If the storms we had before Christmas can be called a “weather bomb”, then what we’re currently enduring has to be a “weather nuke”. Here’s what nearby Troon looked like at high tide the other night:
![Troon does the ice-bucket challenge [IMG_0902]](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7556/16049685077_3c85be50bb_z.jpg)
Of course the thing about having doggies – especially doggies who like their exercise – is that we can’t stay huddled up inside, hoping that the roof stays attached to the house. Nope, we’ve got to get out there and give the little beggars their walkies!
I’d always rather run than walk when the weather is foul, and over the last week I’ve had the dubious pleasure of jogging along the beach against 30+ mph winds, and that’s at the calmest times of the day. Ordinarily Beanie & especially Biggles really like windy outings – they get extra frisky and have loads of madcap chases when I let them offlead. Unfortunately the current winds have also been accompanied by near-horizontal rain and hail, and that is something that our two Beagles aren’t so keen on. On the return leg of our most recent run they were pressed against each other and trying to use me as shelter as we struggled to back to the car. Little surprise then that Biggles has been pulling a disappearing act at walkies time!
Where’s Biggles? Hiding in the spare duvet in our wardrobe, that’s where.
Even ordinary walks have become difficult. The roads and pavements are strewn with rubbish from overturned bins and Beanie considers it her solemn duty to pick up and attempt to speed-swallow every last bit of it. Every few yards I have to stop and whip off my gloves to extract Beanie’s latest acquisition from her jaws.
We’re free of such problems if we stick to the country lanes, but then again they have hazards of their own. The other day we were picking our way through some fallen tree debris when Biggles suddenly reared up on his back legs, his little face filled with horror as he held up one his front paws, barely daring to look at it. Remember that scene in Terminator 2 when the T-1000 loses his hand to the liquid nitrogen and regards the stump in open-mouthed shock? That was Biggles. For a second he had me convinced that he’d really injured himself, but then I remembered the last time we saw such an extreme reaction from him. Yes, I’m talking about the fateful day Beanie’s squeaky squirrel tug toy briefly wrapped itself around one of his legs during a play session. Now I don’t want to imply that Biggles is hopelessly soft, but suffice to say that the paw situation was resolved by extracting a small piece of twig from between his toes and rubbing his tootsies better for a second or two.
Even as Biggles recuperates from his encounter with the demon twig, the forecasts warn that the stormy conditions will continue well into next week. What new horrors lay ahead for my stoic little boy?
Very dramatic pics Paul! We have the same ‘poorly paw’ episodes with Cassie! You’ll see I’m only Cassie’s Mum now, we lost our darling JB yesterday. He had an inoperable tumour in his chest, sitting underneath his heart. We took the decision that he should not be woken up after the ultrasound and although we know it was the right decision for him, we are both devastated. They fill you with joy but also break your heart.
I’m so sorry to hear about JB. I know there’s nothing anyone can say that will help with the pain of losing him. Give Cassie an extra hug from us.
@Julie – I’m still shocked at how suddenly you lost JB, and continue to send good thoughts from the US. Hugs to all of you!
@Paul – Here in Mid-Atlantic, we haven’t had rain or snow, but it’s been terribly cold (like -6 to -13 C overnight, before windchill). Josie will still walk around in the garden for 30 minutes, but Lady wastes no time running out, then back in to dive under the blankets. Josie is pretty stoic about walking on things, but Lady definitely has Princess Paws like the Bigglet. :)
I’m going to be calling Biggles “Mr Princess Paws” for the rest of the day :)
Thank you for your kind comments. Michael and I have talked about the huge void JB has left and we’ve decided it can best be filled by another beagle bum and friend for Cassie. Michael is away for a week the first week of February but when he gets back we’ll be contacting Beagle Welfare. Something to look forward to and focus on and, we think, the best and most positive outcome of a terrible situation.
I think that’s absolutely the best thing to do – fill the void with another little woofer as soon as you can. It’s something Susan and I have often talked about, not least because our two seem hell bent on committing suicide despite our best efforts to protect them.
People we know who lost a dog but didn’t get another never seem to get over that loss, whereas having another little soul demanding your love and attention has to help you move on.
How old are beanie and biggles? Just lost one of my beagles of almost 16 years, your blogs are a nice way to keep me happy.
Hi Bagel, sorry to hear that you’ve lost a little soul too. Beanie’s 7 now (can’t believe it) and Biggles is 6, so hopefully still plenty of years ahead of them.
@Julie, so sorry to hear about JB. What’s best for them seems to break our hearts… I agree there is nothing like another Beagle to set us straight. Nothing will every replace the ones we have lost, but it sure does help us.
@Paul. I can’t believe that you go out in that weather. Ours would not tolerate it, they would be hiding in the duvet with Biggles.
@ Julie, oops forgot to add… please give Cassie some extra loving from me.
All hugs and kisses for Cassie duly passed on!! Thank you x