Bear barking!

 It’s taken a lot of bossy barking and tactical tooting, but Uncle Teds has reluctantly shifted over and let me blog a new year message. Now the main thing to avoid in 2024, in my opinion, is being boring snoring! If you see something and you are not sure if it’s edible, eat it anyway. Equally, if you see something and you are not sure if it’s a toy, play with it anyway. If your hupeeps are too busy to play, make your own entertainment. I play ball with myself by dropping it from the top of the stairs, chasing after it, and fetching it back for a repeat. It whiles away an idle moment. I also access the kindling bucket by the fire, choose a piece, and splinter it up on the rug. ‘Her Indoors’ grumbles because she has to vacuum up the bits, but a fur has to entertain herself. 

If they shut you in the kitchen because you are wet and muddy, or because they are going out, you don’t have to stay there, break out! It’s much more fun to have the whole house to explore and, if you can set the alarm system off at the same time, even better. It makes a great noise!

Ensuring life is entertaining is not just for your own benefit, you can spread the joy. When I went to stay with our holiday carers, Shirley had neat little labels in all her flower pots so that she knew which was which. I removed them all, and chewed most of them, so the contents of each pot will now be a nice surprise! No need to thank me, Shirley! Also, if you see toys, belonging to your hupeeps, liberate them, even if you have to jump up high to do it! They will thank you for dispelling the tedium of sitting still on a shelf. And, if your domestic interior design is a bit static, rearrange it. Rugs can be moved, cushions..erm…re-purposed and sofas re-designated as dog beds. Much more interesting!

Some other furs lead boring snoring lives and need to be educated. Uncle Teds is a case in point. He usually does as he is told and tries very hard to understand what ‘Them Indoors’ want so he can bask in the pleasure of being a ‘good boy’. Pfft to that Pals! I try to set a good example but he usually just sits as far away as possible so he won’t accidentally get the blame, looking worried. How dull is that!

There are occasional slight risks with my approach. There is the odd time when an experimental consumption will have adverse effects on my digestion but I have ‘Them Indoors’ to clean up after me. Better out than in is my motto! I also run the risk of ‘Them Indoors’ and, very occasionally, Uncle Teds, getting cross with me. With the value of hindsight, chewing the hand-knitted border terrier cushion that took ‘Her Indoors’ forever to knit, might have been a mistake, and eating the entire cover of ‘Him Indoors’ new book that he hadn’t read was probably a bit ambitious, but how was I to know? They use ‘No, Bear, NOOO!’ so often I am immune to it.

So face the New Year with a sense of adventure, have fun, and live every day to the full. After all, we will only ever get one 2024. I, for one, am going to have a great time!

                                             Perhaps a step too far - who knew?

                                               Just helping with the unwrapping…

                                     Dusting is boring snoring - doing ‘Her Indoors’ a favour!

                                             He needed some new ones anyway!

                                               It’s mine now!

                                            Extra fine kindling!

                                             Interior design the Bear way!

Wishing you kindness at Christmas

 Well it’s that time of year again! The Juniors will shortly be home, then the celebrations really begin. So before it all kicks off, we just wanted to paws for thought. It hasn’t been the worst, but it hasn’t been the best of years for ‘Them Indoors’, with the Seniors having some serious issues. It also hasn’t been the best of times in the UK and the world in general, and it is easy to get caught up in a downward spiral of gloom and doom. Yet there is still so much good in the world.

Take the apprentice for example, she might be a monkey moo who chews her way through things she really shouldn’t, uses her bossy bark and her tactical tooting to get me to relinquish my toys and bed, if she takes a fancy to them, but, at heart, she is a sweet natured fur, who likes to give little licky kisses, play, and curl up next to me if I give her half a chance. She also has an endearing knack, if she is feeling uncertain about anything, of looking round to see what I’m doing, and then, if you’ll excuse the pun, taking her lead from me!

And the wider world has some similar niceness. Most days, when we are out for a walk in all weathers, we meet a pleasant lady with her  Shih tzu dog. We normally exchange polite greetings and ‘Her Indoors’ has a quick chat. Anyway, one day ‘Her Indoors’ admired a little hand-knitted coat the fur was wearing and asked the lady if she had knitted it. It transpired that this little dog isn’t hers. It belongs to her elderly neighbour who has such poor health she was thinking she’d have to put her dog up for rehoming, which she was very sad about. So, in order to keep owner and pet together, this lady had stepped in and walks this little fur, unfailingly, whatever the weather, and has also undertaken to give them a home, should the worst happen to the owner. 

Then there is  another fur who was a stray, abroad, and formed a bond with some nice hupeeps on holiday from the UK. They managed to rescue the dog and get it shipped back, and it is now living its best life in our village.These acts aren’t barked from the rooftops - true kindness has a quiet voice - but if you look around you, they are there, and in a much greater quantity than you might think.

So this Christmas, we want to celebrate kindness - a little goes a long way - and to wish you all a contented and kind Christmas with those you hold dear. Happy Christmas!

