A Dingo's got my Barbie!!!

Beau and Belle.

After nearly two years of posting six days a week, for the past few months I haven't even been able to manage one post every six days! I'm not crying, I'm just saying...

Anyway, I was looking in my drafts folder to see if I had written anything worth posting, but sadly all the posts in there were just bullet points to help with the writing process. Hell, if I was motivated enough to start the writing process I wouldn't be looking under couches for pre-written posts, now would I?

I did find this cute little clip though, and amazingly, the draft was saved (ie. the clip was embedded) a year ago to the day!!! That was when Belle had four bendy legs.

[note. neither the original title (which was 'booey and buzz'), nor the only text that was in the post (which said something about brotherly love) had anything to do with the clip, I think I must have embedded the wrong clip or something. anyway, I've fixed it to avoid confusion]

Tip. I don't know if you know this or not, you probably do, but if you click the big arrow in the middle of the image, you will go to YouTube, whereas if you click the small arrow in the slider bar, you stay here.

To answer your question

A few people asked if Beau and Belle still play with each other now that they're grown up. The short answer is "Yes, every day", the longer answer can be seen by viewing more recent footage of them...

I think I got the names right this time

Now with music!

This is a bit long, but I like the song so I didn't want to cut it short...

And yes, I know I screwed the names up, but thanks anyway.

Not another pet clip?!

I'm beginning to notice a trend here...a) they dogs have already done all the really good stuff by the time I finally get the camera, b) my filming technique holds little chance of winning an Oscar for cinematography, and c) I don't have a video camera or any editing software so it's pretty rough. That last point wasn't a trend, it was a fact.

I was trying to show you how much faster Belle is than the other guys, she just toys with them. Normally she just bounces along like Pepe Le Peu* until they get within a foot or so, then she starts running. She could probably lap them them if they didn't take a shortcut under the house to try and head her off!

So here it is, the quality is lousy, the action has mostly already passed and it might make you dizzy, but if you don't have dogs of your own you may find it amusing...

* that is the most searched phrase on my blog, I have never checked the google searches and not found at least 3 searches for Pepe le Peu!

Three's a crowd

Well, we've seen Bentley romping with gay abandon (wtf??) during our special time. Here's what it's like when the other knuckleheads try to horn in on our game. It doesn't work so well with three...

In case you didn't notice, there are actually three dogs running back down the hall, that Buddy is a sneaky guy!

PS. Sorry about the poor quality, there was a lot of sunlight coming in a couple of windows, and I just use my normal camera to do these as I don't have a video camera.

PPS. That head shaking that Bentley did means that I have to squirt some cleaner into his ears, he hates that, I'll get you a clip, it's pretty funny.

Bentley's other side

And you thought he just slept all day...

Bentley 88 - WT 87

In keeping with my "One way door policy" (that is, if you want to got out during the night, you have to stay out), both Belle and Bentley spent the night outside. That is in itself isn't a problem, they both like it there. Where the problem lies is being awakened to this (he's in amongst the trees at the skyline)...

This started at about 5:30 this morning and was constant, that is it was constant until I got up and got the camera to record it! What would have been a really funny video wold have been someone filming me trying to get the howling on video. My camera must have some sort of high pitched signal that stops Bentley from making any noise. He would howl continuously until I hit 'Record' then he'd stop. As soon as I hit 'Stop' he'd start up again. I'm not talking once or twice, I'm talking a half dozen times. I'll kill that mutt!

Both dogs came home around 3:30 this arvo, and were in a pretty bad way...tired and dirty. And they were covered with sticky paspalum goo.

Here, see for yourself...

and...

Bentley was worse than he looks, he was pretty sticky, but I he'd been in the creek so he wasn't as dirty looking as Belle (plus it a lousy picture) He was knackered, but I made him get up and have a bath. Buddy, as usual was with me, but he got a bath too, now he's pissed at the knuckleheads for getting him involved with soap and water.

Did anyone have a dog in the room when you played the clip? Ha ha ha! Maybe I should have put a warning at the start rather than the end.

The saga of Bobby (iii)

In the first two weeks that Bobby was with us, I tried my best to find his owners. I asked at the little (actually only) store in Willow Tree. I told them that I would hang on to him as long a possible so that if the owners showed up they could just give me a call (the only pound around here seems to have a 100% kill policy, which is not unusual in rural areas). I also took him to the vet to check for a microchip, but there was none, this is not unusual in rural areas either, despite the 'Companion Animals Act' stating that all dogs must be chipped (most dogs around her are considered plant and equipment rather than companions). I went to the neighbouring properties and asked if anyone lost a dog; zip, nada, zilch. So I had I assumed that he wasn't a local and had probably fallen off the back of a ute (this is common in both rural and urban areas).

