Dog - dog - dog - dog - badger!

This story is too good not to share. In Norway, two terriers ran off and disappeared. After four days, one of them returned, exhausted and with bloodied paws. Rescuers were able to follow the bloody paw prints back to the area where the dog had been, hoping to find the other one too. The tracks seemed to come from a badger hole, and they did hear a faint sound coming from it. One of the rescuers put his arm in, got hold of some fur, and started pulling the dog out. But the animal hissed angrily and did not want to be rescued. Also, it wasn't a dog, but Mr Badger himself.

The rescuers somehow managed to keep the badger contained behind some firewood. They dug into the hole and finally found a muzzle - of a dog, this time - and got her out. The dogs, Vesla and Dooly, slept for two days and promised never to do such a thing ever again. Well, not until next time they catch a sweet scent, I suppose.

Anyway, if you're ever stuck in a badger- or a foxhole, look out for dogs. They Those terriers seem to find their way in and not out quite often. Fortunately for me, there are no bears around here, which is the only hole I think Sam would fit into. Although he has tried to crawl into a rabbit hole...

dogs in training

in norway, where one might occasionally meet a bear, hunting dogs are tested against this rather cozy brown fellow. as is evident, many of them are hesitant about the furry fellow.

the problem with dog dangers -- as seen by us and by them -- is that they can appear infrequently and unpredictably, so that there's often no time to get the dog used to them (if it's not really a threat) or taught to avoid them (if it is). where, for instance, can i get a steady supply of model planes or passing hot air balloons? and why do the dogs Sam is scared of always appear when i have little or no treats to distract him with?

perhaps i should construct some cats and dogs on wheels, after all. but wheely flying machines?

brave dogs

our Sam is much better now, thankyouverymuch. in fact, he's feeling positively frisky. who jumps over the little fence i erected to protect my kitchen garden, light as a feather? Sam. (quite elegantly too, i must admit) who locks himself into the bathroom and does nefarious deeds with toiletries? Sam. and who sneaks into the bedroom and lugs away heaps of clothing? why do i even bother to ask?

if Sam falls ill again because he's eaten another sock, i'll say he deserves it. here's another, much tougher canine who definitely did not deserve being Mauled By A Wolf -- Twice!



Bella the dunker was first bitten by a wolf while hunting with her owner in the norwegian forest. a fortnight later, on a trip to the forest, she was badly bitten once again. clever vets managed to patch her up, and the 7-year old bitch should be on the mend now. (story and photo from nrk.no, a norwegian news source)

maybe a wolf can help me contain my naught wolf-wannabe?

like owner...

times, reporting from crufts.

(is the link between dogs and owners the reason pedigree breeding has taken so much flak recently? with more people becoming overweight, asthmatic or depressed, pets follow suit?)

dogs are natural scouts

a sniffer dog at a norwegian airport just caught two chaps carrying cannabis, ecstacy and a large stash of cash. this isn't news, exactly, but the fun thing is that it happened while the dog and its handler were outside the customs area, taking a break. "a sniffer dog can't help it, it does its job 24 hours a day," explained the customs officer.

well our sam is ready for mischief all times of the day, and definitely night, too! he can't help it!

those alsatians...

if they're not barking, they're scarfing!

this time, it was a trainee police dog named gunner who decided to taste duchess camilla's nice plaid scarf. (daily mail has the best pictures)

it must therefore be sam's alsatian genes which prompted him, that day in the busy city centre, to attach himself to a lady's crocheted poncho. okay, he was upset by the crowds as well. and he didn't actually try to eat it, just to catch it. still, the incident kept us away from the city centre for a while.

today, we made a new attempt, and sam was very well behaved. he stayed away from ponchos and scarves. he walked nicely by my side. he did want to take in as many interesting smells as possible, and became somewhat skittish among to many people, bikes and a highly interesting pram, but he conquered his demons and walked to heel.