Closing the book

 As many of you will know, my predecessor, Rolo, was a dog of literary talents. Not only did he have his own blog and magazine column, he also scribed two books, 'The Last Rolo', a year in his eventful life, and 'Sit, Stay, Roll Over', a manual, written for dogs, on how to train their hupeeps. Both books were beautifully illustrated by the talented Sally C Greenfield and published by 'Her Indoors' using her self-publishing imprint, Quill and Apple publishing. The illustrations were also put on cards and mugs. The books got wonderful support from so many people: the wider dog owning community; Border Terrier social media most noteably Twitter's BT Posse - Sir Clapton Terrier wrote a back cover review for 'Sit, Stay, Roll Over'; and many more besides. Rolo was invited to 'appear' on local radio, Uckfield FM, as it was then, and BBC Radio Sussex. He was also invited to Essex Borderfest and even launched his second book there. He had a great time! 

There are some lovely stories of people enjoying reading the book but two of our particular favourites are from someone who posted a picture of their child, taking it in his backpack as his school reading book, and another about a person who, on reading the book during a hospital stay, laughed so hard they woke the person in the next bed. Quite an accolade! Also, we have received so many photos over the years of dogs reading the books across the world, especially Border Terrier puppies, learning what it means to be a BT and our proud tradition of doing our own thing and subverting attempts to train.

When I joined the household, I quickly became part of the family literary tradition, and, in due course, inhereted responsibility for the Boss's books, taking over his magazine column when a very elderly Rolo finally went OTRB in February 2019. 'Her Indoors' is on the local speaker circuit, talking on a range of worthy subjects but by far the favourite talk is 'My Literary Dogs'. She has even delivered it for Border Terrier Welfare at their AGM! With the arrival of my own apprentice in 2021, I was able to ensure Bear was suitably indogtrinated from a young age, using the Boss's books. I think he would have approved.

However, time passes and Rolo has been gone for almost five years. Very sadly, this year, we lost our generous illustrator, with the death of Sally. The remaining books are now few in number, the cards and mugs almost sold out. So we've made the decision to withdraw the remainder from the market place at the end of this year. We have had so much fun with the books and they have been more successful than we could possibly have anticipated - we have sold a kennel load! We reckon practically every fur in the BT Posse owns a copy and some of you are repeat customers. We wanted to say a really heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us. We feel like Rolo's memory lives on and we are truly grateful. 

If anyone wants to buy a book, mug or card, before the end of the year, there are a few left and you can  order here.If anyone is local and is able to collect, or we can drop some in on our travels, we are happy to donate to raffles etc for good causes, just let us know. It's what Rolo would have wanted,

                                                            Rolo with his first book

                                                    At his book launch

                                                        At Essex Borderfest

                                                        BBC Radio Sussex

                                                    And another book, 'Sit, Stay, Roll Over'

                        I join a fine literary tradition - don't know how the bunny sneaked in!

                                                    The apprentice, paying close attention!

Got a bit behind with posting my columns....

 

June's magazine column

 

May's column

 

April's Column

 

March's column

 

My Gotcha Day

 Today marks the fifth anniversary of me coming to live permanently with ‘Them Indoors’. As those of you familiar with my back story will know, it also marks the day that my previous owner, Sandra, died, so it is a day of mixed emotions. When I first came to live with ‘Them Indoors’ I was a very unhappy dog. Sandra was my world, and I hers. I’d had a horribly disrupted time whilst Sandra was ill: a long spell in kennels whilst Sandra was in hospital as my first foster parents couldn’t cope with me; I was left on my own whilst she had hospital appointments; there were strangers constantly coming to visit our home and Sandra was very poorly. Walks were intermittent, which is where ‘Her Indoors’ came in. As a Cinnamon Trust dog walker she came regularly to take me out. She still remembers the first time she met me. I was unsure, but she spoke to me gently, so I brought her my Teddy. We hit it off straight away, and Sandra could see that we liked each other, so, one day, the inevitable question came, if anything happened to Sandra, would ‘Her Indoors’ take me? The rest, as they say, is history.

I’m not going to lie, I was not an easy fur when I first arrived. I tiddled in the house, cried all night for nights and nights, had to have someone permanently with me as I couldn’t be by myself. I wouldn’t eat unless ‘Her Indoors’ fed me from her hand (the Boss quickly cured me of that by nicking my food!) and reacted to everything on walks: children, horses, bicycles and other dogs, with my displaced angst making me very difficult to deal with at times, I'm ashamed to say.

But things gradually got better. The Boss was very old but he set me an example about chilling. ‘Them Indoors’ kept the faith, the Cinnamon Trust supported us, paying for a dog sitter when ‘Them Indoors’ went out, a good trainer to help with my behavioural issues, and for neutering to help my anxiety and general behaviour. And gradually I blossomed. I ate, I started to play, I calmed down, I began to improve on walks. It took time of course, but I gradually became the fur I was always meant to be. 

