Thundering Paws on Moonlit Night

Sometimes living in the country with two sighthounds isn't really the best case scenario.

It's frosty out there tonight so in a fit of pique I decided to go out and cover up all my frost tender plants in case they expire from the cold.

Me being the generous mother that I am, also took the puppies out so they could get a drink and have a bit of a pee.

I guess I should really know better, considering it's late at night, the moon is out and they're out for a bit of excitement.

Perhaps the first indication was that they started bouncing around and playing chasies.

Meanwhile I'm too busy putting the covers over the plants to truly keep an eye on them. Rather, just looking up every once in a while to check where they're at.

Next thing I hear is the thundering sound that are my wolfie's paws hitting the ground as they chase after some roo.

Panic ensues as I hear them crashing off into the night interspersed with some wheezing from Fred.

Since I've got a super powerful torch I decide to set out calling for them. I find that if I do it soon enough often they'll both realise they can't catch their prey and end up just roaming around for a while.

The best I can do is try and guesstimate where they've gone and start calling for them.

I know I really should know better than to let them out at night only half supervised. And I really was testing my luck on a moonlit night. But we all make mistakes.

I'm just proud that after ten minutes despite the silence the puppies heard me and ran back.

Fred was first. He was *soooo* loud as he crashed through the trees. Elsie came a little later.

But at least both bounded towards me. And I must say the minute Fred came I immediately latched onto his collar. He was still a bit bouncy from his run and I could tell that if I didn't check him fast he was going to find the trail of another animal and he'd be off again.

I'm just so relieved that they returned. I'd like to think that the little bit of recall training I've done with them is working. Although perhaps (more likely) I was simply very lucky to cotton on fast and start following.

As is the case, where I thought they'd be was exactly the opposite of where they went. All I know is one minute both puppies were busy sniffing around the house and next thing you know all you hear is thundering wolfie paws. *shakes head*

So what kind of recall training have I been doing? Not much really. I was at the neighbours the other day and they showed me some techniques they were working on.

Basically go on a walk with the pups off lead. Load yourself with treats and keep calling them whenever they wander too far from you. Eventually they'll hang around you in the hope of treats.

I almost wish I had the hugest most juiciest bone when Fred bounded up to me. For a little while there I was resigned to sleeping on the couch tonight to wait for the puppies to give up their adventure and come home.

The next best thing I could was pat him and praise him loudly telling him what a great boy he is.

They are now both exhausted lying next to the coffee table far away from me. Well, too far for me to be both typing and giving them gratituitous back/tummy rubs.

I guess they're rather thrilled at the midnight adventure. Pity the same couldn't be said for me!

Fat Dogs

The puppies have been quite the travellers lately. We've been visiting a number of boarding kennels due to a few trips here and there and I must say the majority of my experiences have been pleasant.

Fred had a bit of a scare with an eye infection thing a few weeks back. He came back from the kennels with a red eye and pus. I took him to the vet who said it was just something irritating him and gave him some injections (I'd left Fred there for the day while I went to work) and some antibiotic cream to put into his eye twice a day.

In the process I found out that Fred's put on a bit of weight.....

Last time we weighed him he was 43 kilos. A hefty boy you would say.

After visiting the vet, Fred is now a whopping 52.3. He's put on close to 10 kilos in the last year! We think perhaps that it's an indication that he was still growing.

I'm imagining at close to 4 he is now at his peak size. 

In comparison, Elsie's not one to shy away from competition.

When we got her from the pound she was a measly 26 kilos. Mainly from malnutrition I would guess. You could see her ribs sticking out through her fur.

At the last kennels they weighed her for me, and she is now 34 kilos! 

What on earth...

I knew that she'd put on weight with us, in fact I expected her to be maybe 30 kilos. But 34! Elsie! You're a fatty!

 

Typical, ignoring me as usual.

You can see her general shape here:

 

I decided the other day to bite the bullet and have her collar reduced in size. Mainly because at the last kennel she was, she was so desperate to leave the place that she'd managed to pull her head out of her collar.  She made a run for it straight down the corridor but didn't make it far as hubby was standing there blocking the way. He laughed and commented that she didn't seem fazed or in fact had any strategy about how to get out of the kennels. She simply wanted out and figured the easiest way was to go straight. Not once did she waver or try to go around him.

