Dog Discussion Page Two.
On this page we have some of your amusing contibutions: We have a letter from Midge on Exmoor, we have a holiday in a Passionwagon with two Deerhounds and so forth. It is because our popular Dog-Discussion Page One has got too big to edit.

How many dogs does it take to change a light bulb? 25/11/10
 Depends on the Breed. Further suggestions welcomed.

Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still pee on the carpet in the dark.

Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it.. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

Weimeraner: I’m busy, can’t you see? Sure, I’ll help you later.

runners waiting for the start to the American Dog Derby Idaho to Yellowstone Park.

 More snow-sports: If you want to go in for that American Derby, Elizabeth says it will take time to train the dog for pulling safely. in the meantime, you can just let him go snow-boarding, he’ll love that! Then find the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain for more advice on this fun sport for dogs.
11.02.10

Here are a wonderful photo from the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain’s sled dog rally and competition at Aviemore, Scotland. The dogs had a most wonderful time in the snow. They loved it. As Wolfie says on his page, dogs LOVE snow. And Huskies and Malamutes and the other Northern Breeds just love pulling. What a fantastic outing for enthusiasts!  The drivers, known as mushers, are aged from eith to eighty and it is a great outing for spectators too! What a fun idea.
Elizabeth is receiving several queries on how to start these dogs on pulling and she is looking into the matter.24/01.10

  Swimming-classes.last summer our swimming-pupils did really well. The dogs are mostly loving it and the exercise is very good for those with injuries and some light swimming is highly recommedned for those recuperating from surgery on their joints. Running on the beach is not quite so good for the lame and limping dogs, such as Wolfie, but if you can find a good way of getting your dog to the water, then the exercise should prove most beneficial.

As we can see here, the retrievers love their diving classes and we may soon introduce syncronized diving. Some beaters bring puppies to get them used to the idea of water but the one on the right is too young to swim! He should be wearing water-wings and gently encouraged with a toy instead of dragged in, Elizabeth says.The dog above, in the infllatable has an excellent floating bone. He is training to be a life-guard. The bigger, heavier dogs can make excellent life-guards

Health and Safety rules should be observed whilst training the potential life-guards however.Wait until the dog is aconfident swimmer! It is very unpleasant for the drowning person if the would be life-guard dog tries to support himself upon the drowning person’s body. The person should have a life-belt and a supervisor in a boat is a must.

 A Motorhome Holiday with your Dogs? Perhaps Not!

Dear Sir,
ON READING about holidays by motorhome, I wish we could feel happy about them.
To celebrate my 65^th birthday, my wife and I decided we would do the Land’s End to John O’Groats route. I would cycle and she would be my back-up team. We had at the time two very large Scottish Deerhounds and we decided to give the trip some purpose by setting up a charity for Dogs in Need. The dogs would travel with us (they are about 31 inches at the shoulder).
  A motorhome seemed to be the very vehicle to use, as it would give us (in theory) freedom of the road. We hired one for a trial weekend, load it up with essentials and the two deerhounds, and head for North Wales, as we had met at Bangor University many years before.
  Friday, late morning, we set off, heading in the direction of Chester. After about an hour and a half we thought it would be good idea to have lunch break (mistake number one). Bacon and sausage sandwiches were on the menu. We got the stove working well, but forgot to any open windows and in a few minute the smoke alarm went off, with the deerhounds going berserk and us waving towels madly to try to stop the thing. One of us caught the frying pan and it landed on the floor. At least it stopped the deerhounds, and they did have a good lunch. We eventually went on and stopped at the next wayside café for our lunch.
 I had decided we would stop overnight in Delamere Forest, an area I know quite well. Roz would take the deerhounds for a walk and I would get the bike off the back and do a thirty-minute ride and, on return, have a shower (mistake two).    All went well until I got back, tried to have a shower and could not get it to work; in fact, we could not get anything to work. We ate in nearby pub.  It was then time for bed, but when we put the bed down it was obvious there was no room for the deerhounds, so we decided to let them have the floor space and we would go into the over-cab bed, with the roof a few inches from our noses (mistake three).
 Within half an hour the dogs became restless – it was obvious they were going to be a problem – and getting in and out of that over-cab bed was a nightmare. I think our heads still have the bumps and bruises, plus we hardly slept a wink.
 The whole experience was a disaster, but we had the motorhome for the weekend we decided to carry on, but the trip did not improve. Maybe it was having the deerhounds, who knows, but we stopped in hotels for the next two nights having decided we would use our Renault Espace for our end to end trip.
 On a positive note, we did see the wonderful scenery of North Wales, and we did visit the sight of our first date in Bangor.
 The whole weekend cost us a fortune; we had insurance on the motorhome, but seemingly the small print (which we did not read – mistake four) stated it did not cover damage over the drivers cab. On a small country road we hit an overhanging branch and were charged £500 to make it right. I A trip in a motor home sounds idyllic, but I would challenge you to do it again with two Scottish Deerhounds!
Dick and Roz Hughes, Market Deeping, Lincs.

