Porridge is not really called Porridge. It is one of many nicknames she has, depending on my mood. Shithead is another quite popular one ... I dont know how she feels about it. I dont get quite so angry with her now when she rolls in manure, after the vet told me that she was simply trying to protect herself from bears by trying to smell like a different creature.
Why bears? And dont bears eat pigs as well as golden retrievers?
Her real name is Foxy Lady Noroy du Plessy and she is from Belgium with a promising pointy pedigree full of international dog show champions. Ever since her career as a supermodel was compromised by her nose turning pink and her toes turning in, I have tried to suppress my yearnings for a shiny cup.
But I cant fight it.
I must have one.
We have a new granite mantlepiece and it is empty.
For the last two years we have shivered on cliff tops in all weathers and been shouted at by socially inept dog trainers. And tomorrow is the moment of truth. She will try to obtain her brevet at a pistage competition.
Her very first one.
At last she is ready.
She is now able to approach a flag and lie down off the lead while someone fires a gun in the air to try and frighten her (and me). Then I will stand between two flags and send her off unaccompanied to follow a scent for 300 yards, find a tiny object, bring it back to me immediately without leaving the least chew mark on it, without dropping it and finally sitting before me and giving it into my hand on command without dropping it. There is a lot of not dropping it required.
Yes she is ready.
I hope.
I'll just set the alarm for 5.30am
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1 week ago
7 comments:
Oh wow, go "Porridge"! How exciting her big day is here - good luck with that early start and I can't wait to hear how she does. Her pink nose sounds adorable and I'm so glad to learn that about the bears and the disguise, Otto and Bertha (our schnauzers) used to go crazy for fox pee!
Oh, dear. So much pressure.
There was some sort of dog show on the television when we went to visit my mother yesterday for Thanksgiving. I don't quite get dog shows; for me, dogs are for loving and roughing on the living room floor and for running on the beach. I guess it's just me; I don't get people who keep "show cars," either.
I hope you get a shiny cup, but even if you don't, you'll still have shithead - oh, I mean Porridge - to love...
Lotta pressure to put on one small dog who loves you so.
Shiny cups are easy to come by, love less so.
Oh - Good Luck. I'm sure you are a nervous wreck. I'll cross my fingers for you and "Porridge".
Wow.
And I was going to do a post about how we taught my little dog to sit after 8 years of trying.
I better get to work.
Good luck to you tomorrow! I've done some tracking with my 2 standard poodles, and it's a lot of fun. Here in the US it doesn't involve firing a gun first, though they were exposed to that, in field training, too so they are not at all gunshy.
I’ve just been sat here trying to say ‘Foxy Lady Noroy du Plessy!’, ‘Foxy Lady Noroy du Plessy!’ – six times fast, but at the full shout, as if I were calling after her in a public park or similar. Sad eh. But never the less true. Haven’t been able to get beyond four so far, without dissolving into tears of laughter.
Didn’t realise my wife and mother in law had returned either, and were watching my antics intently from the hallway. They finally made themselves known with a discreet cough, when I started yelling ‘Porridge!’ ‘Porridge!’...at the top of my lungs. It’s ok though, they’ve gone back out again now, with all the shopping too. Hmmm. Strange..??
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