Team Tima!

Well, Friday was a day of firsts all round... my first trip to Crufts, Tima's German Shepherd Dog Masai had his first win at his first ever time at Crufts, and he was also the first black GSD to win his class!



We also hoped that he would become a father for the first time on Friday, but nature knew better and he is, as yet, still pacing the hall waiting for his pups to arrive! It was a long day for us all, starting at 4.30 in the morning, but it was such a good day.

Crufts and the Kennel Club have come in for criticism over the years for allowing breeding to result in dogs that look a certain way but can suffer from skeletal problems or breathing difficulties or other severe health problems. I was, therefore, very happy to be going along to my first show with Tima Lund, who is loud and proud in her determination to show German Shepherd Dogs with strong, healthy skeletal systems rather than the extreme sloping backs that so often cause poor hips, plus shoulder, knee and elbow problems and spinal deformities.

The judge at Crufts this year, Gary Gray, is also a strong supporter of the straighter backed GSD's and the Kennel Club are certainly heading in the right direction to encourage breeding to produce healthy, happy dogs!



Let's hope it continues and the poor dogs who suffer so much for nothing more than a desired image will not suffer further and common sense will prevail. So, well done to Masai, and to Team Tima!



Tima breeds GSD's and Cocker Spaniels, trains agility and obedience and somehow also manages to find time to work as a Science & Animal Care teacher in a local school too! Find out more about Tima and her furry family here at http://www.folkvanggsd.webs.com/

We were also accompanied by Pickle, who unfortunately missed her class group due to a bit of a mix up. Still, she looked beautiful and she enjoyed our walks round the show and it was all still a bit of a day out for her.



Thanks to Tima for letting me come along to Crufts, and a huge big cuddle of love for Masai... he is just awesome!



I wish you could have met my Hogy Bear! He was no champion or show stopper, and he had the worst case of hip & elbow dysplasia the vet had seen, all caused by poor breeding and, because of his suffering, I will support anyone and everyone who can help bring attention to the problems and attention to the work that's going on to eradicate such needless suffering!!!

But I do wish you could have met Hogy. He was the most gentle, placid, beautiful natured dog that I have ever met and I still miss his nose poking round my bedroom door every single day, a whole year on! He wasn't healthy, but he was happy when he was strong and he was the most fun I've ever known! Bless you Tima for bringing some Shepherdy love back into my life! And well done again to Masai (aka Tracelyn Hobson at Folkvang).

Rebecca. X

Walkabouts Hereabouts!

My pal Helen phoned and asked if I would like to see a day in the life of a dog walker. Sounded good to me! How hard can it be? Out in the fresh air in the company of a few hairy hounds and getting a bit of exercise, yep, she could count me in on that!

Well, it is out in the fresh air, for sure, and there is plenty of exercise and the dogs were decidedly hairy (though some were much hairier than others!!), but how hard could it be?



VERY!!

I have a huge amount of respect for Helen anyway, she's a great laugh and fantastic with the dogs, but I didn't realise quite how much there was to it!

For one thing, you need eyes in the back and sides of your head... not all dogs are as well trained or as streetwise as we'd like, and Helen has to be in control of them all... at the same time!

She knows all their faults and foibles, she knows their fears and fancies, and she knows when they are feeling a bit fragile too! Let's not even talk about how many piles of poo she has to pick up on an average day!!!

I couldn't manage a full day with Helen, but I did meet up after lunch on Monday for a couple of walks with her. First up was Finley, Roxy and Noosh.

Living in different parts of town, Helen has to decide who to pick up first, which dog travels best in the car and which pooch to leave 'til last.

Finley travels so well in the car, I didn't even realise he was already in until a wee wet nose appeared in casual enquiry as we arrived at Noosh's home! With Noosh settled happily beside Finley, we carried on across town to pick up Roxy. It was only a short journey from there to Cantley Fields, where the dogs could run, sniff, explore and do what dogs do!



After a few circuits of the field, it was back to the car to drop the dogs home again. But it's not quite so simple as that! The dogs need to be cleaned up (owners object to muddy paw prints on their cream carpets!), and Helen makes sure they have fresh water and a dry, safe place to rest until their owners get back home.

As owners also object to muddy boot prints on their cream carpets, Helen has to either take her boots off or, if they're not too bad, put on a pair of plastic overshoes. Not an especially onerous task, but it really does add to the time it all takes.

Having left the doggies safely at their respective homes, it was back in the car for the next round. This time we picked up Lou and Devon, and headed for a spot halfway between their homes.

Even though Lou lives round the corner from Noosh, we needed to pick up Devon first, as Lou can't travel long distances in the back. So, it was across to the outskirts of Reading and then back to Wokingham for Lou.

We walked round the Coombes, where Lou and Devon are safe and free to explore off lead.



The dogs get on very well together and love the varied smells and delights of the woods here! It's doggy heaven!!

Monday was a lovely day; it was a pleasure to be out and I had a great time, but I can easily see how the novelty could wear off quite quickly when it is tipping with rain, the wind is howling and the temperature is freezing! No matter what the weather, dogs need walking.

Helen does a fantastic job, providing far more than just walkies. Her charges are cared for, looked after, and they are all under control, all the time. They return home exhausted but happy, clean and safe. What more can any pooch wish for?

Rebecca, x

www.rtphotographics.co.uk

Puppy Love

I spent a wonderful weekend with friends in Lincolnshire and, as ever, my faithful pooch came along too.



My friends have a gorgeous young Siberian husky called Roxy, who isn't really used to other dogs coming into her territory and stealing her bones right from under her nose, so you can imagine we were a bit worried as to how it might all turn out!! It was a bit awkward for the first hour, but as soon as she realised Hogy was just a big ball of fluff after all, Roxy was smitten! It was so cute to see her gazing adoringly at him, licking his mouth and nudging him to play. He certainly didn't object and they made a very lovely couple!



Margaret and I took them across the fields for a walk and they met a few other furry friends,



but nothing could separate them, they were in love. All they needed was a big bowl of spaghetti to share, you know, like the one where they end up on the same string of pasta!!

Oh, I do like a happy ending... but alas, these two fluffy youngsters were torn apart and I had to bring my young pup back to Berkshire as Roxy pines for him nearly 100 miles away in Lincolnshire. How cruel fate can be!



I'm sure they will be reunited in time, but for now, well, their lives and their loves must each tread different paths...

Rebecca, x

www.rtphotographics.co.uk
rebecca@rtphotographics.co.uk