The Mud Magnet

 The rain had eased a little today so I decided to take Sienna for a walk along the disused railway track. We have three such train tracks near us, but this one is the nearest. 

Soggy doggy

The plan was to walk about 5 miles – 2.5 out and 2.5 back. We managed it, but she was obviously flagging a bit towards the end. Didn't stop her exploring off the track though.

Exploring - spot her if you can!

Ah, there you are!

Right now, she’s lying in front of the fire drying off! Within a very few minutes she was covered in mud. It’s like the mud sees her coming, lies in wait, then jumps up and splashes itself all over her. The beautiful white plume on the end of her tail was completely black; the rest of her tail was disgustingly bedraggled. She even managed to get mud right up her chest and under her chin!

Her behaviour is amazing - well, compared with a highly reactive dog, this one's a dream come true. She happily ignores other people, other dogs (if the owner coming the other way put their dog on a lead, so did I, but otherwise she was off lead) and we encountered a cyclist. I made her wait (not sit, because it was so wet) and she stayed next to me until he had passed and I released her. I didn't have to hold her - just a 'wait' command was enough, and she didn't bother with the bike at all. It's all so different, I'm having trouble coming to terms with having a bomb proof dog.

Anyway, we have a plan: I want to take her long distance hiking and sometimes multi-day hiking trips, such as the Cotswold Way. But although she is fit and healthy, she needs to build her stamina and endurance for longer distances. She also needs to be more solid on commands from a distance. Her recall is good, but she does run off further than I’d like. So this morning we played a game of hide and seek – when she got too far ahead, I stood behind a tree. As soon as she realised I was out of sight, she came trotting back. The idea is she will be more consistent about ‘checking in’ (to see if I’m still there) and realise that it pays to remain closer to me as I might just ‘disappear’. It needs a bit of work!

So that’s the object of the plan. What of the plan itself?

First I intend to work on consolidating her basic commands, such as sit, down, wait, etc. She still pulls, though that is improving, so we are still working on that and will introduce ‘heel’ as soon as we can. Loose lead walking is our current focus. I have devised a two week plan to cover those basics, followed by a six week plan to improve her obedience and her ‘instant’ compliance. The improvement section will also start work on distance commands. There are some specific commands for trail hiking, so we will also introduce those.

14 day basics plan:

Days 1-4	Watch/focus Sit Rapid down
Days 5-7	Continue with previous work and add: Stay Leave it Wait
Days 8-11	Continue with previous work and add: Recall Loose lead Heel
Days 12-14	Continue with previous work and add: Real world cues: At the door Before meals At the road edge
Notes:	1.      Reward when she looks without being asked 2.      A fast ‘down’ is vital as a safety measure 3.      Recall to the front (‘present’) 4.      Recall to the left side (‘finish’)

As we started on a Thursday, I might extend this a couple of days, or, if she proves a willing pupil, it could be cut short a little. In any event, I prefer to start on a Sunday, being the first day of the week.

The intermediate stage is a little harder, because she already knows most of the commands. It’s just a matter of honing her compliance really and extending what she knows and does. This stage will introduce some scent work too for mental stimulation and interest.

I borrowed this from the internet:

Phase 1: weeks 1-2: Precision and Proofing

1.      Duration for ‘stay’ and ‘wait’; build from 30s to 2 mins (longer if she is willing)

2.      Distance: ‘sit’ and ‘down’ from 5-10 paces. Use hand signals as well as vocalisations.

3.      Teach ‘place’ (‘mat’) until released

Phase 2: weeks 3-4: Engagement and Distraction

1.      Proofing: practice known commands with distractions, such as people walking by

2.      Heel:

a.      loose lead walking -> auto sits (sits whenever I stop)

b.      Loose lead walking: different paces (slow, fast and halt)

3.      Emergency stop: command ‘drop’ while the dog is moving

Phase 3: weeks 5-6

1.      Long distance recall in open spaces

2.      Out of sight stays

3.      Start scent work

a.      Find it games

b.      Retrieval: take it/hold it games

4.      Daily schedule:

a.      Morning walk

i.                 exercise including ball fetch – 30-50 mins

ii.                precision drills – 10 mins

b.      Midday:  - 15 mins total – choose from:

i.                 puzzle toys

ii.                Muffin tin find it game

iii.               Box hide game

c.      Evening:  30-40 mins total

i.                 Heelwork on evening walk or indoors if not ready

ii.                Practice commands in distraction environment

Scent work:

1.      Muffin tin

2.      Box hides

3.      Scented toy retrieval

4.      Advanced scenting (target odours)

5.      Multi room hides

In addition to obedience, I need to get her walking more. As I said, this morning she was definitely tired towards the end. She was still running ahead (off lead) , sniffing everything and exploring the environments to the side of the track, but she was definitely slower. So her endurance and distance both need to improve, so I have a schedule for that too:

