Canadutch » Pixel

Adventures at the Dog Park: Jack & Russell

Breigh — Sun, 22 May 2011 15:22:14 +0000

We are still taking Pixel and Bailey to the dog park pretty regularly. Pixel is never a problem but we continue to be somewhat anxious when it comes to Bailey and his aggressive attitude towards other male dogs.

You can imagine how worried we were the first time these two entered the park.

They are brothers and their names are Jack & Russell. Yes, Jack Russell. NOT what I was expecting the day I was standing in the back of the field and someone said “Oh here comes Jack Russell!” Not what I was expecting at all!

First, they are both male.

Second, they are both huge.

Third, being male and huge, I was pretty sure this was going to be the day Bailey got his ass kicked.

It turned out to be quite the contrary though. These two dogs can’t be bothered with anyone but each other. They are constantly trying to outdo each other with the sticks, and if the two of them get their mouth on the same stick, there’s no getting them apart.

No seriously, we’ve walked all the way home with the guy and they were both walking all crooked trying to hold onto the same stick.

Here’s the weird thing… Bailey LOVES these dogs. If they come near him he doesn’t do his usual growling and snarling, when they run he wants to run too. He thinks they are the bees knees.

Only one problem though, there’s no way he’s keeping up with them.

He knows it too. He legs it trying to keep up with them, then just just gets frustrated and barks. He’s like the little brother or the younger cousin who wants to play with the big kids but gets left behind every time.

It doesn’t stop him from trying again the next time though, and he’s starting to get clever with his shortcuts. I’m not sure what he’d do if he ever caught one of them but judging by how quick he gets out of dodge when they stop, I’m not too worried!

Hallerbos: Belgium’s Forest of Bluebells

Breigh — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 06:43:09 +0000

A few months ago a friend of mine told me about a spot in Belgium that she thought I’d like, called Hallerbos. It’s a forest just outside Belgium that, for a few weeks every spring, is completely covered in bluebells. She showed me her photos and I immediately wanted to go, so I put regular reminders in my calendar for me to look into whether the bluebells had started to bloom or not. I figured at least some of the people who visited would put their photos on Flickr, and I did a search for recent photos under the label ‘Hallerbos’ every couple of days. It was a great plan because I was able to see how the flowers were blooming through other people’s photos.

When they appeared to be ready, we made a plan! Xander, myself and the dogs all got in the car last Sunday morning and set off for Belgium.

We decided to put the dogs in the back of the Prius rather than on the back seat like we used to with the old car, which turned out to be a great decision. They settled down a lot quicker and Bailey loved the dog height window across the back. Pixel just curled up and went to sleep and we didn’t hear a peep from her until we arrived.

Hallerbos was beautiful! We did a walk that was 7.5km that took us through all the most beautiful parts of the forest. It took us three hours because I kept stopping to take photos but the weather was lovely and we had a really wonderful time exploring.

Thankfully there were places like this where Xander could sit and chill while he waited for me to take my photos.

I think we went at the perfect time. There was purple everywhere we looked and it was just so beautiful. I got lucky with the light because when we first arrived it was still a bit clouded over and misty, but by the end the sun was blazing. So I was able to get photos of the flowers in all sorts of different lighting.

There were quite a few people there but not so much that it felt crowded. I think later in the season it will be crazy busy but we really felt like it was still a quiet walk through the forest, which made it a lot more enjoyable.

The dogs had a blast! So much undiscovered territory to sniff and pee on. They were in heaven! It took me a while to get them to both sit in the same place, I decided to give up on trying to get them both looking at the camera at the same time.

They got to do what they love to do best, DIG! There isn’t a sand pile around that hasn’t been scratched into submission by these two little dogs.

Pixel also did this crazy thing she does whenever we get her out into nature…

She rubbed herself on it…

… and rolled around in it.

I don’t know what it is that causes her to do this but whenever we are out she chooses these random spots to rub herself on, then she flips over and wriggles around all over it. There are a million reasons why I think she’s a total weirdo and this is one of them. She is the cutest little weirdo I have ever seen though, so I think I’ll keep her.

After all that digging and wriggling, a drink was in order. I wasn’t sure how healthy it was for them to be drinking out of this stagnant pond but they were already doing it before I noticed so I just hoped that they didn’t keel over dead before we got out of the forest.