  A Letter from a leading Exmoor Character, Midge himself:

That is Him - Pedigree her Majesties the Hon Midge from the Highlands up in Wales.
He somehow managed to make career on Exmoor. This started at the very moment when he arrived.
Having set foot in the most ancient and cosy cottage of Exmoor ( 11th Century ) he took over command instantly.
His  four legged colleagues are a pedigree Springer Spaniel bitch, a Silvermedallist Weimaraner Beauty and – sadly no longer with us - the most Wonderful Scottish Deerhound bitch. All had to repossess their cosy beds, that means everybody was downscaled by one.
And then when the pretended big two legged boss came back from his flyfishing trip in the Caribics there was sort of short row about
Who is the boss here at all. It lasted only ½ minute and ended in a very deep frightening grauling….. and then the situation was clear, once and for ever.
But let him speak in his own voice:
“Hi all there; what a wonderful life it can be – you just have to be a bit organizing your surroundings and owners. Yes I love cosy beds, best 3 on top of each other.
I also prefer to be carried from my sofas when I thought to have to must go out for a tiny pee twice a day. Horrible this management sometimes.
I do not do that in rainy conditions anymore. At first they insisted, but after some proper training they leave me in piece now. Once per day I have to go out and see what happens in the surroundings. Just over the road there is a beauty of a Mini Dachshound. Yes indeed, she is a beauty but she is a bit too much of a posh for me, sorry to say.
And I do not like her voice at all .. typical girlish. At first when I greeted her she seemed to be quite okay but when it came just to sniff a bit at her hindquarters it came to light – nothing for me, possibly a bit too much of the feminine sexx? She is also very posh in the car of her Mistress and since most recently is carried around in a special design plush mini-dog-carrier-handbag. I love to drive out in our car and pass her. I cannot see outside but I know we in our Diesel Warrior are much stronger then her in her small blueish Ford.
Awful high snobility she looks and has she ever hunted a pheasant or even a mouse? Cannot imagine in that sterile very pretty household over the highway.
For me something of the very best is falling dusk with all the blackbirds to be chased higher up in the trees. Months ago there were pheasants around. They kept just coming in, well fed by 2 daily meals from Miltons. It got very boring munching these all too lean wheat fed breasts. Now they stopped coming but I am quite pleased about it. Some days ago there was a weasel in the garden. That was quite a quicky tiny beast and I reluctantly have to confess that it did outrun me several times. I got really frustrated. Once I almost had him but then I knocked my head at the cable of the TV antenna of my home – SKY plus – quite expensive I was told. Well I got a little bit angry of course and it is lying now on the roof in pieces – amazingly easy to bite through these white plastic cables nowadays.
I did it before some 12 months ago but then they used to repair it with cables of apparently minor quality.
Now watching TV is a bit restricted to BBC 1 and maybe if the weather is nice BBC 2 in minor quality. Maybe we get it fixed again before Christmas, for I love to chase all kind of cats flickering over the screen. Funny bit they hardly ever respond with flight or attack – no nothing, they just keep going.”
Now then, dawn is up; my colleagues have to go out, all bitches they are you know ~ peeing every now and then. Luckily I am left alone until breakfast at around 8. And then we shall see what we can do with today.
Have a nice weekend
Your Midge “