Terrier takeover in Glen Tanar.

Location: Glen Tanar (normally a haven of tranquillity)

Time: 11 am to 1 pm, Sunday 26 February 2023

Dramatis personae: Nobby, Rupert, Stan, Agatha, Jinx, Merin

Left to right: Merin, Jinx, Nobby, Agatha, Stan 

Merin, Nobby, Rupert and Stan

Merin, Nobby and Stan

Rupert (older brother to Nobby)

Jinx and Nobby

Nobby, Agatha and Rupert

Jinx and Nobby

Nobby, Agatha and Stan

Nobby

A suggestion for the pub quiz

Have you ever been to a pub quiz?

Gail says that readers outside the UK might not be familiar with this popular British pastime, generally a weekly event held at a local hostelry, where teams compete against each other answering questions on a range of topics such as films, history, food and drink, science, music, geography, sport etc. The winning team typically collects a small cash prize. 

The good thing about our local quiz at the Inn at the Park is that dogs are allowed, so I get to attend along with Gail and her three friends, although I have learned through experience that chewing the carpet and the pub furniture is not tolerated.

You can discover interesting things about your human at these events. I now know that Gail's command of music trivia is arbitrary and limited, but she has in depth and useful (although perhaps only in the context of a pub quiz) knowledge regarding the names of English football stadiums. Likewise, Oscar winners might pass her by, but she can tell you where the first British Labour Prime Minister was born. Overall, she is relatively strong on science and politics, but weak on Mariah Carey. 

I do believe Gail's four-woman team, 'The Indecisives', benefit from my presence. They even win from time to time, although I would note that they have yet to spend any of their winnings on treats for me.... 

I would like to pass one small comment on to the otherwise excellent and immensely likeable quizmaster Ally. I have noticed that he never features rounds titled 'dogs' or, 'pets', or even 'animals'. I am thinking he might in future include questions along the lines of the following (answers in brackets):

• What are the two most distinctive traits of a fox terrier, according to Wikipedia? (energy and intelligence)
• How many wire fox terriers, to the nearest hundred, were registered by the Kennel Club in the UK in 2021? (600 - the exact number is 623) 
• Name three famous fox terriers from film or literature (Snowy from Tintin, Asta from The Thin Man, Montmorency from The Men in a Boat)
• Which dog breed has won the Westminster Dog Show more than any other? (the wire-haired fox terrier) 
• If the team mascot is a wire-haired fox terrier, what proportion of the winnings, in 'treat equivalents' should the mascot be awarded? (90%)

Early morning lap time

 

Who has the worse bed hair, dog or human..?

Munro ready?

There really is nothing I enjoy more than climbing on things. 

While I see no problem with my penchant for ascending to the back of the sofa, or pioneering a new route via the chair and onto the writing desk, my human Gail seems to think that my urge for height is an instinct that needs to be "channelled". (Especially now she is down to her last unchewed pen...)

In Scotland we have 282 mountains over the height of 3000 ft and they are known as Munros, after Sir Hugh Munro who first catalogued them back in 1891. Climbing these hills is popularly known as 'Munro bagging' and Gail declared this weekend that she considers me now to be "Munro ready". 

She came to this conclusion after a wintery walk around Loch Kinord on Saturday. 

We took a small diversion to visit 'Burn O'Vat', a dramatic water-scoured glacial feature accessed by clambering over boulders and through a narrow gap in the rock. 

Apparently my predecessor Bouncing Bertie was so frightened by this entrance he had, like the child in the picture below, to be carried in*. 

Of course, I hardly need tell you, I was totally unfazed and nearly pulled Gail over on the wet slippery rocks in my eagerness to explore this fascinating natural landmark. 

So, with rock climbing credentials verified, Munros it is, this summer. But which one of the 282 to tackle first? Perhaps some of my readers might like to peruse this link and make a suggestion. Although I've been warned in advance that Gail is absolutely on no account prepared to take me up the Inn Pinn...

The Inacessible Pinnacle on Skye - photo from Guardian website

*Gail says: Bertie was too embarrassed to record this episode in his blog! 

