Blog

There's a new addition to the k9tales family... 9-week-old Mist the sheepdog.

Here are a few pictures of her getting up to mischief in the garden.

Unsurprisingly, life has changed dramatically in the last week and all my spare time has been taken up with the puppy. I've been left wondering if I'd ever get time to write again. Even now, writing this, she is chewing our rather nice sofa and constantly needs distracting.

In the coming weeks and months we'll be keeping you up-to-date with Mist's progress - so long as I can find 10 minutes to sit at the laptop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, the festivities are well and truly over. The decorations are packed away and the turkey carcass has been thrown out.

The new year has kicked off with a blanket of snow, creating excitement and chaos in equal measure.

In recent years it's been unusual for Pembrokeshire to have snow lying on the ground for more than a few hours. This covering has been met with glee by the kids whose schools are closed, and dread by the rest of us having to get to work - and home again - in treacherous driving conditions.

Just stepping out of the front door is an ‘interesting' experience, even with sensible shoes on.

It's all everyone is talking about. Hence our front page story this week headlined The Big Chill.

New Year's Day began bright and sunny with an exhilarating walk on Newgale beach. After lunch it was off to the drinking holes for a pub crawl (on foot) around the town. On our way out the snow began to fall, but never thinking it would stick I ventured out in boots with soles as smooth as the ice sheet now covering our drive.

And so it was that I came home later that night with two bruised knees, after my betrothed had dropped me twice on the hill back to our house. The perils of New Year's drinking.

Maybe it's just as well there aren't many trials on in Wales right now. And I'm not ashamed to admit, once again, that I am a fair weather trialler.

You've seen the Extreme Shepherds on YouTube, now you can preview a new extreme sheepdog trials game.

If you can't get enough of sheepdog trials and are feeling competition withdrawal symptoms in the quiet new year, refine your whistling and skills with Extreme Sheepdog Trials.

Being created as an app for the iPhone, Extreme Sheepdog Trials is causing a stir in cyber space and was runner-up in the AppsFire competition in December.

No news yet on the launch date, but you can download a test version of the game from its website.

Visit the website at http://www.extremesheepdog.com/ or view a preview of the game at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48sGBJBUAuo.

Shortly after buying the best gadget ever, ie the iPhone, I thought to myself a sheepdog game would make a great app. Unfortunately it seems someone else also had the same idea, with better technical knowledge than me, and has beaten me to it.

I really should act on my ideas and not leave them lingering in the depths of my mind.

