Cannon Hall

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Leanne

Trip to Cannon Hall was in order. I wanted to go in the Maize Maze, because I’m actually 8, but we didn’t have time.

Also, my dogs hate me.

Well, maybe not. But looking at their group portrait shots, you would think so. Kim is thinking how she can maybe kill me in my sleep, Dylan is thinking bad thoughts that probably amount to “I’ll maybe hide one of my toys, that will show you” and Mollie … well, Mollie’s probably not plotting my downfall, and is actually planning to decapitate all the flowers in front of her with misplaced enthusiasm when released from her wait. Mollie’s was the only successful plan.

Girls were very tired after playing frisbee all across the estate, and Dyl was tired because it’s exhausting being stressed. Actually, Dylan did really well. We did some basic BAT retreats from a stressed Westie who was defending his 50ft space bubble, which relaxed him enough to be able to walk past later (no option to go another way, unfortunately), and then greeted some well-mannered Labradors politely and briefly. One minor meltdown which resulted in some barking and major retreating when a Golden Retreiver with a flexi-lead attached came flying down the gravel path, being chased by two young boys, but to be honest I wasn’t awfully relaxed about that one either! Positive reactions to the two small terriers we met later anyway, by ignoring and circling away.

Sunny Day at the Lake

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Leanne

It was really very hot today. Hot = swimming! We took the dogs up to Digley just so they could spend all afternoon cooling off.

Well. Dylan and Mollie swam. Kim didn’t. She was bossy and neurotic and demanding about the ball being thrown, but then declined to go in and fetch it.

I’m hoping this weather breaks before the weekend, both Kim and Mollie are scheduled to do some agility at Midland Counties and I’d like to let them both run. If it’s too hot, they’re going to have to stay cool and bored in the car!

Honley Woods

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Leanne

I shouldn’t have even bothered taking my camera; the lighting was awful! Overcast skies + twilight = not good for photos of moving dogs.

Still, look at Mollie’s smiley face!

Dylan is getting really irritating on walks, I keep wanting to smack him round the head! He is generally pretty independent when we’re out and about, not so much as the girls’ but happy to go off and do his own thing. But as soon as I take off the lens cap, he’s right there in front of me. Almost touching.

Ever played that “not touching” game when you’re a kid? That’s what it’s like.

You can’t tell, but in all these photos, he’s about 2 inches away from the lens, giving me the Eye. Incidentally, this is why I’m never getting another Border Collie. They drive you insane, like they are.

Kim is thoroughly enjoying being out and about again, she’s off-lead 95% of the time at the moment. We’re slowly starting to put some real muscle back onto her, but it’s taking time. I’d like to do some hydrotherapy with her but the pool we used to go to isn’t available at the moment, and she hates swimming. Maybe I can throw her in the sea at Redcar?

We set off on Sunday morning for Hare’n'Hounds, Dylan and I are competing all week and the girls are coming up for Waldridge Fell. Kim is running with Cat, which should be fun!

Hoards of Killer Bees

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Leanne

It seemed like a good idea at the time. However. Walking through waist high banks of heather in spring? BEES. Bees everywhere. I got all of four pictures in the heather, before the hoards of angry bees began circling my head and we fled.

So we spent a lot of time at the river, avoiding the bees.

There were very few complaints, except perhaps by Kim. Kim spent the whole walk on lead, as she’s still supposed to be taking it easy after her chiro treatment at the weekend. We only argued two or three hundred times, it’s ok. She was not happy with the bees either, but I’m actually glad she was on the lead as she does try and eat them. Bees are not so down with that.

The dogs were actually very well behaved; there is a lot of livestock at the edges of the valley, but all well protected by walls and solid gates, and we avoided almost all of it. Dylan did spend a while desperately trying to herd chickens through a fence (chickens are the only think he will actually try to herd anyway. Anything bigger than a chicken in worrying). We also avoided unexpected horses, even Mollie! Mollie doesn’t do livestock, she barks too much, but she just trotted alongside the horses for a while and then came back.*

*I should probably mention that the horses didn’t care, the riders didn’t care, and I didn’t let her do this. But Mollie apparently has some horse sense … who knew?!

Digley

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Leanne

We had a lovely walk around Digley Resevoir on Sunday, couldn’t believe it was March, I was walking in my t-shirt!

The dogs ambled (and sprinted, and swum!) their way around, they’ve been so many times they know the path just as well as me. This is another resevoir my parents used to take us walking around as children, and all of it is filled with those wonderful childhood memories; there’s a section involved very steep stepping stone stairs, only for about 60m but when the stair is as tall as your leg, it becomes traumatic pretty quick. It becomes even more traumatic when your sister slams your fingers in an iron gate and chops three fingernails off in the middle of nowhere, and has never yet apologised … I’m not bitter, no, why do you ask?

Kim really enjoyed herself, it’s her first real run since she had the paw injury. It’s been healing well, but it’s not yet perfect and I daren’t risk letting her play in the res itself, so she had a minor tantrum whilst Mollie and Dylan went swimming. I got back in her good books by letting her pose for a while in various spots. It’s hard to be angry when you’re this beautiful.

She even matches the landscape!

Not many photos of Dylan, sadly, because he spent most of the walk with his head in a bush, or herding the 300 other people who thought it would be a nice day to walk around Digley. He was very well behaved though, and only did the stiff-legged barking thing at one dog. He has impeccable manners with on-lead dogs (ie. ignores them completely), even the disruptive and out-of-control ones who lunge at him. He looked mildly concerned about a few of the off-lead dogs, but checked in with me and then continued. He was also flattened by two extremely exuberant Boxers (possibly Boxer/Staffie crosses?!), but didn’t bother a bit. So … interesting. Still thinking about this one, will get back to it at a later date.

(I actually remembered for this blog post that you are, sometimes, allowed to edit photos using this magical program called Photoshop! I’ve been so focussed on the 52 Weeks project that I keep forgetting it’s ok to edit the rest of the shots.)

Another section of the Kirklees Way walked … or so I thought, until I went and looked it up and realised it’s just kind of the same section as the last section we walked. Walking is apparently harder than I thought.