First sighting of Duthie Park crocuses

Oh I can't even begin to express how thrilled I was to see all these beautiful crocuses springing up in Duthie Park!

So I raced across to Gail, confident she would agree that we had the perfect subject matter for this week's Nature Friday.

Can you believe she tried to pour cold water on the idea, saying my predecessor Bouncing Bertie had posed in the crocuses several times, and before him Hamish the Westie, and that really, the whole concept of 'terrier posing in the early spring flowers' was old and tired and could not be regarded as in any way special. (Between you and me, there's a possibility that it's Gail who is getting old and tired, and I think she should consider herself very fortunate to have a bright young pup around to help her see the beauties of nature with fresh eyes.)  

So anyway, it took me a quite while to convince my human that, since I have never encountered crocuses before, they seem very special to me. Eventually she agreed to take a few photos of me 'posing nicely'. 

I hope you like the pictures.

Happy Nature Friday! 

Weather for a dog walk?

I think I might have identified a gap in the weather forecast market.

Here in the UK the Met Office famously issues the Shipping Forecast (beloved by legions of BBC Radio 4 listeners whose only experience of matters nautical involves a pedalo on the local boating lake), plus specialist forecasts for mountaineers, hillwalkers and farmers etc.

So, I have a question.

Name me the section of the population that ventures outdoors more regularly and more frequently than any other.

Yes, correct, of course you answered "dogs and their owners".

Surely, a Dog Walkers' Forecast is in order?

The sort of service I envisage would include the following elements:

• For wind speed, a revised Beaufort Scale defined by the capacity to set ears aloft or blow beach sand in the eyes of a dog of standard height
• Temperature forecast calibrated in terms of the breed of dog which would find the conditions uncomfortably cold, e.g. 1 Xoloitzcuintli, 2 Whippet, 3 Cocker spaniel,  4 Labrador, 5 German Shepherd, 6 St Bernard
• Likewise a rain forecast stated in terms of the size of towel needed to dry off a dog of given dimensions on returning home.
• A subset of the rain forecast, predicting likelihood of muddy paws and subsequent requirement for a post-walk bath
• Ice warning, particularly relevant to owners of large dogs prone to pulling suddenly on the lead, and of course to those who walk close to rivers and lakes
• Predictions of  snow amounts, accompanied by a trigger warning lest they upset any huskies or other Arctic-origin breeds residing in snow-free climates

I think you get the picture. Perhaps my readers can suggest other ideas about what might be included?

You win some, you lose some...

 So Gail told me she'd ordered me a present online, to make up (her words) for my recent 'loss'.

I'll leave to my readers to decide what could possibly be appropriate compensation for a male dog forced to undergo 'The Snip'. Given my owner's woeful record on gift purchasing, I moderated my expectations, but I was still a bit annoyed and frustrated when we missed the delivery two days running, and so I  took up watch duty at the front window to make sure it was third time lucky. 

My vigilance paid off and I was impatient to find out what was in the package. 

A brand new bed! Well I must say it is very comfy, and stylish too. 

But you won't be surprised to learn that after over a week of on-lead restrictions, spending more time inside and lying down was not the first thing on my mind.

I'm pleased to report I finally regained my freedom on Sunday. The weather was mild and partly sunny and I enjoyed a lovely walk - well run, actually - in the woods at Ballogie Estate.

I had been hoping we'd be joined by our regular companions M and J, and was sorry to learn that M, so nimble and intrepid when out and about on our Aberdeenshire walks, had apparently stumbled over at home in the living room on Saturday night and had broken her arm. J called Gail from the Accident and Emergency Department to tell her the bad news. 

Gail and I send M our very best wishes for a speedy recovery.

A new dawn?

First of all, to let you know what a generous and thoughtful chap I am, I want to show you the WhatsApp message I sent Gail's cycling group (revealingly known as 'Scones R Us') yesterday morning. 

Now on to Nature Friday. 

Well since it's mostly been - for reasons I think you'll understand - sedate city walks this week, all I have to show you is some sunrise photos captured during my break of day outings in Duthie Park.

Gail says these images are appropriate to signal the "dawn of a new era". Perhaps you can figure out what she means. Beats me...

