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BeastBlog: December 2005

About The Beastly Beasts - By The Beastly Beasts

This is where we, the Beastly Beasts, tell you all about what we've been up to.

We love hearing from you too, so please leave us a message by clicking on "Post a Comment" at the end of the story.

Love and licks,
Kai, Monty, Jack, Troy, Lucy, Mack, & Rosie - The Beastly Beasts

28 December 2005

Jack Unstitched

posted by Chris at 16:18

Well, as hoped, Jack had his stitches out this morning, and given the all clear. To celebrate we went over to Sywell with the Beasts.

Sywell Country Park

It was a clear and crisp winters day, and very cold in the wind. Monty wasn't overly impressed, and stayed close to Gill and me. Troy went into Troy on a walk mode - i.e. needed to get to where he was going, even though he didn't know where that was, to the exclusion of everything else.

Monty and Troy

And Kai and Jack went mad; they both love the snow.

Jack

Jack

Kai

27 December 2005

Out and About on Boxing Day

posted by Chris at 11:29

Colin and Lynne had organised a Boxing Day walk for anyone in the East Midlands - the venue was Wakerly Woods.

While not loads of us, there was a big enough turn out to turn a few heads as we made our way. It was all pointy dogs, except for a very small poodle (who became an honorary pointy dog for the afternoon) that had more energy than everyone else combined.

Setting Off

Jackie - Lynne's mum - as always made a big fuss of Kai, and Lynne and Colin tried to fuss Troy - who just like last time - blanked them totally.

Cassie, Jackie's lovely lady Greyhound, wanted to spend some time with the Beasts. Cassie is getting on a bit, and Jackie told her she was too old to be a Beast. Not a bit of it - Beasts are Beasts at any age, and my Beasts probably need a lady to keep them in order.

Gill with Monty and Jack, and Lynne with Cheese

Gill with Monty and Jack, and Lynne with Cheese

Gill with Monty & Jack, & Lynne with Cheese

Colin had threatend to "go nekkid" - he didn't; something that I think he, we, and the wildlife is grateful for.

Colin, his mum and Jackie

Colin, his mum & Jackie

Like Salcey Forest, Wakerly Woods is Forestry Commission land, and is a working woods. (Now there is a question - when do Woods turn into Forests? Is it a size thing? Or just personal choice?) There are made up paths in some areas, and not made up paths in others - read muddy.

Part of our route took us down a not made up path that Colin protested "was not like this last time we came!!". "Like this" was full of ruts made by an obviously large vehicle - a JCB or some such, and extremely muddy. Still - the dogs liked it.

Peeps Through the Trees

Back in the car park a chap stopped for a chat - he has a three legged rescue greyhound that apparently still charges round like a mad thing.

So despite the paths that were not like this the last time Colin went there, and the intermitted light showers, as always it was really pleasent afternoon, and a chance to chat with people.

Christmas Day with the Beastly Beasts

posted by Chris at 10:47

Christmas Day with the Beastly Beasts was in three distinct acts: Cooking (by me), Taking the Beasts out (by me), and Presents, Eating and Drinking (all). We'll go straight to Act 2 as the first involved the usual trimming, chopping, par boiling, etc.

So out with the Beasts. Having got dinner well on the way, it was off to our favourite place - Salcey Forest. I thought it would be empty - wrong!! However, as we wandered off into the back of beyond it soon became so. For some reason all the Beasts were well up for it today, and charged around like demented demons - even Jack, who at the best of times is not as home in the forest as the others, preferring open grass so he can go mad. To make sure he didn't catch his stitches he had a T-shirts on.

Jack and Monty

Jack & Monty

Troy loves it at Salcey Forest - as the pic below shows. Note the colour of the legs. I think the others get as bad, it's just with Troy being white it shows up on him the most.

Troy - Mud Beast

As every good dog owner knows, you should always ensure that there is a supply of fresh water available. Alternatively, a muddy puddle that your dog can wade into to have a drink will do.

