Growing up.

Hugo & Pip at Paws in the Park Birmingham

On Sunday Hugo and Pip took us to Paws in the Park in Birmingham to meet up with all their friends from Akita Rescue and Welfare. We had a brilliant day and the rain held off - the dogs were all very well behaved and as long as we kept Hugo, Obi, Princess Tia and Tyson apart (all like to be dominant) there were no issues. The dogs were particularly happy that the ARW stand was right next to the burger van and tasty scraps of food were on hand throughout the day. It was at this very event one year ago that we met Pip for the first time and a few weeks later came home with us for good. We can't believe how much she has grown in that time. Needless to say we had two very tired bears in the car on the way home and they forewent any offers of tea or walks before bedtime (think the burgers might have suppressed their appetites anyway!).



As you may already know we have a Fiat Panda which is not the biggest car in the world but we love it. When Hugo and Pip travel in the car it has always been a bit of a concern how close they are to the driver and Hugo, in particular, likes to stand breathing down your neck. For safety reasons we have been looking at different car guards and decided to try a net instead and it was on this journey to Paws in the Park that we tried it out. Hugo was not impressed but found he could put his head over with his chin resting on top of the net - it did keep him back a bit and it would have stopped them flying through the gap if we had to stop suddenly so think it will do the trick. Later in the week Toby raised it up a bit but naughty Hugo found this position was far better and he could worm his way underneath so it's back to the original way from now on! 

Hugo behind the net in the car - not impressed!

Chilling out on the journey home

As I have been off work for the last fortnight I have been continuing with taking Hugo and Pip up on to Selsley Common each day on my own. Following some comments with our Akita friends I wanted to try and be a bit more relaxed when approaching other dogs. Up to now I have tended to reign Hugo and Pip right in, standing still with them held close to me until it is safe to let them go on a longer lead again. Was this making them (Hugo more than Pip) anxious and more determined to try and get to the other dogs? On Monday I set off and we first met a man with two off-lead dogs - a whippet and a terrier - who made a bee line for Hugo and Pip. I shortened the leads but kept on walking - fortunately these were a friendly pair and just wanted to play so after a few darts backwards and forwards daring each other from all four parties we passed without any problems. Sigh of relief! We did not meet anyone else until we were on the way back to the car when a woman with three small dogs, all off-lead, approached. Two of them took no notice whatsoever of Hugo and Pip but the third, a border terrier, rushed straight up to Hugo and stopped right in front of him. I stopped walking and Hugo put out one big paw and batted the dog with it - the dog rolled over but then came straight back, snarling and barking round Hugo's nose. Hugo behaved impeccably and seemed rather bemused - I kept walking and he came too whilst the terrier ran back to it's owner. Pip hadn't taken any notice of any of them so I was really proud of them. Stupid woman owner though, not once did she call the dogs back and didn't utter a word throughout so I bit my tongue and stayed silent too. 

The day we met Pip last year

I don't know whether it is because I am walking Hugo and Pip more myself but Hugo is suddenly becoming very affectionate and wants to sit right up close to me, pivoting his head back and round, like an owl, so I can rub his chin for him. Pip has always been a cuddle monster but Hugo is usually more aloof so this is lovely. I do have one little problem with him at the moment and I am sure he just does it to tease me - I always take a glass of water to bed with me and every morning he tries to take a slurp out of it, 9 times out of 10 just licking the edge of the glass leaving a slobbering trail, disgusting dog! This is made worse by the fact that Miss Pip has educated him in where to get a drink during the night without having to go downstairs - out the toilet!

The same event, one year on

Pip has re-acquainted herself with the delights of hiding under the decking - she hasn't been under there for a while but we had a moment of panic earlier this week when we suddenly realised she was missing. We had been sitting out in the garden and thought she had wondered back in the house but when we went in she was not there. After a quick search upstairs she was no where to be found until Toby went up the garden and she squeezed her way out to meet him! Must remember to look there first in the future.

