Fire In The Hole

"A dogwalker found ..." Did you ever notice how many local news stories contain this sentence? We do come out and about, us dog people, and somewhere down the line we tend to bump into something out of the ordinary. Yesterday, on our after-diner-walk, it was our turn to make such a discovery.

Antidote

There was just that moment of silence. "It is probably the GOLPP" I said. The vet nodded her head. "Most likely" she replied.

Wizard Update From Susanne: The Problemsolver

Hovawart Wizard Susanne just send me an update I would like to share. Last time Susanne wrote something about her boys Mammoet and Rico, Rico was undergoing some, well, growing pains.

We actually met the boys and Susanne at the end of last year, for a beach walk with Tilde in Holland - see the picture on the left. 

The Moment My Heart Stood Still

I was taken by surprise by the dark man suddenly standing in our back garden. I was occupied with reading a book while enjoying the warmth of the sun, and Kenzo was sleeping beside me. Suddenly the man was there. I looked at him, and as soon as his lips started to move in an attempt to say something, I knew it was too late. At the first syllable he uttered, Kenzo was rising from behind my chair, and I grabbed in vain for his collar.

Trusting Tilde

We arrived at the corner of a shopping street filled with people slowly strolling by the shop windows, ice cream stands and bakeries. Tilde's tail starts to wag in anticipation. The sight fueled her excitement. In a minute we will be in the middle of the melee. She could hardly wait, it's a Valhalla for an extrovert like Tilde. I would have to be on my toes though.

Return To The Valley

It would be just the boys. A male bonding trip. A boy's day out. Just Kenzo and me.

Excited we left for the valley. The valley lies in the middle of a dune landscape at the West-coast. It holds a couple of small lakes, hidden out of sight by the sand dunes towering out above it. The highest of the surrounding dunes offer a fantastic view over the valley and the rest of the landscape.

Window Of Opportunity

Next month it will be one year ago we adopted Tilde. In many ways she hasn't changed a bit. In many ways she has. She is no longer trying to fit in. No longer Kenzo's protégé. Less dependent on me and Kenzo to find her brave self.

New Memories

I kneel down next to Viva's tree with a view over the heath fields. The ground is cold from the night's frost. The fields are blueish with frozen dew, and hide the brown color they carry at this time of year. I hope we can witness a sunrise together, Viva's tree and me.

Tilde's Ambitions

When you have read my blog from the start, you know I participated in all kind of dog classes with Kenzo. Obedience, tracking, defense, SAR, and more.

I had to learn the craft as it was all new to me. It was a road of stumble and fall, partly because of the trainers we met, partly because training in a group for some kind of diploma simply distracts from what it is about.

A Valley and A View

The light in the sky signals the end of Winter and the return of color is underway. It is a special time of the year when the days start to get longer. People venture out more. I think we meet twice as much dogs on our walks these days, as we did during Winter.

All of us can have strong feelings around a change of seasons, a certain holiday, or a time of year.