h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've not mentioned the dog here before (except as a passing statistic on my PS). So there's maybe a bit of background that I need to explain. So, let me digress for a moment...

[Blimey, it turns out that this goes on a bit...]


Now, I'm not particularly what you would call a 'dog person'. I've been allergic to cats (especially) and dogs (occasionally) all my life. One or two key events have left me not that fussed about pets in general:
When I was at the impressionable age of four, we had a cat which _we_ had to get rid of because of _my_ allergy. She went to an aunt & uncle who lived on a main road, and she promptly got run over.
I've had a number of other pets who have died untimely deaths and/or have been way to vicious to have a relationship with (ham(p)sters, fish, rabbits, a chicken(!), some more cats and a dog).

It's the missus who comes from a family of dog owners... However, you wouldn't really call them 'dog people' either.


So, there it is. I'm not what you would call a 'dog person'. And neither - really - is the missus. And neither - really - are the nippers.


So what are we doing with a dog then? Well, to be honest the dog is 'functional'. For two reasons...

1. The dog sleeps on the stairs: I work away from home a lot. The missus wanted to feel safer in the house, particularly at night.
2. The dog runs on the moors: We like to get out in the middle of nowhere. Realistically, we'd be too busy to get out there if we didn't have a good reason to.

So having come clean about all that, it may come as no surprise that there's the odd twinge of guilt at the Paff residence on occassions when the dog hasn't had a proper walk in a week and we start to wonder whether we did the right thing getting him.

I was having one such guilt-trip last weekend...



The weather wasn't up to much, we were trying to get the house sorted before a visitor comes to stay this week, and, blah, blah, excuses, excuses. To make matters worse, the dog stank. I didn't want to be anywhere near him. He was rank. Eau de stagnant pond et deer poo. Anyway, I took the dog out for a wee (him, not me), and on the way back in he looked over at the frisbee hopefully. It was raining. I went in, said "In. Bed. Down." and went back up in the loft to get the spare quilt down or something.

A bit later the stench was unbearable. Me and the missus gave in and bathed the mutt. It took ages, but I tell you, there's something therapeutic about washing a dog. There's something slightly less therapeutic about cleaning up the dog hair and water on the floor and up the walls. But it was done.

So, I took him out for another wee. It was still raining, and we still went straight back in. But I got to the door, patted him on the head, scratched his chin, gave him as close to a cuddle as an allergic person is ever going to get. "Bed. Down. Good boy." Went and got a treat for him.


So it turns out I do like dogs. I just don't like smelly ones.

Paff

I have to agree with you that the stink of a smelly dog can put you right off.

Don't, and I mean *don't* ever let it eat broccoli ...

Thanks for the broccoli tip.

We're quite strict on the food: He only gets the dry stuff in bags from the vet, and a variety of treats (mostly the ones that con you into thinking your dog will have minty fresh breath).

There have been a couple of occasions where we've found him going down the compost (mainly carrot tops, I seem to remember), and he recently scoffed an entire plate of victoria sponge cake we'd been stupid enough to leave unattended for 2 minutes.

Tch. Dogs are the same everywhere - greedy scavengers!

Has your dog had any more pats on the head recently? What type is it?

He's a collie/lab cross. His mum is the collie - she's a sheep dog (a rubbish one though - the farmer she belongs regularly testifies to this fact over Sunday lunch). His dad is the labrador - a gun dog (a proper one - his owner runs pheasant shoots).

So I guess it's the lab in him that makes him swim in the most disgusting stagnant ponds and lakes, and it's the lab that makes him eat everything - although, like you say, all dogs eat everything don't they? And I guess it's the collie that makes him chase everything and have endless energy.

The up-side is that he's immensely trainable and obedient (and when our lodger's rabbit escaped, he instinctively rounded it up).


As I work away, it'll be Friday night before he gets more affection - and I must try harder at that - but he'll certainly be wagging that tail just as much as the nippers will be jumping up and down. I love Friday nights.


What are your dogs? I know one is a greyhound. Just went to your dog pics links on your PS and noticed Buster is in the sea at Broadstairs. Stone Bay by any chance? Or maybe Joss Bay?

