Settling in.....

            Well I suppose I’d better be updating you upon Willow’s progress being as I’ve been a tad remiss with my blogging duties lately. After the initial ‘being held in rapture’ by the little scamps arrival common sense took hold and we have soon come to realise that all is not what I was told about her. For example the seller (name with held to protect the bullsh…r) described her as well looked after and in top condition, comfortable in the house, and reluctantly letting her go as she was absolutely useless as a hunting dog. Mmmmm let me go through these points and reveal my findings.

            ‘Well looked after and in top condition’, now we all know that sight hounds such as greyhounds, whippets and their cross derivatives are on the slender side but Willow arrived as undernourished as I’ve seen this type of dog for a long time. Apparently she was been fed once a day and was in competition with a very large mastiff! The upshot of this was that under her coat her pelvis and ribs felt sharp to the touch with virtually nothing covering them. Also the food that he ‘generously’ provided to help her along was stuff that I would not even give to the mice that are at present infesting that holiest of sanctuaries, the garage!

            ‘Comfortable in the house’, bleedin’ hell she had no idea of finding her way around a house with every item such as television, the fire, stairs, doors etc leaving her bemused and clinging to one or other of our sides at the slightest of movement. The only saving grace for her was, like most of her type, she’s a clean little thing and since her first night has not fouled the house once.

            ‘Useless as a hunting dog’, now knowing me you know that I’m no hunter and her main time outdoors will be spent chasing nothing more than new trails down in the future. But, having said that, I’m not adverse to a little bit of game in the pot therefore a dog which just happened to er, stumble upon something now and then would not be disciplined to harshly. I’ve spent a huge part of my early life around sight hounds, mainly racing greyhounds but hunting whippets and lurchers as well and one thing is for certain about Willow is that she’s an out and out hunter, Mr. BS had as much idea about dogs as I do about oyster farming! At 7 months her hunting education should just be starting not being dismissed. Also from her silky soft pads, long unworn nails and lack of developed muscle it was clear that the little mite had not had the slightest amount of walking or exercise.

            It’s been a little over a week since the warthog arrived here and the difference is quite amazing. She’s been fed top quality food and wormed and she’s filling out rapidly. Already her walking has involved roadwork and yesterday I took her for a short burst up the hills with my heart in my mouth as I had her off the lead for the first time. I needn’t have worried as already her recall is spot on and she walked the trail like an old timer (apart from several mad blasts). She’s got a silky soft action when walking and her perception of the wildlife around her is truly excellent for one so young. Today she met Wayne’s Celt and they got on famously well, Willow surprising us both with her turn of speed being not far behind Celt with more development to come.

Not a hunting dog!!!!!

Willow n Celt 

            So there we have it, young Willow has shoe horned her way into our lives and seems as happy as a pig in shit. She’s already proved herself loving, loyal, gentle though also tenacious, clever and alert to her surroundings and I’m sure that the adventures to come with her are going to be fun in the doing and in the telling. Oh one thing that I’d neglected to mention that once the kitchen door was closed on her at night and we’d just settled our weary heads upon soft pillows the little warthog transformed into a wolf of the hugest size. Well you’d have thought so for her first four nights; the howling, oh the howling…..

         Till the next time thanks for reading,

Your friend, John

Oh and by the way the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed the new page title up top 'the garage'. I'm afraid there be a tale of woe and neglect to be told upon this page in the future....

Update on Celt

Just a quick update on Wayne's whippet, Celt, before I settle down to smoked bacon, cabbage and Cheshire new potatoes smothered in real butter (none of yer marg in this kitchen!) all washed down with some extremely cheap cider.

Popped around to Wayne's this afternoon to do a couple of small jobs for him (he still thinks you can have a left handed screw driver!). Whilst there I took the opportunity of taking a couple of shots of Celt now that he’s grown some since that first piece on him.

Celts now 16 weeks old is standing at 15 inches at the shoulder, the Laguna stock in him is really starting to show in his legs, now really looking thick set. Already changes in his stance and demeanour are evident with him looking far more ‘whippet like’ than in my first post on him. He’s walking comfortably on the lead, will sit to command (well most times) and is already retrieving back to hand a lot of stuff thrown for him, this being important once he starts working them pesky wabbits. 

Like I said just a quick one so that you can follow the little tyke’s progress, oh yes nearly forgot he does have a liking for toes, my toes with them bleedin sharp puppy teeth!! Right to the table......

Your Friend,

John

Meet Celt

Well this Celt and the ugly bugger with him is my brother in-law Wayne. To be honest me and Wayne have not always seen eye to eye in the past but he really is what you’d call ‘salt of the earth’. Wayne really should have been born centuries ago when living off the land was the norm, but unfortunately he’s been time warped to the present. The old lad has always taken his fair share of game (sometimes a little bit below the radar), he’s always had a freezer full of rabbit, pigeon, rook, pheasant etc and has always been there to rid a farmer of a particularly troublesome fox. He’s been waiting for a new dog for some time now and finally he’s got one; Celt.

Celt is a pure bred whippet from old Laguna coursing stock and this cute little tyke will definitely earn his crust in the years to come, working rabbits for Wayne. His life will not be the pampered one that most people assume it is when glancing at that miniature greyhound shivering by his owner (whippets shiver all the time, whether cold or just excited about the hunt). Celt has been bred as a working hound and you can see this early on, he’s more thickset and robust than the show dogs more commonly seen. Over his life Celt can expect to pick up far more injuries than a pet whippet, from knocked up toes and minor cuts too perhaps broken bones and major cuts, such is the lot of a working dog. But one thing that he can be sure of is that he’ll be loved and cared for as one of the family for all Wayne’s gruffness and moaning, deep down he’s as soft as hell. Yes Celt will work for his living but his rewards will far  greater than a lot of overfed pampered pouches being tortured with ‘kindness’ by people who don’t really understand their dog's needs that much. He’ll be loved, fed what he needs (not all the fancy treats that eventually kill ‘mans best friend'), and spend his time outdoors doing what he loves best – the hunt. So that’s Celt, hopefully I’ll be able to keep you updated on the little sod and his adventures as he learns about the world outside of Wayne’s garden.

Your friend,

John