Amazing Dog!

I heard about this dog several years ago, and I've seen him on TV in the states (at least I'm pretty sure it's the same dog, it would be strange if there were two!). I would love to have a dog like this. I am going to channel all the hours alone with my dog into fun training like this - it is beyond cool!

Whoever owns and trained this dog: you are an inspiration! And hugely entertaining!

Animal Planet: Dogs 101

I was recently taking a Trans-Atlantic flight and was flipping through Continental Airlines' selection of short TV programs. I came across Animal Planet's Dogs 101 and I couldn't resist watching it. It has a lot of good info for someone who is a first time dog buyer, or who has not had a puppy in a long time. I'm going to watch more of the series, some of the training tips were pretty good.

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/dogs-101/

My Other Beasts

My love of four-legged beasts does not only apply to canines; I am also the proud owner of two beautiful Argentine polo ponies, Cata and Gloria. 

This is my beautiful girl Cata, short for Catalina. I've had her for around two and a half years. I took a trip to Argentina with my university and stayed at the La Tarde Polo Club near Mercedes. While there I absolutely fell in love with her, and only a few years ago shipping from Argentina to the UK was much, much less expensive than it is now. So I did the very frivolous and somewhat crazy thing of shipping a horse internationally. She arrived a bit skinny but otherwise healthy and happy. She has now gotten used to UK weather, though I still thinks she resents me anytime I ride her in the rain. 

And this is Gloria, my new pony. I've had her since July, and we're still getting to know each other. She's amazing to play, and used to play 18 goal polo. She's had to slow down for me though, I'm a down grade for her previous owner in terms of playing ability but I like to think I'm an upgrade in terms of care. Gloria was obviously very well looked after with her previous owner, but not loved like only a woman who is still a horse-crazy teen a heart can do. She is getting used to being given treats, and isn't head shy anymore; although she does seem to be a bit confused because she responds when I call "CATA!"

R.I.P Sylvie

Sylvie was a thoroughbred ex-racehorse, racing under the name of JustSilv, who came to my coach's farm as part of a bulk deal of horses; she was the cheap on added on to sweeten the deal. She was sharp and quick to turn, but there was a shortage of decent (not 25 years old) beginner to novice horses and she quickly became a beginner's pony. She became afraid of the ball, not something you want in a polo pony. My coach wanted to sell her for a low price so I jumped at the opportunity to buy a horse that I enjoyed playing and liked the look of. I spent the summer working on her fear of the ball and doing therapy for an old injury. We made a lot of progress and she was becoming a really nice playing pony who could turn on a dime; my coach was even regretting selling her. One day, after my end of term exams, I got a call saying that she had been kicked by another horse and broken her leg. She had been discovered, assessed by the vet, and put down all while I was in my exam. I still feel like I left this beautiful mare down, and that I could have prevented her tragic death. I will always wonder what would have become of Sylvie, my summer project, if she had lived to play another season.

Back to square one....

I've been doing a lot of research into different flat coat retriever breeders for a while now, about 2 months. It seems near impossible to find one! Why do no flat coat retriever breeders in the UK have websites? Or if they do have websites they don't show up on Google, you have to spend hours filtering through breed listings at champdogs.co.uk or trying ever more obscure search entries. Dog breeders seriously need to join the 21st century! After days of searching I came across Aricdell, http://aricdell.com/, which looks absolutely lovely. They informed me that one of their dogs had been mated and hopefully the pups would be ready around the time that I'd like to take my pup home (late May/early June). I got so excited about this, but today I learned that unfortunately the bitch isn't pregnant.

So I have two options: get a pup from one of their other dogs who is definitely pregnant and who's pups will be ready 4 weeks before I want them, or find a new breeder all together. I've asked my lovely, dog-loving, flatmates if they would mind having a puppy in the flat for around 3 weeks.... during exam period..... we'll see how that goes.

What's in a Name?

With my previous dog, Lucky, there was not much thought put into her name. As we were taking her home from the breeder my mum asked "what should we call her?" and my ever-so-creative 8-year-old self said "Lucky, because we're lucky to have her!" Cute, but not particularly original.

I won't be taking my new puppy home until June, over 4 months away, yet I have already found a name. This is due to a combination of boredom now that exams are over and my desperate pining for a dog. I've decided to call her Zorra, Spanish for 'vixen'. There were two reasons for this; 1) I really liked the idea of a Spanish name since I play polo and spend time in Argentina and speak Spanish, and 2) my dad and I used to watch Zorro all the time, we even carve tiny Zs in the door frames of houses we own (but not rent, sadly).

So there it is: Zorra, future wonder dog.

Flat Coat Retrievers

After much consideration I have decided to get a flat coat retriever puppy.

I wanted an energetic dog that I could take with me when I exercise the horses and when I go jogging. My boyfriend and some of our friends are really into shooting and so we went on a shooting trip to the highlands a few months ago. I really like eating game; it's much healthier and more humane than eating farm raised chicken (although with free range chicken that's getting a lot better). I am fascinated by working dogs and the relationships that they have with their masters, and I would love to pursue that with my future dog. This means that I was looking for a gun dog. I'm not a huge fan of labs, and though I love golden retrievers I decided against getting one. The poor puppy would forever be compared to Saint Lucky, my first beloved pet.

Through a lot of reading and searching I came across flat coat retrievers. I had seen them before but not known what they were. They look something like a slightly smaller, sleeker golden retriever with a black coat, or like a black Irish Setter.

Apparently they have great temperaments, are quick to learn as long as you train them right, and make great working dogs.

Why I Want a Puppy

I have always loved dogs. When I was a little girl I used to run up to strange dogs (much against my mother's will) just to pet them. We had two attempts at a dog when I was very young; one had to be returned to the breeder because she was too young to leave her mother and really should never have been given to us, and the other was lovely, except for the time she bit my brother in the face (he's fine, by the way). And then there was Lucky. We got her when I was 8 years old, and though she was bought as a family dog she became my dog. If you've ever seen Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (as any dog lover surely has) then you'll know what I mean. Lucky and I had a bond that rivaled Peter and Shadow's; she was even a Golden Retriever and in her older days looked just like the dog from the film. I was heartbroken when Lucky died during my first year of university; especially since I was not there to comfort her.

It is now over 4 years later and I am finally about to enter a situation where I can have a puppy! I have lived in student flats while at University, and traveling back and forth to the States over summers would have made a puppy impossible. Now, though, I am graduating and going to live in a dog friendly flat at the polo club which I play at and where I keep my two horses. And so let the puppy hunting begin!