It's that time of year again.
No, not the nursery sheepdog trials season, but fireworks and thoughtless yobs season.
It's the only time of year when I'm glad Corrie doesn't live with us. She hates loud bangs - fireworks, thunder, gunfire ­- and thinks the best way to stay calm is to climb onto the nearest person's head.
This can be quite perturbing if you're sat on a cream sofa with a glass of red wine in your hand, or if you're tucked up in bed sound asleep.
For the last couple of weeks fireworks have been blasting overhead every evening, causing the dogs in the surrounding streets to go beserk.
Not only is it extremely annoying for us humans, it's also a real issue for pets. But when there is so little respect for other people, how could we expect any consideration for the welfare of animals?
Don't get me wrong, I love fireworks and bonfire night - I'll be building a bonfire this weekend ready for some family festivities next week. But bonfire night is on November 5th - not the two weeks leading up to it and the weeks after.
I'm presuming that those who are letting off fireworks around us every night are teenagers with the excuse that they've got 'nothing better to do' and not so-called 'responsible adults'.
But it isn't an excuse. Every year hundreds of people are injured in fireworks accidents. Around half of those involve children under the age of 16.
I would hate to see a ban on the public sale of fireworks, but you can understand why there are growing calls for it.
If your dog suffers from fireworks jitters, there is lots of advice on how to deal with the problem.
PDSA Senior Veterinary Surgeon, Sean Wensley, said: "It is worth us imagining what bonfire night must be like for our pets ­ we know why there are lots of bangs outside, but our pets don't, which is very distressing for them."
Owners should be aware of signs of stress. Dogs may tremble, pace, pant and become 'clingy' towards their owners.
Sean added: "If pets do start to show signs of distress, owners should act normally. Trying to reassure pets with extra attention will only reinforce their fears that there is something to be anxious about.
"The owners of pets with severe noise phobias should seek advice from their vet. Noise phobias in pets cannot be fixed quickly, but with time, patience and the right veterinary advice, treatment can be very successful."
The veterinary charity has also come up with a pet-friendly fireworks code:
* Never take your pet to a firework display.
* Keep dogs and cats indoors and close all windows, doors, curtains and cat flaps. 
* In the weeks leading up to bonfire night, make a cosy 'den' for your dog and give them healthy treats when they use it. On fireworks night, this will be somewhere they can hide and feel safe. Equally, if your cat has a favourite hiding place, such as on top of a cupboard or underneath furniture, make sure this can be accessed on the night.
* Don't shout at your pet or punish them if they react to the noise, as this will increase their anxiety. The best advice is to ignore the noise and don't try to reassure them. If they detect your anxiety this will increase their fear.  
* Play music (something with a repetitive drumbeat) to mask the noises outside. 
* Ask your vet about using natural pheromone therapy. Pheromones are comforting animal scents (undetectable to the human nose), but they can help to decrease anxiety in dogs and cats.
* Make sure your pet is in a safe, secure environment, so if they do become scared or try to escape, they won't hurt themselves.
* Get your pet microchipped. Then, even if they do panic and run away, you are much more likely to be reunited.
And there may also be a herbal solution to consider.
Skullcap and Valerian tablets are said to help calm nerves and could be an effective way to reduce the stress caused by fireworks.
Both medicines are licensed by the Government's Veterinary Medicines Licensing Authority and are available online from Medicine4Animals, a brand owned by London medical herbalist Deborah Grant.
Deborah said: "21st century herbal medicine is now being underpinned by scientific research and as such is becoming increasingly popular with more and more dog owners turning to it for their pets as a safer, gentler alternative to pharmaceutical drugs."
Deborah, who practices at the Hale Clinic in London, also claims that cats and dogs are benefiting from this natural treatment as there are no side-effects.
She recommends that Skullcap and Valerian tablets should be taken morning and night with food, with double the amount over bonfire night. A liquid Valerian compound can be taken with or without food, and can even be applied to bedding.

The young competitors who took part in the eighth young handlers' sheepdog trial should be praised for their efforts, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed that there wasn't a better turnout.

Is it because other young handlers didn't know about it, or was it too far to travel for some, or maybe they just had other things to do.

As the trial organiser Colin Pickford said: "They've got to want to do it."

It creates a conundrum about the future of sheepdog trials in the UK. I'm currently working on a feature about young handlers including what can be done to encourage them and what they themselves think.

Talking to International driving champion Tom Lawrenson following his trip to Sweden to judge its first young handlers' championship, it's obvious that the future is looking brighter elsewhere in Europe than here.

He commented that the overall standard was high, plus there's a real enthusiasm to learn.

Handlers are also importing good dogs - why go to the trouble and expense of importing a dog if it didn't have real promise?

The situation the UK agriculture industry finds itself in must also be contributing to the diminishing next generation. There's a serious lack of new blood taking on family farms and the numbers of large sheep flocks in some parts of the country have all but vanished.

If something isn't done about it, and soon, sheepdog trials may be consigned to the history books.

 

If you are a young handler, or if you have any thoughts on the subject, email k9tales with your views.

 

Oh dear.

It seems I now have a favourite in the litter of pups.

Things are not looking good in the resisting temptation stakes.

And should I really be preoccupied thinking about sheepdog names?

It's all the puppy's fault anyway. He's far too adorable and really shouldn't keep sitting on my feet looking up at me with those endearing puppy eyes.

I knew this would happen.

I'd been quite stern with myself before they were born, saying I wouldn't be able to have one.

For starters I live in a town and have a full-time job. Corrie doesn't live with me for these very reasons.

Is having a puppy enough of a reason to move house?

Of course, I'd say yes - I'm not so sure about Lee's take on it.

I'd love to get back to country life, but there's the small issue of getting an even bigger mortgage ­ and selling our house in a recession. Hmmm.

While I'm flicking through the pages of our newspaper's property section, here are some new puppy pictures to amuse you.

