PET'S CORNER

[Cathy]

Good Luck to Big Bert and the Faulkner family. Start off as you mean to go on...

[Wendyf]

Thank you everyone. Bertie is a big softy but we need to help him shed a few kilos! We have been for a walk down to Kelbrook and back this morning and he struggled a bit on the uphill bits and had to be shoved over the stiles.
Here he is -


Just before we set off Tinky 2, our little three legged cat, failed to make one of her flying leaps across the stairwell and fell straight down. She landed on her feet and seems to be OK...she has been outside and come back in to her favouite chair upstairs and has just rolled onto her back for me to stroke her tummy..fingers crossed.

[hartley353]

Looks like cats and Bertie land on their feet, enjoy your new friend....Mike.

[Stanley]

He's not camera shy! You'll soon get him fit......

[Wendyf]

Col & Bertie return from an early morning walk..



What a good dog he is! He is learning his place very quickly, and is already ignoring the hens instead of bouncing after them. He walked straight past Tinky 2 without looking at her this morning, but Feebie is still either hiding or running away, both of which he finds hard to resist. The tail is always wagging though...he just wants to play.
One problem is that we don't know the name he has grown up with, so hard to call him back when he is focused on something! I tried a sharp growl when he started to approach Feebie this morning and that worked a treat.
He has a long bare patch along his back and both his ears are thick with scar tissue round the edges..who knows what has happened to him in the past, whatever it was hasn't stopped him being an affectionate charmer!

[hartley353]

Do you think someone clipped his ears in the past Wendy, a nasty practice and one not so common these days. He looks like some body fed him well , and he stands very proud, like a confident dog you could have a good one.

[Moh]

Sorry to hear about Alfie Wendy (just catching up) but I am sure you will enjoy your new friend.

[Cathy]

Wendy, Bertie (babes) looks like a happy family dog. Old soul eyes, grey muzzle, (how old is he?) beautiful coat, bit stocky in body, a bit Grandfatherish, very handsome, lovely and lovable.

[Wendyf]

Why would anyone want to clip a dogs ears Mike?
He will be middle aged Cathy...somewhere between 5 and 8 probably, found wandering in Leeds, taken to the pound in Bradford and rescued by West Yorkshire Dog Rescue about 3 weeks ago.

[hartley353]

Horrible thing to do Wendy. This was purely a cosmetic action like docking tails, glad to say it is almost unknown now. Some parts of America still have a problem with this. My mind could only come up with this as a reason for both ears to be affected similarly, the barbaric act is usualy done without pain relief.

[Wendyf]

I Googled it and found that its obviously still accepted practice in some areas. Done for "cosmetic" reasons only now - along with taping the ears to make them stand up. I can almost understand tail docking, but cropping ears is just barbaric. Bertie's ears don't stand up....so if it was done deliberately it didn't work!

[Stanley]

Wendy, have you tried a shepherd's whistle to get his attention? Many dogs are already trained to the whistle and it's relatively easy to do it yourself if you whistle when you see he's ready for coming back. The association between whistling and returning soon imprints. Works a treat even with a hard dog like Jack.

[Tardis]

The wonder of a delighted pet after a brief separation. I missed him too

[Wendyf]

Took Bertie for his first visit to the vets yesterday. We had been warned that he would need to be muzzled so we went prepared for trouble. He was quite happy going into the consulting room and greeting the vet, who was convinced that she could give him his jab without a muzzle... until she decided to give him a treat first. He refused to take the treat and started snarling at her....we have noticed that to a lesser extent at home too, he is reluctant to accept a treat from your hand and growls a bit. He must associate a treat with something nasty happening after he has taken it, poor boy.
The vet thinks his ears will have been badly infected at some point, and the tips have been removed because he has caused serious damage by scratching.

Life is returning to a settled pattern at home, the cats are starting to trust the dog and are coming back into our daily lives again!

[Stanley]

Isn't it sad when you have to deal with problems imprinted in a rescue dog by other 'owners'. Good luck with Bertie.....

[PanBiker]

I like dogs but am not really a dog person, if you know what I mean. Having said that I can see that Bert has been around the block so to say but there is something about him that says he was made for you and Colin. The picture of him with Col looks like they have been best mates for years. Like Stanley says, once he has realised that he has dropped lucky he should be OK. He doesn't look like a dog who would have too much trouble in laying back a bit! Smashing!

[Wendyf]

You're right Ian, he was meant to be our dog! Not what we were looking for, but something just clicked when I saw his picture on the Rescue website.

[Stanley]

Jack goes to see his favourite vet this morning. He loves Mrs Marsh and she likes him....

[hartley353]

The Dogs Prayer.
A master who is firm and kind,
and understands a doggie mind,
a walkie and a meal each day,
thats all I ask for when I pray.

[hartley353]

A pair of Border Terriers enjoy the dappled sunshine, whilst taking a drink from this stream on the fells above Ullswater.

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[Tardis]

Merlin's jabs today! Let's see if he can behave himself

[hartley353]

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[hartley353]

On a small beach near the Lizard lifeboat station, Charlie and lucy find a piece of driftwood, the fun begins. A day out without these two is flat.

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[Wendyf]

They look as if they enjoy life to the full!
Bertie is proving to be a star. He is perfectly behaved off the lead on walks, and is friendly to other dogs he meets. I think he is losing a bit of of weight and getting fitter....he enjoyed a 6 mile walk this morning.
On our walk above Wycoller..what a glorious autumn morning.

[hartley353]

A few more miles and he'll soon be back in shape, you are lucky to be able to walk out the door on to the hills, we drove up to Lime Park this morning and then walked up onto the moors, the dogs were singing as soon as we passed through the park gates. Charlie eager as usual to check out the fox dens, he never forgets once he has found one. Lucy will be more interested in pine cones. And we all get fitter two hour walk so probably same distance as you.