Merry Christmas

 

Wishing all my friends far and near a very Happy Christmas.

Ozzy's new friend in the park

Ozzy's new friend is a Spinone. 

 

The breed is believed to have been developed in the Piedmont region of Italy. The Spinone is a very ancient breed.  It is one of the oldest gun dogs in existence. The origins of the breed are unclear.  There are many different theories. Some of these claim that the Spinone could have originated in Italy, France, Spain, Russia, Greece, or even Celtic Ireland.

Some people familiar with the history of the breed claim that the Spinone descended from the now-extinct Spanish Pointer, whilst others claim that it was the ancient Russian Setter that is responsible for the breed we know today. An even more popular theory is that Greek traders brought coarse-haired setters to Italy during the height of the Roman empire, where the dogs were then crossed with various others and the modern Spinone eventually emerged.

The breed was not officially known as "Spinone" until the early 19th century. Before then, some areas knew the breed as the "Spinoso". The breed may have been named after an Italian thorn bush, the spino, which was a favorite hiding place for small game because for larger animals it was practically impenetrable. Only thick-skinned, coarse-haired animals could fight through the branches unharmed to locate the game. The Spinone was the breed most capable of doing so, and, perhaps, therefore the name was formed.

 

Ozzy has fully recovered.  He is full of beans...........

Ozzy is sick.

 

Ozzy has been off his food and not well.  He probably ate something in the forest which did not agree with him.  Maybe Dr Okeke could have helped.  Click on the above picture to enlarge it to get the full benefit of his cures.

Ozzy with his girlfriends

Koko is on the left, Vichy on the right.  The command was "sit" but Ozzy does not care too much about things like that. 

Brotherly love

When Philadelphia-based animal rescue Operation Ava took in a pair of 8-month-old pit bull mixes, shelter workers noticed something strange about the dogs.

When they walked, the dog they’d named Jeffrey always followed behind his brother, Jermaine, with his head resting on Jermaine’s back. That’s when they realized that Jeffrey was blind and his brother had stepped in to be his seeing-eye dog.

The dogs were inseparable and even cuddled together at night.

Veterinarians think Jeffrey was born blind in one eye, but may be able to see shadows with his other eye. He’s only comfortable walking when he has Jermaine to guide him.

Workers decided that the dogs should be kept together, but they hadn’t received any adoption applications for the pair until a photo of the cuddling pair was posted on the Chester County SPCA Facebook page.

The photo went viral and soon applications were pouring in from across the United States, as well as from Canada, Belgium and South Africa.

Workers are now trying to choose the best placement for the dogs.

Ozzy off to the forest.

Ozzy is off to the forest with his girlfriends Vichy and Koko, two brown Australian Shepherds.  They are all good friends.

Slumdog climbs Everest

An abandoned puppy rescued from a rubbish dump in India has trekked to Everest Base Camp, a height of 17,598ft (5,364m) above sea level.
Its owner told the AFP news agency that they believed that it was the first dog to climb so high on the mountain.
Former professional golfer Joanne Lefson adopted the 11-month-old dog, called Rupee, in the Himalayan Indian town of Leh last September.
The pair began "Expedition Mutt Everest 2013" on 14 October.
The aim was to raise awareness about the plight of homeless dogs and encourage adoption.
The pair traversed wobbly bridges, scaled treacherous mountain paths and narrowly escaped landslides for 13 days.
The dog quickly adjusted to high altitudes and loved the snow. In the course of his travels he was cuddled by Himalayan monks and petted by innumerable children.
"I am so proud of Rupee," Ms Lefson told AFP. "I thought I might have to carry him on some days, but instead, he took the lead and pulled me along."
When she first came across the puppy he was dehydrated and close to death, she said.

Halloween dogs

Yesterday hundreds of dogs dressed up for America's biggest Halloween Dog Parade at Tompkins Square Park in New York's East Village.The headline in the paper read: 'pawsitively' adorable!

Baby, you can drive my car!

 

 

 

Is this cool Ozzy?   

 

Little girl's best friend.

Hermès handbag

Who needs a Hermès bag?