Troy - Mud Beast

We were out in the late afternoon - dinner being an evening affair - and it did start to get dark. Luckily it's not a problem as Monty's eyes glow in the dark.

Monty with Glowing Eyes

Back home it was down to the serious Christmas stuff of eating, drinking and swapping presents; the Beasts seem to have the most. For the evening session there was Gill and myself, Gill's daughter - Lucie, her sister - Caroline, Caroline's kids - Sarah, Joseph and Liam, and, of course, the Beastly Beasts. This was Kai's 3rd Christmas with us, and he loves it. It was Monty's 2nd, and a totally different dog from last year. For Jack and Troy it was their first here. Jack of course took to it like a duck to water, and surprisingly (for me at least) Troy was up for it as well.

Kai with Santa Deely Boppers & Lucie

Each Beast had their own stocking with a card, treats and toys. Here's what happened.

Kai Opening his Christmas Card

Jack and Troy with Toys and Sarah

Jack & Troy with Toys & Sarah

Monty with his Toy

The walk this afternoon had done the trick and knackered the Beasts, and a bottle of bubbly had had a similar effect on Gill. Both her and Monty decided that they had had enough and took themselves off to bed part way through the festivites.

Monty and Gill

Monty & Gill

So we had a really nice day. I hope your Christmas was as good as ours.

24 December 2005

Jack - The Morning After

posted by Chris at 10:30

Well, unless you knew he had a hole in his side, you wouldn't know there's anything wrong with him. This morning he's been going mad with toys, as he usually does; eaten a full breakfast, and some of Troys, and is now doing what all Greyhounds do after a charge around the garden and some food - sleeping.

His wound is nowhere near as red as it was last night, and looks like it is already starting to heal nicely. So with any luck, next Wednesday at the vet will be stitches out and the all clear.

23 December 2005

Jack Stitched Up

posted by Chris at 18:11

Back at the vets this morning to get Jack booked in for stitches, and for Monty and Troy to have their annual check-up.

Jack was taken off to be prepped for theatre, and the the other two given their check over. The verdict was fit and healthy, and (I quote) "they both have great body muscle tone". Must try to do better myself!! So that was those two out of the way.

This afternoon it was back again to pick up Jack. Apparently he had been a real star, which given his propensity to be a bit of a drama queen at times was nice to hear.

His op involved cutting away even more tissue around the tear to get back to the bloody tissue so that it would heal OK. He has some subcutaneous stitching, and a few surface stitches to hold it all together.

You would have thought that after that he would be a bit down; not a bit of it. He was bought out to reception wagging his tail, and when I went to take the others out for their walk Jack wanted to come - ney, insisted he came - too (he did the same after having his teeth out).

And while out (yes - he was kept on a lead, and had a coat on to protect his stitches) ears were pricked up and tail at full mast; this dog is unbelievable how quickly he bounces back. He was pretty tired at the end of it though, and is now crashed out in the utility room.

Jack Stitched Up

22 December 2005

I Fought the Fence, and the Fence Won

posted by Chris at 19:05

This evening while out for a walk, Jack managed to get him self involved with a barbed wire fence. Luckily it has only (only?) gone through the skin on his right shoulder, and not into the muscle.

A quick (as it could be with the traffic in Northampton) trip to the vet, and it's been cleaned up, and he of course now has antibiotics.

Jack's Wound

Tomorrow we are back at the vet at 8:30 to a) drop Jack off for stitches, and b) for Monty and Troy's annual check up - which was pre-booked a few weeks ago by a spooky coincidence.

20 December 2005

You Scratch My Jack and I'll Scratch Yours

posted by Chris at 17:49

Following the White Lodge Walk, and the discovery that Blue Jack scratches after a wee, and that his scratches are counted, and that Happy Jack did 31 on the day, so was now the undisputed champeen scratcher, I of course started counting - as you do.

