Noodles

Down at the park there are quite a few small fluffy dogs, and to be honest I don't know whether they are a pedigree or a bitzer. Like Gary, they all look the same to me.

Check this little fella out. I believe his name is 'Noodles' but if anyone can tell me what breed he is, write a comment below.

Ta.

Puppy-sitting requires patience

Boy, another blisteringly hot day in sunny Brisvegas. To think, it’s going to be like this all the way until March or maybe longer. Yikes!

The sub-tropical heat is all very well for you humans. You can slop around in tees and shorts but us Shepherds are stuck with our thick double layered fur coat.

Anyway, guess what I’ve been doing today? Puppy-sitting! I’ve spent all day keeping an eye out on Shelley, my little cocker mate.

When Gary told me she was coming over, I had to do a spot of yoga beforehand just to ensure my patience level was boosted way up to eleven. The first thing she did when she arrived was to throw herself at me, and then after half an hour of hassling, she promptly took over my sleeping mat - see below. Notice how comfy and chuffed she looks. I was relegated to sleeping on the floor!

As usual, she’s been full of beans. At one point Gary had to kick her out because she was making too much of a ruckus, and he couldn't focus on his work. See pic below. That's the little blighter sitting on the naughty mat waiting to be allowed back in.

Late in the arvo, Gary took the both of us down to the doggy park. Gary reckons walking Shelley is like walking a motorbike that's just lost its driver.

Tonight at dinner she ate most of my food so I was left to eat her puppy biscuits. I've gone from eating food for seniors to puppy stuff. What's that all about? 

Anyway, it hasn't been too bad I must confess. If truth be told, I do enjoy her company, just don’t tell her that. She might get even more excitable.

Half-dog high and a dog-and-a-half long

Recently, a little miniature Dachshund has come to our park. His name is…bugger…I’ve forgotten but he’s a funny little thing.

As you can see by the photo he is sort of tan and greyish with a dappled pattern. He’s only a pup so he’s full of beans and scared of no one and no dog even those three times his size, which given he’s only a couple of inches off the ground includes pretty much every dog at this park.

The standard Dachshund was originally bred to hunt badgers, and that’s what their name means in German: “badger dog”. The smaller variety, called the miniature dachshund, was bred to hunt smaller prey, like rabbits.

They come in short hair, long hair and wire-haired coats, and I guess this little fella is a short-hair.

Because of their funny shape, dachshunds are often referred to as ‘sausage dogs’. Like all breeds, their body shape was developed for a purpose; that is, to burrow deep into holes after badgers and rabbits. They have a deep chest which enables them to store air in their lungs for long pursuits. They also have unusually big paws for digging and an enlarged nose area all the better to sniff out prey in dark burrows.

Someone famous once said "a dachshund is a half-dog high and a dog-and-a-half long". Quite funny and spot on!

I like him even though he can get a bit too ‘in your face’. He’s constantly licking my chops, and launching his wee body at me. I reckon he must run on supercharged Everyready batteries.

Hot as...!

As a shepherd with a double fur coat I am not too good with the heat. Gary is equally as bad. In fact, both he and I wind down until we are are at sloth-like speeds.

Here in Brissy, the temperatures can get pretty high in summer, often in the mid to high 30s and not uncommon for the mercury to trip over the big four-zero!

You know it's getting a tad uncomfortable when peopel walk around muttering to one another "hot enough for ya....?"

Today is very hot and humid - and probably will stay that way for the rest of the week. We fear it may herald the start of a sustained period of big heat. We have one helluva long summer. It seems to stretch on forever, often staying very warm up until late March or April. After awhile most people start to wish for the cooler months. Sane folks that is; the nutters are frequently seen out jogging and playing sports in even the most stifling heat.

Thankfully Gary has the air-conditioner on right now, which makes it a lot more pleasant.

Funny, as you can see, it has been a few weeks since I posted and here I am writing about the weather. Maybe I should get out more.

A Big Hairy Dog

At my local doggy park, there are dogs of all shapes and sizes, and many weird and wonderful breeds.  There are of course the ubiquitous Poodle, Labrador and Jack Russell, but there are also unusual breeds such as this big guy:

He looks like a bear! You know what he is? Give up? Well he's a Tibetan Mastiff.

I've never heard of them before. At first I thought it must be a furphy, like the infamous Kenyan Giraffe Dog, but I came home and googled and sure enough, it is a fair-dinkum breed, and an ancient one at that. Apparently they were bred to be guardians of home and flock in the high mountains.

According to what I read, their origin in Tibet is 'hidden in the mist of time', kind of like Gary's favourite comic hero, the Phantom. Mmmm...

King George IV of England had a pair (of Tibetan Mastiffs, that is).

The big fella in the pic is 'Quan', by the way. He usually lumbers around the park, like a bulldozer in low gear, but every now and then, without warning, he'll break into a canter. He's not a lot of fun to play with, but I like him.

There you go...you learn something new everyday.