Let's have a drink!

Panic over! 

Eurodog stops drinking!

This is how the dogs reacted to the announcement that Eurodog was going to stop drinking.

Dog befriends little Down's Syndrome boy.

This is the heart-warming moment when a gentle dog befriends a young boy with Down's Syndrome and persuades the child to play.
Herman, now five, from La Plata, Buenos Aires, was captured on camera being approached by Himalaya, a Labrador.
Herman's mother Ana, who posted the video on YouTube, said her son usually backs away from contact.

About Ozzy

While there are many theories as to the origin of the Australian Shepherd, the breed as we know it today developed exclusively in the United States. The Australian Shepherd was given its name because of the association with Basque Sheepherders who came to the United States from Australia in the 1800’s.

The Australian Shepherd’s popularity rose steadily with the boom of western horseback riding after World War II, which became known to the general public via rodeos, horse shows, movies, and television shows. Their inherent versatile and trainable personality made them assets to American farms and ranches.  The American stockman continued the development of the breed, maintaining its versatility, keen intelligence, strong herding instincts, and eye-catching appearance that originally won their admiration.

Although each individual is unique in colour and markings, all Australian Shepherds show an unsurpassed devotion to their families. Their many attributes have guaranteed the Australian Shepherd’s continued popularity.

Dogs in Las Vegas

Las Vegas has it all as far as dogs go.  25 dog parks where dogs can be off the lead which per capita is third best in the US. Sin City is not so good for dog walking because of the extreme heat though. Vegas is home to a dog-themed radio program, “a show about things all dog”  called The Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dog Show, hosted by Stacy “Doxie Diva”. It is also a Dachshund rescue group with the slogan “Saving the World One Wiener at a Time.”
According to Dog Jaunt, a blog for people who want to travel with their small dogs, many of the casinos allow dogs as guests.
Local law states if a neighbour shoots your dog for barking in your own yard you are legally allowed to hang them!! 

Changing face of Cornwall

 A walk on a country lane in North Cornwall with Ozzy. 

 

On one side the Cornwall of old and on the other side the new face of Cornwall.  I suppose windfarms are more lucrative than livestock.

 

 

Pitbull fight

Who says pitbulls are dangerous?

Video game pet

Grand Theft Auto V is an open world ( ie: video game level design.  What? ) action-adventure video game played in the third-person and combines driving and action game play in an open world environment, allowing the players to interact with the game world at their leisure. The game is set within the fictional state of San Andreas, which is based on Southern California, affording the player free roam over the world's countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos, which is based on Los Angeles. The single-player story is told through three player-controlled protagonists whom the players switch between—Michael, Trevor and Franklin—and the story follows their efforts to plan and execute six large heists to accrue wealth for themselves.

Chop is Michael’s friendly pet.

Prairie dogs

According to the National Geographic prairie dogs always greet each other with a kiss, a nuzzle or a hug.  They cuddle like humans.

Protective dog

A protective pooch is being credited with alerting a South Carolina family that their babysitter was abusing their 7-month-old son.
Benjamin and Hope Jordan, of Charleston, first grew suspicious of Khan after their dog began acting aggressively towards her.
"About five months into her being our baby sitter, we started to notice that our dog was very protective of our son when she would come in the door.  He was very aggressive towards her and a few times we actually had to physically restrain him from going for her."
Suspecting something was up, the couple placed an iPhone under a couch to record Khan's day with their son, Finn, while they were at work.
Jordan said the device caught Kahn cursing and hitting the child.  On the recording slapping noises and crying is heard, both distress crying and pain crying. 
Kahn, the babysitter was arrested and later confessed.
The dog’s, a mixed breed, name is Killian which is the anglicized version of the Irish name Cillian which means “war” or “strife”.
So there! 

9/11

 

The 9/11 search and rescue dogs are the heroes too. 

 

 

Let's not forget. 