Seems anything from 12 to 20 is the norm. But tonight ladies and gentlemen (drum roll please), we had a massive, and I mean humungous, 37 scratches (fanfare).

Now, of course this was not verified by independant adjudicators, but you can trust me - honest guv.

18 December 2005

T'was a Year Ago Today that Monty Came to Stay

posted by Chris at 12:45

Yes, it was a year ago today that Monty arrived from White Lodge with Lynne for the home check (which I guess we passed) and delivery all in one go.

Monty was rescued by Wexford Pet Helpers, and had made his way to White Lodge, where we (that's Gill, Kai and me) had met him on the Tuesday, introduced by Claire and Gary.

When he arrived he was extremely nervous of everything, kept his head down and tail tucked in. His coat was dull, and his eyes empty. Of course he couldn't do stairs, and Kai (who always sleeps upstairs), spent the first few nights with him downstairs.

He didn't like coming into the kitchen for his food, and the slightest noise would make him run off and hide. To begin with I had to leave the room so he would eat. Even treats were viewed with suspicion.

He hadn't got a clue about toys and playing, and spent all the time in the room I use as an office when working from home; not stirring unless he had to.

These pics from the ladies at Wexford Pet Helpers say it all.

Now, we have a confident, nosey, playful, gentle, loving, Greyhound. Meal times are now a case of rattle bowl and Monty appears as if by magic, and nothing short of a small nuclear explosion is going move him from his bowl when it still has food in it. Toys are played with in the evenings between 9:00 and 9:30 (don't ask me why only then). And most bizzarly, he will tidy up after Jack, who takes toys into the garden - Monty brings them back in.

His coat is glossy (though he does have a bald bum), and he is always alert and up to something - when not asleep that is, which like most Greyhounds is a fair amount of the time.

But he can still do the haunted eyes when it's required.

Here's some recent pics of him.

Monty was a bit of a cause celebre during his time at Wexford and his trip to the UK, so we started this blog to keep people up to date with his progress. Over the course of the year it has grown into The Beastly Beasts.

So Happy Gotcha Day Monty!!

11 December 2005

White Lodge Walk

posted by Chris at 18:41

How quickly these come around. Today's was over at Rutland Water at the Normanton Church.

The e-mail from Claire said 2pm in the lower car park. This time, unlike last month, we got there on time. And we were alone (apart from two fishermen, but they don't count). 2 o'clock came and went, and still we were alone - even the fishermen had gone. There were crow scarers going off, and Kai and Monty were back in the car. Ten past; we decided to set off on our own. We were persuading the two whooses to get out the car when a lady walked by and said "There's loads more like yours up there.", pointing towards the top car park. And just then, a herd/gaggle/hord (choose your own collective noun) appeared into the lower car park. We were not alone!!

The day was absolutely stunning; clear and sunny. You could not have asked for a better day in December.

Rutland Water

Gill and I spent most of the walk talking to Blue Jack's humans. Avid readers may remember Blue Jack from the Oakham Carnival when our Jack was used to retrieve him. Six months on and it sounds like he's got his humans pretty well trained.

Blue Jack

As we walked along our Jack stopped for a wee, then proceeded to do his usual and scratch the grass and leaves with great gusto. Turns out Blue Jack also does this, and his record is 24 scratches. Later, our Jack had another wee, as he is wont to do, and his scratches were counted - Thirty One!!! Bring on all comers - we have the champeen scratcher!!

Rutland Water Sheep with Attitude

Kai managed to do his usual and wow a couple of ladies who had not met him before (I am so jeleaous of that dogs pulling power).

But, and I mean BUT, we may have the champeen scratcher, we may Kai, BUT what we did not have was Merlin.

Merlin is a black greyhound cross lurcher puppy, and undeniably cute; the pic says it all. And by the way he poses, Kai is going to have some serious competition.

Merlin