About three days after he went out for a piss, Bobby showed up looking for a bite to eat. Normally I would be a bit put out by this, I mean shit! I've got three cats that totally ignore me and then expect me to feed them, why would I need a dog to do that? But there was just something about Bobby that was truly endearing, like the way he would come over once he finished eating, and put his head on my lap. And the fact that he seemed to be house trained (which was even more amazing since, as I found out later, he was not a house dog).

So for the time being, it was back to business as usual, as if he had never took off in the first place, and he really did fit in quite well, so much so that I decided if no-one claimed him, he was welcome to stay here. But then roughly a week after he came back he disappeared again, this time it was for about four days I think. Then just as before he showed up again. This happened couple more times before the light finally came on! I eventually came to the conclusion that he must live around her somewhere, even though I found it strange that I'd never seen him before. There was a house being built about 2 miles from my place, so thinking that he could belong to one of the tradesmen, I took him to the site, but no-one knew him.

I decided to put a note in his collar asking the owners to call me. I was getting a bit sick of feeding someone else's dog! But before I could do it, he disappeared for the final time (the final time from my place, not the final time as in never to be seen again).

In case you didn't believe me the other day when I said there were heaps of Pig Dogs around here, here's a stray that I had for about 3 days before I located his owner.

And here's Bentley trying to pork a pig dog (sorry, I couldn't' help myself).

The funny thing about this picture, is that between the three of them, there were only two testicles, and neither belonged to my guys!

Stay tuned, tomorrow you get to meet Bob and Julie (think Ma and Pa Kettle, but without the class)...

The saga of Bobby (i)

So let's begin...

A year ago we were in the grip of a devastating drought, and many of my neighbours had reduced the their stock numbers to match the available food, which was extremely limited. My nearest neighbour, Brett, the guy I bought my place off, has a paddock that borders my place. This paddock had enough ground cover to keep his five bulls going for a while, but with the creek completely dried up he couldn't put them there unless he got some water from somewhere. That somewhere was me.

Brett had called me the day before to ask if he could use my bore to fill a stock trough for his bulls (these things work on a float valve so he didn't mean he just wanted to fill it once, it's an ongoing thing). Seeing has Brett has a nice big tractor and lots of meat, and the water doesn't cost me anything anyway (except the electricity for the pump), hmm did I just write that? What I meant to say was...being the fine, charitable neighbour that I am, I said "Sure why not".

While we were out the back of my place talking about getting the water hooked up two dogs appeared out of nowhere, and began sniffing around my feed shed which was about 100 yards away. One was a Border Collie, a fairly common breed around here (although Kelpies are even more common as they seem to be more hardy, plus they are good with cattle too), and the other one, much to my surprise, was Beagle. I was surprised because most dogs around here are working dogs, either Border Collies and Kelpies as I just said, or Heelers and Pig Dogs. That link to the pig dogs is interesting (I found it through google), he actually lives not far from me, and he does most of his hunting in this area, scroll to the bottom to see what they hunt. So to see a Beagle, which isn't good for much of anything really, was quite a shock.

I called them, but while the Collie came straight to me, the Beagle was was more wary, and wouldn't come anywhere near us. We tried for a while to coax the beagle but it would have none of it, eventually trotting off across an adjoining paddock. As I was just about to leave to do my monthly shopping, I put the stray in the yard with Bentley and Buddy. When I returned home about five hours later (it's an hour's drive each way), I found that Bentley had yet again managed to make a hole in the fence and had escaped with Buddy, and there was no sign of either of them. The stray however was just sitting there on the front porch.

He had the sweetest nature, despite being filthy and apparently on the brink of starvation. It looked like he'd been on he road for some time, although in truth it's hard to tell, as most dogs where I live are working dogs and tend to be both very dirty and very skinny, unlike my guys who are companion dogs. So I called him Bobby and gave him something to eat. The next day I gave him a bath...

He scrubbed up pretty well, and he fit right in, though as you can see from the photo, Bentley wasn't all that impressed with the turn of events! If fact his initial standoffishness eventually developed into an all out hostility, which was more humorous than dangerous, plus Bobby didn't even seem to mind anyway. He did get on pretty well with Buddy though. Actually Buddy gets on with everyone, which is strange becasue he always barks and growls at dogs  on TV.

Continued...

Sunday Service.

I don't normally post on Sundays, not that I'm anti-religious or anything, it's just that no-one reads them so why bother writing them. However seeing as I'm posting everyday for BloMonth, then that means I'm going to have to post on Sundays too, in that case it might as well be a Sunday Service. So pull up a pew, get out you hymnal and be ready to feel the spirit (or maybe my hand on your butt).

