Take a sun-warmed, pale blue Welsh blanket …
Sew it neatly with care … add some squidgy duvet filling … and the magic begins to happen …
Sssshhh …
I am sure these sleepy bundles would agree with Napoleon Bonaparte’s thoughts on his bed…
Merry Dogs Blog
“The bed has become a place of luxury to me! I would not exchange it for all the thrones in the world.”
July 18th, 2011Ewan McGregor falls in love with dog Cosmo on the set of his new film, ‘Beginners’
June 26th, 2011Falling in love with your co-star seems to go with the territory for film stars.
It happened to Ewan McGregor on the set of Beginners, his new film. But the star that caught his eye was somewhat different to the usual Hollwood babe…this one has fur all over its body, a waggy tail, and a very toothy grin and was, in fact, Cosmo the Jack Russell.
Having fallen for his furry friend, Ewan describes the tears, parting, and happy ending, that followed…
Comedy/drama Beginners co-stars Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, and Cosmo, a Jack Russell plucked by his trainer from a rescue shelter. McGregor plays Oliver, a dog-loving graphic artist whose world is turned around when his elderly father, played by Plummer, reveals that he has terminal cancer, and is gay.
Beginners premiers in the UK on 11 July 2011 and goes on general release on 22 July.
THE DOG FILES – Sid the 2011 Woof Factor winner
June 16th, 2011Welcome Sid, winner of Woof Factor 2001, to THE DOG FILES. In this interview we get behind the headlines to find out more about this dog star…
NAME: Sid
AGE: I can’t remember quite how old I am. My vet says I must be about 10.
My Woof Factor 2011 prize-winning portrait!
BREED: Lovable Labrador
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE WOOF FACTOR? It’s a photo competition run by the wonderful Oldies charity, which finds lovely warm firesides for us old boys and girls who haven’t got a home of our own. I won some lovely prizes, including one from Merry Dogs!
SO WHAT’S YOUR RESCUE STORY? Two and a half years ago I woke up in a vet’s, and I can’t remember anything before that. Apparently I had been in a dog pound for six weeks, becoming more and more poorly – I had pneumonia… A lady rescued me from the pound and took me to her vets. She was my guardian angel! I spent five days there on a drip, and they didn’t think I was going to survive.
But I did, thanks to their care. My guardian angel asked the Oldies Club if they would care for me, and they took me to my foster home. I had to share this house with two of the oddest looking dogs I have ever seen – they’re called Bassets. Anyway, my fosterers joined that popular society, the Failed Fosterers Club, and here I still am, two and a half years later, with the odd Bassets and my dear family.
On arrival at my new home - still looking poorly...
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR NEW HOME? Good food (especially the homemade stuff), long walks and lying on my bed in front of the wood-burner.
WHO IS YOUR BFF AND WHY? Well, the Basset girls tend to gang up together – so I am friend to all the fosters who come to stay, big or small. It’s very sad when they leave to go to their new homes – but I know another confused soul will be along soon who will need my companionship. I do have a furry pheasant that I am very fond of – does he count?
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PERFECT DAY? A cooked breakfast, a stroll in the countryside (with horse-poo treats for sustenance) and the pub for lunch. Home, nap, afternoon tea, nap, dinner, cuddle up with pheasant for nap. I wuf naps!
Running about enjoying myself!
ANY DISLIKES? Having my ears cleaned and my feet washed – yuk!
WHAT WELL-KNOWN SONG COULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN WITH YOU IN MIND? My family chose this – ‘Simply the Best’ by Tina Turner. It’s made me blush..
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT HAVING YOU AROUND? The fact that I am just perfect! My family love it when I join them on walks, and I have a large repertoire of tricks. Oh and I follow commands (the bassets are rather wayward!). They cannot understand how I ended up in the pound.
IF YOU WERE HUMAN, WHAT JOB WOULD YOU HAVE? My family always insists than I have been in the RAF – one of the loyal hounds who sits beside the runway counting the planes out and back in again. I even have a cartoon of myself in uniform, and very dashing I look too!
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Black Labrador + dog flap + Tuffy Sherman sheep = doggy brain-teaser
June 3rd, 2011
Just watch Sophia work out how to get her Sherman out of the dog flap and into the garden…
Our dog had a similar problem once, while trying to take his Tuffy Bevo Bull into his outside kennel…but he obviously gave up and went to sleep!
Dog of the week – the ‘monkey-faced’ Affenpinscher
May 13th, 2011
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Germany, seventeenth century
RELATED TO: The Griffon Bruxelloise and Miniature Schnauzer both have Affenpinscher in their ancestry.
AFFENPINSCHER BASICS: 9-12 inches high, with a wiry coat. The coat is usually black but in the US it can also be grey, silver, red, tan and often with a black mask. Lives 11-14 years.
INTERESTING STUFF: The name comes from the German word for monkey (Affe), which they are thought to resemble! Although they are often thought of as terriers (and were bred for rat-catching), their pinscher heritage means they usually like dogs and other pets. They prefer to keep their toys and food to themselves, however.
