Why Buster looks like he does

The story of why Buster looks as he does is a slightly shameful one, one that we hid from, to some extent, when it happened. To go back to the beginning, my husband and I, for many years since we got our first Schnauzer in 1987, spent much time showing, and then breeding pedigree dogs, first schnauzers, and then pharaoh hounds as well. Then we realised our hearts weren't really that interested in the pure bred dog game, that seemed less and less like a fine way to spend our weekends, and we gave it all away.

Before we gave up dog showing, something happened that made us stop showing for a while, half a year in fact. That thing was something that purebred dog people should never be involved with, and that is cross-breeding. We had two different breeds of dogs at the time. We had Schnauzers and we had one Pharaoh Hound, our first. The Pharaoh Hound was a handsome thing, and one of our schnauzers obviously felt the same about him.

Nena was having her first season, and was at theat stage when she really, really, really wanted to do something about it. She went through two fences to get to Kharis, he did what came naturally to him, she did what come naturally to her, and Nature did what comes naturally to animals when they mate ... Puppies arrived around 63 days, as is usual, and we then had to find homes for what were certainly not as sought after as our usual pure bred puppies.

So these puppies are exactly what Buster is, a Pharoah Hound, Schnauzer cross. A lean dog, built a little like a greyhound, with a mostly smooth coat, but with a slightly bushy face. Slightly like a Pharoah Hounds face (big pointy ears), slightly like a Schnauzer face, bearded. It was a mistake that we didn't keep Nena locked up, but it was certainly not done by us, it was done by the dogs.

We certainly make sure we keep our in season girl dogs well away from out male dog, who is the son of Kharis. We still have Nena, but she is desexed now, and far too old for puppies now anyway. She had some litters of lovely pure Schnauzer puppies after that mistake litter, puppies that had proper Schnauzer ears, not big stick up in the air ears!

The litters are all over now though, and the dogs just lounge around the house, or race around the yard, with no need to prance around the show ring. Life is good.

We still have more dogs than the average person (four of them), but we are happy to have our weekends back so we can do the things most (non-show) people do. Being involved in dog showing is the kind of thing that can certainly take over your life.

Anyway - we just have pet dogs now, so being involved in that bit of cross-breeding is no longer something we have to keep hidden. It was never our idea anyway, it was the dog's idea.

So, if you were to name the offspring of the mis-mating that happened, you would call them Pharaozers perhaps. Whatever you call them, they were cute enough. Having shown dogs for about twenty years, I was against cross breeding of dogs, and looked down on those who had puppies without pedigrees. I've settled down on the idea about that now, to some extent.

I have friends with beloved pet dogs, of various shapes and types, and I can see these little bits and pieces pets bring much joy to the lives of their owners. I'm thinking about Cathy's Bess, and Suzanne's Mozart, and I know these dogs are absolutely perfect! Oh except for Mozart's shoe fetish ...
So many shoes chewed ... But he's so cute and loving!

Gardens and Dogs

When you have a garden, and you have a dog too, sometimes there are some things that need to be understood. Dogs like to dig, and they don't care if their humans don't actually want holes all over the place. So your life may involve some hole filling. Get used to it, and move on, watching where you step, of course.

Today in our garden I saw two quite different things, that show how a person can be given delight in quite different ways. The first was the delight that flowers can give. I was out in the back yard this morning, when I noticed our bougainvillea was just starting to flower. This plant is a miniature variety and it grows in a hanging basket. The flowers it has are a lovely shade of orange/pink.

So that was a lovely delight, that any plant lover would enjoy. The second one though was something that might only offer delight to a person with a warpedish sense of humour. It was dog related, and dog owners can sometimes fit into this group. I'd certainly say that about myself!

I'd let out Missy, who is a Pharaoh Hound, and our youngest dog. My husband had gone out, so I was the pooper scooper duty person for the morning. This isn't my favourite dog related task, but when you have four dogs, it's a task that has to be attended to. On a hot day, like today is, it's a task best done promptly.

Our three pharaoh hounds, hard at work! Missy is the one in the middle.

So I was in the back yard again, pooper scooper in hand, watching Missy head out to the dog run we have beyond the actual back yard. Yes, the pooper scooper would be needed, but was she going to make it a quick and easy pick up for me? Oh no, she went the tour, squatting to go, poop holding on as she went, squatting to poop, and letting it go every few awkward steps she took!

So I laughed at her - she's such a silly creature, and she looked so ridiculous! If she'd squatted and gone, with out wandering around as she let go, it would have been easier to pick up, but it wouldn't have been so funny - see, warped sense of humour! When you live with a mini pack of dogs, the warped sense of humour helps!