 

I have never seen one of those before

Whilst walking Ozzy in the forest this afternoon, we came across this dog:

I went up to the owner and showed off my knowledge of dogs and complemented her on her nice looking Basenji. 
"C'est un lévrier Podemco", she replied.
"Ah bon! Beau chien!" was my embarrassed reply.
A Podemco hound is also known as an Ibizan Hound.  This is what they look like:



 

This breed originates in the island of Eivissa, Catalan for Ibiza and has been traditionally used in the Catalan-speaking areas of Spain and France to hunt rabbits and other small game. The Ibizan Hound is a fast dog that can hunt on all types of terrain, working by scent, sound and sight. Hunters run these dogs in mostly female packs, with perhaps a male or two, as the female is considered the better hunter!

The breed is considered by most experts one of the most ancient dog breeds. It is believed it  evolved from the tesem, the ancient Egyptian hunting dog. Representations of this dog on the walls of ancient tombs show a striking similarity to the modern Ibizan Hound. These dogs would have been brought to the island of Eivissa by the Phoenicians, who founded settlements there as early as the 8th century BC.



Depression in dogs

A quarter of Britain's dogs are suffering from depression because of the stress of being left alone while their owners are at work, a new study has found.  Dogs whose owners work particularly long hours or are way from home for long periods display particularly visible signs of distress – including pacing, spinning on the spot, howling, defecating and even self-harming.
Dr John Bradshaw explained if dogs are trained to interact with humans, they can then find it difficult when they don't have that interaction during the working day.
He explained: "Dogs have a very powerful link to humans. You can train a dog to do all sorts of things and understand our gestures.”
A documentary on the subject will be shown on Channel 4 later this year.

Baby and dog

I could not resist putting this picture on my blog.  I was listening to the Today program on BBC Radio4 this morning and so much rubbish was talked about these newly released pictures of the royal baby, I turned the radio off.  They were critising "the amateurish quality of the pictures.  Mr Middleton should not harbour ambitions of becoming a photographer.   Why is the dog in the picture?  Too much sunlight in the background."
Ozzy is in all our family phtographs.  He is very much part of the family. 
Is it not nice to have a natural, non photoshopped snap?
A normal family with a baby and the family dog.
I think they are great and we should have more.

    

Vive le Roi. Lang leve de Koning.

The King of the Belgians, Albert II, has announced his abdication.

In a national televised address, the 79-year-old monarch said he would step down in favour of his son Crown Prince Philippe, 53, on 21 July, Belgium's national day.

He said his health was no longer good enough to fulfil his duties, and he would step down after nearly 20 years on the throne.

Heat stroke

Ozzy suffers terribly in the heat but mercifully we don't have heat at the moment.

Plastic surgery for dogs.

 

 

How about cosmetic surgery to make a dog look better? More like a perfect specimen of the breed? This is what Dr. Edgard Brito of São Paulo, Brazil, does.  He is the world’s pre-eminent cosmetic surgeon for dogs.
He told Businessweek that his career took its "cosmetic turn" after he began breeding Doberman Pinschers as a hobby.
“I started to play with plastic surgery and began to look for the correct ears,” he says. “It’s important for us as show-dog breeders that dogs have the right expression, the correct proportions.”
How does one "play around" with plastic surgery on dogs? Take Brutus, Brito's first big success.
“One of his ears was in a peculiar place, and wrong, so that was the first time I used Botox to put less tension in the muscle of that ear,” he says. “I use Botox and Restylane to fix some broken cartilage. It’s a very good technique, you don’t need to cut the animal, only injections.”
And it worked. It worked so well that Brutus went on to be a dog-show champion, and today he lives the life of a stud, breeding.
As for Brito, he went on to do plastic surgery on "thousands of other animals, usually costing $500 to $1,000 each time."

Dogs do attack humans

The caption says : «  Not dangerous if properly trained ».  

I am not so sure.  A dog is a dog and remains an animal which means it follows an instinctual behaviour.  Yes, we can train dogs to do all sorts of things and we train them so that they become good companions but according to data more than 4.5 million people are attacked by dogs every year mostly by their domestic pet.  