	Daily 5-6 days per week	Long walk	Notes
Starting point:	4.5 miles + 1 mile daily
Weeks 1-3	4.5 to 5 miles	Wk 1: 6 miles Wk 3: 7 to 7.5 miles	Walk on gravel tracks to toughen pads
Week 4	3 miles	4.5 miles	Recovery
Weeks 5-7	5 to 6 miles	Wk 5: 8.5 miles Wk 7: 10 miles	Include 200 – 400 meters of elevation
Week 8	4 miles	6 miles	Recovery
Weeks 9-11	6 to 7 miles	Wk 9: 12 miles Wk 11: 15 miles	Check for limping or stiffness etc
Week 12	3 miles (tapering)	THE HIKE	Recovery

I might not walk the ‘daily’ walk every day, but might do it every other day and a slightly shorter one on the days in between. I might also do a longer walk every week, rather than every other week as suggested here. I’m also not planning to do 15 miles or more for the actual hike, but this is a guide to help Sienna develop her ability to do long hikes.

Right now, I have very filthy (but happy) a dog to bath!

Decisions, decisions

 

The dog who doesn't play with toys, cuddling her squeaky pheasant

I have a few decisions I am considering at the moment.

First, should I keep this blog as it is, change its name, or start a new one – though in theory I don’t need to start a new one as I could just move over to my other blog Chris Crossing Britain. There are several for and against arguments for this one, ie, for changing and against changing:

For:

1.      I started this blog to write about all the wonderful things I planned to do with Storm, but obviously that never happened, leading to this page being dormant for several years. That’s actually why I started Chris Crossing Britain in the first place. I could hardly write on this one about walks without Storm; didn’t seem sense.

2.      I could change the name (though I haven’t yet had any inspiration as to what to call it) and then it could be ongoing, with whatever dog or dogs we have.

3.      It reminds me of Storm and also the sadness of not being able to do the things I had planned with her.

Against:

1.      This blog is already up and running and I have continued with it since Sienna joined the family.

2.      Yes, it reminds me of Storm, but actually that’s not a bad thing. She taught me a lot – about reactivity, about dog behaviour, about collies in particular.

3.      I started it with Storm, but I am still on the ‘path’ which she began, so it could be a continuation of life with my dog, whoever that dog is.

4.      Storm was the best dog I ever had – she was also the worst, but that’s another story, which I’ve already told. So keeping the blog as it is would be in her memory as well as showing that life continues even though hers has ended. I’m sure, if she knew about it, she would want me to continue.

So on balance, I’m thinking more of keeping the blog and the current name – what do you think?

Secondly, in an earlier post I said we had decided not to breed from Sienna due to her age. There are so many risks of having a first litter from a dog that is (or will be) five when she gives birth – everything from small litters (which wouldn’t actually be a problem), to more rigid ligaments, leading to more difficult birth, higher risk of needing a caesarean (which brings its own risks), or even death of mum, puppies or both. Then if she died but the puppies survived, how one earth would I cope with a litter that had no mother?? Not sure I’m up to that. It’s not just a matter of feeding them day and night, but mother dogs also lick their babies to stimulate them to go to the toilet – and I’m definitely not up for that!

However, while I’m pretty sure we shouldn’t go that route, it seems OH would actually be prepared to take the risk. Sienna is fit and healthy so he thinks it won’t be a problem. But then there’s the added question of why do we want to breed in the first place? She might have done agility in the past, but she’s not a champion at it and hasn’t competed for a year or two. On the other hand, she has a lovely temperament and a great ‘off switch’ (rare in border collies) and makes a great companion for any activity I choose to do – she runs and walks with me (yet to do a full hike). Is that enough? Or should I reconsider?

Third, Kennel Club registration. With the idea of breeding a dog in mind I decided to register a kennel name with the Kennel Club. Oh, sorry, it’s now the Royal Kennel Club (RKC). Anyway, I have a kennel name. It wasn’t my first choice, or even my second. In fact, I threw in a fourth choice and they decided on that one for some reason. So I am Kiteridge Border Collies. It’s named after the area where I spread Storm’s hair on the moors in Yorkshire. I wanted something related to the red kites I often see up there and something that recalled the features of the moor itself. So my first choice was Stangmoor – it’s an area of moorland to the east of Stang Lane. The RKC obviously didn’t like that one. However, there is an old quarry (now disused) as you walk south east from the road that edges the footpath – well, it’s a field away but it runs along near the edge of the path, so Kiteridge it is. I might write it KiteRidge – you have to have a single word, but there’s no rule about using a capital letter in the middle to separate the two halves of the name.

photo to follow

So, now that I’m pretty sure we are not breeding from Sienna, I have a kennel name that is pretty useless. Which brings me to my next point...