We'll protect you!

Can't believe it's been a month since the last time we posted on here, where does the time go to?

Stalking the cows on Selsley Common

Hugo and Pip have been enjoying their late evening walks and it has been so refreshing going out when the weather is cooler and there are no people around - just the cows to contend with! Pip is getting braver and will stand and look at them without cowering (no pun intended) behind us but Hugo prances towards them, ears pricked and alert and his main aim seems to be to make them move off. One of  these days he is going to get a shock when he meets a braver cow and I wonder if he would be the same if there wasn't a lead attached which he knows will check him before he gets too close.

A couple of weeks ago the weather changed and we had a few thundery shows. They do not seem to bother Hugo or Pip at all which is great when so many other poor dogs are terrified. The other morning I was awoken by a crash of thunder and the lightening was crackling all around - Pip was still fast asleep but where was Hugo? Behind the curtain hanging out of the bedroom window watching it all!

Taking a breather at the show

At the end of July Toby and I took Hugo and Pip to Suki's Canine Rescue Crew Dog Show near Stratford on Avon. Rather than taking my small car we borrowed Martin's (my OH) so there was plenty of room in the back for them without them breathing down my neck. We met up with lots of other members of Akita Rescue and Welfare and had a great day with all the dogs being beautifully behaved. At one point a group photo was taken and I think I counted 25 Akitas all together - absolutely brilliant. We are looking forward to the next meet at Paws in the Park in Birmingham next weekend. Needless to say Hugo and Pip were exhausted by all the excitement and didn't even eat their tea that evening and certainly didn't want to go out for a walk!

Exhausted with all the walking

When we first had Hugo I had no problem taking him for a walk on my own but since Pip came in to our lives I did not feel confident enough to take the two of them together. This last

week, though, I decided to brave it and drove them up to Selsley Common where you can park the car right on the edge. There is plenty of space up there so you have time to get them under control when you see someone coming and there are no trees for them to wrap you round. It was brilliant and they behaved beautifully, even letting me stand still to take a couple of photos and I even managed to make Hugo sit when a couple of spaniels approached. I don't think I could quite manage on my own with them on a pavement alongside a road or along the canal where there are always cyclists and other dog walkers but it felt quite exhilarating to go solo with them so I can see this becoming a regular thing.

On Thursday night Martin was away from home and so was Daniel, my eldest lad, who was dog sitting for his friends while they were on holiday. (Their dog, Bret, is Hugo's arch enemy and you can read about when they met in the blog entitled 'A lover not a fighter' back in April). Toby slept in the shed (that is NOT as bad as it sounds!) so that left me in the house with Hugo and Pip for the night. They always sleep upstairs anyway and occasionally get on the bed although they don't tend to stay long. That night Hugo got up and lay down on Martin's side of the bed and was still there when I went to sleep. When I woke yesterday morning I felt the lump next to me and though he was still there but, no, Miss Pip was there instead - I think they must have changed guard during the night! Nice to be protected. We had to get up at 5.30am because Toby had to leave the house by 6am to go to work so, with no one else left at home, he took Hugo and Pip out for a quick morning walk at 5.45am - Hugo just got up, stretched and was ready for the off but Pip was not impressed. As soon as they were home she was straight back to bed.

Play with me Hugo!

They got their own back this morning though as both were away at 6am, huffing and jumping on and off the bed - yes, OK we ARE awake! I went and made tea and got Hugo and Pip some of their biscuits (for that's what they were wanting) and we went back to bed. I heard some birds making a commotion in the garden and Hugo and Pip flew downstairs and outside to investigate. I didn't think much more of it until I was in the kitchen later on and the same think happened - I was just in time to see them chasing off a sparrow hawk out of the Viburnum bush where the sparrows live. Although Hugo and Pip don't like the sparrows daring to come in to our garden they certainly weren't going to let anybody else have them!