It may have also been a bit of a snack, because that pond was loaded with tadpoles. Maybe the dogs weren’t actually drinking at all, it’s possible they were just fishing.

We gave them some treats anyway, just because they are so cute.

Honestly, I can’t say enough good about this place. No matter how many photos you take, there is no way to capture the beauty of it, you just have to experience for yourself. From what I’ve read the flowers are in bloom from mid April until sometime in early May so I would say that it’s still possible to visit and see the flowers for at east another week. I highly recommend it!

I’m still completely addicted to making HDR photos, so I had to make one from there as well, of course!

For the rest of the photos from my visit, see my Hallerbos set on Flickr!

Hallerbos can be found in Halle, Belgium which is approximately 1h45m from Rotterdam and 2h30m from Amsterdam. There is parking throughout the park but I’d suggest going early if you want a spot!

Pixel’s Pitiful Attempts at a Howl

Breigh — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:12:17 +0000

The other day I heard sirens coming in the distance. I quickly grabbed my camera and got it ready to record Bailey and his howling, just because I think it’s funny. I was wondering if this would be the time that Pixel finally joins in as up till now she has only barked and given him weird looks when he howls at things. Here is what happened… you have to listen carefully for Pixel because Bailey tends to drown her out a bit.

Yeah, not a lot of howling going on from Pixel but she is trying! You can tell that she is finally catching on that she is supposed to be doing something, but she doesn’t quite know what. Instead of a howl, all you get is a sort of strangled cry that wants to be a howl but isn’t.

One day she’ll get there and I’ll be sure to have the camera handy.

Bailey! Quit Being a Jackass!

Breigh — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:15:03 +0000

That’s me about 100 times a day at the dog park. Oh, give me strength!

For the last week or two we have been trying to socialize our dogs by taking them to a nearby enclosed dog park. Bailey has become quite anti-social over the years, especially with other male dogs. He snarls and lunges and gives me a heart attack.

I know Cesar Milan would tell me to be calm, but how can I be calm when my little dog is trying to get himself eaten by a Bouvier!! After he was attacked by a Rottweiler I’ve been incredibly frightened when it comes to other dogs.

I am extremely uncomfortable having our dogs off their leads, even in an enclosed dog park. Especially when there are other dogs unleashed as well. Xander, as well as all the other dog owners, try to get me to relax and reassure me that Bailey will improve the more we let them loose with other dogs.

In my mind? We’re not helping him get better, we are playing with fire and begging for our dog to be torn to bits.

When you have the smaller dog with the attitude, you can’t trust that the bigger dogs are always going to put up with him, what happens the time the wrong dog with the wrong owner shows up? The dog that is ready for a fight and isn’t going to listen to his owner when the time comes?

Seriously, it shreds my nerves. I absolutely refuse to go without Xander because I don’t want to try to have to control the situations on my own, and also because in situations like that quick communication is a must and that’s not something I have at the moment.

Don’t get me wrong, it is fun and Bailey isn’t on the attack every minute… but he does act like a total jackass at times and will snarl and lunge at other male dogs. Much BIGGER male dogs. I wish I could just snap my fingers and fix him.

This is one dog that he managed to be around without any serious drama. Mostly because I think this dog didn’t take him at all seriously and just let him act like a dick without giving him much thought. I mean, what point is there in fighting with a dog that can’t even reach to sniff your balls?

Pixel, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.

Whenever a dog gets near her, regardless of its size, she does this…

STOP DROP AND ROLL!!!

Yes, even though she pwns Bailey hardcore at home and is totally the dominant dog, when we are out among other dogs, she is about as submissive as they get.

If another dog comes along, she flops over on her back, spreads and is all “Here, smell my lady bits!”

This is about as close as she’ll get voluntarily. She’s curious but the minute they return that curiosity she turns and hightails it for the nearest human, to cower at their feet.

I think in order to get the full grasp of Pixel’s complete disinterest and fear of other dogs, you have to see her in action. At one point while we were there a lady came along with a giant Bouvier, which she was not able to take off the lead because Bailey kept trying to pick a fight with him. Shortly after, her neighbour arrived…

It was so bizarre. This lady arrives at the dog park in a pink robe and six or seven Shih Tzu in tow. The lady was quite content to hang around the park in her bathrobe chatting away. She was very friendly and had some good tips on how to get the dogs a little more social.