Fourth, having a registered kennel name is no reason to have puppies. If I’m not going to breed Sienna, then why have the name? Good question – unless I buy in a puppy. [Imagine I said that really quickly, so you might miss it J]....

Settling in

Settling in

When we first brought Sienna home, she behaved like no collie I have ever known – she was so good! She did everything I asked her (except walk on a loose lead, lol), travelled silently in the car, and laid quietly on the living room floor between activities. She was so uninterested in everything that my daughter even suggested she was ‘boring’.

She is no longer ‘boring’, if she ever was. About two and a half weeks after she arrived, she suddenly changed and began to show her true character. Instead of lying there mute, she would look up and even get up when we left the room. She began to follow us around the house and seemed to be enjoying her walks more. I’d gone from having a dog I couldn’t take anywhere (Storm) to a dog I could literally take everywhere – so we began to do that.

Local walks on the rec

The weather has been atrocious since the first couple of days. It was icy, then snow, then rain, rain and more rain. So instead of our 4.5 mile walk to the farm, we do circuits of the rec. Once on the field, I ask her to wait, while I remove the lead, then she runs very fast in a straight line when I say ‘go’. There is a poop bin at the far side near the back lane, so I deposit the now full bag there and Sienna then bounces around as if she is expecting something. I’m very slow, because I didn’t understand what she wanted until about ten days later – but more of that below.

The garden centre

We have a garden centre near us that allows dogs, even into the cafe (in a certain area). She lay under the table, not even concerned with other dogs nearby. Storm would never have done that!

The forest

The Stang Forest is a pine forest that was grown as a crop. They are currently cutting down large swathes of it, but there are still many acres of forest. After her excitement at being in the woods across the road, I thought she would enjoy the forest. I was not disappointed and neither, I think, was she. I saw a large deer too, though Sienna missed it and I missed photographing it (note to self: keep the camera in your hand)! We also met a man who had lost his dog – and later, his wife, who had found the missing animal. There was another man with two very reactive dogs (on leads) – I know what that’s like – but Sienna, although wary, wasn’t too bothered.

‘Good girl’

As we entered the park gates for our third parkrun, she sat up in the crate to look around and was quite animated. Does she ‘count’ roundabouts and turns? She certainly seemed to know where we were. I parked as usual and went to get her out of the car. She was pretty excited, looking round at everything with her ears pricked up. I took her once again to the back of the group and she was in a hurry to get going, so I took her for a short walk as the run was not ready to start. Once again, she took to ‘walk;’ and ‘trot on’ very quickly and we seem to be a team as we trot round. Afterwards, we were walking back towards the car and she was walking nicely by my side. I said ‘good girl’ and she rounded in front of me and looked expectantly, first at my pocket and then at my face. Finally, the penny dropped. We had thought that ‘good girl’ had become her ‘release’ command – ie the command that tells her the activity is over. But no, in fact ‘good girl’ = ‘treat’. In other words, it’s the cue for being given a treat, much like a clicker. We’re beginning to understand each other!

Stalking

Collies love to stalk things – it’s bred into them for herding sheep. They lower their heads and kind of crouch, while still moving cautiously forward, in a way that is meant not to frighten the sheep they're stalking. Well, Sienna doesn’t stalk sheep; she stalks seagulls and jackdaws, while ignoring blackbirds as too small to be worthy of her consideration. One morning, we were on the rec and it was very foggy – visibility down to a few yards. So she started stalking as she usually does – but there were no birds! Turned out she was stalking mole hills and clumps of grass, haha. Another morning, there were several gulls on the field, so she stalked them – even the one that was sitting on the top of the goal posts. Of course, she never catches them, but it’s as though they are teasing her. They wait until the very last minute, before rising into the air, making a sound that is remarkably like a laugh – yes, they are laughing at her!

Balls, balls, balls

We took her to the beach – and this was where she really showed her character. Where she had lived previously, the beach was very stony. The beach near us has some stones, but is mostly soft sand. And there were gulls and rooks all over the place. She was having a lovely time, running all over and stalking the birds to her heart’s content. It was a rare sunny afternoon, so there were lots of people, dogs, and children everywhere. Sienna wasn’t bothered by any of them, until.....