AFFENPINSCHER ADJECTIVES … playful, confident, lively, affectionate, stubborn, loyal.
Useful link: Affenpinscher Club UK
Maremma dogs – extraordinary livestock guardians
April 7th, 2011
A working Maremma in the Gran Sasso of Abruzzo, Italy
If you have been watching Channel 5′s fascinating series, Extraordinary Dogs, you will have seen their feature on Maremma dogs. We hadn’t heard of this breed, but marveled at the dogs’ skilful behaviour. So, we did a little research and here’s what we found.
The Maremma are livestock guardians, and NOT herding dogs. Developed in central Italy to protect sheep from wolves, the dogs develop a strong bond with their livestock – be that sheep, goats, cattle or chickens. They are introduced to stock at 3 or 4 weeks of age, and bond with them like a family. Italian shepherds taught the dog to stay with the sheep even when the shepherd left the flock – to the dog, the livestock are his first priority.
Nowadays they are used by farmers in the US, Canada and elsewhere to protect stock not only from animal predators but from humans too. They are not naturally aggressive but will bark loudly and persistently when on alert, and will, if pushed too far, bite. They have been praised by environmentalists, for allowing stock and endangered predators to satisfactorily co-exist, and have been used in Australia to protect endangered penguins facing predation.
Their nature is stubborn and independent, as you would expect, and they only make suitable pets in the right environment (farm/ranch) and with the correct training – no shouting, or they will just run and hide!
Two dogs dining in a busy restaurant…
March 18th, 2011One of the funniest dog videos on Youtube…Two dogs wait patiently to get served in a busy restaurant. They hopefully try to catch the busy waitress’s eye, to order a drink. The food arrives and they tuck into their meal.
Here’s what the film-maker says about the video: “This video has had many positive comments – thanks to all of you. Some people though are worried for the dogs – were they forced and did they hurt themselves on the forks? Firstly the dogs loved it – they are best friends and really like getting all the attention. We practised with the cutlery in advance, and both dogs very quickly figured it out. Besides the “waitress” kept on talking to them and encouraging them. They are very well behaved, and know when to sit still, take it slow and wait. This video was shot in one take, no cuts or editing – and both dogs had a wonderful time..The hand coordination was not preplanned – since everything was up to the dogs – but we both intuitively acted on the feeling of the dogs movement, plus we could hear from the “waitresses” comments, what the dogs were doing. Enjoy and don´t be worried – both dogs love it, and we love them.”
Fabulous!
Congratulations to Jet, SH CH Vbos the Kentuckian, winner of Crufts 2011
March 14th, 2011Flatcoated Retrirever Jet, kennel name Vbos the Kentuckian, last night beat off 21,422 other dogs to be crowned top dog at Crufts. A handsome, large gundog breed, Flatcoats are well known for their sunny disposition, love of fun and down-to-earth nature. Jet showed all these characteristics in the ring, his ever-wagging tail a feature of this breed. Reserve best in show was a young Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen bitch, Jilly. Jilly also showed her personality during the judging, another happy and enthusiastic little dog. Here are some highlights of the evening.
The judge approaches Jet’s owner, hand outstretched – Jet’s won Crufts!
Jet gets a round of applause! And doesn’t he stand well.
Jet needs some more liver treats while Jilly does her lap of honour.
Jilly the Petit Basset – Reserve Best in Show.
Jet chats with Claire Balding in the post-win interview. His breeder and owner, Jim Irvine, looks a little stunned (naturally). Jet, on the other hand, looks like he has plenty to say!
Congratulations to all of Jet and Jilly’s connections – two worthy winners of Crufts 2011!
Facebook’s First Puppy
March 9th, 2011Mark Zuckerberg, creator of social networking site Facebook, has joined the merry band of dog owners this week, by taking home a cute Hungarian Puli pup. Appropriately mis-named Beast, the fluffy white bundle has already got to work on his own Facebook page, telling the world ‘what’s on his mind’…
And the highlight of his day -
The Hungarian Puli is a small herding dog that grows stunning dreadlocks as it matures. The coat obviously takes a lot of care to keep it in condition, with careful grooming to help form thin dreadlocks. Pulis are intelligent and agile, and form a strong, loyal bond with their owner. They are typical working dogs – best suited to an active outdoor lifestyle and prone to some behavioural problems if kept confined and bored. So updating his Facebook page could be just the thing to keep Beast out of mischief!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Puli_600.jpg
[A full-grown Beast will look something like this!]
We love Facebook, and the Merry Dogs Facebook page updates our followers on what’s happening in the dog world, new products, and dates for your diary. We also run Facebook competitions and let our fans know about special offers – if you are on Facebook, why not join us!
Beach Stripe collar reviewed in Your Dog magazine
March 7th, 2011Our Beach Stripe dog collar received a great review in the April edition of Your Dog magazine. Read the full review below! We were delighted that the tester and his dog enjoyed using it. This collar is hand-made in the UK from cotton canvas with a strong webbing core and quality nickel buckle – cool, cheerful and colourful, just like the British seaside!
