Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Bell of the Ball

Hello. My name is Mr. Tricky Woo. And I have to wear this goofy and irritating bear bell on my collar now.
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HAH! Take that, Wootie.

While Jingles tinkles merrily away on our walks, he also cannot disappear because the absence of the ringing is rather apparent. As he starts to wander off, he gets called back - see, Wootie will only take off if he's already out of sight. But if you notice him leaving, he pretends he wasn't going anywhere in the first place. This is one VERY sly dog.

Since I put them bell on him on Sunday, he has been remarkably present.

We didn't even lose him on the hike today. He did try to scuttle off into the bushes once or twice, but since there were three humans, who were SUPER ANNOYED by his bell, one of us always noticed when the tinkling started to fade from earshot.

Well this sucks.
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Bear bells: available for about $4.00 from your local outdoor sporting goods store.

Oh look, it's Ru. And Tweed's behind him.
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We go hiking once a week in the deserted forests in the Belcarra area with Cheryl, who is a dogwalker, and goes there every day for her job. That's a cool job. But she has Ru, a TDBCR adoptee, who has a reputation for "breaking" dogs. While Ru is allegedly an old dog, he outruns everyone on the hike, every single day. Any dog foolish enough to try and keep up with him ends up a crippled gimp at the end of the day.

Not that I'm naming any names.
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The forest can be scary. For it contains borderjacks.
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... borderjacks who clone themselves, bigger than life.

How'd he do that?
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Oh look, it's Ru again. And Tweed too.
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And again.
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Hey look at that ... again!
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The result is The Tri Pod Formerly Known As Tweed. He's totally gimped this afternoon :(

Tweed's dumb. I'm pretty. Take a picture of me.
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Look who is almost the same size as Piper!
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Holycow!

Rogue says she is also pretty, and I should take a photo of her too.
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We are still accepting guesses as to what her breed mix might be.

But be careful, for if you guess wrong ...


... the borderjack cometh.
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19 comments:

ktbug ladydid said...

I don't know Rogue's breeds (and I'm a decent guesser, normally), but she has an amazing, adorable, beautiful smile. I hope she's as sunny in person as she is in the photo!

brooke said...

rogue looks like such a happy dog! love her face!

nickelsmum said...

I think Rogue is a ..... Borderjack! Srsly, how big is she?

Rossie said...

ha ha. I'm laughing at Woo and his big old bell. neener neener, Woo, that's what you get for the heart attacks you give the lady!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post today. Thanks!

Kerry said...

Hahaha suck it Woo! I know that heart attack feeling and if a little bell humiliation is what it takes to maintain food lady sanity then so be it I say. :)

Unknown said...

Hah. So happy you have fixed Woo's little red (or is it orange?) wagon. No more roaming loose for youse, Mr Woo!

Rogue has a heartmeltingly sweet expression. I can't imagine how she got such a name!

♥I am Holly♥ said...

Love the bell!!! What a great idea! Rogue is very pretty...no idea what breed though but she sure looks like a happy dog!!

Jen said...

JRT x ACD? Is she blue ticked?

The Border Collies said...

Rogue is not ticked, she is merely a blue tri. Virtually no ticking. All first generation cattle dog crosses should be ticked, so she remains a mystery :)

An English Shepherd said...

Lovely pictures, was Tricky Woo also the name of a dog in the books by James Herriot !

Wizz :-)

MalaysianFan said...

A bear bell, did you say? Is that what the fashionable bears are wearing this season?

That is some lovely scenery you and the dogs hike through, Food Lady! Great post all around. :-)

riosmom said...

I got a kick out of your saying "Wootie will only take off if he's already out of sight". I had a Borzoi when I lived on the east coast whose "take off" point was defined by a line beyond which he couldn't hear a recall. The line was a little over half way down a country drive - catch him an inch before the line and he would whip around and come back, an inch over the line and he was gone.

Great photos as always and I agree with everyone else - Rogue looks like a very happy dog.

Michelle said...

Looks like great fun! The bear bell idea is a great one - outsmart that smarty pants!

Anonymous said...

how long before the Woo figures out how to remove the bell..or silence the bell? or get another dog to help remove it? he IS a sly fellow....

Melinda said...

Beware of Stealth Mode from Mr. Woo! I have a dog that is able to silence the jangling tags (almost as loud as a bearbell) when he so desires, so that he may enjoy his walkabouts without being saddled by human company. I swear that Opie quietly removes his collar and hangs it on a huckleberry bush for retrieval at a later hour. Pretty sure his double dew-claws are actually thumbs in disguise.

And just how do they know to reappear at that critical moment between "I'm gonna wring his neck" and "ohmidoG I'm so glad you came back!" Tricky, these dogs are.

Love your photos and the sense of humor in all the captions!

cruznk9 said...

Great idea about the bell. I need one for a certain Beagle that behaves in the same way as Woo.

pam said...

We're guessing Rogue is part cute with a whole nother part keeuuuute!

Bobo says woowoowoof...

3aussiemom said...

Oh Tricky Woo--you made me spew all over my computer with your ear bell. Ha ha ha--you're screwed!