A spaniel and its human mum were nearby as we walked along. The spaniel had a small ball which he dropped on the sand. It rolled towards the sea and the spaniel looked at it, making no move to get it. So Sienna decided she would get it instead. Bear in mind that this is a collie that we were told was not interested in balls.  She appeared suddenly from behind us, grabbed the ball and ran towards the water. The spaniel ran after her. As soon as the spaniel caught up with her, Sienna dropped the ball and let the spaniel have it back. The spaniel took it back to his mum and promptly dropped it again. Sienna grabbed it again and tossed it towards the sea. Mum was close by this time, so she picked the ball up. Sienna and I walked on a little way, but Sienna kept looking back at the woman and the ball. Suddenly, Sienna ran back, jumped up at the woman’s hand that was holding the ball, the ball curved into the air and was promptly caught by the spaniel on her other side. It was hilarious and hard not to laugh as we apologised,  but sadly no video or photo as it was so unexpected.

A short distance further on was a man with two labradors. He also had a ball in his hand which he had been throwing for his dogs. Sienna ran over to him and bounced around in front of him as if asking him to ‘throw the ball, please throw the ball, come on THROW it, what are you waiting for!!!!’ She began to jump up at him, so I rushed over, apologising (again) for my dog’s behaviour. I told him she’d only been with us a few weeks (not quite four, to be precise) and I didn’t even know she liked balls! Anyway, we managed to convince her to leave the ball and the man alone and she spent the rest of the afternoon stalking the birds instead.

Next stop, the pet shop to get her a ball!

You have no idea how hard it is to find a ball. A simple hard rubber ball about the size of a tennis ball. None anywhere! Ended up getting a couple that ‘tasted and smelled of beef’ or had rattles, bells, squeaks inside etc, but no ordinary rubber balls. In the end, I got a ‘chuckit’ ball and throw stick – and she absolutely loves them.

Fast forward to this morning – I finally know what it is she is expecting when I dump the poop bag in the bin. She wants me to throw a ball for her. So this morning I took her new ball with us and she spent ages just running about the field chasing the ball – between stalking the odd bird, that is! So much for not being interested in balls then!

 

A New Responsibility

Taking on a pre-loved dog is quite a responsibility. Unlike a puppy, they do not come as a more or less blank slate – they have their own personalities, moulded by their previous owners. They also have their own ways of doing things and know certain commands in certain ways. However, Sienna** has settled in well and seems to be happy with us.

Walks

The first three days were lovely. We had dry weather with plenty of sunshine, albeit cold -  but then what do you expect in January? After that, things deteriorated – a lot! First ice and a sprinkling of snow made going to the fields an impossibility. We managed the first couple of days, then after that, abandoned the idea due to the high risk of falling flat on my nose on the roads to the field. So instead, we went to the rec, which is practically next door. Sienna has been off-lead in safe places since we got her and her recall is great. We are working on the ‘pulling like a steam train’ thing and at last, nearly three weeks on, she seems to be getting the plan – if you don’t pull, we walk briskly to the field; if you pull, we stop and don’t go anywhere; if you pull hard, we turn around and go back the way we came. Treats are useful, but she does get a bit over-excited with them.

Yesterday, I took her to the woods across the road. It is a landscaped area that used to be an open-cast coal mine, so you can imagine the mud is a wonderful shade of black! The area was very wet and muddy, but she really enjoyed it, running off and coming back to check in. Her previous owners used to take her to a wooded area near their home, so she must have felt in her element. The only downside was when we returned, she was completely black! From the nice clean streets of the south coast to the industrial mud of the north east means we no longer have a shiny pristine dog to look at! And there’s not a lot of point bathing her right now, as she’ll just get as black again tomorrow, or later today. So brushing will have to suffice for now.

Unfortunately, we have had some vehicle issues since we returned and so a trip to the Dales had yet to occur – but the car is back to normal now, so we’ll be able to go just as soon as it stops raining. Currently it is raining quite heavily and there is quite a strong breeze, making it feel colder than ever. It has been raining steadily off and on (mostly on) for the last week – and we have heavy snow forecast for next week too, so not sure when our first trip will be, but hopefully not too far off.

Obedience

It was suggested she was trained in ‘advanced obedience’. Not sure that phrase had the same meaning to them as it has to me! For one thing, she pulls on the lead as mentioned before, and she doesn’t seem to have heard the word ‘heel’. But for all that, she’s pretty good and we are working on some additional obedience skills. On the other hand, she has a very good ‘off-switch’. Storm was always on her feet the moment you took a breath, or closed a computer, or crossed your legs the other way; Sienna stays lying down even when we walk across the room. Plus when she’s in the car, she doesn’t scream and howl when we stop. Is this dog broken??

Fun and Toys

She doesn’t really play with toys. We gave her a squeaky duck (actually, it’s more of a honking pheasant, but she doesn’t care what it's called), which she plays with from time to time. We also gave her a treat dispenser. We had to show her how to play with it, but after a couple of rolls, she lost interest and it sat there, complete with treats in it, for a couple of days before she bothered with it again.