And two final things have helped: the arrival of the apprentice and moving house. The apprentice adores me, and she shows me how to greet the world with confidence and love. She also looks to me when she is unsure and my role as Uncle Teds has helped me so much. I am calm when ‘Them Indoors’ are out (they know, they have a kitchen camera!), and my reactivity on walks has significantly reduced as Bear greets every fur as a potential friend. Moving house was an unexpected plus. ‘Them Indoors’ were worried I’d find it unsettling, but from the minute Bear and I came home from our holiday carers, Shirley and Paul, we loved it. I am more relaxed here than I have ever been. Perhaps it’s a fresh start, perhaps it’s the vibe of the house (‘Them Indoors’ loved it too, from the moment they stepped into the hall), perhaps it’s the garden without a certain neighbouring Leonburger lurking behind the fence, who knows…

So I just want to say a big thank you, to all the people who have helped. To Sandra, for looking out for me at her worst moments, to the Cinnamon Trust for supporting me and continuing to support me, to my holiday carers, Shirley and Paul, for their patience and understanding, to my occasional carers, friends Ann and Peter, likewise, to the Juniors for their patience, to the other furs in my life - the Boss and now Bear - for showing me the way, to the wonderful BT Posse for their support, fun, laughs and lack of judgment (no-one understands a BT like another BT and their lovely hupeeps) and lastly to ‘Them Indoors’ for loving me and loving me some more. ‘Her Indoors’ reckons that no-one loves her like me, and that if they did, she’d probably have to call the police! (she reckons I’m her stalker as I still don’t like her out of my sight and follow her around endlessly). Who would have thought, five years ago, when Sandra had died and things seemed so bleak, that it’d turn out so well. Life, as they say, is a strange, and sometimes marvellous thing.

                                                    Me, with my Teddy, at Sandra's 

  

Looking sad and out for a Cinnamon Trust walk, back in the early days

 

Me and the Boss, Rolo 

 

I owe him so much... 

One of my early tweet-ups

                                                            Learning to chill!

                                                            Enjoying motorhoming

                                                     

                                                                    At the controls! 

I love a convertible...

Woops!

                                                An apprentice of my own...

She's all grown up...

and still pinches my bed...

but I wouldn't be without her.

                                                        Happy Teds with 'Her Indoors'

 

 

Happy birthday Bear!

 Well today is Bear’s second birthday and it only seems two minutes ago she was a little scrap of nothing, charming the world with her puppy cuteness!

Bear was, of course, rightly chosen with me in mind. As well as taking some trouble to track down my breeder, ‘Them Indoors’ thought long and hard about what sort of fur would compliment my personality. I’m quite anxious, I don’t like change, and lack confidence. I’m also a bit reactive around other dogs that I don’t know. So Bear was chosen because she was the most confident puppy in the litter, her mum was a lovely natured, friendly dog and an experienced mum, who knew how to bring up a litter of puppies in true BT fashion. Bear’s breeder, Michelle, the daughter of my breeder, is also very experienced, and breeds BTs and Labradors who are all kept in the house, so Bear was already well versed in doggy social skills when she arrived.

She was a little force of nature right from the outset. ‘Them Indoors’ were slightly delayed in collecting her, as we had a short holiday booked, and she was almost nine weeks old, so there was only her and one other puppy, waiting to go to their forever homes. The other pup wasn’t as outgoing, so Michelle reckoned it had done her good to spend some time with Bear, bringing her out of herself. When ‘Her Indoors’ arrived to get her, Bear was the ringleader, thieving some tissues which she ran off with in her little jaws. This was definitely a sign of things to come….

Bear loved me from the first time she laid eyes on me. She spent the journey home (I was waiting in the car) trying to climb out of her car set to get to me. Her initial ambition was to get me to play with her, and I succumbed to that pretty quickly, being careful not to tug too hard in case I pulled her off her feet. After that, she made her way into my bed, my toy box and my heart.

She has, however, proved to be a monkey moo of impressive credentials. She steals, chews, escapes and wreaks havoc wherever she goes. But she is unfailingly good natured, bold to the point of recklessness, and loves every dog and every person she meets. She is the sweetest natured Border Terrier I have ever met and simultaneously one of the naughtiest. She is also, if I can be so bold as to mention this about a lady fur, a shameless tooter, who fires off rapid volleys that leave us all nonplussed and partially asphyxiated!

In spite of her little ways, two years on and we cannot imagine life without her. When she is unsure, or she senses I am unsure, she comes up and gives me little licky kisses. She is all that is best about Border Terriers: she is naughty, fun, loving and a big dog in a small body. We all love her. Happy birthday Bear!

                                                        She does love a cuddle!

When she was small enough to fit on a lap

                                                            Enjoying some beach time

                                        Bear’s mum, Willow. She obviously enjoys chewing too…..

                                                            One of the earliest photos

                                                    Bear in her first bed (got chewed to bits!)

                                                            Having a train ride

                                                            First day in her forever home

                                                                    With her litter mates

                                                        Sharing my bed!

                                                            One of her numerous thefts…

                                                        The first time she met ‘Him Indoors’

                                                        Showing her how to ask for treats.

                                                            Miss hairy ears!

                                                                A fully grown up girl