I assume they were good tips, I mean… with that many dogs she must know what she is doing.

Her dogs loved Pixel. The feeling was soooo not mutual.

You can see in the end of the video, the lady came around with the Bouvier again and Bailey was quick to make a move. I had to stop filming then because I was busy panicking.

I KNOW, I need to remain calm. I don’t do calm very well…

So yeah, I’m not sure how I feel about this dog park thing. On the one hand I agree that it’s in their best interest to try to socialize them, but I can’t help but feel like one day Bailey is going to pick a fight with the wrong dog and is going to get hurt. I don’t think I could forgive myself if that were to happen.

Does anyone have any experience with dogs and aggression? He is only REALLY aggressive with other male dogs, especially if they are dominant as well. It scares me and I’m really not sure that this is the best way to deal with it. Help!

P.S. Flickr appears to be having problems so if the photos aren’t showing up, that is why. Hopefully it will be sorted soon!

Frosty Carnisse Grienden

Breigh — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 20:04:13 +0000

I apologize in advance if your modem melts while trying to load this post. It’s picture heavy, I can’t control myself…

This appears to be the week where we revisit places we’d been at around the same place last year.

Yesterday when we saw the sunshine yet again, Xander and I grabbed the dogs and headed off to Carnisse Grienden for a walk. If you look at that link, the last time we were there was February 22nd of last year, and the conditions were pretty much the same yesterday… beautiful, cold and frosty.

This was my Project 365 photo for the day. I loved the texture of the wood and how the frost sparkled in the sunlight.

No matter how green things appeared to be or how sunny it was, there were always reminders around to make sure we knew it was still winter.

There was ice everywhere. I didn’t mind though as it made for a few more nice photo opportunities. It was hilarious watching the dogs waking over puddles though. The few times their paws went through they scurried off like their tails were on fire!

It was so incredibly serene there. I don’t know if it was because of the cold weather or because we went so early, but we only came across one other person walking out there and they were leaving just as we went in. It seemed as though we had the entire place to ourselves.

This did me a world of good as I’ve been stressing out a bit lately and being out in the fresh air in such a lovely place gave me the time and space I needed to just breathe and relax.

The dogs loved it too! Bailey was on high alert at all times, while Pixel made it her life’s mission to sniff every blade of grass, fallen leaf and tree stump.

I’m not sure if that area is somehow affected by tides (I think it is) or if it was lack of rainfall recently, but where there used to be water, was now mostly just mud. It wasn’t entirely a bad thing though as it made for a bit of a different view from our last visit, when it was quite wet.

The last time I walked by this area it was completely full of water. I was sort of startled when I saw that thing at the bottom there on the right, it looked like a dead animal. It was just wood though.

This left me a little confused…

As did this…

Not one, but two ladders to nowhere.

I saw them when I was there before too, although half of them were underwater. I suppose at some point there may have been some kind of dock there, although I can’t imagine for what. It’s possible people used to use this area for small boats as there are waterways that lead to the Maas (river) but it obviously wasn’t kept up. You aren’t getting anywhere with those ladders nowadays.

There is a lot of nature in Carnisse Grienden, but the main focus are the willow trees…

They line most of the walkways through the park but there are also fields and fields of them. Apparently they are trimmed on a cycle of three years, allowing them to grow and then cutting the branches. They are used for loads of different things like making baskets and reinforcing the walls of canals.

Our peace and quiet was temporarily disturbed as we came along a field where the workers were busy with their chainsaws. It didn’t really jive with the relaxed mood we’d managed to make for ourselves up to that point, but they had a job to do.

I tried not to let my anger about chainsawing trees get in the way of my enjoyment. Plus, I don’t really care about these trees. Even if I did want to tell them off for it, I don’t think they would have understood me. I’m pretty sure they were Polish.

Like all good things, it eventually had to come to an end. We had reached the end of our path and civilization could be seen off in the distance. I sort of wanted to turn around and go hide back in amongst the willow trees where everything was simple and beautiful, but I had to get on with my day.

Not before trying to get some more photos of the dogs though…

Have you ever tried to get photos of dogs who are super excited in unexplored territory? Not an easy task, let me tell you!

After about ten attempts to get a photo of Bailey and getting nothing but a leg lifting, grass kicking blur, I finally managed to get him in a still moment… and that was only because he thought he heard a sheep.