Today's Service is to remember Beep, who has gone to a better place. She was a good little cat who never really flourished here due to all the other animals getting in her face all the time. Whenever it was just me and her in the house she was a completely different cat, friendly and confident, but when there were other animals around she would go to her safe place and stay there. I think this is because she came from a one pet home (her previous care giver was a little old lady who died). So is is with a sense of sadness that prepare myself for life without her.

But don't you feel sad, when I say she's gone to a better place I mean it. She's gone to live with my very good friends. "How good a friends are they?"

"Well I was the best man at their wedding"

They lost the cat they had taken in some time ago and fate put all the pieces of the puzzle together last time I was on the Coast. After having a prescription filled not far from where they live, and despite it being a working day (both of them have jobs), I called around on impulse and lo and behold (that's Sunday speak) Ruth was home (come to think of it, that's a biblical name too). While we were having coffee, I got my blog up to show her some pictures of the critters and somehow we got talking about Beep and how she wasn't all that happy about all the animal activity around my place.

Next thing you know we've come to an agreement that they would take over her care. This was not a decision made to benefit me (I'm well and truly out of pocket), plus you don't even notice one extra animal with all the ones I've got up here, and she was no trouble (in fact she was the least hassle of all the cats up here). No, it was done with Beep's interests at heart, I just want the best for her, it's not her fault the old lady died and left her orphaned. I've known Joel for almost 20 years, and he's great with cats (as is Ruth). In fact here he is playing with Buzz when he was only about 5 months old...

Plus his cats have always been well tempered and totally non neurotic which speaks volumes, so Beep will love it there, and she will be loved.

Hey while we're speaking about pet loving, get a load of this! This is some inter-species lovin'. Luckily with Belle being a girl at least they're not homos like Buddy and Bentley...

I can't be completely sure of this, but it seems to me that Beau is looking at Buddy kinda funny, I think he's trying to get a ménage à trois going.

The noise you hear in the background is rain, in case you were wondering.

MaBloPa post #4

Mofo pet update

Before I begin, I'd like to reinforce what Molly said in her comment about yesterday's mofo delurk post, I'm not telling anyone to do anything; a) because I have no right, and b) you wouldn't obey me anyway. It's just a list of some things that in my experience I've found useful, and Claudia, yes they are all my own thoughts.

Ok, on to the post...Man I just have to tell you this!! I have just had the best blog hopping session ever! I went all over the blogoshpere and only came across two Word Verifications, it was heaven on a stick! Now I'm not suggesting that WV should be banned forever, occasionally you will write a post that attracts a lot of spam, I once wrote one about all the spam vi..gra emails I was getting and got flooded with spam for a few days so I just turned it back on for a couple of weeks until it died down again.

To show my appreciation to you all (well at least to the pet lovers out there) for putting the fun back into commenting, here's a couple cutesy clips. They are a bit long (both are around 2 min) and the first one is pretty boring, hmm long and boring, I could be describing my life so far.

Anyway, please take your seats, the show will be starting shortly (oh, and before I get the obligatory fart reference, that was a leather recliner making that noise towards the end)...

Just to show it's not all peace, love and harmony around here, this clip was taken the day before the one you just saw...

And finally, for the bandwidth challenged out there, who can't see the videos, here's a photo. This will show why it's so important for you to make it as easy as possible for me to comment, as you can see I'm already battling against significant inconvenience when it comes to typing...

I actually took this photo just now while I was waiting for the videos to upload. If you're trying to read what it says on my sweater, it's Cooperstown. Oh, and don't make fun of my pudgy little hands, it was the camera angle.

I've been remiss.

Update** It's about 7:30pm Sunday night and I just heard on the news that Marcel Marceau has died, words can't express how I feel. Tomorrow I'll talk non stop for a minute to honour him.

It suddenly occurred to me that in trying to cater to the romance readers out there, I have been remiss in my duty to provide high class entertaining pet clips. So here ya go...

Ahhh, I feel better now.

Not another pet clip‽

Yes folks, time for another pet clip. But first, here's a cute picture for those who don't have broadband...

And now for the feature movie...

Those blokes just never get tired of that crap!

Oh, I almost forgot, here's one for the cat lovers...

Three fifty two and counting

According to Uncle Mark (the dirty guy), all I ever post is pet pictures. Well phooey on him, I post pet clips too!

If you look real closely at the bottom of the door you'll see what Belle is after, or you could just wait until the end when I open the door...

She's getting bigger isn't she?

Oh, and thank you all for your nice Birthday Wishes yesterday. There were a few notable absences, but I guess not everyone realises it's all about me.

**Updated: Just a quick reminder that voting for this Month's Dingo will close soon, so if you want to vote you better get to it. (It's been in the sidebar all month but no-one has noticed)