Ridding Garden of Pest Creatures

This picture shows our Pharaoh Hounds hard at work in the garden. Keeping the garden free of unwanted creatures is something they do often. Sadly they are not always terribly humane, and it is up to us humans to attempt to assist these pests finding humane ends to their timer in our backyard.

I don't mind the birds in the garden, if fact I love the birds who visit us. Fortunately, most of the birds are able to avoid becoming a meal to our hounds. It's a bit of a trade off - the pharaoh hound is an imported creature to our land, and the reptiles are all native to our land.

The snakes are one species I don't shed tears over, if they lose their life here. When our dogs capture a lizard though, whether it's a bearded dragon, blue tongue lizard or sleepy lizard, that pains me. I don't like it when the dogs find one of these wanderers... I just wish they would wander further, and stay in the places the dogs can't get to.

Our schnauzer is now an older lady, and she's not of the same nature as the pharaoh hounds, so these creatures, and the birds as well, are all safe from her. I just wish the dogs would all focus on the mice who invade our kitchen every now and then ...

Our Diggy Dog

Well, Graham and I took our diggy dog La De (pharaoh hound) as well as our schauzer Nena to the dog park two days ago. He could have dug there as much as he liked and no-one would have got upset.

There were some nice piles of sand at the park as well as some interesting looking areas with bushes and dirt. He ran around sniffing and peeing, but he didn't dig at all!

Which just proves the saying 'you can lead a hound to dirt piles, but you can't make him dig.'

The visit was lots of fun anyway, for all of us. It's lovely watching a pharaoh hound run - they are such beautiful movers. Nena seemed to enjoy running around too. She's not as super elegant as La De, but she does move well.

Nena peed on almost as many things as La De did, silly girl!

A good day was had by all!

Wow, the Weather yesterday was Amazing!

Wild wind and a stay out of the rain day yesterday for the dogs. None of the dogs we have now are afraid of thunder and lightning fortunately, but none of them are mad keen on the driving rain we had.

La De Da still had a bit of a dig up of the back 'lawn' though! It's amazing - he will not get it through his head that we don't want him digging. The thrill of chasing the dirt he digs up is the best part, and if I yell at him he thinks it's good he's getting attention.

I am making some progress with La De though - he sits for his dinner, comes to me more often when I call him, and he sits other times when I tell him too. The Pharaoh Hound is just not as obedient as a Schnauzer though. The Pharaohs are clever like cats are clever, which is not what you want from a dog, is it?

Just as well they're handsome. There is a gorgeous Pharaoh Hound on TV the other night. We watched some of Crufts and the winner of the Hound Group was a Pharaoh Hound! INT CH NORTHGATE'S AS YOU LIKE IT [ATC AJ01287FIN]
look here

It's raining, dogs quiet!

We just had a huge rain shower and I think all of the dogs have lost their collective powers of communication.

All of the Pharaoh Hounds are outside, and not a single one of them is woofing. It's a miracle. Of course they have probably retreated to their sheltered spots outside. I'm not game enough to poke my head out the door in case they start barking again.

If they're lying down somewhere comfy out of the rain, well that's good for all of us.

The Schnauzers are both inside at the moment. One of them is our oldest girl, Rangler (CH Holkschter Ranger Jane), and the other is Nena who I have a very soft spot for. I think Nena feels the same way about me.

That will all change soon enough, Jake will come home from school, dogs will have to woof at him to say "hello, let us inside please". Then it will be dinner time for the dogs, and even Rangler, especially Rangler, will woof at me to make me work faster.

Rangler hasn't figured out yet that I take exactly the same time to make dogs' dinner whether she's barking her had off at me or not. She'd annoying, but at least she's not one who digs holes in the back lawn!

The Winner Is Announced!

Congratulations to Sue Kennedy, also known as Domestic Daze. She has won with her Old English Sheepdogs pissing on the herbs and being afraid of getting their toes wet. Very funny for a breed of dog that herds sheep in the sodden sheep country in their homeland in England.

I'd still love to read about other people's dogs and how they garden. At the moment, our dogs are happy to stay inside until much later in the morning. It used to be 7.00 am they were looking for an outside run, but some of them are still sleeping and it's nearly 11.00am!

I don't blame them, I haven't been outside either this morning.It's cold out there! It's going to be a lovely mild day, but after another clear sky overnight, the morning is rather nippy. I'm hoping it will be getting warmer soon, I have a load of washing nearly ready to be hung out.

Once the washing is hung out, I'll have to keep an eye on things when Missy is outside. She's our youngest dog, a lovely Pharaoh Hound girl, and I'm not entirely convinced she had nothing to do with the washing that has ended up on the ground in the past few weeks. It might have been the wind, but every time it has happened, Missy has been outside.

I can't say she did it, because I haven't seen her pulling at the washing, she's just been in the vicinity. At the moment, she's curled up in a dog crate with her big brother, La De Da. They look very cute.