Dogs in tights

The Sharp Daily, a Hong Kong news site, reports on an odd trend sweeping China.  Recently, dog owners in China have been posting pictures of their dogs wearing tights on popular social media sites.  “Pet owners have long been dressing up their pooches in anything from skirts to suits and elaborate Halloween costumes, so why not tights and high heels?” says the report.
I’m sorry, folks, but I think this is sick. 

Russian subway

Each morning, like clockwork, they board the subway. They're off to begin their daily routine amidst the hustle and bustle of the city.
But these aren't just any daily commuters. They are stray dogs who live on the outskirts of Moscow and commute on the underground to and from the city centre in search of food scraps.
Then after a hard day scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

Dog heroes

The monks stationed at Great St. Bernard Pass near the Swiss-Italian border originally bred the massive St. Bernard. They hoped to create a breed capable of locating and saving lost travellers as they made their way through the dangerous mountain pass. And a fine job they did to. St. Bernards are capable of picking up a human scent from over 2 miles and can locate a body beneath ten feet of snow. Their most famous specimen was Barry, said to save over 40 lives. Renowned for his bravery and compassion, a statue of Barry stills stands at the Cimetière des Chiens, the pet cemetery in Paris, and his body is preserved at the Natural History Museum in Berne, Switzerland.

Canine measles

Some of the world's rarest big cat species are facing a potentially deadly threat from a virus carried by domestic dogs.
John Lewis, director of Wildlife Vets International, said there was evidence that Indonesian tigers were at risk.
Canine distemper virus has evolved and changed its pattern of animals it can infect to include marine mammals (such as seals) and big cats.
Dr Lewis plans to work with Indonesian vets to develop a strategy to protect the nation's tigers from the virus.

Dog Days

"Dog Days" is the name for the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to August 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period extended from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius, the Dog Star and the sun. In the latitude of the Mediterranean region this period coincided with hot days that were plagued with disease and discomfort.

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "the Sea boiled, the Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all other creatures became languid; causing to man, among other diseases, burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies." according to Brady’s 1813 Clavis Calendaria or a Compendious Analysis of the Calendar: illustrated with ecclesiastical, historical, and classical anecdotes.  

A must read this summer?

Could be Ozzy's cousin

 

The Finnish Lapphund or Lapinkoira Suomenlapinkoira is a hardy, easy going, medium-size breed of the Spitz type. Traditionally it was used for herding reindeer. Although the snowmobile took over the dog’s job, it remains one of the most popular dog breeds in its native Finland.  It is little known outside the Nordic countries.

 

The duck who thinks he's a Rottweiler

Henry, an Indian Runner duck, and Jaffa, the eight-stone Rottweiler hit it off after Henry escaped from a pen and waddled up to Jaffa.  His owner feared the worst and then watched in amazement as the pair became the best of friends.  When she took Jaffa out for his walk Henry just followed. Now wherever Jaffa goes Henry goes too. They cannot be apart ;  they even sleep in the same pen together.
Daily they go on a mile-and-a-half walk together just the two of them. 
Now Henry rules the roost. And he even gets Jaffa into trouble when they roam around the village of Stapleford, Leicestershire and every time Henry takes a plunge in the duck pond, Jaffa takes a dip too.

Zelda Fitzgerald's dog.

This is Zelda Fitzgerald posing with her dog Fritz in 1922.  He looks like a Malinois, a Belgian Shepherd. 
The Malinois was probably introduced to the US after WWI. During the war in Europe they were brought into military service to act as messengers, scouts, border patrol and Red Cross dogs. 

How is this possible?

I read this tragic story in the papers.  How is this possible?  It is obviously a tragic accident but dog owners know about dogs in cars.  Every dog owner does.  This makes me so mad.  We have had the coldest winter in decades and the first rays of sun come out and this is what happens.  Just think everybody out there.  Just think!  Be mindful.

“A school's 'therapy' dog has died after being left in a hot car for six hours because of a 'staff mix-up'. Ruby,  the Labrador was used to help lower-ability pupils at Sittingbourne Community College in Kent.