 

Right, let's clear one thing up: No, the plane wasn't for me! 
For anyone who wasn't at the International and hasn't got a clue what I'm talking about, let me explain. 
On Saturday a plane flew over the trial field with a banner trailing behind it with the words: ‘Lisa I love you, will you marry me?' 
And it flew over twice for good measure. 
Since then people have been asking if it was meant for me. 
But alas, no. 
Lee had already asked me to marry him on Christmas Day last year. It was a few weeks after we'd been involved in a car crash and I think it made us both realise this isn't a practise run. 
And besides, he told Kevin he'd never have spent that much money on a proposal. Ahhh, ever the romantic. 
Coincidentally it was Lee's first outing to a sheepdog trial. Bit of a baptism of fire; sitting in a field, watching dogs for three long days, but I think he enjoyed it! And if you're going to go to a trial you might as well go to the International. That's what I told him anyway. 
In case you're wondering, my answer was yes. We definitely need to win the Lottery now if we're ever going to buy a smallholding AND have my dream wedding.

There are six new arrivals in the k9tales kennel and mother and babies are doing well.

Mum's red and white bitch Ruby whelped three weeks ago, producing five black and white dogs and one red and white bitch.

With eyes wide open the pups, by Kevin Evans' Mirk, are now exploring their surroundings and chomping on each other's tails.

Now the fun really begins.

Who needs TV when you've got puppies around? I could sit and watch them all day.

I love puppies -­ whatever breed they are -­ they're so warm and cuddly and cute.

Lee's been threatening to search me every time we leave mum's, just in case I've smuggled one into my pockets. That would be far too obvious a hiding place though.

Maybe I have a cunning plan...

Things seem to be conspiring against me competing at sheepdog trials at the moment.

And this isn't doing me, or my dog, any good. I think we may both be going a little stir crazy.

With the Nationals, August has been and gone with lots to keep me busy on the k9tales site.

Unfortunately, being at the Welsh and Irish Nationals meant no trials for Corrie and I.

Then I had a date with Bono for the U2 gig at Cardiff, so that was another weekend missed.

So last weekend I was really looking forward to walking to the post, with lots of trials to choose from.

Only problem was I caught a cold and spent two days under a blanket on the sofa, surrounded by tissues and Sudafed.

My nan called it a ‘summer cold'. I'm not sure where she's been but I'm still waiting to see any sign of summer. I'm thinking about taking a boat with me to the International in Cumbria next week, just in case.

Bank holiday shifts in the office don't help either.

Work does tend to get in the way of pleasure during the summer months. Next year I'm going to try to take the whole of August off.

August, as well as being inundated with trials dates, also happens to be my newspaper's busiest month of the year - our county show week (feared even more than Christmas week), exam results, carnivals, summer guides etc etc.

I can't wait to see my boss's reaction when I hand in that holiday request form.

August, one of the busiest sheepdog trialling months, already seems to be flying by. The 2009 Irish National is over and I've returned home after a tiring and busy, but very enjoyable trip to Co. Tipperary.

The Scottish National is now in full swing and next week will be the turn of the Welsh. The final National will be the English, from August 21st-23rd, being held in north Devon.

Leading the home nations was Ireland. After a four-hour ferry trip at some ungodly hour and a two-and-a-half hour car journey, we arrived a little blurry-eyed at Burncourt for the first day of competition.

The field was set in beautiful surroundings, although they were not always visible thanks to a good dose of the Irish wet stuff - rain, not Guinness unfortunately. Beyond the field spectators could admire the mountain where Brian Casey's flock had been gathered to run at the trials.

Over the three days the standard of running was high and was reflected in

the marks. The cut-off point for the team was 188 points and Simon Mosse, of Co. Kilkenny, won on 204 points. It looks as if Ireland is determined to retain the team shield they won last year.

The plan had been to update the k9tales site as the trial progressed ­ but internet access was a bit patchy and the updates were more intermittent than I would have liked.

So, possibly in a moment of madness, I decided this week to buy a shiny new iPhone which is due to be delivered at the weekend.

Apparently Britons are still happy to spend money on gadgets, despite the recession (see the BBC news story Technology, Twitter and the Downturn at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8187809.stm). Hard times are forcing us to cut back on holidays and eating out but when it comes to technology we just can't get enough.

I could argue that the iPhone will be an essential tool to keep me ahead of the field of sheepdog trials websites, but I love Apple products, and to be honest, I just really wanted one full stop.

So at next week's Welsh National I should be able to update k9tales with all the latest action from the field as it happens. Fingers crossed.