Paff

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39572418@N00/309777785/ (hootoo breaks the link - you need the @ and the bit after too)

He's gorgeous! What a lovely looking dog! I've always fancied a dog that's easy to train, but then I remember how much exercise and stimulation they need and I look around my small terraced house and urban-sized garden and think better of it. The small dog I'm fostering at the moment picks things up very quickly, but hand in hand with that is the need for being run into the ground every day. At least being small that doesn't take too long...

Beauty is the Greyhound, Buster is a mix of lots of things, a proper bitsa! They think his dad was a local GSD-cross, but I don't think there is that much guarding in him.

Fred - the foster dog - is a Jack Russell cross. I think he's been crossed with a Fox Terrier, but we'll never really know. I want to keep him, but have yet to hear from the Rescue Centre on this one. Three dogs really is too much, but I can't resist him! I have got some photos to upload, but my scanner is sulking at the moment.

The view from your house is lovely as well! I'm sick of looking at houses all the time!

I forgot Broadstairs question - I'm not sure what it's called, but we stay in a school near Dumpton Gap and can walk along the beach to the area with all the attractions for the kids - the bit that dogs aren't allowed on - and is also the bit where the folk festival is held on the top of cliff on that bit of beach.

The photos could have been taken anywhere along that stretch.

School near Dumpton Gap? Yep, that'll be Stone Bay (I only suggested Joss Bay to cover my bases!) If you mean the school on the corner where the road turns left then goes along the sea front, well, that's kinda where I met the missus (long story) ... *Tries to give short version of long story* ... My Dad's best mate's sister was running a kid's weekend there in 91, and my Dad, his mate and me helped out with the - er - lets call it the 'entertainment', and the sister brought her daughters. Now I call my Dad's best mate 'Uncle' and his sister is my mother-in-law!

Lovely bit of beach along there. Better in the winter when dog _are_ allowed. And folk festival is great, but the novelty wears off a bit when your lovely hometown is invaded for two weeks by mostly drunk revellers.


Back to the dogs. We wondered about a Greyhound. They tire quite easily don't they? (Making exercise easy) Particularly the old ones you get in the rescue homes. Round our way though it's all Collie's and collie crosses in the homes. Having said that, we didn't get him from a home, but as a pup. We were sort of trying to support our local farmer who would breed his dogs occasionally and sell the pups to make ends meet. Much as I'd agree there are too many dogs in homes, there are also too many farmers being stitched-up by supermarkets/government/etc. That's my excuse. Of course once you've seen one of these little puppy bundles, you really can't say no.

I've put 2 + 2 together and got 5. Just spoke to the missus (who lived in Broadstairs all her life, rather than my 8 years) and she put me right on Dumpton Gap and Stone Bay: Viking Bay (and stuff for kids) in the middle, Dumpton to the right, Stone to the left.

(So there was no way you were talking about Stone Bay school, and no need for me to rabbit on about the mother-in-law, etc, etc.)

*goes of feeling a bit daft*

What are the odds on us having exactly the same curtains??

The outside view of my French doors - you can see the original curtains which didn't reach the floor, so the ones in my bedroom now are newer ones, which *do* reach the floor.

http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/anniebarrnone/album?.dir=fb0e

Similar, but not the same. There's more green bits in yours, and on closer inspection, the flowery things aren't quite the same either. Good spot though!

I knew I should have got my microscope out!

I've only got one pair of curtains in my house, and they are in my son's bedroom. I prefer to see out of the window - even when there is nothing really to see. I do wonder about insulation sometimes and think I should make the effort in the winter, but really can't force myself to block the windows up!

Yes, the school is one of the 'special' schools, for children who need more help. It's got lovely play equipment, so when we have a rally there my mum often takes lots of her grandchildren.

I'm happy with the bit of beach we can walk on down there, I prefer not to take the dogs where there are likely to be children - even in the winter - because they can't really run and enjoy themselves properly.

Greyhounds don't need a lot of exercise, and Beauty is always lying round the house as if she's run a couple of marathons. They say 20 mins twice a day, but I normally go out for 30 - 120 mins once a day, depending on what else I am doing. The foster dog is a never give in terrier, and he definitely needs more than 20 mins! Although he did make do with two 10 min walks yesterday because he'd had such long walks the rest of the week.

I know what you mean about farmers, although I met the farmer my other half knows (his dad worked the farm for 50 years) and he was having to do up barns for rental income and rent a lot of space out for livery to make ends meet. Although when he started talking in millions of pounds I did start to think that perhaps he was better off than he was making out!