Owner Dave Carden, 53, a PE teacher, routinely took her in each day and left her in his car for another teacher to collect and take into class.
But on Tuesday - one of the hottest days of the year so far - she was not collected and remained in the car from 8am to 2.35pm.
Outside temperatures rose to the 20C mark and by the time Carden returned to his car, five year-old Ruby was dead.
He rushed her to the vets but there was nothing they could do to save her.”

RIP Ruby.

Flemish dog in Rijksmuseum

In view of the grand opening of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam this week after 10 years of renovation, I am copying a blog entry which I originally wrote in April 2009.


"Thanks to a donation from the Dutch lottery BankGiro Lottery, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has acquired five sculptures, all of which make an exceptional contribution to the Rijksmuseum’s international collection of sculptures. From 21 April 2009, the sculptures can be admired in the Acquisitions Hall of the Rijksmuseum. The highlight of the exhibition is a lively sculpture of a Greyhound: the dog is looking up, alert, as though listening to his master. On his collar is the coat of arms of the Roose family from Antwerp, so it is likely the dog really existed. This exceptional animal ‘portrait’ was created by Artus Quellinus (1609-1668) from Antwerp. From 1648 onwards the sculptor spent considerable time in Amsterdam, where he was commissioned to design the sculptural decorations of the new Town Hall (today's Royal Palace on Dam Square). Many of the sculptures of the Town Hall decorations reveal the classicist influence that became increasingly popular in the mid-seventeenth century in the Northern Netherlands. Despite the numerous commissions that awaited him in the Netherlands, Quellinus decided to return to Antwerp in 1664 where he died four years later. "

National Puppy Day

It’s National Puppy day in the US today.  The day not only celebrates the magic of puppies, but more importantly, it's a day to help save orphaned puppies across the globe and educate the public about the horrors of puppy mills, as well as further the mission for a nation of puppy-free pet stores.

Puppy mills take advantage of naive consumers who are not aware of the treatment the fluffy pups in the window endure: "Puppy mills house dogs in shockingly poor conditions. After their fertility wanes, breeding animals are often killed, abandoned or sold cheaply to another mill to try and get "one more litter" out of the dog. The annual result of all this breeding is millions of puppies, many with serious behaviour and/or health problems."

Puppy mills aren't the only challenge facing dogs. An estimated 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year in the U.S., due in part to owner abandonment and low adoption rates.

It's not Ozzy

No, it's not Ozzy.  It's a Tibetan Mastiff.



The name Tibetan mastiff is a misnomer because technically it is not a true mastiff.  A better name for the dog would be Tibetan mountain dog or Himalayan mountain dog.  These dogs are seriously huge.  An average male weighs 80 kg.  They were and are still used to guard herds and flocks, tents, monasteries and palaces.  They are mostly tied up to guard houses.  It's Tibetan name means "dog which may be tied or door guard or home guard".

Little known fact

Did you know that Dalmatian puppies are born with plain white coats?  Their first spots usually appear within three weeks after birth.

Sled dogs

The practice of using dogs to pull sleds dates back to at least 2000 B.C. It originated in Siberia or North America, where many American Indian cultures used dogs to pull loads. In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen used sled dogs in a race to become the first person to reach the South Pole. He succeeded, while his competitor Robert Falcon Scott, instead used Siberian ponies because he lacked experience in handling dogs.  The poor ponies tragically perished. 

One of the advantages of using sled dogs in polar regions is their uncomplicated food requirements. They can be fed seal meat; it is unnecessary to make elaborate arrangements for bringing along food for them. Amundsen went even further on his expedition to the South Pole. He shot the dogs he no longer required and fed them to his remaining sled dogs.

In the 20th century, more convenient technology such as the airplane and snowmobile replaced sled dogs as the preferred mode of transportation in the arctic and subarctic regions of North America. Today, mushing survives mostly in the form of the recreational sport of sled dog racing. Nonetheless, it remains an important cultural practice of the aboriginal people of Siberia, Canada, and the U.S. state of Alaska.

Helmer Hanssen, who had been responsible for the welfare of the sled dogs in Amundsen’s South Pole team quoted:

"Dogs like that, which share man's hard times and strenuous work, cannot be looked upon merely as animals. They are supporters and friends. There is no such thing as making a pet out of a sledge dog; these animals are worth much more than that."

