Samuel “Chub” Jackson

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Paul

In an effort to make better use of the day I’ve been taking Beanie for her morning walk a little earlier than usual. An unexpected benefit of this new schedule is that we get to meet up with another beagle pup, Sophie.

Beanie and Sophie running together back in January

As they are now: Sophie (closest), Beanie and a Spaniel friend

When Beanie and Sophie first met back in January they were great pals. Now of course they’re a little older, so there have been a few dominance tussles in between the chasing games. The best thing about this is that Sophie is confident enough to hold her own against our strong willed little hooligan. I think it’ll do Beanie some good to learn that she can’t always be top dog while she still has her “puppy license” ie. the recognition by older, bigger dogs that she’s still a pup rather than a serious competitor.

Speaking of bigger dogs, this morning’s doggy gathering included a Rottweiler called Chub. He’s as gentle as he is huge. I get the feeling that the biggest danger from Chub is that he might sit on your feet, causing you to need longer, wider and flatter shoes. Still, this big boy effortlessly commands the respect of humans and dogs alike. Imagine a doggy version of Samuel L. Jackson, lookin’ mean and packin’ some heat – something just tells you he’s not a guy to mess with. And that’s why there were a few uncomfortable moments when Beanie lost her Kong ball.

I took the ball out in an attempt to distract Beanie and Sophie from their wrestling match, and it got lost in the long grass. Chub found it, took a shine to it and after coating it in a thick film of slaver (nice), lay down with it between his front paws. There was no growling, no overt body language but the message was loud and clear: “This is MINE”.

Beanie evidently decided she would forgo her usual habit of snatching another dog’s toy in order to start a chase, because she kept a respectful distance from Chub. Equally, I decided that although the ball was Beanie’s, Chub could keep it if really wanted. It was pure generosity on my part of course, and nothing to do with the fact that Chub is really, really BIG. Curiously, the monster’s owner didn’t seem to keen to retrieve the ball right at that moment either. So we all stood there, chatting about other things, until a distraction gave the Rottweiler’s dad a chance to quietly hand the ball over to me, whereupon it went deep into my pocket and remained hidden there until Samuel “Chub” Jackson left for home ;)

Chub

Drowned Rat

Posted on July 3, 2008 by Paul

Swimming is just as good for dogs as it is for humans. It exercises muscles in ways that walking and running can’t, and does so without loading the joints. Unfortunately Beagles tend not be keen on entering water – a trait that Beanie shares. She became a little less reticent after the “Pool Party” at the Pets A & E therapy pool, so we decided to give her another, longer swimming session on Tuesday.

She was a little uneasy and splashy at first, but with gentle coaxing from the excellent staff she started to relax. By the end she was confident enough to show an interest in one of the toys.

The session concluded with a quick shower and good rubdown with a towel.

I think some kind of perfumed gel was used for the shower because Beanie smelled unusually fresh as sat in my lap on the way back home. Perhaps that’s the real reason why Beagles aren’t keen on swimming – one session washes away the delicate eau de toilet built up by hours of rolling around in dead frog carcasses and assorted wildlife droppings. Aagh! There’s never a pile of fox poo to hand when you really need it!

The day after her session at the pool I did note that Beanie was quite happy to wade through a stream at her local park, so it seems to have done some good. Maybe another session or two will make her brave enough for a little solo swim in the park’s lake. It would at least enable her to gobble up the bread that the silly two-legged types keep throwing at ducks :)

Beagle Racing

Posted on June 29, 2008 by Paul

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