Summer Life

Since my last post we've been very busy travelling (sometimes with our dogs and sometimes without). 
The June heatwave has finished and yesterdays temperature of 34' C (93'F) has been replaced with a comparatively rather chilly 18'C (64'F). It's overcast and grey outside and rain showers are forecast; so it's back to a usual West Country Summer (the Glastonbury Festival has started so it's bound to rain this weekend even if it's not forecast).

My dogs are not too bothered by the heat and Buffy will often sit outside on a patio chair in the sunshine and after a while come inside and sit on the stairs. In the summer typically all our outside doors are open and the dogs can come and go as they please.

Bobbie (pictured below on Tuesday and who will be seventeen in September) alternates between lying on her soft memory foam bed and the tiled kitchen floor. I change their water on average three times a day during very hot weather.

Bobbie watching children dance

Bobbies arthritis continues to cause her mobility problems and she is on regular medication and supplements that help her (see my previous posts), but even so some days are worse than others and she struggles to lift her front paws high enough to get in the back door. Yet on a good day she will break into a run when she's out on our walks. She has become hard of hearing (I hesitate to say deaf) and so all walks are now on her long extender lead. Even though she is obviously stiff, if she sights (or scents) a rabbit, or an unwitting bird gets too close she will give chase and have every intention of trying to catch it. Border Terriers never lose the "chase" instinct however old they get.

Her intelligence spirit and character have not diminished with age and she is still a very loving attentive dog. I now count the days that we have left with her. I shouldn't, I know I shouldn't, but she is such a special dog and we all love her so dearly that I can't help fearing the day that we will lose her. I think as we lost Buster unexpectedly on 6th Jan 2016 to a stroke; which was very poignant as I'm a stroke survivor. It has made me even more aware of the fragility of life and we treasure every moment with our dogs and with each other. 

As a special treat Bobbie now sleeps at the end of our bed and hardly moves all night long. She has to be carried upstairs and carried back again downstairs. When the time for bed comes, she sits at the bottom of the stairs waiting without even attempting the climb. It's worth mentioning that if you carry your dog occasionally, you must always support their back legs. If you carry your dog with it's back legs unsupported you risk causing a back injury (especially in older dogs). 

Whilst it may read as if I'm overly fearful of losing her; I want to reassure you that the situation is that I'm a realist and that my focus is on appreciating her life and making sure she enjoys the rest of her days with us and us with her. 

Life is for living and a little pampering doesn't hurt.

Thanks for spending some time with me and my dogs. If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Cheers


Mike

History and Adventures with Border Terriers.

I've had dogs all my life. One of my earliest memories is curling up with my Mum and Dads old sheepdog (Wendy) when I was about three. Wendy was the sort of dog that any child would love and I did dearly. Even now over fifty years later, I still remember playing hide and seek with her; and I know now when she let me win it was because it was her deliberate decision, not because I was a skillful "hider."

My Grandparents bred Dachsunds and they were quite successful in County shows and although Dachsunds were smart they never really appealed to me. I was used to working dogs that my parents had I guess. Not that they ever worked for a living herding sheep or hunting, no their job was part protection, part educational for me and my brother but mostly as friends. No, they were more than that, they were part of the family and on some occasions were higher in the pecking order than the children (meaning me and my brother and cousins). My Dad was an Engineer and we moved to wherever his jobs were. Sometimes working on major Gas facilities in the South of England or helping to build Redcar Steelworks in the North (yep that was my Dad). 

Later on my Mum got a Beagle and she was my friend and confidant during my impressionable teenage years. A little more stoic than Wendy, Sheba was nevertheless fearless when it came to spotting prey and giving chase. Mostly this was the neighbourhood cats who quickly learned that although this dog was fast, it could not climb fences or jump onto cars. In all her years of chasing she never caught anything. 

Later on in life I discovered Cairn Terriers and then Border Terriers of which I now have three.

It was a completly different story when the Terriers arrived. The Cairns were fearless in hunting vermin and animals that disappeared down holes in the ground, including digging their way in so that they couldn't get out.

The Cairns, although expert diggers never caught anything. The Border Terriers however have a little more intelligence and diligence built in. Not that Cairns are not fantastic dogs but they are quite different to a Border Terrier.

Once when they were very young and whilst out deep in the Somerset countryside we strolled through an old woodland and came into a clearing at the bottom of a steep hill with so many Rabbit holes in it that the hillside resembled Swiss cheese. I knew we were in for trouble and I called my Border Terriers back, but in vain. Too late, they had scent of the chase and their minds and ears were completely closed to my plaintive attempts to recall them. The girls (sorry can't call them bitches) chased anything that moved as the rabbits hurried and scurried down any hole they could fit in. My boy ran and watched and then took up position near a hole at the top and sat down just watching the hole from above. I had given up on getting them back and waited at the bottom of the hill with leashes ready for when they were tired enough to come back.

Buster sat still as a statue and then one unlucky Rabbit looked out of the hole. In a flash Buster seized it at the back of the neck and a second later the Rabbit was dead. Carefully he brought it back down the hill, stumbling sometimes but never losing his grip and instead of coming to me as I expected he took his prize to the base of a nearby bush and started digging. He was clearly intent on burying the Rabbit he had caught. I saved him the trouble and walked over and put his lead on almost without him noticing. The Rabbit was small and I did bury it in the hole he had made. 

By now the girls had got tired chasing shadows and the fast Rabbits and came panting up. Their leashes were on before they knew it and we headed home.

I have never been back to that hill side and since then have them on extendable leashes when we go anywhere near Rabbit country. Even as older dogs their ability and willingness to chase down vermin is unabated; but now I know how to avoid dealing with their "prizes" and I avoid taking them to target rich environments.

If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Life with Border Terriers.

Hello and welcome to my blog about Border Terriers. 

There is lot's of detailed information about the breed here, from a detailed description of the breed and it's nature (see detail page here) to pictures of my dogs and other Borders.

I have had Terriers for over 35 years and 15 of those have been with Border Terriers. I used to breed Kennel Club registered Border Terriers (but don't anymore) and one of my babies ended up as Best in Show at a County show. I have never been without at least one dog. My Grandmother was a breeder of Dachshunds, my Mother showed Dachshunds and my Uncle was County Vet of Wiltshire for over 20 yrs. So you can see dogs and especially Terriers have been and still are a big part of my life.

These days I have 3 Border Terriers, one who is 15 yrs, one 12 yrs and one 9 yrs. They are my constant companions and trusted friends.

Recently I've been showing owners of older Border Terriers how to maintain their coat and the classic look with electric clippers. I found as mine got more advanced in years hand-stripping, even gently was stressing them too much. So I did some research and practiced on mine until I got the technique right and I've written a book to help other Border Terrier owners do the same. Like us as a dog ages it's skin becomes less elastic, thinner and their tolerance to pain decreases. It was for these reasons I decided there had to be a better way. Now you can use this approach as well. 

I also explain fully how to hand-strip your Border Terrier and the tools and consumables you'll need.