No this is not Ozzy.

I saw this dog outside the supermarket the other day.  No it's not Ozzy.  It's a Bernese Mountain Dog,  an extremely versatile working dog from the farmlands of Switzerland. He was developed to herd cattle, pull carts, and be a watchdog and loyal companion. The Bernese Mountain Dog comes from the canton of Bern, hence his name. He's a large and sturdy dog breed, with a friendly and calm disposition.
He is bigger and taller than an Australian Sheepdog but just as pretty and intelligent.

Today in the forest.  The bark is not Ozzy's.  It's Vichy's.  One of Ozzy's girlfriends.  She is an Australian too!

Challenges of meeting female dog on heat

Ozzy is fine. His poops are normal and so is his behaviour. Back to normal and stress over.

Yesterday in the forest, we had another interesting experience. We were throwing sticks for Ozzy. This now is his favourite game. The tennis balls do not have the same allure anymore.
We were just walking along Mr Eurodog and myself when we saw a dog walker with her pack of dogs. There were two Border Collies, an Australian Shepherd ( colour: bleu merle with bleu eyes ), two Alsatians. Ozzy caught sight of them and sped over to them. He seemed particularly attracted to one Alsatian. We were too far away to make out whether this was a female or a castrated male ( Ozzy finds them attractive too! ). The pack came nearer and the dog walker started shouting at us. “She’s on heat. Keep your dog away from her.” She became quite hysterical when she realised Ozzy was keen. “Put him on a lead. Quick, put him on a lead.” We were shell shocked by this dog walker’s behaviour. The other pack members were getting quite agitated. I noticed she had no leads for her dogs. I managed to pull Ozzy off the Alsatian and put him on a lead and walked away. When we thought we were a safe distance away, I let Ozzy off the lead and like a bullet he ran off to find the Alsatian. It must have been a good kilometre. I went after him and found the pack. “I told you to keep him on the lead. Don’t you realise this dog already has had 24 puppies. What’s more she needs exercise. I cannot just leave her locked up when she is on heat.” I put Ozzy on the lead again and decided not to enter into an argument. I did not let him off until we got to the car.

What conclusions are we to draw from all this?

1. If you are the owner or carer of a female dog that is in, or coming into season, it's your responsibility to keep her away from intact males.
2. Of course, dogs on heat need to be taken out and to be exercised but it is a challenging task. A responsible owner picks his route carefully, goes to an area where there are not too many dogs. An area where it is quiet. This person should be mindful of his environment.
3. The dog should be on a lead. It is totally irresponsible to have a female on heat running loose. It is asking for trouble. She will attract the male to come to her and the male is attracted by her hormones. If a male mounts her, it is very difficult to separate them. Also if they are in a pack, fights can break out.
4. The owner should inform other dog owners that the dog is on heat so that he can put his own dog on a lead if he running loose or come and get his dog if necessary.
5. If you really want to walk your dog off the lead but you know there is a female on heat about, break the trail. The easiest way to do it, is to put your dog in the car, and drive to another area, a distant area, where you may walk your dog without problems.

My take on this:

People have said to me that it is all about training. Well-trained males will have learned to ignore females on heat. I do not agree. Female dogs are extremely attractive to males when in heat, and even, if you think you have perfect recall, it is very difficult, near impossible to provide something better in exchange. Calling: “come here, come here, cookies” will not help. The instinct is too strong.
I will give you the following example to highlight this. The dog club were I used to work had certain rules. Females on heat were not allowed on or near the premises. One day however, someone, stupidly came with a female on heat. Within seconds males flocked to her and fought over her. The female was taken away by its owner and the other dogs returned to their respective classes but the havoc was such that we ended up suspending the classes for the day.

I know the person we encountered with the pack of dogs is a professional dog trainer. I find her totally irresponsible. My advice to people who have to have their dogs walked or looked after is: look around, ask around. Enquire and get references. Find out how they work. Don’t be too trusting and fooled by appearances ( snazzy van, diplomas, qualifications ). Remember it is your dog and you know what is best for him/her. Trust your instinct.