Yesterday, she actually took the duck to R and gave it to him, so she engaged for a while (maybe three minutes?) before going off to do something else – like lie down and sleep.

We have contacted a dog club and hopefully will soon get into a class to determine what kind of ‘fun’ she will be suited to. She has done agility in the past, but not more recently. This club does some agility, man-tracking, scent work and obedience. So there should be something she will enjoy, to keep her active and mentally engaged. Meanwhile, I’m building an agility course/dog park in part of my garden...watch this space.

The dog who doesn't like toys

People and other dogs

We said ‘no visitors’ for the first three days and our offspring kindly obliged. She did meet one of our next door neighbours when we were passing for a walk. Having met Storm before, he (jokingly, I hasten to say) pulled his sleeves down over his hands and folded his arms. But then they met and she was absolutely fine. He said he would tell his wife we had a new dog – and that ‘she’s worse than the last one’. It was a few days later when she met the wife, who came armed with treats, so she’s definitely in favour.

Our daughter came to see her about a week after we brought her home. She had the idea that she wanted to take her running, but we wouldn’t let her. The last time Sienna was taken for a walk by people unknown, she was then expected to get in a car and never saw her family again. We didn’t want to confuse her, so we asked S to wait.

Our son came home the second weekend to meet her. I never thought he was a dog person really, but maybe that was just Storm. Anyway, they got on really well and she curled up in the evening by his feet.

She has only met one other dog face to face – and that didn’t go too well. Maggie has cataracts so maybe doesn’t see too well. Or maybe it’s just the way she always greets other dogs. But she came to Sienna face to face and Sienna objected. First a growl, then a snap. The second time we met, Maggie’s dad put her on a lead and we stood and chatted about 2-3 feet apart, which was far better.

We also met Mara and her friend; again, we stood a couple of feet apart to chat and that was fine too.

She does meet other dogs now and again in the street as we are walking and we are trying to modify her reaction to them – ie we feed her treats one after the other as we pass. So far, that seems to be working fine.

She is not fazed when meeting people without dogs, unless there are lots of them. I took her to parkrun on Saturday. I was tail-walking so that Sienna could see the route and not be overwhelmed by being in the middle of all those people. She was fine, but was a little nervous when the front runners came pounding through. I think she’ll get used to it okay.

We have only met one person without a dog when Sienna was off lead. I called her to walk with me, which she did; I fed her treats as we passed and she was great, totally ignoring the person, after an initial glance to see who it might be.

Health

A week after we brought her home, we paid a visit to the vet – mainly for a titer test but also to have her checked over. She’s a little overweight (as we suspected) but otherwise seems to be in good health. She is getting extra walks and going further, which should help with the weight control, and we have changed her diet (slowly) over the last three weeks. Instead of kibble, she is now eating ‘real’ food. I remember reading an article about a yoga teacher who decided to do an experiment (on himself) whereby he would eat those ‘balanced nutrition’ bars for three months – after all, they are supposed to be a perfect balance of all the necessary nutrients the body requires, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right? Wrong! He had to give up after three weeks because he felt so ill! There is no substitute for ‘real food’. We don’t eat ‘fake food’ ourselves and consequently  we don’t feed our dogs ‘fake food’ either.

We had, once again, considered breeding. However, she will be 5 in the summer and has never had a litter. So we took lots of advice and have decided not to breed from her, as the risks are quite high for a first litter at this age.

Conclusion

Sienna is beginning to come out of her shell a bit. At first, she didn’t seem to have a great personality, but she is getting more lively, now that she’s been with us three weeks. She seems happy and there have been no issues, apart from the snap at Maggie. She is enjoying her training sessions and will hopefully soon be doing something more stimulating soon. I haven’t taken her for a hike, or running with me yet (apart from parkrun, which we walked anyway)... 

Which reminds me, raining or not, I have a training session to do!

** Not her original name

A New Beginning

 A New Beginning

So, seven months have now passed since Storm left us. Have we decided to take the plunge and get another puppy?

Over the last couple of months, yes, we have been searching for a ‘replacement’ – not that she could ever be replaced, of course. Lists are the thing now – some litters are booked up to a year in advance. Getting on such a list has seemed impossible, though I have tried several places. I contacted a few breeders with whose names I am familiar – some have stopped breeding (well, it has been 12 years since I was last on this quest!); others were having the final litter from a certain dog; yet others agreed to let me know if and when they decided to breed from their dogs. I initially went to the breeder I had looked at when I got Storm – Bryning Border Collies. I had wanted a pup from her gorgeous merle Spark. Sadly, while I was looking he died unexpectedly. However, Storm was his granddaughter, via his son Kai. I was happy with that.