Poor girly. My fault for not letting her go sooner (I was busy collecting their bedding).

I must say though, Elsie does love her bones.

 

Her recall is absolutely shocking when she's got a bone in her mouth. She happily sits there and chews all day. I've never met a more food motivated doggie. No wonder she's such a fatty...

 Here's Fred this morning doing his toilette before I put them in the pen:

 

I love that big lick of his lips while he pees. lol

 Whoops! Where did the boy go??

 Here are a few more of Elsie sniffing around. She's such a sniffer..

 And last night looking up at me all adorable-like. Can you spot Fred in the corner trying to figure out why he's not really in the picture?

And an oldie but a goodie. I wish the camera had been steady but I love her look too much to not post. 

Ah, My Classy Elspeth

Every night my puppies commune with the Fire God that is our combustion stove fireplace.

Most nights both puppies can be found staring into the flames.

However by the end of the evening both puppies will have found a spot to curl up and sleep.

In Elsie's case tonight, I caught her all legs akimbo. Which is bad enough, except that Freddie felt compelled to be nearby for comfort.

In Fred's case, comfort consists of being as close as doggily possible to Elsie's bottom.

At least Elsie had the smarts to use her tail to protect her modesty.

Ah Elsie, you're such a lady..

In which Elsie discovers she's a Beach Babe and Harry continues to trail his Beloved

The puppies went to visit Harry again a while back and had a lovely time running along the beach and checking out the ocean views up on the hill.

Elsie discovered the ocean for the first time and voluntarily went in to inspect the water temperature for us. A very different situation to Fred who had to be dragged in the first time.

Elsie: Ooo what's this blue stuff? I might go and check it out..

Elsie: Hrmm.. not too sure about this. It's a touch cold...

 

Elsie: ...But I do smell a little, so maybe I should have a quick wash anyway...

After a shout from us Elsie shakes off, and comes out like one of those beasts emerging from the ocean in a horror movie

  

Only to then be confronted by Fred who's up for a game of Chasies

Fred: Heh! That was fun!

Meanwhile, what has Harry been doing?

Here is Harry tagging after his Beloved.

And then later, Harry takes his two friends up to his favourite haunts

 

Here's Harry waiting patiently for Fred to catch up.

But all Harry really wants to do is follow Elsie around

Now there's true love for you...

Socialising Puppies

I was driving home last night and got a call from a local number I didn't recognise. When I rang back I was met with this conversation.

"Hi, I'm a friend of your neighbour's. I'm just checking in to see whether or not you've got your puppies back yet."

Me: "Huh?"

"You have two wolfhound dogs right?"

Me: "Yeees... but I wasn't aware they were missing!"

"Oh. Whoops!"

Me: "I better ring and check with my husband to see what's going on."


A quick call to the hubby, and I find out that the two mischief makers went wandering while he was busy chainsawing. He had left them off lead, trusting them to stay close to him while he worked.

*shakes head*

"I didn't think they'd wander off like that!"

*sigh*

Luckily about twenty minutes later I got a call asking if I was the owner of two dogs called Fred and Elsie.

So off I went to collect my two wayward puppies and meet another set of neighbours.


When I went to pick up the truants, the minute I saw them and said hello they shot over to me. Elsie practically lay sideways across my feet while Fred sat near me while I petted him and thanked their rescuers for finding them.


It turns out that the puppies had wandered onto the main road and were luckily picked up by this particular set of neighbours. She'd been driving home and spotted them. She'd noticed both dogs looked a bit lost and that they were following her, even when she slowed down. Worried that they'd both be run over she stopped and let them into the car.

I feel very grateful that she did this, because it's lambing season and a farmer could very well unknowingly shoot them before checking to see whether or not they were domestic or wild doggies.