Ozzy eats rabbit

Yesterday I went on my usual walk in the forest with my fried, MN, and her two Australian shepherds, Vichy and Koko. Uneventful walk. MN and I chatted about this and that. The usual meaningful and not so meaningful stuff. Then towards the end of the walk, the situation turned. Ozzy found a dead rabbit on the path leading back to the car. Koko had spotted it and MN called her dogs back to put them on the lead. I called Ozzy too but too late. Ozzy had smelled or seen the rabbit. He grabbed it in his mouth and shot off in the opposite direction from where we were standing. I called Ozzy. Gently and calmly. I rattled my little box with dry liver bits in it. No reaction from Ozzy other than he looked at me with the rabbit in his mouth. You know like these hunting scenes where you have a picture of a hunting dog with a pheasant in his mouth. Now what? I called again and against my better judgement I went after him. Of course he ran away even further. I called him again. Not so gently this time. Nothing doing. Ozzy started chewing. I saw him chewing and heard the bones crunching. I decided not to do anything and to wait. Meanwhile MN, who had started walking back to the car, came back towards where I was. By this time Ozzy had finished eating the rabbit. All of it. Teeth, bones, fur and all. MN just walked up to him, grabbed him by the collar and put his lead on. We all walked to car as if nothing had happened. Ozzy let out a huge burp. His chops were bloodstained. He jumped into the car as usual as if nothing happened.
MN and I had a discussion on the subject before we both went our merry way.
“Did you see the state of the rabbit?” she asked.
“Yes, it was fresh but it had no ears.”
“Is Ozzy vaccinated against rabbies?”
“Yes. I am not worried about that because Belgium is free of rabbies.”
“I think you should call your vet when you get back.”
“I will. I am really upset about this. I am upset Ozzy did not come back when I called him.”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s his instinct.”
With these wise words we parted and I drove home. A few more burps from the back!
We came home and Ozzy produced some bits which he obviously could not swallowed. This happened in my office under my desk. Lovely.
I called the vet and explained.
“What’s going on here? Ozzy is a shepherd dog. He should not be chasing rabbits.”
I explained the rabbit was on a path, dead and fresh. And that it had probably been picked up and dropped by a crow or an owl or a fox. I assured her the meat was fresh and nice and red and succulent. I asked her what I should do?
“Give him a tablespoon of paraffin oil and mix some boiled leeks in his food to help his stools and to give his intestines sufficient bulk. Check his poops. He might vomit. He might show signs of being unwell. He might have stomach ache. Do this and give me a call in the morning.”
“How do I know he has stomach pains? How do I know he is unwell?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll know.”
Off I went to the chemist to buy the paraffin oil and to the supermarket to buy leeks.
“Are we having leek soup?” asked Mr Eurodog.
I put the oil on a spoon and opened Ozzy mouth. The nature of oil is that is oily and slimy so as soon as the spoon was in Ozzy mouth, he spat the lot out. On himself, on me, on the floor and on the kitchen counter which I had used to lean up against.
I then adopted plan B. I mixed the oil with his dried food and the boiled leeks. I put his bowl down and he sat patiently as we do at every mealtime. This time he waited and waited and looked up at me with enquiring eyes. “Do I really have to eat this?” I put a little beef bouillon on my hands and rubbed the contents of his bowl. He ate everything. Slowly, very slowly. And went into his basket. Mr Eurodog was going to take him round the block but he was given the mission to check the content of his poop. “Perhaps you should walk him. It’s dark and you know about these things.” We walked. No poop, no vomiting.
Off to bed.
This morning Ozzy greeted me with less enthusiasm than usual but was happy when Mr Eurodog showed him his lead. Mr Eurodog was reminded of last night’s brief and off they went in the pouring rain. Mr Eurodog reported that Ozzy had produced two large normal poops. Paraffin oil, boiled leeks, dried food and beef bouillon awaited Ozzy after his walk. He sat, looked up at me and ate. Normally.
I called the vet at the appointed time and told her about the food, the poops.
She said it was all going well.
I told her Ozzy was very subdued and very quiet. In his basket and asleep.
She said he was sleeping off his Christmas dinner.