Bryning has a beautiful dog who is also an offspring of Spark – and a merle just like him. I contacted the owner and she said she ‘might’ be planning a litter in the spring 2026. Meanwhile, she ‘might’ (there’s that word again) be planning a litter between two other dogs she owns in the autumn of 2025. I heard nothing, so I went on several other sites to find a suitable puppy. Ideally, I’d like a blue or slate merle puppy, but colour is less important than the dog’s personality – don’t think I want to go through what we went through with Storm all over again!

I saw one advert for a 2 year old collie that needed rehoming. She was Kennel Club registered and relatively local. She was definitely not a merle of any colour – rather she was a chocolate and tan tri-coloured girl. I contacted the advertiser – no reply. I tried again – still no reply. Then the ad was taken down and labelled ‘sold’. I was disappointed, but realised I would actually be happy with an older dog and maybe breed a home-grown puppy, or buy in a puppy later.

So when I saw an advert for a four year old chocolate and white collie that needed rehoming due to health issues of the current owners, I contacted them and asked to meet her. We spent some time on the phone discussing what we had to offer the dog – she is agility trained, but hasn’t done any for a year or two. I of course have never done any agility with a dog, but I wanted a hiking companion and a running buddy.

After a few days, we made the trek south – to Eastbourne in Sussex. When we arrived, we were met at the door by a very friendly chocolate and white girl, who was so shiny (think new conker colour) she must have been polished recently! She took to us straight away. They answered all our questions and offered to let us take her for a walk to a local park. She was as good as gold, though she pulls a like steam train on the lead. We met lots of other dogs, children, scooters, bicycles, pushchairs and, of course, other adults. She didn’t flinch at anything – such a change from Storm.

While we were away, the owners had time to discuss whether they liked us as potential owners or not. Apparently, they did, as they agreed to let us collect her the next morning to make the 300 mile journey home with her! That journey was so strange. She was so quiet you could almost forget she was there. And when we stopped the car (to let her out to stretch her legs), there was no yelping, cage rattling, or screaming from the back of the car.

Anyway, she has been with us for almost two weeks and seems to be settling in well so far. We are (slowly) correcting the pulling and have found a couple of quirks about her – such as she doesn’t understand a sit-stay. She will sit on command, no problem, but on adding ‘stay’, she automatically lies down. She also doesn’t like other dogs in her face, though she’s happy to walk past them when we’re out. She also doesn't play with toys, though she has engaged a little bit with a toy duck, and she had to be taught how to get treats out of a treat dispensing toy - and hasn't touched it since the first day, despite there still being some treats inside it. It is however lovely to be able to take her for walks and to let her off lead, knowing she will come back when called. And I think I might have found a dog club where we can go together. It’s a whole new world.

Meet our new family member:

 

Which brings me to this blog...

My original idea had been to take Storm on hikes and write about those; to take her to agility where we could learn together; then at an appropriate time, have puppies which would continue the line – puppies named in similar fashion, eg ‘Storm Chaser’, or ‘Shadow of the Storm’. Obviously our new dog is not related at all, so should I keep this blog, rename it, or start a new one? I think, on balance, the answer is likely to be yes, because I intend to do the same sort of things I had not been able to do with Storm and Storm is the reason I started it, so the name would remain too. But what do my readers think? I’d value your input.

The Remorseful Day

 The Remorseful Day

NOTE: This post was written in June 2025

How Clear, How Lovely Bright

How clear, how lovely bright,

How beautiful to sight

Those beams of morning play;

How heaven laughs out with glee

Where, like a bird set free,

Up from the eastern sea

Soars the delightful day.

To-day I shall be strong,

No more shall yield to wrong,

Shall squander life no more;

Days lost, I know not how,

I shall retrieve them now;

Now I shall keep the vow

I never kept before.

Ensanguining the skies

How heavily it dies

Into the west away;

Past touch and sight and sound

Not further to be found,

How hopeless under ground

Falls the remorseful day.

Poem by A E Housman

It's been a long time since I updated this blog, but today is the day to do it.

Back in February 2016, I posted 'Action and Reaction', explaining that Storm had become highly reactive. Despite trying many different training types, behavioural trainers and even tranquilisers, nothing worked and she simply got worse and worse. We chose to live with it, though it was a topic of discussion several times over the years as to whether we should take her for that final walk to the 'rainbow bridge'.

It's now 9 years on from that post and while she's never fulfilled the potential we had hoped for her, we have done our best to keep her safe and happy and we have managed. She was never off the lead; she wouldn't let us groom her, trim her nails, answer the phone, answer the doorbell, leave the room, etc etc. It has been a hard slog - we've not had people over for years!

