What are you and your dogs up to today? Part 2

[Shalista]

my boss thinks the two weeks wait is ridiculous and shes gonna give me the number for her vet. fingers crossed!

[Erica]

Agreed! Two weeks for a vaccination? Sure! For a new and odd health concern? It's a bit ridiculous. I hope your boss's vet has openings before then!

[JudyN]

I don't do intense, hyper collies, but I fell just a little bit in love with one today He was 10 months old, liver & white, and lithe. When he chased a ball, boy was he fast, and this is a lurcher owner talking! I met the woman walking him later, and you could see he was just thrumming with keenness, oozing potential through every pore. Yet not in a bad, 'can't cope and about to explode' way.

The woman was walking him for a friend, who had bought the dog and then broke her ankle really badly. She said that given what he was liked on walks, he was really pretty good around the house. But she agreed with me that if ever there was a dog who deserved and needed to do something like flyball or agility, and could go right to the top in them, he was that dog. I really hope that the owner recovers so she's able to fulfil his potential and so he doesn't end up becoming a basket case.

It's not often I see a dog I recognise as being really something special, but this one was!

Which reminds me - I met a beautiful rare breed dog about a week ago (she had to tell me what she was, though I had heard of it). We got chatting - sadly, she's a fan of CM, though her dog is so well behaved she hardly ever has to 'correct' her anyway. She told me that the raw food company she uses (the same one that I do) had posted a photo they'd taken of her dog on FB (they like to post pics of their 'customers'), and said what breed the dog was and that she was very rare. We agreed, that really is a bit naughty, because that dog must be pretty valuable. Which is why I'm not saying which breed she was! It's got me wondering whether owners of rare breeds should just claim they're crossbreeds, or 'Haven't a clue, mate, the dad could be any one of the local strays'.

[Shalista]

boss vet got me in tomarrow. bit of a drive but worth it. also bax is just pooping... liquid....... which given that he has eaten litterally nothing but chicken for MONTHS concerns me... especially given the sore....

[Erica]

Fingers crossed for a helpful visit there! Glad you can get in more quickly.

Judy, I feel the same way with the hounds I work with. I adore trying to figure out how to make our goals line up so they'll decide to work with me, but I would not like to live with one, haha. That sounds like a fantastic collie you met!

[JudyN]

I hope Bax is OK, Shalista

Erica, isn't it funny how different dog psychologies suit different people? I can't imagine choosing a dog that's not a sighthound - for all a collie's brains and a gundog's exuberance, somehow sighthounds seem to have something more. I look into another dog's eyes and I can see... 'dog'. I look into a sighthound's eyes and I can see into their souls.

Or it could just be that I'm lazy so I need a lazy dog in my life

[Lotsaquestions]

I could have a collie and would in a heartbeat if my garden wasn't so small. Small hyper dogs for me instead. Sheltie will be my second dog, high hopes for her in agility and rally (Merlin can't be arsed with Rally, independent Spitz!) I kind of have a sweet spot for nutso dogs.

[Nettle]

I hope Bax is OK, Shalista

Erica, isn't it funny how different dog psychologies suit different people? I can't imagine choosing a dog that's not a sighthound - for all a collie's brains and a gundog's exuberance, somehow sighthounds seem to have something more. I look into another dog's eyes and I can see... 'dog'. I look into a sighthound's eyes and I can see into their souls.

You put that so well, JudyN. Just how I feel too.

[Lotsaquestions]

So far we have walked around the salt marshes in Stiffkey, walked Holkham beach (we will return for the pine forest another day, the beach was long enough we were all knackered!), and have gone to Wells. We're looking at going to Sheringham Park Tomorrow and Brancaster Beach after that, but after that we're stumped! Unfortunately the walk behind our cottage goes through a field that was as of yesterday filled with cows & calves, so we can't do that now. Merlin is good with horses, but terrible with sheep and cows (for two different reasons) and I don't want to risk mummy cows deciding the barky dog has to die.

[JudyN]

One place I didn't mention before, LoQ, was The Jolly Sailor at Brancaster Staithe. It doesn't look anything special from outside but has a large beer garden and does amazing pizzas!

There was a lovely walk just a bit inland from Brancaster, where we found a stunning poppy field - you might even be able to spot it from the road... though then again they probably won't be out yet. I'll find out where it was and post details later in case you're interested.

[Lotsaquestions]

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[JudyN]

It's called Barrow Common, which you should be able to find via the internet - here's a photo of J admiring the green/brown/whatever they looked like to him poppies



I'm trying to think of a coutry park style cafe with off lead walks... There's a cafe at Thornham Deli with an outside bit but I can't quite remember it and looking at online photos, it has astroturf I'm sure there's some off lead walks there going out towards the sea but I do remember when we walked that way we had J on lead when we came face to face with a hare

I'll have to ask OH later if I remember because my memory's rubbish!

[Lotsaquestions]

That place looks lovely. I don't think Merlin would have quite the same view as Jasper did, being as tall as his knees no doubt.

We might stop off there on the way home on Saturday since we're turfed out at 10am. Will be nice to get the dog all tired before the long journey home.

We ended up going to Cromer today for some retail therapy... And we wish we didn't. We got some nice clothes but the town itself isn't what I would call lovely. Dog and OH had a rest day. OH burned his feet as he forgot to put sunscreen on, and dog is zonked. Hoping his batteries are recharged for tomorrow, he has Sheringham Park to conquer!

[JudyN]

We haven't been to Sheringham Park, it was just a bit far east for us. I hope it's good.

I keep getting my directions mixed up there - I assume that inland from Brancaster should be north, not south, then I remember that the sea's in the wrong place

I hope you're taking plenty of pics to share with us - if I can't have a proper Norfolk holiday I'll just have to make do with a vicarious one

[Lotsaquestions]

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