Dog on couch

True friend

For the past 6 years, a dog named Capitán has slept on the grave of his owner every night. His owner, Miguel Guzmán died in 2006 and Capitán disappeared shortly after the family attended the funeral services. They searched everywhere and put out flyers to try and find him. But no one had seen him.

A week later, some people who were at the cemetary late one evening spotted Capitán laying on a grave and they contacted the grounds keeper at the cemetary. The cemetary notified the family who promptly came to pick him up and take him home. But each night he would cry and scratch frantically at the door to go out and he wouldn't return home until morning. It was later discovered that Capitán would walk the 3 miles back to the cemetary each night to guard his master's grave.

It has been nearly 7 years now. The cemetary does not close the gates until he arrives each night promptly at 6 pm. He sleeps there all night guarding the grave until the grounds keeper opens the gate in the morning.

Dog day care centre NY

If Ozzy was smart enough to go on the internet and wanted to book himself into a day care centre in New York this is what he would find on Fetch Club’s website:


“Welcome to Fetch Club, your one and only destination for everything canine. Fetch Club is a private members’ club ( note not day care centre ) and hotel located in Manhattan’s Financial/South Street Seaport Historic District. At Fetch Club, we have urban canines like you in mind, and have created an oasis just for you and other like-minded canines to come together and take advantage of the various services and amenities we have to offer.


Four elements have been taken into account to keep your health in balance:
Earth/ food: a healthy treat bar, a variety of wholesome foods, amazing supplements and a wellness kiosk.
Water/H2O: bathing or playing in the Club's waterfall in water purified to perfection with the Tensui Water Purification System, all harmful chemicals are removed while the water is enhanced with calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, vanadium, negative ions, etc….
Fire/Sunlight : enjoying our amazing skylight in The Park or treat yourself to an infrared sauna imported directly from Japan. Air/Oxygen: to counteract the negative influences of polluted indoor and Manhattan air, the purest air possible is provided by the Air Boss by Trion, an industrial air purification system. In addition to this air purification process, all the air through the HVAC system is filtered by the AtmosAir Ionization Air Purification system. The AtmosAir System, deployed successfully in Europe for decades, is the product of original scientific development by Albert Einstein in “bipolar ionization” of oxygen molecules. AtmosAir Solutions has advanced Einstein’s original technology to create the best indoor air purification system available.
And of course, cleanliness! No mops but an Aqua Air Wet/Dry central vacuum purification system to eliminate most, if not all, bacteria”.


Amenities include a hotel, a night club, a fitness centre, a spa where services range from teeth brushing to dead sea mud mask, pedicure, micro bubble bath, infra red sauna and anal glands expression.



The cost for Ozzy for one day would be 40$ plus treadmill in the fitness centre 10$ for ten minutes, cut and style in the spa 60$ plus de-matting $65 and a bath 55$, dead sea mask 10$ and anal glands expression 15$ and a bang trim 20$. Plus food, plus treats. Worth every penny at 275$.


PS: I have yet to find out what a bang trim is. Sounds rude.

Egyptian dog collar

Humans have had canine companions going back at least 12,000 years and there is proof that dog collars have been in use prior to 3100 B.C. Archaeologists unearthed a dog buried with the pre-dynastic King Cuo of China wearing a collar of gold, silver, and turquoise. At the peak of ancient Egyptian civilization, collars and leads were standard for dog training and dogs wearing them were commonly found as motifs on tomb walls and earthenware. The dog collars of the day were beautiful works of art made out of leather, embellished with copper, bronze and gold. The collars were made in one long strip, and then glued or sewn together. This very fashionable collar is one of two discovered by the French explorer Loret in the tomb of the ancient Egyptian nobleman Maiherpri (1440 B.C.). The two leather collars were pink and both depicted hunting scenes embossed into the leather with one of the collars featuring the dog's name: “Tantanuit.”