Then, about 8 months ago, her behaviour took a serious turn for the worse. Instead of growling and lunging, she would suddenly start really snarling - and looking quite vicious while doing so (sorry, no photo of that!). We realised it was only a matter of time before she hurt someone - whether one of us, or some random person as we walked by. She gave no warning - just snarled every time she didn't want to do something, even if that something was going outside to toilet. It became something of a nightmare and, as I said, I knew it was only a matter of time before she did attack someone.

Fast forward to last week:

Tuesday 3rd June 2025

We were outside doing some gardening. Storm was tied on a long line to a tree - we couldn't afford for her to get out of the garden and run freely round the neighbourhood, biting whoever she might meet, so we tied her with plenty of room to move about and yet still be outside with us, rather than confined to the house on her own. OH was walking towards me. To get to where I was working, he had to pass the dog. As he did so, without any warning or provocation, she lunged at him and bit him on the lower leg. She knew immediately she shouldn't have done that - her lower lip quivered and she crouched down, ears back, looking pleadingly at us both.

She had finally crossed the line. The day we knew was coming had arrived.

We both said afterwards that it was at least good that it was one of us and not the neighbour's 4 year old granddaughter! But the bite was quite bad. Oddly enough, it didn't damage his trousers, but it certainly damaged his leg. [At the time of publishing this - January 2026 - OH still has a mark on his leg which will no doubt never fade now]

Wednesday 4th June

The bite was pretty sore, so we spent the morning at A&E getting the wound professionally cleaned and tetanus shots etc. OH was given a 7 day preventative antibiotic course too.

We also called the vet. I could hardly speak when they answered the phone. But I made the arrangement - 4pm this afternoon. So soon! OH said I should cancel it as it was too quick. We needed time to get used to the fact and maybe our son might want to see her again one last time before she took that final walk. Our daughter was living with us and son had already planned to come home next Tuesday, so I rang the vet again and asked for a different appointment - next Wednesday at 4pm they said.

Saturday 7th June

We had barely been able to take her anywhere for years, but we were determined to make her last days as happy as possible. So together we took her to one of our favourite walking spots - a trail just off Stang Lane in North Yorkshire - and walked her on an extendable lead for 8 miles. She loved it! [NOTE: I scattered some of her hair along this walk - she's now part of the landscape]. This photo was taken that day:

Tuesday 10th June

We took her for a few walks and on this last day, we went to Great Punchard's Gill. Again she loved being able to run as free as she was able on the extendable lead.

NOTE: I would not have had the confidence to take her by myself, so OH and I went together, to places where we knew we would meet no-one - weekdays in the Dales are usually free of people and thankfully this was no exception.

At the end of the walk, as we approached the road where the car was parked, OH went to change her lead from the extendable to the static - and fast as a flash, she bit him again, this time on his hand. She was so fast, I didn't realised she'd made contact until I saw blood pouring from his hand. Once again there had been no warning from Storm and no provocation from us - she had had her lead changed countless times, it was nothing new. To be honest, I had been beginning to waver - surely there was something else we hadn't tried, surely we could manage - after all, we'd managed the last 11 years, so why not just keep going? But after this second bite in less than a week, I knew I had no choice.

And as if to confirm it, when we turned the ignition on in the car, the radio burst into life - Andrea Bocelli singing 'Time to Say Goodbye' (in Italian). It seemed like a 'sign'.

We discussed her epitaph around the dinner table - I liked 'You came into our lives and left paw prints on our heats' - that is, until both children added '...and bite marks on our hands'! Seems I'm the only one of the family she hadn't bitten. So I chose another one (see below)

Wednesday 11th June

She had had to be 'doped' yesterday in preparation for today, but we still took her out again this morning. She always loved rivers, so we took her to Gunnerside by the river. There was a short walk along the bank which we took, but she was really sleepy - she didn't walk far but was clearly too tired to go any further. Then she found it really hard to get up the steps back to the road and the car. When we asked her to jump in the car, she struggled - it was heartbreaking to see.

When we got her home, we had a brief photo-shoot in the garden. Our front garden is a mini meadow and she lay down peacefully among the buttercups while I snapped away with my camera.

Again, we had to give her some dopey tablets to prepare her and she could barely get in the car. OH went to help her in, but was snarled at viciously for his trouble, so we had to be content with helping her up using the lead - I'm not sure it was comfortable, but it was very quick.

Arriving at the vet's, they administered the pre-meds in the car, then once she was asleep, they brought a trolley (like a human one in the hospital, but smaller for a dog), and wheeled her inside. I had to sign papers to give my permission for them to carry out the procedure...

And then it was all over. I have to say they treated her with dignity as a family member and not as 'just a dog'. Then they left us with her for a while to say our final goodbyes.

So that's it. We'd had almost 12 years with her, most of which she was reactive. We had never been able to do agility or show her, we could barely take her for walks, let alone anything with other dogs present. We had had to 'manage' her behaviour rather than enjoy her. Yet she was the best (and worst) dog I have ever had and I miss her greatly.

