Lab-Collie Cross?

I've often wondered exactly who Pudding's antecedents were, there's definitely Labrador and Border Collie in there, but then there's a secret ingredient that I'm still trying to identify. Suggestions include Patterdale Terrier and Bearded Collie. I not sure I'll ever know for sure, but I don't care, she's a wonderful creature. Once when I was walking her a small child ran up to us excitedly shouting "It's Dumbledor dog, it's Dumbledor dog", and there's certainly something magical about her.

"Hang Spring Cleaning!"

I should be working, but the sun is out, the air is mild, the Doberman wants to play, and to quote Shakespeare - 'I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows, where oxslips and the nodding violet grows'. So I'm going to take the dogs there for a nice walk.

I think this is my favourite time of the year, the weather's mild and inviting, all the summer birds are returning (I saw my first Swift of the year yesterday and the House Martins are back and patching up last years nest). The heaths are covered in flowering gorse bushes, which fill the air with a perfume like sweet coconut, and high up in the air, you can hear the 'loo-loo' of ascending Woodlarks.

For once a serious post! The RSPCA is suggesting a change to the law governing dangerous dogs. Rather than breed specific legislation, the RSPCA is proposing a change to the law, so that dog owners rather than dogs are targeted. There are very few bad dogs, but there are a lot of bad owners. I would go one step further and suggest that in order to own certain more demanding breeds, that you should have to pass a handler competency test. Dogs are social animals, with serious attacks on their own 'pack' being rare; if you think about it, the evolutionary benefits of pack behaviour are based on group rather than individual survival. Dogs normally only show true aggression to those that they perceive as being members of an out group, or those that they perceive to be hierarchically below them in the pack. Both of these factors can be controlled by a combination of good early socialisation and firm consistent handling by the owners. As they say in America - Ban the deed not the breed.

Apology Accepted

I would like to accept PP's unreserved FaceBook apology and welcome her decision to attend Doberman E&D training. Discrimination - together we can stop it!

In fairness PP isn't all bad, she is raising lots of money for charity by running the London marathon! Good luck PP you've got a great day for it, remember to keep up with your fluid intake - and I don't mean Gordons & tonic (anyone watching the marathon on TV PP is the one running in a giant prawn costume).

Dog Tired

I've never known a dog who likes their sleep quite as much as Fudge. It isn't unknown for us to get up in the morning and realise over breakfast that she is still fast asleep upstairs. One of the health problems that Dobermans can suffer from is narcolepsy, though in Fudge's case her somnolence is due to plain laziness.

Named and shamed!

This is a story of 3 generations of Doberman prejudice.

A person who shall remain nameless, but whose initials are P P (you know who you are!), told me a frightening tale of how her poor old grandfather was viciously savaged by a Doberman. However as I enquired more closely into this alleged incident, it transpired that said grandfather had spent several years deliberately teasing and antagonising this poor dog, while it was safely chained up. One day the Doberman finding itself unchained, decided to take punitive action against the 'sit upon' area of aforementioned grandfather - in my opinion, Karma at work.

The sad part of this story is that P P continues to disseminate her gin soaked anti Doberman propaganda, with no thought of the potential harmful consequences - but then I suppose this is as much as can be expected from a Labrador owner.

Boggle Hole Doberman

Pudding and Fudge enjoying the soon to be Olympic sport, of chasing skimmed stones.