I gave up on Pixel. She is so fast and the only time she stopped for a moment was to scratch an itch. Is it too much to ask for a cute pose, after all we do for her?

Oh, and see in the background? Leg lifting… after an hour walking through the woods there wasn’t a drop left.

I guess he was just threatening…

You can see all of the photos I’ve taken at Carnisse Grienden in my Flickr Set. For more information on the area, you can visit their website. It’s in Dutch, but Google Translate is your friend.

The Tables Have Turned!

Breigh — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:57:58 +0000

Remember back when Pixel was only a few weeks old and I made some videos of her and Bailey playing?

That was two years ago… Pixel really gave it her all but Bailey had the upper hand with a huge size advantage.

A friend of mine made a comment on one of the videos saying she wondered what it would be like once Pixel was a bit bigger.

Well… she’s still not quite as big as him but it’s definitely not as easy for Bailey as it used to be!

I took this video about an hour ago when the dogs were playing on the sofa. They’d already been playing for a while but I didn’t realize the camera was right next to me until later on. You can see that Pixel can really hold her own now and it’s usually Bailey that gets tossed off the sofa. Much to his dismay, as you will hear.

The video is a bit dark, as it was dusk here and I knew any real movement on my part (like getting up to turn on the lights) would cause them to stop all playing action and immediately run to my ankles to see what I was up to. You can still see them though.

How cute is it when they are licking each other after they stop playing. It’s all like OK! Time to kiss and make up!

Pixel looks so much bigger than she really is now that she has her winter coat on (we get her plucked in the spring so she’s sleek and tiny through the warmer months).

I love that they play together. I’m hoping it will keep Bailey young. He’ll be eight this year and he’s aging far too quickly for my liking!

A Little Photosynthesis

Breigh — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:05:24 +0000

Yesterday was the crappiest day I’ve had in a long time. I was feeling really down and frustrated because of some personal things going on and the bulk of my day was spent inside, with random crying jags and just generally feeling shit. A friend said to me on Facebook to remember that tomorrow is another day, and I tried to remember that when I went to bed last night.

He was so right!

I don’t think there is any way for me to describe how much of a difference some sunshine makes in my life!

This morning Xander and I went for a nice long walk with the dogs, for a little photosynthesis, as he called it. He knows how drastically my mood changes when I get out in the sunlight, so I was glad when he asked if I wanted to go out for a walk. He grabbed the dogs, I grabbed my camera and off we went.

The sun was shining bright and the longer I was out there the better I felt. Unlike yesterday, which was dark and dreary and did nothing at all to lift my mood. In fact, I’m pretty sure it made it even worse.

I love walking with Xander and the dogs. We talk and spend time together which we often sort of forget to do when we are home and both doing our own thing.

Seeing little shots of green in amongst the bare branches, and stems of the Narcissen starting to pop up in the grass gives me hope. The kind of hope that only people in the Netherlands and other such winter-dreary countries would understand…

SPRING IS COMING!!

30 Days of Truth: Day 15

Breigh — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:53:13 +0000

Ok first let me get the usual suspects aside. My husband, my friends, my family… goes without saying.

There’s something I have tried to live without that didn’t go very well, I was miserable.

When I first left home when I was 21, back in 1996, I lasted approximately three weeks without any pets. It was horrible! I wasn’t allowed to bring the horrid little dog that I had to the flat I was living in so I left her with my parents. I had no pets, just a dick boyfriend, I needed someone sweet to love.

That’s when Spencer came into the picture, and my life would never be the same again… He is, to date, the longest pet relationship I’ve ever had.

It’s been 14 years and the only time I was without pets since then was when I first got here to the Netherlands and was waiting for the cats to arrive.

Anyway, as I was saying, I could never imagine living a life without pets. They bring so much joy into my life, even if they do get on my nerves from time to time. I love animals and will always want them in my home.

These are the pets that are still living with us right now:

Bailey, our Yorkshire Terrier, will be eight years old this year. You will never find a more loving and faithful dog than he is. I wish I could go back to when he was a pup and do it all again. I never want him to leave me.

Pixel, our Wirehaired Dachshund / Chihuahua mix, will be three years old this year and she still looks like a puppy! She’s lethal and knows how to play us humans like a fiddle.

The Turtles…

Frick, basking as a hatchling.

Lego, our newest addition just after we got him home.