The puppies are now safe and sound in their pen and hubby knows better than to let them off lead when he's out and about. And he wonders why I make a point of walking them on lead around the property or constantly calling them when I lose sight of them. *shakes head*

I'm lucky that these two puppies have such lovely temperments and that their rescuer owned dogs before. Not everyone will let an unknown dog get into their car. I was speaking to a work colleague and she pointed out her blue heeler cross isn't friendly with strangers and wondered if he'd wandered off, whether he'd growl at someone offering to pick them up rather than meekly hopping into the back seat.

My two puppies being the friendly boofers that they are ended up spending the evening helping my neighbours feed their horses and do general farmwork. Apparently Elsie even licked my neighbour's face =/ Least someone was having a good time while hubby fretted at home. *shakes head*

On the plus side, at this rate I'm going to be known as the wolfhound lady, and meet all my neighbours through these two mischief makers. Perhaps that's their real reason for wandering off all along.

"Mum, you need to socialise more and meet your neighbours. Here... let me help you. We'll just go and find some people we don't recognise and get you to meet them."

So really, they're just doing it for me.

wolfies are such sooks

It is now winter and most nights I can be found near the wood heater stoking the fire.

Elsie knows that whenever I am sitting on the floor it's a free-for-all and she tends to come over and put her head in my lap. 

Last night resulted in a bit of a Love-In with Elsie's head in my lap and Fred cushioned on her bottom. 

My photos don't do justice to the two squiggly lumps of puppy that lay at my feet before me.

You can see Fred in the background there lying on her rump.

Here's some close ups of Fred.

 

 

And later..

 

Fred: Wha-? Who? Me? Noo... I wouldn't deign to lay myself on Elsie's rump. I'm my own man, doncha know? 

Fancy Collars and Revisiting Paramours

Hi there, my name is Fred and I've got a brand new collar.

Hi there, my name is Elsie and I also have a brand new collar...

After going through three dog tags in the last six months I decided to be a little more creative in ensuring the safety of the pups and got some customised embroidered leather dog collars off Etsy. 

They look great on - my only thing about them is that I measured them a little big. Mainly because I measured lower on their neck than I should have. The only way around it is to feed them more so they'll get fatter. 

The collars are super durable and I can tell they will last a long time. I went to a lot of trouble (a few misunderstandings with the seller) to get them the way I wanted (dark leather, red nylon backing, red writing with tan stitching, serif font, etc etc) so don't really want to go through the whole rigmarole again any time soon. The collars have both their names and my mobile number on them so that if they wander off I can be contacted without the person having to squint at a very small engraved piece of metal.

Other than the sizing issue, I'm super happy with these collars. They're good quality, were a decent price (especially compared to my options in Australia) and they do the job while looking elegant at the same time. And if there's one thing I'm insistent on, it's that my puppies look elegant ;)

Elsie thinks so too..

Everyone's having a marvellous time at the moment although with the change in weather I'm noticing the puppies are moulting again. I was playing around with Fred's mohawk the other night and came away with fistfuls of fur (!)

Elsie's also giving as good as she can get and no matter how often I brush her I still come away with more doggy fur.

Here she is trying to ignore my comments and pretend that she hasn't heard anything.

I've discovered that Elsie is a surprisingly efficient footwarmer and most nights I find myself putting my cold feet under her belly or underneath her thighs and pretty soon my feet are toasty. 

She hasn't objected yet, although this photo suggests I should start looking into other ways to keep my tootsies warm.

Such a sullen teenager look..

She looks surprisingly big in this shot. When you think about it she's a decent size - not that you realise it when you put her beside Fred, or when you look over at night and she's curled up into a teeny weeny croissant.

Here's a great moving shot of her, I love how you can see some of that wolfie muzzle. And check out those ginger highlights. We didn't even see those when we first got her. I only saw them after I'd given her her first decent shampoo. Talk about being pleasantly surprised. So many women would kill to have highlights like that..

A few weeks back we also went and visited Elsie's paramour, Harry, for another love in.

 

Here is Harry licking his lips at the thought of meeting Elsie again:

However, despite last time's success, it was a rocky start with neither willing to speak to the other, 

 but eventually the ice broke and here is everyone having a good time

Well, almost everyone.

Her face says it all really.