at last!

Beanie does the rounds..

..making sure she doesn’t miss out on any treats

Then while she plays with one half of the Jack Russell team..

Biggles sinks his teeth into the other half..

And joins in a final Beagle/JRT charge!

We first picked up Beanie from Newlin Beagles on 27th Dec 2007. I fell in love with her as soon as I held her in my arms, and she showed how she felt about me by barfing all over my lap and the car seat. Since then, our crazy little girl has packed a lot into her first year with us. So far, she has:

• Out-wrestled a huge St. Bernard pup called Mowgli (though we ran into him again recently, and given his current size I wouldn’t fancy Beanie’s chances in a rematch)
• Been whisked to the vet on several occasions, apparently close to death, only to end up wagging her tail for Scotland as soon as she saw the nurses.
• Conquered her fear of fluffy pink pigs from Tesco
• Rolled in just about every pile of fox poo in a ten mile radius from our house
• Gained promotion to the Intermediate level at her obedience class, then tried her very best to get herself expelled
• Become a racing beagle and won an enviable collection of rosettes
• Learned to swim
• Climbed up Ben Lomond, and eaten the finest sheep poo the Lake District has to offer
• Romped around Irvine beach and harassed picknickers
• Run in Glasgow’s East End 5K for fun with me, and then again in the Big Fun Run with Susan for charity
• Got a mention on US cable TV
• Taken up agility
• Swallowed half of Glasgow, and had it surgically removed
• Worn away half the grass in her favorite parks while playing chases with her best buddies Kirby, Zak &Amber, Sophie, Robbie, Tess, Tara & Clara, Barney and Buster and of course her favorite sister, Bella.
• Gained an incredibly cute, affectionate little brother called Biggles who saves us the trouble of cleaning up her poo by eating it. In fact some mornings he’s so eager for a poo snack that he paces impatiently round Beanie while she’s squatting in the garden. Give him a breath freshening mint though, and he’d easily be the best little Beagle boy in the world. He’s already won an obedience competition against older pups at his training class!

To mark our first year of Beagledom we took them both to Muirshiel Park for a stimulating walk. They were beautifully well behaved at first.

Then there was a mad scramble when a tasty cache of sheep poo was discovered.

They both loved the change of surroundings, but I think Biggles enjoyed it best of all – it was all new territory for him.

When we got them home, they both fell into a peaceful sleep. Well that’s not quite true. They had a little squabble over a chew first, then went for a pee in the garden, then complained about their beds not being quite right, then fell into a peaceful sleep. The very next day it was back out to the park for some more frozen fun.

Dad this puddle is faulty! I can’t drink out of it or roll in it!

They met up with a great pair of JRTs and had some chases, until one of the terriers got a little too excited and was re-leaded.

You just can’t beat a bit of argy-bargy with a pair of Jack Russell Terriers

And as we were about to leave, a new chase started up with a stomach-churning carton of milk.

What do you mean this milk is off? It smells great!

And Biggles isn’t getting any of it!

Biggles did his best to keep up, but eventually he had to admit defeat and retire from the chase. In a few more months though, things may be very different!

Today was Biggles’ first ever Christmas, and Beanie’s first Christmas with us (we picked her up from Newlin Beagles on the 27th Dec 2007). Susan’s cousin Margaret had invited us over to Edinburgh to spend the day with her family. The invitation included our Beagles. I figured there were two possible explanations for this:

1) She’s crazy and wants her house to be done over by our two-dog demolition squad

OR

2) She has no idea what she’s letting herself in for

Somehow (2) seemed more likely, and that meant we had to find some way to keep Beanie and Biggles in check when we were over there. Well, either that or be banned for life. So at 8.30 this morning – before it was even properly light –  we were running round like lunatics in the dog enclosure at Bellahouston park in the hope that we could burn off just a little of that effervescent Beagle energy.  Then it was back home to get changed and load up our tiny car with dog toys and the play pen we bought to contain Biggles when Beanie was recovering from her stomach op.

Within minutes of arriving at Margaret’s, we’d erected the play pen and sealed both Beanie and Biggles inside it. That would at least limit the damage, if any, to one small area of the living room. To help reduce noise pollution, we also handed out extra presents to the play pen’s inmates – two identical, chicken-flavored Nylabones.

Biggles expertly unwraps his Nylabone…

…and like countless other youngsters, finds the packaging way more fun than the present!

The first few hours went quite well. There were occasional minor squabbles naturally, and some pathetic wailing (thank you Beanie!) while us human types were tucking into our brilliant Christmas dinner, but no major disturbances.

Then of course someone suggested that we let them out of the play pen. “Go on, how bad can it be?”

Well quite bad actually! By a small miracle no damage was done, but it was close. Beanie nearly got to destroy a Santa figure (revenge for scaring her at the Dog Training Christmas Party). Biggles nearly got to to demonstrate his tugging skills by toppling the Christmas tree. Assorted electrical wires nearly got chewed, wrapping paper and gift tags were chewed but avoided being swallowed by the narrowest of margins, and the floors stayed mostly clear of Biggles pee.

There was however plenty of this:

and this

There’s one really good thing about Beagles though: bring out a tub of treats and they’ll turn into little angels.

But only as long as the treats last!