Do I regret having her - no! Not at all!
Do I regret having her put to sleep? Well, I don't regret doing it - it was the right thing to do - but I most definitely do regret having had to do it and wish with all my heart it had not been necessary.
Will I get another dog? It's a bit soon to say, but watch this space....

RIP

Kamarda Snow Storm

aka Storm

27th September 2013 to 11th June 2025

You still live on in the hearts and minds

Of the family you left behind

Photos taken the morning of June 11th 2025 - hard to believe she was almost 12!

Run free, my beautiful girl.

First Proper Walk of 2018

It wasn't meant to be the first proper walk, but the flu has taken its toll and so today was the first time I have managed to get out. Even then it was only a little under 4 miles, but was definitely better than nothing. And I got to wear my shiny new jacket and sweat shirt 😊

So the walk - Muker to Swinnergill, which is about half way to Keld - and back of course. As usual, I parked the car along the side of the road in Muker. The weather wasn't up to much and the clouds were quite low and blowing along the dale from the west - or so it seemed. The big benefit of the weather being poor is that there was virtually no-one else about. I met a farmer-ess (can I call her that?) on a quad and a bit later, a couple with a dog. The couple obviously wan't feeling sociable because they didn't acknowledge me at all, let alone return my 'good afternoon'. Oh well, maybe they also thought they would have the Dale to themselves.

The first stretch, once you get off the road, is through the meadows. At this time of year, they are nothing to write home about - they just look like any other fields. But in the late spring, they are amazing! There are seven to cross, with walls and 'squeeze stiles' between each. Not sure who named them 'squeeze stiles', but Wainwright's name comes to mind. I could be wrong though. Anyway, they are aptly named - the larger you are, the more you have to 'squeeze' to get through. And that applies to being short and carrying a backpack too!

After a very short detour to get a picture of the Rampsholme Bridge from a different angle from usual,

the first surprise was something missing. I was actually past it before I even realised! The first thing I noticed was the piles of soil, indicating someone had been busy with a digger. After that, I realised that the digger had obviously been clearing the ditch. And then I noticed - the huge puddle that I usually encounter on the first bend after the bridge was actually not there any more. I even went back to take pictures, I was so surprised. They (whoever 'they' might be) had not only cleared the ditch either side of the track, they had tunnelled under the track, supported their tunnelling with rocks at the entry and exit points and the water was actually running under the path instead of across it.

While I was taking pictures, a farmer (female) on a quad bike came by. I stepped to one side to let her pass and she said hello. About a minute later, I was mobbed! About 100 sheep were following the bike, trying in vain to keep up with it.

They were followed by a Texel ram who looked none to friendly, so I gave him a wide berth. He was looking after his harem no doubt and I didn't want to mess with him. The wives, though, were quite docile

After successfully navigating my way through the sheep hazard, I continued along the track towards Swinnergill. This was where I met the somewhat unsociable couple and their dog. But they were the only people I met all day - I did see two or three couples on the other side of the river, but they were a long way away.

There was a huge digger and dumper truck later on too - no idea what they were actually working on (well, actually, nothing today as they had no drivers).

There is a tree along the stretch after the digger that I thought it might be good to photograph every month to catalogue the passing of the seasons. It's an old (very old by the look of it) hawthorn bush that has grown to small tree proportions. The two photos are of two different trees

It wasn't long after the tree that I noticed a large number of vehicles parked on a field near the river. I have never see that particular area used as a car park before, but it was clear from the noise what they were there for - they were shooting in the nearby woods and fields, but on the opposite side of the river. I have no idea how they cross the river - I've walked that way many times, yet haven't seen where the crossing is at that point.

The waterfall was not as full as I expected. Parts of it were gushing, but often when there has been a lot of rain or a snow melt, the whole width of the falls is rushing with water - not the case today.

This was a lead mining area in the past and there are still plenty of signs of former buildings/workings to prove the point. The building at Swinnergill is completely collapsed, but there are still a couple of features showing that it had once been used for something to do with the mining operation.

I left the buildings and set off back towards Muker, forst crossing the small wooden briger that spans the gill

The walk back seemed to take no time at all, but I did take some pictures of the field barns that proliferate in this region

And one of Rampsholme Bridge from the opposite side

Back in the village, there is another barn (not a field barn this time, because it's not in a field), with red doors; it's probably one of the most photographed barns in Swaledale

And finally, I managed to get a photo of the phone box - minus the usual clutter and no vehicles in the way

The whole walk only took a couple of hours, but it was enough. This flu has been a real nightmare and is taking far to long to recover from unfortunately. But hopefully back on track now - particularly tracks in the Dales 😉