Once again thank you to our dear friends, the LLB Gang, for hosting this, our favourite blog hop.

Perking up

Well it's been a funny old few days. 

FRIDAY: Apparently I spent most of the day at the vet. To be honest I don't remember much, except that I felt very woozy when Gail picked me up, and had a strange sense that something rather precious to me had gone missing. A part of my nether regions is sore.

SATURDAY: This black collar I'm wearing is a hand-me-down from Bouncing Bertie. It was provided by a kind fellow blogger several years ago when Bertie was suffering from interdigital cysts on his paws. It is much more comfortable than the horrid lampshade I was given by the vet. I spend most of the day resting.

SUNDAY: The sun is shining and I have found a new perch in the kitchen. I have also been enjoying lots of lap time and cuddles. I am starting to feel a bit livelier, and we go for a short (and frankly rather boring) walk around the block.  

MONDAY: The good news is that, after a weekend of being mostly confined to barracks, Gail takes me for a morning walk to Duthie Park . The bad news is that I have to wear my collar and stay on the lead and am not allowed to play with any of my regular park pals. Most frustrating. 

TUESDAY: Look, no collar! We see the vet nurse and she says I am not yet fully healed and must keep calm and stay out of trouble. Has she ever met a wire-haired fox terrier before....?

In the evening at the 'Inn at the Park' I helped Gail's team, the 'Indecisives' to victory in the first pub quiz of the year, despite them thinking that the Tory Prime Minister who died in 1995 was Edward Heath not Sir Alec Douglas Home, and being unaware that Ella Fitzgerald is known that the First Lady of Song. It was particularly satisfying that 'we' narrowly beat my rival Teddy the Cavapoo's team.

Things are looking up!  

Sophie Snow Leopard speaks out #MeToo

Hi! I'm Sophie Snow Leopard, and I've hijacked this blog for today.

I don't know if you've ever thought about what means to be a soft toy in a terrier household, but I'm going to tell you anyway.

One becomes accustomed to rough treatment of course - being shaken vigorously or subjected to attempted de-stuffings -  and some might say I should be happy to have survived until now with all limbs intact and no need of emergency surgery. 

But between you and me, I was relieved to learn that Nobby, the rather, er, 'rampant' wire-haired fox terrier who currently rules the roost hereabouts, was last week given 'the snip'. In the olden days, us girls were expected to put up with the sort of insistent and unlooked-for attentions I've been receiving from Nobby and to keep quiet about it. But this is 2023, the era of #MeToo, and I feel it's high time to end the conspiracy of silence.

Post-operation, Nobby has been unusually subdued, but I'm wondering if this state of affairs will last... 

PS from Gail: Nobby seems to be recovering well from his surgery, and Sophie Snow Leopard is currently enjoying a period of rest and relaxation in the box room. 

Nobby's nature!

I am spending today at the vet, but for my Nature Friday contribution I've posted pictures from this week's short and rather soggy visit to Torridon. I believe that in my absence Gail has a few words to say below.

Gail here: As readers of Wednesday's post will have deduced, I have decided that Nobby, unlike my two previous dogs, would benefit from being neutered. I can't pretend that this has been an easy decision. It's been one made very much with my head not my heart, and I still worry that the operation will cause my wonderfully spirited and mischievous pup to lose some of his 'spark'. However, Nobby's favourite 'toy', Sophie Snow Leopard, with whom he has developed an increasingly intimate relationship over the past few months, will probably welcome a decrease in the amorous attentions she endures most evenings! 

Other relevant factors here - I note that Nobby's father Jimbob seems to have sired half the wire-haired fox terriers in North East Scotland and with Nobby I suspect it's a case of 'a chip off the old block'.  Also, at risk of posting TMI, I note that Nobby's testicles are at least twice the size of his predecessor Bertie's, and my vet friend Kirsty tells me this means twice the number of testosterone producing cells...

The scientist in me is curious to see how 'the snip' changes Nobby's behaviour, while also recognising that over the coming year he probably would have calmed down a bit anyway due to age and, of course, I'll never really know how he would have been if left intact!