Chip and Sydney, back before they had to be separated.

Sherman, our Greek Tortoise who loves to eat.

Some of the pets that were with us in the past…

Salem was rehomed almost two years ago. I miss him . Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision in rehoming him, but when I see the change in Spencer I know I did. They fought a lot and Spencer is a lot less anxious without him here. Salem was happy to accept new owners but Spencer demands to be here with us. I know Salem’s new owners are giving him a wonderful life too, I just miss him sometimes…

Harley was our Africa Pygmy Hedgehog. Quite an interesting pet but I wouldn’t have one again. They are nocturnal and don’t really bother with you. They require a fair bit of space in their cage and can be quite dirty. Still though, he was an awesome little pet while we had him and he was very very cute and photogenic!

Cleo and Molly… yeah, we had rats. Another pet that we enjoyed while we had them but wouldn’t have again. We couldn’t really let them out of their cage because the cats would go bananas. Also keeping up with the cage cleaning got to be a bit much. Most of all though, their short life span is what I don’t like. I don’t like that about mostly all small and fuzzies, to be honest. I hate losing pets and that comes around way too quickly with these guys.

Turtles, some failed to thrive as hatchlings… which is very common unfortunately. Others died for unknown reasons. Always a risk when keeping turtles.

Radar, cause of death unknown. I was very sad when he died as I’d had him the longest.

Cupid, failed to thrive as a hatchling.

Stelo, cause of death unexplained. He died within a week of Radar. Was a bad week for me.

Phoenix, same species as Cupid and also failed to thrive as a hatchling. I swore to never get this type of turtle again.

Whew, yeah so I think that’s it. This post has made me a little sad to be honest, thinking of the pets I’ve lost along the way. I guess that’s all a part of choosing to have the pets that I do though. When you keep turtles there is always a chance they won’t make it as their care is so specific, and sometimes there are just things wrong with them that you aren’t aware of. With pets like hedgehogs and rats, their life expectancy is only 2-4 years, which doesn’t give you long to enjoy them.

Cats and dogs are where it’s at, they give you a bit better, time wise… I don’t even want to think of what I’ll do when the time ever comes I have to say goodbye to one of the dogs, or Spencer. Seriously, I’ll be a weep machine.

On that note, here’s something that made me giggle with my pets yesterday. Bailey howling his arse off at a siren going through the neighbourhood. Pixel still hasn’t ever howled, she just barks. As long as she makes sure she’s heard. Crazy little shits, they are…

De Twee Heuvels

Breigh — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:28:26 +0000

Early this morning Xander and I decided to take the dogs to the park for a walk. We haven’t been to De Twee Heuvels before and it’s nearby so we went to check it out. There isn’t a lot there, some paths and a lot of people with their dogs. I assume it’s probably a lot nicer when the weather is a bit more pleasant.

It turned out to be quite good for the dogs. We were a bit nervous because there were a lot of dogs off their leashes but they behaved pretty well. So much so that we even considered letting them loose to play with the other dogs.

Then we came to our senses.

It rained off and on but it was a nice walk of a few kilometers and a good way to start the day.

I’m not sure Pixel agreed, she could not get back in the car quickly enough. You see, being the delicate flower that she is, she doesn’t really like the wet weather. She loves her walks but when it’s raining, I’m pretty sure she’d rather just hold it.

I don’t know why we don’t go for walks like this more often, I love getting out in the fresh air and spending time with my husband and the dogs. I think the weather being a little nicer would probably help.

What Do You Get When You Cross a Weak Woman and Tiny Dog?

Breigh — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 20:24:59 +0000

Something that looks a little something like this…

Someone mentioned recently that the blog has been lacking in Pixel photos so I thought I’d post this one my husband took this evening while we were watching TV.

What? Isn’t this how everyone watches TV with their dog? Umm…?

I mean, she likes it like that, she jumps, and jumps, and looks up at me with those little eyes, then jumps three or four more times before making it up onto the chair. How can I not give her a wee cuddle after she put in all that effort. It must be exhausting!

It’s not easy being her, you know… what, with her short little legs, Bailey running off with her toys, Spencer refusing to ever play with her, the shouting matches between her and the Devil dog upstairs. It’s a rough life she leads, she deserves a little R&R.

It’s also entirely possible that she lives a life of luxury and has me wrapped around her little paw.